Photos by Troy C. Hull, Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Nine bishops from the Carolinas and Georgia gathered for their annual meeting June 30-July 1, this year hosted by the Diocese of Charlotte.
The annual meeting offers the bishops of the Atlanta Province – including the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the four dioceses of Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah – the opportunity to come together for fellowship, prayer and discussions on topics relevant to the wider region and their growing Catholic populations, which now total over 2 million. Each year the role of host rotates among the five see cities.
The two-day meeting ended with Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, celebrated as is tradition by Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv., and concelebrated by Charlotte’s host Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.
Joining them were Raleigh Bishop Luis Zarama; Charleston Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune, C.S., and Charleston’s retired Bishop Robert Guglielmone; Savannah Bishop Stephen Parkes; and Atlanta’s three auxiliary bishops: Bishop Joel Konzen, S.M., Bishop Bernard Shlesinger III and Bishop John Nhan Tran.
Bishop Martin offered a moving homily on the importance of following God’s will.
He focused on the day’s Scripture readings, which described two very different events: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as told in Genesis (19:15-29) and Matthew’s description of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee (8:23-27).
“I’m guessing you might want to hear a little more about Jesus’ ability to calm the storms than God’s flaming wrath,” Bishop Martin said, “but you can’t tell the one story without telling the other. Both stories are interconnected – not just as pieces of historic truth, but as ultimate truths that are the hallmark of the Christian journey.”
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which includes the account of Lot’s wife turning to salt when she looks back, illustrates what happens when we choose to follow our own will instead of God’s, Bishop Martin said.
“The story is less about God’s justice and more about the consequence of human sin. When we do not listen to God’s Word, when we do not do what God calls us to do, disaster strikes,” he said.
While it’s important to realize that turning away from God’s will has consequences, he said, the Gospel offers the truth that Christ is always with us.
“Even amidst the consequences of our own brokenness, Jesus Christ is in the boat with us,” he said. “He is very much attuned and aware of the storms that are part of our lives. There is not a storm we can encounter that Christ can’t be present in.”
Bishop Martin said he and his fellow bishops saw the day’s readings as a chance to reflect on their work and their call to lead.
“We stand with you in the midst of the difficulties and challenges you confront, the storms that are part of your lives, and we give witness to Jesus Christ who brings a message of joy,” he said. “We pledge to walk with you, to be in the boat with you, to realize that your challenges are our challenges, too. We ask you to support us, to be with us and to sail with us. Know that all of us profess a faith in something that is greater than any storm of this world. May we continuously call out to Christ our savior – to come down and calm the waters, and bring us to a greater and a deeper, more powerful experience of God’s love.”
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