We are in the midst of the preparations for the Episcopal Ordination, on May 14th, of Monsignor David J. Malloy, as the Ninth Bishop of Rockford. Bishop Malloy will be the first bishop to take up the Office of Bishop in the second century of the Diocese’s existence. It has been my happy privilege to close the first century of the Diocese of Rockford and it is with great joy and happiness that I welcome Bishop Malloy, a personal friend from a neighboring diocese, to be our bishop.
 

I invite everyone in the Diocese who reads these words to join with me in prayer for the success of our new bishop and the prosperity and holiness of all of the people of the Diocese of Rockford.
 

For all the myriad functions, duties and rites that our Holy Mother Church in her wisdom commits to diocesan bishops, the passing on of apostolic authority to bishops, as it is to priests and deacons, is accomplished by the imposition or laying on of hands as Jesus did to the Apostles and as they to their successors, and these last on through the centuries until this very year. Deacons are ordained to service, priests to sacrifice and bishops to the ordering of the Church so that as living stones we are formed into the holy, priestly and royal people of God, joining on earth the song of the angels in Heaven as they sing, “Holy, holy, holy.” We strive to work out that holiness in our lives so that we become an earthly response to the angelic chant and so glorify God by our lives until we see Him face to face.
 

There are many who regard religion as piety. By our acts of religion we express our submission to God and our dependence upon Him. And that certainly is part of religion, but it is not the whole thing. Religion, far from being near piety, is part of the virtue of justice which governs our relationship with God and His with us. By our practice of religion, we manifest our belief in God our Creator, in God our Redeemer and in God our Sanctifier and Sustainer. We thank God and praise Him for His incarnation and redemption. We thank Him as the Vanquisher of Death and the Lord and Giver of Life. And we show our dependence upon the Holy Spirit for His guidance in our lives. That is why the Church is a communion. We praise God with our individual voices, but also as His family, His beloved — those He has bought back by His self-sacrifice. We are precious to Him as He is to us.
 

That is why our religion is incomplete unless we take part in the works of the Church. The principal work of which is care for one another, particularly of those who are unable to care adequately for themselves. We know that in the fulfillment of this last, the myriad’s effort gains immense reward.
 

Particularly in this age of the human race, more and more people try to play games with God in a sort of Russian roulette to see how long our misconduct will be allowed before we are brought to heel by a stern and irate God. That is why we should, from time to time, take up the New Testament and read one of the Gospels from beginning to end, nothing missed (if you want to be easy on yourself, choose St. Mark — he is the shortest Gospel writer), and take the word of Jesus for who and what God is. You will find it puts a happier face on the world, on life and even upon you.