Music and prayer greet Bishop-elect Martin on eve of ordination

HUNTERSVILLE — Music soared and voices lifted high at a special evening of praise and prayer led by Bishop-elect Michael T. Martin on Tuesday night at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Bishop-elect Martin will be ordained and installed as the fifth Bishop of Charlotte this week. Most recently a Conventual Franciscan priest serving in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, he succeeds Bishop Peter Jugis, who is retiring after 20 years.

Pews at St. Mark were filled with a diverse crowd ranging from members of youth groups from around the diocese to couples with young children, senior citizens, women religious, and Bishop-elect Martin’s fellow Franciscan brothers.

Bishop-elect Martin was joined on the altar by Atlanta Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio in the U.S.

Members of Bishop-elect Martin’s family filled three rows of pews on the right side of the church. The evening was an emotional one for his mother Bev and sister Jeanne, who both were moved to tears as soon as they walked into the church where he will be ordained a bishop on Wednesday.

The Gospel reading for the service included the passage from the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus tells Peter to put his fishing boat out into deep water. This passage is the source of Bishop-elect Martin’s episcopal motto: “Duc in Altum” or “put out into the deep.”

The bishop-elect offered a moving homily, reflecting on his upcoming ordination and the opportunity all God’s people have to accept Christ’s invitation to live a deeper life through Him.

“On the eve of this moment of our Church here in Charlotte, I’ve been given an opportunity, and we’ve been given an opportunity, wrapped in an invitation that comes to us from our God through the Church and our Holy Father,” Bishop-elect Martin said. “None of us will know why now. None of us will know why us. I certainly don’t know why me, but we kneel tonight as sinful men and women, marveling at the opportunity that all of us have to let go of the arrogance of believing that we know what’s best for our lives and to recognize the opportunity given to us in the invitation of Jesus, who says ‘Come on, come on a little deeper.’

In his homily, Martin told young people “Greater depth is possible in life,” encouraging them to follow the example of Jesus and be “His presence in the world.”

The service featured student musicians and singers from Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, Charlotte Catholic High School and Christ the King High School in Huntersville, who performed contemporary Christian praise songs such as “Good, Good Father” and “This is Amazing Grace.”

The holy hour also included silent Adoration and Benediction.

Several members of the youth group at St. Michael parish in Gastonia sat in the first two rows of the church. They arrived early to pray and lingered afterwards to talk about the impact of the Holy Hour.

“It was absolutely beautiful to be here celebrating together and being in the presence of Christ,” said youth group member Claudio Quiahua. “The church was so full of joy and the love of God.

I loved seeing so many different people together, and Bishop-elect Martin’s homily for me confirmed that he wants to lead young people to become holy people of God.”

Reyna Ceballos of Gastonia agreed, noting the beauty of the special evening.

“I could really feel the Holy Spirit present while we were here, and it was very exciting to be here with Bishop-elect Martin,” Ceballos said. “It was a beautiful and touching experience.”

— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy Hull

Read Bishop-elect Michael Martin's full homily

Invitation. Opportunity. For many of us in our lives, we're not so sure we want an invitation, but we're all certain that we'd love an opportunity. The distinction may be subtle, but it's important. Invitation has a sense of choice. We can accept it or not. We decide whether or not it's meeting our needs. But opportunity has a completely different feel. Opportunity presents itself and makes us seem as if we don't move, if we don't respond, if we don't act, we will miss something big. In tonight's Gospel, Jesus presents an opportunity wrapped in an invitation.

And because of our weakness, because maybe of our sin, but most importantly, because of our fear, too often we miss the great opportunity being given us and decline the invitation. We tell ourselves all kinds of things. “Been there, done that. I'm OK just as I am. I know what I'm doing.” Those must have been the thoughts going through the head of the fisherman, Peter, when the carpenter's son tried to teach him how to fish. Think of the arrogance that a carpenter would tell a fisherman how to do his craft. And so Jesus does not present it as a mandate. Jesus presents an opportunity in the form of an invitation: “Put out your nets deeper for a catch.”

I think all of us can appreciate Peter’s mild resentment Peter’s sense of not honor so much, but maybe a sense of pride. “Am I actually going to listen to this man?” But isn't it interesting that Jesus is not in any way hampered by what he knows about Peter. He's not going to hold back the invitation just because he senses that Peter is proud, that Peter is fine as a fisherman, just as he is, and some days they're just not biting. Some days there's just nothing in the net. “I'm OK as I am. Leave me alone.” Jesus senses that in Peter. And still doesn't command, doesn't bust his chops, doesn't in any way minimize the value of who Peter is and the honor of who Peter is. He simply invites him. Put out your nets into deeper water for a catch.

My brothers and sisters, if we feel that in some way our lives have already experienced the fullness of the catch that could be ours, we do not know the Lord. If we feel that we have grown all that we can grow, if we feel that we have explored the vastness of the sea, of relationship in Christ, if we believe that somehow our time has passed and we can coast in our relationship with Christ Jesus, we don't know the Lord. Because the Lord is constantly, constantly placing an opportunity inside an invitation. And that's what we fail to see. Too often we fail to see the opportunity that comes only in greater depth – the opportunity that only God can give – that this world promises and never delivers. We think we know best. We think we understand how life works. Let me invite you to something deeper, and there's an opportunity there that you can't possibly fathom, nor can I. That's the God we believe in, Who every moment of every day desires deeply to allow us a greater opportunity in love and in life. And when Peter confronts that truth, he is humbled to his knees. “Leave me, Lord. I'm a sinful man.” I feel that way tonight.

On the eve of this moment of our church here in Charlotte that I've been given an opportunity, that we've been given an opportunity wrapped in an invitation that comes to us from our God through the Church and our Holy Father and presents to each and every one of us in this unique, imperfect moment. That none of us will know why now. None of us will know why us. I certainly don't know why me. But we kneel tonight as sinful men and women, marveling at the opportunity that all of us have this night and tomorrow and the day after and the day after to let go of the arrogance of believing that we know what's best for our lives and to recognize the opportunity being given us in the invitation of Jesus, who says, “Come on, come a little deeper. Come a little deeper.”

The Grace of God is a tremendous catch, and Jesus entrusts us to experience this opportunity – to be so taken by it, to be so overwhelmed by it – that therefore we begin to realize that our mission in this world is not catching fish. Our mission in this world is something greater than our profession, that our mission in this world is to be that inviter – to be that bringer of opportunity to the world. To be His Presence, helping others to see that greater depth is possible in life. When we turn our hearts, minds and bodies over to Jesus, that is a daily catch.

That is regular routine mending the nets, monotonous rowing and rowing, and listening and being with the Lord – not too glorious, not always beautiful, and we stumble along the way. But that's our joy that we don't only get to receive the opportunity wrapped in an invitation, we get to present it to the world. We get to be fishers of men. May we all accept the invitation and glory in the opportunity our God gives us to be His Presence in the world.