Homily Episcopal Consecration
by Bishop Iyad Twal
28 February 2025
Al-Maghtas, Jordan
Is 61:1-13; Acts 20:22-24. 32; John 10:11-16
Dearest Brothers,
Dearest Brother Iyad, may the Lord give you peace!
The readings that have just been proclaimed, the Holy Place in which we find ourselves, and the many biblical reminders that this place brings with it offer us many insights to ponder and are a wonderful reference point for the beginning of your episcopal ministry. I will mention just a few of them.
The first reading speaks of a great and new rebirth. In a context of pain and death, of an evil that seems to dominate everything, the prophet is sent by the Holy Spirit to “good news to the oppressed... to bind up the brokenhearted, to release to the prisoners… to provide for those who mourn… a garland instead of ashes… the oil of gladness instead of mourning… the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit” (Is 61:2-3). A very timely text and one that also concerns us.
We are living in one of the most difficult times in our recent history. The war has dug a furrow of fear, grief and mistrust into the social soul that has never been seen before on this scale. And all of this also affects the life of our church community, which is an integral part of life in the country and experiences the same instances as everyone else. Certainly, the situation in Jordan is calmer and the political stability is a source of security. But here too, the climate of fear of the future seems to have taken hold. Isaiah's prophecy is therefore a strong call to the ministry of consolation, which must also become yours.
In a little while, oil will be poured on your head as it was on the prophets and messengers of old. That is, you will receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who will send you through the Church to God's holy people here in Jordan. With the Church, and through your person, as you are, you are also to bring the good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted and lift the sad spirits. In this time of war, when everything seems to speak of hatred and death, you must personally become a witness of God's love. Witnessing here that God is merciful means pouring oil, balm and perfume on the wounds in the hearts and minds of all suffering people. You will have to learn to bend over human suffering with that love which is inspired by and draws strength from the love of God which has been poured out on you and which is confirmed to you today. You will have to learn to share with everyone the abundance of charity, justice and forgiveness that God himself has given you. In short, in this difficult situation, you must give courage, confidence and light to the people entrusted to you and bear first-hand witness to the power of our hope, the risen Christ.
We have also heard the Gospel of the Good Shepherd. The good and beautiful shepherd who gives his life for the flock entrusted to him. The Gospel tells a great truth that we sometimes forget: The shepherd is asked to do only one thing, to love his flock and lay down his life for them.
There will be many activities that you will have to do, pastoral, administrative, social, political and others. But all this is secondary to your ministry. The first thing that is required of you, or rather, the only condition that Jesus set, is this: Love the flock. First and foremost, love the community that has been entrusted to you.
With ministry will also come the responsibility of government, and you will have authority over many. You will not be immune to mistakes, as any of us are. But you are not called to be perfect; no one will expect you to solve all problems. Only one thing is required of you: be the image of the Good Shepherd, love your flock, for whom you must give your life by giving yourself up.
Love the priests in particular. They will first and foremost be your voice, your heart, your presence in the parishes. Let people feel and perceive the unity that must exist between you and your first collaborators, those who will make your pastoral instructions concrete and visible in the community. Where there is love, life flows, light flows. Life is reborn where someone gives themselves with love, where forgiveness finds a home. So you are called not to succumb to the temptation to do everything, to believe that you have to save the Church in Jordan. The church belongs to Christ, it does not belong to us. The Church is only the place where people find, encounter and know Christ. You just have to love it, the rest will take care of itself. Love is contagious, it will create wonderful bonds of brotherhood, friendship and sharing. It will create unity even in the most difficult circumstances and lead us into the future with confidence.
Your ministry begins here, in this Holy Place. This is the first time that the Vicar for Jordan is ordained in Jordan. And he will be ordained right here, where Jesus was baptized and began his ministry, where John the Baptist prepared God's holy people to receive Jesus as the Lamb of God.
This is also a strong direction for your new ministry in Jordan: Begin anew from Christ. In this context of great social and technological transformations, of great questions about the life of the world, you will be called to provide an answer and direction. Jordan is not exempt from the pressures of modernity. How can one remain in these changes without going along with them, without running too fast, but also without closing oneself off in the past? How the Christian faith can deal with modernity and tradition with serenity, without giving in to ideologies. Jordan, a country rich in tradition, also needs new tools to interpret the present time. How can we help young people in particular to live all these things with confidence, rooted in faith? They need to find ways to communicate the Christian faith in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. At universities, in the various study and research centers, in the world of media, but also in our youth movements, in our various church associations, the question of how to communicate the faith today is being asked more and more intensively. Your philosophical background can certainly help you to articulate this discourse. But here, in this place, we nevertheless have a clear indication: start again from Christ. First of all, before any theoretical elaboration, before any pastoral or cultural project, you should, like John the Baptist, be able to point to Jesus, the Beloved of God. Teach them to listen to His voice. Only in this way, by listening to His voice, will we in time be able to harmonize what we live with what we believe, even in these turbulent times.
John the Baptist was also a strong voice in this place, calling for justice and truth.
So as a pastor, you are also called to take on and lead all the political and social demands of your community as well as the religious demands. Episkopèo, in Greek from which the term bishop is derived, means to see from above. So you too must bring everyone to a high, broad view of civic life and teach them to look at reality with a gaze that is free from human conditioning. In this part of our world, political and social instances absorb much of our energy, are a source of concern and create constant tension. And the danger is that we allow ourselves to be drawn into this dynamic and to be uncritically guided by it. So it will be up to you to find ways to navigate these instances with freedom, without fear, with credible words, that open horizons that build the future and create trust.
In other words, you will be called to build a community based on personal familiarity with the Word of God, which alone can give us this freedom. Without this familiarity with the Word of God, the standard and criterion with which we face reality remains ourselves and the logic of the world to which we continue to be subject.
This is not impossible. For those who love God, nothing is impossible. Nothing can separate us from this love. So do not be afraid and take courage! Look forward with confidence. Be a meek instrument for the work that God wants to do through you.
Dear Iyad,
The whole Church in Jerusalem is around you today. May your episcopal ministry, which begins today, become a source of life, joy and resurrection for the part of the Church of Jerusalem that is in Jordan.
May the Virgin Mary intercede for you and accompany you with Her motherly blessing, making you a credible collaborator in salvation.
