As I begin my ministry among you as your bishop here in Rochester, my heart is filled with gratitude, humility, and hope. I arrive not as one who has all the answers, but as a fellow pilgrim — one who walks with you, listens with you, learns with you and seeks, above all, to love as Christ loves us.
Providentially, these first days of my ministry coincide with our journey toward Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter — the most sacred time in the life of the church. We are about to accompany Jesus into Jerusalem, to walk with Him through the shouts of welcome, the silence of suffering, and the glory of the Resurrection. It is a journey that invites not only remembrance, but transformation.
As I reflect on how I hope to serve you, I find myself recalling the wisdom of a dear friend, a permanent deacon, Peter Reynolds. Peter stood at my side beginning with my very first parish assignment. He was faithful, kind, wise, and deeply loving — a quiet but powerful witness to the Gospel. Over the years, he would often remind me of something simultaneously simple and profound: “Every person — whoever they are — has a story.”
According to Peter, this was not merely an observation. It was a pastoral mandate. He encouraged me — and all who serve — to do our best to patiently listen to each story, to humbly learn from it and, like Jesus, to love unconditionally.
Those words have stayed with me. And now, as I begin this new chapter with you, they echo even more deeply. Because what is the church, if not a community of stories? Stories of faith and doubt, of joy and sorrow, of sin and grace, of struggle and redemption. Each person we encounter carries within them a sacred narrative — one that deserves to be heard, honored, and loved.
This way of listening, learning, and loving is not merely good advice; it is the very pattern of Christ’s own life and ministry.
In the Gospel of John, we encounter Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1–42). Tired from His journey, Jesus sits down and asks her for a drink. What follows is not a lecture, but a conversation. Jesus listens. He allows the woman to speak her truth — her history, her pain, her confusion. Despite knowing her story, He invites her to tell it. Moreover, in that exchange, something remarkable happens: She is seen, she is understood, and she is loved. Jesus gently leads her to deeper understanding — not by condemning, but by revealing the living water He offers. She leaves transformed, becoming a witness to others in her community.
Here, Jesus shows us that to truly love another person, we must first be willing to listen.
In the Gospel of Luke, we see Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), walking alongside two disciples who are disheartened and confused following His crucifixion. Again, Jesus does not immediately correct them or reveal Himself. Instead, He draws near and asks, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” He listens to their disappointment, their shattered hopes and feelings of uncertainty. Then, having listened, He begins to teach — helping them understand the Scriptures and the meaning of all that has happened. Their hearts begin to burn within them. And finally, in the breaking of the bread, they recognize Him as the Lord.
In this encounter, Jesus listens, learns their perspective, and then lovingly renews their faith.
These Gospel moments are not simply stories of the past — they are models for our lives today. They remind us that love begins with attention. That understanding grows from humility. That transformation happens when we encounter one another not as problems to be solved, but as persons to be celebrated.
As we prepare to enter Jerusalem with Jesus this Palm Sunday, we know that the crowds will cry out, “Hosanna!” Yet we also know how quickly those same voices will turn. Holy Week invites us to confront the complexity of the human heart — our capacity for faithfulness and failure.
And yet, Jesus does not turn away from us.
He listens to the cries of the crowd. He accepts the misunderstanding, the betrayal and the abandonment. He walks the path to Calvary with genuine love. Even on the cross, He continues to listen — “Father, forgive them” — and to love unconditionally.
This is the Paschal Mystery: that through His suffering, death and Resurrection, Jesus reveals the depth of God’s love — a love that enters into our story, redeems it, and brings it to new life.
My dear brothers and sisters — priests, religious, deacons, and lay faithful — I invite all of us to embrace this way of Christ.
Let us be a church that listens.
In a world often marked by noise, division and quick judgment, may we take the time to truly hear one another. May we patiently allow others to share their stories, even when they are difficult or different from our own.
Let us be a church that learns.
Listening is not passive — it calls us to humility. Each person we encounter has something to teach us about life, about faith, about the presence of God. When we listen with open hearts, we grow, not only in knowledge, but in compassion.
And let us be a church that loves. Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother, listened to her Son, learned from his teachings and loved him unconditionally. Following the example of Jesus and Mary, let us be a church that welcomes, that forgives, that heals, that accompanies. This is not always easy. It requires sacrifice, patience and the power of God’s grace. Fortunately, nothing is impossible with God.
As we journey together through Palm Sunday, Holy Week and into the joy of Easter, may we see this sacred time not only as something we observe, but as something we live.
When we walk with Jesus into Jerusalem, may we bring with us the stories of all those we have listened to — the burdens heard, the hopes shared, the lessons learned.
When we stand at the foot of the cross, may we remember the faces of those who suffer, those who feel forgotten, those who long to be loved — and may we merge their stories with the saving love of Christ.
And when we celebrate the Resurrection, may we rejoice not only in Christ’s victory over death, but in the new life He offers to each of us — a life rooted in love.
I am grateful for the example of Deacon Peter Reynolds, whose simple yet profound wisdom continues to guide me: Every person has a story. May we be a church that listens to those stories, learns from them and loves those who tell them. As I share my story with each of you, I look forward to hearing each of your own.
Together, may our journey to Jerusalem lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s saving love — the Paschal Mystery — and the gift of salvation that is ours in Him.
A blessed Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter to all!
Tags: Bishop John S. Bonnici
