Homily for Ordination to the Order of Presbyters

May 23, 2009

Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 100
1 Peter 4:7-11, 5:1-4
John 10:11-16

There is an old expression that ‘a thing worth doing is worth doing well.’  I doubt that anyone gathered here would quibble with the wisdom of these words; and I am certain that you, my brothers, would be in full agreement with them.  Indeed, the readings that you have chosen for this morning’s ordination liturgy encourage the Christian community and, in particular, its ministers, to seek excellence and to strive toward the ideal in all that we do.

From the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John we have heard Jesus’ definition of the good – or ideal – shepherd:  the one who lays down his life for the sheep, whom he knows, and by whom he is known.  The good shepherd loves the flock of the Lord, which Saint Peter enjoins first century presbyters to tend willingly and eagerly, telling them to preach the word of God and serve with the strength of God, remembering that the gifts we receive are God’s grace, on the way through us to others.

And so, my brothers, it is in this context that we celebrate your ordination as presbyters.  Strive always to the ideals of Christian life and Christian service.  You must work to live out the baptismal call to holiness of life and to the call of Christ, the Good Shepherd, to join him in watching over his people in joy and in love.

Pattern your lives after Jesus, the Christ, who came as one who served, a service that was grounded in his relationship to the Father and took flesh in the preaching and healing and in his dying and rising. So, too, should your life and your work find its source, its strength and its fulfillment in your relationship with God.  Tend to this relationship by lives of prayer that you might never lose sight of the One whose work you are about.  The celebration of the sacraments, which are entrusted to your care, can never become mechanical, but are always the prayer of the Church and your prayer.  In personal prayer – speaking with the Lord – you will find strength and encouragement to lead the Church in its public prayer.  This public prayer should be the visible expression of your personal, interior prayer life.  As the apostle urges us:  “Pray always and never lose heart.”

In your ministry as priests, Roberto, Ernesto, Justin, Andrew, Tan, Thierry, and Allen, remember that your are bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ and guardians of the mysteries that you celebrate.  It is not your word that you break open for the nourishment of the people of God, but the word of Christ.  Continue your study of Sacred Scripture, so that you may continue to deepen your own relationship with the Lord and provide rich fare for your listeners.

As priests, you will share some of the most intimate moments in the lives of the Christian faithful in your sacramental ministry.  You will celebrate Christian Initiation with infants and others who seek life in Christ; you will offer counsel and absolution to those who desire reconciliation with God and the Church; you will anoint the sick and the dying, assuring them of the prayers and support of the Church; you will solemnize the love of husband and wife in marriage, and you will lead your parishioners in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist, encouraging them to become what they receive.

Share with all to whom you minister the joy and the love of God that you have experienced and that have led you here today.  Be good shepherds so that, in the words of the Prayer of Consecration of this ordination rite, you may be faithful stewards of God’s mysteries, people may be renewed in the waters of rebirth and nourished from the Lord’s altar, sinners reconciled, and the sick raised up.

My brothers, when the Lord sent out disciples, they did not go alone, but two by two.  In the same way, you will have companions on your journeys: the pastors and other priests and the deacons with whom you will share ministry, as well as the religious and lay ecclesial ministers and additional members of parish and school staffs.  Remember that the zeal you bring to your work will need to be tempered by the wisdom and experience of those who have labored in the vineyard of the Lord, perhaps even before some of you were born.  Learn from them; work as partners with them, striving together in the model of Jesus, the ideal Shepherd who laid down his life.  And remember that He will always be with you.  Jesuit theologian, Father Karl Rahner emphasizes this truth in the following passage:

When someone dares to take up the happy and terrifying life of a priest, then the happy occasion can strike us speechless with fear, because here is the beginning of something that no human being can finish.  But we comfort ourselves with the grace of God; not we, but that grace, will finish what it has begun.  For he who calls priests is true to his word and his graces are given freely and willingly.  Pray for [these men], that they begin in the fear and joy of the Lord and persevere in faithful service up to that happy end to which all aspire, when all vocations will find one happy end in the endless sacrificial celebration of eternity, when the Son and we with him give over everything to the Father, so that God may be all in all.  Amen.

Finally, please allow me to address myself to the families and friends of our ordinandi. I am keenly aware that no vocation matures on its own without the love and support that you have given to your sons, brothers, nephews and friends. Thank you for the gift that you offer to our local Church in these men. May God bless you today and every day and may you know the joy of the Lord as you celebrate with them in the days and years ahead. May God bless you all.