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(Editor's note: This homily was delivered April 8 at the Little Sisters of the Poor's Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham.)

Quite a while ago, Mother Celine [Vadukkoot, superior of the Little Sisters of the Poor] asked if I would offer a homily on priesthood for this Mass to celebrate the Year for Priests.

I could never say no to the Little Sisters after all the reverential care they gave my mother and our family for so many years - but, after all the media attention that has been focused on the Catholic Church and our Holy Father the past few weeks, I seriously questioned my resolve.

The "Church Whisperer," blogger Rocco Palmo, said recently in his blog that 2010 has seen massive global attention placed on the priesthood - just in anything but the way the pontiff and his advisers would have wished.

As with seemingly everything in Church life these days, the response to the wide net of painful revelations has fallen much more along factional lines rather than the simple, visceral emotions that lie at every uncovered story's core: heartbreak, shame, anger, a turning to prayer.

Rather than a fresh commitment to seek that renewal whose signs come less in the shape of political agendas than the unifying, purifying revolution born of a return to witness, what was intended as a celebratory year has instead found the broadest swath yet of the global Church plunged into scandal.

Holy Week was joyful for me, thanks to the parishioners with whom I shared it in Averill Park, but it was also marked with pain. This constant and debilitating barrage in the press left me troubled and wondering what words could be spoken to honor the priesthood.

I found myself praying today's Gospel passage (Luke 24:35-48) while focusing my attention on Marek Czarnecki's icon of "Christ the Great High Priest" that is the symbol used for the Year for Priests. Here, Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestments with a gold pelican over His heart, the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice.

Czarnecki explains: "I wrote the icon about seven years ago [for seminarians and priests] to be able to see Christ in themselves, and themselves in Christ. We often hear that the icon is called a window; in this case, it's also meant to be a mirror. The Good Shepherd reminds the priest that he is to lay down his life for his sheep."

In today's Gospel, the sudden appearance of Jesus to His disciples left them troubled and terrified, wondering what was happening. To the confusion and consternation of the moment, Jesus brought peace.

Then, as He shared a meal with them, He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and remind them that they were the witnesses to all that happened.

Their response had to be that of a faithful disciple: They had to be able to see Christ in themselves and themselves in Christ. So it seems to me that, if we are to honor the priesthood of Jesus Christ, then we must speak of it in terms of discipleship.

Disciples' lives are characterized not only by faith but also, and perhaps even more importantly, hope. As a disciple, I am God's story of hope to the world in my ministry as a priest.

I read a priesthood ordination homily given by Australian Bishop Joe Grech wherein he encouraged the disciple who was being ordained to be God's story of hope.

Still hopeful
Bishop Grech indicated that there have been and still are so many people who manifest this reality. There are young people whose generosity and embrace of life enthralls us....There are married people whose sense of care, tenderness and compassion amazes us....There are single people whose dedication en-courages us...and there are priests and religious whose faith and genuine shepherding gives us so much hope.

Today, I share that "I am God's story of hope to the world in my ministry as a priest." I ask you who are priests to believe that you are God's story of hope to the world in your ministry.

What is a priest supposed to do in order to be an instrument of God's hope to the world? Church documents talk about three specific ministries: The priest is ordained to preach the Gospel, sustain the people and celebrate the liturgy. Bishop Grech offered thoughts on each of these ministries.

First, we are called to preach the Gospel: In other words, we are called to preach Jesus Christ and the power that is present here today through His resurrection.

Over and above everything else, we are called to preach with conviction, with passion and in an intimate manner what Jesus taught and what Jesus promulgated and relate all of this to the life situation of our people.

We cannot be afraid to preach about the Cross of Jesus. For us, the Cross is not a sign of death, defeat or madness. It is, rather, a powerful reminder that no matter what difficulties we need to face, in Jesus there is life, hope and victory.

Making sense
The Cross is a stark reminder that we are people of victory because ultimately everything will be put under the leadership of Jesus, even death. Vaclav Havel said, "Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out."

As Christians, that hope is the conviction that all that we live for - happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat - will be found to have sense in Christ Jesus.

Second, we are ordained to sustain our people and to let our people sustain us. We are to feed our people with Jesus: to be close to them in the different circumstances of their lives and reach out to all, especially the poor and disenfranchised.

We cannot minister in isolation. Our ministry is tied up with our relationship with our brother priests, religious and our people. In this way, we are not alone. Fear can creep up on us if we think that we have to do this ministry on our own. There is only one way to combat this fear: by refusing isolation and by building communion around us.

Timothy Radcliffe tells the story of someone who wrote to a famous rabbi, "I wake up each day sad and apprehensive. I cannot concentrate. I find it hard to pray. I keep the commandments, but I find no spiritual satisfaction. I go to the synagogue, but I feel alone. I begin to wonder what life is about. I need help."

The rabbi just sent the letter back underlining the first word of each sentence - highlighting the unhappiness of the lonely self.

We must sustain and feed our people; but we must also let our people, brother priests and religious sustain us, too. We are to love the Church (the people of God) and let ourselves be sustained by the love of the Church (the people of God).

Third, we are ordained to celebrate the liturgy. When we celebrate the liturgy, we are not representing ourselves, but representing Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and in union with God the Father.

The more we are God's story of hope to the world, the more we will let Jesus Christ shine through us, with us and in us. The sacraments highlight the awesome presence of Jesus Christ at the most important moments of a person's life. The way we celebrate them gives people the experience of being touched by this God who cares deeply for each one of us and offers us hope.

Bishop Grech's episcopal motto is, "Come Lord, Jesus," and his homily to a newly-ordained priest/disciple offered him hope - just as surely as his motto reveals an invitation for Christ to come again, and a prayer of faith and hope that He will come again into our hearts, and at the end of time.

The more I focused on the icon of "Christ the Great High Priest," the more I thought about iconic models that have sustained me with hope. I thought about the bishop who ordained me, Bishop Edwin Broderick (who was bishop from 1969-76), and his episcopal motto, "Abide With Us, Lord."

Bishop Broderick had chosen the words of the two downcast disciples on the road to Emmaus - words we heard in yesterday's Gospel. These were words spoken as the Lord shared a meal with these two companions, as He opened the Scriptures for them, and as He restored hope to the discouraged.

Bishop Broderick's motto served as a daily meditation for my early priesthood, for it spoke of the peace that comes when ours is a story of hope - hope that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out, if only we let the Lord abide with us.

Then I thought of how "Abide With Us, Lord" had so naturally given birth to "Rejoice, We Are His People" - Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's episcopal motto, and yet another iconic model for a priesthood whose ministry must be a story of hope for the world.

Be collegial
Bishop Hubbard said in a 1978 pastoral letter that "this hierarchical structure...is to be exercised, not in a unilateral way, but in a collegial way with opportunities for the various members of the Church, in accordance with their gifts, talents and charisms, to participate in policies, decisions and mission.

"Thus, all members of the Church are called to join in harmonious action with the Pope, their bishops and pastors, sharing with them their knowledge, talent and other resources for the development of God's kingdom. My episcopal motto, 'Rejoice, We Are His People,' seeks to affirm this truth and to invite all the faithful to make it a lived reality in our Diocese.

"Change is never easy, especially change that affects our self-image, our roles and our ministries. To embrace this challenge and opportunity of shared responsibility will demand a certain shift in attitudes and practice on the part of all our people." Bishop Hubbard challenged us to awaken in our hearts and in the hearts of all members of the Church the realization that we are God's story of hope in the world through the gifts we share as we rejoice in being God's people.

Today, once again we recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread and all of us - clergy, religious and laity - rejoice that we are His people.

Finally, as I gazed at Czarnecki's icon, my thoughts turned to the time when I was ordained. I remember wanting to share something that would be iconic for those who were so much a part of that celebration of priesthood.

I had chosen a specific theme for my invitation, ordination card and first Mass: "I am in your midst as one who serves." I had requested a Gospel passage be used for the homily: John 17, the Lord's priestly prayer of unity that all may be one.

I had even asked for a certain meditation song from Jacques Brel, "If We Only Have Love," which notes: "If we only have love/We can reach those in pain/We can heal all our wounds/We can use our own names."

Icons of hope
My brother priests, we need to be living icons of Christ, to be disciples whose priestly ministry will be God's story of hope to the world. Return to iconic models in your life. Revisit the choices of Scripture or music for your first Mass or priesthood anniversary that helped express your vision of ministry and your share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Those were days of hope - and so are these. These are tough days to go through, but "not so tough...that the light of the Paschal Mystery cannot overwhelm the shadows," says Rocco Palmo.

In the meantime, all that remains is to pray, grieve, seek forgiveness, work for healing and, above all, keep in mind that a better, stronger Body of Christ never begins with pointing fingers or policy changes, but always in the quiet of each heart that belongs to it - the only place God can birth a "yes" that doesn't just opine about what could be, but inspires one's hands and energies to actually build it.

It is found in the disciple whose heart has been gifted with the peace that Christ offers all who are confused or discouraged. It is found in the sacerdotal heart of those who believe "I am God's story of hope to the world in my ministry as a priest."

Father Provost is pastor of St. Henry's parish in Averill Park and St. Mary's in Nassau.

(04/22/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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