The service of priests

First, I hope everybody had a nice Independence Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. May we always give thanks to God for the gift of our freedom.

In this year of the priest, which Pope Benedict XVI announced would begin three weeks ago, we pause to reflect on the service aspect of the priesthood. Every priest looks to Christ as their model for priesthood, and all things that the priest does should be Christ-like. Christ Himself said that he came to serve, not to be served. Christ shows us the way of self-emptying (kenosis in Greek), where we are supposed to empty ourselves for the sake of those you serve. For the priest, the first service aspect is the self emptying of the priest of a sacramental nature. He is called to say Mass for the people of God, he is called to hear confessions, and to go on communion calls, to give anointing of the sick. He is called, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, where he could be at the beach relaxing, to celebrate and witness a wedding. The priest is supposed to be in service to his people, bringing Christ to people in the sacraments.

The sacraments are the greatest service that the priest can give. Only the priest can bring us the Eucharist, only the priest can hear our sins and absolve us of the worst sins possible and immaginable. It is the priest who brings the soul home to God through annointing of the sick. What a great service the priest gives us, every Sunday, when he celebrates Mass! What a great service when confession is heard. The priest is leading his flock on and along the way to holiness. The priest is the shepherd of souls, and he does just that when he celebrates the sacraments.

The priest is called to be the good samaritan, spiritually guiding people along the path of holiness. When we look at the people of God, we can see a wide spectrum. We can see people who seem to have lost their way. We can see people who are faithful daily Mass participants. We can see everybody. The hard job of the priest is to shepherd everybody. If he shepherd just one group and gets comfortable with just one group, he ignores another group of people. The priest is supposed to be all things to all people. The good samaritan picked up the man at the greatest hour of need, and guided him back to health. The priest is supposed to seek out those who hit rock bottom spiritually, and guide them back to life in the spirit. In short, the priest has a hard job, and often, it is a thankless job.

As a people of God, I think, in general, we truly appreciate the role of the priest, and what the priest does. We may criticize him, we may poke fun of an accent, or we may say his homily was only average. Do we hear the priest paking fun of you, or saying that your prayer is only average? We don't hear that, so it is a temptation we must avoid to criticize priests in a malicious way. At the same time, it can be a great affection to have priests poked fun of. If people do that, they probably really like the priest, and he is someone they admire. One example of this is when I was in college, the chaplain of my school had a very hearty laugh, and a very deep laugh. He was a very well loved priest, and he was very popular. As a result, people would try to imitate the laugh.

But, in short, the job is often thankless. How often do we thank the priest for his ministry after we go to confession? How often do we send him a thank you note for celebrating Mass? The priest probably isn't looking for thanks; if he is, he needs to evaluate that. At the same time, it still feels good to get a thank you every now and then. And not just a quick "thanks", but look in his eyes, and say "I really want to thank you for..., and I really appreciate your service to the Church."

For any priest who is reading this, I sincerely want to thank you for your faith and fidelity to the Church, and I want to thank you for your service and ministry. Your service to the Church is indispensable to the mission of the Church.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. St. John Marie Vianney, pray for us.

Cure D'Ars: Model Priest

Dear Friends in Christ,

I found this article from Zenit on St. John Vianney, the patron saint of Diocesan Priests. This year, in the Year of the Priest, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI will declare St. John Vianney patron saint of all priests.

Click here to read the article.

St. John Vianney once said that the priesthood "is the love of the heart of Jesus". This heart of Jesus, His Sacred Heart, was punctured when Jesus was on the cross, and from it poured forth water and blood. The Church was founded from the side of Christ, since from that thrust came forth the healing waters of the sacraments (Baptism, and the Eucharist). For the Eucharist, it is the priest which offers every day, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the same sacrifice and action as Jesus on the cross. So it is here that the priest is the love of the heart of Jesus, since it is from the Sacred Heart of Christ that the salvific powers of the Eucharist flow. Priests continue to reside in His Sacred Heart, and every time Mass is offered, that same salvific power flows outward in the Eucharist.

During the year of the priest, this blog will be used to update people on activities of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of the different programs and activities of this office, the Vocation Office, as well as the Archdiocese as a whole. May you be blessed abundantly in this year of the priest, and through the intercession of St. John Vianney, may you come to a deeper realization of the vocation God has given you, whatever it may be.

May you reside in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

BBVC

Dear friends in Christ,

This past week, the Vocation Office hosted its third annual Brothers of Borromeo Vocation Congress for junior high boys. It was a tremendous success, as we had over 115 boys come out for the event. The day started with icebreakers, and then Mass with Bishop Thomas. The day also consisted of a scavenger hunt around the seminary, shield making, rosary making, and confessions.

The theme of the day was "Put on...the helmet of hope", in the first letter to the Thessalonians. For Jesus Christ is our hope. In Jesus Christ, all things will be restored. People can put hope in earthly, or man made things, but in the end, it is Jesus Christ who we must look to. If we have hope for anything, the foundation of that hope is in Jesus, even if you don't realize it. We can have that assurance of hope (which is our faith) because Jesus came, and said "The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel." This believing is something we do in Jesus Christ. Every Sunday at Mass, the faithful recited the Nicene Creed, which starts "We believe", so we make a public testament to the faith which we believe. So the helmet of hope is really Jesus Christ; when we take him with us in our everyday lives and struggles, He is like a helmet, ready to protect us from enemies, and Jesus will never fail. Trust in Jesus, and everything else in your life will fall into place.

Please pray that the young men at BBVC last week will follow the will of God in all that they do.

Pray, hope, and do not worry. -St. Padre Pio

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God reward you abundantly.

PRIESTS OF JESUS CHRIST

The Church in Philadelphia is rejoicing in theese days as we celebrate the
ordination of 6 New Priests. What a magnificent ceremony on Saturday as our
seminarians became Catholic Priests. Many witnessed this wonderful sacrament, including family, friends and brother priests. Also present at the Mass were many young men who may be considering the priesthood. For all who witnessed the ordination, truly it was a day of blessing. I share with you below an article written by a young man present for the ordination, Mr. Kyle Tompson. The article is a commentary on last year's ordination, but nevertheless, is a fitting tribute for such a beautiful weekend. ENJOY!

The Deacon’s New Clothes
A commentary on Ordination weekend
By Kyle Thompson

On Saturday May 17th I attended the Ordination of three priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Two things made this experience very special to me; this was my first time attending Ordination, and my friend Brian Kean was ordained a priest that day.

I didn’t know what to expect other than the normal Mass, of which I am very familiar. I had a hard time identifying when the sacrament occurred. So, who better to ask than our own Father Oswald? He informed me than the sacrament takes place when the Cardinal lays hands onto the ordinand. The most visible sign to us average folk was when the stole around Brian’s neck was changed from Deacon wear to Priestly wear.

My favorite moment of Ordination occurred when Monsignor Miller, Brian’s former pastor and close friend, and a priest that I have the utmost respect and admiration for, vested Brian in his priestly garb. Words could not describe how amazing this moment was to me, and how it was to them. It was as if I was watching a legacy being handed down, from Father to Son. This served as a revelation to me that the priesthood is not something distant and isolated, it’s a brotherhood. Father Kean spoke of that same legacy when he thanked Monsignor for giving him his ordination chalice from forty years ago.

I ran into Father Kean a week after ordination, I asked him “How does it feel to have reached the priesthood?” He told me this “It felt surreal; it’s been a long eight year journey. Arriving at the priesthood has been something I’ve prayed for to come for many years. It is a culmination of many prayers and dreams, which has been sustained by God’s grace, and the prayers of many people whom God has used as instruments to achieve His Will in my life.”

I have learned a couple things this weekend. I have known Father Kean for several years now. I was fascinated by his journey, and his joy. I’ve come to learn and appreciate that his joy is founded in doing God’s will. It has given me a new perspective and respect for the priesthood. I don’t know God’s will for me in my life yet, but I do know if my journey includes prayer, commitment, and the love and support of my family and friends I too can know the peace and joy of doing His Will in my life.

Fr. Neuhaus on the courage to decide

Being New Dough

On Easter Sunday, the day which we celebrate the fulfillment of the Paschal Mystery by the rising of Christ from the dead for the salvation of the world, Pope Benedict XVI, in his Easter homily, called on the Christian people to be new dough and to remove from their hearts the "yeast of old sin".

To read Pope Benedict's homily, click here. Read it with an open heart.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Christ is Risen; indeed, He is truly risen. Alleluia!

Grains of Wheat

Dear friends in Christ,

This past Sunday we celebrated the fifth Sunday of Lent. Every day now, we are drawing close to Christ's Passion and Death that we remember in the Easter Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The next couple of weeks are the holiest weeks of the year, and everybody should try their hardest, cooperating with the grace of God, to enter more fully into the Mystery of Jesus' Passion.

This past Sunday we learned a great lesson through the Gospel. The Gospel reads, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). Why does He say this? First, Jesus is looking towards His own Passion, realizing that He is that wheat which falls to the earth and will die. From the death of the wheat, which is Jesus, much fruit is beared. If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and the roots take hold, at harvest time there will be a wheat stalk, and from that farmers can take that wheat stalk, and many other wheat stalks, and turn it into bread. But from that single seed of wheat, a great stalk springs forth. Many things in nature are like that. If you look at the oak tree, it starts as a nut, but fully actualized, that nut turns into a mighty oak. Jesus himself spoke of a mustard seed, which is very small; however, a fully grown mustard bush is huge. Things in nature start of small, growing quietly into something that will bear much fruit.

Since Jesus refers to the grain of wheat, and since we know that Jesus is talking about Himself, since He is about to undergo His Passion, this reality of Jesus referring to Himself as wheat is a profound testament to the humbleness of Jesus. From the beginning of His earthly life, Jesus exhibited the perfect example of humbleness; he came into the world not with an army of angels, or with trumpet blasts, but born to a virgin in a stable with animals. He prepared for His public ministry not with angels serving Him, but by him going on what can be considered one of the most severe retreat one can go on: going into the desert for forty days and forty nights, fasting and praying. He isn't ministered to by angels, but says that He came not to be served, but to served. His entire life is a life of humble work and ministry. When Jesus refers Himself to wheat, he is making Himself the smallest of things.

However, a grain of wheat will grow and take root, at harvest time there will be a mighty stalk. It will produce much fruit. Like that stalk of wheat, Jesus will also bear much fruit. That fruit, in one way, will be through wheat; in another way, it will be through the cross; but in the end, they are the same way. Let us look at both of these ways, beginning with the latter.

Jesus, in His Passion and Death, will be scourged, whipped, beaten, and dragged through the streets with a giant cross on His back. The only consolations He will receive is when Simon of Cyrene helped Him carry his cross, and when He meets His mother, Mary, along the road. To make it harder for Jesus, is that the weight of the cross isn't just the physical wight, but there is also the weight of sin. The reality is that Jesus not only died for our sins, but he suffered for our sins. When Jesus carried the cross to His death, He also carried the sins that the Pharisees commit, that the Jewish people commit, but also, He carried sins that we commit, and ones that we will commit. He carried with Him every sin that every person in the world commited, commits, or will commit in the future. He is carrying all of this, and He suffers in a very physical way for us. Not only was he physically suffering, but He was also probably mentally suffering; imagine if His mind was racing with images of sins that people would commit, and that through His death, forgiveness can be given to them? He finally gets to the hill, Golgatha, the Hill of Calvary, where He is to hang for three hours until His death. He is nailed to the cross, and He is lifted up high on the cross to be crucified. Like the grain of wheat, which is planted into the ground, the cross is then planted into the ground, and so the cross then is the link between God and man; without it, there is still separation from God and man. The cross is the connecting factor between Jesus and the ground. At the death of Jesus, that cross, which was a machine for the death of Jesus, becomes life saving. Through the cross, Jesus makes holy the ground and all who walk on it. At the moment of His death, He redeems humanity through the cross, which is planted firmly in the ground. So it really is through the cross that Jesus can restore the human condition back to what it was. It is planted in the ground, and so the cross bearing Jesus bears much fruit because of Jesus.

We must go back to the wheat. Unless a grain of wheat fall to the ground it dies... it produces much fruit. Wheat produces bread through a process which is unknown to me, but I know that wheat fields produce bread that I eat at mealtime. Like the cross, which bears much fruit, as we discerned above, the wheat bears much fruit. What does it produce, or a better question: what does Jesus the wheat produce? It says what It produces in John, chapter 6, verses 32-33: "So Jesus said to them, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Now, what is this bread of God, and how does it relate to grains of wheat? Well, as we have said, grains of wheat are turned into bread, so we see the relationship between the wheat and the bread. But what about the bread of God? First, Jesus said "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst" (John 6:35), and he later says "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world" (John 6:51). Jesus is the bread of God, and so the wheat that falls to the ground and dies, and produces much fruit, turns into bread. Since Jesus says that He is the living bread, the bread of life, His origin must be that of wheat, which produces much fruit when it falls to the ground and dies. Jesus is the wheat, and when he dies, He produces much fruit.

On the night before He suffered, Jesus took bread, and gave His Father thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you." When Jesus says, "And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world", He is referring to the Last Supper, that bread he gave "is my flesh". This begs the question: "Why did He give it?" And he answers that question when He says "for the life of the world". This bread, which is his flesh, will be given up for the life of the world. This bread has a salvific aspect to it because it is Jesus Himself, because he says that Himself: "And the bread that I will give is my flesh [the verb "is" equates the bread and his flesh; they are the same] for the life of the world [the bread is salvific because it is His flesh]". But it is bread that will be given, because Jesus says "I will give". And not given for mere trivial matters, but for the life of the world, for our lives, for us. This is my body, which will be given up for you. The bread Jesus breaks at the Last Supper is His flesh, which will be given up for you.

So, we look at the cross as saving, and we look at this bread turned into the flesh of Jesus as saving. On the top layer, it looks as though there are two different sacrifices happening; Jesus gives himself as bread, and then later on the cross. But when Jesus says, "This is my body, which will be given up for you", His body will be really given up on the Cross. At the Last Supper, this bread which becomes flesh for the life of the world has yet to be actualized. Jesus doesn't offer two sacrifices, but rather one sacrifice. His body will be given up. The sacrifice Jesus made at the Last Supper is completed on the Cross, and it becomes actualized. This sacrifice is started on the night before He died, and it is completed on Good Friday when He is crucified. It is here that the wheat produces much fruit, that the cross becomes the tree of life, and that the salvation of humanity becomes actualized, all by the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Through the cross, which is salvific outside of time, as well as inside, salvation can be given to all who came before, and all who came after. Through the completion of the sacrifice of Christ, the part of the sacrifice which came before (at the Last Supper) is fulfilled into a very real reality: And the bread that I will give [and gave] is my flesh [Jesus Himself] for the life of the world [actualized with the crucifixion of Christ]."

As a result of this, we must read the Last Supper account in a specific hermeneutic. A hermeneutic is a lens through which we read things. We read the Last Supper account through the hermeneutic of the cross and crucifixion of Jesus, and through what the rest of the Gospel says about the Last Supper and the Cross (that of Jesus being wheat, and Jesus being that bread (flesh) which is given for the life of the world). We don't understand the full meaning of the Last Supper without looking to the deeper significance of the bread which Jesus offers, which I hope through this meditation have brought to life. We also don't understand the Last Supper without looking at the Cross, and how the Cross fulfills this Last Supper meal into what it really is: Jesus offering himself in a very literal way for the life of the world. This bread truly turns into the Body of Jesus, the Body of Christ, and it becomes so tranformed that the only thing that remains of the bread is that it looks and tastes like bread. The bread turning into the Body of Christ is the same sacrifice as the Crucifixion and death of Christ; it is that complete, and the completeness of the bread turning into Christ Himself is a mirror image of that. As transforming the Cross of Christ became, going from a symbol of death to a symbol of life, this bread transforms completely from mere food into the ultimate symbol of life: Jesus himself.

May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May you, during this holy season, seek to draw closer to the crucified Christ, who humbled himself by being obedient unto death, even death on a cross. God bless.