Reflecting on priesthood

For the past number of years, each time I come to the evening of Holy Thursday and sit in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, I am compelled to write reflections on priesthood.  I choose to share them with some of the brothers who have walked parts of the road with me, and with others who may benefit from these musings.

Reflections on Priesthood

Holy Thursday 2013

Dearest brothers,

On this day when we celebrate the gift of our priesthood, I cannot help but think of all of you, and I give thanks to God for the gift that each of you brings to the Church that our newly-elected Holy Father has referred to as the People of God, the Holy People of God who are on a journey toward the ultimate encounter with Jesus Christ.  This Church, this People of God needs our gifts, the gifts and talents that each of us brings, so that we might better be able to recognize the Lord’s call for us to step outside of ourselves in order to share with our world the gift of God’s mercy.

Like you, I have celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on this night.  The gathering of the people of God in the parish church which has been confided to my pastoral care was truly a blessing to behold.  As I stood at the door and watched, people streamed in.  As each entered, there were joyful embraces and welcoming words.  Most were familiar with the surroundings and the established practices, but others were visitors and perhaps there were also a few travellers who had never before set foot in this place.  Each of them brought with him or her, a particular story of faith, and together our voices melded to create a joyous chorus.

As I watched this procession, I could not help but think of the words spoken by Pope Francis this morning during the Mass of Chrism: A good priest can be recognized by the way his people have been anointed.  I am relatively new to the parish where I currently serve, so I feel very much that the faith of the people who frequent these pews is truly a gift to me – the fruit of the work of sowing seeds that has been done by all those who have previously served as pastors in this parish, and by those who continue to serve in the role of the deaconate.  For this gift, and for the confidence that has been placed in me by our Bishop, I give thanks to God.

In the midst of the community of faith who gathered for this celebration, there were three who have been involved for a number of weeks or months in the process of discerning their call to full communion with our Church.  I watched their faces too, and saw there the smiles which speak of the excitement that is building within them, and the anticipation for the day when they will finally be washed in the waters of Baptism, and welcomed into the full embrace of the faith.  These catechumens have also enriched my faith over the past number of months by the sincerity of their questions and by the ever-more-present joy that seems to be dawning upon them as they draw closer and closer to the moment when they will finally be able to receive the Sacraments.  One of these, a young teenager, though baptised as a child has never had the opportunity to celebrate any of the other Sacraments.  He himself told his parents that he is tired of waiting for the Eucharist.  His hunger for this special food is evident and almost tangible.  His enthusiasm is infectious, and it seems that his hunger for the Eucharist makes me appreciate even more the great gift that is ours, and the awe-inspiring responsibility that has been confided to us – to share this gift with the holy people of God.

Even as my heart is enriched by such experiences, I cannot help but think tonight of those of our brothers who find it difficult at this time to find reasons for hope.  Some of us carry great burdens, and unfortunately, not all of us have had the grace of encouragement and affirmation for the gift of our priesthood.  Those who are suffering the martyrdom of doubt and loneliness are very close to my heart, especially on this night.  In fact as I washed the feet of some of the parishioners tonight during the Mass, I could not help but think of and pray for some of the priests I know who are walking in the shadows of isolation due to advanced age, and about others who have come close to despair because they have felt abandoned.

There are some of our brothers who harbour secrets, and fears that have the power to paralyze them, and there are some who have been all but forgotten by those they once may have considered their dearest friends.  There is a reason why divine providence placed the betrayal of Judas side by side with the tender gesture of the Master washing the feet of his disciples: those of our brothers who find it most difficult to discover joy and consolation at this time are the ones who are most in need of our prayer and our gestures of support.  Even so, I am not sure that there is much that I can offer: my efforts at such support seem much too meagre, but the words of Jesus on this night give me hope – Do you know, what I have done for you, you who call me your teacher and your Lord?  If I have washed your feet, so you must do, as I have done for you.

These words which were sung during the washing of feet tonight challenge me to renew my resolve to follow in the footsteps of the One who has invited us to walk in his footsteps.  Pray for me, dear brothers, and know that I too pray for you.  There are times when all of us are like the disciples: looking on uncomprehendingly as the Master models for us the tender service toward others that he asks us to exercise.  Only through knowledge of this example in our own lives will we be able to imitate it for the sake of those we serve.

And most difficult of all for some of us, there are times when we must admit that we are the ones who must ask for our own feet to be washed.  It’s so difficult at times to admit that we need help, or to accept complements with grace, or to recognize that others are aware of our struggle and want to offer their support.  It is a gift to them that we offer if we allow them to help us to carry the cross.

Remember, dear brothers, that it was God who chose us and invited us to discover the heart of the shepherd, so that we in turn could help to shepherd the flock.  He has given us an example which we must follow: the example which he himself proclaimed by the way he loved his disciples and called them in turn to love.  By the example of his life, he has shown us the importance of prayer so that we might always be close to the Father, and from the cross, he gave us his mother so that we might also know the tender love of the one who knew how to call her son into service at Cana.

May the Mother of Jesus, who is the Mother of all priests intercede for us and keep us all in her tender embrace, guiding us always toward the tender heart of her Son so that we might always know the peace of his consolation, and be emboldened by his invitation to serve.

With the assurance of my prayer, and with every good wish that you may discover the joy of the Risen Christ this Easter, I am

Yours fraternally in Christ.