To be a Priest

We, in this parish, speak of God Winks. God Winks are those moments when a finger of God touches our lives, and we know; we just know God  is with us and is blessing us. The readings, this Sunday, are a God Wink. They remind us of the core of what is really important. This weekend, God is smiling on Sacred Heart and saying, here is my blessing for you.

In the Gospel, Jesus is asked the question, “What is the Greatest Commandment?” He responds, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Everything relies on love. Nothing is more important, nothing is more critical, nothing should motivate us but acting in love. The entirety of our faith and the salvation plan of God is dependent on one four-letter word. Love. The whole of our decision making and care for others, family, friend, or stranger is to be based in love. By our baptism we embrace the call to be the living embodiment of God’s love.

This weekend we celebrate and pray with and for our pastor. Father Jerry is celebrating his 29th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood this Sunday, October 25. The journey of priesthood is a life-long pilgrimage of love.

His journey to priesthood and through priesthood is a blessing. Reflecting on the reading and Father Jerry’s anniversary has brought me to consider priesthood’s call in our Church. The questions I asked myself are, “What makes one a priest? “What do we as a Catholic Community need our priests to be for us?” 

We need our priests first and foremost to be our brothers. We need to know they are human just like we are, just like Jesus was. They are not called to be God; Jesus has that covered. We do not need them to be perfect but to be working to be the best of who God has called them to be. For our part, we need to celebrate their gifts without heaping guilt on them for what they lack. Many a good priest has been crushed by the weight of the demand for perfection.

Priesthood does not happen in a moment at ordination. Priesthood is a life journey. When one is ordained a priest, it is a moment that marks the beginning, not the ending of a journey. There is no magic on ordination day that creates Priesthood.  Priesthood must be nurtured and learned.  It is just like marriage. The ceremony defines a moment, but the work of marriage only begins on the wedding day. Marriage grows and love deepens over time. So too does the depth and quality of the priesthood of our priests.  If they are faithful, priests mature with love into the holiness and wholeness of priesthood.

We need our priests to be people of prayer. Knowing that prayer is their first priority and searching the face, heart, and wisdom of God is their sacred obligation. Our priests must to be leaders on our journey, and we need them to be humble enough to know they are also journeyers with us. We find God in each other.  

We don’t need priests who have all the right answers but priests with humble hearts who, through their own faith journey, become windows into the soul of God and signposts on the way. 

We need priests with hearts broken, wounded and scarred. Hearts that have suffered on their own journey and tenderly shared the pain of others. Their hearts of compassion bear the weight of the other’s pain and carry it with them to God. Our priests must give healing and hope.

We need priests who live the command to love, even when it is inconvenient and difficult. We need them to model love, forgiveness, faith, and grace. We need them to give us God when we struggle to see his face and are broken by life. Priesthood is a sacred call. 

Father Jerry, may God bless you on your anniversary of ordination. May you always respond with an open heart to God’s call to priesthood. We, your people,  thank you and bless you, knowing your lived priesthood is a God Wink for your people at Sacred Heart.

In God’s Unending Love,

Gwen