Since 2003, in the United States, the last Sunday of October
for us Catholics is known as Priesthood Sunday.
It’s not that Catholics are to spend the day sitting around thinking
about how great priests are. Well, maybe
a little.
But today is a day to reflect on the vocation of the
priesthood—the role priests play in our lives, in our church, and in God’s plan
for salvation, and to reflect on the entire Church’s role in promoting priestly
vocations. “God, are you calling me to
be a priest?” That should be a question our single Catholic men ask often, especially
during high school. It’s a duty we have to God, to ask how we can best serve
him. And it’s the duty of every member of the faithful to promote and support
vocations: “God, are you calling my son to be a priest, what can I do to help
him hear your voice, to hear your call?”
That goes for grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and godparents as
well.
I’ve gotten to know many of our dioceses priests over the
years. Each one can speak of hearing God’s
call. Sometimes that call is loud and
clear, sometimes it takes the form of a burning desire to serve the
Church. Sometimes that call initially
comes through others, pointing out that they would make a good priest. We just
heard in the Gospel, Jesus had his disciples do the calling: “Take courage; get
up, Jesus is calling you" they said.
Is there a young man in your family, in this parish, who you should be
saying those words to? Sometimes our
young men really don’t consider the call until they receive the encouragement
of parents and friends: “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
In preparation for this homily on priesthood, I asked the
Lord what I might say from my own life as a priest. And I thought of an encounter I had, in my
first assignment, with a dying man named John.
I had been summoned to a nursing home to the pray and administer the
sacraments for John, he had suffered a severe stroke and was now very close to
death. His family was not able to be
there, so it was just me, the man, and the nurses. Having suffered such a massive stroke, the
man was essentially paralyzed: unable to move, or speak, he couldn’t even open
his eyes.
So, I came into the room, and I introduced myself, I say, “Hello,
John, my name is Father Estabrook, I’m a Catholic priest from Saint Columbkille
Parish in Parma. I’ve come to pray with
you. You have come to the end of your
earthly journey, and now you must prepare your soul to meet God. If you have any sins from your whole life
that you have not had the chance to confess, please tell them to God now, and
ask for his mercy, as I anoint you with the holy oils, and pray for your
salvation.”
So, I put on my stole.
And, I begin to make the sign of the cross. And this paralyzed man, begins to lift up his
hand, to sign himself. The nurses let
out a gasp. So we continued the prayers
of the Church, I anointed him, and I said the final prayer of commendation: Go
forth Christian soul from this world in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who
suffered for you, in the name of the Holy Spirit who was poured out upon you,
for forth, faithful Christian.” I blessed
him, and saw a single tear in his eye, and the unmistakable sign of peace.
Many times, I have been so blessed as a priest to help
people make a peaceful death. It is a
great honor to be with people near death, for God draws close to them. And that
this paralyzed man was able to make the sign of the cross, was a miracle, that
priests are often able to witness.
On this priesthood Sunday, we pray for priests. Because we
need priests. Who will be there with you to administer the final
sacraments? Who will be there for
me? This is why we pray for priests. To be instruments of the grace we need to get
to heaven.
Priests to baptize, priests to absolve, priests to celebrate
the Eucharist, priests to help hardened sinners return to Christ, priests to
help families live the Gospel. We will
need priests until the end of time, to carry out the ordained ministry
according to Christ’s plan for his Church.
And each of us has a role to help young men hear God’s call.
I know we have many good young men in our parish. Men who could be doctors, lawyers, engineers,
teachers, men who could have a pretty successful college football career. Our young men could be successful in the world
of business or politics, and we hope many will be. Because we need men of strong faith in the
world.
But, amidst all of these professional possibilities, and the
possibility of being a good husband and father, the Lord continues to call good
men to the priesthood. There are 80 men
in this diocese currently studying at our seminary.
A few years ago, a minor league baseball player who was set
to play for the Oakland A’s turned down the chance at millions of dollars to
enter the seminary.
This morning the Cathedral, Bishop Lennon ordained five
young men as transitional deacons, who, God willing, this May will be ordained
priests. Five men, from families just
like the ones who make up St. Clare parish.
Five men, who as boys probably fought with their sisters, got in trouble
from time to time, liked to watch football with their dads, whom have mothers who
just want them to be happy. I know it
took my mom a few years to realize that the priesthood can be a very happy
life. For there is nothing that compares
to seeing God’s hand working in people’s lives, and being a part of that.
So on this priesthood Sunday, once again, we pray for
priests—that our young men may have the
courage to answer that call with
generous hearts, that all of us will be generous in our support for such young
men—and that all priests might be renewed and strengthened in holiness for the
carrying out and preaching of the Gospel—that the good work God has begun in
them, might be brought to fulfillment—for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
No comments:
Post a Comment