Sunday, June 20, 2010

Why be a priest?

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Zechariah 12.10-11, 13.1 Psalm 63 Galatians 3.26-29 Luke 9.18-24

This weekend, we officially mark the conclusion of the Year for Priests, declared by Pope Benedict to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests. What the Holy Father hoped to accomplish during this past year was a renewed appreciation of the gift of the priesthood, both for priests themselves and for the Church as a whole. And at the same time, we hope to help young men today to see the priesthood more and more as a worthy calling and to help them open the ears of the hearts to learn if God is indeed calling them to this vocation. And so the question must be asked: why would a young man want to be a priest today? In a world so focused on personal accomplishment and material wealth, why be a priest? In a Church that has been wounded by the actions of a few men who have abused their priestly role, why be a priest? In a culture so focused on marriage and family, why be a priest?

Certainly the priesthood is but one vocation among many. As St. Paul reminds us today, when we are baptized, we are clothed in Christ, and there are many ways to live out our baptismal call to holiness. In one sense, the value of the priesthood is in its equality with the other vocations. It is not better to be a priest than to marry, it is not better to be in religious life than to live a sacred single life. When God calls, that call is a good thing – whatever he calls us to do. But the question still remains, if all vocations are equally important, why be a priest?

To answer that question, we need to know what the priesthood is as its own unique vocation. The priesthood is not a job or an office – it is a way of life. As priests, we structure our days so that we are serving not ourselves but serving the needs of others, whether in celebrating the sacraments or visiting the sick or teaching the faith or spending time with God in prayer. As priests, we have the humbling task of walking with people during their greatest joys and sorrows, always reminding them that Christ walks with them. As priests, we speak words that are not our own, words that come from the mouth of God himself as sins are absolved, lives are joined together, and ordinary bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

Many people think that the priesthood is a lonely vocation – we have no wife or children, no family to go home to at the end of the day. But we do have a family, we have a parish family; we have good friends both within the priesthood and outside the priesthood. The calling of the priesthood is a call to live in relationship with God and God’s people. The calling of the priesthood is to keep eternity ever before our eyes and to help guide people to heaven, one by one. Of course, we priests can’t do that alone. We do this together with all the baptized, working side by side to build God’s kingdom here on earth in order to reach God’s kingdom in heaven. It is an awesome responsibility, to be a priest, but it made possible only through the grace and strength of God.

So why be a priest? Because if that is how God is calling a young man to spend his life, then God will give him what he needs to fulfill the role. Why be a priest? Because our world needs public witnesses to holiness, our Church needs the sacraments, we all need people whose lives are dedicated to reminding us how much God loves us. Why be a priest? Because it is a life of true joy and fulfillment. Why be a priest? Because God calls, and we must follow.

2 comments:

Mike Keucher said...

Very nice words, Father. Happy Father's Day to you!

Sandy said...

Happy Father's Day to you too. Today's homily definitely shows your love for the priesthood. Thank you for saying, "Yes" to God's call.