Inspiration
Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the students of Rome’s Almo Collegio Capranica Sala Clementina, Friday 20 January 2006
Bishop Brian Heenan, Bishop of Rockhampton
Ordination Homily for Father Andrew Christopher Chase, St Joseph’s Cathedral, 9 February 2006
Archbishop John Bathersby
Ordination Homily for Father Paul Chandler, Cathedral of St Stephen, 22 February 2006
Bishop Michael Putney, Bishop of Townsville
Ordination Homily for Father Rodney Thomas Ward, 24 November 2006
His Holiness Benedict XVI
Ordination Homily of new Priests for the Diocese of Rome, St Peter's Basilica, 29 April 2007
Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the students of Rome’s oldest
seminary the Almo Collegio Capranica
Sala Clementina, Friday 20 January 2006
To respond to the expectations of modern society and cooperate in the vast evangelizing action that involves all Christians, we need well-trained and courageous priests who are free from ambition and fear but convinced of the Gospel Truth, whose chief concern is to proclaim Christ and who are prepared to stoop down to suffering humanity in his Name, enabling everyone, particularly the poor and all who are in difficulty, to experience the comfort of God’s love and the warmth of the ecclesial family.
As you well know, in addition to human maturity and persevering adherence to the revealed truth which is faithfully presented by the Church’s Magisterium, this entails a serious commitment to personal holiness and the practice of the virtues, especially humility and charity; you must also foster communion with the various members of the People of God, so that in each one of you the awareness of being part of the one Body of Christ and members one of another (cf. Rom 12: 4-6) may grow.
To achieve this, dear friends, I ask you to keep your eyes fixed on Christ, the Author and Perfecter of faith (cf. Heb 12: 2). Indeed, the greater your communion with him, the better able you will be to follow faithfully in his footsteps, so that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, your love for the Lord will develop in “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3: 14).
Bishop Brian Heenan, Bishop of Rockhampton
Ordination Homily for Father Andrew Christopher Chase
St Joseph’s Cathedral, 9 February 2006
“This is the night the Lord has made, let’s be glad and rejoice”.
So we might describe this evening, when, as a diocesan family, we are gathered around Andrew Chase, ordained last August to the Diaconate and tonight, called to the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Some welcomes have already been extended, but may I acknowledge the presence of Andrew’s parents, Mariann and Chris, sisters Therese, Gemma and Anna, Andrew’s grandparents, Molly Nolan, and Joan and Brian Chase (though Brian isn’t able to be here for health reasons) together with family members, many friends, and lecturers.
I acknowledge the Holy Spirit Seminary Formation Team led by the Rector, Father Michael McCarthy. We welcome the Seminary students, our own priests and visiting priests and our deacons sharing in tonight’s ceremony. Deacon Paul Chandler, soon to be ordained to the priesthood himself and Deacon Charles LeMarque, ordained to the permanent diaconate in South Africa and now, with his Bishop’s approval, ministering on a part-time basis in Mackay.
May I also welcome the Religious here tonight and with very special delight, Marist Sisters Catherine and Mary, who are on their way to Barcaldine to take up their ministry to the people of the Central West and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Sisters, Helen and Patricia, who have begun their pastoral work in the South Mackay Cluster.
We are honoured tonight to have representatives of the other Christian faiths. Your presence is deeply appreciated. I acknowledge especially the Rev Kay Ronalds who, tomorrow evening will be inducted as the Presbytery Minister of the Presbytery of Central Queensland for the Uniting Church.
Finally, we share the joy of seeing this Cathedral filled with the people of God who, with me, call forth Andrew to accept the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Especially welcome also are our young people, College and School representatives, and young parishioners who give us confidence for the future. We are hoping that you will reflect deeply on Andrew’s step tonight and consider following him to the priesthood or to a religious calling.
I am aware that with us tonight there are parishioners from Bundaberg where Andrew has been till recently, and from many parts of the Diocese and beyond. Some of you are returning tonight and we salute your generosity in making this journey to Andrew’s home town and the Cathedral Church.
Pope Benedict XVI has just written his first letter, titled “God is Love”, and it has been very well received. He has said beautifully what St John said in his letter “God is love and they who abide in love, abide in God and God in them”. It was from that same letter that my own motto is found “where there is Love there is God” - “Ilbe caritas, Deus ibi est”. The truth of that statement grows upon me daily.
Benedict is reminding us that love, in all its expressions, is a sharing in God’s love, and is our highest calling, or most treasured possession. He writes “Let us first of all bring to mind the vast semantic range of the word ‘love’; we speak of love of country, love of one’s profession, love between friends, love of work, love between parents and children, love between family members, love of neighbour and love of God. Amid this multiplicity of meanings, however, one in particular stands out; love between man and woman, where body and soul are inseparably joined and human beings glimpse an apparently irresistible promise of happiness. This would seem to be the very epitome of love; all other kinds of love immediately seem to fade in comparison.
For his ordination Andrew has focused on Jesus own emphasis on practical, meaningful love. He asked Peter “Do you love me”. Peter was surprised, even offended, especially being asked three times. We will be aware that it was a three fold commissioning. Jesus said “feed my lambs, look after my sheep” and then “feed my sheep.
A prerequisite, the first condition was, “do you really love me”. That love for Jesus Christ is the only beginning point for priestly call, as all of the priests here tonight will testify. It is possible to go through the functions of being a priest, just by fulfilling the expectation of others.
It is not possible to be an authentic priest, without loving the person of Jesus and drawing daily strength from him. That strength, not only enables us to operate effectively as a priest, but sustains us personally through our weaknesses, inadequacies, times of loneliness, and uncertainties about the future. At the same time, it gives us personally a consolation, a joy that is inexpressible for we experience a friendship which is life-giving and sure. Prayer is the daily link with Jesus which is essential and will guarantee every priests sense of fulfillment and peace.
Andrew, you have been taken from among the people of God and appointed to act on their behalf in relationship with God. What an extraordinary privilege, no wonder the writer of Hebrews says “no one takes this honour in himself, it needs a call from God”. Not even Jesus took this glory to himself, but it was God who said “You are a priest for ever, of the order of Melchizedek”.
Just as Jesus learnt obedience through suffering, so must you, so must we all. It is our suffering that leads us to acknowledge our dependence, makes us truly humble and leads us back to that friendship, that indispensable love of Christ. We are truly able to say “when I am weak, then I am strong” – strong in the power and presence of Christ.
In all of this future journey, the Spirit of the Lord will be upon you, for He is about to anoint you. You have already, as Deacon, begun to bring the Good News of God’s love to the afflicted, the broken hearted, those captive in so many ways.
That ministry will be enhanced especially through the gift of Eucharist which you will bring to God’s people. May that ever be the centre of your life, for if you celebrate the sacred mysteries with care, reverence and a sense of awe, it will be the most powerful gift in your life and you will make it a gift for others. That was another point in Pope Benedict’s letter that love underpins everything we do for each other as disciples of Jesus and fits in so well with Eucharist, to bring Christ to others, to be Eucharist for all.
Andrew, you are beginning your priestly life in times of huge change for society and for the Church. You have always had a special love for the people of God and I believe you become an important bridge between the old and the new. This is a time for hope, for reading and heeding the signs of the times and building on the positives that are part of our age.
Jesus words will always be a challenge “I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full”. Andrew, you are a part of that life-giving gift to the people of today, especially the young people whom you understand as part of their generation, but you youthfulness, your enthusiasm and your giftedness are a beacon of light for all of us.
As your bishop, yet also as one of God’s people in this Diocese, I thank you for your generosity, your “yes” to God’s call, your years of preparation and indeed, that extra time of acquiring your Masters in Theology. May I return to honour your parents, sisters, grandparents and all who have handed on to you their love, faith and encouragement.
We thank God too for all who have journeyed with you through seminary and parish life in the several communities you have joined.
We all invoke God’s Spirit upon you now, as you open your heart to God’s invitation to live your life in the service of God’s people. That giving of yourself, will come back to you in a thousand ways, as the priests and deacons here tonight will testify. You will always receive more than you give in your priestly life. You will be humbled by those to whom you will minister. Because we know you love Jesus, we walk with you as you feed His lambs, tend and feed His sheep”.
I invite you now to accept the Order of Priesthood, chosen by God and embraced by God’s people here in St Joseph’s Cathedral.
Archbishop John Bathersby
Ordination Homily for Father Paul Chandler
Cathedral of St Stephen, 22 February 2006, Feast of the Chair of St Peter
Ordinations remind most priests of their own ordination. The ordinations of the class of 61 to which I belonged, the largest ordination class to come out of Banyo, were scattered throughout the length and breadth of Queensland on the feast of Sts Peter & Paul. Even the Toowoomba ordinations reached from Dalby to Toowoomba and then on a cold winter’s morning to Stanthorpe where the late John Ryan and I were ordained together. The people of Stanthorpe rose splendidly to the occasion with Sister Mary Gerald our renowned music teacher even coaxing the St Joseph’s choir to sing the traditional ordination Latin hymn “Decora Lux”, probably the first and only time that the hymn was sung in St Joseph’s Church. My first Mass was celebrated in Stanthorpe the day after, with my second Mass down the road in Wallangarra at the invitation of Father Brian O’Dwyer, who on that occasion asked me to later address his youth group in the hall. There I explained to the young people that I had become a priest when I came to realize that Christ had done so much for me I wanted to do something in return. If I was asked the same question today I would probably answer a little differently, without in any way abandoning the one constant, my desire to follow in the footsteps of Christ the eternal high priest who calls each one of us into mission. Christ is the key to everything, to the good news of the gospel, to the calling of the apostles, to their subsequent mission, to his wider call for all people to be missioners, finally, within that larger band of missioners, his call for some to become preachers of the word and leaders of the people of God. Moreover our relationship with Christ can never be based on mere knowledge of Christ important as it is, but rather on a knowledge that springs from the heart as much as the head and is nurtured by prayer. It would be sheer madness to go into priesthood today without a deep relationship with Christ based on prolonged study, a thorough understanding of the salvific meaning of each and every sacrament, all of which should be daily nourished by a commitment to prayer, prayer of the Church in the first place, supported by a healthy dose of devotional prayer. Such relationship was always important, even when ordinations poured out of the seminaries in the 1960’s driven by a spirit of optimism about the future and a sneaky hope that the fullness of the Kingdom was not far away. Religion then was as normal as the air we breathed and priesthood an admired and socially acceptable choice. It is not the same today which perhaps makes religion and priesthood even more important. As Pope Benedict warns us the Roman Catholic Church may even grow smaller before it grows larger. In our secular climate it is even more important to remember as the Pope tells us in his writings and speeches that “The truth will set us (and the world) free provided we preach it in season and out of season as Paul the apostle did. In an age of indifference the truth of Christ and his vision needs to be proclaimed more than ever, even if the world rejects it, or what is even worse greets it with a yawn. Once we are convinced of the truth of Jesus then any time is a good time to be a member of the Church and any time is a good time to be a preacher of the word. That is why the decision of Paul Chandler tonight is a cause for great rejoicing not only for his family and friends but also for the entire Archdiocese. His courage in putting on priesthood in the midst of a society that is rather indifferent to priesthood is an heroic gesture for which we are all truly grateful. So Paul be assured that our congratulations, good wishes, and prayerful support go with you as you take this important step in your life. You are not alone and never will be.
As we all know, the Church is a sign of the Kingdom, but individuals are as well, and your presence Paul as priest in today’s society, as the letter of Peter says, to be steward, servant, helper, receiver and dispenser of God’s graces, and witness to the love of God, will point people effectively to the presence of God and the presence of God’s Kingdom. God has called you and assured you in the reading from Jeremiah that he will support you and put words into your mouth whenever you need them, while the gospel in its images of salt and light reminds you that progress in the work of the Kingdom rarely comes quickly, which makes your ambition to be the metaphorical salt of the earth even more important. All this will most certainly happen if you maintain your close relationship with Christ and with the communion of saints through prayer and the sacraments. May God bless you always in the worthy ministry you have chosen as preacher of the word. Be assured that the friendship and support of the priests and people of this Archdiocese will be with you always, and that the communion of saints who with St Peter surround you in a significant manner on his feast day will intercede always for the success of your ministry. Please all join with me now as we ask God’s Holy Spirit to come down upon Paul and his future ministry.
Bishop Michael Putney, Bishop of Townsville
Ordination Homily for Father Rodney Thomas Ward
24 November 2006
Dear Rod
Sometimes when we priests are trying to understand our ministry, we speak easily of being called to serve Jesus Christ and his mission in the world. In a sense we are calling ourselves his “servants”. However, when we listen to Jesus’ own words to his closest followers the night before he died, we discover that he stressed to them that he did not see them as his servants. Moreover, if we read the four gospels, we discover he never called anyone his servant. What he did say of his closest disciples was that he saw them as his friends. This would be equally true now of anyone who wants to enter into the same kind of relationship with him as they had.
This is an extraordinary description of our relationship with Jesus. I doubt that any priests here would easily say of themselves simply that they were friends of Jesus when they were trying to find the words to describe their understanding of their ministry. Yet Jesus himself has said that he sees us as his friends and so this is the heart of any ministry. That is what you are obliged to accept if you want to become a priest on his terms.
It is very hard for many of us priests to do that because we know our weaknesses. We can never be perfect servants and we have seldom been ideal servants. Sometimes we think we have not really been good servants at all. Certainly we always fall short in some way in our service to Jesus. But we are happy to call ourselves his servants, even if inadequate, because it establishes for us a subordinate relationship and a kind of humility which enables us to cope with our own failures.
But he won’t have any of that. He says rather: “That is not who you are. You are my friends.” This tells us that his love for us does not change because of our failures or our inadequacies, and that the starting point for our ministry is this love he has for us, this friendship he names as the most adequate way to describe his relationship with us.
So Rod, you have always been his friend, as has everybody in this Church tonight who has surrendered to the call to be a disciple of Jesus. St John tells us in the rest of the gospel passage that he said of his friends that they did not choose him. In our experience of responding to what we classically call a ‘vocation to the priesthood’, we often have this sense of choosing to become a priest, of stepping forward. But again he will have none of this as a description of what has happened. He says “ No, I chose you” because of his friendship for us that claimed us and set us on a particular course. Again, this is true of everybody in the congregation this evening who has looked into their hearts to discover what God is calling them to, or what Jesus has chosen them for.
You have been chosen by Jesus Christ. This is an overwhelming notion when we really accept it. We would much rather think that we chose to serve him and therefore can blame ourselves for our failures. But he has chosen us and we have to live with the inadequacy of his choice.
He also says that he has commissioned us to go and bear fruit for God, for the Father. In tonight’s Gospel, he repeats his fundamental charge to us and to everyone, to love one another. So whatever our commission is, whatever we are sent to do because of his choice of us, it means loving other people.
That is where the word “servant” begins to become useful for us in trying to describe what the priesthood is all about. We hear Paul using it in his second letter to the Corinthians. He did not say that he was a servant of Jesus, he said he was a servant of “them”, the Corinthians, for Jesus’ sake. Jesus had chosen Paul very dramatically as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. He chose him to be a servant of others. St Mark tells us in his Gospel that Jesus said that he himself had come not to be served, but to serve.
So our use of the word has been turned upside down. We find we cannot use it to describe our relationship with Jesus. In fact he is the one who has used to describe his relationship with us. Moreover he chose us and commissioned us to have that same kind of relationship of servant, not to him, but in him, and through him, and like him, to others.
Because of this, Paul then wrote with such conviction “it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord.” People will speak to you, Rod, about what they like about the way you preach, or the way you serve them, or the way you conduct yourself. None of this matters in the long run. The only thing that matters is what Paul knew and what we have all continually to remember, is that people come to know Jesus as “the Lord” through us. That is the service we offer them. That is
what it is to love them. It is to give them the possibility of discovering Jesus Christ as their friend, and as their servant, as deeply as we have.
You are becoming a priest in the diocese of Townsville at an unusual point of its history, when the priesthood is depleted in many ways and there are other difficulties confronting the Church. Don’t let these worry you at all. You only have one task to do and that is to be faithful to the one who calls you friend, Jesus Christ, by serving others, by loving them enough to be a vehicle for them to discover Jesus as their friend and servant. Nothing else matters.
None of us, least of all myself, and not even all of us together, can sort out all the issues that confront us in the church at this time. We have to deal with them and we are doing our best, or maybe again we are not. We always fall short, but we are at least “having a go” here in Townsville.
At the same time we must not think that our attempts to sort out the church’s needs are our main agenda. We have only one agenda, which is Jesus Christ. Nothing else has any significance outside of that fundamental commission we have received to be the servants of others, to love them so that they may discover Jesus Christ.
When we talk of Jesus’ friendship for us, his choice of us, his commission to us and our service of others, there is nothing sentimental about it. If you look behind me you see what happened to Jesus, and what will happen to you once you accept your commission from him. You cannot remain his friend, you cannot serve others, you cannot love others enough and you cannot share Jesus Christ with them unless you are willing to suffer, unless you are willing to allow yourself to experience his wounds in yo ur own body.
The shape this will take for you will be the most intimate aspect of your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. No-one knows the role of the cross or the wounds of Christ in the life of any priest. Only he knows what it costs him to be faithful to the one who calls him “friend”, faithful to his commission, faithful to his service. But you have to be willing to allow the wounds on his body and not just the glory of his victory to mark your own body which is one with his through baptism, and which will become more intimately one with him through your ordination this evening.
Paul said elsewhere that it is not just Jesus that we preach. We preach “Christ crucified”. And in St Mark’s Gospel Jesus did not only say that he had come to serve, but added “and to give my life”. There is no other Christ. There is no other message that the Church can offer the world. Certainly Christ is victorious, but he was victorious through his death for us, and if we want to share the victory we have to be willing to share his death.
Thank you for being willing. May Jesus Christ, the one who calls you a friend, guide you and me so that we can work together to discover what his particular commission for you will be as the years go on, and may you always discover in your service of others that by giving your love to them, you become ever more deeply a friend of Jesus Christ. That, I promise you, Rod, will be your greatest joy.
His Holiness Benedict XVI
Ordination of New Priests for the Diocese of Rome
St Peter's Basilica, Fourth Sunday of Easter, 29 April 2007
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Presbyterate,
Dear Ordinandi,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter traditionally known as "Good Shepherd Sunday", has a special significance for us who are gathered in this Vatican Basilica. It is an absolutely unique day especially for you, dear deacons, upon whom, as Bishop and Pastor of Rome, I am pleased to confer priestly Ordination. In this way you join our "presbyterium".
Together with the Cardinal Vicar, the Auxiliary Bishops and the priests of the Diocese, I thank the Lord for the gift of your priesthood which enriches our Community with 22 new Pastors.
The theological density of the brief Gospel passage which has just been proclaimed helps us to perceive better the meaning and value of this solemn Celebration.
Jesus speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd who gives eternal life to his sheep (cf. Jn 10: 28). This image of the shepherd is deeply rooted in the Old Testament and dear to Christian tradition. The Prophets attributed to David the title: "Shepherd of Israel", which hence possesses an indisputable messianic importance (cf. Ex 34: 23).
Jesus is the true Shepherd of Israel, since he is the Son of Man who desired to share the condition of human beings to give them new life and lead them to salvation.
Significantly, the Evangelist adds to the term "shepherd" the adjective kalós, good, which he only uses with reference to Jesus and his mission. In the account of the Wedding at Cana, the adjective kalós is also used twice to signify the wine offered by Jesus, and it is easy to see it as a symbol of the good wine of messianic times (cf. 2: 10).
"I give them (that is, to my sheep) eternal life and they shall never perish" (Jn 10: 28). These are the words of Jesus, who had said a little earlier, "the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep" (cf. Jn 10: 11).
John uses the verb tithénai - to offer, which he repeats in the following verses (cf. 15, 17, 18). We find the same verb in the Last Supper narrative when Jesus "laid aside his garments" in order to "take" them back later (cf. Jn 13: 4, 12).
Thus, it is clear that the intention is to affirm that the Redeemer has absolute freedom to do with his life as he chooses and thereby give it up or take it back freely.
Christ is the true Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep, for us, sacrificing himself on the Cross. He knows his sheep and his sheep know him, just as the Father knows him and he knows the Father (cf. Jn 10: 14-15).
This is not a matter of mere intellectual knowledge but of a profound, personal relationship: a knowledge of the heart, of one who loves and one who is loved; of one who is faithful and one who knows how to be trustworthy.
It is a knowledge of love, by virtue of which the Pastor invites his sheep to follow him and which is fully manifest in the gift of eternal life that he offers to them (cf. Jn 10: 27-28).
Dear Ordinandi, may the certainty that Christ does not abandon us and that no obstacle can prevent the accomplishment of his universal plan of salvation be a cause of constant consolation - also in difficulties - and steadfast hope for you. The Lord's goodness is always with you, and it is powerful.
The Sacrament of Orders, which you are about to receive, will make you sharers in the very mission of Christ; you will be called to scatter the seed of his Word, the seed that carries in itself the Kingdom of God; to dispense divine mercy and to nourish the faithful at the table of his Body and Blood.
To be his worthy ministers, you must ceaselessly nourish yourselves with the Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life.
In approaching the altar, your daily school of holiness, of communion with Jesus, of the way of entering into his sentiments in order to renew the sacrifice of the Cross, you will increasingly discover the richness and tenderness of the love of the divine Teacher, who today is calling you to a closer friendship with him.
If you listen docilely to him, if you follow him faithfully, you will learn to express in your life and in your pastoral ministry his love and his passion for the salvation of souls.
With Jesus' help, dear Ordinandi, each one of you will become a Good Shepherd, ready, if necessary, to lay down your life for him.
Thus it was at the beginning of Christianity with the first disciples, while as we heard in the First Reading the Gospel continued to be disseminated amid consolations and difficulties.
It is worth stressing the last words in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles which we have heard: "The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (13: 52).
Despite the misunderstandings and disagreements, about which we have heard, the apostle of Christ does not lose joy; indeed, he is a witness of that joy which flows from being with the Lord and from love for him and for the brothers and sisters.
On today's World Day of Prayer for Vocations, whose theme this year is: "The vocation to the service of the Church as communion", let us pray that all who are chosen to such a lofty mission may be accompanied by the prayerful communion of all the faithful
Let us pray that in every parish and Christian community attention to vocations and to the formation of priests will increase: it begins in the family, continues at the seminary and involves all who have at heart the salvation of souls.
Dear brothers and sisters who are taking part in this evocative celebration, and in the first place you, relatives, family members and friends of these 22 deacons who will shortly be ordained priests!
Let us surround these brothers of ours in the Lord with our spiritual solidarity. Let us pray that they may be faithful to the mission to which the Lord is calling them today and ready to renew their "yes" to God, their "here I am", every day without reserve.
And let us ask the Lord of the harvest on this Day for Vocations to continue to bring forth many holy priests who are totally dedicated to the service of the Christian people.
At this most solemn and important moment of your life, dear Ordinandi, I once again address you with affection. On this day Jesus repeats to you: "I no longer call you servants, but friends". Welcome and nurture this divine friendship with "Eucharistic love"!
May Mary, the heavenly Mother of priests, accompany you. May she who beneath the Cross united herself with the Sacrifice of her Son and after the Resurrection accepted together with the other disciples the gift of the Spirit, help you and each one of us, dear brothers in the priesthood, to allow ourselves to be inwardly transformed by God's grace.
Only in this way is it possible to be faithful images of the Good Shepherd; only in this way can we carry out joyfully the mission of knowing, guiding and loving the flock which Jesus acquired at the price of his blood. Amen.