Reflection by Fr. Vincent

The weekends of May and June are filled with joy. First Communion. Confirmation. Graduation. It is also known as the season of ordination. The chosen men are being ordained to the Sacred Orders of Deacon and Priesthood. This year, the Church of America is abundantly blessed with 481 men to become priests to serve domestically and globally. These men, during one of the most difficult periods of the Church, are generously saying YES to the call of the Lord.

Last weekend, five new deacons were ordained to serve at the Eucharistic Altar of the Lord. And this weekend, Archbishop Gregory Aymond will lay his hands on eight men, ordaining them to be priests of Jesus Christ. These men will be sent to different parishes in New Orleans, only after promising their loyalty to the Lord and His Church. They are to preach, to sanctify, and to love as Christ has commanded them.

First, priests are to proclaim the Word of God. Not their own words but the sacred words handed to them by the Apostles. When the bishop gives the newly ordained deacons the Book of the Gospel, he tells them: “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” Without believing what they teach, preachers become liars. Without practicing what they teach, preachers become hypocrites who honor the Lord with their lips but their hearts are far away from Him. Practice first and then preach because actions always speak louder than words.

Second, priests are to do the works of God. At the priestly ordination, the priest’s hands are anointed with the Sacred Oil so that they may be worthy “to sanctify the Christian people and to offer sacrifice to God.” From that moment on, the priests are to do the works of the Lord, practicing their ministry in persona Christi capitis - in the person of Christ the Head. The most visible instance of their priestly ministry is the celebration of the Holy Mass at which the priest, saying these words over the bread and wine: “This is My Body” and “This is the Chalice of My Blood.” The priest is to baptize, to hear confession, and to visit the sick. These works Christ Himself had done on earth and commanded His disciples to do likewise.

Third, the priest is to love with the heart of Christ the Good Shepherd. When Jesus spoke with Peter after the Resurrection, He asked him thrice: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Only after Peter affirmed his love for the Lord, he was given the task of tending His sheep. Likewise, the priest must have a personal love for Christ in order to be given the priestly mission. Without a personal love for the Lord, the priest “works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.” (John 10: 13) Only when he loves with the heart of the Good Shepherd, he is able to be moved with pity for the flock.

Let us remember to pray for all the priests, especially those being ordained this year, that they might have the heart of the Good Shepherd and always have “the smell of the sheep.”