Ordination of Rev. Phan Quang Dinh SVD
Belmore
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
30 Nov 2002
We are here to celebrate the ordination to the office of priest of the Rev Phan Quang Dinh of the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries. He is not simply taking on some new functions. He is not on a new job, which he can leave at any time he pleases. He is being ordained as a permanent member of an order; to an office which transforms and permeates forever his person and personality.
It has been a soul-searching period of over eight years of discernment for him to take this decisive step: being ordained into missionary priesthood. He looks up to our Lord Jesus as the model of priesthood. Jesus is a dynamic model, requiring creativity and a lifetime commitment to the service of God's Kingdom. He has come not to be served but to serve, not to be ordained for himself but for the service of God's people and the Church.
He prays that spirituality and prayer will have the number one priority in his life because this will be the source of his energy and inspiration. He will cherish an intimate union with the Lord who loves and calls him to priesthood.
His favourite biblical motto if "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Ps 119:105). May the Word of God always be the guiding principle of his life and his missionary ministry.
In a world that is becoming self-centred, priesthood is both a counter-cultural invitation and a prophetic vision of God's kingdom being embodied and a lived out in our world.
This vocation to priesthood is meant only for people of strong faith, conviction and generosity. Priesthood takes him to the road of the cross, which is a narrow road. "How narrow is the gate that leads to life and how rough the road; few there are who find it." (Mt 7:14).
As a missionary to people of different cultures and nationalities, he will look to Jesus for guidance and inspiration. Our Lord adapted himself to the life of people from every walk of life; approachable to all, even to his enemies. As a missionary Quang will learn to follow in the footsteps of the missionary of missionaries.
He then addresses the candidate:
My son, you are now to be advanced to the order of the presbyterate. You must apply your energies to the duty of teaching in the name of Christ, the chief Teacher. Share with all mankind to word of God you have received with joy. Meditate on the law of God, believe what you read, teach what you believe, and put into practice what you teach.
Let the doctrine you teach be true nourishment for the people of God. Let the example of your life attract the followers of Christ, so that by word and action you may build up the house, which is God's Church.
In the same way you must carry out your mission of sanctifying in the power of Christ. Your ministry will perfect the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful by uniting it to Christ's sacrifice, the sacrifice which is offered sacramentally through your hands. Know what you are doing and imitate the mystery you celebrate. In the memorial of the Lord's death and resurrection, make every effort to die to sin and to walk in the new life of Christ.
When you baptize, you will bring men and women into the people of God. In the sacrament of penance, you will forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church. With holy oil you will relieve and console the sick. You will celebrate the liturgy and offer thanks and praise to God throughout the day, praying only for the people of God but for the whole world. Remember that you are chosen from among God's people and appointed to act for them in relation of God. Do your part in the work of Christ the Priest with genuine joy and love, and attend to the concerns of Christ before your own.
Finally, conscious of sharing in the work of Christ, the Head and Shepherd of the Church, and united with the bishop and subject him, seek to bring the faithful together into a unified family and lead them affectively, through Christ and in the Holy Spirit, to God the Father. Always remember the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and to seek out and rescue those who were lost.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
