Priestly Ordinations
St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
Jn 14:7-14
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
21 May 2011
Every priestly vocation is a mystery; a mystery where the grace of God, personal freedom, family and community interact under Divine providence. Church history has seen many changes; groups have come, grown strong, withered and sometimes disappeared or continued at a reduced level. We have seen groups of widows, hermits, monks, friars, religious orders; the so-called new movements follow these patterns in different ways.
But the sacrament of baptism has always been the foundation as Christian life is lived out in local communities served and led by priests. Whatever the other changes in society, which are often difficult to interpret, we can be sure God is calling enough men to be priests, although many might not be able to hear the call because they are tuned in on different wavelengths or because they find too much static on the line.
We thank God for the fact that these five young men have answered the call and we pray that the wonderful promise of this morning is translated into many years of prayer, service and effective leadership.
These ordinations are significant for the history of the Archdiocese of Sydney, because for the first time we have vocations from three life-giving Catholic communities, very different one from the other, but united in serious faith and Catholic loyalty. I refer of course to the Sydney Catholic Korean community, the Neo-Catechumenal Way and the Pared Schools, inspired by the Opus Dei movement.
Some Catholic communities unfortunately are not life-giving. Undoubtedly the many secular weeds can choke the life out of groups for years at a time, but when there are no vocations of any type for decades we need to examine the priorities of the Catholic community itself. Some Catholic communities can be contraceptive, even while Catholic life seems on the surface to continue vigorously.
This phenomenon of different growth rates deserves examination and discussion, although focusing energies on the promotion of faith on encouraging the recognition and love of Jesus as Son of God as well as Son of Mary ("I am in the Father and the Father is in me"), on regular prayer, Catholic orthodoxy and an explicit and regular explanation to young people of the need for priests and Catholic leadership and service in many areas is essential; and sometimes missing or obscured.
We also pray today, that in the future and partly through the activities of these young priests that these three communities, ways of living out the faith, will inspire many other young men into the priesthood and many other young men and women into unselfish service and leadership of Catholic and community institutions.
I state regularly to young Catholics and I repeat this old refrain here again today: unless a goodly number of young men and women step forward to lead and serve we will not be able to retain the wonderful strengths we have, much less develop them further for the glory of God.
My sons, 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. You must pray daily for your people as you pray for yourself. Daily Mass, daily prayer, daily meditation, devotion to Our Lady are essential, part of your priestly work or duty. Share with all mankind the 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 lives 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 not 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 to 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 to him, seek to bring the faithful together into a unified family and to lead them effectively, 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.
May God and his love always be with you and may your family, friends and people always support you through prayer and loyal friendship.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
