This weekend we celebrate the great birthday of the Church, Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples in the upper room and sends them forth into the world. It is a very powerful image of mission…going out…changing the world.
Pentecost falls on June 4th this year which is a very special day for me too. In 2005, on this day, I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Jose. And the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with how I remember the day, being prayed for and blessed by so many priest and lay faithful. Have my family and friends come and celebrate with me and the Church of San Jose on this day. Two moments remain vivid in my mind. The first is receiving the chalice and patten from the Bishop. The grace give was this was the same chalice and patten my Dad’s cousin (so I guess mine also) Fr. Ken Arnzen had used them over five decades earlier when he was ordained for the Diocese of Boise. The second was the priests laying hands and praying over me and my brothers, Fr. John, Fr. Joseph, Fr. Vincent and Fr. Andres ordained that same day.
I know that twelve years does not seem long…and it isn’t…but I would like to reflect on the blessing God has shared with me during this time by looking at three quotes below.
Pope Benedict XVI shares these words of wisdom, “The priest cannot be distant from the daily concerns of the People of God; on the contrary he must be very close but always with a view to salvation and of the Kingdom of God. He is the witness and steward of a life different from earthly life. He is the herald of the hope of Christ, by virtue of which we can face the present even though it may often be arduous.” (p 99 from “The Priest a Bridge to God”) I never imagined how growing up surrounded by God’s blessings grows grace in you. In my home town in Idaho is a Benedictine Monastery, St. Gertrude, and this spirituality of being among the people permeated my life in such away that the reality of being with the people, taking time with the people and journeying with the people as a symbol of God’s prophetic grace is undeniable in the priestly identity God desires for me.
Pope St. John Paul II reminds us how the Eucharist is at the center of the life of the priest, the people and the world, “‘Even if the Eucharist should be celebrated without participation of the faithful, it nevertheless remains the center of the life of the entire Church and the heart of priestly existence.’…The Eucharist makes the Church, just as the Church makes the Eucharist. The presbyter, having been given the charge of building up the Church, performs this task essentially through the Eucharist…he cooperates in gathering people around Christ in the Church by offering the Eucharist.” (p 65-66 from “Priesthood in the Third Millennium) I can count on one hand the number of days over the last 12 years that I have not celebrated Eucharist…sometimes because of sickness and others because of traveling, It is a central and vital touchstone of my daily life. It is the moment of grace with God and his holy people. It is also a school of charity and humility. I have spent these twelve years celebrating, almost weekly, with the MESST sisters, learning Spanish, sharing stories and participating in the grace of Eucharistic life and learning a ton of humility and charity. It is my heart sending me forth into the world.
Finally, this quote that has been on my mind these past four years, Pope Francis said, “This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus. (Chrism Mass Homily 2013) Our Holy Father has presented many great challenges to us as a Church but especially to priests. The challenge to be true men of faith, joy and love is constant as is the challenge to see our priesthood in the generosity of mercy and forgiveness.
I do pray each day that I live up to this call to share my life with God’s holy people. Please pray for your parish priest, pray for me and pray for vocations.
God bless
Fr. Mark