Dear Parishioners,
Last Sunday afternoon I concelebrated Mass for the 40th
Anniversary of Ordination of a priest-friend.
It was quite an elaborate Mass with a packed church including fifty-nine
priests, two transitional deacons, our bishop, numerous altar servers and diocesan seminarians. Needless to say, there was much pomp and
circumstance everywhere from the
burning incense emitting from a thurible the size of a small watermelon, to the
ruby flowers and decorations filling the church for Pentecost, to some intricate, uplifting musical selections.
During all of the various happenings of the day, one could
not but think of the Catholic priesthood and the Catholic Church in all of its
majestic glory. The regrettable events
that have tarnished the priesthood and the Church itself in recent years were pushed
aside for this moment, so that the sacred mysteries in their rich splendor
could shine forth.
When I looked at the calendar on my smart-phone after the
Mass, I was reminded that the next day (May 16) was my own anniversary of
ordination—twenty-nine years ago. Thank
you Jesus! In fact, many priests
will celebrate their anniversaries this time of the year. For most of us, it is our special day
reminding us of when the bishop imposed hands on us and we were mysteriously changed
forever. For all eternity we would be
configured to Jesus Christ, the
Great High Priest.
After an ordination, the newly-ordained priest normally would give his first blessing individually to the people present. I remember in my particular situation I began
by blessing Bishop George H. Guilfoyle,
the ordaining prelate. Then my immediate
family came up to the sanctuary. I nervously
began to bless those in front of me beginning with my father. Later, I was told
that it is usually the priest’s mother
that gets the blessing first. (Sorry mom, I guess I really didn’t know or I
was just too anxious in the moment.)
Funny, how my crazy mind works at times. Stream of
consciousness? Adult A.D.D.? My thoughts drift from the importance of that unique
moment when people wait in long lines just to receive the newly-ordained priest’s
first blessing, to my weekly frustration with how many people rush out of
church regularly after Holy Communion before the priest’s blessing is
ever given. What happened? Is that priestly-blessing no longer important?
After the dinner reception which followed the Mass last
Sunday, I waited for my car from the valet.
The young driver pulled up, got out of my car, handed me the keys and
uttered the following: “Father, could you give me a quick blessing? I have a lot of [stuff] going on in my life
right now and I could use a blessing.”
I blessed him. I
prayed for him then and again today. He
reminded me, after all was said and done, after all of the great celebration and fanfare that day, of why I was ordained.
A priest gives his blessing.
Christ encounters a person in need.
It was one of those simple unexpected, grace-filled moments.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
No comments:
Post a Comment