The gift and mystery of the priesthood

Each time we celebrate the ordination of new priests we have an opportunity to reflect on the gift and mystery of the ordained priesthood in the life of the Church.

Every member of the Church benefits from the ministry of priests. Priests, bishops and even Pope Leo himself depend on the ministry of priests for their sacramental life. No one can be a priest to himself. There certainly are different states of life in the Church – clergy, lay, consecrated religious – however, every member of the Church, regardless of his or her state of life, is a disciple in need of priestly ministry.

Saint John Paul II was fond of quoting Saint John Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars, who said, “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” 

Jesus is the paschal lamb who revealed the Father’s love and poured out his very being for us in his incarnation, passion, and death and resurrection. It is through the holy priesthood that Jesus continues to pour himself out for his people.

Each of the seven sacraments is an outward visible sign instituted by Christ, which communicates his invisible grace. The Sacrament of Holy Orders communicates a participation in Christ’s own mission, which he entrusted to his apostles and their companions. 

The priest is an ordinary man configured sacramentally to Jesus Christ so he can be an efficacious sign of Jesus’ presence with his people and to care for them. The Good Shepherd continues to accompany his people through the humanity of his priests.

Our reflection upon the great gift and mystery of the priesthood leads us to a greater awareness of God’s presence and action in our lives. It also can lead us to an awareness that priests do not drop out of the sky, but come from ordinary homes, families and parishes. Just like the bread and wine for the Eucharist come from wheat fields and vineyards, and the water for Baptism comes from rain and reservoirs, the man called to be a priest comes from a family and a parish.

It is a great blessing in the life of a parish when a son of the parish, after discernment and formation, is ordained a priest. The experience of someone being called from among us provides insight into the humanity of the priest and his priesthood. Seeing someone who you watched grow up celebrating Mass for the first time is a profoundly moving moment.

The priests, who will minister to future generations here in our archdiocese, are in the pews of your parishes today. Some have already begun to hear the Lord’s mysterious call inviting them to consider the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood.

We need young men who know and love the Lord Jesus. Young men who, as Pope Francis said, are convinced that “it is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him.” 

We need men who have a hunger for souls, who say with Saint Paul, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.” The Church needs men of service and communion willing to lay down their lives for the good of their brothers and sisters.

Our times call for courageous shepherds ready and equipped to lead with confidence in the way of truth.

On June 28, the Lord will provide two new priests for the people of God in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. We give thanks to God for the gift of Father John Grim and Father Jonah Beckham. Their ordination is a sign to us of God’s faithfulness and that the Church is constantly being renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Empires will rise and fall, but the Catholic Church continues to be renewed in each new generation. One day these brand-new young priests will be wise old priests, and they will witness the ordination of priests who are not yet born. The mission will stay the same even though the world in which the Church will find itself will change. 

There still will be men the Lord calls to lay down their lives as shepherds in service to their brothers and sisters. Souls will stand in need of the care and accompaniment of the Good Shepherd, and he will not cease to call and raise up priests to be signs and instruments of his grace and mercy.