Thursday, April 19, 2007

Virginia Tech and the Resurrection


How does one make sense out of a senseless act?

This week, as we watched the tragic event at Virginia Tech unfold, most of us had no words; just raw emotion…and a question: Why? As the Virginia Tech community, and indeed the entire nation, grieves the tragic loss of so many lives, we are left with that nagging question: Why? In many ways, this question is unanswerable. Of course we can speculate: Could more have been done to prevent it? Should the authorities have acted more quickly? What about the warning signs present in the deranged individual who committed this heinous crime? Questions continue to abound; but none of them answer the ultimate question that is on the hearts of so many: Why does God allow these things to happen?

Let’s be honest though: even if we had a logical academic answer to this question we certainly would not be satisfied with it. The sad reality is that it happened, and the truth is that it doesn’t make sense; it shouldn’t have happened. So maybe the question to ask is not “Why?” Maybe the question that needs to be asked is “Who?” Who can bring comfort to those in sorrow? Who can bring peace to those in distress? Who can raise to eternal life those who have died? Who has the power to heal and to strengthen?

Anytime tragedy occurs there are always moments of light and hope. The candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening at Virginia Tech was a symbol of the light of faith and hope shining forth from so many in that community. Here’s an interesting question: Why do people gather to hold candlelight vigils in the midst of dark and sorrowful times? It’s because we believe that light can conquer the darkness. During this past week students, faculty, staff and family of the Virginia Tech community have gathered in prayer to seek strength and comfort in the Lord. We can learn a lesson from them: it is only the power of Christ’s Resurrection that can scatter the darkness of this moment. It is only the power of Christ’s Resurrection that can bring hope to what seems like a hopeless moment.

This massacre should not have happened. God did not will it to happen. Lives tragically ended, and now we grieve. But even in this dark moment the light of Christ’s Resurrection shines brightly in the faith of those who believe.

We pray for those who died and all who have been so deeply scarred by this tragedy. But we need to make a resolution: During this Easter season, we must be Christ’s light to a world that is so often in darkness. Christ’s light will shine, but only if we allow him to shine through us.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Called By Name


“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni,’ which means Teacher” (John 20:16).

Just about every weekend I have the honor of traveling to a different parish in the diocese to preach about the vocation to the priesthood. It is a great joy for me to be able to do this, because I love inviting Catholics to reflect upon the blessing of the priesthood in their lives. Truthfully, preaching about the priesthood every weekend also helps me to have a deeper appreciation for this amazing vocation to which I have been called; it helps me to enter more deeply into the gift and mystery.

One way that I attempt to concretely promote vocations in these parish communities is by inviting people to take action. Near each door of the church I place a pile of blue index cards with the words “CALLED BY NAME” on the top of each card. During my homily I invite the people to think of a man that they believe would make a good priest, and then I ask them to take a card home, pray about it, and then send his name and address to me. When I receive one of those Called By Name cards in the mail I then send a letter to that man inviting him to consider the vocation to the priesthood. Some of you reading this may have received one of these letters from me in the past. The goal of the Called by Name card is twofold: first, to get the people to understand that they are responsible for promoting priestly vocations; second, to plant a seed in the heart of the man who receives the letter from me.

Called by name… Isn’t this what happened to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb? Mary went in search of Christ; she longed to be with him. And when she arrived at the empty tomb, she wept because she thought his body had been taken. Jesus then appeared to her, but she did not recognize him…until he called her by name. Only When Jesus called her name, “Mary,” did she experience the power of the Resurrection. Christ revealed himself to her and then sent her on a mission to tell the apostles that he had risen from the dead.

With this “Called by Name” gospel scene in mind, here are a couple of questions to help you discern God’s will for your life: Are you, like Mary, seeking to be with Christ? Are you choosing to set aside quiet time for prayer every day so that you, like Mary, can hear Jesus call you by name? Have you experienced the power of the Resurrection? You see, what happens when set time aside to seek Christ and to listen to his voice is that we hear him call us by name; we come to know his love for us. And when we look into the face of Christ and see his eyes filled with love, we are drawn to know and love him more. As we grow to know and love him, we see why he created us; we see our vocation. Jesus called Mary by name, but he also calls you and me by name. We just need to have the courage to be still, open the ears of our hearts, and listen to him.

During this Easter season, Jesus wants us to experience the power of his Resurrection. Jesus wants us to know his love; he wants us to know his plan for us. But this will only happen if we take time to be still; it will only happen if we seek his face and listen to his voice. Will you seek him? Will you listen to his voice? Will you listen to him call you by name? Do not be afraid to seek him; do not be afraid to listen to him. Do not be afraid...

Thursday, April 05, 2007

The Three Mysteries of Holy Thursday


I love Holy Thursday because it is on this day that I, along with all of my brother priests throughout the world, give thanks to God for the gift and mystery of our vocation. On Holy Thursday we celebrate the reason for our existence: the priesthood, Christ’s gift to the Church which continues his presence among us in a unique and sacramental way. It is our Feast Day.

Three central mysteries are commemorated on Holy Thursday: the institution of the Sacred Priesthood, the gift of the Holy Eucharist, and divine charity. Each of these mysteries must be the driving force in every priest’s life. However, the man discerning a call to the priesthood can also meditate on these mysteries to help him see more clearly whether or not the Lord is calling him to be a priest.

First and foremost, every priest must love and surrender his life to The True High Priest, Jesus Christ; and in his love for Christ the Priest, he necessarily loves the vocation to the priesthood to which he has been called. We must remember that there is only one Priest, Jesus Christ. He is the Priest who offered the perfect sacrifice to the Father. And although each baptized Christian shares in the priesthood of Christ, the man who is ordained a priest shares in Christ’s priesthood in a unique way. As a ministerial priest he exists first and foremost for the sacraments, for it is through the sacraments that the saving grace of Christ is communicated to us. It is an awesome privilege to be a priest. It is a most humbling realization to know that a man is not called to be a priest because he is worthy, but simply because God has chosen him. It is a gift and mystery.

Jesus Christ must be the center of every priest’s life, and therefore the Eucharist, the abiding presence of Christ in the Church, must be at the center of his life. Because he exists for the Eucharist, the man who is a priest must love the Eucharist. He acts in the Person of Christ, and so each time the priest celebrates Mass he offers to the Father the same sacrifice that Christ offered for our redemption, albeit in an unbloody manner. This, once again, is an awesome and humbling privilege. How often do we as priests celebrate the Mass utterly aware of our unworthiness, and yet simultaneously aware of the sheer grace of the calling!

Lastly, the man who is a priest must model himself after Jesus Christ who came to serve, not to be served. The mystery of Christ’s life which illuminates the service that priests are called to is the washing of the feet. This is the third mystery of Holy Thursday: we see the humility of God in the charity that Christ extends to his apostles. Filled with love for Christ and centered in the Eucharist, the man who is a priest lives his life for others. He is not called to live for himself, but to serve as Christ served. His primary concern is to lead people to Jesus Christ by making the love of Christ present in their lives. The only way to do this is by living selflessly, loving as Christ loved.

The Priesthood, the Eucharist, and divine charity, three mysteries which give shape to our lives and to priests in particular.