“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” –
Bishop McAreavey
As we gather today we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost.
The experience of those who were ‘in one room’ was so amazing, so awesome, that
they struggled to describe it: the only language or imagery they could find to
communicate it was the account in the book of Genesis of God giving His law on Mount
Sinai; this too was marked by fire and loud thunder.
In the Pentecost experience there was also an outburst of ecstatic speech that
overcame all present and shook them to the core. This prayer experience of the infant
Church left those present with a deep faith in the Risen Lord and it transformed the
group of Jesus followers into a dynamic, enthusiastic missionary community. The
community interpreted the event as an experience of the Spirit. This was the first of
such experiences of the Spirit in the Church but there were other events when the Spirit
was poured out on believers are recounted later in the Acts of the Apostles. The Spirit
continues to touch the lives of the faithful, particularly through the sacraments of
baptism, confirmation and ordination; in every Eucharist the celebrant invokes the
power of the Spirit on the bread and wine – and on the people of God gathered in
prayer.
In Saint John’s Gospel Jesus appears to His disciples in ‘the upper room’, still carrying
the signs of His Crucifixion and with a greeting of peace, ‘Peace be with you’. The
presence of the Risen Lord fills His disciples with joy. Jesus shares with His disciples the
mission He had received from God: ‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you’.
The mission of the disciples of Jesus is not primarily an activity; it is a new way of being,
a way of life: the disciples are called to be the living embodiment of Jesus, just as Jesus
was of the living embodiment of His Father. The disciples will do this by their joy in the
Gospel and the witness of their faith.
Having been forgiven by Jesus, they were charged with being agents of God’s
forgiveness in the world.
These tasks constitute the mission of all God’s people, all the baptised and confirmed.
Saint Paul assures us that there is a variety of gifts of the Spirit among the faithful but
the same God who is working in all of them. Among you, the people here today the
majority have received the gift of married love and to the call to love husband or wife; it
is your mission to live the gifts of the Spirit in your married life and in bringing up your
children with love and care. We all know how important it has been for us that our
parents lived out their mission to each other and to us and how, in doing so, they
handed on their faith to us by example and encouragement.
We reflect also on the vocation of those gathered here whose task is to be ‘a leaven’ in
the world, in the wide range of secular activities – whether working the land or in
business or in various professions and trades.
All the baptised and confirmed are equally called to holiness; there are no second-class
Christians, simply Christians called to different ways of life in the vineyard of the Lord.
From among the people of God, some men are called to leave all things and to follow
Christ, the Good Shepherd; they are called through the laying on of hands to make
present among the people the compassion and care of Christ, the Good Shepherd for
the flock, particularly those in danger of going astray or getting lost. Those set aside
through ordination remain part of the people of God and their ministry is lived as a
service of their brothers and sisters in the wider faith community. Twenty years ago
Saint John Paul II wrote about the life of a priest:
“The priest who welcomes the call to ministry is in a position to make this a loving
choice, as a result of which the Church and souls become his first interest and [the
priest] becomes capable of loving the universal Church and that part of it entrusted to
him with the deep love of a husband for his wife’ (Pastores dabo vobis/I will give you
shepherds, n. 23).”
The Holy Father Pope Francis put in an earthy, pastoral way when he said to us last
November: “evangelisers … take on the “smell of the sheep”’ (Evangelii Gaudium, The
Joy of the Gospel, n. 24).
So Brian and Colum, today you are being set aside for sacred duties. However I would
counsel you to remain close to those who have loved you over the years and who have
accompanied you throughout your lives and who have brought you to your ordination
day. Remain close also to the people you will serve and carry them with you in your
prayers.
As will become clear in the Rite of Ordination Rite, you will also become part of the
family of priests in the Diocese of Dromore. Through the laying on of hands and the sign
of peace, you become brothers to the priests of this diocese and they will undertake to
be brothers to you. May that bond be a source of support, example and encouragement
to you in the years ahead.
I will conclude these words with the address included in the Rite of Ordination:
“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. Share
with all mankind the word 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 example 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 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 baptise, 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 entire 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 united 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.
Amen.