From Archbishop Donoghue

Ordination of priests
December 12, 1998
Church of All Saints
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[See Georgia Bulletin account]

Dear Friends in Christ,

On the day before He died, the Gospels all confirm, that one thing in particular was on the Lord’s mind, as He prepared for death. And that one thing is how His followers, His faithful ones would be taken care of - how they would fare in the rest of time, as it unfolds to the end. It was not the same with the Lord as it is for us - we make our wills and our testaments, we die, and no matter how well-loved we have been by our friends and families, eventually we are forgotten. Very few are remembered forever, and in the end, how much a man and woman are remembered has nothing at all to do with the salvation of their soul.

Christ knew that He would live again, for faith was perfect - and whatever the degree of agony His body must endure as He died on the Cross - He knew that God would create in Him, on the third day, the new Adam, the Man restored to life and endless life at that. He would become again, a Divine Creature, a denizen of heaven, and a part of the Trinity, the three-fold Kingship that rules over all creation, all space, all time. But while He was yet a man, born but not yet died, our Lord longed, as humans do, to make sure that everything was taken care of - to make sure, that as the years would now roll by, a Church would begin, and grow, and strengthened by the blood of many martyrs, that same Church would walk fearlessly down the aisle of the ages, as a loving bride to the altar, and into the eternal embrace of Christ, her Lord.

This is the peace that Christ wished, in His mind and will, for each and for all of the Baptized to have - not by the forces of fear and of tyranny, as peace had been imposed, among the pagans - but rather, by the force of love, the love of the groom for the bride, that draws her into His home, and into the protection of His unassailable strength.

In order to do this for us, our Lord had to give Himself, not only that one time on Calvary, but every day and in every place possible, for the rest of time. And so He created a miracle whereby He would become the food of all believers - He created the Holy Eucharist, the means by which He is able to enter into our bodies and souls, with an intimacy greater even than the greatest marriage, or the firmest friendship. And because He did not wish this act to be something merely remembered, He also chose men, to stand in His place, to work the same miracle, so that in a present and immediate and intimate way, this great miracle of His, could be performed day-in day-out - performed until such time as He will come again, and we will join with Him in our own ascension - if He finds us worthy, if He finds us willing, and if He finds us waiting in love, as the faithful bride awaits the coming of her Beloved Groom.

The reality of the Catholic Priesthood finds its beginnings at this moment of love, when our Lord chose to make the miracle of the Eucharist, and to say the words instituting the priesthood of His Church, and of the New Covenant, “Do this in memory of me.” And the distinguishing character of this priesthood is made clear by our Lord in what He also did at that Last Supper, when He knelt down before these men He had chosen, a King at the feet of His own ministers, and washed their feet, saying, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Today, two very fine men, and friends to all Catholics of North Georgia, are of their own hearts and minds, ready to take up this mantle of service that the Lord has cast around His beloved, around His Church, so that she may be cared for, for all time. Through long years of preparation, and across countless moments of self-examination, they have journeyed now to the moment of certainty, the moment of self-giving, the moment when the fullness of Christ’s Sacrament of Holy Order will complete the call they have heard, the call they have answered. God bless them forever for the gift they bring us today, for there is no greater wedding gift to Christ and to His beloved Bride the Church, than a life of service, and a bond of friendship that cannot be broken.

Our response to this gift, and to the greater gifts Jesus Christ presented to His beloved Church, at His Last Supper on earth, is taught to us in words that follow fast upon these other moments of institution, when He says:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me."

Dear friends, may these men-about-to-be-priests, find a joyful reception in the hearts and homes of the Faithful, wherever the work of the Lord may call them to serve, and may the whole Church, who rejoices today in their Ordination, know for many years to come, the benefits of their talents, and the comfort of their friendship. This we pray, through Christ our Lord, who loves us without ceasing, and who always sends us what we need. Amen.

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This homily was delivered at the ordination of Fathers Dennis Ramesh Juan and Augustine Hoa Trung Tran on December 12, 1998 at All Saints Church.