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From Archbishop Donoghue
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Priestly Ordination of Gregory R. Benassu |
[See Georgia Bulletin account] Dear Friends in Christ, At the beginning of his life of service, the great Catholic saint, Francis of Assisi, was not completely sure what path to follow, or how to style himself, as he went about ministering in the name of the Lord. His dreams and visions had led him away from the comfortable middle-class life of his father and mother, into a pattern of wandering homelessness, accepting the generosity, as well as the rejection, of those whose paths he crossed. He had taken to heart the heavenly message, "Serve the master rather than the man," but he was not yet certain how to do this. Then, on the feast of St. Matthias in the year 1209, it became clear to him when he heard these words proclaimed from the Gospel: And preach as you go, saying: The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. . . freely have you received, freely give. . . Do not possess gold. . . nor two coats nor shoes nor staff. . . Behold I send you a sheep in the midst of wolves. . . These words went straight to the heart of Francis, and applying them literally, he gave away his shoes, staff and girdle, and kept only one poor coat, which he drew about him with a cord. Thus garbed, he began to exhort repentance with such energy that his words pierced the hearts of those who heard him. As he passed people on the road he saluted them with the words, "Our Lord give you peace". The humility of St. Francis was no emotional self-deprecation. Rather, his self-knowledge was grounded in the certainty that "what each one is in the eyes of God, that he is and no more." Today we are joyfully gathered here, under the watchful eye of God, to witness and affirm the ordination of our brother, Gregory Benassu. Like St. Francis, and like anyone who answers the call of the Lord, the exact nature of his future work is unknown to us. But based on the witness he has given, our hearts are persuaded that this man is willing to submit his entire person, his entire will, to the wishes of God. And so, we trust that God in turn will fashion from him, a messenger of salvation and a bringer of peace. The witness of Greg's pilgrimage towards the truth points out, with living eloquence, what the spirit of the Lord can evoke from all of us, when it settles upon our hearts, and cries out to us, to serve, to heal, and to love. We hear the voice of God, as Jeremiah heard it, and He says to each of us: To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. . . See, I place my words in your mouth! Therefore, we, the people of God, being convinced of the resolve of our brother Gregory, are gathered to witness and accept his ordination at my hands, and to bond with him, today, and forever, in the grace of Jesus Christ. My dear brother, You have made clear to the Church your sincere intention to work unceasingly on behalf of Jesus Christ, to gather in the poor and the lost sheep, and to offer the joyful message of salvation to all who would hear. Your vocation is a direct response to the command given to Simon Peter by our Lord Jesus Christ, a command which resounds throughout history, until this very moment, when it is said once more - "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep." But today, on this day of your ordination, Christ proclaims these words to you alone, as your prepare to enter His holy priesthood. In order to fulfill this mandate of the Lord, it is not enough that you wish it to be so. Your good hopes and aspirations must henceforth be indivisible from the person of Christ Himself. It is His arm which will support you, it is His Body which will strengthen you, and it is the clear knowledge of His own sacrifice which will bolster your own courage, as you face the challenges of the priesthood. The truth of your visible bond with Jesus Christ will be reaffirmed every time you take up and receive His body from your own hands, and when you offer it to the people, according to His command. In the words of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II: It is crystal clear today and for the future: the priesthood is for ever linked to the Eucharistic Sacrifice. My sisters and brothers, Jesus clearly expressed His own desire to be linked forever to the priesthood and to all His followers, when, towards the end of His life, He said to the Apostles: I no longer speak of you as slaves, for a slave does not know what his master is about. Instead, I call you friends, since I have made known to you all that I heard from my Father. Today, we pray to the Father as we prepare to send our brother forth, on the journey into Christ's friendship - a special friendship, as an anointed priest of the Lord, a priest forever, and for the service of all. Wherever he goes, may his actions be formed in union with the one High Priest, Jesus Christ, and may he ever bear in his heart Christ's greatest commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." + |