From Archbishop Donoghue

Ordination of priests
June 19, 1999
St. Benedict Church
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[See Georgia Bulletin account]

Dear Friends in Christ,

Most of us, when we think about Christ as the Good Shepherd, tend to think about the compassion of our Lord - we see the classic image of Christ, the Shepherd, holding upon his shoulders the one lost sheep, sought and found, and brought safely back to the flock. We like to think of ourselves as that very sheep - we were afraid, lost in the dark, surrounded by the terrors of the night, and Christ has come, and found us, and brought us home. And truly, what more powerful image can there be, to illustrate our great love, and perhaps more deeply, our great dependence, on the belief that Christ is leading us home, where we will be safe forever.

But the shepherd that Jesus calls Himself in today’s gospel, is more than the one who finds us when we are lost. This Shepherd is also the one who patrols the fences, who watches the gate, and when danger approaches, moves fast to the front, and stands it down. And not only the danger of thieves or wolfs - but also the danger of hunger, of thirst, of starvation. The Shepherd must find the good pasture, the safe pasture, and feed the sheep, and see that they have still and safe waters to drink.

In this simple two-fold character - the Good Shepherd who finds, the Good Shepherd who guards - Jesus Christ gives us a picture of the great love that God the Father has for us, and how that love has been perfectly fulfilled in Him, the second person of the Trinity, and God become Man. For Christ, by His own blood, has paid the price for all the offenses we have committed against the Father, and has thus saved us - not just from God’s anger, but from His perfect justice as well. For in Christ, perfect justice is crowned by perfect mercy. And in Christ, God has also become our Protector - for what can we call the Holy Eucharist, and the grace that comes from this most profound Sacrament, other than our protection - protection against evil, against what we have traditionally called “the wickedness and snares of the devil” - and protection against spiritual starvation, against the terrible wasteland that man can make of his own spirit and soul, if he denies himself the Body and the Blood of Christ, and the life that comes from the Father in Heaven.

Dear friends, these lessons are of double significance today, for in Christ, we not only find the example for all who strive to follow Him, but we also find, in a more particular sense, the model for those who are called to be His priests - for with Him, they share a special responsibility for the safety and the prosperity of His people.

For the safety of Christ’s people, priests must be devoted to that which makes the Church strong - her unfailing devotion to understanding the truth, and defending the truth before all its enemies. That word “truth” sounds vague at times, but there is nothing vague when Christ Himself says, “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.” And there is nothing vague about the struggles of the Church - struggles to find out just how the Truth applies to every situation - ever concoction of circumstances that history might reveal before our eyes, and lay upon our paths. The priest must be the lens whereon the light of truth is focused for the sight of any and every believer. And in order for the light to shine through him, as through a lantern-globe which guards the flame within, the priest must be polished to a state of clarity, of clear and transparent understanding - polished and purified, as in a refiner’s fire - by the Catechism, by the wisdom of the saints, and by the knowledge of the great thinkers and preservers of the Church’s Tradition. Against this fortress of truth, this cathedral of certainty, the devil, the wolf who stalks the sheep, can bring nothing to bear. Certainty of Faith is every baptized man and woman’s surest protection, and for them, the priest must himself be an exemplar of Faith’s sureness. As Isaiah said of those touched by and called by the Spirit of God:

“They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the LORD to show his glory.”

For the prosperity of God’s People, priests must be loyal on a daily basis to their primary duty, the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the transforming of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord, and the sharing of this Heavenly Food with the Faithful. By this banquet which only they can offer, all graces are given, and all charity, all good work, is begun. St. Paul understands this absolute need for the fuel of Christ’s body very well, when he speaks to the presbyters of his own time, and talks of the light of truth that God plants within the hungry human heart. And he goes on to say, with a deep and realistic view of human life,

“We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.”

“Always carrying about…” This phrase describes so perfectly the first duty of good priests - to unite the Body of Christ to mankind, through the miracle of Holy Communion, so that the Faithful may carry about, with them and in them, the light of His truth, the strength of His grace, as they move through time and the world, struggling to live according to the will of the Father, who is revealed in the Son.

Dear friends, those who would follow the Good Shepherd in the priestly profession sacrifice much - their duty is not for a single shift - not even for a matter of days or a term of years does the shepherd tend to his charges, but for the entire length of his life. So long as the sheep may graze, he must be there - watching over them, leading them from pasture to pasture, clearing the way before them, and with vigilance, holding their enemies at bay. For this, the shepherd leaves behind much - the home of his father and mother, and the hopes for the natural comforts of wife and family. But what a grace he gains in exchange - the grace of knowing in his heart and soul, an intimate imitation of the Son of God, the truest Shepherd Jesus Christ, and the unique fraternity that Christ’s ordained priests come to share..

May God in His mercy protect these three men who now come before us seeking ordination, and the Way of the Good Shepherd - for the sincerity of the promises they make, and for the selflessness that has brought them to this great moment of sacrifice. And may Mary the Mother of priests, seeing in their souls, companions for her Son , and our Lord, stand ever ready to hold them up, and to help them on their priestly way. This is our prayer, the prayer of the Church, as we now call them before us, and prepare to listen to their declarations.

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This homily was delivered at the ordination of Fathers John F. Durkin, Jr. and Joseph Liem Nguyen on June 19, 1999 at St. Benedict Church.