It’s Holy Thursday. The Gospel is proclaimed, the rest of the church sits down...except for me. I approach the ambo, hands shaking, praying to the Holy Spirit that He would give me the words that He wants me to speak to His people. These people that I am preaching to, are my spiritual children, I am the one whom they call “Father.” I have been preaching to these people for 9 months... the majority of the time I have no issue preaching to them, but tonight it’s different...
My pastor asked me, the young newly ordained Priest, who has no idea what he is doing, to preach the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. I was the most nervous that I have ever been while preaching. Why? Because Our Lord asked me to reveal a rather intimate side of myself: what it means for me to be a Priest, rather what it means for me to be a Father.
Fifteen years prior to this evening, my childhood pastor preached to his children on what it meant for him to be a priest, and it was the first time I felt called to the priesthood. Here I was, that very same night, in fact wearing the exact vestment he did, preaching to my children what it meant for me to be a Father to them.
St. John Vianney once said that “the Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” This saying is twofold: as a priest, rather a “Father,” I am called to love my children with the heart of the Eternal Father. When I was ordained my heart was configured to Christ’s heart and I am called to love each and everyone of my spiritual children as Christ loved them...and that is no easy task. Secondly, the Eucharist has been proven time and time again, through Eucharistic Miracles, to be the heart tissue of Jesus. Each and every day, I have the great honor to consecrate ordinary bread into the heart of Jesus in my very hands.
To be a priest is to love Eucharist and to love the people. These two things make up the heart of a Father and I am honored and astounded that Our Lord has called me to this very ministry...that is to be a Father to His children.
Peace,
Fr. Andrew