“God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that by His grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.”
— Titus 3:6-7
Sunday, May 6, while I was recuperating from surgery in the hospital, was a Sunday like none other. Normally I’m opening the doors of the church, turning on lights, setting things out for Mass and looking forward to preaching to God’s people and see them gather for worship in His house. But on this Sunday, the fifth day of my stay in the hospital, the sting of the pain and the suffering that I was experiencing was penetrated by the Lord’s Day. I awoke to watch the 6:00 AM shut-in Mass on WPXI. The Mass was offered by Fr. Michael Decewicz from Juan Diego Parish in Sharpsburg, PA. I longed to view this Mass and watching it made me think of the importance of this Mass for those who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or homebound, which I will be offer on June 10 for the feast of the Most Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, along with our organist Ginny Ambrose and our choir from the parish.
Then I viewed Dr. Charles Stanley and the charismatic evangelist Joel Osteen from Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. After this I tuned into the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Paul Cathedral with the rector Fr. Don Brier as celebrant. Although this was a different Sunday in nature it had its own beauty. A new Eucharistic minister from St. James Parish who has served for three months, Betsy, came in to give me Holy Communion. It seemed to be the culmination of the stay in the hospital as she shared with me her passion and new-found excitement in the pastoral care setting of a hospital. She mentioned her ministry brought untold graces into her own faith journey and that she found bringing Jesus to those unable to be present at Mass ever so rewarding. When I told her I was the priest of St. Joseph, she asked if I would offer the prayer to which I said, “Jesus, Great Physician of our mind, bodies, hearts and spirits, give us strength and courage to do Your will and be an instrument of Your healing presence to one another. I thank you for sending this servant, Betsy, to minister to me in my time of need. And I thank you for the grace and healing of this Holy Eucharist.”
It was not too long after that two doctors came in to say, “Father, are you ready to be discharged?” Although I knew I was not coming back home to the parish house as yet, I was glad to be on my way out of there. I didn’t care how many pain killers I had to take or steps of the mountain I had to climb to the road to recovery. I was just relieved to be released on the Lord’s Day and will never forget the sunshine of God’s grace in my darkest hour.
On Monday, May 21, I celebrate the 24th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I was ordained by the then-Bishop Donald Wuerl, the 11th Bishop of Pittsburgh. In anticipation for this I revisited and re-read the book by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan entitled "Priests for the Third Millennium." As the former rector of North American College in Rome, he offers seminary talks expanded for priestly service. The cardinal’s passion and joy are contagious. As the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said, “The crisis in the priesthood is not one of identity but one of faith.” Without a deep and mature faith we run the risk of trying futilely to seek meaning in other things: bottles, golf clubs, stocks, cars, travel, promotion, ambition. In the words of Pope Paul VI, “When a man says yes to the priesthood, that yes is forever” to continue to fight the good fight, to remain faithful to persevere in the midst of confusion, doubt and frustration. In our spiritual journey there are hills and valleys. And the key to holiness is not to lose hope in the dark valleys. When in the hospital I thought of Bishop Zubik who had to undergo back surgery twice in a relatively short period and gave the "thumbs-up" as he was looking toward a more promising future.
A priest is not called “reverend” nor “doctor” nor “vicar” nor “canon” but “father,” and father is an identity that is based on being, not function. Thus we retain our priestly identity wherever we go and whatever we do and our lives must let the light of Christ shine through us in all that we think, say and do. Priesthood is not a job, an occupation, a profession or a function, but a radical configuration of one’s life to Jesus Christ. The legendary Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, the president of Notre Dame for 35 years, believed that if you want to be faithful to your vocation, then be faithful to daily Mass. Be faithful to daily prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. Be faithful to spiritual direction. Be faithful to daily spiritual reading. Be faithful to regular use of the sacrament of Penance. Be faithful to your vows of obedience, respect and chastity. Be faithful to simplicity of life, devotion to the Blessed Mother and the saints and a well balanced human formation. Fr. Hesburgh believed in a simple three-word prayer that served him well for many years, “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Cardinal Dolan reiterates the importance for priests to be men of integrity, sincerity, truth, character, reliability, transparency, chastity, confidentiality, charity and fairness. We must strive for inner serenity and purity of heart so that what we profess and how we live, meaning our external actions and our internal convictions are in order. Thus one is a well-integrated person and is at peace with His God, himself and others.
In his chapter on priestly zeal, Cardinal Dolan reminds us to have the zest of the apostles on Pentecost morning, meaning: be excited, eager and raring to go — have nerve, energy, drive and not be tepid, lack-luster or couch-potato disciples. One needs to have the great arena for the fight for souls in a parish. He reminds us of the importance of priests being on fire with zeal as he quotes Pope John Paul II at his Holy Thursday, 1979 address to priests, “The only priest who proves necessary to people, is the priest who is conscious of the meaning of his priesthood: the priest who believes profoundly, who professes his faith with courage, who prays fervently, who teaches with deep conviction, who serves with zeal, who puts into practice in his own life the program of the beatitudes, and who knows how to love disinterestedly, who is close to everyone, and especially to those who are most in need.” I’m glad to be back in the saddle at St. Joseph to serve as your priest.
