Pentecost and the Priesthood – Catholic World Report

Be aware: The next homily was preached on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025, on the Church of the Transfiguration in Syracuse, New York.

Wind, fireplace, thunder and lightning.

The Sacred Scriptures are replete with situations of divine revelation accompanied by these spectacular phenomena in nature. The Ebook of Genesis tells us that “a mighty wind swept over the waters” (1:2) on the daybreak of time; within the Ebook of Exodus, we learn the way God gave the Legislation to Moses on Mount Sinai with thunder and lightning because the communicators of His Will and Phrase (see chapter 19). However much less fearsome indicators have additionally been utilized by the Almighty as we recall how the mild breath of God introduced Adam to life (see Gen 2:7) and the way the breath of Jesus on the Apostles gave them the flexibility to carry to life once more males spiritually useless by sin (see Jn 20:22).

All of those occasions are related to God’s self-manifestation or, even higher, His self-communication to the human race and, most particularly, to the Chosen Folks.

The Pentecost being noticed by the apostolic neighborhood was a serious feast of covenant renewal, reminiscent of that primal giving of the Legislation to Moses, that act of God which basically shaped the folks of Israel and made them His personal particular portion. Every time the Church gathers to rejoice the Eucharistic Sacrifice, she engages in the same ceremony of covenant renewal, and the identical Spirit that hovered over the waters of the abyss bringing creation from chaos, the identical Spirit that hovered over the Blessed Virgin Mary making her the Mom of the Lord hovers over the weather of bread and wine, remodeling them into the Lord’s Physique and Blood, which saved the world 2000 years in the past and makes current that invitation to salvation day in and day trip till He “is available in glory.”

Therefore, it’s potential to say that each time the Sacrifice of Calvary is sacramentally renewed, a bit of Pentecost happens.

Yesterday, your Diocese gained two new clergymen, and the way acceptable and providential it’s for them to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice for the primary time in persona Christi on this solemn day, which was additionally the distinct grace given to me forty-eight years in the past.

As we endeavor to plumb the depths of the thriller of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit within the Church’s sacramental life, Holy Mom Church gives us a relatively full plate of meals for thought; in actuality, we’re beset by a humiliation of riches. What lets make of all of it? My hope is to steer you in a mirrored image on the Holy Priesthood, which is the principal instrument given to the Church by which the Lord has willed to proceed the sanctifying work of His Holy Spirit. Let’s consider this as a sort of mini-refresher course in our understanding and appreciation of the Sacred Priesthood, which is–all too typically these days–so misunderstood and underappreciated.

On the primary Christian Pentecost, a terrified band of persecuted believers huddled collectively for security and mutual assist. After which, in nothing lower than a miracle, God’s Holy Spirit got here crashing into their lives, altering them on the core of their being in such clever that they made “daring proclamation because the Spirit prompted them.” The purpose to ponder, nevertheless, is just not a lot the interval of worry however the second of liberation effected by the motion of the Holy Spirit–a liberation given for the noble function of sharing the Gospel message in all its fullness and fact.

When the Eleven emerged from the Higher Room, what did they discover? Individuals who have been “confused,” says St. Luke. They have been confused as a result of they have been overly impressed by the linguistic feat carried out, sure, however I’d counsel they have been much more confused as a result of they knew these males to be naturally weak and reticent and so they couldn’t fathom what had gotten into them–or higher but, Who had gotten into them.

One thing comparable occurs to each man at his ordination, and we’ve got the fitting to anticipate comparable outcomes. Our job is to talk incessantly and courageously concerning the magnalia Dei, “the marvels God has completed.” It have to be a priest’s particular and each day prayer to take the opening verse of Psalm 104 because the theme of his priestly life and ministry: “Lord, ship out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth”–by me!

It’s fascinating that when St. Peter gave that earth-shattering first sermon of his on the primary Christian Pentecost, he selected to hyperlink up the happenings of that event with the achievement of the prophecy of the approaching of the Holy Spirit delivered by the mouth of God’s spokesman, Joel. How vital that is turns into obvious after we learn the 1994 doc from the Congregation of the Clergy on the life and ministry of clergymen, because it underscores this truth:

It’s . . . the Holy Spirit who by ordination confers on the priest the prophetic job of asserting and explaining, with authority, the Phrase of God. . . . Due to this fact, the priest with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and the examine of the Phrase of God within the Scriptures, with the sunshine of Custom and of the Magisterium, discovers the richness of the Phrase to be proclaimed to the ecclesial neighborhood entrusted to him. [n. 9]

The place do we discover this system of motion for this job? Allow us to proceed our reflection by feeding on the Phrase of God.

This work assigned to us clergymen by Christ’s holy Church can’t be performed, “besides within the Holy Spirit,” as St. Paul taught the Corinthians [see 1 Cor 12]. And if anybody is silly sufficient to suppose that he can pull it off in any other case, he’ll quickly be taught in a different way and the exhausting manner. The priestly ministry can’t be efficient with out reliance on the Holy Spirit for the easy purpose that the priesthood is the chosen channel for the Holy Spirit. Simply think about the gorgeous “Golden Sequence” of as we speak’s liturgy. So most of the titles we accorded to the Spirit and the issues for which we prayed are relevant to the priest and his ministry within the Church and on the earth.

We clergymen, by the mysterious workings of grace, are referred to as to “shed a ray of sunshine divine.” It’s our specific privilege to be “the Father of the poor,” not merely to these economically deprived however much more to those that are spiritually malnourished and who cry out for the meals of the reality of Christ. By standing on the altar and repeating the superior phrases of Christ on the Final Supper, we give the Lord’s Folks entry to “candy refreshment right here under,” which is a foretaste of the “relaxation most candy; grateful coolness within the warmth; solace within the midst of woe,” all of which anticipates the glory of the liturgy of Heaven. It’s our accountability to show all who would pay attention that the place God’s Holy Spirit is just not current, “man hath naught, nothing good in deed or thought, nothing free from taint of sick.”

By God’s design, it’s ours to heal wounds, renew energy, and “wash the stains of guilt away.” That just about unbelievable energy was given to the Apostles and their successors on Easter night time, when our Blessed Lord linked all the time the possession of real peace to the forgiveness of sins. However, we stay in such a world that the psychiatrist Karl Menninger might entitle his guide, No matter Grew to become of Sin? Fashionable man has misplaced his sense of sin which, after all, explains why he has additionally misplaced the important thing to full and lasting peace. We clergymen should remind the world that sin exists, not within the vogue of a dreary and miserable Cassandra, however with an perspective of pleasure and enthusiasm. St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, in considered one of his poems, has the priest of the poem say to the fallen, in admirable humility and with love for sinners:

“Look to not me—no grace is mine;
However I can raise the Mercy-sign.
This wouldst thou? Let it’s!
Kneel down, and take the phrase divine,
ABSOLVO TE.
(“Absolution,” December 14, 1832)

Within the confessional, the priest seeks to “bend the cussed coronary heart and can; soften the frozen, heat the nippiness; information the steps that go astray.”

Sure, the work of absolution is central to the priesthood as these phrases are uttered in Baptism, Penance, and the Anointing of the Sick, paving the best way for another sacramental encounters, which improve the divine life inside. As soon as the roadblock of sin is eliminated, then the method of divinization can start–and solely then. From the Backyard of Eden till the current, man has needed to be like God–and that’s not dangerous in itself; in reality, it’s a holy want implanted inside us by the Creator as a manner of bringing us into union with Him. And so, we will pray on the commingling of the water and wine: “Might we come to share within the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.” A daring prayer, to make sure, however an excellent one, as long as we go about all of it in God’s manner, relatively than our personal. And that’s the reason our Divine Savior gave us clergymen–to offer for the divinization of the human race in order that Christ’s devoted can attain to “advantage’s certain reward. . . [and the] joys that by no means finish.”

A picture looming giant over the panorama of as we speak’s celebration is that of fireplace, which may heat or destroy, enlighten or eat. From the smoke and fireplace of Mount Sinai to the fiery flames of the Cenacle, this image bespeaks the facility and majesty of God. Even in historical, pagan Rome, this was in order it fell to the Vestal Virgins to maintain the flame alive earlier than the altar of the goddess. These superstitious Romans believed that if the fireplace went out, so would the glory of Rome. Thus, the Vestal Virgin who would fail in her responsibility would have her life snuffed out. Christ’s priest as an instrument of the Holy Spirit is, in a preeminent method, the keeper and the bearer of the flame of God. Discover that I don’t say solely “the keeper,” for it’s not sufficient for the priest to own that flame for himself or to protect it as a museum piece; he’s required to impart that flame to all. In what does that flame consist? Precisely what’s he referred to as to share?

The priest is the keeper and the bearer of the flame of fact. In all too some ways, Pontius Pilate might be seen because the true ancestor of Western civilization because the so-called Enlightenment. His cynical query, “What’s fact?” has echoed down the corridors of time to our personal day which not solely questions the existence of absolute fact and goal actuality; it has made it the one and solely acceptable dogma of modernity that we should maintain all fact to be relative, with each opinion claiming equal authority, as Pope Benedict XVI so eloquently and forcefully dubbed it – “the dictatorship of relativism.” How significantly foolish for an age, which calls for such inflexible requirements of scientific proof for nearly each different facet of life. The priest should stride into such a world with all confidence and assurance, asserting that the true dignity of the human individual wants nothing lower than the Veritatis Splendor, introduced into excessive reduction by the eponymous encyclical of Pope John Paul II. That “splendor of fact” comes from the Holy Spirit, whose particular mission it’s to steer us “to all fact” [Jn 16:13]. On this manner, the priest helps “renew the face of the earth.”

The priest is the bearer and keeper of the flame of the sacred. I mentioned earlier that we should restore a way of sin, however we should additionally restore the sense of the sacred; I’m totally satisfied that the 2 duties go hand-in-glove. In all the nice theophanies of each Testaments, the human individual is graciously granted a glimpse of the divine however instantly turns into aware of the super hole that exists between himself and the Almighty and responds accordingly, which is with a holy worry and marvel. The priest should recapture that perspective for his folks by prodding them into reverence and devotion by the tried and true practices of the Catholic Custom: bowing one’s head on the holy title of Jesus; genuflection earlier than the Blessed Sacrament; becoming apparel for worship; a holy silence in the home of God; liturgy which really raises the thoughts and coronary heart to the Blessed Trinity. When the sacred and the profane merge, opposite to some theories, solely unlucky outcomes ensue: Not solely is God dethroned, however man is progressively debased. Alternatively, when the precincts of the sacred are honored, man is progressively elevated.

When the priest reminds his flock that the bottom on which they stand is holy, he’s serving to to “renew the face of the earth.”

The priest is the keeper and the bearer of the flame of unity. St. Paul understood this all so properly, which is why he urges his readers to understand God’s manifold items and ministries as being “given for the frequent good,” so as to construct up the “one physique,” which is Christ’s Church. An workplace within the Church can by no means be handled as a car for private empowerment or self-aggrandizement; to take action, is a blasphemy and a sin towards the Holy Spirit for it’s harmful of that unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed on the night time earlier than He died. Certainly, energy performs and antagonism between individuals and teams inside the Church sadden the Coronary heart of Christ and gladden the center of the Evil One.

Ecclesial unity or communion, my expensive folks, is not only a nice idea or a sociological nicety which makes for the smoother operating of the ship; it’s an absolute necessity, as Jesus Himself noticed it: “That they might all be one.” However why? He goes on: “That the world might consider that you just despatched me” [Jn 17:22-23]. The miracle of Pentecost occurred due exactly to the unity of the apostolic school, particularly as that unity was manifested in and underneath Peter, and the system is the exact same as we speak: Would this not even be an acceptable second to whisper a grateful prayer to the Lord of the Church for the current present of Pope Leo XIV?

The assure of Catholic unity and apostolic fruitfulness comes from intimate, loving communion with Peter’s successor, our Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome. Within the pretty preface for this Solemnity, the Church asks for the present of getting “one voice to profess one religion.” When the priest strengthens the bonds of ecclesial communion, he builds up the Church in love and thus helps “renew the face of the earth.”

The priest is the keeper and the bearer of the flame of constancy and dedication. When the Risen Christ appeared to His Apostles on Easter night time, the very first thing He did was to “present them His fingers and His facet.” How unusual, you say? Probably not, for He was providing them the proof of His saving love, which love is eternal. The love of Christ, which was a love unto loss of life, is epitomized in these wounds of His which He retains even in His risen lifetime of glory. And people tokens of sacrificial love beckon His sons within the priesthood to be as devoted of their sacrifices as He. Constancy appears so exhausting–even so not possible–to the overwhelming majority of our folks.

Constancy to guarantees, to contracts, to friendships, to marriage is so seldom seen anymore. However everyone knows, in our coronary heart of hearts, that life with out dedication is hardly a life price dwelling in any respect. St. John Paul II mentioned it so properly when, in Philadelphia in 1979, he recalled to our minds and hearts that “priesthood is eternally–tu es sacerdos in aeternum–we don’t return the present as soon as given. It can’t be that God Who gave the impulse to say ‘sure’ now needs to listen to ‘no’.” And so it’s that onto the scene of huge infidelity, the priest comes along with his promise of devoted and lasting service. On this manner, he turns into an instance worthy of emulation in addition to a beacon of hope, and sure, that is how he helps “renew the face of the earth.”

The priest is the keeper and the bearer of the flame of chastity. Ours, my expensive buddies, is a sex-saturated tradition, which has made an idol of sexual gratification–an idol extra pernicious than the golden calf of the Hebrews of outdated, extra harmful as a result of it’s so all-consuming. I can scarcely make a visit on public transportation and never discover myself approached by somebody who has a query or remark about some facet of human sexuality. The adage has it that the Victorians tried to fall into love with out falling into intercourse, whereas we moderns attempt to fall into intercourse with out falling into love.

But as soon as once more, the Church sends out her modern apostles as indicators of contradiction, difficult the prevailing knowledge, by asking them to be chaste and celibate for the Kingdom, reminding all that there’s certainly extra to life than intercourse and that when one has really encountered God, each different human attraction–even issues good and holy in themselves–have to be judged as however momentary and transient. As Cardinal Newman put it in considered one of his later poems:

UNVEIL, O Lord, and on us shine
In glory and in grace;
This gaudy world grows pale earlier than
The fantastic thing about Thy face. . . .

And thus, after we resign for Thee
Its stressed goals and fears,
The tender reminiscences of the previous,
The hopes of coming years,

Poor is our sacrifice, whose eyes
Are lighted from above;
We provide what we can’t maintain,
What we’ve got ceased to like.
(“The Two Worlds,” 1862)

Curiously sufficient, even the Rabbinic students train that after Moses encountered the Almighty on Mount Sinai, so highly effective and transferring was that occasion, that he by no means once more had relations along with his spouse. This doesn’t say that conjugal love is dangerous or ugly, not at all; it does say that the everlasting places all of it into perspective. And the celibate priest is in a singular place to help married {couples} who wrestle to stay Catholic marital morality, by his personal joyful witness of celibate love. He likewise shines forth as a mannequin for the single and even the unhappily married or, extra tragically, the separated or divorced, in addition to for many who expertise same-sex attraction. The priest dwelling celibately on this world factors the best way to eternity the place, the best celibate Lover informed us, males “neither marry nor are given in marriage” [Mk 12:25]. And thus, the priest helps “renew the face of the earth.”

To make certain, we clergymen have been given a tall order, some may suppose, however our religion informs us that “I can do all issues in Him who strengthens me” [Ph 4:13], and so we’re informed, “don’t be afraid” [Acts 18:9]. Each priest has grow to be a brand new man. The Listing for the Life and Ministry of Clergymen stresses this:

In priestly ordination, the priest has obtained the seal of the Holy Spirit which has marked him by the sacramental character so as all the time to be the minister of Christ and the Church. Assured of the promise that the Consoler will abide ‘with him eternally,’ the priest is aware of that he won’t ever lose the presence and the efficient energy of the Holy Spirit so as to train his ministry and stay with charity his pastoral workplace as a complete present of self for the salvation of his personal brothers. [n. 8]

Sure, a priest is a “marked man,” interiorly but additionally externally. That very same doc repeats the normal and clever self-discipline of the Church on this regard because it notes the significance of being clearly identifiable always and underneath all circumstances as a priest of the Church. It states: “[A cleric’s] apparel, when it’s not the cassock, have to be totally different from the way during which the laity costume, and conform to the dignity and sacredness of his ministry.” And but extra strongly, it warns that “a cleric’s failure to make use of this correct ecclesiastical apparel might manifest a weak sense of his id as one consecrated to God” [n. 66]. Due to this fact, whereas by no means a

clericalist, a priest should all the time really feel honored to be a priest and to see in even the externals the Lord’s manner of constructing him a relentless and constant instrument of the Holy Spirit.

As we put together ourselves to maneuver into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we should keep in mind that “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” and so it’s our bounden responsibility to offer thanks. Right here, particularly, I wish to provide a prayer of gratitude for all those that introduced me advert altare Dei–particularly my mother and father, together with the clergymen by their ministrations and, in a most vital manner, the Sisters by 13 years of an outstanding and inestimable Catholic schooling. I believe this may even be an excellent second to ask all of you to thank Almighty God for the clergymen who’ve introduced you the grace of the Holy Spirit within the tons of or, even 1000’s, of sacramental encounters.

Yet another individual have to be talked about, and that’s Our Girl. The Listing for Clergymen highlights the mandatory relationship between each priest and the Mom of our nice Excessive Priest:

Like John on the foot of the cross, each priest has been entrusted, in a particular manner, with Mary as Mom. Clergymen, who’re among the many favored disciples of Jesus, crucified and risen, ought to welcome Mary as their Mom in their very own life, bestowing her with fixed consideration and prayer. The Blessed Virgin then turns into the Mom who leads them to Christ, who makes them sincerely love the Church, who intercedes for them, and who guides them towards the Kingdom of Heaven. [n. 68]

Now Mary as soon as extra stands on the foot of the cross, inviting us to the altar of this church. She who’s the Partner of the Spirit readies the hearts of all right here current by the ministry of an unworthy priestly vessel of clay to beg that very same Spirit to enter our midst and overtake the weather of bread and wine, bringing the lifetime of Heaven to mortals right here on earth. In probably the most profound manner potential, then, God may have despatched forth His Spirit to “renew the face of the earth.”

As Monsignor Giussani of Comunione e Liberazione used to wish, “Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Veni per Mariam. Come, Holy Spirit. Come by Mary.” Amen.