Priestly Ordination Rev. Deacon Peter Hill

Ordaining Prelate Very Rev. Gabriel Malzaire Bishop of Roseau

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven Roseau, Dominica, West Indies

Homily

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61: 1-4 2Corinthans 4:1-2, 5-7 John 12:24-26

My dear friends in Christ, today is a day of great rejoicing for all of us gathered here on this momentous occasion. A son of the soil is being elevated to the order of the presbyterate.

It is a moment of joy, and also a sense of accomplishment for the parents of Rev. Deacon Peter Hill jr., to witness their son take this major step after a long journey of formation towards the priesthood. There is nothing to compare with the pleasure that parents feel when a son is crossing a threshold in life to something for which he is prepared to give his entire being and something which they perceived will bring him the fulfillment that he seeks. Such a sentiment defies all negative opinions about the path of life that our brother Peter has chosen. Despite all the discouragement that may have come along the way, when the moment finally arrives, it is always a mysterious sight to behold, and receiving the endorsement of all present.

Therefore, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Hill for not being afraid to allow the Lord to do with their only son whatever He wills. I assure you that you will not 2

be sorry for your generosity to the Lord and his Church. In Peter you are sure to have many more sons, as the scripture assures us. As for Taihisa I say, do not be afraid of losing your only brother. You have the entire Redemptorist brotherhood and even more to cope with. To Mr. Hill I say: “Happy is the man who is not afraid of loosing his name for the sake of the Church, for it will already be written in the kingdom when you get there.”

This is a moment of bliss for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. It is a clear sign of the fruit of the ministry of the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers who have laboured in the vineyard of the Roseau diocese for more than a century. It is indeed a sign of hope, especially as those who are presently serving are getting on in years.

It is also a moment of great joy for all the associates and friends of our brother Peter— people who have been part of his journey—in the good times and in the not so good times. I have no doubt that the presence of those who are here is an approval of his decision, saying to him: “press on brother!” Such an occasion is of great significance to the community of the faithful simply because it is born from the heart of God himself.

The entire formation towards the Presbyterate is meant to teach us one important thing: that the Priesthood belongs to Jesus Christ and not to us. We only participate or share in that priesthood. O what an honour it is for someone to serve God in that capacity?

My dear friends, we cannot fathom the depth of the privilege we share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. No one deserves or merits it. It is totally a gift entrusted to us for the sake of the people of God and not simply for our own gain.

Unfortunately we live in an age when the respect and admiration shown for the office of the priest is no longer a given; it is earned. While we may wish to rekindle the benefits of the golden days, we have to get used to the fact that today a priest is more often judged by the quality of witness that he gives. Anything less stands the danger of being frowned upon. What it says more clearly is that the people whom we serve expect and deserve the quality of witness that corresponds to the office. Though it may seem that it puts a greater responsibility upon the modern priest to find the total acceptance that was enjoyed in the past, it is also an opportunity for the pursuit of the radical authenticity that the office demands.

The first reading for this evening’s ceremony recalls the purpose of the prophetic mission as understood by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus himself personalized that mission and made it the text of his inaugural speech to his Galilean Ministry, as recounted in the Gospel of Luke 4:18–19. This remains the hallmark of the commitment associated with the presbyterial order. The real challenge for every presbyter, therefore, is to personalize this message in his turn so that he can say with the fullest conviction:

“The Spirit of the Lord has been give to me, for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh.” 3

St. Paul, in the second reading, further emphasizes the point that this mission, which we seek to embrace, remains a participation in something that is beyond us—a ministry in which we are mere servants. I think it is worth quoting in full. It reads:

“Since we have by an act of mercy been entrusted with this work of administration, there is no weakening on our part. On the contrary, we will have none of the reticence of those who are ashamed, no deceitfulness or watering down of the word of God; but the way we commend ourselves to every human being with a conscience is by stating the truth openly in the sight of God.” … For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. … We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.”

The gospel text brings us into an even deeper understanding of the meaning of Jesus’ priesthood. It presents it in the form of an invitation to the art of dying. Using a most simple and comprehensible image of a wheat grain Jesus communicates “the” eternal message that guarantees untold happiness to those who are sufficiently prepared to embrace it.

In the text it is clear that Jesus’ philosophy of life is fundamentally different from that of the world in which we live. The danger that we face in ministering to the modern age is the attraction to expediency and ease at the expense of the kind of sacrifice that is absolutely necessary for the redemption of the lost parts of our wounded world. In Jesus’ school, therefore, dying is not a bad thing. It is, in fact, the prerequisite for yielding a harvest that is bountiful.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI in his book entitled: “Ministers of Your Joy: Reflections on Priestly Spirituality” affirms: “there is no such thing as half-time or half- hearted priesthood. It is something that needs the person who gives himself and not part of his time or ability.” He quotes the great Church Father, Origen in his interpretation of the message of Jesus, when he says: “He who is near me is near the fire.” The Holy Father in commenting further says: “Someone who does not want to get burnt will shrink back from him (Jesus). The assent to discipleship is the courage to let oneself be burnt by the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is only if we have the courage to be near this fire, if we let ourselves become those who burn, that we can kindle his fire on this earth, the fire of life, of hope and of love. If we are half-hearted and slow we cannot kindle any fire in this world, we cannot provide any power of transformation.”

“Priesthood falls into decay,” the Pope says, “when it is seen as an opportunity to earn one’s living, when it is only a job by which we have a position in the world and struggle along to maintain our social standing, when God becomes a means for us. Then it becomes a complete caricature of itself and thus has turned into the opposite of the new departure of the New Covenant and the message of Jesus Christ.”

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My dear brother Peter, the people of God will be looking up to you for an example. They will be looking to see Christ in you since at the celebration of all the sacraments of the Church you will be functioning in the person of Christ (in persona Christi). Although God is able to work in spite of our weaknesses or our strengths, nevertheless your personal authenticity will speak volumes to the faithful. They will love the Christ that will radiate in you. For this reason, therefore, avoid being distracted by your own self- worth, but seek above all to communicate Christ in all your ministerial duties.

The one whom we seek to imitate, the one in whose priesthood we share, was a simple, transparent and free man. He never had to prove anything to anyone. Whatever one saw in him was what he got. This should be our aim as priests. For our people we are called to be the epitome of the good steward, wholly accountable for the abundant graces with which God has endowed us. The people of God deserve the best from us.

Even when we have arrived at this juncture in our lives, having made that level of commitment to God, our motives are still in the process of purification. This is so because ordination is not of itself a point of arrival. It remains part of a process of configuring ourselves unto the person and mission of Christ. The closer we get to the ultimate the more we come to the awareness of our utter dependency. Therein lies the obligation to put our vocation and ourselves in the hands of the one who has called us, and to allow him to be for us what he promised.

God calls each of his people ultimately to complete holiness. God’s call to you in the holy priesthood is the particular way He chose for you to attain that holiness. This is essentially what vocation means—the particular state that God chooses for the individual to fulfill his plan. Today is a public manifestation of the “yes” to the embrace of that plan, being open to go wherever it leads you. It also places upon you an indelible mark that cannot be erased. It is indeed a type of conjugal relationship with the Lord that makes certain demands on you, especially that of configuring yourself completely onto Christ, your new spouse.

My dear Peter, the people of God will be edified if they see in you an example of leadership, pastoral simplicity, a love for ministry and a zeal for the kingdom. Yours is a golden opportunity to lift God’s people to height of eternity.

I am always personally challenged by the words of St. Augustine in which he brings forth a sense of the consequence of the priesthood in which he shared. He said: “When I am frightened by what I am to you, then I am consoled by what I am with you. To you I am a bishop; with you I am a Christian. The first is an office, the second is grace; the first is danger, the second is salvation.”

Without calling forth any morbid sentiments on such a glorious occasion, these words of St. Augustine can help us appreciate the danger of being the one people look up to for hope and direction; and the cost it is to the faith when that trust and confidence is frustrated through lack of authentic witness. Ordination places at the hands of the presbyter the pearl of highest value, for which he is called to be an exemplary steward. 5

To you, my dear people of God, I ask you to pray for our brother Peter that he will persevere, not simply in remaining a priest, but more so in becoming a holy priest, according to God’s own heart.

Let me conclude, therefore, by first thanking God for calling our brother, Peter, a son of the soil, to the height of the presbyteral order. Secondly I leave you, Peter these few words of advice: 1. In your ministry may Christ be for you not a theological principal but an intimae friend; 2. Seek simplicity of life, love the people of God and be faithful to your vows. 3. Let none of the people entrusted to your care be too small to be worthy of your attention; 4. Be passionate about spreading the good news of Christ; 5. Stay close to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament; 6. Make it a daily practice of celebrating the Holy Mass on behalf of yourself and of the people of God; and 7. Above all, seek holiness; this is all God asks of you. In this way he is sure to bring to completion the good work he has begun in you. Amen!