32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Dedication of Lateran Basilica in Rome)
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
MP3 – Homily Audio
We have so many traditions as Catholics that they become second nature to us. We forget their significance. For example, each time we come to Mass we see the priest wearing vestments, but most people know very little about these. Every day the priest puts on several items that have a symbolism stretching back thousands of years. First, he puts on the alb, which is a symbol for purity. Next, the priest will tie a cincture or rope around his waist. This signifies that he has girded himself with chastity. Then, he places over his neck the stole, which symbolizes the office of the priesthood.
One would think that the stole is the last item needed. The priest has been given a function or an office to “act in the person of Jesus the High Priest.” But in Her wisdom, the Church asks the cleric to put the chasuble over the stole. The chasuble is the symbol for Love, which must go over all things. This comes from St Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:14, “And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together…” Yes, one must even put love over the priesthood.
In Persona Christi – In the Person of Christ
The priest has so many important functions to carry out. He must offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, anoint the sick, prepare couples for marriage, and so many other wonderful things. The priest is the representative of God in the parish and even the local community. The danger is that one can see only the completion of these tasks as sufficient. This work can become like the Jewish laws St Paul followed so zealously before his conversion. To prevent this the Church has the priest each day place his chasuble over his stole. He is constantly reminded that love must cover all that he does in Christ’s name.
But is there any difference between Jesus’ Priesthood and love? St John Vianney answers this question when he says, “The priesthood is the heart of Jesus Christ.” What is this heart of Christ like? We are shown the depth of God’s love in today’s Gospel. God is so crazy in love with us that He will go after the lost sheep leaving the rest behind.
Pope Francis has made it a goal of his pontificate to remind priests that they must go out into the “peripheries” and the “margins” after the lost sheep, those who are poor or marginalized from society or the Church. This will mean getting “dirty, bruised, and beaten”. The priest will have to “smell like the sheep”. They must experience profoundly the lowliness, fear, and unworthiness that their sheep experience. This is not glamorous. People will scoff and avoid a shepherd like this!
Today’s readings offer all of us a reminder. The priest is defined as one who offers sacrifice. He is to offer the One Sacrifice of Calvary at each Mass. However, it must not stop there! The priest is called to become this victim. He must offer himself totally each day in his tasks. Seeking out the lost. Going to the margins of society and the Church. Becoming what he offers in the Eucharistic Victim.