Archbishop Aymond tells new priests: 'Empty yourselves'

Archbishop Gregory Aymond delivered the following homily at the ordination of Fathers Sylvester Adogoa, Luis Duarte and John Yike May 30 at St. Louis Cathedral.
 
May I suggest that when people in the future refer to this ordination class of John, Luis and Sylvester, they will probably refer to them as the “COVID-19 Priests.”

It is indeed a unique time and circumstances for a priesthood ordination. For two months, we have had the stay-home mandate. We are still doing social distancing – and we should – and wearing masks.

In light of these unusual circumstances, Sylvester, Luis and John had a very important decision to make. They could have chosen to postpone this ordination to later. They could have chosen to have it in three different churches – three smaller ceremonies – or they could have chosen to go on as planned.

After prayer and conversation, they expressed their deep sorrow that many would not be able to attend, especially Luis' family from Colombia and Sylvester's family from Nigeria. There is a ban on travel, and we don't know how long that ban will last. But their conclusion was that they believed in the depths of their hearts that they had been called by God to the priesthood. They were eager to lead and to serve. And they realized that the parishes to whom they are assigned needed them. 

And so in a great spirit of humility and a great spirit of sacrifice, they said, we want to go on as it was planned. 

I admire you, my brothers. That is a very bold and selfless decision. 

My friends, it is their call from God to share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ that brings us here. They would be the first to say that their journey to priesthood involved many people. And they ask me to give thanks to those people today. Those who have walked with them and helped to form them. 

As we know, the call to priesthood is indeed mysterious. And my brothers, you will never fully understand why God called you. None of us do. Unworthy though we are, Jesus calls us to share in his priesthood. And it's not  my priesthood. It's  his priesthood, and he has called you to share in it. And that will always remain a mystery for you. 

My sisters and brothers, what we do here today finds its roots in the New Testament 2,000 thousand years ago. After the resurrection of Jesus, the number of disciples grew as the apostles went forth to call them to know Jesus and to live his life, to live “the way.”

And then they ordained deacons to help them in the ministry of charity. But the apostles also needed coworkers to assist them in leading God's people in prayer, preaching, carrying on the daily ministry of Jesus of healing, of shepherding and of mercy. 

They knew that they could not do this alone. They needed coworkers. And it was through prayer, as they gathered together, that they chose men who were close to the Lord Jesus. They were wise in the ways of the Lord, and they had the ability to lead, not just to follow. 

After choosing these men, they prayed over them and laid hands on them, calling down the gift of the Holy Spirit – the priestly spirit. And they became priests of Jesus Christ and worked as true coworkers with the apostles. 

My sisters and brothers, we can say that nothing has changed in 2,000 years. We do the same today. These men have been chosen by God. And today and through their formation, that call of God is confirmed and recognized and affirmed by the church. 

In a few moments, I will have the privilege to pray over them and to lay hands upon them and to call down the gift to the Holy Spirit and to make of them a priest of Jesus Christ. 

But before that sacred moment of prayer in the laying on of hands, they will lie prostrate before God and before his altar. And together we will ask the saints of old and the saints of today to pray with them and to pray for them. They lie prostrate as a sign of their total surrender, as a sign of their humility, as a sign of emptying themselves, so that God can fill them with his priestly spirit. 

God cannot fill what is full. He can only fill emptiness. My brothers, as you lie prostrate, empty yourself of who you are so that God can fill you with the priestly spirit. 

As they will rise, they will then offer themselves to be filled with the spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands, and they become a priest, a priest of the church universal and to serve in this local church. 

My brothers, as you know, the priesthood has a threefold ministry. May I remind you on this important, sacred and solemn day, that as a priest, you will make Christ who is teacher and preacher present to his people because you will teach and preach and proclaim the Word of God from the Scriptures. You will hand on the teachings of the church. You will break open the Scriptures that it will be understood by people in such a way that it will give direction to their lives. And let's make no doubt about it. Our people are hungry for the Scriptures. Our people are hungry to know the ways of the Lord, and that preaching and teaching is given to you in a particular way. 

We know that there are many voices in our world today. But my brothers, your voice must speak God's word and it must be strong and convincing and inviting and compassionate. Never preach without preparation. Preparing allows the Spirit to move you to say what God wants. Pope Francis gives you some good advice. He says, “Preach in a simple way. Speak to the hearts of the people. Speak to their hearts.”

Secondly, my brothers, you will make Christ who is the priest present in our world today by celebrating the sacraments. In this ordination rite, your hands will be anointed to celebrate the sacraments. You will touch the sacred. What a holy privilege. 

And as priest, in his name, you will speak, “This is my body given for you. This is my blood poured out for you.” In the confessional, you will say, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.” You will anoint the sick, and God will use your hand to heal and to comfort and to forgive. And you will often daily lead people in prayer. 

With sacred hands, anointed hands, you will indeed make Jesus Christ the priest present to his people today. 

Thirdly, as a priest, you will make Jesus the Good Shepherd also present. Just like Jesus, you will walk with his people. You will walk with them. And in good times, with the people of God, you will laugh and rejoice. But in times of struggle and in times of darkness, the times when they are bearing heavy, heavy crosses, as so many are – with COVID-19 and other family issues and other particular things going on in their life – they will come to you and you will be able to say to them, in the name of Jesus, “You're not alone. Do not be afraid.”

I beg you as a shepherd to seek out the lost and the wounded, those who are away from the church, those who have been hurt by the church. And as Jesus said in the Gospel, may your life say, “As the Father loves me, so I love you.” And at the end of each day, if you want to check to see where you are in ministry, use those words, “Lord, did I say to your people today, ‘As the Father has loved me, so I love you.’” 
I beg you to give up on no one. Give up on no one. Jesus did not.

Follow the advice of St. Peter that we just heard in the Scriptures and that he said to the priests of the early church: “Tend the flock. Not for your own profit and in no way so that you will be noticed. Do not lord it over them in an authoritarian and oppressive way. Be humble. Be patient.” That's who Jesus was as the shepherd ­– humble and patient and compassionate. 

My brothers, much is expected of you as a priest, and you know that. That’s perhaps one of the reasons that you're nervous this morning. This is a lifetime decision and you give wholeheartedly of yourself for the rest of your life. You can fulfill the ministry that is given to you today, and you can do so faithfully if every day you empty yourself so that the Lord Jesus fills you, that you can fill others. 

How can you do this specifically? Every day you and I must spend quality time in prayer, not just in liturgical prayer, but in personal prayer, where we hear him. Our hearts speak to us, telling us how much we are loved and how much we are shepherds so that we can serve others. In that prayer, Pope Francis says, “God must be the center of your prayer and of your life.” And he goes on to say, “When the center is Jesus, difficulty and burdens will be there, because they're everywhere, but they are faced in a different way.”

You and I must always be rooted and committed to a life of prayer. Even when we're busy and distracted and overwhelmed. That is a part of our daily lives. 

Secondly, like St. Peter, I would ask you to know your weakness. You remember when St. Peter was called, when Jesus called him, he said, “Oh, Lord, I'm a sinful man,” and Jesus says, “I know … and I call you. I need you.”

For you and for me, we need to know our weakness and our sin. And we, like everyone else, should celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. Yes, go to confession, so that we experience his mercy personally. And then we are more faithfully empowered to hear confessions and to extend that mercy to others. We are sinners hearing the confession of sinners.

Thirdly, I ask you to belong to the fraternity of priests and, particularly, to the fraternity priests in this local church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. I invite you to lean on your brothers and let them lean on you. A priest cannot be a lone ranger. You are part of a presbyterate. You're part of a fraternity of priests, and we need one another. 

You're very blessed, my brothers, because in this archdiocese we have a very, very strong fraternity of priests, and we are blessed. Many more would be here if the numbers were allowed. But there are many here to represent all of us to welcome you into the presbyterate. And there is a deep respect and understanding and collaboration among our priests. They will embrace you as brothers, not only in the sign of peace today, but they will embrace you as brothers. Take that embrace and return it. 

And so my brothers – John, Luis and Sylvester – God has spoken to your heart, and that's why you're here. He said to you, “Come, follow me.”

We, your family and friends, those here today and those who join us through the media, thank you for saying “yes.” And we humbly ask you to daily empty yourselves so that Jesus can fill you. 

He can only fill what is empty.

As we die to ourselves and as we surrender ourselves, he will continue to fill you every day with that priestly spirit that you were given as gift today.