All of God’s people, as Isaiah says, are ‘priests of the Lord’. Being a Christian means being sent to make known to others the good news of Christ’s life, death and resurrection; to share Christ’s love with all humanity, especially with the broken-hearted, with captives, with those who mourn; to try to make the world a place where all Christ’s brothers and sisters are respected and appreciated and where his Father is known and honoured. These are not easy times to fulfil that calling. This is a world which does not easily understand the importance of listening with an open heart to the Good News and its profound challenge. This is a world that does not find it easy to reflect deeply on the mystery and the meaning of life and death. This is a world which seems to have become more stressed, more competitive, more frustrated, more superficial than it ever was. This is a world where, in spite of great strides in recognising in theory the importance of human rights, there is as much discrimination and inequality and tension and violence as there has ever been. This is a changing world which constantly poses new questions about the kind of society we wish to have and the kind of values we wish to live by. We need to hear again the challenge that was spoken by Pope John Paul here in Limerick 25 years ago this October: “There is no such thing as an ordinary layperson… The laity are ‘a chosen race a holy priesthood, also called to be ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world’… Lay people are called today to a strong Christian commitment, to permeate society with the leaven of the Gospel, for Ireland is at a point of decision in her history”. The truth of what he said is even more inescapable today than it was a quarter of a century ago. More than ever before, the vitality of the Gospel in our world depends on everybody who counts him or herself a follower of Christ. More than ever the future of faith in our country depends on how committed each of us is to living it wholeheartedly. The person who thinks only in terms of what somebody else should be doing about it, is very much part of the problem. In this Mass we bless the oils which will symbolise the power and the life of the Spirit given to each of those being baptised so that they may live and share the faith they receive. We bless the chrism which will anoint those who are confirmed to proclaim their faith publicly and courageously. We bless the oil of the sick which will anoint those who are ill so that they may unite their weakness and suffering to the passion of Christ. People throughout the diocese will be anointed with these oils so that, in all the great variety of their lives and situations they will be able to bring good news to the poor, bind up broken hearts and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. That witness is nourished and strengthened by the ministry of priests, not only in sacramental anointings but in their preaching, their pastoral care, in the sacrament of reconciliation and above all in the celebration of the Eucharist. Ireland is indeed at a point of decision in her history. The ministry of priests is more important than ever. I look forward in June to having the privilege of using the oil of chrism to anoint the hands of a new priest for the diocese, our deacon today, John Mockler. The last few years have been difficult and painful times for the whole Church but in a particular way for priests. All of us who are ordained to serve God’s people are very appreciative of the friendship and understanding that we have received from so many of you. This is an occasion for us to thank you for that support. It is a time when we all need to reflect on what is happening. The number of vocations has declined very sharply. It is possible, though I am hopeful it will not happen, that next year, for the first time in centuries, we might have no seminarian in this diocese. That too can be disheartening and worrying for priests and I am both grateful and impressed at how willingly, how constructively and how creatively the priests of the diocese are facing the practical issues of responding to our situation in a positive and forward-looking way. Some of those issues I addressed in the Lenten Pastoral, To Rekindle the Amazement. In this Mass we are thanking God for the gift of priesthood. I know that the people of the diocese appreciate that gift and the dedicated way in which their priests fulfil their ministry. But it is now vital to translate that appreciation into a more conscious, active encouragement of vocations in homes, in schools, in parishes. Listening recently to a number of seminarians, not from this diocese, none of whom had entered the seminary before their late twenties, I was struck by the fact that all said the same thing. They began to think of a vocation in their early teens. But when they came to the age of 18 they found the surrounding atmosphere very discouraging, and they did not feel there was anywhere they could talk about whether they might have a vocation. It was not until many years had passed that they felt able to take the step of applying to enter a seminary. It may well be that it is good for young people to wait a few years after school before entering a seminary or religious life. What is not good is that they fail to find in the Christian community a context in which they can talk about their vocation in a supportive setting. I wondered, among their contemporaries, how many seeds of a vocation had quietly died for want of nurturing and support. As we face the challenging future, we all need, to ask ourselves what we have to do in order that in our diocese and our parishes we may be a community in which the good news is preached and lived. What do we need to do to ensure that the mission Christ received from the anointing of the Holy Spirit is still being carried on among us and that the text of Isaiah is still being fulfilled today, even as we listen? If that were really so, those who heard the call to priesthood or religious life would find the call growing in welcoming and encouraging soil. +Donal Murray 6th April 2004 ends |