Today is a day of joy and blessings, of grace and gratitude. As we gather as the local Church of Wilmington in the Cathedral of St. Peter, I, along with Bishop Malooly, the Bishop Emeritus of our Diocese, especially welcome the visiting clergy, religious and lay faithful who are with us here today.
And I give a special welcome to Deacon Dennis' family and friends who are in Tanzania and are with us through our livestream. I think it is 6 PM in Tanzania right now. Hopefully, you haven't had to rush through supper to be with us.
More importantly, however, to Deacon Dennis' family, thank you, thank you, thank you for the ways your love and care for Deacon Dennis has helped to bring him to this day of ordination.
I now turn to you, my brother Dennis, as you are about to be ordained to the Priesthood. Let us, in light of the nature of the ministerial rank in the Church to which you shall be raised, take a moment to reflect on the readings that have just been proclaimed. I invite you to reflect on Moses, Melchizedek and the Master.
We begin with the first reading from the Book of Numbers which relates Moses' complaint to God that he is basically fed up with the Israelites, whom he has led out of Egypt, for all the demands they are making of him. God reminds Moses that it is his Spirit that was given to him and he tells Moses that he will place some of this same Spirit on seventy others whom Moses knows as true Elders.
This same spirit that enabled Moses to lead the Israelites and was given to the seventy Elders has led you, Dennis, to now being ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wilmington. Your journey has brought you from the country which is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, to the Diocese that covers the state of Delaware, the sixth flattest state in the United States.
It has had, you've told me, "twists and turns." But it has also been a journey in which you have seen and felt the hand of God and His Spirit leading you here. As you go forth today as a priest, God's spirit will be upon you in a special way. Allow that Spirit to be your guide: be faithful to the Prayer of the Church, receptive to the Law of God, listen and be guided by the Word of God -- believe what you read, preach what you believe and practice what you preach.
We next turn to the Letter to the Hebrews and Melchizedek. As a king and a priest, he is a mysterious figure. He appears briefly in the Book of Genesis as he blesses Abraham and offers bread and wine. There is nothing told about his genealogy, his background or his successor. And yet, he is, as we heard in the Letter to the Hebrews, the profound symbol of the one, eternal, heavenly and perfect priesthood that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It is into this priesthood of Jesus Christ, Deacon Dennis, that you are being ordained. Through the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination, the very character of your soul is changed as you become the living instrument of Christ, the perfect Priest. As you offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice, absolve sins, anoint the sick and preach the Word of God, you will do this not by your own power but in the person of Christ, in persona Christi. As you've said to me, it is by God's grace that you are becoming a priest. It is God's grace that is sending you forth and it will be in and through the Priesthood of Jesus Christ that you will offer priestly ministry.
And lastly, we turn today's Gospel and Jesus' words to the disciples to ask the master of the harvest to send workers into the harvest. Jesus' instruction to those disciples, as well as to us, points to the one who is the source and ground of our being. It is a call, Dennis, to place your trust in the Master of the harvest. As you go forth, Dennis, look to Jesus as the true Master. It is how Peter looked to Jesus when, after the miraculous catch of fish, he said, "Depart from me, Lord, I am a sinful man." It was what Mary said in faith with the words, "Let it be done to me according to your Word." It is what St. John the Baptist meant as said, "I must decrease so that He might increase." These are not words of defeat but a surrender of Love. Let Jesus remain always at the center of your heart and the source of your joy. Keep your eyes fixed on Him. You are placing your hands in the pierced hands of the One who loved you first. Let Jesus be your Master. Through your priestly ministry, may many souls come to know Him as their Lord and Savior.
And finally, let us all remember, especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope, that "hope does not disappoint." Our Hope is not mere optimism or just an upbeat attitude. Hope is a virtue that is rooted in what is taking place today. For today, we see once again, that Christ still calls, still sends and still walks with his people. As you enter into the Ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ in this Year of Hope, Deacon John, may the eyes of your heart, in the words of the St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, "be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe" (Eph 1:18-19).