My Dear Friends,
“…like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)
In today’s gospel, Christ tells us that he will go before us to prepare a place for us in heaven. In the meantime, what are we going to do down here? The first letter of St. Peter today gives us the beautiful analogy of each and every one of us being “living stones” called to be active members of the mystical body of Christ: the Church.And this is something that escapes us all too often. Being Christians, being these “living stones” that help build up the Church implies us working together to build up Christ’s body. These stones cannot be static. They must be active. The second reading uses some beautiful imagery. As Christ’s followers, we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” called to sing God’s praises and to make his name known to all the earth.
As living stones, we are called to be filled with the Spirit to help edify this spiritual house.Unfortunately, so many of us are stones, quite literally stones, not living stones, that just sit here and do not contribute to the mission of the Church. We forget that we are called from baptism to share in Christ’s ministry.It is not sufficient to sit here like stones once a week for one hour. Our Lord needs you more. The Church needs you more. Each of us is called to do something different with our own individual gifts and to put them at the service of the Lord. We cannot be static. We cannot be on the sidelines. This Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is inviting us to walk with him on this Way, is inviting us to proclaim this Truth, and is inviting us to live the joyous life of a true Christian. Are we participating in this life? Are we being living stones of this Church making it come alive? YOU are the chosen race. YOU are that royal priesthood. YOU are that chosen nation called to build up the Church with great works, and as the Lord tells us at the end of today’s gospel, these works that we will do in his name, will be even greater than His!
This coming Saturday, nine young men who hail from all around our local Church, will be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Miami. While we all belong, by virtue of our baptism, to the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ, these nine men will be called to share in the Lord’s ministerial priesthood to go out to all the world to spread the Good News, to make Christ present in the Holy Eucharist, to absolve sins, anoint the sick, and to simply wash feet as our Master did at the Last Supper. These men will be filled with the Holy Spirit as the archbishop lays hands on them along with all the priests present for the ordination fulfilling an ancient tradition that goes back to the Acts of the Apostles.
An ordination is a cause of great rejoicing as a Church, but this year most especially because of the large number of men being ordained. This is one of the largest numbers in the history of the Archdiocese. As I said last week in this space, vocations are a result of your prayers. All of you were praying for Father David and I long before we arrived here at Little Flower to serve you. Now I ask you to spend this week fervently praying for this nine young men called to Holy Orders. Their names are Deacon Adam Paul Cahill, Deacon Henry Jair Cardenas Afanador, Deacon Tomasz Koziel, Deacon Aristides Luis Lima, Deacon Carlos Eduardo Luzardo Leal, Deacon Cristhian David Mendieta Hernandez, Deacon Saint-Clos Papouloute, Deacon Pietro Pironato, and Deacon Michele Sega.
Living stones called forth from all of us to build up Holy Mother Church and to offer spiritual sacrifices at the altar. Pray for them so that they may be configured into the image of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd and our great High Priest.
Holy Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us!
God bless you all,
