"Every high priest is taken from
among men and made their representative before God...No one takes this honor
upon himself but only when called by God..." (Hebrews 5:1, 4)
A few weeks ago, I heard this powerful
story from Archbishop Flynn:
Back in World War II, several young
priests from Albany, New York volunteered to go into the armed services. One
young priest was assigned to the Marines who were trying to retake an island
from the Japanese in the South Pacific. The Marines were trying to advance on
the beach with the Japanese having the advantage of being on higher ground.
This young priest tried to minster to these Marines who were at a disadvantage
in the foxholes they had dug on the beach. The priest went from foxhole to
foxhole giving absolution and distributing Communion. He arrived at one
particular foxhole to find three young faces looking up at him all helpless. He
gave them absolution and then the Eucharist. As he crawled out of this foxhole
he heard a terrible explosion and he looked back to see his worst nightmare. A
shell had gone into that foxhole of these three young men who couldn't have
been older than 18 or 19 years of age to whom this young priest had just given
the Eucharist. He crawled back into the hole and found that two of them were
gone from the blast. The other one was in the foxhole and he was bleeding to
death. The young Marine looked up at the priest and asked, "Father,
am I dying?" The young priest responded, "Yes, son.
You're dying." And the young Marine responded, "Isn't it
something, Father. I just received Jesus
and now I'm going to see him."
That young priest went on to become an
Archbishop later on in life, but on that day, on that beach, he brought the
light and the living presence of Jesus Christ into the darkness of war. A
priest whether in his church or in a hospital or in the front lines of a war
zone brings this Glorious Presence. As the second reading reminds us, he
does not take this honor upon himself but only when called by God.
I write this as I fly back from New York
with our football team. We are flying around a hurricane and the plane
ride has been bumpy to say the least. When we were boarding, many were
nervous about the prospects of even taking off because the winds were picking
up and the airport was about to close. As I took my seat, one of our
young equipment managers took his seat in front of me and said, "Boy, am I
glad to be sitting next to you!" I smiled and reminded myself that
the collar I wear around my neck is supposed to bring peace to those around me
even though the man that wears the collar many times falls short of living up
to such high a calling. Yet, despite my sinfulness, despite my fears,
faults, and insecurities, somehow Christ chose me to be his priest to bring his
presence to others. Sometimes in the most unlikeliest of places.
A few months ago, I was wondering what
plan God had in store for me as I began ministering to the Dolphins. I
knew that it was more than just celebrating Mass for them. Many of my brother
priests (most of them retired after many years in ministry) have pointed to the
black collar I wear around my neck on the sideline. Last month, my old
spiritual director wrote to me that just my mere presence on the sidelines
wearing that sacred garb would evangelize millions that were watching on
television. Praying the rosary before the game, giving the rosaries to coaches,
players, and staff and just simply being there brings Christ to others.
It definitely is not nearly as heroic as that young priest in the South
Pacific, but the joy that I receive from bringing that joy of Christ to others
is beyond anything I could possibly have imagined. I do this for the team, I do this for my
parishioners at St. Gregory, and I will do this wherever the Good Lord leads me
on this grand adventure that is the priesthood.
I wake up every morning felling blessed to be a priest, to be to offer
up a Holy Sacrifice to God in the Eucharist, and to bring the presence of Christ
to those that he places before me.
One last thing: last night I was sitting
in my hotel room along the Hudson River staring out my window and gazing at the
World Trade Center. The Freedom Tower, or One World Trade Center, is
nearing completion as it rises triumphantly over that hallowed ground on the
southern tip of Manhattan. It's lights reflected beautifully off the waters of
the Hudson. I spent a great deal of time last night and before dawn this
morning just staring at the World Trade Center and thinking and praying for the
victims and heroes of that fateful Tuesday morning. And of course, I thought of
Father Mychal Judge who ran towards the towers as they burned. He wasn't
in a war zone in the South Pacific. This time the war zone was on our
soil and he rushed to bring Christ to those who were suffering. Many of
you know that Father Judge gave his life that day just as throughout history
priests have given their lives sharing Jesus with others. So tonight, I ask you to say a prayer for
those priests who minister despite impossible obstacles, who place their lives
in danger to share the Gospel, and especially for those who courageously serve
the brave men and women in our military by making Christ present in the most unlikeliest
of places. "Isn't it something, Father. I just received Jesus and now I'm going to see
him."
