Feed them yourselves

“Feed them yourselves” is what Jesus tells his disciples who are dealing with a hungered crowd
that has been following them for days now (in the synoptic Gospels). “Feed them yourself” is
what our Lord continues to tell each of us who vows to follow him.
This July 28, 2023, marks 27 years since I officially and publicly answered Christ’s call to “feed
them”. This day also marks 36 years since I pronounced my first religious vows to consecrate my
whole life to the glory of God and the salvation of His people.
Certainly, when I think of this anniversary, I think first of all of the priesthood itself and only
then of my years as a priest. When I told my father many years ago that I believed I might be
called to be a priest, he told me: “If you’re going to be a priest, at least be a good one”. I have
tried to be a good priest, and that is legacy enough, for me, for my late father, and for you.
Twenty-seven years of service and I realize that I am just getting warmed up. Even after all this
time, I am still humbled when I approach the altar to break the bread and to share with all of you
the living presence of Christ. There is no greater adventure than the priesthood. There is no
greater life. And on this day, I thank you for allowing me to serve you, to absolve you, to feed
you, to preach to you, to anoint you, to love you, and for simply allowing me to be your priest.
I do not know how to be anything less than a joyful priest. Yes, there are days that I may be cross
or in an unpleasant mood, but when I sanctify God’s people through the sacraments and
especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, I must do it with joy. I do not know how to do it
any other way. I became a priest because I felt this joy that Jesus speaks of in the gospel. This joy
that overwhelms our hearts and must be shared is a joy that I spend every day trying to pass on to
God’s holy people of Saint Michael The Archangel, as well as to those I have the honor to
journey with in the hospital, nursing homes, private residences or hospice house.
I try to bring the same joy to the brave men and women of the military of our state of Maryland.
If this anniversary can be a moment of new resolution to bring the joy of the Gospel to those
who have turned from Christ or to those who never knew him at all, it will be an important
moment in the history of salvation. I pray that it will be so each time I pray for each of you and
our people.
Let us thank God together, as members of his church, for our vocation and our journey of faith.
May all our hearts be filled with the joy born of gratitude for the gift of life and of new life in
Christ.