(Rev. John A. Sistare, S.T.L, studied at the North American College in Rome and was ordained a priest by Bishop Robert Mulvee for the Diocese of Providence on June 24, 2000. He is currently Parochial Vicar at St. Leo the Great Church in Pawtucket, RI.)
[Editor’s Note: The following is a printed homily first preached for the author's younger brother — a recently ordained priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR). The author is a priest in the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The homily was preached at Father Juniper’s Mass of Thanksgiving in the brothers’ home parish, St Pius X, in Westerly, RI. It is published here with permission of the homilist.]
Fr. Juniper Mary Sistare, I have a simple direct, question for you this afternoon. Allow me to ask it even more directly and simply with one Italian word. PRONTO? If you were to call one of our relatives in Italy you would hear that word on the other end. Pronto! I am here! I am set! I am prepared! I am ready! As you know that conversation may go on for hours on end as well! However, I use this word in the form of a question. Pronto? ARE YOU READY?
All throughout salvation history, God called men to go forth and be ready! Very often, many of these men have some excuse or reason for not being the right guy for the task at hand. The Lord then reassures them that they have been chosen and are simply to be ready!
Moses said to the LORD: “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say (Exodus 4:10-13).”
In other words: Moses, YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
Ah, Lord GOD!” said Jeremiah, “I know not how to speak; I am too young.”
But the LORD answered him, Say not, “I am too young.” To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. (Jer 1:4)
In other words: Jeremiah, YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME , I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
“Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, said Isaiah.
Then one of the seraphim flew to him, holding an ember, and touched his mouth with it. “See,” he said, “now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Now, Go and say to this people: Listen carefully, but you shall not understand! Look intently, but you shall know nothing! You are to make the heart of this people sluggish, to dull their ears and close their eyes; Else their eyes will see, their ears hear, their heart understand, and they will turn and be healed (Is 6:5-10).”
In other words: Isaiah, YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
Then there’s St. Peter: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8)
No, Simon, You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church…now go and feed my sheep!
In other words: Peter, YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME , I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
Finally at times the Lord doesn’t even ask if you’re ready. Poor St Paul was knocked off his high horse and simply told to go forth! And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?”
And God said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do (Acts 9:4-6).
In other words: Paul, YOU HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!
So, I ask again, Pronto? Fr. Juniper, are you ready?
How easy Fr. Juniper could have made excuses as he was called to the priesthood? I asked my mom, ‘what should I say about Fr. Juniper in the homily?” She replied quite simply, “tell the people he was a bad boy, now he is a good boy!”
How true that is and how easy Fr. Juniper could have given every excuse in the book not to be ordained.
“Lord, you want me to feed your people but I ate bugs and detergent when I was a child. Lord, you want people to trust me, but I wasn’t the most trusting child, remember when my brother and I locked the babysitter in the cellar until my parents came home! In fact, I even managed to lock mom outside, in 35 degree temperatures, with the wind chill factor.”
“Lord, I’ve never been a man of eloquence and persuasive speech; although I let my parents exercise their wonderful eloquence when my teachers made their daily calls of concern to home. Of course, I did try to use a little eloquence as I stumbled through the door after a late night, only to greet light sleeper mom. Well, at least I tried!”
“Lord I am too young at age 29. I am called Father by those who could be my grandfather or great grandfather!”
“Lord, depart from me a sinner, my past is certainly colorful, I am unworthy!”
No, Fr. Juniper, the Lord says to you as he has said throughout salvation history, “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you!” Now, are you ready to go forth?
Fr. Juniper, you responded to that call at such a pivotal point in your life. As St. Peter was challenged to hope or despair at the death of his friend, so you were challenged. When your friend Justin died in that tragic fight, you could have despaired and let the anger and sadness get the best of you. However, like St. Peter, you knew the only true peace and hope as in giving your life to Christ! You were ready!
So, you went forth in a passionate zeal to convert the world, and who better to start this new plan of evangelization on than your own brother! Thank you! I can still recall that late night when I stumbled through the door thinking in my pre-conversion days. I thought I could just crash on the couch downstairs to avoid mom’s checkpoint at the top of the steps. Little did I expect to meet our newest missionary with holy card in hand as I attempted to simply sleep the night off! I can still see that picture of Jesus and hear Fr. Juniper’s words. “Do you see this — this is who you hurt every time you sin!
Are you ready?
Cardinal Egan asked you a similar question last Saturday, May 17th. The Cardinal asked you and your classmates…
Are you resolved, to discharge without fail the office of the priesthood…
Are you resolved, to celebrate the mysteries of Christ faithfully…
Are you resolved, to exercise the ministry of the word…
Are you resolved, to consecrate your life to God…
You all responded, I am three times and then one final time, I am with the help of God.
You said Saturday May 17th, that you are ready, and so you are!
However, now you are called to be ever-ready! God will continue to call upon you as his priest to be ever-ready! How can you be ever-ready? It’s actually quite simple.
Always remember that EVER-READY begins with an E! That E at the foundation is the Eucharist! The priest must be a MAN of the EUCHARIST! The Eucharist is the key to being ever-ready to God’s call.
In fact, we don’t have to go much further than the Gospel of today to find the fruits of the Eucharist in the life of a priest. Jesus said to his disciples, remain in my love. Remain in the Eucharist and the priest finds his very identity. Your very identity as a Christian began 29 years ago on this very day, when you were baptized in Christ Jesus. Your first mass as a priest in Westerly and your baptism were both on the same day 29 years apart…talk about God having his hand in things! Your vocation and identity in Christ is revealed even more deeply now as a priest. Pope John Paul II gives us a little French to explain this reality. In his latest encyclical, Ecclesia De Eucharistia , John Paul II says the following,
If the Eucharist is the center and summit of the Church’s life, it is likewise the center and summit of priestly ministry. For this reason, with a heart filled with gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ, I repeat that the Eucharist ‘is the principal and central raison d’etre of the sacrament of priesthood, which effectively came into being at the moment of the institution of the Eucharist.’
I don’t know French but I do know that raison d’etre means reason for existence. The Eucharist and priesthood go hand in hand and so how fitting that they were instituted on the same night at the Last Supper. In the Eucharist, the priest finds his very identity. A priest is one who offers sacrifice! A priest of Jesus Christ offers the one eternal sacrifice in the person of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father. Remain in Jesus Christ, the one eternal high priest as you offer his one sacrifice daily! Stay close to his sacred heart in Eucharistic adoration!
Jesus said in the Gospel, “I have told you this so my joy might be in you & your joy might be complete.” A priest who is a man of the Eucharist is a man of joy. At Mass, the sacrifice of Calvary is re-presented here on this altar, but we must always remember that it is the Risen Lord who comes in our midst. In other words, the Cross is very much a reality but never forget the empty tomb. The battle goes on in the fight for souls, but the Victory has been won by the King of Kings! Allow the Eucharist to continue to bring joy into your life and all those you meet.
Finally, Jesus tells his disciples to” love as I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A priest must be a man of total self- sacrificial love. What a powerful gesture you and your classmates made at your ordination. Just before you were actually ordained, you laid prostrate on your face on that cold marble floor. It was there in St. Patrick’s that you said, “I lay down my like for you!” How fitting, that the people all prayed and asked the intercession of the martyrs and saints of the Church, who laid down their lives in years past for Christ and His Church!
A priest of the Eucharist is a man who will take to heart the sacred words of Jesus, he pronounces at Mass. This is my Body, This is my Blood given for you. The Eucharist moves the priest to lay down his life and give the gift of himself totally as Christ gave of himself. This is my body, my life given for the salvation of souls!
Fr. Juniper, continue to be a man of total love and fidelity. The Eucharist will deepen your love for God and His Church. May it also deepen your love for she who gave her life in total surrender so that the savior might be born. Continue to love Our Blessed Mother, named such at the foot of the Cross!
This is my body given for you! Take those words into your community and love your brothers and sisters. Take those words into your apostolate. As you reach out to the youth, love them as Christ loves you. As you go forth to witness to innocent pre-born life, recall those sacred words, “This is my body given for you.” This is my voice given for those with no voice!” Love as Christ, the one High priest loves!
Fr. Juniper, You have not chosen me, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU! May you be EVER-READY to God’s daily call! May you always BE A MAN OF THE EUCHARIST for YOU ARE A PRIEST OF JESUS CHRIST!
Ad multos, gloriosque annos!
