In the rite of the ordination of deacons (which every future priest receives months prior to his priestly ordination), there’s a beautiful moment when the candidate kneels before the bishop in front of the altar. The prelate takes the Book of the Gospel and places it in the candidate’s hands, saying, “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you now are. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.” The priest is called to become one with the Word, to believe it, teach it and put it into practice. The greatest way he teaches that Gospel, moreover, is by putting it into practice. His example is worth a thousand homilies. St. Francis of Assisi, the spiritual father and friend of our patron St. Anthony, recognized this fact clearly. Before sending his friars out to preach, he would instruct them, “Preach always, and when necessary use words.”
St. Paul was one who lived, preached and practiced in this way. His intention was to treat God’s people with the love of a “nurse tenderly caring for her own children.” And the greatest way he could do that was to share with them “not only the Gospel of God, but also our very selves.” Paul was giving them not only the words of eternal life, but his whole being as well, which had become one with that word. In this he achieved greatness. Christ said that the greatest would be the humble servant of the rest, and St. Paul was. He was so humble he even worked at his old job as a tentmaker so that he wouldn’t even be a minimal burden among them. His greatest thanks was that they received the Gospel well, “not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”
St. Paul’s example shows both preachers and the faithful important lessons. The true preacher always gives himself along with the Lord out of love to the people he’s sent to serve. And the true preacher’s greatest prayer is that the community receives the Word not as his own, but as it truly is, the Word of God at work in those who believe. That is the way his listeners will be transformed — like Paul, like the other apostles, like so many of their early Christian communities — to become one with that Word. Then the student will be able to be a teacher; the son or daughter, a spiritual parent; the disciple, a spiritual guide — each one enfleshing that Word and bringing it to others.
The same Jesus Who told us that only one is our Father, Teacher and Spiritual Guide, wants to enable us to become His instruments to bring His teaching, fatherly care and direction to others, in our homes, at school, at work, everywhere we are and go. His last words before ascending to heaven were “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them and reminding them of everything I have taught you, knowing that I am with you always until the end of the world.” And He wants us, through transformation by His saving Word at every Mass, to carry out those marching orders.
Perhaps the greatest role model of the transformation Christ wants to bring about is the woman whom we celebrated all last month, Mary. She was a humble, attentive listener to God’s Word, who treasured that Word in contemplative heart, who was praised by her Son for hearing the Word and putting it into practice. She became one with it spiritually so much that that Word literally took her flesh and dwelled among us. She passed on that Gospel incarnate to us along with her very self.
That Word made Flesh Who dwelled in her womb at communion takes up His abode within us. He wants His Word to take on our flesh, as our body and blood unite with His. This is the way we will become truly sons and daughters of the heavenly Father. This is the way we will be become true disciples of the Master. This is the way by which Christ, in transforming us, will make us capable of transforming others, by passing on His Gospel to them along with our very selves. The Lord Who calls us to this mission will give us all the help He knows we need to do it, provided that we give Him our yes and allow the Word He has preached to us today and told us to act on to take on our very flesh!
Father Roger J. Landry was ordained a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts by Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap. in 1999. After receiving a biology degree from Harvard College, Fr. Landry studied for the priesthood in Maryland, Toronto, and for several years in Rome. After his priestly ordination, Father returned to Rome to complete graduate work in Moral Theology and Bioethics at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome. A popular speaker on the thought of Pope John Paul II and on apologetics, he is presently parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
(This article was adapted from one of his recent sermons.)
