This weekend our diocese ordained four men to the priesthood-- two of them from our town, one of those from our parish. If you've ever heard anyone talk about an ordination Mass, you've probably heard some version of "It's so beautiful!" Maybe an ordination is a little like the Grand Canyon: you can hear about how amazing it is and you can look at the pictures other people have taken, but it's breathtaking to be there in person.
I was not sure if I would really be able to get all seven of us to an ordination Mass in another city, but we pulled up more than half an hour before the start time. As it turns out, you need to be there at least an hour early to get a good seat; we were among the last to be seated in a little side chapel. When we walked up the aisle, though, we walked past friends there to cheer on (and pray for) the hometown guys. Way to represent, Gladlyville Catholics!
In the same way that I wouldn't show you a million pictures of the Grand Canyon, I won't write a long post about the Mass. (Or at least not too long.) Three things that stood out to me:
1. The bishop opened the Mass with "Peace be with you" instead of "The Lord be with you," and I thought, "Hey, I saw what you did there!" From its opening line, the ordination Mass evokes the commissioning of the apostles, and the unbroken line back to the first Easter evening when Jesus said, "I have conquered death, and I am bigger than your locked doors and your fearful hearts."
2. The mothers of the ordinandi brought up the gifts, and I cried. (This Mass made me cry approximately 27 times.) I have posted before about offering our children's futures to God: beautiful, essential, not easy. I thought about the way I take it for granted that my boys will come home for leisurely Christmases after they're grown, eventually bringing my grandchildren with them, and I watched with a full heart as the mothers laid down their offerings, visible and invisible.
3. At the end of the Mass, the newly ordained priests bless the bishop. He said, "We believe that new priests are replete with grace, and I am going to take full advantage of it." The moment struck me: the potent reminder that every gift we receive (and what a gift they had just received!) is to be offered back in blessing, and, too, the bishop's humility in accepting a blessing from these young men. It was such a lovely visual of Christian service!
The diocesan website said the Mass would take 90 minutes, which occasioned a little grumbling among boys who will remain nameless. The rite of ordination is an unhurried undertaking, though, and we actually walked out of the cathedral to the sound of joyous bells 3 full hours after we arrived there (that number includes our 30 minutes in the pew before Mass). I asked my 14yo on the way home: what'd you think? "It was very long," he said, "and it was very beautiful." Out of the mouths of teens, I'm telling you.
Comments