Today I celebrated a funeral mass for a man who was very loved by his family and friends. Later, as I waited in the cemetery for them to gather at the grave side, these were my thoughts:
This is the life of a parish priest:
he journeys through life with his fellow Christians, and he hopes alongside of them to humbly follow the call of Jesus;
he serves all of his parishioners, no matter what their perspective on life nor the manner in which they choose to live;
he welcomes his sisters and brothers into the church, and proclaims God’s love and forgiveness, as he baptizes them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;
he celebrates God's love and grace as he presides at the altar and consecrates and shares the Holy Eucharist;
he studies the Scriptures and he preaches the Word of God to people who thirst and hunger for understandings of eternal realities;
he reconciles those who have been estranged from God and others, as he lovingly guides the hearts of fellow sinners, and gently whispers words of pardon;
he officiates and stands together with young (and sometimes older) couples as they come before God and the community and they joyfully profess their marriage vows to one another;
he anoints those who are ill, and their families too, as he prays for healing and freedom from sickness, suffering and pain;
he consoles those who have lost loved ones, and he prays and mourns with them as together they hope for eternal life.
He journeys . . .
he hopes . . .
he serves . . .
he welcomes . . .
he forgives . . .
he shares . . .
he celebrates . . .
he studies . . .
he preaches . . .
he reconciles . . .
he guides . . .
he officiates . . .
he anoints . . .
he consoles . . .
he mourns . . .
he prays . . .
This is the life of a parish priest!
On the journey . . .
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