From the Homily of the Ordination Mass
7th March 2004 St. Mary’s Cathedral
At the Last
Supper, our Lord Jesus established the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and in
addition he also instituted a very important ceremony for his commemoration.
Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and left us with the commandment “You are to
wash one another’s feet”. This corresponds to the New Commandment that Jesus
gave us; “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.
Deacon Hayashi, Deacon Yamaguchi,
Now, you are to be ordained as priests. As you two know very well, this is not
for increasing your own personal honor or status. However as time passes, this
distinction may fade, and without noticing, you may come to have an attachment
to priestly power and status. You may become dissatisfied when due recognition
is not given to you or when you feel under-appreciated. I would like you two to
inscribe the words of today’s gospel (John 13.1～15 the washing of the feet) in
your heart and to follow these words faithfully for the rest of your lives.
We all know the love of God. God has sent Jesus into our world, and through
Jesus has proved God’s love. To witness to the love of God is the mission of the
Church, and serving in this mission is the priest. The priest receives the love
of God everyday and speaks of this to the people. If he doesn’t experience the
love of God-Agape, how can he explain and witness to this to others?
Please seek to live out your duty of priesthood in a life of daily gratitude to
the love of God.
As we inform people about God’s love for us, we need a new heart, new spirit, a
heart of flesh. We have to renew our lives daily by means of the Spirit of God.
Today, you two will receive the gift of the Spirit and start your new lives as
priests. For a long time, we have felt the breath of the Spirit, God’s fresh
grace and the action of the resurrected Christ in our new priests. New priests
are the joy and the hope of the Church. I would like you to renew this joy and
hope day by day and devote your lives to serving God and people.
Today, many people have gathered here for you to share in their prayers and
their joy. Let this joy strengthen you as you walk along the road until your
last day. Sometimes, moments of solitude, ordeal or darkness may come to you. In
such moments, please remember the joy and determination you feel at today’s
ordination.
Priests have to born anew spiritually day by day. And what is important for
this, is daily Mass and the Prayer of the Church. The most important, graceful
moment for feeling the breath of the Spirit, which gives life to the Church, can
be found in our daily liturgy. The prayer of the individual, the prayer we pray
alone is also important. And please try to keep good health both in mind and
body, for God’s grace requires cooperation from the human side.
Before ending this admonitory sermon, I would like to add a few words. Many
people will watch the lifestyle of you two and will be led to Christ. The
witness which comes from your life is important. As priests, and in addition
Yamaguchi-san as a monk, I ask that you to try to practice the virtue of
honorable poverty. In witnessing to the Gospel in our present consumeristic
society, a modest and simple lifestyle will be important. People are expecting
to see our Lord Jesus who lived his life in poverty in your daily life. And also
I would like you to attend to each person whoever they are in a mild, modest and
kind manner, so that people can see Jesus the good shepherd inside you. In being
mild and modest, I also ask you to be faithful to the truth and keep a resolute
attitude against injustice. Just as it is said in the words of St. Paul; “Love
is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth”. Corinthians1, 13-6
Peter OKADA Takeo Archbishop of Tokyo