Feast of the Ascension - Fr. Leo
On the second Sunday of Lent we heard the inspiring story of Jesus’ transfigured on the mount. Peter, James and John witnessed the light and heard the voice confirming Jesus as the Son of God. There is a great parallel in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. This time all Jesus’ disciples were there and witnessed Jesus being taken up into heaven. First transformed, then taken up to the Father’s side forever.
As the disciples came to embrace Jesus’ divinity and his call to them to spread the good news, Jesus prepares them to receive the Holy Spirit that they may live in God’s divinity and become a link to others who may hear and believe through them. Such is the role of each one of us as apostles of God’s presence.
As I celebrate forty years of priestly ministry today, I’d like to add an observation. The Spirit calls each of us into priestly ministry and the ordained priest plays an important role in the cultic life of the gathered church as he dedicates himself to seeking God’s will in prayer and striving to live as Christ. But the one thing to remember, is it is God’s work, the work of the Holy Spirit, and not our own. We are instruments and can find deep joy in being a Chanel through which the Spirit moves.
The greatest joys in my forty years are those moments when I realized I was part of something God did. I will give one example. Once when on call for a hospital I received a call to see a young man in an Emergency Department who was refusing treatment that could save his life. I met the young man and conveyed my concerns about his state of mind during our conversation. I asked that, that be added to his chart.
Later that evening, I was thinking of him and called the hospital to find that he had already been discharged. Disarmed by that and finding out my observations were not recorded, I later contacted the ethicist at the hospital to see if it would be ok for me to contact this young man. It was approved, I called and ended up driving twenty-five miles to his parental home several times.
On one of the visits after sensing his pushback for not being respected, I said, “For some reason I love you and I would hate to see anything happen to you.” At that moment a light bulb went on. You could see it in the look on his face. His mother noticed too as she then looked at me. The fight was over. He realized those around him loved him.
On leaving I offered him communion. He said he had received, but would like to receive it from me. I took a host and broke it in two giving him half and consuming the other half myself.
Later I received a phone call saying he was going to a major hospital for a bone marrow transplant. The procedure would cause him to be isolated for a good month in the hospital. Months later the doorbell rang at the parish where I was stationed. The pastor whose office was in front of the door didn’t answer, so I opened the door and there stood the young man in full health. A miracle of God’s love, because two men risked being vulnerable for a moment.
When we allow the Spirit to make us vulnerable to others, the Spirit works through us to heal and make whole. In those moments, we know it wasn’t us, but the Lord working through us. This realization brings great joy and gratefulness to the heart and is the reason I am eternally grateful to celebrate forty years of priestly ministry today. I thank the Lord, and I thank you, the people of Holy Name and St. Leonard of Port Maurice.
Fr. Leo