A Homily for my brother seminarians

This was from a week ago when I was assigned to preach at the February 7th daily Mass.


Lec. # 329- Mon, Feb 7th, 2010- Deacon Vincent Bresowar
Readings: Gen 1:1-19, Ps 104, Mk 6:53-56

My brothers,

We have exactly 95 days, including today, until the end of the school year. That’s 13 weeks and 4 days… or, if you want to make it sound shorter that’s 3 months and 5 days or a ¼ of year remaining. That’s not a very long time and yet for most of us there is still a lot to be accomplished before we finish this semester… It may be that many of us are starting to wear down and get tired, tired of school work, tired of meetings, tired of the same routine day in and day out. Maybe We are tired of our struggles, tired of our sins, tired of asking for forgiveness over and over, it may be that some of us are even asking ourselves, is all of this worth it?

As can happen during formation, there comes a time or times when the seminarian begins to wonder if God really intended Him to be a priest, to go through all of this and if so why?

In today’s readings we are reminded of God’s great works. His great work of creation in the first reading, everything he created he created good, and in the Gospel we see the God-man and all the wonderful miracles brought about by this great work of the incarnation. We read that as many of the sick that simply touched the tassel on the cloak of Jesus were healed.

My brothers we hear these stories over and over, and we understand, we have come to believe that our God is a God who does Great works for his children, those who were created in his Image and likeness, works that we really cannot fully comprehend but that we continue to witness to in our daily lives.

But of all of his great works that we witness to, the greatest of these is the work he made on Calvary where he redeemed the World and opened up the gates of paradise for his children who had lost it by their sin.

In this work, God defeated death once and for all, making it so that we have no reason to fear our bodily death so long as we participate in his sanctifying Grace.

What a great gift but what does it have to do with us and finishing this school year?

Well This greatest of works done by our God is made present on the altar as you know in an unbloody manner every day. So Every day, the Holy Spirit descends down upon the gifts of bread and wine and transforms them into the Body and Blood of the Lamb whose sacrifice is made present. Every day we receive the fruit of this greatest work into our very selves becoming united with our Savior.

And as you are well aware, none of this happens except through the hands of the priest. If for no other reason, that makes being ordained priest worth it.

The cure de’ Ars is quoted as saying: ‘The priest is something great! If he knew it, he would die.’”

As we journey through this semester, and as we persevere through formation day in and day out, may we be reminded, especially at the altar, of the great Love that burns in the Heart of our Savior for you and for me and for our Yes to Him and His Church, and lest we forget we are not alone, that all the angels and saints in Heaven, the holy suffering souls in purgatory, and thousands of men and women in the Church militant are praying and interceding for us that we might persevere, that we might be holy priests very soon and then forever.

May God give us through His very flesh and blood today exactly what we need finish, to persevere to the very end so that His great work may be accomplished in you and I and countless souls won for Him by our willingness to say Yes to the invitation which comes from Jesus to be His holy consecrated priests.