Today, as we celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist and the Establishment of the Priesthood, our liturgical observance directs us in a very simple yet specific way to a characteristic endemic to both the Eucharist and the Priesthood: Humility.
In the Blessed Sacrament, humble, simple elements are employed - bread and wine.
In the Priesthood, fallen individuals are employed - and humble they must be.
Our Lord's institution of both the Blessed Sacrament and the ministerial Priesthood on this night were accompanied by a supreme gesture of humility. The creator of all things, the one without whom nothing was made that was made, stooped low, removed his outer garment, and in the place of a lowly servant, washed his disciples feet.
It does not matter if our ministries are in traditional parishes, established chaplaincies, or under the bridges and drainage easements of our communities. In each environment, the mumble nature of the bread and wine are exalted and become the vital, living presence of Christ. Our own frail and weak hands and feet, eyes and ears, become instruments of mercy and love. Humility is, for each of us, the root and foundation of service to Christ, his Church, and his people, wherever they may be. And the Sacraments - all of them - are ultimately empowered by the ultimate humility in operation alongside the ultimate triumph... for in each of the Sacraments, the saving power of Christ poured out upon the cross is blended with the irrepressible divine power of the Resurrection... and so, paired together, perfect humility and perfect majesty are eternally united, never to be separated... and they are expressed through our ministry when we simply humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allow him to raise us up.
Please know of my prayers for each of you during this Triduum, and in your charity, I ask you to pray for me as I continue my preparations to serve as diocesan bishop for our parishes in the United States.
In Christ, our crucified Savior, I seek to be your servant.
