Homily - 2nd Church

Last Sunday, we began the final season of the liturgical year named Sanctification or the Crowning of the Church.

In this season, ask the question, how does Christ, after accomplishing his work on Earth, wish to continue his work in the people of God the church. How does he wish to continue to make holy his people?

We can often look at the world and acknowledge that Jesus accomplished what he needed to do on this Earth for salvation for the entire world, but then see, there’s still so many people who are not living in that salvation?

We can think Christ came and solved the problem of sin, the real human sickness, but so many of us are still living as victims to this disease?

So the question is, is Christ’s work done, or has it just begun?

The Church continues the work of healing and salvation for all humanity and it does this through the sacraments as ministered through the priesthood. Did Christ intend to have priests though? Let’s look at the Scriptures.

We read today that the disciples are plucking grain on the sabbath which was outlawed for any faithful Jew who is supposed to “abstain from physical labor” on the Sabbath, the Lord’s day.

Jesus defends his disciples with the one exception given in the Jewish law: that the people allowed to labor on the Sabbath were priests. So here, Jesus is not only declaring that he himself is a priest, but his disciples too, are priests like him, guiltless of laboring on the sabbath.

Look at me a priest. Surely we labor, work, and serve diligently throughout the week, but our main labor is on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.

My friends, consider this story of the gospel as an affirmation of the Lord’s ministerial priesthood that he established from the beginning.

Through this priesthood, God has bound healing and forgiveness through absolution in confession and the anointing of the sick.

Through this priesthood, God has bound birth, life anew, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through baptism and confirmation.

Through the hands of the priest, God has exclusively bound the transformation of bread and wine, to become his very own body and blood for you to receive and be satisfied.

This priesthood, which myself and my brother priests are so unworthy of, is God’s way of completing the work in his people the Church. Yes, priests are imperfect, human, and we can mess up often. But that is even more of a reason to pray that we can be happy, humble, and holy.

The priesthood is a sign of Christ’s promise to be stay faithful to his church and see to it that his church is made holy so it can receive the crown of the royal kingdom of God and the crown of Victory after His work is complete in us. I hope the priesthood continues to be a sign and reminder that God has not given up on you.

May continue to pray for our priests knowing that God is among us wishing to continue the good work he began in us and bring it to completion, Amen.