Homily: Priests’ Retreat, October 7, 2004

Bishop John T. Steinbock, Diocese of Fresno

I asked the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament “what should I tell my brother priests in my homily as we end retreat?” “What is it that You want me to tell my brother priests?”

I sensed the Lord telling me exactly that. To simply tell you: That you are my brothers. That I love each and every one of you and give thanks to God for each and every one of you, whether you are incardinated or non-incardinated, whether you are a Religious or secular priest, whether you are young or old. I truly love each and every one of you and give thanks to God for all of you.

I am not simply your brother, but as the Bishop, I love you also as a Father loves his own sons, and I want only the best for every one of you. I want so much for all of you to be happy and joyful priests, filled with the love of God in your own personal lives.

But also to let you know that I realize as much as everyone of you just how human we all are, myself included, how weak, and at times in our lives, how sinful. Yet the wonder of our faith is knowing God continues to love us, no matter what, and to let you know that your Bishop also loves you, no matter what.

All of us struggle in our lives, at times more than other times. At times we are blest with beautiful experiences of God using us to bring his love and mercy to the people we serve. At times, we are discouraged perhaps with our own weakness or sinfulness, at times, because others so misunderstand us or judge and condemn us, sometimes with reason, but usually without reason.

I want you to know that I struggle with you, and as a father, pray above all that we truly live as loving brothers, helping one another, caring for one another, encouraging one another, forgiving one another, being there for one another. When one is strong, I pray that he may be there for someone going through a time of difficulty and weakness. Because the one who is strong today, may be the one in need tomorrow. That’s the journey of our lives, with its ups and downs, with good times and bad times, with joyful times and struggling times.

But it is a journey lived in faith: Faith in God’s love for us, no matter what; trust in His constant merciful love, no matter what. Living in faith is living above all trusting in the presence and the power of the love of Jesus within us, which can take us beyond our own weakness and frailty when we open ourselves to that power of Christ.

We all know that Christ in the Eucharist must be the center of our lives. We were ordained for the Eucharist. We were ordained to bring the Eucharist to God’s people.

But just as important is our own personal and private prayer life, inspired by the Holy Scriptures, which is meant to lead us to Christ in the Eucharist and to flow from Christ in the Eucharist.

So important is private personal prayer in our lives--time spent in quiet and alone with the Lord, simply reflecting on His love for us, his presence and power and love within us, reflecting on his working in our lives every day, giving him thanks for His love and asking that we may give our lives, in turn, to him in love, who loves us so much, even in our times of sinfulness. It is that personal prayer that is meant to integrate every aspect of our lives into an offering of love at the Holy Eucharist. What is important is not whether we enjoy that time of prayer, but what is important is that we give the Lord the time, each and every day. And if we lapse, to begin again. He is always waiting for us.

Prayer is not so much for our consolation, as it is to give our lives to the Lord, and that the Lord can work wonders in our lives. The Lord will fill the hearts of those who give him the time faithfully and who wait and seek him sincerely and in love. “How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Ask, seek, knock, desire, hope and pray with patience and perseverance, and the Lord will answer in his own good time.

The more we understand and reflect within ourselves on the merciful love of Christ in our own personal lives, the more we are able to proclaim that love of Christ to the people we serve in every aspect of our lives. But even for this we are totally and completely dependent on God’s grace.

God bless each and every one of you. You are a great gift of God for his people, no matter what struggles you have gone through and may be going through right now in your lives. You are also a great gift for me as the Bishop, and a gift for one another. Thank you for your faithfulness in being there for God’s people, even as you may be struggling in your own personal lives.

The last words of St Therese, our patroness, before dying, spoke of her going to God with “confidence and love.” Come to the Lord each day with confidence and love. He loves you. I love you and may Christ in each of us lead us always to love and support one another, that God may use us all solely for his will and for his glory. That is the bottom line of all Christian spirituality—surrendering totally to the will of God--that alone can fill us with the fullness of Christ’s joy and peace.

Through our devotion to our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Mother of Priests, may our heavenly Mother help us to be formed ever more, little by little, to the image of her Divine Son, so that God’s people may always find Christ’s merciful love in and through our priesthood.