Fr. Martin Fuchs´s sermon on 12th February 2017, Prague,
Czech republic
Septuagesima
***
When the Saviour came into
this world and founded the New Covenant, He nominated twelve men to continue
His work. He walked by the sea of Galilee and called Peter and Andrew, James
and John. “Come ye after me“, He said, “and I will make you to be fishers of
men.“ And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him.“ (Matthew 4:18-20)
After His death and His
Resurrection he made Saul fall the back of his horse and made him the most
important apostle of the Gentiles. Audible was his voice, tangible his force.
In the course of the Church´s
history He walked the earth again and again and called workers into His
vineyard.
However; in most cases this
call was not audible anymore as it had been for the apostles. But how were
these men able to hear God’s call? How did God call them into His service?
He called them, too, partly
thanks to inspiration, partly thanks to the talents which He gave them. Sometime
later this vocation was and will be confirmed and sealed by the call of the
Church, by a bishop and by a head of a religious order. On occasion of the
ordination for subdeacons a bishop admonishes candidates for the last time to
practice celibacy and to devote themselves entirely to Jesus Christ. If they
want to return to world, this is their last opportunity. If not, they shall now
make one step forward to the altar. It is a step, a great step.
Today we want to ask
ourselves how we can recognize this divine call and we want to give some
examples how different people answered this call.
How can the divine call be
recognized?
- By the pure intention
The one who in the
priesthood seeks something else than the honour of God and the salvation of
immortal souls, is certainly not called by God.
- By the mental disposition
The required knowledge is
necessary for the ordination. The candidate must have passed the matura, in
other words: the necessary studies for the university and he must have
graduated from the theological studies.
- By the moral disposition
He must lead a pure life and
be ready to renounce to a family.
- By the love for prayer
The priest is a man of
prayer. The one who does not like to pray, must not become a priest, because
about 50 % of his daily labour are filled with prayer: the breviary, the
rosary, spiritual lectures, Bible lectures, contemplation etc.
- By the mental and physical health
There must be no obstacle to
ordination such as epilepsy, dumbness, deafness, blindness or miscreation or
nanism.
Due to these handicaps a
priest would not be able to administer the sacraments for which speech, sense
of hearing and sight are required.
A disease such as epilepsy
would also interfere with the work of the priest.
For example even the Pope
Pius IX had not initially been admitted for priesthood but he was healed on the
occasion of a pilgrimage to Loreto.
If a priest gets blind or deaf
later, he will not be able to perform the duties of priesthood any longer, or
just in a limited way. A blind priest would be allowed to always say the same
Mass, in honour of the Saint Virgin for example.
If all proper abilities are
given and if the Church confirms the vocation before the ordination to the
subdeaconate, the candidate must no longer doubt of the divine call.
There are of course men who
do not follow the call despite all these criterions. Many follow the call, some
do not want to hear it, some betray it and some force it.
Let us have a closer look at
the answer of four men:
- A loyally practiced vocation
At the time of Jesus there
was a rich publican named Levi. Day after day he sat at his receipt of custom
and went about his lucrative business. His very thought and wish was money and
gain. It was out of question for him to change his profession. One day Jesus
passed by the receipt of custom and something strange happened. A look of
Jesus’s eyes like a flash from different world, a light falls into Levi’s soul,
short words so mild and friendly and yet so imperious and irresistible: “Follow
me. And leaving all things, he rose up and followed him.“ (Luke 5:27-28)
The publican Levi became the
apostle Matthew. With all his might he spread the Word of God. He wrote down
the first Gospel. And finally he joyfully gave his life for his Master.
- A forfeited vocation
A rich young farmer lived on
a large farm. He had everything of luck on earth and joy of living which a
young heart could wish for and yet he was discontented.
He searched for everlasting
life, went to Christ, went on his knees to him and asked fervently: “Good
master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?“ Jesus told him:
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments: Thou shalt do no murder,
Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness. Honour thy father and thy mother and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.“ The young man said to him: “All these I have kept from my youth, what
is yet wanting to me?“ Jesus looked at him and said: “If thou wilt be perfect,
go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come follow me.“ And when the young man had heard this word, he went
away sad, for he had great possessions.“ (Matthew 19:16-22)
This young man had a divine
call, he had lived an irreproachable youth, without blemish or blame. Christ
showed him the way of perfection. Just the young man’s consent was missing. But
he didn’t give it. Sadly he went away. What would have happened if this young
man had accepted Christ’s invitation, just like Peter, Andrew, James, John and
the other apostles? He would certainly have saved many souls. But now… what an
enormous tragedy!
If we think of Jonah in the
Old Testament who also wanted to flee the divine call and who, struck a second
time by God’s grace, thrown into the Ocean and spit to the shore by the whale,
converted 40,000 Ninivites, we cannot measure the damage of an unanswered call.
- A betrayed vocation
When Our Lord Jesus Christ
chose the twelve apostles among the group of His disciples, He also called
Judas Iscariot and Judas followed this call. He was qualified for the position
of an apostle mentally and morally and his call had been sealed by the choice
of the Lord and by his own consent.
For three years he was
living very close to Christ and was an eye- and ear-witness of His divine words
and deeds.
A secret passion, however,
captivated him: his love for money. He was ready to sacrifice everything for
that. Thus apostasy was the last station of his way. He was the one who,
according to the Eucharistic speech, did not believe. (John 6:65, 71)
Betrayal, despair, and
finally suicide followed. The betrayed profession. It would have been better
for him not to have been born.
- A forced vocation
It was in France towards the
end of the 18th century. A young son of a count, Charles Maurice
Talleyrand, lived in Paris: He was endowed with outstanding intellectual
talents but he seemed not to be fit for a secular profession, especially a
military career, because he limped. So his family intended him to join the
clergy and he became the priest, without having an inner call nor a
qualification or inclination for the clergy. He was highly talented but only
for the secular career and not for the ecclesiastical office; for the political
career, but not for the religious office.
God had not called him:
“Come ye after me!“ Only the will of his family was decisive for him. He even
became the bishop. When the French Revolution broke out, he immediately joined
the Church’s enemies and betrayed the inviolable rights of the Church and the
Pope. He renounced his diocese and joined the civil service. He occupied the
office of Foreign Minister of the Republic and the Empire for ten years, thus
being a State’s servant and a betrayer of the Church.
Pope Pius VII transferred
him to laity. He got married but without papal dispensation. He died at the age
of 84, after having worked for almost fifty years afar from and against the
Church. On the day of his death he wrote a letter to the Pope, revoked all
aberrations of his life, reconciled himself with the Church and received the
last rites. A forced profession – an unhappy profession.
The Lord’s call and the
sincere answer and cooperation make an apostle a fertile apostle. Let us pray
for vocations to priesthood, for many vocations to priesthood, for many saint
vocations to priesthood.
It was no doubt a special
matter that was near our Saviour’s heart, since he had formulated few intents
as expressly as the prayer for vocations to the priesthood: “Pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.“ (Matthew
9:38)
Amen.
