Today marks the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time,
Year A of the Lectionary. Not a very significant
day for most, but for me it’s very important! It was
three years ago on this Sunday that I celebrated
my first Holy Mass, a “liturgical anniversary” of
sorts. Since the Lectionary is on a three year cycle,
these were the same readings. You’ll hear in the
Gospel about Peter walking on the water towards
Jesus. That was the image on the front of my First
Mass program.

Many times, the custom is for another priest
to preach the homily at a priest’s first Mass. The
idea is perhaps that he has enough to worry about!
Fr. Ed Gretchko hosted me for a summer while I
was a seminarian, so he graciously accepted to
preach for me. I can’t really say I remember much
of his homily. I do remember being very hot in that
church and very nervous! It’s a bit funny looking
back at it now. When you’ve done something 300
times, you stop worrying about it.

What have I enjoyed most in my three years
as a priest? One thing that stuck out to me right
away was hearing confessions. I’ve always been
struck by people’s humility and sincerity. It taught
me that we’re all basically the same, looking for
the same things, struggling in the same ways. It’s
awesome being a priest in that sacred moment.
(Here at St. Paul the Apostle, beginning next week,
we will have confessions every week on Saturdays,
starting at 3pm.)

Also humbling is the amount of trust people
put in you. People invite priests into all the most
important moments of their lives, bad or good. I
don’t consider myself worthy of that trust on my
own, but it’s because people want to invite Christ
into their life. Priesthood is a beautiful life and one
that we should do everything to encourage in our
young men who may be called to it. We may be
weak, but Christ is strong and he gives us what we
need to follow Him. Let His name be lifted up!
May He be worshipped by every human heart!