"These sign will accompany those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons... they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18)
Today, Holy Thursday, is the institution
of the Sacrament of the Holy Order. The catechism of the Catholic Church define
the Holy Order as a Sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to
his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time:
thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees:
episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate (CCC, 1536).
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal
High Priest. The author of the book of Revelation (in today's second reading)
describes him as the "Alpha and Omega,” (Rev 1:5-8). He is the beginning
and the end, the Anointed One, the Messiah.
In the Gospel of Luke 4:18 (today's
gospel) Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach the good
news to the poor.” As the Eternal High Priest our Lord Jesus Christ was
anointed to:
1) preach the good news to the poor
2) to proclaim release to the captives
3) recovery of sight to the blind
4) to set at liberty those who are
oppressed
5) to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord. These were exactly what He did when He was in the world.
My dear fellow priests, Priests of the
Most High God, Beloved sons of our Mother Mary, today, as we renew our priestly
vow, I want to use this medium to remind ourselves the essence of our Priestly
ministry. The priestly office we are holding is a noble one. As the author of
the book of Hebrew rightly declares, "no man takes this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."
(Hebrew 5:4).
As a priest of the Most
High God, I
consider myself the most favoured person on earth. I often ask myself, who am I
to share in the priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. And am quite aware that many are called but
few are chosen. I remain ever grateful to God for considering me, though
unworthy as I am to be among the few chosen ones.
As our Lord Jesus Christ rightly
declares in Luke 12:48, to whom much is given much is expected. Like our Lord
Jesus Christ, every ordained Priest is expected to preach the gospel, not only
to the rich but also, and essentially to the poor. We must proclaim release to
the captives through our undiluted message. We must proclaim recovery of sight
to the blind, by opening the eyes of people to see the truth and the path to
salvation. We must liberate those who are oppressed through deliverance and
healing ministry. Above all, we must proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
We must take it upon ourselves to comfort the dejected children of God as the
Lord God declares through the prophet Isaiah 40:1-2.
The envy and even the attack against
healing and deliverance ministers is a clear indication that we are gradually
missing the point for which we are ordained. That majority of priests are
ignorant of their calling does not in any way justify their ignorance.
Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly declares in
the gospel of Mark 16:17-18, "These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will cast
out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in
their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them;
they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Jesus did not
say that the sign of a true believer or a true minister is not how many
academic degree or qualification one is able to acquire. He did not even say it
is base on ones position in the Church either as a bishop or as a superior.
Like our Lord Jesus Christ, we, priests of the Most High God must be ready to
cast out demons. As St. John rightly declares, "The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to
destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). The works of the devil can
be destroyed through deliverance - Yes, it is possible!
As
ministers of God, we must speak, not only in Latin or other foreign languages
but in a new tongue (1 Corinthian 14). We must be ever ready to lay our hands
on the sick - and they will certainly recover! In our world today, most people
are attacked spiritually instead of receiving spiritual healing through Men of
God they only depend on medical doctors who have little or nothing to offer as
long as spiritual attacks are concerned. Doctors can only cure but only God can
heal and He does that perfectly through healing ministers. May I use this
medium to encourage my fellow priests, especially those who have the gift of
healing, to use their divine gifts for the glory of God and for the salvation
of souls - and not for money making!
As
we reflect on the essence of our calling, as priests of the Most High God; and
as we renew our priestly commitment today, I wish all my fellow Priests God's
abundant blessings and divine protection in the Lord's vineyard. Happy Priestly
anniversary to you all - From your Humble Servant, Rev. Fr. John Damian Adizie
of the Holy Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment