Words That Will Forever Shape Our Priesthood

Brothers, Ronel, Ronel, and Vince, until now you can pronounce these words, “Do this in memory of me,” and it will not have any power. You can just pronounce it like you read it; it will not have any effect. A few minutes from now, you can pronounce it again — “Do this in memory of me” — with me and with the brother priests, and like a miracle, “Do this in memory of me,” coming from your lips, will be powerful, will be meaningful, and will command God to come down from heaven to the altar.

You’re going to say that for the rest of your life: “Do this in memory of me.” If I were you, I would keep on repeating that in your heart right now, and you can compare later the power and the meaning it will have: “Do this in memory of me.” Because when you say those words, you allow your lips to be the lips of Jesus, you allow your hand to be the hand of Jesus, you allow your body and your blood to be the body and blood of Jesus. “Do this in memory of me.”

You have videographers and photographers to document this event because it is very important that you remember this day. As it is also important to remind you that through all the years of formation, the goal is not ordination, because ordination will last only a few minutes. The goal is a life of priesthood — a priesthood that will be lived in this life, a priesthood that will be lived in the life that is to come.

So you’re going to do this in memory of me. And memory is such a great gift, such that if you let go of memory, you’re going to hear a rebuke from the Lord — the same rebuke that is said in the Book of Revelation: “You have lost your memory, you have forgotten your first love,” and then there is nothing left but condemnation. Do not forget this day. Do not forget who you are. And let the memory that God has given you, the memory that God will continue to give you, be the sustaining force for this vocation that God has blessed you with.

So what must you remember? Remember, Vince, Ronel, and Ronel, remember that you are only human beings. You are not angels, you are not pure spirits. Your heart is made of flesh — flesh that can get sick, flesh that can rot, flesh that can be corrupted. Remember, you are not made of bronze or iron. You can be destroyed; you are not formidable. You can fall.

Remember that you’re only human. But as I say you’re only human, do not forget that you are a human who has been redeemed. You are human beings — and do not forget that you are weak human beings. And because you are weak human beings, you must not play with fire, because you will certainly fall.

Because you’re weak human beings, you must be strict with yourself but merciful with others. Do not be strict with others and loose with yourself — you’re going to lose yourself. Be strict with yourself, because you know you’re weak.

Define your parameters. Define who you are. Say to yourself, “I cannot do this.” Say to yourself, “Even if others do it, I cannot do this,” because the corruption of the best is the worst.

You are human beings — do not forget that. When you lie, your lie is more serious than the lie of a husband to his wife. When you steal, your stealing is more serious than the businessman who steals money. When you commit impurity, your impurity is worse than the impurity of a bachelor. When you say bad words, those bad words are more serious than the bad words of a teenager. Why? Because you have been redeemed. You are special. You are touched by the grace of God.

Remember, you are a human being. Remember imago Dei — created in the image of God — and keep that image clear and pure and clean.

What more should you not forget? Do not forget that you are a Christian. You are fili Dei — sons, children of God. You are not only created in His image; you have been called to be children of God by baptism. And it is fortunate that your parents are here, because they brought you for baptism. And in bringing you for baptism, you can pursue the Lord closely as children of God.

Remember, you are a Christian. It is a great dignity to be called a Christian, because being a Christian makes you an heir of heaven, an heir of life everlasting. Being a Christian is such a great honor. There are around seven billion people in the world; only two billion people have heard of Christ. You see how blessed you are? You belong to the two billion. You belong to that select group of people who can stand up and say, “I am a child of God.” You are not just a child of the president. You are not just a child of a king. You are a child of the Lord. And being a child of the Lord carries with it also a dignity and a privilege that is not given to everybody until now. You are a human being — remember that. Remember that you are a Christian. Live like a child of God.

And what more? Remember you are a human being. Remember you are a Christian. And now, remember you are a priest.

You are a priest. I told you earlier, when you fall, that fall becomes a big crash as compared to the fall of a bachelor, of a husband, of a regular man of your age. Why? Because the powers that will be given to you are not even given to angels. Angels cannot forgive sins. Angels cannot celebrate the Eucharist and command the Lord to change the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Angels cannot do that. You can.

That is why you have heard the story attributed to St. Francis of Assisi — that if he would meet an angel and a priest walking together, he would reverence the priest first before reverencing the angel, because the powers given to you are not even given to angels. You cannot completely understand how great it is to be a priest, because if you would understand, you would have to go to heaven first. You would have to die first, because your body is too small to contain the immensity of God’s love for you.

Vince, Ronel, and Ronel, do not forget your first love. Do not lose that memory of God’s goodness to you. Remember, you are human — weak. Be careful. Remember, you are a Christian — how great a dignity. Be thankful. Remember, you are a priest — and there is no dignity equal to it.

As the Lord has been generous, be generous. Be a generous priest. Be a grateful and happy priest. Be a cautious, careful priest — a reverential priest — because you are not God. You are not Superman. You are vessels of clay, and you can break and you can be crushed. Take care of the blessings that God now entrusts to you.

Later on, you will pronounce with me those words: “Do this in memory of me.” Now, I want to tell you, dear brothers, you are now part of the memory of God. And when people call on God, God will send you, and you will be the signs that God loves His people.

But as you know, sometimes the memory can fail. When you reach my age, you will notice that. There might even come a time when that memory of the mind can be completely lost. You will not remember names. You will not remember people. You will not remember events. You will remember nothing.

But the good news is: God will never forget you. God will never forget you. And God has written you in the memory of life everlasting. This is how much God loves you. This is how important you are. You are now enrolled perpetually in the memory of the Lord.

You are a priest today. You are a priest forever.