Last Friday, June 7, I had the blessed privilege to attend the priesthood ordination of my youngest brother, Raphael, in the Diocese of Monterey, California. Some of you might remember him as he served in a few Masses here at St. Cecilia’s during his seminary days. He asked me to preach at his first two Masses of Thanksgiving last weekend. It was a very packed weekend as we met and visited with family and friends coming from different places. Several St. Cecilia parishioners who have come to know him made it to the ordination. As I reflect on that glorious day, I am filled with thanksgiving for the gift of vocation. Yes, it is a gift, not a right, but a gratuitous gift. I told my brother that he and I now share a double layer of brotherhood. The first layer is, of course, by blood as he will always be my ‘little’ brother, and that wouldn’t change in the order of creation. And, the second layer is by priestly ministry, the brotherhood of the priesthood, which I am so excited for him to start living with all its joys and, at times, sorrows. The ordination happened on a Friday before Pentecost. What a great way to celebrate the birthday of the Church! As we celebrated the birthday of the Church, she was at the same time giving birth to a new priest. We refer to the Church as our “Mother”, and her motherhood was so evident that weekend as a new priest came out from her womb. I know that as a priest, we stand in the person of Christ, the Spouse of the Church, but who could ever deny that all vocations, including the priesthood, come from the womb of the Church.
But, as I reflect further on my own vocation and that of my brother, I can trace it from the womb of my own mother. The Lord said in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” Vocations don’t just fall from the sky. They are formed and nurtured in the womb of the family. I am grateful to my parents for their example and faith. My mother has always been a pillar of prayer and faith in our family. Her prayers surely played a big role in my perseverance in my own vocation. One of the touching moments in my brother’s Mass of Thanksgiving was the giving of the maniturguim of newly ordained to our mother. The maniturguim is the white cloth that was used to wipe the hands of the newly ordained after his hands were anointed with holy chrism during his ordination. According to an age-old tradition, the mother saves the towel in a safe place until she dies. Then, when her body is prepared for the funeral, the maniturgium is placed within the hands of the mother. The
tradition then narrates what happens when the priest’s mother arrives at the pearly gates of heaven.
When she arrives to the gates of heaven she is escorted directly to our Lord. Our Lord says to the woman – “I have given you life, what have you given to me?'” She hands him the maniturgium and responds, “I have given you my son as a priest.” At this Jesus grants her entry into paradise.(from www.aleteia.org)
I told them in my homily that if her first maniturgium, which she received from me during my ordination, doesn’t work, at least she has a back-up or a spare. But, knowing my mother’s spirituality, she doesn’t need any maniturgium as her faith has been the most important element in her life. The maniturgium is just a bonus. You might ask, what about the father of the ordained? He receives the stole that the newly ordained used when he heard his first confession, and it is also placed in the father’s hands when his body is being prepared for the funeral. My own Dad wasn’t able to receive it since he passed years before my ordination. As I marked my 10
th year as a priest on June 13
th, I can’t think or ask for a
better gift from God than the priesthood of my younger brother.
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity this weekend, we celebrate the love that binds the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, this Trinitarian love is the foundation of all “loves” that we have in our own lives, especially in our own vocation. In the Trinitarian love, we find a relationship that celebrates mutual respect, roles are honored, each finding joy in their unique role; there is no jealousy but only fraternal charity. No wonder the Trinitarian love is the paragon for all relationships and vocations. – Fr. Cary