Homily for the First Mass of Fr. Paul T. Ward: May 30, 2004

Sacred Scripture calls him salt of the earth, light of the world (Mt 5:13,14); a man of God (1Tm 6:11); servant of God (Tit. 1:1); friend of Christ (Jn 15:15); steward of the mysteries of God (1Co 4:1); minister of reconciliation (2Co 5:18); ambassador for Christ (2Co 5:20). Of all dignities that can be bestowed on a man, none can match the priesthood. Saint John Chrysostom declared, “the work of a priest is done on earth, but is ranked among heavenly ordinances...While still remaining in the flesh, the priest re-presents the ministry of the angels in heaven (III,4).”

Yesterday at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Cardinal Maida ordained Paul T. Ward a priest, enabling him to perform acts which–apart from the sacrament of Holy Orders–are beyond the powers of man. Father Ward, while remaining as he was before in all other respects, is now related to the divine in a unique way such that what he does on earth as a priest is ratified by God in heaven.

His essential act as priest, of course, will be to offer the holy sacrifice of the altar. “No act,” says Saint Thomas Aquinas, “is greater than the consecration of the body of Christ” (ST Suppl. Q40,4,obj 2). And every activity of his from now on, should be related to this function of the priest. Henceforth, the offering of Mass will be the defining activity of his whole life. It is said of Saint Francis de Sales that made a resolution of directing every action of his day as a preparation for his next Mass. When someone would ask him what he was doing at any given moment, his accustomed reply was, “I’m preparing myself to celebrate Mass” (Dom Marmion: Christ the Life of the Soul, p. 273). In this sense, saying Mass is immensely more than a perfunctory daily exercise. The deeper and comprehensive meaning of the daily Mass for the personal life of the priest is indicated in the words of the ordination ceremony when the ordaining bishop hands over the chalice to the newly-ordained and admonishes him: “Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to Him. Know what you are doing; imitate the mystery you celebrate; model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” The true priest then offers not only the Lamb of God on the altar, but also, in a symbolic and secondary sense, he immolates himself by identifying with Christ the Victim, who gave His life as a ransom for the many.

The other essential and privileged work of a priest is absolving sins. While it’s true that “no one can forgive sin but God alone” (Mk 2:7), yet God bestows upon His priests (cf. Mt 9:8) the power for this ministry of reconciliation (2Co 5:18): “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:23).

In conferring these superhuman capabilities upon Father Ward, God has selected him in preference to many others. This is the Lord’s doing. No one can make himself a priest. Rather–like Christ Himself–one must be appointed to the office of priest “according to the order of Melchizadek” (Hb 5:10). Many saints, despite their remarkable abilities and exalted sanctity, hesitated to become priests. Saint Ambrose fled and hid himself, finally yielding to pressure before he could be prevailed upon to be ordained; Saint Augustine avoided the company of bishops for fear they might ordain him; Saint Jerome resisted ordination for a long time; Saint Francis of Assisi, in awe of the sacerdotal state, was content to remain a deacon. Although no priest is in a proper sense worthy of it, yet some of those who, in the eyes of men, would be the most worthy of the priesthood are not granted it. The Lord calls those whom He wills. Father Ward has been called by the Church for this very service. In accepting it, he follows Christ who has made him a fisher of men (cf. Mk 1:17): “you have not chosen me, I have chosen you and appointed you” (Jn 15:16). He is now so closely conformed to Christ that the tradition of the Church does not hesitate to call him alter Christus, another Christ. But this unique privilege is not conferred upon him for his personal benefit only, but so that Christ can extend His overarching Priesthood to the people of our day. In all that Father Ward will do–preaching the Word of God, dispensing the sacraments, teaching the faith, counseling, admonishing sinners–he will be impersonating Christ, He who came to serve, not to be served (Mk 10:45).

For all this lofty dignity, however, a priest remains a man, with all the shortcomings of his fallen human condition. The weaknesses of a priest cannot easily be concealed. His high position in the Church exposes to view not only whatever measure of holiness and virtue he may have acquired, but also his defects. We are only too aware of this today. But–major personal defects and notorious sins aside–the faults and imperfections of a priest can be useful to him in making him humble and in helping him to be sympathetic with the sinful tendencies of his penitents (cf. Hb 4:15). Saint Paul admonished Timothy: “Take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold fast to that, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Tm 4:16).

The good priest of today, besides modeling his life on Christ’s and trying to be a good example for others, has also to preach a way of life to people who may often be resistant to his words. Besides the expected opposition from the world, there is a huge work of bringing back lapsed and disaffected Catholics to the regular practice of the faith; of admonishing sinners to repent and to the shun the ubiquitous filth; and the necessary work of recalling a rebellious laity to conformity with the Church’s teachings, especially those of sexual morality. To do this, a priest must sometimes become a heroic spokesman for Christ and a sign of contradiction to prevailing attitudes.

And so, you see, Father Ward will have need of our prayers and sacrifices to help him carry out his allotted portion of this work. But he will also derive strength for this through fidelity to prayer and to his vow of clerical celibacy. This is often misunderstood. The demands this imposes upon him can be a powerful ally and source of strength for him. While it’s often claimed that celibacy is a difficult burden, it’s not so often remembered that it is a gift from God to accomplish His own divine purposes. By this manner of dying to self, by this voluntary offering of himself for the service of Christ in celibate life, fresh vitalities will spring from Father Ward’s priesthood that will enable him to be a true ‘father,’–that name of hallowed and time-honored usage. Saint Paul referred to himself as “a father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (1Co 4:15). May Father Ward, like Abraham “our father in faith” (Roman Canon), have an immense spiritual progeny that will number as many as the stars in the sky, or the sands on the shore of the sea (Gn 22:17).

We cannot fail to note in Father Ward’s life a tender devotion to our Lady, Holy Mary, the Mother of God. He has already consecrated himself to her by an act that will surely be a source of strength and consolation for him in the days ahead. Holy Mary loves priests because she can see in them the image of her own Son, the Priest. For every difficulty in the exercise of his sacred ministry, Father Ward will do well to have recourse to the holy Mother of God. Chrysostom wrote that “More billows toss the priest’s soul than the gales which trouble the sea.” The Blessed Virgin Mary understands this since she herself endured many trials with her Son. Her union in suffering with Him on Calvary made her especially well suited to assist the priest who daily renews that same sacrifice on the altar. The words of Christ from the cross to Saint John are directed also to the priest, “Behold your Mother.” To the Blessed Virgin, and to God Himself, you, Father, are truly a beloved son, and upon you they pour all the affection of heaven.

I close with a more personal note. I have found in Father Paul not only a fellow priest, but a kindred spirit and friend, one who shares many of the same hopes as I for the rebirth of Catholic cult and culture. This is notably evident in his admirable choice of celebrating his first Mass in Latin, thus placing himself next in the long line of Catholic priests who, from many centuries past, have celebrated their first Masses in Latin. That he is also committed to authentic Catholic theology rooted in Saint Thomas Aquinas makes him all the more precious to us in these times of mental fogginess, indecision, banality, sentimentality, and of that preference for a cultivated ambiguity that avoids the use of the words ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’

We look for great things from you, indeed, Father Paul, but, I believe, your highest achievement will be to have attained to the glorious stature of what was once a commonplace: a faithful and good priest. May the grace of God grant you this above all, for you indeed are in league with Christ the Priest in doing an indispensable work for the welfare of all humanity:

You, Father, are a priest forever.