Holy Mass with Priestly Ordinations
ShareOn Sunday, 11 August 1985, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass with priestly ordinations in Yaoundé (Cameroon). In his homily, the Pope spoke on the Transfiguration.
1. “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” ( Mk 9:7).
These words were heard by the apostles Peter, James and John on Mount Tabor , at the time of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
In a certain sense, we too hear them, all of us who participate in the sacrament of the altar when the priest pronounces over the bread and wine the words: “This is my body”, “This is my blood”, the Eucharistic words of the transfiguration.
By the power of these words, by the will of Christ , the bread becomes the body, and the wine becomes the blood of our crucified, risen and glorified Lord.
Through the reality of the holy sacrament, Christ becomes present , the same one who was present on the mountain of the Transfiguration the day the apostles heard the word of the Father: “This is my beloved Son: listen to him”.
2. It is in fact Christ whom we approach, whom we listen to and whom we look at with admiration, whom we venerate and adore, filled with religious fear, respect and joy. He is like the Son of Man whom Daniel glimpsed . In a prophetic vision, he appeared to him in the cloud, which evokes at the same time the glory of God and the mystery that surrounds him. He alone has access to the throne of God; to him is given the kingship of all nations (cf. Dan 7:13-14). For Peter and the other apostles who contemplated him with their own eyes on the holy mountain of Galilee, Jesus himself, the Son of God made man, receives the honor and glory that radiates from God , the testimony that he is the beloved Son , in whom the Father has placed all his love (cf. 2 Pet 1:17). The mission of Moses, the leader of the saved people, and that of Elijah, the prophet par excellence, converged toward him. Indeed, he now takes on the features attributed to God himself by Daniel's vision: like an old man, God appeared to him above every creature, with a face and clothes of a luminous whiteness that surpasses in splendor anything that can be imagined. Jesus now has this splendor for all eternity, after he, risen from the dead, sits at the right hand of the Father. To him it was given to open the sealed book that is in the hand of God (cf. Rev 5:7). The transfiguration announced his resurrection and his ascension. Already during his earthly life, even if this remained habitually veiled, he was the Lord . And the mystery of his person is that, from eternity, he is the Son, the Word, totally united with the Father (cf. Jn 1:18). Coming in the flesh, he revealed the Father. And the apostles saw his glory (cf. Jn 1:14).
He is our beloved Lord. To be our Savior, he lived among us. He became a servant. He gave his life. He gave, he gives us his body and his blood, so that we may become with him children of God.
Behold, dear brothers and sisters, the greatness of the mystery that we celebrate today. Come, let us adore the Savior! Let us draw near to him in thanksgiving! Let us enter with him into the cloud, that is, into the intimacy of God. And from now on let us live as children of God, as brothers upon whom God has made the light of his Son shine.
3. This mystery concerns us all.
It concerns you, first of all, dear deacon friends, who will receive, with priestly ordination, the power of the Holy Spirit, to participate in a special way in the intimate life of Christ and in his mission as Savior.
It concerns all of you who participate in this liturgy as pastors or as members of the People of God in Cameroon . I greet in a special way the Archbishop of Yaoundé, Monsignor Jean Zoa, and all the Bishops of this ecclesiastical province which I am visiting today in its metropolitan see, the Bishops and diocesans of Bafia, Bertoua, Doumé-Abong-Mbang, Mbalmayo, Sangmélima. I also greet the Bishops and Christians who have come from other provinces of Cameroon, particularly from the dioceses of the ordinands. I also thank His Excellency the President of the Republic and the civil authorities, as well as the representatives of the other religious communities who have wished to associate themselves, in the capital of Cameroon, with this great event of the Catholic community which celebrates its Lord in communion with the Successor of Peter, at the moment of the ordination of new priests.
And let us not forget that we pray in union with our brothers and sisters gathered in Nairobi. Today, in fact, the celebrations of the 43rd International Eucharistic Congress begin there , which is one of the reasons that prompted me to make my third pastoral journey to Africa now and which will be the culminating moment of this journey.
4. The priest is called in a particular way to be a witness of the Lord who is transfigured , not only in the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, but in that transfiguration which he has left us forever in the Eucharistic mystery . And here the priest does not limit himself to being the witness: he is the minister of the Eucharistic transubstantiation , which is like a transfiguration, a manifestation, with which Christ is always and continually present among us in a sacramental way. He makes himself present to accomplish his unique and sublime sacrifice. With the sacrament of priestly ordination, the baptized person becomes a minister of this sacrifice: he acts with the power of Christ, in the name of Christ, “in persona Christi” .
5. The apostles were made witnesses of the transfiguration, they were the first to be made ministers of the Eucharist. Having entered into the intimacy of the divine mystery of Jesus on the mountain, they took part in the table of the Supper on Holy Thursday, then they were witnesses of the passion and finally of the resurrection. They saw and heard; they received the mission: “Go, teach”. “You will do this in memory of me”.
The bishops fully inherit this apostolic mission. And this morning, with the gesture of the imposition of our hands, transmitted by the apostles, and with the prayer of the Church, fifteen sons of this country receive the priesthood and become close collaborators of their bishops. "I no longer call you servants, I call you my friends", said Christ to his apostles at the moment in which he revealed and transmitted to them his sacred mysteries (cf. Jn 15:15).
Dear friends whom I am about to ordain as priests, you receive from the Lord the mission to serve the people of God, around your bishops, with the power that belongs to Christ the priest alone, the power to teach, to sanctify , to guide as a good shepherd. In your priestly action, always have as your objective to allow your brothers and sisters to become living members of the body of Christ, participants in his divine life, inspired by his love for the Father and for men, united to his sacrifice. The Eucharist will always be the culmination of this ministry.
But you must first form the faithful in the faith, whether they are adults, young people or children; you will faithfully and fearlessly proclaim the word of God, the mystery of Christ, the entire Gospel, which is both the good news of God's love and the call to conversion. You will proclaim it to those who are not yet initiated into the faith, in a missionary spirit, and to those who are more or less familiar with it so that they can deepen it. You will do so according to the teaching of the Church, to which Christ entrusted his message so that she can make it explicit and deepen it with the assistance of the Holy Spirit throughout the centuries. You too will never fail to meditate on the word of God to teach what you believe and live what you teach. You are associated with the preaching of Jesus our Master.
The Lord associates you at the same time with all his work of sanctification , through the sacraments that he has given to his Church. You are called to bring men into the people of God through Baptism, and - in this intense stage of evangelization in Cameroon - there are many catechumens. The Lord also entrusts to you the task of watching over the reconciliation of baptized sinners by calling them to conversion and offering them the sacrament of Penance; the task of visiting and strengthening the sick with the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick; of preparing and blessing the sacramental covenant of spouses. Above all, you are given the task of renewing the Lord's Supper to offer the faithful who approach communion the bread of life.
You will fulfill, in obedient communion with your bishops, the mission of leaders and pastors . To the people entrusted to you, you will indicate the path to God and the rules of life that will allow each member to exercise all the responsibility that belongs to him, in the Church and in society. You will ensure that unity and charity, the touchstone of Christ's disciples, are maintained among all your Christians.
6. You will carry out this entire ministry, dear friends, with the grace of Christ, in all humility : “You did not choose me, but I chose you . . . that you might bear fruit” (cf. Jn 15:16). But for your testimony to be credible, for the grace that you carry as in earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7) to reach souls deeply, it is necessary that you conform your life to the task you carry out. In celebrating the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, take care to put to death every evil inclination in you. You have prepared yourselves for the priesthood through serious theological studies; you will have to deepen this evangelical education with ongoing doctrinal formation. You will be masters of prayer: first of all, like the apostles on the mountain, you must practice with the Lord the prayer of intimacy, which will allow you to live all the acts and all the encounters of your ministry under the gaze of Christ. Even more: you are called to express, in the name of the people of God and of the world, thanksgiving and supplication. You are at the service of men in their relationship with God: teach the laity to manage temporal affairs according to God, but as for you, do not let yourselves be absorbed in profane activities, while there is so much to do for the kingdom of God to which you have given your life. Honor the call of Christ! May the faithful understand, through the witness of your life, that you consecrate to him not only your time , but the powers of love that are in you, to serve him in chastity, in a poor life and completely available to God and to others!
Then, trials, misunderstandings, even slander and persecution may come, as it is said in the Beatitudes, as it is announced to the disciples of the crucified Christ, but you will remain firm. Christ will support you; you will know the peace and joy promised to his good servants. Your heart will remain on Tabor.
7. Then, dear friends, this joy of being associated with Christ the Savior will produce another effect: you will attract not only your faithful to the Christian life, to the missionary spirit, but you will draw other young people to leave everything for Christ, you will inspire other priestly and religious vocations . Is this not proof of the quality of a priestly life? Cameroon has had a remarkable number of vocations. From the beginning, missionaries have devoted their care to these new recruits. And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the ordination of the first eight priests of Cameroon, one of whom is still among us: I am referring to the Reverend Jean-Oscar Awué, to whom I impart a special apostolic blessing. But the harvest is abundant. Let us pray to the Lord to raise up for his harvest more workers, with the gifts of perseverance, solidity, maturity, holiness, not only to cultivate and deepen the Christian life of those who are already evangelized, but to announce the Gospel to all those who do not yet have the grace to know it in each diocese, and particularly in the north of Cameroon where missionary work is still in its infancy. May I confide to you that the other countries of the African continent are also waiting for African missionaries?
8. In addition to the ordinands of today, I address their parents , their friends, their educators , the parishes , the seminaries that have allowed these vocations to blossom, to germinate, to mature. How beautiful it is to lead and accompany one of your own to the priesthood! It is God who gives his grace to the ordinands, but he has made use of your collaboration, your example, your availability. Have my congratulations! May the Lord bless you! Continue to nourish vocations like these! And also be careful to support with your prayer, with your benevolence, with your cooperation, the priests that God has given you. Always welcome them with the respect and trust that the Lord's envoys deserve.
9. On Mount Tabor the apostles - Peter, James and John - saw Jesus "transfigured" , who announced the glory in which he would remain after his resurrection. And this made their Master say "not to tell anyone what they had seen, until after the Son of man had risen from the dead" ( Mk 9:9). They did not understand what these words meant, just as we undoubtedly do not yet understand the depth of the mystery of Jesus, not even on the day of our ordination. It is first necessary to follow Christ in a spiritual experience that passes through the cross. The apostles understood this only after the resurrection. And they became witnesses of the crucified Christ who rose in glory.
Of him, they bore witness unto death, unto the shedding of their blood. This testimony continues in the Church . It passes from generation to generation. It reached your country, a hundred years ago, in Yaoundé, in Cameroon, as in all of Africa. And it must be carried by you, to the ends of the earth, to all the nations, tribes and families of the earth. It is the will of the Lord. It is he who sends us. For the salvation of the world.
10. The apostles also heard, on Mount Tabor, a voice coming from the cloud: “Listen to him” ( Mk 9:7). Thus the heavenly Father gave his testimony about his only Son, Christ: “Listen to him” .
At Cana in Galilee, as an echo of these words of the Father, the Mother of Christ, of the Son of Man, also said to the servants at the wedding: “Do whatever he tells you” ( Jn 2:5).
Dear priests ordained today, you must welcome these words with all your heart! You must transmit them to others and, in this way, build the Church .
The Church of the living God is built in the hearts of men through obedience to Christ, to the one who himself became “obedient unto death, even death on a cross” ( Phil 2:8). Only then does the Church – which is the body of Christ – shine with the splendor that enveloped him on Tabor (cf. “Prefatio” Missae). Yes, remain in his light! Listen to him! Let us listen to him!
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