ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Praised be Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead and Ruler of the Kings of the earth!

Your Eminence, Cardinal Bevilacqua: Everyone is so pleased today to have you in our midst. We honor you as our former shepherd and greet you with deep affection in the Lord.

Dear brother Bishops,
Dear brother Priests in the presbyterate of Philadelphia,
Dear Deacons,
Dear Religious,
Dear Seminarians,
Dear Students,
Dear Young People preparing for Confirmation,
Dear Young Men exploring a vocation to the sacred priesthood,
Dear Friends in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Today we are united with our Holy Father Pope John Paul II, asking God to give him special grace and strength at this difficult moment in his life. We ask God to sustain him in his extraordinary witness of generosity and love. Together with all the priests of the world we give thanks to God for gathering us together on this Holy Thursday, when the Church proclaims Jesus Christ as the great High Priest anointed by the Holy Spirit.

At this Mass we celebrate the gift and mystery of the priesthood. We celebrate Jesus Christ as He Himself is anointed Priest of the New Covenant and as He shares the priesthood with those whom He has personally chosen. This is the day on which the faith of the Church shows the relationship of the priesthood to the Eucharist and the Eucharist to the priesthood. This is the day on which we express support and love for all the priests who carry forward their daily dedicated pastoral care of God's people.

This morning I would like to extend a greeting especially to all you young people who have come here from so many parishes to be with your Bishop and your priests on this Holy Thursday: the day when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood; the day when He gave priests the power to offer up the Eucharistic Sacrifice, to celebrate Mass.

This wonderful feast is the day when the Bishop comes together with his priests, as a united presbyterate, to celebrate the Eucharist. Today the Bishop also blesses the oils that benefit all the People of God and are used in administering four of the sacraments of the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Orders. Your presence here this morning, dear young people, is very important.

In the life of the Church there are different moments when we emphasize different vocations and different aspects of God's plan for His Church. For example, on the feast of the Holy Family, the Church proclaims the special importance of the family, the vocation of husbands and wives, mothers and fathers of families - and also the role of children and their importance. On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, the Church emphasizes the great value of religious consecration in the midst of the People of God. At that time she also underlines the deep meaning of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience as they are lived in joy by men and women religious throughout the world. On Deacon Day we celebrate the providential role of the diaconate in the Church and give thanks for the service that our deacons render.

Today, Holy Thursday, the Church concentrates on the Eucharist and Christ's gift of the priesthood, which benefit all people - young and old, married and single, clergy and religious. She emphasizes the importance of the vocation to the priesthood. The Church needs the priesthood. The People of God need the priesthood. Jesus Himself needs the priesthood to fulfill His plan of salvation. Today at this Mass I ask those young men who may experience a vocation to the priesthood to open their hearts to the call of our Lord and not to be afraid to say yes.

All of you, dear People of God, by your participation at this Mass show your faith in the Church, in the priesthood and in the Eucharist. You are all very much aware that despite the weaknesses and sins of individuals, the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is strong in faith and love. Our hope is in the living God. We believe in the power of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive sins, to renew hearts and to bring us all to ever deeper conversion in our lives.

On this Holy Thursday I would like to speak especially to my priests. These times are challenging for all of us and for the People of God. We pray in a special way for all our brother priests, including those who for various reasons need God's special grace and strength in a particular way. We remember those in pain, sickness and suffering. We know that Jesus our High Priest takes on the sins of all of us and offers all of us forgiveness and mercy. As ministers of reconciliation we know how much the world and ourselves constantly need repentance, pardon, penance and new life.

As a community we renew today our commitment to holiness of life, to sacred celibacy and to faithful service. It is my conviction, dear brother Priests, that you are already deeply involved in this search for holiness and in this reawakening of the ideals of total self-giving to Christ. And what strength and joy you find in this!

Dear brother priests: this is the day for all of us to re-live the joy of our ordination. This is the day for the Church to pray earnestly for vocations to the priesthood. These vocations are deeply rooted in the enduring power of Christ to attract young men to a life of generosity and sacrifice in the priesthood. In God's providence priestly vocations are also fostered by the witness of your own priestly fidelity and joy. This is the day for all priests to experience and bear witness, through the Holy Spirit, to a special relationship with Christ and therefore with the Father. We are called to experience the joy of paternity in the Church; to express gratitude for the sentiments of our people, for the love they have for priests. It is the moment to realize the esteem of the faithful for the celibacy that we have promised and that we freely, and with determination, renew today. It is the occasion to express fraternity among ourselves in the presbyterate.

It is because of the priesthood that the Church possesses the Mass, Holy Communion, Viaticum, reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration and all the Sacraments. Through the priesthood every vocation is sustained in the Church. Christian marriage and the Christian family are a special part of the daily pastoral care that priests give to the faithful. In God's plan the priesthood exists to support all God's people. And how grateful we are to the People of God here and in our parishes, and throughout the entire Archdiocese of Philadelphia, for their trust and love and support. We renew our commitment to them because we renew our commitment to Jesus Christ and to the mission of His Church. We experience confidence not because we have no weaknesses or sins, but because Jesus Christ died for us and in the Eucharist His Body and Blood are offered up to the Father "so that sins may be forgiven."

Dear brother priests: the People of God count on your love, your pastoral service, and your fidelity to the end. Jesus Himself has chosen you to serve the rest. You have been anointed like Jesus, to be able to proclaim the Gospel to the poor and to the whole world. Brother priests: never forget how important you are in God's plan of salvation! Rejoice! Be strong, be faithful! You are not alone! Mary, the Mother of Jesus is with you at all times. The prayer of Christ's Church supports you. And Jesus Himself calls you to support, by your love, one another and all your brothers and sisters in the Church.

Finally, all praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, for the gifts of the priesthood and the Eucharist - to you who have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood, who have made us into a Kingdom, priests for your God and Father, to you be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. (Cf. Rev 1:5-6).