It’s Priesthood Sunday! And it’s the weekend before All Saints and All Souls Day so there’s a lot of connections happening in this article. Priests are not gods…. they’re fully human, flawed men, yet they’ve sacrificed their lives in love for God, and his church. As Christ laid his life down on the cross, they do the same for us in many ways, but most profoundly through the sacraments. Sacraments are encounters with God. And while each brings about that encounter in a specific, necessary, and important way, it’s through the Mass—The Eucharist, where literally, “heaven and earth kiss.” Priests act “in persona Christi”, in the person of Christ, and make the invisible a reality for the Church to be sustained and inspired. Priest’s great sacrifice transcend time and space, yet they remain humble through their service. We’ve certainly gotten to know several priests over the course of this year. And none of them raise a banner for themselves in any regard. They do what they do for the purpose and calling as priests. For as Scripture suggests, “You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4), their calling is not only charitable, but eternal. And I think the perfect example of that is the eternal priesthood of our former pastor, Fr. Krizner.
This day first and foremost makes me think of him… I cant’ help it! For sixteen years he was “my priest”—and I often called him that… my priest… not because I think he only belonged to me, or that my relationship was anything special compared to others. His relationship with all of us was unique and beautiful. But truthfully no one has been more inspirational in my life. He made everything come alive from Church feast days to every day little things, like a donut in a car ride to nowhere. He made me laugh and brought me joy… and I miss him every day. Every single day. But the thing is, even though I miss him, I feel like I know him more profoundly now than I ever did… and that all the things he taught me are now just a part of me. Like he lives through all the goodness I share… and I all I want to do is share it. That there is the beauty of All Saints and All Souls Day. Our faith teaches us that we’re not “done” here when we die. Rather, the fullness of our potential is realized as we’re not bound to our imperfections any longer.
The Gospel today gives us the greatest commandment: to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor with that Godly love. And God bless us for trying…. We try!!! But our own limitations make it impossible for us to do that perfectly. When we get to heaven, however, we can!! For we “know fully as we are fully known” as St. Paul says, and we love anyway… all that remains is love (1 Corinthians 13)! So maybe why I feel Fr. so fully and differently in my life is that all that’s left of him is the love of God through him. And from what I’ve heard from your experiences in the last seven months, you feel that love too. And I hope you channel that for all the loved ones in your life now with Jesus! This week we celebrate them!
Fr. Krizner is still my priest, now more than ever. He’s a priest forever, and he’ll continue to be a part of my life every day. And every day I remain grateful to him for his ministry… and to every priest for who they are and what they do. So on this priesthood Sunday we remember and pray for all priests in heaven where they continue to pray for us, and on earth where they continue to work for us. And while they would never ask for this… it goes without saying that they deserve a shout-out: Abbot Gary—for his big-heart and joyful smile that just beams the love God; Fr. Caesar and his passion for the faith through stories of heroic saints and the tender mercy of God; Fr. Marc’s witty insights to the Gospel message and love for his mother (it’s always fun to have a personal connection); Fr. Dan’s laugh, and practical, logical, easy- to- grasp approach to the Gospel and faith in Christ; Fr. Andrew’s profound wisdom, down-to-earth-ness, and the unrivaled joy of Jesus he brings to each and every Mass; and to Fr. Bob… for his constant selflessness and self-sacrifice…if there was ever a priest who truly cared about every sheep in his flock and who would go to any length to make sure each sheep was cared for beautifully, it would be Fr. Bob. And these past months for our parish are so indicative of that. I hope you see that too and feel every bit of gratitude as I do. And to our future, Fr. Tim: may the Lord bless him, keep him, and continue to shine every beautiful blessing upon his priesthood. Thank you, priests of God! ~Sara