The Bishop's homily for the Mass of the ordination to the Priesthood of Fr. Paul Smith

On Saturday the 26th of January, 2019, memorial day of the holy bishops, Ss. Timothy and Titus, the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Patrick McKinney, ordained to the holy Priesthood the Rev. Mr. Paul Smith, former student at the seminary of the Pontifical College of S. Bede, outside Rome. The following is the homily given by the Bishop at this event.
"Paul,
from the scripture readings for this Feast of Saints Timothy and
Titus, two disciples of the Lord and close companions of your
namesake, Paul, I’ve chosen these challenging words. They were
originally addressed by Paul to Timothy, but today I address them to
you:
“You are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord…”
"Paul, as you know from your studies at the Beda College in Rome and, before then, for some twenty years, as a committed Catholic in the world of engineering work, the importance of Christian witness is a really central thread running through all of the Church’s teaching. So, rather than quoting lots of sources, perhaps one short quotation from St. Pope John Paul II might serve to encapsulate much of this teaching and illustrate what I mean. In a most encouraging document called, The Mission of Christ the Redeemer, he said this:
“People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories. The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission. Christ whose mission we follow is the supreme witness and the model of all Christian witness.” (The Mission of Christ the Redeemer, 42)
"That
was written some years ago, but how increasingly true this is in our
society, that we look for authenticity in others, for real witness
rather than mere words. We expect authoritative words to be backed up
by personal witness, so that they are credible. So what are some of
the qualities of a good witness? In a court of law we call on
witnesses because we need their help in affirming or finding the
truth. So witnesses are people who give evidence about what they have
seen or heard or lived, at first hand. But being a good witness goes
well beyond the capacity to recall things accurately; it involves the
whole person. Cross examination or questioning of the witness tests
their integrity, their strength of character and their convictions
because, under questioning, they can be left feeling exposed and
vulnerable. In much the same way, being a Christian witness involves
the whole person, and very few of us, if any, would say that bearing
witness to Christ these days is easy, that it makes no demands upon
us. Bearing witness to Christ, striving to be his faithful disciples
today, comes at a cost.
"Paul,
your own public witness here today, to give your life in service of
the Lord as His priest, reminds all of us that we are each, in the
varying circumstances of our lives, also called to bear witness to
Christ. So who can we look to for guidance and help with this? As
Pope John Paul II reminded us, we look to the person of Jesus
himself, because He is the supreme witness to the Father. Why?
Because, as Jesus teaches us, he knew the Father uniquely: ‘No one
has ever seen God, it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s
heart, who has made him known’ (Jn. 8: 28). When Jesus spoke he was
testifying to the Father, ‘I do nothing of my own accord. What I
say is what the Father has taught me’ (Jn. 8: 28). The same could
be said about his actions. Above all, Jesus made the Father known,
not only by word and actions, but by his completely authentic life;
his attitudes and values; his willingness to serve rather than be
served, his patience, courage and self-giving. In all these ways
Jesus bore witness to the love which bound him to the Father and to
all whom the Father gave him. He was the Father’s supreme witness
because he was truly transparent, one with the Father. So, in a real
sense, we might say that the Father was able to give his testimony,
in and through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit who unites
them. So Jesus could truly say, ‘the Father and I are one’ (Jn.
10: 30).
"There is then only one perfect witness to the Father, Jesus himself. But, in and through our baptism, we are each called to allow Christ Jesus to bear witness in and through us, through our words and actions, our strengths and our weaknesses. Paul, I know that in your pastoral ministry as a deacon you have enjoyed visiting, listening to and getting to know and be close to people; you have liked to ‘walk alongside’ people and to encourage them. I pray that, in your ministry as a priest, you will continue to bear witness to Christ, whose servant you are, by walking closely with the people to whom you are sent. Strive always, with God’s help, to be authentic in the witness you bear to them. May your preaching and teaching not be just words, but rather opportunities to share humbly with others your own personal knowledge of God’s love, of how you have encountered Christ, in your prayer, in times of Adoration, in the Sacraments, especially in the Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and in and through the lives of others whom you meet. Share with them, not just by words but by the manner of your life, how Christ has called you into discipleship, and how your life as a deacon, and shortly as a priest, has been humbled and enhanced through your experience of the generous and dedicated Christian witness of the people you come into contact with. Above all, continually ask the Holy Spirit, given to you in Baptism, Confirmation, and again today in your ordination as a priest, to help you to become ever more truly authentic in your witness to Christ, and so increasingly more credible to those who meet you. As St Paul reminds us, the power given by the Holy Spirit is essential to Christian witness: ‘Nobody is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12: 3).
"Paul,
I say again, ‘You are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the
Lord’. I know it’s not an easy time to be a priest, or for any of
us to be committed Catholics. Collectively, we have much to be deeply
ashamed of in the behaviour of some of our priests and in the
failures to deal with it on the part of some of our leaders. I know
it’s tempting to want to keep our heads down and to avoid
confrontation. It’s tempting too as priests and deacons not to wear
our clerical collars out in the public square, out of shame and
embarrassment, but we are the Lord’s servants and witnesses, and
our public witness to Christ is especially needed at this time. Paul,
be courageous in the living out of your priestly ministry; may you
find real strength and encouragement in these words of St Paul from
the first reading: “bear the hardships for the sake of the Good
News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to
be holy”!
"Paul,
I’m going to ask everyone here present to pray now for a moment in
silence that the Lord, who has begun this good work in you, will
continue to bring it to completion through a long and blessed and
happy and fruitful priestly ministry. Amen!"