Welcoming him as the cross and the Holy Father begin to process into St. Peter's Basilica, and we prepare to... With this hymn we prepare ourselves to take part in this Mass with the entrance antiphon, which is: 'Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.'
We see the Holy Father, Pope Leo the Fourteenth, processing into St. Peter's Basilica. The antiphon reads: 'Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.' 'I love you, Lord, my strength, my fortress where I take refuge, my savior. In my anguish I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.'
He reverences the altar and begins to incense the altar, making his way around to incense the cross.
And we begin this liturgy with the liturgical greeting.
Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart, we contemplate in Christ's pierced side the treasure of grace entrusted to the Church, his bride. From this wound of love flow the sacraments and the gift of the ministerial priesthood which will be conferred on these beloved sons. Let us pray that the Spirit of holiness will bind their ministry to the heart of Jesus, so that conformed to him they may bring the living water of salvation to all people. In order that we may approach the Lord's table worthily, let us invoke the Father's mercy with repentant hearts.
I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do. Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Let us pray. Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who glory in the heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that font of heavenly gifts, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
The first reading is taken from the prophet Ezekiel, 34:11-16, and will be read in English.
A reading from the prophet Ezekiel. Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep. And I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel by the ravines and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the stray, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
The responsorial psalm is: 'The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.'
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul.
He guides me along the right path for the sake of his name. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me. Your crook and your staff will give me comfort.
You have prepared a table before me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for length of days unending.
The second reading is from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. Brothers and sisters, God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord. I know my sheep, and my own know me.
And the deacon opens the book of the Gospels. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. And the deacon incenses the book of the Gospels.
At that time Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes this parable: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The deacon is returning with the book of the Gospels so that the Holy Father may reverence it and bless the congregation.
And now the Holy Father begins the rite of ordination to the priesthood. The Holy Father will call the candidates and then ask them... This is called the election, and those who are to be ordained will be called forward by a deacon, and after they have come forward, a priest who has been involved in their formation will present them to the Church and ask the Pope to ordain them. After inquiring if they are worthy to be ordained, the bishop accepts the request of the priest, and the priests shall show their consent by saying, 'Amen.' And we hear that the priest says: 'Let those to be ordained priests come forward.' And each name is said, and each responds, 'Present.'
Each of the candidates was called by name and responds, 'Here I am.' Archbishop Renato Physic asks the Holy Father: 'Most blessed Father, Holy Mother Church asks you to ordain these men, our brothers, to the responsibility of the priesthood.' The Holy Father responds: 'Do you know them to be worthy?' After inquiry among the Christian people and upon the recommendation of those responsible, I testify that they have been found worthy. Leo responds: 'Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, we choose these our brothers for the order of the priesthood.' And everyone responds: 'Thanks be to God.'
And now the Holy Father will deliver his homily, which I will translate into English.
Today, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the day of prayer for the sanctification of priests, we celebrate this Eucharist with great joy as part of the Jubilee of Priests. Before all else, dear brother priests, I wish to say a word to you who have passed through the holy door to pray at the tomb of the Apostle Peter and to immerse your baptismal and priestly garments once more in the heart of the Savior. For some of you, this is happening on a unique day in your lives, the day of your ordination.
To speak of the heart of Christ in this context is to reflect on the entire mystery of the Lord's incarnation, death and resurrection, which is entrusted in a special way to us so that we can make it present in our world. In the light of the readings that we have just heard, let us reflect on how we can contribute to this work of salvation.
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel describes God as a shepherd who watches over his flock, counting his sheep one by one. He seeks out the lost, binds up the wounded, and strengthens the weak and sick. He thus reminds us in this age of vast and devastating conflict that the love of God has no limits. We are called to let ourselves be embraced and shaped by that love and to realize that in God's eyes and our own as well, there is no place for division and hatred of any kind.
In the second reading, Saint Paul reminds us that God reconciled us to himself while we were still weak and sinful, and exhorts us to entrust ourselves along a daily path of conversion to the transforming power of his Spirit who dwells in our hearts. Our hope is grounded in the knowledge that the Lord never abandons us; he is always at our side. At the same time, we are called to cooperate with him above all by putting the Eucharist at the center of our lives, inasmuch as it is the source and summit of the Christian life; then through the fruitful reception of the sacraments, and especially by the frequent practice of sacramental penance; and finally through prayer, meditation on God's word, and the exercise of charity, conforming our hearts ever more closely to that of the Father of mercies.
This brings us to today's Gospel, which speaks of the joy of God and of every shepherd who loves in the manner of his heart at the return of even one of his sheep to the fold. We are called to exercise pastoral charity with a generous love like that of the Father, and to foster in our hearts the desire that no one be lost, but that everyone, also through our ministry, may come to know Christ and have eternal life in him. We are called to deepen our closeness to Jesus and to be a source of harmony in the midst of our brother priests. We do so by bearing on our shoulders those who are lost, granting forgiveness to those who have erred, seeking out those who have gone astray or been left behind, and caring for those who suffer in body or spirit. And to do all this in a great exchange of love flowing from the pierced side of the crucified Lord, which embraces all people and fills the entire world. For in the words of Pope Francis, the wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted, never passes away, but offers itself time and time again to those who wish to love as he did. For his love alone can bring about a new humanity.
The priestly ministry is one of sanctification and reconciliation for the building up of the body of Christ in unity. For this reason, the Second Vatican Council exhorts priests to make every effort to lead all to the unity of charity, harmonizing differences so that no one may feel left out. It also encourages priests to remain united with their bishop and within the presbyterate. For the more we are united among ourselves, the more we will be able to lead others to the fold of the good shepherd and to live as brothers and sisters in the one house of the Father.
Saint Augustine, in a homily delivered on the anniversary of his ordination, spoke of the joyful fruit of communion that unites the faithful priests and bishops, grounded in the recognition that all of us are redeemed and saved by the same gracious mercy of God. It was in that context that he spoke the celebrated words: 'For you I am a bishop; with you I am a Christian.' In the solemn Mass inaugurating my pontificate, I voiced before the people of God my great desire for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world. Today I share this desire once more with all of you: reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the heart of Christ. Let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps, firm in faith and open to all in charity. Let us bring the peace of the risen Lord to our world with a freedom born of the knowledge that we have been loved, chosen and sent by the Father.
Now, before concluding, I would like to say a word to you, dear ordinandi, who in a few moments, by the laying on of hands of the bishop and a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit, will become priests. What I have to say is simple, but I consider it important for your future and for the future of the souls entrusted to your care. Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously. Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry. Keep close to your flock. Give freely of your time and energy to everyone without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do. Remember that the Church, in the two thousand years of her history, has had and today continues to have wonderful examples of priestly holiness. From the earliest communities on, the Church has raised up priests who have been martyrs, tireless apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity. Cherish this treasure. Learn their stories. Study their lives and work. Imitate their virtues. Be inspired by their zeal and invoke their intercession often and insistently. All too often our world today offers models of success and prestige that are dubious and short-lived. Do not let yourselves be taken in by them. Look rather to the solid example and apostolic fruitfulness, frequently hidden and unassuming, of those who with faith and dedication have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters. Keep their memory alive by your own example of fidelity. Let us now entrust ourselves to the loving protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of priests and mother of hope. May she direct and sustain our steps, so that each day we may conform our hearts more closely to that of Christ, the supreme and eternal shepherd.
And those were the words of the Holy Father in his homily. And now the ordinandi, the men who are about to be ordained priests, will be asked to make five promises. These promises, as they come forward, we recall, are: first, to discharge the office of priesthood in the presbyteral rank as worthy fellow workers with the order of bishops. They promise to exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely, preaching the Gospel and teaching the Catholic faith. They promise to celebrate faithfully and reverently the mysteries of Christ handed down by the Church, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation. They promise to implore God's mercy upon the people entrusted to their care by praying without ceasing, and to be united more closely every day to Christ the high priest.
'Dear sons,' says the Holy Father, 'before you enter the order of the priesthood, you must declare before the people your intention to undertake this office. Do you resolve, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discharge without fail the office of priesthood in the presbyteral rank as worthy fellow workers of the order of bishops and in caring for the Lord's flock?' 'I do,' they respond. 'Do you resolve to exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely, preaching the Gospel and teaching the Catholic faith?' 'Do you resolve to celebrate faithfully and reverently, in accord with the Church's tradition, the mysteries of Christ, especially the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, for the glory of God and the sanctification of the Christian people?' 'Do you resolve to implore with us God's mercy upon the people entrusted to your care by observing the command to pray without ceasing?' 'Do you resolve to be united more closely every day to Christ the high priest, who offered himself for us to the Father as a pure sacrifice, and with him to consecrate yourselves to God for the salvation of all?'
And now the thirty-two men about to be ordained come to the Holy Father, who will grasp their hands. They will kneel down before him. He will grasp their hands. Then he asks them: 'Do you promise respect and obedience to your ordinary?' And the Holy Father responds: 'God, who began this work in you, may he bring it to completion.'
The Holy Father asks the diocesan priests: 'Do you promise respect and obedience to your ordinary?' And to those who are religious priests, members of religious orders, he asks: 'Do you promise respect and obedience to the diocesan bishop and to your legitimate superior?' And each responds: 'I do. Yes, I promise.'
The Holy Father continues to receive the promise of each of the thirty-two ordinandi.
And now, having completed receiving the promises of each of the thirty-two men, the ordinandi will lie flat on their face in front of the Holy Father, in front of the altar, and they will lie prostrate, and the congregation will sing the Litany of the Saints. This prayer asks for the intercession of the saints so that God may look favorably upon those to be ordained. A prayer afterward will ask that the Holy Spirit may be poured out upon them. And while these prayers are being offered, the faithful are asked to join their prayers with those of the candidates to those of the bishop.
My dear people, let us pray that God, the all-powerful Father, will pour out abundantly the gifts of heaven on these his servants whom he has chosen for the office of the priesthood. The deacon intones: 'Let us kneel.' And the ordinandi lie prostrate, and the Holy Father and the rest of the congregation kneel.
Hear us, we beseech you, Lord our God, and pour out on these servants of yours the blessing of the Holy Spirit and the power of priestly grace, that those whom in the sight of your mercy we...
Offer to be consecrated may be surrounded by your rich and unfailing gifts through Christ our Lord.
And the deacon invites the ordinands to stand.
And now the ordination of each of these men will take place with the laying on of hands.
The Holy Father — each will kneel before the Holy Father, and he lays his hands on them and ordains them silently with that laying on of hands.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is conferred upon those to be ordained by the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination.
At the ordination of a priest, the ordaining bishop — and the pope in this case — lays hands on each man to be ordained a priest.
All of the priests present each lay hands on each candidate as well. This communal laying on of hands is to symbolize the fact that they are being ordained into the presbyteral college of the local church.
The priests are to lay hands on these candidates in silence. This is in keeping with an ancient text found in the Apostolic Tradition, which is believed to have been written by Hippolytus in 280 AD.
He states that this common laying on of hands takes place at a priest's ordination because they all have a common and similar spirit.
The other part of the ordination is the prayer of ordination, which the pope will say alone.
This prayer alludes to Aaron and the 70 elders called by Moses as Old Testament figures that prefigure the priests who will work as co-workers of the bishop.
The prayer is directed to the Father, who by the power of the Holy Spirit provides for the various forms of ministry within the Church of Christ.
After speaking of the various forms of ministry exercised within the Church, it states that the priests are those who assist the apostles in making Christ present in the Church today.
The prayer asks for the Spirit of holiness for the new priests so that they may help to sanctify God's people. It also asks that they may be configured to Christ the priest and spotless victim.
While this prayer is being offered by the Holy Father, after the laying on of hands, the faithful are invited to join our prayers silently to those of our bishop, the Bishop of Rome.
And once this prayer is concluded, the men being ordained are priests.
And the Holy Father continues to lay hands on these 32 men. And the last two come forward.
As the candidates — or the men, now priests. After this comes the following prayer. The Holy Father prepares to read the ordination prayer.
Now, several priests representing the entire congregation of priests lay hands on these 32 men.
There are around 5,500 people in the basilica. As we can see, a great majority of them are priests or bishops.
There are around 3,000 people outside in St. Peter's Square following on the large LCD displays set up in St. Peter's Square.
As the priests lay their hands on these young men and welcome them to the presbyterate, we can review some of the countries from which these young men hail.
They come from Sri Lanka, Italy, Nigeria, South Korea, Nigeria, India, Ethiopia, Central Africa, the Central African Republic, India, Cameroon, Vietnam, Angola, Ghana, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Australia, and Croatia.
After the ordination prayer, there will be several explanatory rites. After this coming prayer, these men will be fully priests.
Afterwards there is the investiture with the stole and chasuble. This is the first explanatory rite that consists in the bestowal of the stole and chasuble upon the newly ordained.
In most cases they enter the church wearing a stole tied at the side, as they have now, which is tied to the side from one shoulder to the right side, symbolizing the office of deacon, the ministry of deacon.
During this investiture, they will be adjusted to be worn as proper for a priest — that is, around their neck and hanging down on both sides.
A priest, usually known as a formator, and someone who is close to the new priest, helps them to adjust this stole and to put on the chasuble.
The chasuble is the proper vestment for a priest and the bishop to wear during the celebration of the Eucharist. It is given to a priest because only he and a bishop may validly celebrate the Mass. He is to wear this whenever he presides at Mass.
And now the Holy Father will read the prayer of ordination.
Draw near, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, author of human dignity. It is you who ordain all graces. Through you everything progresses. Through you all things are made to stand firm to form a priestly people. You appoint ministers of Christ your Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, arranging them in different orders.
Already in the earlier covenant offices arose, established through mystical rites. When you set Moses and Aaron over your people to govern and sanctify them, you chose men next in rank and dignity to accompany them and assist them in their tasks.
So too, in the desert, you implanted the spirit of Moses in the hearts of 70 wise men, and with their help, he ruled your people with greater ease. So also upon the sons of Aaron you poured an abundant share of their father's plenty, that the number of the priests prescribed by the law might be sufficient for the sacrifices of the tabernacle, which were a shadow of the good things to come.
But in these last days, Holy Father, you sent your Son into the world, Jesus, who is apostle and high priest of our confession. Through the Holy Spirit, he offered himself to you as a spotless victim. And he made his apostles, consecrated in the truth, sharers in his mission. He provided them also with companions to proclaim and carry out the work of salvation throughout the whole world.
And now we beseech you, Lord, in our weakness, to grant these helpers that we need to exercise the priesthood that comes from the apostles.
Grant, we pray, Almighty Father, to these your servants the dignity of the priesthood. Renew deep within them the Spirit of holiness. May they henceforth possess this office which comes from you, O God, and is next in rank to the office of bishop. And by the example of their manner of life, may they instill right conduct.
May they be worthy co-workers with our order, so that by their preaching and through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the words of the gospel may bear fruit in human hearts and reach even to the ends of the earth.
Together with us. May they be faithful stewards of your mysteries, so that your people may be renewed in the waters of rebirth and nourished from your altar, so that sinners may be reconciled and the sick raised up. May they be joined with us, Lord, in employing your mercy for the people entrusted to their care and for all the world.
And so may the full number of the nations gathered together in Christ be transformed into your one people and made perfect in your kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
And it is now that the priests are being invested with their stole, adjusting their stole as priests that they now are. And with the chasuble, each new priest has someone assisting them, helping them to set their stole correctly and investing them with the chasuble.
And the priests have been invested with a stole and chasuble. The next step is the anointing of hands and the presentation of bread and wine.
The Lord Jesus, whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you, that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God.
The Holy Father also anoints the hands with the sacred chrism.
This anointing of the hands is a symbol of the anointing with the Holy Spirit which took place through the imposition of hands and the prayer of ordination. The anointing with the sacred chrism also symbolizes the priest's distinctive participation in Christ's priesthood by the sacrifice he will offer with his hands.
The Holy Father continues to anoint the hands of the new priests with sacred chrism.
And now each of the 32 men will return to the Holy Father to receive from him the paten with bread and the chalice with wine, which are the symbols of the priest's duty to offer the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist at Mass and to follow the example of Christ crucified.
Receive the oblation of the holy people to be offered to God. Understand what you do. Imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord's cross.
