New priests and the people of God

During the last few days I attended the ordination and first Masses of Thanksgiving for our newest priests: Father Russ Kovash, Father Nick Schneider, and Father Josh Ehli. I had the privilege of serving as an acolyte during the ordination and one of the Masses. Being up in the sanctuary, I had an excellent view of the congregation and of the ceremonies. From that vantage point, two things stood out.

First, I could see the joy on the faces of the men as they definitively offered their lives to God. During the celebrations that followed, I had opportunities to visit with young priests from various dioceses, such as Father Mike Linnebur of Witchita, KS. He has been a priest for about one year now, and I know him from his time in the seminary. During my visit with him and others, I was encouraged to keep up the hard work of seminary because, as I have heard time and again, "It's worth it," and "it's a great life," despite all the hard work and difficulties that priests face. These men work hard to serve their people, to bring them to God and to strive for their own holiness.

Secondly, as I sat in the sanctuary looking out at the packed cathedral, the voice of the congregation repeatedly rang out. When we heard "The Lord be with you," and the people responded "And also with you," the voices boomed loud, with enthusiasm. It was so loud that, at one point, I spotted a young boy covering his ears in complaint at the volume. I loved it. The desire people have for God, their desire for holiness, was manifested in their love for the priesthood in a powerful way. That church was packed -- standing room only. People stood for more than two hours and out in the gathering space, peeking in through the doorways into the sanctuary, just to get a glimpse of what happened.

Later on during a reception at the Ramkota Hotel, we seminarians were asked to stand to be recognized. We were met with loud applause. Seminarian Kregg Hochhalter, standing next to me, whispered "It's all for Jesus," and he was right. These people hardly know us. They may admire the fact that we are trying to be open to God's will. But anything good they see in us is a reflection of God himself. That is the goal, after all: To know God and to share that relationship with others, for our own sanctification and the sanctification of the people.

It has been a powerful week, witnessing all of this. And during it all, the thought keeps coming up in prayer, of Jesus saying, "My people want me. They desire to know me. Bring me to them."

Please pray for me. My ordination to the transitional deaconate is now less than a year away.

Congratulations to Fathers Kovash, Ehli, and Schneider.

God Bless,

-Jason