Pastor's Points: In the Presence of Peter

On September 22 I had the great privilege to concelebrate the Mass for the canonization of Junipero Serra with Pope Francis. The Mass drew 25,000 ticket holders and a multitude of other people who came to the campus of Catholic University, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope. This was the first Mass celebrated by the Pope in the United States and the first ever canonization to take place in our land.

I was fortunate to stay with Msgr. Michael Clay, a former pastor of St. Thomas More, who is now a professor at Catholic University and who lives right across the street from the campus. You could hear the excitement building all morning as the crowds began to arrive. The Mass was to begin at 4:15, and a few other priests and I wandered over about noon to get in line for the security check. The lines were very long, but fortunately a volunteer came along collecting concelebrants so we could get to the vesting area and find our seats. Being there early, we were able to get seats very close to the sanctuary. Once our seats were saved, I was able to go and secure some lunch and then begin the wait in the sun for the Mass to start.

A little before 4:00, we heard the crowds begin to cheer…the signal the popemobile was within range. The Holy Father was driven through the streets around the venue and then he went into the grand Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where the pews were full of seminarians and members of the faithful waiting to greet him.

The outdoor Mass began just about on time at 4:15. The canonization ceremony included the singing of the Litany of the Saints, the presentation of the relics of Junipero Serra and an official proclamation from the Pope that he is now a saint.

Most of the Mass took place in Spanish. Some of the readings and the petitions were in various other languages. The Holy Father preached in Spanish, his native language. During his homily the Pope reminded us that the Church must always move forward in joy. He said:

We don’t want apathy to guide our lives... or do we? We don’t want the force of habit to rule our life... or do we? So we ought to ask ourselves: What can we do to keep our heart from growing numb, becoming anesthetized? How do we make the joy of the Gospel increase and take deeper root in our lives?

Jesus gives the answer. He said to his disciples then and he says it to us now: Go forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.

That is the challenge we face each day as we strive to be intentional disciples. We must give ourselves away. We take up the command of Christ to love and serve our neighbor. The Holy Father continued later in his homily saying:

A Christian finds joy in mission: Go out to people of every nation!
A Christian experiences joy in following a command: Go forth and proclaim the good news!
A Christian finds ever new joy in answering a call: Go forth and anoint!

The Holy Father has called us to be agents of joy. We are to proclaim the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the joyful daily living of our lives. This apostolic visit is serving to renew the faith of so many Catholics, to bring some Catholics back to the faith and to show forth the face of the Church, the face of Christ to the nation. We can help this effort through our own choice to be those joyful agents of the gospel.

The Papal Mass with the canonization was truly a once in life time experience for most of us there. It served to renew my faith as a priest. It was an amazing experience to be in the presence of Peter and in the presence of so many faith filled people chanting “Viva El Papa” (Long live the Pope) at the end of the Mass.

May we heed Pope Francis’ call as our parish mission statement says to “proclaim the gospel with joy.”