Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Institution of Lector
Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, 7 November 2020
When I was about ten years of age, my grandmother gave me a book. On the inside of the cover was written, “In reading lies knowledge, in knowledge lies wisdom”. It was a simple thought that appealed to me even as a child. It seemed to be logical and uncomplicated. It made sense and it sparked in me a life-time interest in books and a love of reading.
That short maxim could comfortably find itself in our first reading from the Book of Wisdom. In the Ancient world, the search for wisdom was common to most cultures. The wisdom they sought was concerned with human behaviour and conduct, which ensured that people acted with prudence and the ability to succeed in life. It implied a certain reflection on the world, a sort of critical thinking about the community and society in which one lived.
The Judeo-Christian world shares some of this thinking. However, for the Christian, the point of departure is not human knowledge but rather Divine Wisdom. Our faith is a gift from God and is given in love. Likewise, Christian wisdom is associated with all of whom God is and what God does in the world. Saint Matthew reminds us that wisdom is not acquired by human effort, but through God the Father’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of life. (cf Matt 11:25ff)
Eric, Richard, Huy, Tân, and Shayne, the ministry of Lector to which you are called; is not merely a step taken to complete the curriculum of diaconal or priestly formation. Nor is it a box to be ticked as you respond to the call to sacred Orders.
While the sacred Scripture remains at the heart of your intellectual and doctrinal formation, you need not only to demonstrate a capacity to integrate your academic studies, but also to communicate your learning to the people of your own time. (cf Gaudium et spes, 58, 62) You will do this first and foremost by being a man of the Word. As such, you are called to study and pray with the Word. You will also be a witness to the Word in joy and through suffering. This is the way of the Christian disciple and it is most especially the way of the ordained servants of God. It must, therefore, become an ever more active part of your life. I exhort you in the words from Matthew’s Gospel to be watchful and ready. (Matt 24:42,44)
Ministry to the Word of God is an ongoing vocation in the Church, not a temporary or occasional work of a few. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul also reminds us that when Christ ascended into heaven, “his gifts were that some should be pastor and teachers.” (Eph 4:11) This is a distinct office, which is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
My dear sons, this is what is being asked of you this evening. Your diaconal and priestly formation provides you with multiple opportunities to encounter Christ as you commit yourselves to proclaiming the Word and serving the Body of Christ – not just within the Lord’s temple made of stone, but within His living temple made of women and men who are baptised into His Body.
Take care, brothers, that you do not become liturgical functionaries who merely recite the Scriptures publicly. Ministry is always at the service of God and of others. To understand this is vital to your growth as men who are called to serve the whole People of God. To live it fully will take a lifetime.
The ministry of the Word, to which you are called, will only be fruitful if you allow the Word of God to form and shape your heart. To be fruitful ministers, you must first be faithful disciples, who are configured daily to Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God.
My dear people, these are not just words directed to our aspirants for sacred Orders who are present at Mass this evening, they are words for the whole Church. To be fruitful and faithful will only be possible if we cling to Jesus Christ.
As we pray for these men, we too stand watchful to discern the call to discipleship in our own lives, and ready to take action in the world.
With a sense of vigilance and urgency, we commit ourselves to proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ is our life, our hope, and our salvation. Amen.