Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Ordination to the Priesthood of Rev. Rosan Mathew
19 March 2025 - Solemnity of Saint Joseph
My dear sisters and brothers in
Christ,
We gather this evening on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the just man and
faithful servant of God, to witness a grace moment in the life of our community
of the Church, the ordination of Rosan Mathew to the priesthood.
With joy and gratitude, we
celebrate not only Rosan’s response to God’s call but also the continuous
faithfulness of our God, who fulfills His promises in the power of the Holy
Spirit through His Son, Jesus Christ.
In today’s readings from the
Sacred Scripture, we are reminded of God’s promises, diving promises made to God’s
people and fulfilled through His chosen ones.
In the first reading, we hear
God’s promise to King David: “Your house and your sovereignty will always
stand secure before me and your throne be established forever.” (2 Sam
7:16).
This is not just a promise made
to David, but a promise that points forward to the Messiah, the eternal King,
whose reign will have no end. That
promise is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of
Joseph, the Son of God.
In the letter to the Romans, we
see the profound connection between faith and God’s promises: It is through
faith that we are made heirs to the promise, “on account of righteousness which
consists in faith” (cf. Rom 4:13).
Faith is the key that unlocks the
fulfillment of God’s promises. Abraham’s
faith, even in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances, was the
beginning of the fulfillment of God’s covenant with His people.
And in the Gospel, we see the
young Jesus, obedient to His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph.
Saint Joseph, though a humble stone
mason and carpenter, played an essential role in God’s plan of salvation. He showed us what it means to respond in
faith, to fulfill our part in God’s promise. As Pope Francis beautifully wrote in his
apostolic letter Patris Corde, “The faith Christ taught us is what we
see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with
open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.” (Patris Corde 4).
Today, Rosan, as you prepare to
receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, you are called to live out that same kind
of faith and fidelity.
Priestly life and ministry are steeped
in fidelity, fidelity to God, fidelity to the Word of God, fidelity to the
Church, and fidelity to your word. It is
this fidelity that allows us to serve God’s holy People, to preach the Word,
and to administer the Sacraments. Your
priestly life will be the fruit of your faith in God’s promises, a faith that,
like that of Saint Joseph, does not look for shortcuts but faces reality with
open eyes, embracing the responsibility of shepherding the people entrusted to
your pastoral care and fulfilling the mission to which you have been called and
sent.
In this Holy Year of Hope, we are
called not only to hope, but to believe. To believe that God’s promises are true, that
His salvation is at hand and that each one of us shares in the mission of Jesus
Christ.
As Pope Francis reminded us,
Saint Joseph loved Jesus “with a Father’s Heart.” (Patris Corde 1). Rosan, as you take on this sacred ministry,
may you always love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind. And with a
father’s heart, may you always love God’s holy people, the Church, with a heart
that is open to their hopes, joys, and sufferings.
However, my dear brothers and
sisters, this ordination is not just about Rosan. It is a reminder to each one of us of our role
in the Church, our shared responsibility as members of Christ’s Body.
The priesthood is not a solitary
ministry but one that serves the entire Church.
The priest, through his preaching and the celebration of the Sacraments,
especially the Eucharist, is charged with leading and serving the whole Body of
Christ. Through his sacred duties, he nourishes
the people, and reconciles them to God, building up the communion of believers.
We, as the Church, must always be
mindful that our participation in the mission of Jesus Christ is a shared
responsibility. Priests are essential
for our participation in the communion and mission of Jesus Christ, but so too
is every member of the Church called to live in the freedom of God’s children,
to take part in the mission, and to be faithful to the promises of God. Every one of us has a role to play in the
building up of the Kingdom of God. Together,
as one holy people, we live in the hope of God’s promises, and we believe that
these promises are fulfilled in Christ.
Rosan, as you are ordained today,
remember always that your priestly vocation is first and foremost a response of
faith. It is a call to serve God’s
people through your fidelity to His Word, His Sacraments, and His Church. It is a call to be, like Saint Joseph, a
servant of God’s plan for salvation. Through
your priestly ministry, may you be a living sign of the presence of Jesus
Christ among us, His real presence that brings life, hope, and grace to all.
May the intercession of Saint
Joseph, protector of the Holy Family and patron of the universal Church, guide
you in your priestly life and ministry. And may Mary, Star of the Sea lead you always
to her son, Jesus Christ. May you always
walk in faith, live in fidelity, and serve with love. Amen.