Sainte Cécile, vierge et martyre - The Preface in the New Roman Missal -Confirmations à la Paroisse Saint-Joseph d’Orléans

Sainte Cecile, Vierge et Martyre (+ 230)

C'est sous l'empereur Alexandre Sévère que souffrit cette jeune Sainte, l'une des fleurs les plus suaves de la virginité chrétienne et du martyre. Fille d'un illustre patricien, seule chrétienne de sa famille, bien qu'elle eût consacré sa virginité à Jésus-Christ, elle dut se résigner à sortir de la maison paternelle, où elle vivait dans la prière, la lecture des Livres saints et le chant des cantiques, pour épouser le jeune Valérien, noble et bon, mais païen.

Le soir des noces, quand les époux se trouvèrent seuls, Cécile s'adressa doucement à Valérien: "Ami très cher, lui dit-elle, j'ai un secret à te confier: mais peux-tu me promettre de le garder?" Ayant reçu le serment du jeune homme, elle reprit: "Écoute. Un Ange de Dieu veille sur moi, car j'appartiens à Dieu. S'il voit que tu m'aimes d'un mauvais amour, il me défendra, et tu mourras; mais si tu respectes ma virginité, alors il t'aimera comme il m'aime, et sa grâce s'étendra aussi sur toi." Troublé, Valérien répondit: "Cécile, pour que je puisse croire à ta parole, fais-moi voir cet Ange. — Si tu crois au vrai Dieu et si tu reçois le Baptême des chrétiens, tu pourras voir l'Ange qui veille sur moi."

Valérien accepta la condition, se rendit près de l'évêque Urbain, à trois milles de Rome, fut instruit, reçut le Baptême et revint près de Cécile. Près d'elle, il aperçut un Ange au visage lumineux, aux ailes éclatantes, qui tenait dans ses mains deux couronnes de roses et de lis, et qui posa l'une de ces couronnes sur la tête de Cécile, l'autre sur la tête de Valérien, et leur dit: "Je vous apporte ces fleurs des jardins du Ciel." Valérien avait un frère nommé Tiburce; au récit de ces merveilles, il abjura les idoles et se fit chrétien.

Les deux frères furent bientôt dénoncés, demeurèrent invincibles dans la confession et leur foi et eurent la tête tranchée. Quant à Cécile, elle comparut elle-même devant le tribunal du préfet de Rome: "Quel est ton nom et quelle est ta condition? lui dit-il.

— Devant les hommes, je m'appelle Cécile; mais chrétienne est mon plus beau nom.

— Sacrifie aux dieux!
— Tes dieux ne sont que des pierres, de l'airain ou du plomb."

Le préfet la fit reconduire chez elle et ordonna de la laisser mourir dans la salle de bains embrasée de vapeurs; Dieu renouvela pour elle le miracle des Hébreux dans la fournaise. Le bourreau vint pour lui trancher la tête; mais il le fit si maladroitement, qu'elle ne mourut que trois jours après. Sainte Cécile est la patronne des musiciens. [Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.]

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Memorial of

St. Cecilia,

Virgin and Martyr

O God, who gladden us each year with the feast day of Saint Cecilia, grant, we pray, that what has been devoutly handed down concerning this handmaid of yours may offer us examples to imitate and proclaim the wonders worked in his servants by Christ, your Son.  Who lives and reigns with you.

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THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)

The Prefaces to the Eucharistic Prayer

The Prayer before the Eucharistic Prayer is called the "Preface".

There are many different ones that reflect the special feasts and celebrations during the liturgical year but the first part of all of the Prefaces is the same.

It begins with "The Lord be with you" (and the people respond: "And with your spirit") and it continues with "Lift up your hearts". The people’s response is: "We lift them up to the Lord" which remains the same in the New Missal as it is now. The final part of the dialogue, however, changes slightly.

The priest says: "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God" and the new response is: "It is right and just". This new response is more formal and it reflects the fact that thanking God is not only the right thing for us to do, but considering everything that God has done for us, it is the just thing to do as well. We owe God our thanks for His goodness and blessings and this new response highlights that reality. We are not always accustomed to thinking that we owe God thanks but when we really think about it, it makes perfect sense.

The rest of the Preface varies with each of the individual ones but we will notice that the language in general follows the more formal and dignified way of speaking to God that we are now accustomed to using in the New Missal.  --Rev. Geoffrey Kerslake

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Confirmations à Orléans

Samedi à la paroisse Saint Joseph d’Orléans, j’ai présidé deux célébrations eucharistiques— à 11 heures pour les élèves de l’école Etoile de l’Est et à 14 heures pour les élèves de l’école Les Voyageurs—durant lesquelles j’ai confirmé grand nombre de jeunes.

Voici quelques photos:

Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple - The Holy Father's Closing Homily in Benin

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

As we venerate the glorious memory of the most holy Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, O Lord, through her intercession, that we, too, may merit to receive the fullness of your grace. Through our Lord.   

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PRÉSENTATION de la TRÈS SAINTE VIERGE

Les parents qui aiment vraiment Dieu Lui ont, de tout temps, consacré leurs enfants, avant et après leur naissance. Parmi les Juifs, existait de plus l'usage de consacrer quelques fois à Dieu les enfants en bas âge; on les amenait au Temple, où avait lieu la cérémonie de la consécration, puis ils habitaient dans les dépendances du Temple et servaient les prêtres et les lévites dans leurs fonctions. Nous avons des exemples de cette consécration spéciale dans la personne de Samuel et de quelques autres saints personnages. Il y avait aussi des appartements pour les femmes dévouées au service divin.

L'Évangile ne nous apprend rien de l'enfance de Marie; Son titre de Mère de Dieu efface tout le reste. Mais la tradition est plus explicite; elle nous apprend que la Sainte Vierge, dans Son enfance, fut solennellement offerte à Dieu dans Son Temple. Cette présentation est le sujet de la fête qu'on célèbre aujourd'hui. Ce sacrifice de Marie enfant renferme toutes les conditions du plus parfait sacrifice: il a été prompt, généreux, joyeux, sans retour, sans réserve. Combien il dut être agréable au Seigneur! Marie n'avait que trois ans, mais dans son âme la Trinité prenait déjà toutes Ses complaisances, et Dieu marquait le jour prochain où Elle ajouterait à tant d'autres gloires l'auréole incomparable de la maternité divine. Où mieux que loin du monde, dans l'enceinte du temple, Marie se fût-Elle préparée à Sa mission? Douze années de recueillement, de prière, de contemplation, telle fut la préparation de l'Élue de Dieu.

Voici, d'après saint Jérôme, comment se divisait la journée de Marie au Temple: Depuis l'aurore jusqu'à 9 heures du matin, Elle priait; de 9 heures à 3 heures Elle s'appliquait au travail des mains; ensuite Elle se remettait à la prière, jusqu'au moment où arrivait l'ange qui Lui apportait Sa nourriture. Elle était toujours la première aux veilles, la plus appliquée à l'étude, la plus fervente dans le chant des psaumes, la plus zélée dans les oeuvres de charité, la plus pure parmi les vierges ses compagnes, la plus parfaite dans la pratique de toutes les vertus. Marie, au jour de Sa Présentation, nous apparaît comme le porte-étendard de la virginité chrétienne. Après Elle viendront des légions innombrables de vierges consacrées au Seigneur, dans le monde ou à l'ombre des autels; Marie sera leur éternel modèle, leur patronne dévouée, leur guide sûr dans les voies de la perfection.

Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.

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POPE BENEDICT'S HOMILY

ON CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

The Gospel which we have just heard tells us that Jesus, the Son of Man, the ultimate judge of our lives, wished to appear as one who hungers and thirsts, as a stranger, as one of those who are naked, sick or imprisoned, ultimately, of those who suffer or are outcast; how we treat them will be taken as the way we treat Jesus himself.

We do not see here a simple literary device, or a simple metaphor. Jesus’s entire existence is an example of it. He, the Son of God, became man, he shared our existence, even down to the smallest details, he became the servant of the least of his brothers and sisters. He who had nowhere to lay his head, was condemned to death on a cross. This is the King we celebrate!

Without a doubt this can appear a little disconcerting to us. Today, like two thousand years ago, accustomed to seeing the signs of royalty in success, power, money and ability, we find it hard to accept such a king, a king who makes himself the servant of the little ones, of the most humble, a king whose throne is a cross.

And yet, the Scriptures tell us, in this is the glory of Christ revealed; it is in the humility of his earthly existence that he finds his power to judge the world. For him, to reign is to serve! And what he asks of us is to follow him along the way, to serve, to be attentive to the cry of the poor, the weak, the outcast. The baptized know that the decision to follow Christ can entail great sacrifices, at times even the sacrifice of one’s life. However, as Saint Paul reminds us, Christ has overcome death and he brings us with him in his resurrection. He introduces us to a new world, a world of freedom and joy.

Today, so much still binds us to the world of the past, so many fears hold us prisoners and prevent us from living in freedom and happiness. Let us allow Christ to free us from the world of the past! Our faith in him, which frees us from all our fears and miseries, gives us access to a new world, a world where justice and truth are not a byword, a world of interior freedom and of peace with ourselves, with our neighbours and with God. This is the gift God gave us at our baptism!

“Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). Let us receive this word of blessing which the Son of Man will, on the Day of Judgement, address to those who have recognized his presence in the lowliest of their brethren, with a heart free and full of the love of the Lord! Brothers and sisters, the words of the Gospel are truly words of hope, because the King of the universe has drawn near to us, the servant of the least and lowliest.

Here I would like to greet with affection all those persons who are suffering, those who are sick, those affected by AIDS or by other illnesses, to all those forgotten by society. Have courage! The Pope is close to you in his thoughts and prayers. Have courage! Jesus wanted to identify himself with the poor, with the sick; he wanted to share your suffering and to see you as his brothers and sisters, to free you from every affliction, from all suffering. Every sick person, every poor person deserves our respect and our love because, through them, God shows us the way to heaven.

The Church in Benin has received much from her missionaries: she must in turn carry this message of hope to people who do not know or who no longer know the Lord Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to be concerned for evangelization in your country, and among the peoples of your continent and the whole world. The recent Synod of Bishops for Africa stated this in no uncertain terms: the man of hope, the Christian, cannot be uninterested in his brothers and sisters. This would be completely opposed to the example of Jesus.

The Christian is a tireless builder of communion, peace and solidarity - gifts which Jesus himself has given us. By being faithful to him, we will cooperate in the realization of God’s plan of salvation for humanity.

Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you, therefore, to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ, to be authentically converted to him. He alone gives us the true life and can liberate us for all our fears and sluggishness, from all our anguish. Rediscover the roots of your existence in the baptism which you received and which makes you children of God! May Jesus Christ give you strength to live as Christians and to find ways to transmit generously to new generations what you have received from your fathers in faith!

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THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)

The Preparation of the Gifts

One of the most noticeable changes is the priest’s injunction during the preparation of the gifts to the people: “Pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father”.

The sacrifice that we all offer at Mass is not only the bread and wine that will become the Body and Blood of Christ but also the sacrifice of our daily work, our prayers, and our family life – in short, the sacrifice of every area of our lives ‐ that we all offer to God at every Mass.

There is a Catholic traditional prayer that many people pray at the beginning of the day called “The Morning Offering” where we offer to God the whole day and everything in it – our works, our joys, our sufferings and our hopes – which echoes this total sacrifice of our lives to God.

That is why everyone who attends Mass participates in the sacrifice of the Mass in offering themselves on the altar with the bread and wine to God and so we reflect that reality in the priest’s words “my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable”.  – Rev. Geoffrey Kerslake

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The Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in thanksgiving for your favors, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.  

The Solemnity of Christ the King - Benedict XVI on the Eucharist - Changes to the Creed in the New Roman Missal

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,

KING OF THE UNIVERSE

Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of the universe; grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. Through our Lord.

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POPE BENEDICT XVI'S

REFLECTION

ON THE EUCHARIST

God our Father has gathered us around his Son and our brother, Jesus Christ, who is present in the host consecrated during the Mass. This is a great mystery before which we worship and we believe. Jesus, who loves us very much, is truly present in the tabernacles of all the churches around the world, in the tabernacles of the churches in your neighbourhoods and in your parishes. I ask you to visit him often to tell him of your love for him.

Some of you have already made your First Holy Communion, and others are preparing for it. The day of my First Holy Communion was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It is the same for you, isn’t it? And why is that? It’s not only because of our nice clothes or the gifts we receive, nor even because of the parties! It is above all because, that day, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome him with love and listen closely to him. In the depths of my heart, I can tell him, for example: “Jesus, I know that you love me. Give me your love so that I can love you in return and love others with your love. I give you all my joys, my troubles and my future.” Do not hesitate, dear children, to speak of Jesus to others. He is a treasure whom you should share generously. Throughout the history of the Church, the love of Jesus has filled countless Christians, and even young people like yourselves, with courage and strength. In this way, Saint Kizito, a Ugandan boy, was put to death because he wanted to live according to the baptism which he had just received. Kizito prayed. He realized that God is not only important, but that he is everything.

What, then, is prayer? It is a cry of love directed to God our Father, with the will to imitate Jesus our brother. Jesus often went off by himself to pray. Like Jesus, I too can find a calm place to pray where I can quietly stand before a Cross or a holy picture in order to speak to Jesus and to listen to him. I can also use the Gospels. That way, I keep within my heart a passage which has touched me and which will guide me throughout the day. To stay with Jesus like this for a little while lets him fill me with his love, light and life! This love, which I receive in prayer, calls me in turn to give it to my parents, to my friends, to everyone with whom I live, even with those who do not like me, and those whom I do not appreciate enough. Dear young people, Jesus loves you. Ask your parents to pray with you! Sometimes you may even have to push them a little. But do not hesitate to do so. God is that important!

May the Virgin Mary, his Mother, teach you to love more and more through prayer, forgiveness and charity. I entrust you to her, together with your families and teachers. Look! I have this rosary in my pocket. [Pulls it out and shows it.] The rosary is like a tool that we can use to pray. It is easy to pray the rosary. Maybe you know how already; if not, ask your parents to help you to learn how. At the end of this meeting, each one of you will receive a rosary. When you hold it in your hands, you can pray for the Pope, for the Church and for every important intention. And now, before I bless you all with great affection, let us pray together a Hail Mary for children throughout the world, especially for those who are sick, who are hungry and in places of war.

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THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)



Changes to the Creed

The word "creed" comes from the Latin "credo" which means "I believe". In the Nicene Creed we notice right away the change from "we believe" to "I believe".

When we express our faith using the Creed we are expressing not only what the Church as a whole believes but what we as individual Christians with a personal relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit believe.

Some of the other changes might see minor, like the change to "visible and invisible" from "seen and unseen" but even these small changes reflect a deeper meaning. An object is ‘unseen’ when something else blocks our view of it, but invisible realities, like the angels for example, are always ‘unseen’ but that doesn’t make them less real!

There are other changes too that more accurately reflect our faith that will need to be explained in more detail such as the words "consubstantial with the Father" and "incarnate of the Virgin Mary". It might seem like we are being very picky about the words we use, but how we pray reflects and shapes our beliefs and so we ought to use words which convey as accurately possible our strongly held beliefs.

--Rev. Geoffrey Kerslake

The Pope in Benin, Africa - The Gloria in the New Roman Missal

From the press conference on the papal flight to Benin:

Q:Holiness, at the opening of the African synod in Rome, you spoke of Africa as a ‘great spiritual lung for a humanity experiencing a crisis of faith and hope.’ Thinking about the great problems of Africa, this expression can appear almost disturbing. In what sense do you think faith and hope for the world can truly come from Africa? Are you thinking about the role of Africa in the evangelization of the rest of the world?

A: Naturally, Africa has great problems and difficulties, like all humanity has great problems. If I think about my youth, it was a completely different world than that of today, so much so that I sometimes think I’m living on a different planet from when I was a young man! I would say there’s a fresh humanism in the young soul of Africa, despite all the problems that exist. There’s a reserve of life and vitality for the future that we can count upon.

Humanity finds itself in an ever more rapid process of transformation, and for Africa this process over the last 50-60 years, moving from independence after colonialism up to today, has been very demanding. Naturally, it’s a very difficult process with great problems that haven’t yet been entirely resolved.

Nevertheless, there’s a freshness, a ‘yes’ to life, in Africa, a youthfulness that’s full of enthusiasm and hope. There’s a sense of humor, a joy. It shows a freshness, too, in the religious sense. There’s still a metaphysical perception of reality, meaning reality in its totality with God. There’s not a rigid positivism, that restricts our life and makes it a little arid, and also turns off hope.

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THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)

Why the Changes to the Gloria?

 

If we examine the previous text of the Gloria alongside the new version, we note that although the wording has been expanded, it does not sound very different.

There are changes but it does not seem as if we are praying something altogether new. The new version makes it clear at the beginning of Mass that we are gathering to do something utterly different from whatever else we do during the week. We are participating with heaven and earth in the Divine Liturgy, blending our voices with those of angels and saints.

The Gloria’s opening words repeat the message of the angels to the shepherds at the birth of Christ: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will" (Luke 2:14). Though human, we are privileged to join the angels in praising God and participate in the heavenly liturgy.

The Gloria possesses rhetorical devices, such as repeating a word or a phrase, that reflect speech patterns from early Christianity. They highlight the reality that this is no ordinary "thank you" we are expressing to a friend or loved one. Instead, we are oining angelic choirs in adoring the Trinity.  --Father Geoffrey Kerslake

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Confirmations à Van Kleek Hill - The Dedication of the Roman Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles - The Penitential Act

LE SACREMENT DE LA CONFIRMATION

 

Hier soir, j’ai résumé la célébration du sacrement de la Confirmation à l’Église Saint- Grégoire de Nazianze à Van Kleek Hill (le cure : l’abbé Gilles Marcil; le diacre : M. Michel Miner).

Il y avait un jeune adulte de la paroisse Saint-Eugene, quatre jeunes de la paroisse Saint-Bernardin et une vingtaine de jeunes de la paroisse hôte.

Voici quelques photos :

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THE BASILICAS OF

 STS. PETER & PAUL, APOSTLES

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Defend your Church, O Lord, by the protection of the holy Apostles, that as she received from them the beginnings of her knowledge of things divine, so through them she may receive, even to the end of the ages, an increase in heavenly grace. Through our Lord.

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THE NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)

Why the Changes to the Penitential Act?

There are several different options for this part of the Mass: today we will look at the Confiteor (I Confess).

When we admit in public together that we have sinned, it emphasizes that we gather as a community where each person has need of God’s mercy. This version is closer to the Latin original text and has strong connections to scripture: King David admitted to the Lord that he had greatly sinned (1 Chronicles 21:8); and the repetition that we have sinned through “my fault” three times and the striking of our breast with our fist recalls the tax collector who stood at the back of the temple who humbled himself before God (Luke 18:13). By striking our breast with a closed hand we show we want to crush the sin that lies in our heart and humble ourselves before God to receive His mercy.

In the Prayer of Absolution the priest asks or petitions God to be merciful to us: “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life”. But this is not the absolution we receive in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The emphasis in the whole Penitential Act is something very positive and hope-filled because it highlights our need and desire for God’s loving, abundant, mercy. --Father Geoffrey Kerslake

St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Preparing for the New Missal - Minor Orders in Nebraska

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

O God, by whose gift Saint Elizabeth of Hungary recognized and revered Christ in the poor, grant, through her intercession, that we may serve with unfailing charity the needy and those afflicted. Through our Lord.

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NEW ROMAN MISSAL (continued)

　

Why "And with Your Spirit?"

"The Lord be with you" and the response, "and with your spirit", echo St. Paul’s conclusion in his letters to the Galatians and to Timothy (Gal 6:18 and 2 Tim 4:22).

This greeting is used 4 times during Mass. The celebrant bishop or priest uses it at the beginning of Mass, during the Preface Dialogue before the Eucharistic Prayer and at the End of Mass. The deacon uses it (or in his absence the priest) before the Gospel. In the New Missal the response matches the original Latin text "And with your spirit".

This revision conforms the Mass in English with the Mass in French and all other languages that refer to the "spirit". "Spirit" signifies the spirit given to the bishop, priest or deacon at his ordination for service to the Church. St. Paul reminds us "there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone." (1 Cor 12:4-6)

The revised greeting and response help us to remember that the Holy Spirit empowers the celebration of the sacraments in which God blesses, heals, forgives, strengthens and nourishes us. --Reverend Geoffrey Kerslake

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CELEBRATING WITH SEMINARIANS OF

THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF ST. PETER

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Denton, NE

MINOR ORDERS

FOR FSSP SEMINARIANS:

PORTER, LECTOR, EXORCIST, ACOLYTE

Some time back, I was invited to travel to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary (OLGS) outside Lincoln, Nebraska to officiate at the conferral of minor orders for seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). 

Having had good relations with the FSSP priests at Ottawa's St. Clement Parish and having been remotely involved with the vocational discernment of Adrian Lebow from Calgary while he studied in our city, I was open to the suggestion even though I had only rarely celebrated in the Extraordinary Form  (EO), which follows the Missal of John XXIII of 1962, that I had known in my early formation from having served Mass.

So we fixed on the second weekend in November and agreed that the staff and seminarians of OLGS would assist me in coping with the liturgical requirements of a Pontifical High Mass.

On Saturday, I travelled to Lincoln via Chicago-OHare and returned home on Monday evening, having enjoyed the hospitality of a cordial community during my stay. The Seminary Rector, Father Bisig kindly met me at the airport, drove me to visit with the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph nearby and saw me off at the end of my stay. Father John Berg, the Superior General was on hand for the canonical visitation of the seminary, as was Father Flood, the North American Director and many other priests (including even Father Matthew Goddard of St. Clement's following a retreat for younger priests).  During my stay I learned that Ottawa was the first diocese in the world to entrust a parish to the care of the Fraternity!

Sunday was the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost in the EO and the sermon comes before the reading in this ordination ritual (it is posted after the photos, all of which come courtesy of the skilled photography of John Bultmann, FSSP). For other photos go to the OLGS website (Seminary News): http://www.fsspolgs.org/

The porter and lector ordinands

Touching the keys to the church entrusted to the door-keepers [porters]

The exorcist and acolyte ordinands touch the ritual book of prayers

A blessing for those ordained exorcist and acolyte

The Seminary Rector and the newly ordained porters and lectors

A group photo with the ordinands, ministers and servers

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost—November 13, 2011

Conferral of the Minor Orders

of Porter, Lector, Exorcist and Acolyte

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Denton, NE

CALLED TO RESTORE GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS

[Texts: Philippians 1.6-11; Psalm 132.1-2; 113.11; Matthew 22.15-21]

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

My first words are to thank Father Bisig and the seminary staff. I am grateful for this opportunity to celebrate the conferral of minor orders on the seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. You have said yes to Christ’s call, and I rejoice with you!

This ceremony brings back memories of spring, 1968, and Loyola Seminary in New York State. There, in the shadow of West Point, we Jesuits were training for a different kind of engagement. Those days were turbulent in both the world and in the Church. I received tonsure and the four minor orders.

I believe this occasion will strengthen ties of respect and affection for the Fraternity.  I am grateful to have developed a close connection with you since my nomination to Ottawa in 2007. May such bonds of unity and respect continue to develop in our Church.

The readings for today’s Mass—which we will hear after the minor orders are conferred—say a great deal about preparing young men for the priesthood.

Today’s Gospel narrative is drawn from the twilight days of Jesus’ Jerusalem ministry just before his Passion. The Pharisees engage Him in several debates. In this case, Jesus is asked whether it is right to pay the poll tax to Caesar.

The Pharisees, upset that Jesus berated them in several parables, sent their disciples and some Herodians to trip Him up. They start by trying to butter Him up (“We know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth, and show deference to no one...”), but they actually sought to place Him on the horns of a dilemma to ruin Him, one way or the other.

The hated poll tax, instituted in 6 A.D. when Judea had become a Roman province, inflamed opposition to the occupying power. This gave rise to the Zealot movement, which fomented the Jewish War of AD66-70. That ended in disaster. In principle, the Pharisees resisted the poll tax. On the other hand, the Herodians—bit players in this drama—openly supported the Romans and favoured payment of the tax.

If Jesus supported paying tribute to Caesar, He would be discredited as a prophet. If, however, He argued against paying the tax, this could be used to betray Him to the Romans as a rebel. The conspirators knew that 20 years before, the Romans had executed Judas the Galilean, a pseudo-messiah and Zealot, for opposing the tribute. Jesus saw through their plot, and asked for the Roman coin used to pay the tax. He asked about the image and inscription found on the coin.

Many Jews considered the coin blasphemous. Because it bore a human image, it violated the commandment against graven images. Its inscription (“Tiberius Caesar, the august son of the Divine Augustus, high priest”) made a claim that rivalled God's exclusive sovereignty over Israel. Jews should rightfully have wanted to be rid of this coin. Still, they could produce one, whereas Jesus could not.

Earlier, Jesus had expressed willingness to pay the Temple tax to avoid scandal (Matthew 17.4). He did not forbid the poll tax paid to Caesar (“Give, therefore, to the emperor the things that are the emperor's...”). But Jesus went a step further when He added, “and to God the things that are God's”.

This claim is all-inclusive, because God's image and likeness are found inscribed on all His subjects. Therefore, all of a believer's life should be rendered to God, while only a paltry coin is owed the civil ruler.

Our brothers will surrender all to the Lord, not only by their acceptance of their call in saying Adsum, I am ready and willing to be missioned as a porter and lector, as an exorcist and an acolyte. No, beyond that, they will receive the mandate in these ministries to help restore the image of God. His image may have been disfigured… by wandering away from attendance at the sacred mysteries (symbolized by the bells and keys entrusted to the porter); …or by not heeding God’s Word (which lectors are to meditate on, take into their lives and proclaim to God’s people); …or by being caught up in demonic pursuits (from which the exorcist is to help them be set free by prayer); …or by keeping distant from Holy Mass. Remember that the acolyte must give supreme importance to the Mass by his commitment to the Eucharistic mystery, including adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe, your seminary’s patron, intercede for you with her Son.  You will need divine graces to keep faithful to the call you are answering today and throughout your formation.

The letter from St. Paul expresses confidence that God Our Lord who has begun this good work in you will see it to fulfilment. I echo the prayer Paul offered up for the Philippians, “I pray that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge and all understanding…that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ” [’s return in glory]!

Returning briefly to the Gospel, we know that the role of religion in politics is always a contentious issue. Do not be deterred! Christian citizens—lay and religious—have a legitimate right and duty to participate in the secular realm and its political processes. Remind our civic rulers of the dignity of the human person, who bears God's image and likeness!  God cares about how taxes are collected and spent, and so should you. You can influence, for the good, health care—from the moment of a person's conception to one's natural death—as well as education, corrections, public debt and, indeed, all social policies. I promise to do my part!

One line beyond today’s Gospel reading says “When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away”. I am pleased that men of your quality have not “gone away,” but instead, as Saint Paul wrote, are today “partners in grace.”