What an unforgettable weekend I had last week in Sydney, and I don’t simply mean that the city is awesome! This time it was the celebration of the priesthood. Fr George Ryan OMI celebrated the golden Jubilee of his priestly ordination which took place in Ireland on April 11, 1965. However before I got captivated by the celebrations at Sefton the Dear Lord gave me a chance to reflect and renew myself in my daily living of the priestly vocation myself. With a good friend of mine I went to the Sydney Capital Theatre to watch Les Misérables. What a spiritual and cultural feast for my soul and mind it was! It was also heartening to see the full house, and believe me the Theatre is huge. I still remember my literature teacher from high school saying that as long as people appreciate live performances and are keen on seeing them it means that there is hope for the society for the soul of the society is still sensitive to the beauty and power of the word and how it is communicated by real people. I could write a long review essay but let me focus on what struck the cord in my heart instead. In one of the opening scenes we see the main character: Jean Valjean trying to be a good person after he is released from prison. The only person who welcomes him and treats him with dignity is a bishop. I love those lines the bishop sings in the musical: “Come in, Sir, for you are weary and the night is cold out there. Though our lives are very humble what we have we have to share. There is wine here to revive you. There is bread to make you strong. There’s a bed to rest till morning. Rest from pain and rest from wrong.” Unfortunately Jean Valjean abuses the trust of the “old fool” as he calls the bishop and steals the sliver from the bishop’s house. When he is caught by police and brought back to the bishop to be charged with the robbery the “old fool” says to Jean’s big surprise that he gave him those items himself. In this way the police had to drop the charges. Before Jean leaves the “old fool” gives him more silver and sings: “But remember this, my brother. See in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become and honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness. I have bought your soul for God.” The rest of that amazing story which follows the life of the man couldn’t happen if that encounter with the Bishop, the “old fool” didn’t happen. Those three hours I watched, listened and contemplated the unfolding events on the stage were like an examination of the conscious for me. Victor Hugo captured very well the essence of the priesthood. A priest is the person who puts so much trust and faith in the Lord Jesus that even in the most tragic and unpromising individual; he can see a chance for the conversion and beginning of the new life. The bishop from Les Misérables didn’t simply give Jean Valjean some silver forks and knives but he have him grace, prayer and blessing which gave the man a new orientation in his life. I ask you to pray for all priests, bishops and our Holy Father to be the men of such faith.
The following two days extolled the goodness of the Lord even more as parishioners of Sefton, visitors and the Oblates were giving thanks for Fr George’s 50 years of priestly ministry. Dear Father George didn’t draw any attention to himself but continued drawing our attention to the Lord Jesus who sustained him in his priestly vocation and to many people he has met during those 50 years. As I listened to his words I could think that he did nothing for others as he kept sharing how much the people, he met as a priest, have shaped him and supported him in his life journey. I would be an “old fool” to come to a conclusion that he did nothing for others as his appreciation of others testify to that lively Christian interaction between the People of God and their priests. Well, I have still a few years to get to my Golden Jubilee of priesthood so I hope I can become a priest of such deep faith and appreciation.
To conclude this article I would like to mention another “unique priestly moment” in the recent days, actually it happened this morning. A friend of mine from the first years of my ministry posted a message on my Facebook page saying: “Father, right now I am in the Room of the Last Supper in Jerusalem. I am praying for you here where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood.” This is another example of that lively interaction between People of God and their priests.
The following two days extolled the goodness of the Lord even more as parishioners of Sefton, visitors and the Oblates were giving thanks for Fr George’s 50 years of priestly ministry. Dear Father George didn’t draw any attention to himself but continued drawing our attention to the Lord Jesus who sustained him in his priestly vocation and to many people he has met during those 50 years. As I listened to his words I could think that he did nothing for others as he kept sharing how much the people, he met as a priest, have shaped him and supported him in his life journey. I would be an “old fool” to come to a conclusion that he did nothing for others as his appreciation of others testify to that lively Christian interaction between the People of God and their priests. Well, I have still a few years to get to my Golden Jubilee of priesthood so I hope I can become a priest of such deep faith and appreciation.
To conclude this article I would like to mention another “unique priestly moment” in the recent days, actually it happened this morning. A friend of mine from the first years of my ministry posted a message on my Facebook page saying: “Father, right now I am in the Room of the Last Supper in Jerusalem. I am praying for you here where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood.” This is another example of that lively interaction between People of God and their priests.
Sydney Capital Theatre
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