Homily
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"You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church" (Mt. 16:18)

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, my dear Brother Priests and Deacons,

On this, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, we gather in this beautiful Parish Church of Saint Mary in Newmarket to celebrate the Eucharist and to ordain to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ one of this Parish Community, Gerard Cremin, who has just now been chosen by the Church for this awesome task. You, the local Church community, have responded to the choice made by the Bishop "Thanks be to God". Yes, indeed, thanks be to God for all He has accomplished in the life and soul of this young man who presents himself today, open and ready, to take on the responsibility of service in the Priesthood for the salvation of God's People. The journey to Priesthood for Gerard began at the Baptismal Font when his Parents and God Parents presented him, as an infant, to the Church so that he might receive the seed of faith in Jesus Christ and become the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Down through his childhood and adolescent years that seed of faith has grown in a family and parochial environment that has enabled it to flower into a priestly vocation. The solid foundation upon which Gerard's vocation has been based is that faith which, by the grace of God, was given him in the waters of Baptism. It is the same faith in Jesus Christ that enabled Saint Peter to declare to Jesus: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). That faith is the "rock" on which Christ has built His Church.

At Caesarea Philippi Jesus, in response to Peter's profession of faith, conferred on him the jurisdiction of "the keys of the Kingdom of heaven" saying: "whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:19). I remember very well one day, the Servant of God, Pope Paul VI, of happy memory, saying to me that if I ever have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land I should visit the Church of the Primacy of Peter. I immediately thought of Caesarea Philippi. But Pope Paul VI immediately corrected me and said that it was on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. He then recounted for me why the Church of the Primacy of Peter was there. Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to His Apostles several times. One of those appearances took place by the Lake of Galilee when the Apostles had fished all night and had caught nothing. Jesus told them: "Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something" (Jn. 21:6) and we know they caught so much fish that they could hardly haul the net in. Then Jesus invited them to breakfast and, after the meal together, He turned to Peter and said: "Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these others do?" (Jn. 21:15) and three times Peter professed his love for Jesus, finally proclaiming: "Lord, you know everything; you know I love you" (Jn. 21:17). Jesus said to him: "Feed my sheep" (Jn. 21:17). Pope Paul VI explained to me that the jurisdiction was given to Peter by Christ at Caesarea Philippi in response to Peter's profession of faith; the faculty to use it was given at the lake shore of Galilee in response to his profession of love. That is the Peter whose Feastday we celebrate today. We know that he could not have been the "rock" of faith and the "heart" of love for the Church had not Jesus given him the grace and forgiven him his moment of betrayal.

Every priest is ordained in the mould of Peter. We are all capable of betraying Christ and that is why Saint Paul reminds us: "We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure" (2 Cor. 4:7). On his ordination day, by the laying on of hands by the Bishop, the newly ordained Priest is given jurisdiction in spiritual matters. Jesus says to him, as he did to his first priests: "For those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained" (Jn. 20:23). This jurisdiction is to be used only in the context of love, a pastoral love for God's People. Every time a priest raises the consecrated Bread and Wine for the adoration of the people, every time a priest raises his hand in blessing over a penitent saying "I absolve you!", Jesus poses the question: "Do you love me more that these others do?" (Jn. 21:15). To our profession of love Jesus responds: "Feed my lambs - feed my sheep" (cf. Jn. 20:16-17).

Saint Paul, called in an extraordinary way by Christ to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, at the end of his life of love and service, wrote to his faithful missionary brother Timothy: "I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith". (2 Tim. 4:7). What an extraordinary witness to Christ he is! He identified himself so much with the Lord Jesus that he could say: "I live now, not I, but Christ lives in me". He was fully conscious of his weaknesses and his inadequacies but his trust in the Lord Jesus brought him through every trial and difficulty. To Timothy he wrote: "The Lord stood by me and gave me power" (2Tim. 4:17) and from his prison condition he exhorted his disciple: "I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you" (2 Tim. 1:6). What an example St. Paul is for all Christians but especially for Priests who are charged to "preach the word of God, in season and out of season". That is why His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, yesterday evening in the Basilica of Saint Paul in Rome solemnly opened a jubilee year in honour of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul, called the Pauline Year. His Holiness referred to an apparition Saint Paul had of Jesus when the Lord spoke to him in difficult times: "Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you" (Acts 18:9).

Gerard, you are about to be ordained a Priest of God forever on this special solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul and at the beginning of this Jubilee Year of Saint Paul. They are the two great apostolic pillars of the Catholic Church. You would do well to learn from their teachings how to be firm in your faith and generous in your priestly love. You have prepared well for this day, a day in which your life will be changed as you become an "alter Christus - another Christ" for the people to whom you will be sent to minister. Take to heart the words of Christ to Saint Paul: "Do not be afraid….I am with you" (Acts. 18:9). Listen carefully to the words of Jesus to Peter, which will be repeated to you every time you stand at the altar or sit in the confessional: "Do you love me more that these other do?" (Jn. 21:15). Be a Priest of great faith and generous love. Learn from the Heart of Jesus the love He has for everyone. You will do this through spending time with Him in Adoration of the Blessed Eucharist. Make of your daily Eucharist the highpoint of each day and, as you receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, enter into intimate communion with Jesus and the most Blessed Trinity. Just as is mentioned in the first reading in today's Liturgy, when Saint Peter was relieved of the chains which bound him, so also be to others to whom you minister, the instrument of the Lord through whom the chains and shackles, which bind people to the slavery of sin, will be broken. The Priest, especially in administering the Sacrament of Penance, would do well to keep in his mind and heart the scene of the Lord Jesus before the tomb of Lazarus as He calls him forth. Jesus said to those standing around: "Unbind him, let him go free (Jn. 11:44). Jesus came to set us free from sin and to enable us to walk forward with the freedom of the children of God. That will be your task from this day forward "in the person of Christ". Through your Priestly Ministry 'Unbind God's People and let them go free'.

Finally, Gerard, be a devoted son of Mary. She will always keep you close to Her Son Jesus. The faithful will be drawn by you to the Lord more easily if they see that you have a filial devotion to His mother. I remember very well a saintly missionary I had the privilege of working with in Africa. He was so devoted to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that the African people called him in their language: "The second Son of Mary". May Mary, the mother of all Priests, ever protect you with her maternal love.

I now take this occasion to thank all those involved with the formation of Gerard to Priesthood. First of all, I thank his dear Parents, Eugene and Betty and all the family. This is truly a grace-filled day for you. You have nurtured Gerard in the faith in your home and have indeed created there the first seminary of his training. I thank you sincerely for the encouragement and support you have been to your son, Gerard, whom you will now see raised to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. I thank all those who have contributed to the formation of Gerard, in his primary and secondary education and, in a special way, I thank the President and Staff of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth for having given so much to him in his immediate formation and preparation for this day.

A special word of thanks goes to the parish Priest of Newmarket, the V. Rev. Anthony Cronin. He has been for Gerard an example of priestly life and prayer and, lately, he has shown to him what it means to carry the Cross of Christ. On behalf of the entire Diocese I thank you, Fr. Anthony, for your witness in Priesthood and your generosity of spirit. My thanks also go to Fr. Patrick McCarthy for the encouragement and support he has been to Gerard as he prepared for his Ordination Day.

Gerard, in the name of the Diocese of Cloyne, I welcome you and I assure you that your fellow Priests will never fail in their fraternal support and encouragement. I myself assure you always of my prayer for you and your priestly ministry and, while for you I am your Bishop, with you I am always your Brother. Come now and be ordained, by the power of the Holy Spirit, a Priest for ever.
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