Homily: September 10, 2026, Thursday of the Twenty-Third week in Ordinary Time (Ordination Anniversary)

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“Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.”

We prayed these beautiful words in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 139 has always been one of my favorite psalms, especially these words: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.”

They remind us that our life is not an accident. Every human life is a precious gift from God. Each one of us is known, loved, and wonderfully formed by God even before we are born.

These words have a very personal meaning for me today as I prepare to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my priestly ordination tomorrow.

My parents waited seven years after their marriage before they were blessed with a child. During those years, they experienced the pain of four miscarriages. Eventually, God blessed them with seven children, and I am number five.

I remember my parents at every Holy Mass I celebrate because, through them, God gave me the gift of life. They allowed God to “knit me” in my mother’s womb, and then, throughout my childhood, they continued to help form me. Their unwavering faith, their beautiful prayer life, their hard work, their sacrifices, and above all their example helped prepare me to hear God’s call and eventually to say yes to the priesthood.

My priesthood is one of God’s most precious gifts to me. And the fact that I have been able to live this priesthood for these ten years is a sign of his mercy and compassion toward me.

At the beginning of this Mass, you heard me pray these words in the Collect:

“Holy Father, who, by no merit of my own, chose me

for communion with the eternal priesthood of your Christ

and for the ministry of your Church…”

Those words mean even more to me today: “by no merit of my own.”

Priesthood is not something I earned. It is not something I deserved. It is a gift. God, in his mercy, called me and entrusted this ministry to me.

When I look back over these ten years, I can see many joyful moments and also difficult ones. I can see moments when I was strong and moments when I was weak. But through all of them, one thing has remained constant: God has been faithful.

I thank God for the gift of my life.

I thank God for my parents and my family.

I thank God for calling me to the priesthood.

I thank God for every person and every community he has allowed me to serve.

And I thank God for carrying me through these first ten years.

The God who knit me together in my mother’s womb is the same God who called me to the altar, and he is the same God who continues to form me as a priest each day.

So, as I celebrate ten years of priesthood, my prayer is very simple: Lord, thank you for calling me. Thank you for your mercy. And whatever years you give me, help me to remain faithful to the “yes” I gave you ten years ago.     

Amen.


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