Fr Francis Lai's first homily as a priest on June 26th

We would do well to remind ourselves of what happens every time we gather to celebrate the divine liturgy. God speaks! We gather together to dispose our minds and our hearts to listen, and God speaks. Let us take a few moments now to be certain that we have heard what God has said.

"I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:19b-20a)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, these were the words that we just heard proclaimed from the first reading, and I purposely chose this first reading because of the Bible quote that I used on my Ordination card, and the same quote on the poster.

It is no longer I who eats, but Christ who lives in me. It is no longer I who suffers from my pain, but it is Christ who suffers in me. It is no longer I who was busy preparing for my Ordination Mass yesterday, but it is Christ who was busy preparing with me. It is no longer I who lacked sleep last night because of the late finish of the banquet, but it is Christ who lacked sleep in me. It is no longer I who has to wake up early to come to Mass, but it is Christ who wakes up in me. You get the idea! Christ and I walk hand in hand at all times. In addition, I believe this reading resonates particularly with a newly ordained priest. As I’ve just begun my priestly ministry, the passage is a good reminder to myself that it is no longer I who administers the Sacraments, but Christ who administers the Sacraments in me and through me. In our prayers today, meditate on the daily examples of how Christ is always in us.

(Psalm 138 – “I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; for you have answered me.”)

In the responsorial psalm today, we hear the first verse, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;” This is exactly my feeling right now, to give thanks to the Lord for all He has done, and all the angles that He sent me to my way, whether they are difficulties in the seminary, or in the monastery, or my move back to Canada after my graduation, and all the planning and help leading to my Priestly Ordination. I just want to give thanks to the Lord and to the many people who have prayed for me and guided me throughout this journey, for which I am profoundly grateful.

Matthew 10:7-13

In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus saying these words to his disciples to “Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.”

This is called Divine providence, to truly believe that God will provide in whatever we need. As I begin my priestly ministry, I also have a lot of concerns and maybe even worries about hearing confessions, anointing of the sick, or not being able to handle things properly and correctly, but ultimately, I have to let go and let God do the rest. Hence, I always like to promote the Surrender Novena (全然降服於主的旨意九日敬禮）, which I learned while in the seminary. The 9-day novena has nine different meditations, and each day you meditate on a paragraph and then pray the following:

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

I prayed this surrender novena up to my Ordination Mass, to try to surrender all my stress, worries, to the Lord. My Ordination is not my ordination, it’s your Ordination, Lord, you take care of it. My sickness is not my sickness, it’s your sickness, Jesus, you take care of it. I still have to do what the doctor tells me to. Eventually, our lives are not our own; our lives belong to God. Lord, you take care of it. Homework for today, go home and download this surrender novena, and meditate on the words each day of the novena.

St. Pope John XXIII was once interviewed, and the journalist asked him how he could handle the many stresses of being a Pope. He famously replied, “Lord, this is your Church, I’m going to bed.” If we all truly believe in Divine Providence and surrender everything to the Lord, then we can all have peace of mind throughout our earthly life.

In a few moments after listening to the Word of God, we will come to the liturgy of the Eucharist, and after receiving the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, we can truly say that it is Christ who lives in us. Wherever we go, we become the living Tabernacle, carrying Christ in us, so that we can leave the Church today and have the strength to proclaim that we have been crucified with Christ. Amen!

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us offer our prayers for the universal church, our community, and ourselves.

1. For our Holy Father Pope Leo and the College of Cardinals, that they would continue to be receptive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and given the wisdom and strength to guide the universal church; Let us pray to the Lord!
   
   
2. For the Congregation of St. John the Baptist, that the brothers would be given strength and perseverance, and be given new vocations to the religious order to serve the Chinese community;
   Let us pray to the Lord!
   
   
3. For our newly ordained priest, Fr. Francis Lai, that He would begin his new mission with zealous love for the people he is called to minister;
   Let us pray to the Lord!
   
   
4. For the faithful departed, especially the family and relatives of Fr. Francis Lai, that they would rejoice in the heavenly kingdom;
   Let us pray to the Lord!
   
   
5. For the intentions that we hold in the silence of our hearts(pause);
   Let us pray to the Lord!

Heavenly Father, accept the prayers and answer them according to your will, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!