By Sharon Wilson
“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)
On Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the Priestly Ordination for my archdiocese. There were many beautiful parts of the Mass, but the laying on of hands by the archbishop was one of the most moving. I recognized there, at that moment, the uninterrupted succession of Christ through St. Peter to all of the bishops, and from them to our priests. The succession was all the more evident as a beloved friend, Fr. Kevin Finnegan (pictured above at his ordination), celebrated his 20th year of priesthood and was invited to vest one of the new priests being ordained. Like a father passing on something to a son, this represented transition and change.
This spring, my family and I are experiencing a lot of change. My daughter graduated from college just a few weeks ago, and I started a new job last week. Change can make me feel uneasy. There is the unknown … but I am comforted that there is a consistency in it, too.
How can there be consistency in change?
New priests are ordained and carry on the work of the Church. Children grow up and move into the flow of life that we once thought our own. And jobs change as new people take on the work that was done by others. Through the Holy Spirit, there is a thread of consistency in the change, as long as we move closer to Christ through that change.
Take a moment today to pray for the new priests in your diocese, new high school and college graduates, and all those walking through other kinds of change. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, that we do not approach change with fear, but with anticipation!
“To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” —Blessed John Henry Newman
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