A priest’s journey began as a mountain too high to climb, but not for Christ
Editor’s Note: Fr Peter celebrated his 28th Sacerdotal Anniversary Mass earlier this evening on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He shares with us the homily he preached.
Dear Readers,
Twenty-eight years ago, I was ordained as a Redemptorist priest in Melbourne by Bishop Peter Connor. It was a wonderful celebration and a joyous occasion, which I will never forget.
My journey to the priesthood, which began in Vietnam, was the biggest challenge in my life (read my story here: For God, every dark cloud has a silver lining ). It was like climbing up the highest mountain that has lots of twists and unexpected turns.
Sometimes it was like I had arrived at a dead end and there was no way out. But God rescued me from all those dangerous events and allowed me to settle in Australia. In a foreign land, I was able to start a new life and pursue my vocation. In reflecting on my journey, I am ever more convinced that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
On this 28th Anniversary of my ordination, I like to share with you an experience that took place during my Novitiate at the Redemptorist Monastery in Mayfield, Newcastle City in 1987. Since without this spiritual experience, I would not have been ordained as priest.
In fact, I would not be here today to celebrate Mass, in thanksgiving to God, on this most blessed occasion with special friends and parishioners at St. Thomas More College Chapel.
Every Friday during my Novitiate, I had to see my Novice Master for about an hour to discuss how things had been going with me, especially in terms of my spiritual life and vocation. I was asked to reflect on the vows that I must take by the end of my 12-month Novitiate. These included the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. I told him the hardest for me would be Chastity, since I felt I was not able to live up to its expectation. My Novice Master advised me to pray over this and see what God would say to me.
After leaving his office, I went immediately to the Chapel and was there alone. I poured out my heart to God and I told Him how I felt, especially regarding my future commitment as a member of the Redemptorist Congregation. I felt that I could not keep these vows completely.
I was anxious and wanted to give up on the idea of becoming a priest, since it was too difficult. I was in a state of despair and did not know what I had to do. While I was in that state, I heard the words of the Hymn: COME AS YOU ARE, composed by Sr. Deirdre Brown. It resounded in my mind, especially these verses:
Come as you are, that’s how I want you
Come as you are, feel quite at home
Close to my heart, loved and forgiven
Come as you are, why stand alone?
I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous
I came to bring peace, not to condemn
Each time you fail to live by my promise,
Why do you think I’d love you the less?
Watch and listen to the hymn, Come as you are
I could not believe what I was hearing, it was too good to be true. How could God love me that much, and even if each time I fail to live by His promise, God still loves me as I am.
Listening to the hymn, with those verses appearing vividly in my mind, I cried my heart out and was inconsolable for quite a while. I knew then that God was speaking to me directly with those words. It was very clear He wanted me to know nothing will ever change His love for me, even when I fail to keep my promises. I was so happy, felt strengthened by the experienced and, finally, told my Novice Master I would take my vows, with the knowledge I could fail from time to time.
Today, as I celebrate the anniversary of my ordination, I can honestly tell you that God has done everything in my life. Whatever I have achieved until now, it has been by the grace of God who has empowered and given me the ability to do so. All my being and everything I possess are totally from God, and I still feel I am not worthy of His service.
(on his right) from the United States were in Melbourne for his ordination on 16 July 1994.
I would like to conclude my homily this evening by sharing with you a story that is very meaningful to me. It is in fact just like my own story (The old violin nobody wanted was first published here on 12 July 2022).
There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.
Keen to find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”
A deathly silence filled the room.
After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.
Then, after another short period of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”
“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.
The old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.
Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.
He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction, and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment, it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.
When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room, if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.
From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus, of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.
The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.
It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings, and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside, was actually a beautiful and priceless soul, inside the instrument.
Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But, if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us, and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention, and everyone wants to listen to the music, that He produces out of our lives.
So tonight, I would like to pray for all of us:
“Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music that people can enjoy to listen and bring happiness to their hearts. May we always give You thanks and praise to Your wonderful love that You have bestowed upon us.” Amen.
