It has been nearly a week since ordination. This morning I read Bishop Brian Prior’s
reflections of the day:
FROM THE BISHOP'S
BLOG
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Ordination: Being
Present to God's Holy Presence
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Dear Friends,
Sitting in the beautiful Kellogg room, we talked about how important it was to be present to the Presence, even amidst all the distractions around us. On "grace-filled cue", at that very moment, a very large truck came by and filled the room with noise. I, of course, took full advantage and said, "There will always be a lot of noise around us - we are called to be present to God's Presence." A few short hours later, "cloistered" away from the joyous ruckus that was going on just down the hallway, we spent most of our time in quiet, at times silence. As we ended our final prayers, I once again invited them to be present to the moment that was to take place, and to hold holy silence.
Standing now some 100 feet behind a
gregarious group of clergy, all those behind me were not distracted by the
noise, but rather present to God's presence and all that was before
them.
Holy moments can often be lost on all sorts
of details and distractions. It is so easy to get caught up in what cries the
loudest for our attention, rather than staying focused on the small, quiet
voice that calls our name. Through the years, many a clergy have confessed to
me that Sunday morning worship is anything but that; they often end up
feeling more like an event organizer, rather than the one to invite the
gathered to prayer.
Yet, for our incredible 16 newly ordained,
even amidst the full gamut of their own emotions and surrounded by the sweet
sounds of anxiously awaiting family and friends, they were present to God's
Holy Presence; an experience I pray that will carry them forward as they go
forth to a world filled with noise and distractions from that small quiet
voice calling their names.
Blessings,
+Brian
Though I may have experienced my
holy moments in a slightly different way, these reflections are quite
accurate. I would add a level of
nervousness coupled with an air of celebration, points of confidence in what
I have understood to be my calling partnered with the reality of a goal,
dream and prayers being realized (with all the complexities and unknowns that
accompany it!).
Last night, with friends, I was
asked how it feels to be ordained. In
many ways it feels no different. The
life I live has nearly always been dependent upon God and a feeling of being
embraced by the Holy comforts me. Now
there is a greater sense of responsibility, particularly when wearing the
clergy collar. But simply wearing such
a visible sign of my call does not make me more or less a child of God. It doesn't give me a fast track to heaven
or a private ear with God. Everyone
has these! What wearing a collar does
do is announce to the world that I am ordained, that I should be someone to
whom another can come for prayer, blessing, assistance and to talk. It means that I have made promises to God,
my Bishop and my Church to live a holy and Godly life. It announces that I should be someone who
can see Jesus in others and who should understand that even when we fall
short, we are all children of God.
I have many more months of complex
educational opportunities and expectations before I am ordained a
priest. I am living in limbo as I wait
to learn where I will be placed to do my transitional diaconal training. I ask for your prayers that I will be
placed in a church where I will learn and grow in and with my call. I ask for your prayers that I will
persevere through the next months of my educational responsibilities so I
will graduate in April with my Masters of Divinity. I ask for your prayers as I prepare and
then practice during my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) where I will work
in (likely) a hospital as a chaplain.
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