MAKURDI, Nigeria — Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco urged 14 newly ordained priests in Nigeria to model their ministry on Christ's sacrificial love and remain close to those entrusted to their pastoral care.
In his homily during the Aug. 22 priestly ordinations of 14 deacons for the Diocese of Makurdi, Cordileone said the commandment Jesus gave the apostles during his farewell discourse provides a fundamental framework for understanding the identity and mission of the Catholic priest.
"Be friends and fathers to your people," he said during the Eucharistic celebration at the Sesugh Maria Pilgrimage Centre in Makurdi. "The people of God must know that the priest is with them, that he is for them, and that he acts only with their best interest in mind."
The archbishop said priests are called to imitate Christ by giving themselves completely to those entrusted to them, including when their service requires difficult decisions or encounters resistance.
He encouraged the new priests to trust in God's grace and allow themselves to become instruments through whom God transforms his people.
Cordileone explained that authentic priestly friendship goes beyond sharing interests or enjoying another person's company and is rooted in Christ's sacrificial love.
"The love of friendship is not one of slavish service, carried out reluctantly under the burden of oppression. Rather, it is a liberating service, one that brings joy to both," he said.
The archbishop, who has led the San Francisco Archdiocese since his installation in October 2012, linked priestly fatherhood to the relationship between Christ and the Church, describing Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride.
He also described the priest's vocation as one of building bridges between people and Christ, saying the priest must become "a bridge and not an obstacle" to their encounter with Jesus Christ.
Addressing the challenging circumstances in which the 14 deacons were being ordained priests, particularly in Nigeria's Benue state, Cordileone said: "You are being ordained into a world in which this is also a dangerous step."
He said the world needs priests who are close enough to the people of God under their pastoral care to know them and guide them through life's joys and sorrows toward a deeper life in Christ.
"There is a spiritual thirst in the world today," he said, adding that the ministry of priesthood carries the danger of spiritual mediocrity when priests neglect their interior lives and noted that the Nigerian context presents an additional, more literal danger.
"There is the possibility that Our Lord may call you to lay down your life for your friends," he said.
The archbishop referred to the suffering of Christians in Nigeria and the possibility that priests could be called to martyrdom in imitation of Christ.
Summarizing the identity and mission to which the newly ordained priests are called, he said: "Friend and father, shepherd and spouse, priest and victim."
"This is who and what you are called to be as you take this awesome and fearful step," the archbishop said.
He urged the newly ordained priests to embrace the daily sacrifices of priestly ministry and allow their lives to become a living expression of the Eucharistic sacrifice they celebrate.
Cordileone also expressed hope that their ministry would lead the faithful into communion with Christ, the source of "perfect peace, happiness, light, and love."
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
