Mons. Pizzaballa to the 5 admitted to orders and to an acolyte: “One of the first yes, in which the community embraces you and supports you ”
March 28, 2017 – Today, in the Auditorium of the Domus Galileaeae his excellency Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa presided over the Eucharistic celebration in which are officially admitted to Holy Orders the two Italians Samuel Costanzo and Igino Sistilli, the Spaniard Ruben Cabrera Rosique, the Bolivian Juan Tobias Saavedra Yriarte and the Colombian Mauricio Alberto De la Cruz Natera and in which the Polish Marek Kurzydlowski receives the Ministry of Acolyte.
The date marks for the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Galilee the third meeting with the Apostolic Administrator for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in which Msgr. Pierbattista has listened and known personally and individually all the seminarians and formators. For the prelate, the celebration of today then also marks the end of his individual visits to all priests of the diocese, while for the seminary it is the most nourished celebration of candidates since its founding in 2007. Attending the event about three hundred guests including the Neocatechumenal communities of Fassouta, Tarshiha and Me’lia, in which the candidates receive their permanent formation to faith, some Italian pastors and of the Latin Patriarchate, some relatives of the candidates and many other guests from Italy. In the solemn celebration, commenting on the readings of this Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Msgr. Pierbattista proposed, with the graciousness and elegance of always a reflection on the theme of joy, affirming from the beginning that “the Lord is full of surprises, thus will take you where you will not imagine” and then added, “but even there where life is not possible, the presence of God makes it burst” In the passage of the healing of a sick at the pool of Bethesda, and in the passage from Ezekiel in which spurts from the temple a spring of water, the center is occupied by the figure of the temple, at whose base, however, there is no human work, but the presence of God. “Christ is our temple” he then said, adding that “Christ heals on Saturday not casually, but because the Sabbath is the day of the feast of God and Christ brings the feast even there where it could not be found”. “If you are here it is because you too have been touched by Christ,” he then said, addressing himself to the candidates, “and you will have to become announcers, like this water coming out of the temple and that brings life, as Jesus brings hope even where it seems impossible.” The Church, in fact, continued the apostolic administrator, is the living temple, based on the testimony of what Christ has done in the life of each of you, “for this” he added, “what the Church and the bishop ask from you is only that you make your testimony more understandable and tangible your experience of Christ. ” After the homily he concluded this thought by presenting the image of the priest as instrument totally dedicated to God, hoping to the candidates that “nothing should no longer belong to you: neither money, nor success, nor the gratification of your activities, but have heart in God, to be instruments of God. ” After Mass the invited guests celebrated the six seminarians with a large buffet attended by all present.
