2nd Sunday of Advent
Installation of Father Matthew Buening
St. Katherine Drexel
December 8, 2024
Introduction
I am happy to pay a long overdue visit to St. Katherine Drexel, and on this occasion, to install Father Matt as your pastor. Father Matt has been here at St. Katherine for more than six months, and in that time, you’ve come to know him as an excellent priest with a truly pastoral heart. Thank you for welcoming him so warmly!
This morning, on the Second Sunday of Advent, in this season of hope and joy, might I suggest that we let today’s Gospel guide us as we reflect on the office of Pastor which Father Matt has assumed . . .
A Message of Hope and Consolation
The Gospel proclaims a message of hope and consolation, as indeed you pastor is called upon to offer hope and consolation to you, his people, especially in time of illness, loss, weakness, and uncertainty. But the solace and hope he offers are not mere soothing words or false optimism. Rather, the pastor and his co-workers accompany us on life’s journey, helping us to see that, come what may, the Lord continues to break in upon our lives, working out our salvation amid the joys and sorrows of life. By word and example, he demonstrates how we are to stake our whole life on “something so good that it could not be better”, namely, the Good News.
This should fill our hearts with a longing to encounter the Lord, in Word and Sacrament, to see him in others, especially the poor and vulnerable, and to prepare ourselves to meet him face-to-face, at the end of our lives and at the end of human history. This is indeed the glad tidings of hope proclaimed afresh during Advent, and it is a message of hope your pastor is to proclaim day after day in homilies and instructions, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in pastoral conversations, and in other interactions, many of them informal.
Like John the Baptist but Greater Still
Yet, this message of hope and consolation calls for a response on our part. Like the prophet Baruch, John the Baptist calls upon us to level the mountains, to fill in the valleys, to making winding ways straight, so that the Lord can come among us anew, with his saving love. John is urging us to remove from our community and from our hearts, every obstacle that hinders or obscures the Lord’s presence among us and in us. That is why he appeared in the desert, preaching a message of repentance, and baptizing people from all walks of life for the forgiveness of sins.
Like John the Baptist, the pastor proclaims our need of repentance and the joy of forgiveness. By his example of humility, he attracts others into the “desert”, to that place apart, where we can listen prayerfully to the Lord’s voice and repent of our sins. As a shepherd of souls, the pastor helps us construct a pathway the Lord can travel to reach our inmost selves, there to make his home in us, there to transform us inwardly by sharing with us his grace and glory.
Come to think of it, your pastor has a role even greater than that of John the Baptist. Not only does he preach the Good News of salvation with hope and joy…not only does he point in hope to the coming of the Lord Jesus into our midst…but thorough the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in the power of the Holy Spirit, your pastor speaks and acts in the Person of Christ. Through him, Christ becomes present in the mysteries of his Life, Death, and Resurrection. Through him we encounter Christ in the truth of his Word and in the power of his love. This is no cause for pride on his part but a source of wonderment and humility as he places himself at the service of the Lord and at the service of his people.
So it is, that with you, your pastor rejoices to welcome new members into the Church, as he baptizes by water and the Holy Spirit. The heart and soul of his ministry is the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy, that mystery of faith which is the source and summit of the Church’s life. Nothing brings more joy to a pastor than to gather with his people around the table of the Lord, the banquet of Christ’s sacrifice. With the gentleness of the Good Shepherd, he hears confessions serving as a minister and instrument of reconciliation with the Lord and the Church, helping us to create that level highway for the Lord in our hearts. He is prepares couples for marriage and presides at marriages even as he is present in time of illness, sharing the Sacrament of the Sick. At the moment of death he is there with Viaticum, the Body of Christ, food for the journey from time to eternity.
Other Duties “as Assigned”
Connected with his pastoral office are many other responsibilities: working to celebrate the diversity of your community while creating unity of faith; inspiring and overseeing ministries of evangelization and religious formation; reaching out to parishioners who no longer take part in the life of the parish; supporting married couples & family life; working for priestly & religious vocations; animating ministries of charity & justice; supporting Catholic education, & much more.
No pastor can fulfill all these responsibilities alone, but only with the help and cooperation of lay leaders with whom he serves. In today’s second reading, St. Paul speaks of his partnership with the congregation at Philippi for the sake of the Gospel, and such a partnership should prevail here. For the Spirit of God moves across the whole Church distributing gifts and ministries among God’s Holy People. It is for the pastor, walking with you and consulting with you, to harmonize and harness these many gifts of the Spirit for the sake of the Church’s mission to spread the Gospel. That is why, in this ceremony of installation, we shall recognize and thank the parish staff, the members of the parish council, and the parish corporators, & indeed, each of you, the members of this parish family of St. Katherine Drexel.
The Intercession of Blessed Mary and St. Katherine Drexel
As we give thanks for the ministry of Father Matt and celebrate his installation, let us ask, through the loving intercession of Blessed Mary and St. Katherine Drexel the blessing of Almighty God on this parish family, now and in the years ahead. I wish you the grace of a holy Advent and a joyous Christmas, and may God bless you and keep you always in his love.