Summer 2011 - Companions of the Cross

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forgiven and free of guilt and shame. At
the Easter Vigil I was confirmed and had
my First Communion. Having listened to
priests say, “The Body of Christ” became
music to my ears, and when I was able for
the first time to take the Body and Blood
of the Lord, I felt like dancing.
And, I see the Jewishness of it all. The
synagogue has an Eternal Light hanging
over the Ark where the Torahs are kept;
the Catholic Church has a light near the
tabernacle where the “Torah made flesh”
is kept. There is a long table in the synagogue
for the Torah; there is an altar for
the Eucharist in the Church. There are
Scripture readings and prayers chanted in
the synagogue; the Church has scriptures
and prayers read and sung.
When I became a believer in Yeshua at the
Messianic Congregation, I did not cease
to be Jewish. When I joined the Evangelical
Church I did not cease to be Messianic
Jewish. When I joined the Catholic
Church, I did not cease to be any of the
above; it is addition and multiplication,
and not subtraction or division. I am not
a convert from Messianic Judaism via
Evangelical Protestantism to the Catholic
Church. My conversion is daily to the
Lord. He has led me into a deepening of
relationship with him that grows daily too.
If anyone had ever told me years ago that
this would be happening, I would have
told them they were dreaming. Yet, it is
a dream come true. The Lord has given
me many more mercies, favours, and opportunities
to share the Jewish roots of the
faith. Jesus is a real person to me at Mass
and not just a theory or an experience.
The richness in history, tradition, and the
manifold “colours” of the Catholic tradition
are so beautiful and so wise. Our
Holy Father is a real friend to our people.
Bringing with me the rich heritage of my
Jewish roots and all I have learned over
the years in various places, I feel as if a
whole new, yet ancient, world has opened
up for me to explore and enjoy as well as
to serve in – all for the glory of God the
Father, the love of Messiah Yeshua and in
the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Gift and Mystery
– 25 Years as a Priest
“Do not be afraid!
Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ!
Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church!
Nothing will ever replace a Mass for the salvation of the world!
Dear young and not so young who are listening to me, do not leave
Christ’s call unanswered.”
Pope Benedict XVI, September 13th, 2008, Paris.
T he
Ministerial Priesthood is a Gift, a Call and Mystery. These words come to
mind as I reflect on the grace of 25 years of priestly life, service and ministry
since my ordination that memorable sunny morning October 18th, 1986.
In Gift and Mystery written by John Paul II on the 50th anniversary of his own priesthood
he said: “As Jesus says to the first apostles, on the night before he died: ‘You did
not choose me but I chose you’ (Jn 15:16).
“Priesthood is a gift given. The author of the letter to the Hebrews says that no one takes
this gift of himself, but “takes it only when called by God” (Heb 5:4).
“But God’s call and the gift of a vocation is also a mystery. A mystery is something that
we do not fully understand, but something that we can still embrace and accept. God is
a mystery; why should his call be any different?”
When I had the realization that the Lord might be calling me to become a priest, I
clearly remember being quite puzzled. I could not ever remember contemplating such
an idea. Why did the Lord wait until I was 25 before finally knocking at my door? After
all, I had none of the usual qualifications to offer him. I never played Mass as a kid; I
was never interested in becoming an altar server; and I never questioned once that marriage
and career were for me. While initially trying to come to terms with the possibility
of a call to become a priest, I may have thought: Mystery - “yes” Gift - “no!”
As I gradually yielded to the grace of his call and gave up trying to figure this whole thing
out, Mystery, a peace and desire to accept this Call as Gift began to take hold of me.
In my final year of studies at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, for the Diocese of
Hamilton, another unexpected turn appeared on my vocational horizon – a strong sense
that I was being called to live my priesthood in a community setting. I did not feel called
to join an already existing religious order. Puzzled once again, I took a sabbatical year for
further discernment and ended up living in Ottawa in the spring of 1985. This precipitated
a move into St. Mary’s rectory with Fr. Bob Bedard, the newly appointed pastor.
C o m p a n i o n s o f t h e C r o s s
s u m m e r 2 0 1 1
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f e a t u r e
by Fr. Dennis Hayes, CC