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Bishop installs seminarians into Ministry of Reader
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February 27, 2015
Bishop Mulvey installs seminarian James Hernandez into Ministry of Reader.
Photos by Assumption Seminary
Three seminarians from the Diocese of Corpus Christi were installed in the Ministry of Reader at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 14. The Ministry of Reader is a step along the way to priestly ordination.
Bishop Michael Mulvey installed Oscar F. Chaparro, Richard Gutierrez and James A. Andrew Hernandez, who are completing their first year of theology. They were among 10 seminarians instituted into the Ministry of Reader and Ministry of Acolyte.
In his homily, Bishop Mulvey said these two ministries represent two “fundamental sources of Christ’s presence in the Church today.”
“Christ said ‘I am with you always.’ We sometimes act as if God is not present, but that we are in charge. That is heresy from its roots. Christ Jesus is in charge, he is the head of his Church, we are his servants,” Bishop Mulvey said.
The seminarians accepted as Readers are servants of the Word and of God, the bishop said. They do not possess these ministries but are servants to them. Acolytes are servants of the altar, of the Eucharist.
“You are not servants of priests or deacons, but servants of Jesus Christ,” the bishop said. These ministries only assist the bishop, priests and deacons in order to build up the Church in holiness and salvation.
“Jesus never intended for the Church to take possession of his body and blood or the possession of his word, as if we are the ones to take charge of his word. We are to be instruments…together…to seek life of the Holy Spirit in order to build up the people of God and have them come into contact with their Lord and Savior,” Bishop Mulvey said.
He told the seminarians that their relationship with God’s word and with the Eucharist at this point in their journey in life and in this part of their priestly formation will take on a new character. He urged them to spend time with the word of God and with Jesus in the Eucharist, both at Mass and outside of Mass.
“Allow yourself the luxury to spend time with his word, to spend time with Jesus to know him, to absorb what he says and to live the word, be transformed by the word,” Bishop Mulvey said.
Citing the frequent words of Pope Francis, Bishop Mulvey said, what the Lord needs to see in the Church are two things: wisdom and humility.
“You must show that you love the Word and that you want to share it with others,” Bishop Mulvey said to those installed as Readers. “How can you give what you don’t have? Your life must be rooted in the Word in order to share it.”
He said they also needed to show humility. There is no more humble act than Jesus crucified. The bishop pointed out to the seminarians that they live in a world where so many things attack the truth, detract them from holiness, tempt them away from Jesus Christ. He directed them to follow the example of the apostle Paul who said, “I never boast except in the cross of our Lord…”
“How can we boast when Jesus Christ is on the cross?” the bishop asked. “If he can give us his life, than you and I can give up our life for our sisters and brothers. Our life is not about boasting of who we are, we don’t have merit badges, we have crucifixes hanging around our necks.”
The bishop urged the seminarians to rejoice and celebrate with their families but to remember that God had asked them to give up their lives to serve.
Bishop Michael Mulvey installed three seminarians from the diocese into the Ministry of Reader on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio. Pictured above (from leftt) are Oscar Chaparro, Deacon Ron Martinez, James Hernandez, Deacon Armando Sanchez, Bishop Mulvey, Richard Gutierrez, Deacon Arnoldo Marcha and vocation director Father Joseph Lopez, JCL.
Photos by Assumption Seminary
