Word, Order, and Sacrament

June 4, 2010

When we gather to link the past to our future, we will hear these familiar words spoken by the bishop as the newly ordained take their vows.

We will hear "take authority..."  Unfortunately, some of us take too much of something, but it is not authority.  It is more like power confused with authority.

Authority is granted by the integrity of the three words in the ordination admonition:

We receive our grounding in the Word.  It is here that our true authority (authenticity) begins and ends.  Without this grounding, we simply drift from one hot spot to another, never finding the cool balm of serenity in whatever crisis faces us this day.

Order is what we do.  Often, we want to focus on Word and Sacrament, but Order somehow has been tarnished.  Order is not administration.  Order is the path we take to become effective - we'll hear that word, too.  It is how we live in an unordered world that gives meaning as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Sacrament is the life blood of disciples.  It is the very food that empowers us to meet the challenges of each new day.

As our new brothers and sisters join our ranks, I hope that we will each recommit, with them, to our own vows of ordination (the state of being ordered).

God grant us grace to live our vows in authenticity.