As I celebrate 20 years of priesthood on September 17, 2003 I want to say

THANK YOU
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The Challenge in Life is to Live in the Light of Christ

It was the summer of 1983, and I was doing my Clinical Pastoral Experience at Mercy Center for Healthcare Services in Aurora, Illinois. I was ministering in a psychiatric unit for adolescents. One day while I was walking through the hospital, I found myself standing in front of the nursery window in the general hospital division. My supervisor came up to me while I was there and said, "I'm going to give you a lesson in Psychology. If you look at those babies, you'll see that some of them are crying, waving their arms all about, while the others are lying there perfectly still. Do you know why some are acting out and the others aren't?"

I looked at them but I couldn't figure it out. He then said, "Those wrapped in the blankets are the ones who are quiet; the others are crying, because they no longer have the safety of their mothers’ wombs, which is what they have been used to up until now. The blankets remind them of the womb."

I thought about this and asked myself what this meant to me. I have come to realize that throughout life, we are once again seeking the safety of the womb--the comfort and love of the womb. I feel that I have found my place—that comfort--once again through the many people I have come in touch with in my 20 years of priesthood.

At a time like this, as I celebrate 20 years of serving the Lord in my vocational call, it is almost impossible to express all the feelings that are in my heart. It has been through you--my family and friends--that I have come to know the love of God, and for me, being a priest is the best way I can respond to that love.

Today, I want to especially thank my mom and dad for all the love and support they have given me...for letting me leave the womb of their heart, so that I may grow and share the love that they have given to me with so many others along the way.

I want to thank a very special friend of mine who has brought me down to earth a number of times and helped me face reality. I am sorry for all the pain and difficulties I caused you as we helped each other to grow.

All throughout my priestly life, I will be striving to attain once again the comfort of the womb, and as I have said, I have found it through each one of you at this time. I pray for your continued support and love in doing so. I thank each of you who give me support and share with me the love which God has shared with each of us.

ay you always be aware of the presence of God in your lives, so that you may be able to share that love with all whom you come in touch with throughout life. I pray that each of us may be able to live out fully our Christian challenge: "To live in the Light of Christ".