May 3, 2026; 1 Peter 2:4-9; 5th Sunday of Easter
There is a statement in today’s second reading that might surprise you. The author of the First Letter of Peter says that “you are a royal priesthood.” He is addressing all believers, so he is saying this to us. He is saying that all of us are priests. What does he mean? When Catholics hear the word, “priest,” they think of those who have been ordained through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This is certainly true. But it is also too narrow because in a broader sense the word “priest” can apply to everyone who is baptized. In what way? The role of a priest is to bring God to people and people to God. The greatest priest, of course, is Christ who through his death and resurrection brings all humanity into union with God the Father. But we share in Christ’s priesthood, and, like Christ we are called to bring God to others and others to God.
We have a powerful example of this at today’s liturgy because five young people from our parish (William, Henry, Alec, Anthony and Edwin) are making their First Holy Communion. They are here this morning because of the priesthood of their parents. It was their parents who told them of Christ’s love for them, who brought them to the waters of baptism, who showed them how to pray, and who stand with them today as they receive the body and blood of Christ for the first time. For those of you making your First Communion, I need to remind you that you are priests. You are called to bring God to others and other to God. How do you do that? You do it by the way that you live and the decisions you make. You do it each time that you decide to share with your brothers and sisters, rather than fight with them. You do it when you refuse to make fun of the kid at school who everyone else puts down. You do it when you are kind to those who are weak or in need. Through your baptism and now through your Holy Communion, you are a priest of God, bringing God and others together.
Of course, this is true for all of us here in church today. Realizing that we are indeed part of Christ’s priesthood means that we understand that following him is not just saying prayers and keeping our hearts and minds pure from sin. It is living our lives in a way that we show that we believe in God and that we invite others to believe with us. Our world needs Jesus. It needs his love, his justice, and his peace. So let us today live our priesthood and bring him to others and others to him.