When our Blessed Mother gave birth to Jesus on Christmas, she gave birth to a Priest. And not just any priest, but THE Priest. The Great High Priest! 

Our Lord was born for this purpose, as he himself would one day say to Pilate: 

For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth! [John 18:37]

To bear witness to the truth… to be the ultimate martyr for the truth! The holy and unblemished sacrifice for the truth!

“What is truth?” Pilate will respond, along with all the skeptics throughout the centuries.

We know the answer: Jesus is the Truth! …and the Way, and the Life!

Jesus the Priest came to draw all people to the Truth (to Himself!) so as to offer us up to the Father on the Cross in a perfect act of worship.

So come let us adore our Priest, lying there in the Manger! See Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, a foreshadowing of his future entombment! See the shepherds and the magi drawn near, a hint at all the millions and billions of hungry souls seeking out Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. They find it all abundantly in Him!

Behold your Priest — a little newborn!

This past weekend, the Church of Richmond gave birth to five newborn priests! Fathers Chris,  Cassidy, Dan, Kyle, and Tochi were born at roughly 11:30 AM on Saturday, June 1st at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, VA. 

Baby priests!

Like the Blessed Mother, the Church immediately wrapped them in fresh swaddling clothes:
—Beautiful Vestments!

Like the Magi, the Church showered them with rich, extravagant gifts:
—Sacred Chrism! The Chalice and the Paten!

Like the Angels and Shepherds, the Church surrounded them with prayer and adoration of God:
—The Litany of the Saints! The Laying on of Hands!

As with that first Nativity scene, the whole Church gathered in amazement to see this new and wondrous thing God accomplished. We rejoiced in this unbelievable event: These men are now priests forever! They have been born to offer the One Holy Sacrifice — Jesus’ Body and Blood.

And like the newborn Great High Priest, these men too are to become victims! Victims for the life and peace of the Church! “For this they were born, and for this they have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth!”

The world will scoff at these priests, too — just as it first mocked the Great High Priest: “What is truth?” 

No matter! They are to take up their Cross generously… and with love pouring from their pierced hearts, offer a holy and living sacrifice to the merciful Father!

So join me in praying for these newborn priests! Like the newborn Jesus, there will be many Herods filled with hatred and jealousy — countless enemies who will try to destroy these little newborn priests and prevent them from fulfilling their mission of sanctifying the people of God!

Pray for our newborn priests! Pray that they remain safely wrapped within the mantle of Mother Mary, who will guard and protect them always. Pray that they abide under the roof of St. Joseph, fierce protector of the Holy Family and model of chaste fruitfulness. Pray that they remain little in their own eyes and totally dependent. Pray that they grow and mature to be faithful witnesses to the Truth, obedient unto death… even death on a Cross.

Thank You so much, Lord, for our newborn priests!