Broken for Others
A few years ago I was in the Polish mountains visiting the cell of the Albertine monk, St. Albert Chmielowski. He was a nobleman, a painter and a veteran of the 1863 uprising in Poland striving for Independence when Poland was partitioned. In fact, during the uprising, his horse died and Albert’s leg was badly injured, so much so that it had to be amputated. In a similar fashion to Ignatius of Loyola, this time of recuperation became a time of recalibration of what was important for Albert. He founded the Albertine brothers and sisters, inspired by a deep love for the poor. St. Albert’s cell was simple, with a bed, a desk, a crucifix and his wooden clogs. There was also a plaque with an oft-quoted phrase of his, “We must become bread broken for others.”
This phrase has inspired and stayed with me throughout my priesthood. It is the most concise and poetic description of the Eucharist that I have come across. The brokenness of bread should be the source of a priestly vocation, for a priest is someone who must become like bread broken for others. This is something that I have tried to emulate in my life by celebrating the Eucharist and then giving my life as a gift of love to others. The Eucharist has also been a source of peace for me in difficult moments, and it has always been a reminder of the importance of humility. Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist; we are called to receive this gift from him and share it with others. Without the Eucharist, my vocation would be meaningless. The Eucharist is the source of my existence and all the rest of my life is expendable.
The Gift of Ordination
At my priestly ordination reception, my father gave a moving speech. He said that when I was first born, he held me in his hands… he never realised that one day the child that he held in his hands would one day hold the child of God in his. Christians appreciate that they are very much in God’s hands; however, each time we receive the Blessed Eucharist, we hold God in ours. God becomes vulnerable and entrusts himself into our own hands. How do we hold him? With humility? With joy? May this Eucharistic Congress be an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. May we be reminded that the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, God incarnate, bestows upon us the greatest gift in himself. May we who are very much in God’s hands, hold him with devotion and reverence in ours.
Fr Olek Stirrat is a priest of the Archdiocese of Adelaide.