“Let our kiss be a striking gesture of that profound love that define us, as Catholic priest”
Almost everyone in the Mt. Carmel Cathedral chuckled when Bishop Ryan told them that he will speak about the ‘kiss’, as an specific expression of love. “No, not that kind of kiss that you are thinking about! But a gesture of kiss that we, priest do in the celebration of the Eucharist.”
While seated in a chair close to where the priests were seated in the sanctuary, Bishop Ryan delivered his homily addressing directly his clergy during the Mass of Sacred Chrism where the priests also made their renewal to their priestly promises.
“I would like to speak to you tonight about the four kisses of a priest because the kiss that we do in the Mass reveals our identity who we are as priest.”
The first kiss of a priest during the Mass is the kiss of the altar. When a priest at the beginning of the Mass approaches the altar, he venerates it by kissing it because the altar is a symbol of Christ, who is the rock, the corner stone upon which the Church is built. According to Bishop Ryan, when the priest kisses the altar it should not be just a ritualistic or formalistic gesture but truly as a sign of his attachment to Christ. “The basis of our ministry has to be our friendship with Christ”, the bishop told his priests. “Our commitment to prayer, our fidelity to celibacy can draw us closer to Christ.”
The second kiss of a priest is when he venerates and kisses the Book of the Gospel. This gesture implies that a priest is a man of the Gospel. When he preach, he preach the Word of God. Bishop Ryan explained to his priests that just as Christ in the Gospel was anointed to announce the Good News to the poor, priests are also anointed to be heralds of the same Gospel. “We are ordained to share the good news with everyone therefore we must meditate on the Gospel frequently so that words of the Good Shepherd become our own.”
The third kiss of a Catholic priest is given in the Kiss of Peace. The priest, having kissed the altar and the Book of the Gospel, the next kiss is bestowed on the Bride of Christ. This gesture reminds every priest that his priesthood is not for himself but for the people. Bishop Ryan explained to the priests that we must love our people as a Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock. “It is only when they know that we love them that they are willing to listen to us and accept our message”, he said. Furthermore, to give the kiss of peace means to embrace all people from all walks of life.
Finally the last kiss of a priest happens within the context of the Liturgy of Good Friday, when the priest ahead of the people kisses the cross. In a society that sees pain and suffering as the greatest evil, to savor the cross is to savor the things of God. Bishop Ryan reminded his clergy of the words of the bishop during the priestly ordination: “Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, conform your life in the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” We must learn, according to Bishop Ryan, to accept the suffering of the pastoral life which is entering into the mystery of Christ. In the Good Friday, the priest kisses the cross first and the people of God follow and we are all united in the significance of the kissing of the cross.
