Being close to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist helps to discern a vocation

By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the Altar Server Awards ceremony April 20, 2024, at St. John Vianney College Seminary

Today, thanks to the work of the Serra Club, we bring together boys and girls, young men and women who serve at the altar.  You come from parishes across the archdiocese. I want to thank you, altar servers, for your willingness, your interest, and your commitment for your participation at Mass and your assistance to the priest and other liturgical ministers to assure that the Masses that we offer to Lord are celebrated with the decorum, the dignity, the beautiful that God deserves.

When I was an altar server in my home parish in Lake Worth from when I was in the fourth to eighth grade, we had to learn all the prayers in Latin. Now it might not seem that difficult today to be an altar server. But don’t be too sure: today, we might not have to know the prayers in Latin, but we might have to know them in a couple of other languages. And there are a lot of moving parts we must get down if the celebration will go smoothly and our presence on the altar is not a distraction to the people or the priest.

A good altar server must have several good qualities: he or she must be reverent, prompt, observant, disciplined and have a desire to take part more actively in the Liturgy of the Mass. The servers that we honor this morning have shown these qualities.

But what you do as altar servers is not about honors, it’s not about status or privileges. It is a call to service that comes from our baptism. It’s not just a job, a chore, but it does require competence and not just good intentions. Because we do it for the greater glory of God – and not for our glory.

May your service at the altar be an imitation of the Lord Jesus who waited on the apostles at the Last Supper – and even washed their feet. Just as Jesus was humble, we should be humble. Humility will help us to be “team players” – working well with the other servers and other liturgical ministers. Now being humble doesn’t mean to think less of yourselves; but to think of yourselves less. In other words, humility reminds us that our service at the altar is not about us but about others, and most importantly about Jesus.

An attitude of prayer and reverence must always be maintained on the altar. The posture and movements of an altar server should never be a distraction to others. Standing and sitting up straight is the norm slouching or lounging is never appropriate. Altar servers generally move slowly and calmly, always knowing their task and why they are doing it.

Of course, I mentioned that when I was in grade school at Sacred Heart Parish in Lake Worth, Florida, I was an altar server. Today I am a bishop and before that I was a parish priest for many years.  Being close to the altar, being close to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, being near the priests, all helped me to discern my vocation.

Hopefully the time you spend serving at the altar will do the same for you. Of course, not all of you are called to be priests. But we all are called by baptism to be holy, to become more like Jesus.  But some of you young men may be called to be priests. Some of you both young men and women may be called to the consecrated life. Serving at the altar can open our hearts to the sacred, to the world beyond this life, to a horizon greater than that can be seen through merely human eyes. Do not be afraid to open your hearts to whatever God is calling you to do.

Serving at the altar can and should help us to pray – to serve at the altar and not to pray would be counterproductive. So, as you serve, don’t forget to pray – on the altar and off the altar.

Then, we will answer like Peter:  To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to be believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.