He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God His Father. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:6
“Like many people who enjoy their work, the Rev. Jacques Hamel did not want to stop. At 85, he was well past retirement age, but he kept in shape and kept on going — baptizing infants, celebrating Mass and tending to parishioners in St.-Étienne-du-Rouvray, the working-class town in Normandy where he had spent much of his life.
He could have retired at 75 years old, but seeing how few priests were around he decided to stay and work, to continue to be of service to people, up until it all ended, tragically,” the Rev. Auguste Moanda-Phuati, the parish priest of the Église St.-Étienne, where Father Hamel worked as an auxiliary priest, said in a phone interview.
“He was loved by all. He was a little like a grandfather. We were happy when he was around and worried when we hadn’t seen him in a while.” Father Hamel was celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat, an attack that horrified France and the world…
Another priest in the Rouen archdiocese, the Rev. Aimé-Rémi Mputu Amba, told the newspaper Le Figaro: “Even in his old age, he was still just as invested with the parish life. We used to joke around and tell him ‘Jacques, you’re doing too much! It’s high time you retire!’ And he would always laugh it off and say, ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”
By Adam Nossiter and Hannah Olivennes in NY Times article “Jacques Hamel, 85, a Beloved French Priest, Killed in His Church” dated July 26, 2016.
What a testimony! I am honoring the generous life of Jacques Hamel today for two reasons.
First, I want to transition from the saints of old to the modern era and this profound statement from an old saint accomplishes that purpose perfectly: ‘Have you ever met a retired priest? I’ll work until my last breath.'”
God has made us as a kingdom of priests, because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. We get to introduce others to God. That’s why we are here on this earth. It’s also our greatest act of generosity.
Second, I get asked often about retirement. It came up twice this week. So here’s a blog post I wrote on the topic: “Should Christians save for retirement?” I hope it challenges you to align your life with the Word rather than the world.
Jacques Hamel modeled the way for us! Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord!