By Leon Bent –
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s book “Those Mysterious Priests” (1974), published five years before his death on December 9, 1979, talks about, in chapter 7, how a priest continues the Incarnation of God by sharing in the three offices of Christ—to Teach, to Sanctify and to Lead.
Sheen says that a priest, as an ambassador for Christ, as his instrument, is sent into the world to convert it to faith in him – the living God! But a priest cannot preach Christ and give him to others, if the Lord is not already dwelling vibrantly in his heart. Saints and martyrs in the history of the Church are good examples of this. They were holy because they burned with the love of Jesus Christ and, like St. Paul, they preached Christ crucified. They also preached that we worship Jesus in the liturgy and in our prayers, because he is God incarnate.
How did Jesus ask his Apostles to be Priests?
Jesus gave Peter a three-fold commission to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time the Son of God said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus.
The three commands aptly clarify the job of the shepherd of God’s flock. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. The second time, the literal meaning is “tend my sheep” (v. 16). “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2). The third time, (v.17) the apostles are to tend, care for, and provide ambrosial food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. What is this food with which shepherds are to feed God’s flock? It is none other than the Word of God and the Eucharist. This is Jesus’ three-fold mandate for our contemporary bishops and priests, alike. Only then can pastors declare, as Peter did, their love for the Lord Jesus and their flock.
The Essence of the Priesthood
Pope Francis said, in his Preface to Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI’s book on Homilies on the Priesthood “To Teach and Learn God’s Love“: Every time he reads his predecessor’s writings, it becomes more and more clear, how Pope Benedict followed and still practices a “Theology on his Knees.” “’On his Knees’ because, before being a brilliant theologian and astounding teacher of the faith, you see that he is a man who truly believes, who truly prays. You see that he is a man who embodies holiness, a man of peace, a man of God,” insists Pope Francis. This is exactly the ‘secret’ of total surrender and dependence on the Most High One, in the sheer silence and stark stillness. An Archbishop-friend of many years confided he is “On his Knees” every night!
“Without Christ everything becomes routine, priests just draw a monthly pay check, bishops turn into bureaucrats, and the church becomes an NGO that is ultimately “superfluous,” Pope Francis wrote.
The “Curé d’Ars” – A Saint!
St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, spent most of his time every day in his church, either praying or administering the sacraments. Like him, a priest must dedicate himself to the service of others by Preaching, offering Mass, Counselling and helping those in agonizing circumstances! Priests who do this gradually increase in holiness, and become very effective ambassadors for Christ. John Vianney is known for his ‘sixteen hours a day in the Confessional, the 120,000 souls who made pilgrimages to Ars for a number of years’, and his deeply saintly statements such as: “How great is the priest!” Also, “A good shepherd, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy,”
“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the man of God would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity. Dear priests, Christ is counting on you – in the footsteps of the close-to-God Priest – be enthralled by him! In this way you too will be, for the world in our time, heralds of hope, reconciliation, healing and peace!
The Saint arrived in Ars, a village of 230 souls, warned by his Bishop beforehand that he would find religious practice in a sorry state: “There is little love of God in that parish; you will be the one to put it there”. The deceptively fiery priest devoted himself completely to his parish’s conversion, setting before all else the Christian education of the people in his care. Marie Vianney immediately set about this patient and humble task of harmonizing his life as a minister, with the holiness of the ministry he had received, by deciding to “live physically”, in his parish church: As his first biographer tells us: “Upon his arrival, he chose the church as his home. He entered the church before dawn and did not leave it until after the evening Angelus. There he was to be sought whenever needed.” This was his perpetual penchant and august option “for the greater glory of God” – AMDG (Latin)! The famous Jesuit theme!
What does the Life of St. Vianney Teach Us?
When his Congregation heard Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney’s discourses on Heaven, on the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord, on His dolorous Passion, his Real Presence in the most Holy Sacrament on our altars, on the Blessed Virgin Mary, her attractiveness and her greatness, on the bliss of the saints, the purity of the angels, the beauty of souls, the dignity of man – on all those subjects which were familiar to him – they came out from the discourse quite convinced that, the saintly priest saw the things which he had spoken, with such clarity and fullness of heart, with such eloquent emotion, in such passionate accents, with such abundance of tears; and, indeed, his words were then impressed with a character of divine tenderness, of sweet gentleness, and of penetrating sacredness, which was beyond all comparison. There was an extraordinary majesty, so marvellous a power, in his voice, in his gestures, in his looks, in his transfigured countenance that, it was impossible to listen to him and remain cold and unmoved. This is the golden thread that must run through the lives of every priest.
The life of the Patron Saint for all priests working in parishes, challenges us to get back to basics. Surprisingly, he is the only diocesan priest ever to be canonized. His feast is celebrated on August 4.
Conclusion
Please accept this rider! Priests, in our contemporary world, must try their best, whenever and wherever possible, to proclaim the Gospel from all forms of media platforms – radio, television, digital and print.
Now, this gold nugget! Vatican Council II declared, “to be sincere in their appreciation and promotion of the dignity of the laity, and of the special role priests and bishops are called to play in the Church’s mission….They should be willing to listen to lay people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes, and acknowledge their experience and competence in the myriad fields of human activity. In this way they will be able to discern ‘the signs of the times’” and act fruitfully on them.
And, this final flourish! Like John Vianney, every priest must take their parishioners on a journey through the life of Jesus – His birth, teaching, healing, death and resurrection. The faithful must embrace Jesus’ poignant and passionate mandate in a new and powerful way: “Love one another [and yourselves] as I have loved you!” (Jn.13:34; 15:12). This is a ‘magical’ formula for priests and believers, alike!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received The Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.