LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE
PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS
ON THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE "DIES NATALIS"
OF THE CURÉ OF ARS
An excerpt where this Holy Pope praises priests, the majority of whom strive for fidelity in holiness, before he gives an example of infidelity:
“…The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly Curé of Ars would often say.[2] 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 itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life. How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests who, even amid difficulties and incomprehension, remain faithful to their vocation as “friends of Christ”, whom he has called by name, chosen and sent?…
And now, in the context of praising priests and encouraging them, the Holy Father reflects on the scandal of infidelity in the priesthood, the anti John Vianney example, but then the good Holy Father returns to the positive and the positive is his last word, not a scold or Debbie Downer:
…There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgment of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realization of the greatness of God’s gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides. Here the teaching and example of Saint John Mary Vianney can serve as a significant point of reference for us all. The Curé of Ars was very humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy”.[3] He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: “O, how great is the priest! … If he realized what he is, he would die… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host…”.[4] Explaining to his parishioners the importance of the sacraments, he would say: “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest… After God, the priest is everything! … Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is”.[5] These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the sacrament of the priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: “Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love… Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth… What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods … Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshiping the beasts there … The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you”.[6]
3 comments:
Thank you, Father.
Naturally, remarks today, the celebration of the patron saint of parish priests, from World Youth Day criticized holy priests and those awful backwardists--truly, the greatest threats to the Church.
Father McDonald, thank you for holy Pope Benedict XVI's uplifting words in regard to priests. I had noted a few months ago on your blog that Pope Benedict XVI, along with his portrayal of a priesthood mired in filth, had also spoken well of priests.
In line with holy Pope Benedict XVI's positive comments in regard to priests, Pope Francis declared in 2019 A.D:
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO PRIESTS ON THE 160th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF THE HOLY CURÉ OF ARS, ST JOHN VIANNEY
Dear Brothers,
"On this, his feast day, I write this letter not only to parish priests but to all of you, my brother priests, who...serve “in the trenches”, bearing the burden of the day and the heat, confronting an endless variety of situations in your effort to care for and accompany God’s people.
"I want to say a word to each of you who, often without fanfare and at personal cost, amid weariness, infirmity and sorrow, carry out your mission of service to God and to your people. Despite the hardships of the journey, you are writing the finest pages of the priestly life."
"I do not cease to give thanks for you” (Eph 1:16).
"Dear brother priests, I thank you for your fidelity to the commitments you have made."
"Thank you for the joy with which you have offered your lives, revealing a heart that over the years has refused to become closed and bitter, but has grown daily in love for God and his people. A heart that, like good wine, has not turned sour but become richer with age. “For his mercy endures forever”.
"Thank you for working to strengthen the bonds of fraternity and friendship with your brother priests and your bishop, providing one another with support and encouragement, caring for those who are ill, seeking out those who keep apart, visiting the elderly and drawing from their wisdom, sharing with one another and learning to laugh and cry together. How much we need this!"
"But thank you too for your faithfulness and perseverance in undertaking difficult missions, or for those times when you have had to call a brother priest to order. “For his mercy endures forever”.
"Thank you for your witness of persistence and patient endurance (hypomoné) in pastoral ministry."
"Thank you for celebrating the Eucharist each day and for being merciful shepherds in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, neither rigorous nor lax, but deeply concerned for your people and accompanying them on their journey of conversion to the new life that the Lord bestows on us all."
"Thank you for anointing and fervently proclaiming to all, “in season and out of season” the Gospel of Jesus Christ..."
"Thank you for the times when, with great emotion, you embraced sinners, healed wounds, warmed hearts and showed the tenderness and compassion of the Good Samaritan."
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Deo gratias for holy Popes Benedict XVI, as well as Francis, who have recognized the holiness of one priest after another.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
A caring good shepherd sees more good than bad, directs how to overcome evil, sees beauty not ugliness, inspires those around him to recommit and truly live the life they've chosen in peace, joy and fidelity.
Antithetical to the above is the messaging heard today. While perhaps not emblematic of the character of the one delivering that message, the negative always seems to outweigh the good. Perhaps that particular soul is among the troubled and needs the prayers, and being ministered to, as much, if not more than those provided in HH Benedict XVI's example.
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