A Priest Forever

Today there are more than 400,000 men serving as priests throughout the world. Most of them are assigned to parishes celebrating Masses, hearing confessions, preparing young couples for marriage and serving the poor. Many others work as teachers in high schools or as college professors. Of those priest who teach, hundreds have the responsibility of training young men to one day be priests themselves. Other priests serve the Church by administering charitable organizations or managing offices in their dioceses or in the Vatican. Of course, we can never forget the many thousands who are sick and in nursing homes. Though they are no longer able to carry out physically the demands of priestly ministry, they offer up their prayers and suffering for us so that God’s graces can be showered down on the whole Church.

Those of us who have been blessed to know priests and to be touched by their ministry understand that it is more than a job. It is even more than a career. Instead, priesthood is a relationship of love that a man is called to have with the People of God. It is a vocation that is not unlike marriage. Just as a man leaves everything behind to start a new family with a woman, just so a man leaves everything behind to commit himself to a journey of love with God’s people. Just as a man denies himself to serve his family, so a man called to the priesthood must deny himself to serve God’s people. It is because we understand the priesthood to be more than a job that we call our priests “Father”. They are our fathers in faith, sacrificing themselves to serve us and creating a family wherein we can come to know more intimately our Heavenly Father.

Because we understand the priesthood to be more than a job, we call it a “vocation”. The word “vocation” comes from a Latin word meaning “to call”. In essence, the priesthood is a calling by God to serve His People. In today’s second reading we hear, “No one takes this honor upon himself, but only when called by God.” Every priest has a story about how God called him to ministry. Some knew when they were very young that God wanted them to be priests. From the time they were small they felt within their heart the desire to dedicate their lives to Jesus. Others received the call later in life, many times after they were already established in a career. They had the sense that there had to be more to life than earning a paycheck. God was stirring in their soul calling them to something more. Everyone who serves us as a priest does so because he was been chosen especially by God. That should give all of us a deep sense of respect and reverence for those who serve us in this ministry.

At the same time, priests are human beings who have the same needs,  limitations and weaknesses that all of us have. They need intimate friendships and loving contact with others. They need to feel wanted and appreciated for the sacrifices they make. They need to feel accepted, and when they fail, they need our forgiveness and compassion. When they are criticized or made fun of, they need us to defend them. Most especially, they need our prayers. There is no other vocation which runs more against the materialistic values of our society today than the priesthood. So that they can remain firm in their commitment to God and His Church, we must keep them constantly in our prayers.

It is because of the priest’s weakness and failings that they are able to serve us. Because they struggle to live the gospel in a fallen world, they understand the temptations we face. As today’s second reading goes on to say, “He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness…” For this reason, we should never be afraid to approach a priest to share with him our doubts, our struggles or our temptations. This is especially true in the Sacrament of Confession. Though they seem to lead a much different lifestyle, they understand what we are dealing with better than we know. They have much spiritual insight and wisdom to share with us if we are humble enough to reveal our failings and sins to them. Most especially, in the Sacrament of Penance, they have God’s power to forgive those sins and to grant us the grace of a fresh start and renewed strength.

The best definition of who a priest is comes to us from a Latin phrase. The priest is alter Christus , or, “another Christ.” We see this especially in the sacraments. When the priest celebrates Mass, it is Jesus Himself who offers the bread and wine on our behalf and changes them into His Body and Blood. When the priest says, “I forgive you of your sins”, it is Christ Himself who offers us His pardon. In the Anointing of the Sick, it is Christ Himself who comes to heal us. It is because so many men generously accept God’s call to sacrifice themselves for us that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross can be made present to us every day in the Mass. For that, we should truly be grateful to every man who has served us as a priest.

The priesthood is certainly a life of sacrifice but it is also filled with blessings and joy. Like all fathers, they take delight in seeing us grow in our faith. Their spirits overflow when they baptize babies, teach children and lead adults into a deeper love and commitment to Christ. They enjoy the relationships they build with their parishioners and with other priests. And their daily prayer and celebration of the sacraments builds up their spirits. It is a life of great joy because it is a life of love that is centered on Jesus and His People.

If there are any men here today who have considered priesthood, I encourage you strongly to speak to a priest about it. If there is any man here today who has felt God tugging at his heart to serve His People, I encourage you not to be afraid to take the steps to making Jesus’ dream for you a reality. When we say “yes” to God, He promises to take us on an adventure that is beyond our imagination. Great things happen to us and we meet the most extraordinary people. And in the process, we find joy and happiness in the most unexpected of places.

We are certainly blessed by the ministry of the priests who have served us. Let us pray for them that they continue to experience joy as they serve us. Let us also pray that more men will follow their example in leading us to know and love our Heavenly Father more deeply.