I DON’T know if it’s a sign of aging that every time I attend an
ordination of priests, I get very moved in a strange way. All sorts of
thoughts and feelings come to mind. I easily fall into waxing lyrical,
sentimental, hopeful, etc., in an alternating flow.
There’s also a trace of apprehension which I try to drown out with
positive thoughts. There’s always hope, no matter what. That’s what I
repeat in my mind, always recalling God’s promises to all of us. I
believe the good always triumphs in the end.
I suppose it’s the years in the priesthood that have made me more
perceptive and nuanced regarding possible scenarios that we, priests,
can find ourselves in. In a manner of speaking, my experience has
enabled me to read more between the lines, to be more discerning of
the drift, the implications, etc.
There’s the good and the not-so-good scenarios. My experience has
enriched my appreciation of these possibilities, and have made me more
aware of the many factors and elements that go into them. The happy
cases are many, but the saddening ones are also growing.
In the face of all this, my reaction and evolving conviction focus on
how I can be of help to my brother-priests. I feel that I cannot
remain in the level of intention and theory alone. I have to dive into
the pond and get dirty if need be.
And so, if I have the chance to talk to a new priest, most likely
these are what I would say.
I would strongly advise him to always remember the points articulated
in the manual for priests called, The Directory for the Ministry and
Life of Priests. This has been updated lately and now contains more
details more reflective of current world situation.
There the basic areas of concern are well explained, namely, what the
priestly identity is, the need both to develop a working priestly
spirituality and to avail of continuing formation.
Sad to say, these points appear to be known mainly in theory but
hardly put into practice. The gap and inconsistency is widening.
Nowadays, we can even hear voices of dissent to what have already been
clearly defined.
And if there’s one thing I feel is most crucial in a priest’s life,
it’s his life of prayer, his abiding effort to get in touch with God,
with Christ, with the Holy Spirit everyday.
This can take many forms and can be done in many ways. But what I
would consider very fundamental is the daily meditation of God’s word
as conveyed to us in the Bible.
I would like to give special mention to the praying of the breviary.
It’s a daily prayer for priests, containing beautiful psalms, readings
and excerpts from Tradition, church documents and writings of saints,
etc.
There the very thoughts, will, sentiments and desires of God are
expressed vividly. If all of us, being image and likeness of God have
to reflect these thoughts and sentiments of Christ, then we should
realize how important it is know and incarnate his words.
This is especially so for priests who are the sacramental
representations of Christ as head of the Church—we act “in persona
Christi capitis.”
The breviary is a beautiful source of inspiration. It feeds the faith,
strengthens the hope and sharpens the charity of priests. It trains
the heart to feel both for God and for all men, in the different
situations and predicaments we can be in.
It gives us the complete picture of our life and mission on earth. It
effectively blends all the aspects of human life, from the material to
the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal, from the natural to
the supernatural. It broadens our minds, warms our hearts, and equips
and prepares us to face whatever in life.
It teaches us what to be concerned about, and how it has to be
pursued. It’s never an abstract piece of literature, detached from our
immediate daily realities.
Thus, we have to be most careful when we think that to be realistic,
or to get real, we can withdraw from God’s word and just rely on our
reason, our sciences and arts, our opinions and consensus, etc.
We need to give priority to God’s word as expressed in the breviary.
It’s where we can truly get in touch with God. Otherwise, we would
just feed on our own food, with more or less effective results, but
fail to be nourished by the real thing.
A priest should preach God’s word, not merely his own word.
ordination of priests, I get very moved in a strange way. All sorts of
thoughts and feelings come to mind. I easily fall into waxing lyrical,
sentimental, hopeful, etc., in an alternating flow.
There’s also a trace of apprehension which I try to drown out with
positive thoughts. There’s always hope, no matter what. That’s what I
repeat in my mind, always recalling God’s promises to all of us. I
believe the good always triumphs in the end.
I suppose it’s the years in the priesthood that have made me more
perceptive and nuanced regarding possible scenarios that we, priests,
can find ourselves in. In a manner of speaking, my experience has
enabled me to read more between the lines, to be more discerning of
the drift, the implications, etc.
There’s the good and the not-so-good scenarios. My experience has
enriched my appreciation of these possibilities, and have made me more
aware of the many factors and elements that go into them. The happy
cases are many, but the saddening ones are also growing.
In the face of all this, my reaction and evolving conviction focus on
how I can be of help to my brother-priests. I feel that I cannot
remain in the level of intention and theory alone. I have to dive into
the pond and get dirty if need be.
And so, if I have the chance to talk to a new priest, most likely
these are what I would say.
I would strongly advise him to always remember the points articulated
in the manual for priests called, The Directory for the Ministry and
Life of Priests. This has been updated lately and now contains more
details more reflective of current world situation.
There the basic areas of concern are well explained, namely, what the
priestly identity is, the need both to develop a working priestly
spirituality and to avail of continuing formation.
Sad to say, these points appear to be known mainly in theory but
hardly put into practice. The gap and inconsistency is widening.
Nowadays, we can even hear voices of dissent to what have already been
clearly defined.
And if there’s one thing I feel is most crucial in a priest’s life,
it’s his life of prayer, his abiding effort to get in touch with God,
with Christ, with the Holy Spirit everyday.
This can take many forms and can be done in many ways. But what I
would consider very fundamental is the daily meditation of God’s word
as conveyed to us in the Bible.
I would like to give special mention to the praying of the breviary.
It’s a daily prayer for priests, containing beautiful psalms, readings
and excerpts from Tradition, church documents and writings of saints,
etc.
There the very thoughts, will, sentiments and desires of God are
expressed vividly. If all of us, being image and likeness of God have
to reflect these thoughts and sentiments of Christ, then we should
realize how important it is know and incarnate his words.
This is especially so for priests who are the sacramental
representations of Christ as head of the Church—we act “in persona
Christi capitis.”
The breviary is a beautiful source of inspiration. It feeds the faith,
strengthens the hope and sharpens the charity of priests. It trains
the heart to feel both for God and for all men, in the different
situations and predicaments we can be in.
It gives us the complete picture of our life and mission on earth. It
effectively blends all the aspects of human life, from the material to
the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal, from the natural to
the supernatural. It broadens our minds, warms our hearts, and equips
and prepares us to face whatever in life.
It teaches us what to be concerned about, and how it has to be
pursued. It’s never an abstract piece of literature, detached from our
immediate daily realities.
Thus, we have to be most careful when we think that to be realistic,
or to get real, we can withdraw from God’s word and just rely on our
reason, our sciences and arts, our opinions and consensus, etc.
We need to give priority to God’s word as expressed in the breviary.
It’s where we can truly get in touch with God. Otherwise, we would
just feed on our own food, with more or less effective results, but
fail to be nourished by the real thing.
A priest should preach God’s word, not merely his own word.
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