The Priesthood: the Man Called to Offer His Life for the Church
Dear Resurrection Parish,
It is hard to imagine that the priesthood ordination is only a week away! I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a priest and what kind of priest I aspire to be. Beginning with the importance of the ordination of priests, a man becomes anointed with the Holy Spirit, receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders, and experiences an ontological change within the soul that was also experienced in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The Rite of Ordination paragraph 102 emphasizes that priests become “Partakers of the office of Christ, the sole Mediator (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5), at their own grade of ministry they announce the divine word to all.” The priest announces this good news by leading the assembly in the Eucharistic celebration; bringing repentant sinners back to God through the sacrament of Reconciliation; bringing hope, healing, and comfort to those who are sick and dying by the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick; exercising the office of Christ the Good Shepherd, Head of the Body the Church; and to labor in the vineyard by preaching and teaching what the Catholic Church professes. The best teacher and preacher lives it! In other words, the priest is not his own - he is ordained to give his life away. He, like Christ, is to die to himself so as to live, take up his cross daily, and follow the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
When I was asked what kind of priest I wanted to be, I said I wanted to be one who would restore hope and light in the faithful and all who dwell in darkness by bringing them into the light of Christ who is our hope. One who heals the brokenhearted and brings unity and peace within the Church and the world is the kind of priest I want to become. I give this advice to young men considering the priesthood: First, fall in love with Jesus. The divine friendship He calls you to will change your life forever. That goes for all vocations. Without growing in holiness, we cannot know what God is calling us to do; we fail to develop into the saint the Lord is calling us to become. Second, you must begin to embrace and love your weakness; through your weakness, God will manifest His glory in and through you. Do not be afraid!
Please pray for my classmates and me as we prepare to lay down our lives at the altar and become the priests you all need. God bless you and keep you!