The Priestly Ministry
The Ministry in General
First Meditation - The Priest's Chief Occupation
I.
St. Paul writes to Timothy:
"So much I tell thee by letter. . . . that thou mayest be in no doubt over the conduct that is expected of thee in God's household. By that I mean the Church of the living God. . . .(1 Tim. iii, 15)The Church is God's Household, a House built by Him, arranged by Him, with a wisdom immeasurably superior to the wisdom which Solomon revealed in the construction and furnishing of his royal palaces, and which so amazed and overwhelmed the Queen of Sheba.
But can you conceive of a house well ordered and wisely ruled where there is a large redundant staff of servants and stewards who have nothing to do but to kill time and vegetate in idleness under the shade of their master's protection?
So it stands to reason, Lord, that I, as steward and Minister of Thy Household, have a task allotted to me, and if I do not carry it out I am a disgrace to Thy holy dwellings. Thou couldst repeat for my benefit the words of reproach Thou didst speak through the lips of the Prophet to Sobna, the prefect of the Temple: What dost thou here, or as if thou were somebody here? . . . the shame of the house Of thy Lord. {Is. xxii, 15-18)
II.
At our ordination we received the four Minor Orders and the three Major Orders, and each Order was instituted and conferred upon us for a specific purpose; each is but the Divine Power communicated to us for the exercise of a spiritual ministerial duty. This presupposes an office, an obligation, and a life-long one as far as our strength allows, because the "Character" of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is indelible. We are in priestly harness for life.
Thus the great Apostle exhorted his chosen pupil Timothy:
"A special grace has been entrusted to thee; prophecy awarded it, and the imposition of the presbyters' hands went with it; do not let it suffer from neglect." (l Tim. iv, 14)Woe to the unfaithful servant who, having received the talent to trade with and multiply, through indolence or cowardice buries it underground! It was not precisely the wicked servant but the unprofitable one that the order was given to cast out into exterior darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Cfr. Matt. xxv, 30)
Is it possible, O Lord, that I am that unprofitable servant who has wasted and squandered Thy riches and lawful gains?
III.
We became priests in answer to a calling. Which of us will swear that when he mounted the altar steps he had no vocation, and that instead of entering the sanctuary by the proper door he sneaked in from the back? Who among us would patiently bear to be called a "sneak" by the manner of our entry into the priesthood, or a "gate-crasher" into the sanctuary?
No, dear Jesus, I was really convinced that I heard Thy call, and those who numbered me among Thy Household staff were also convinced, and the Prelate who laid his hands on me was convinced; otherwise they would all have rejected me as an intruder.
I had a vocation. And what is this vocation? A special calling from God to consecrate myself to the priesthood. But would God have called me to a life of idleness, to the mere enjoyment of honor and benefice? Or did Jesus Christ institute a sort of honorary priesthood? Did He allow His Heart to be pierced by a lance on Calvary that there might issue forth a Sacrament destined to confirm me in sloth? That certainly is not His idea:
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and appointed you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain. (John xv, 16.)Resolution
To live more contented each day with my state, and to esteem its occupations higher than those of any other walk of life, as being more useful to the neighbor, holier for myself, nobler in themselves and more ennobling to those who exercise them. These priestly occupations shall therefore take pride of place in my life, in my preferences, in my appreciations, in the intensity and time I give to them. Any other occupation, however congenial to me, I shall subordinate to those of my priesthood, and, if they prove a handicap, I shall forgo them entirely. Can I affirm, hand on heart, that, so far, I have lived up to this wise maxim?
My ministry is loftier and worthier than the exercise of any art or craft or profession, and yet so many people sacrifice to these their pleasure, time and very life. Shame on me if I account as little less than wasted the time I have to spend on my priestly duties!
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Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.
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Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!
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