Part IV: Meditations on the Priestly Obligations': First Meditation (1)

Meditations on the Priestly Obligations'

First Meditation

General Obligations of the Priesthood

Dignity and Holiness of the Priesthood

CONSIDER the dignity, the greatness and the holiness of the priestly state and what it means to be a priest.

To be a priest is to be an angel, for Sacred Scripture calls priests angels inasmuch as they perform on earth the duties of the angels in heaven. God wished to be surrounded and served by angels on earth as well as in heaven. These earthly angels are His priests who possess greater power than the angels, the cherubim or the seraphim in His heavenly kingdom. Priests therefore should be, if it were possible, purer than, angels, more luminous than the cherubim, more consumed with divine love than the seraphim. They must be lucernae ardentes et lucentes (John 5, 35), so that they may enlighten and inflame souls with the fire of eternity. (1). These meditations were originally 'Part V' of A Memorial of the Ecclesiastical Life. They make up a very complete review of the obligations of the priesthood. The fact that some of them are lengthy should not deter the reader from using them. In this respect it might he well to recall the saint's advice in a short foreword to A Memorial of the &ecclesiastical Life: "If you find the meditations too long or too wide i n scope, you may confine yourself to a single point or two, according to your requirements."

To be a priest is to be a visible god on earth. All Christians are called gods in Sacred Scripture: " I said you are gods" (John 10, 34), but priests enjoy this prerogative in a much more eminent degree than the rest of the faithful.

Priests are gods in power and dignity, since they are clothed with the infinite power of God. If i t were not through this divine power, how could they bring God down upon the altar at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? How could they form Him in the hearts of the faithful and give the Holy Ghost to their souls? How could they forgive sin and communicate sanctifying grace?

God gives His divine power to priests in such an exalted degree that they may effectuate many marvels that He alone accomplishes.

He created this world and can create others. To his priests He gave the power to produce Christ i n the Blessed Eucharist, which is indeed greater than to create an infinite number of physical worlds.

The supreme effect of the Father's power is to beget His Only Son from all eternity and to give Him to us by the Incarnation.

The greatest act that Christ ever performed on earth was to immolate Himself on the cross for us, and to give Himself in continual sacrifice for the glory of His Father.

The most sublime work of the Holy Ghost was to form the Sacred Body of Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mother, to form the Mystical Body of Christ, His Church, and to apply to men's souls the fruits of the Passion.

Yet, did not God entrust all these powers to His priests? Is it not their ordinary function to form the physical and Mystical Body of the Son of God, and to distribute to the faithful His Sacred Body and His Precious Blood, His Holy Spirit, His mysteries and His graces? Is it not their daily privilege to sacrifice Christ to the Eternal Father, and apply the fruits of His Passion and Death to souls?

0 admirable power of God's priests! Certainly each one may say with Christ, the Sovereign Priest, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28, 18). In heaven, for the priest opens and closes its gates; in earth, for he has power over the personal and Mystical Body of Christ, who is so subjected to His minister that it may be truly said: "And he was subject to them" (Luke 2, 50.

Thus, priests are gods in power, authority and dignity. 0 power and dignity of the priesthood which surpasses all the powers and dignities of heaven and earth, second only to the ineffable dignity of the Mother of God!

Thank God for having elevated you to so lofty a state. Remember that even as priests are clothed with the power and authority of God, so too they should be filled with His holiness, love, charity and other divine perfections. To you especially are addressed the words of Sacred Scripture: "Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved. the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience" (Col. 3,

THE PRIEST'S LIFE OUGHT To BE A REFLECTION OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

Consider how the priest is truly another Christ living and walking on earth: Nolite tangere christos meos (Ps. 104, 15). He takes Christ's place, represents His person, acts in His name and exercises His authority. Speaking to all priests in the person of His apostles, our Blessed Lord said: "As the Father bath sent me, I also send you" (John, 20, 2I). By these words He meant that He sends His priests to dispel the darkness of hell which overspreads the face of the earth, and in its place to illumine the world with heavenly light. He sends them to work for the destruction of the tyranny of sin and the establishment of the kingdom of His Heavenly Father in this world. He sends them to perpetuate on earth the life He led and the virtues He practised. He sends them to continue His own office of mediator, judge and saviour.

The three last-mentioned functions are the principal qualities with which Christ has endowed His priests.

First of all, priests are mediators between God and men, making known His divine will. Theirs is the duty of drawing men to God and of reconciling them with the Creator; theirs is the obligation of rendering to Him the homage, adoration, praise and satisfaction due to Him.

They, too, must deal with those important relations between God and man which have to do with His glory, the salvation of the world, and the application of the fruits of Christ's Passion to men's souls.

Secondly, priests are, with the Son of God, judges of the world, not in temporal things, which are merely transitory, but in things heavenly and eternal. They are judges not only of bodies but also of souls, rendering decisions which are not of passing moment, but which will live in eternity. To them must come the judges of this world. Kings and emperors must bend their knees and bow their heads in submission to priestly power and judgment.

Thirdly, with Christ priests are saviours of the world, favored with that very name in Sacred Scripture, "Saviours shall come up into Mount Sion" (Abdias 21). The Son of God shares with. His priests the heavenly prerogative of Saviour, desiring that they should be associated with Himself in the salvation of souls. "We are God's coadjutors" (1 Cor. 3, 9). He desired that they should discharge the office of saviours and be employed in the continuation on earth of the greatest and most divine of all His works, the redemption of the world. "As the Father bath sent me, I also send you" (John 20, 21). Towards this one end, every duty and office of the priestly life is primarily directed.

In the work of saving souls Christ expended Himself completely, employing therein every moment of His time, His thoughts, words and actions, His works, sweat, tears, blood and His very life. Thus, too, priests must give to this work their heart, their thoughts and affections, their strength and their all, that truly they may say with St. Paul, I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls" (2 Cor. 1 2 , 15). It follows, then, that, if souls are lost through the priest's negligence, the wounds of Christ, His sufferings and His blood will cry vengeance against him at the hour of death. I will require his blood at thy hand" (Ezech. 3, 18).

Truly the priest is another Christ living and walking on earth. Consequently, his life should be a perfect image of that of the Saviour, or rather a continuation of Our Lord's life. The priest is obliged, then, to study what the Master said while He was on earth, what He did, the virtues He practised, His horror for sin and His perfect detachment from the things of the world. The priest must imitate Christ's purity,

sobriety, humility, modesty and all His other virtues that his own life may I reflect them in practice.

0 my Saviour, I give myself entirely to Thee since Thou wast so kind as to make me a participant i n Thy divine prerogatives. Fill me with Thy Divine Spirit, clothe me with Thy virtues that I may work for the salvation of souls and may say at the end of my life what Thou didst say at the end of Thine, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do (John 17, 4).

DUTIES OF THE PRIEST TOWARDS GOD, To MEN

And Towards Himself

Christ associates you with Him in His eternal priesthood and in His divine prerogatives by which you are clothed with His powers and are bound to continue His life on earth. Consider then what Christ i s and what He does. Consider Him first, with regard to His Father; secondly, with regard to men; and thirdly , with regard to Himself.

Our Blessed Lord, the Sovereign Priest, is all in all to His heavenly Father who in turn is all in all to His Divine Son. Christ loves only His Father and the Father loves only His beloved Son. Christ's only desire is to make His Father known and loved, and the sole thought of the Eternal Father is to manifest the glory of His Son and have Him adored and loved by men. The Son is the glory and treasure of the Father, and in turn the Son's supreme happiness is to glorify His Father and do His will. Towards this end, Christ directed every gesture and act of His priestly life, fulfilling them with divine dispositions and intentions.

The priest is also the Father's inheritance as His very title implies, and God is his portion as he freely promised when he received tonsure, Dominus pars hereditatis meae (Ps. 15, 5). He must therefore be all in all to God and God must be his all. He must look upon God as his only inheritance and treasure, eschewing the world's fortunes and

pleasures. He must have no other possessions on earth than God, to whom he should give his whole heart and affections. Consequently, he must be always on his guard to discharge with the greatest care and holiness his priestly duties, such as the celebration of Mass, the recitation of the Divine Office, the administration of the sacraments and the preaching of the Word of God.

Since these offices are of such a divine and saintly character, they should be carried out digne Deo (Col. 1, 10), that is, both exteriorly and interiorly in a way befitting the majesty of God, worthy of the excellence of our ministry, of the holiness of the Sovereign Priest with whom we are co-ministers, and worthy of the price of His Precious Blood, in the shedding of which we were elevated to the dignity of the priesthood.

If you would know what Christ is and what He does with regard to mankind and especially with regard to His Church, you have but to look with the eyes of faith at HIS accomplishments while He was on earth, especially His intense sufferings. These deeds are so many tongues that cry aloud: "Thus God loved the world; thus Jesus loved His Church; thus Christ loved souls." With the same breath these voices will say to you: "Thus, too, you must love the Church; thus you must work for the salvation of souls; thus, you must do all things, suffer all things, sacrifice even life itself if thereby you may be instr umental in contributing to the salvation of one soul." Omnium divinorum divinissimum est cooperari Deo in salutem animarum. (2)

When you consider Christ in regard to Himself, you learn that being the Sovereign Priest He wished also to assume the character of a host, that thus regarding Himself as a host destined to death and sacrifice for the glory of His Father, "He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death" (Phil. 2, 8). His whole life on earth was but a continual death so far as the things of this world were concerned. "I came down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me" (John 6, 38). His very life was truly an unending sacrifice of all that was in Him for the honor of His Father.

He who is called to participate in the priesthood should be one with Christ in the character of host. He should regard himself as a victim (2). St. Dionysius, De Caelesti Hicrarchia, cap. 3.

to be perpetually immolated with the Saviour for the glory of God; he should be detached and separated from the things of the world. Dying to all he should live alone for the Master. He should humble himself constantly, and burn with divine love. His whole life should be a perpetual sacrifice of his inclinations, his interests, his happiness, his comforts, his strength, his health and his life for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

0 Jesus, Sovereign Priest and Pastor of souls, I adore Thee with all my heart and soul as m y Captain, my Exemplar and my Guide. I ask Thy pardon for having neglected to follow Thy divine rule and for having committed so many transgressions in my sacerdotal life. I give myself to Thee that henceforth with the help of Thy grace I may follow Thee more perfectly in all that regards Thy heavenly Father, Thy holy Church and Thy divine Self. I am resolved to imitate those saintly dispositions with which Thou didst discharge the duties of the priesthood while Thou wast on earth. Destroy within me whatsoever may stand in the way of accomplishing my desire. Possess me entirely, and establish forever within me Thy life and reign for the glory of Thy holy Name.

Ejaculatory Prayer: "God so loved the world." Sic Deus dilexit mundum (John 3, 16).

182-

Second Meditation

Obligation of the Priest to Seek Perfection

The Priest's Relations with God

Demand Eminent Perfection

Three principal reasons show that no one is more obligated to practise perfection and holiness than the priest. The first reason comes from what he represents with regard to God; the second from his state and condition; the third from his relations with the life of the faithful.

No one has received greater graces from God than has the priest; consequently, no one can have such great obligations. No man on earth approaches more closely to God or communes more familiarly with Him than does the priest. To no other does God come more closely. The Eternal Father shares His divine paternity with him; the Son shares His Priesthood with him; the Holy Ghost makes him His associate in erasing sin, infusing grace, illuminating men's minds and warming their hearts with charity in the reconciliation of sinners and the application of the fruits of the Passion.

Thus, the priest is God on earth, taking His place, representing His person, acting in His name and clothed with His authority. Necessarily then he must be filled with His holiness according to the recommendation of Sacred Scripture: "Be holy because I am holy" (Lev. 11, 44). The priest must honor and love God with the highest degree of fidelity and perfection possible, inasmuch as he is the recipient of God's greatest favors. Pray constantly to know and practise these truths.

The Priesthood is the Holiest of All States

No other profession equals or excels the priestly state. Priests are the first officers of the Great King, the principal ministers in His realm, the treasurers and dispensers of His mysteries. Into their keeping Christ has entrusted the fruits of His life and death, His mysteries and His graces. St. Paul calls priests "dispensers of the mysteries of God" (i Cor. 4, 1). Truly, they are charged with the keeping of His glory, His very Self, His Body and Blood, His Mystical Body and His most precious treasures. Naturally, therefore, theirs must be a holiness far exceeding that of ordinary Christians.

Priests occupy the most exalted position in the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. They are, as it were, the heart and the head of that Body, for they are one with the Sovereign Priest who is the Head and the Heart of the Church. It follows, then, that they must discharge their duties more nobly and more perfectly than the other members of the Church.

Who could be pledged to a higher degree of holiness that he who is consecrated to God in body and soul by the august sacrament of Holy Orders, who spends his,days in the sanctuary engaged in the sacred ministry, who frequently dispenses the sacraments to the faithful, who daily offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and receives within his soul the adorable Flesh and the Precious Blood of the Son of God?

Ponder well these truths and beg God to engrave them on your mind and heart that you may derive from them the grace He wishes to give you.

The Relations Between the Priest and the Faithful

Demand the Highest Degree of Perfection

The priest is called in Sacred Scripture, "The angel of the Lord" (Mal. 2, 7), "the light of the world" (Matt. 5, 14), "an example of the faithful" (1 Tim. 4, 12), for he must purify, illumine and perfect the other Christians. Hence, he must be a font of blessings, whose salutary waters flow abundantly in the house of the Lord. He must be adorned with a supereminence of Christian virtues that his life may be truly a rule and guide for all the faithful.

Be assured, then, that there is no one on earth more obliged to seek perfection than the priest. It i s not sufficient for him to lead the life of an ordinary Christian, but he must live as a priest. In other words, he must live so holily that he may sanctify others. This is not merely a counsel but a commandment. The Christian must tend towards perfection because of his baptism, the religious because of his vows, and the priest because of the very holiness of his state.

Humble yourself, seeing yourself so far removed from this holiness. Ask God's pardon for your negligence and infidelity. Make the resolution henceforth to lead a truly priestly life. Adopt at once the means best suited to this end, namely, the renunciation of sin, the world and self; the imitation of Jesus, the Great High Priest, and the performance of all the clerical and priestly functions in His spirit and with His dispositions. Give yourself to Him for this purpose; beg the assistance of Mary, the Mother of priests, and invoke the help of all the saintly priests and levites.

Ejaculatory Prayer: I will serve Thee, 0 Lord, I will serve Thee in holiness and justice before Thee, all the days of my life." Serviam tibi, Domine, serviam tibi in sanctitate et justitia coram Te, omnibus diebus vitae meae. 185-