iConfess

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Thoughts for the day

Last week a book arrived in the mail for which I have long waited: The Heart of Father Damien by Vital Jourdain, SS.CC.

It is a lengthy biography of Blessed Father Damien by a member of his order, translated into English in 1955. I have read a few biographies of the Leper Priest and this may well be the finest.

Fr. Vital details the life of Father Damien using his own letters and the letters and anecdotes of those who knew him, both family and his friends. The manner of his writing makes it difficult to set the book down.

During the course of my reading, I came upon the following quotation of the soon-to-be-Saint that is most fitting for today's celebration of the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations:

If they love their priest, they will easily love our Lord, since the priest is His minister.

These are good words for each of us to ponder today.

Daily work of priests fundamental for humanity, says Pope

Father Giampiero Ialongo posed the fourth question of the day to His Holiness on 26 February 2009 during his meeting with the Clergy of the Diocese of Rome.

Father Ialongo's question concerned the global crisis of the economy in these days and how Pope Benedict thought best to address "the causes that have led to this widespread crisis."

The Holy Father said that it is the duty of the Church to denounce injustice and to also show the way forward. At the same time, however, "lofty moralizing does not help if it is not substantiated by knowledge of the facts, which also helps one understand what it is possible to do in practice to gradually change the situation." The Church, then, must speak competently on such issues so as not to lose credibility.

For Pope Benedict, the question boils down to original sin; does it really exist? His answer is worth quoting in full:

If it did not exist we could simply appeal to lucid reason, with arguments accessible and indisputable by all, and to the good will that exists in everyone. In this way we could make good headway and reform humanity. But it is not like this: reason including our own is obscured, we notice this every day. For selfishness, the root of avarice, lies in wanting above everything only for myself, in being concerned for the world only as far as it serves me. It exists in all of us. It clouds reason which can be very learned, the finest scientific arguments, yet still obscured by false premises. In this way we can move along with great intelligence, bounding ahead, but on the wrong road. The will too, as the Fathers say, is distorted, it is not simply inclined to do good, but can seek above all else itself or its own interests. To find the way of reason, of true reason, is therefore already something far from easy, and is developed only with difficulty in dialogue. Without the light of faith that penetrates the shadows of original sin, reason cannot progress. But faith itself then comes up against the resistance of our will. The latter does not want to take the path of self-denial and a correction of the individual will in favour of the other rather than for ourselves.

I would say, therefore, that these errors should be addressed with reasonable and reasoned arguments, not with high moralizing but with concrete reasons that are understandable by economics today.

The only way out of this situation is for just men to stand up, "for if there are no upright people ... justice will remain theoretical" and "and there cannot be just people without the humble, daily work of conversion of hearts, of creating justice in hearts," the daily work of priests. Consequently, "the work of the parish priest is so fundamental, not only for the parish but also for humanity."

Benedict on culture, youth and young priests

The third question posed to Pope Benedict by Father Giuseppi Forlai during his annual meeting with the Clergy of Rome is one dear to one my heart. Father Forlai addressed two concerns: ministry to the youth and the length of stay of a Parochial Vicar. Father Forlai asked His Holiness for "an authoritative word on these two aspects of the challenges facing educators: the necessary length of appointment and the urgent need for priest-teachers who are adequately prepared culturally."

In response, Pope Benedict spoke about the nature of a parish, noting that a parish "where only games were played and refreshments provided would be absolutely superfluous." The meaning of a parish, he said, "must be cultural, human and Christian formation for a mature personality."

In today's culture, "so many things are known, but without a heart, without an interior connection, because a communal vision of the world is lacking. For this reason a cultural solution inspired by the faith of the Church, and by knowledge of God, is absolutely essential. I would say that this is precisely the role of such a centre, that one not only finds possibilities there for one's leisure time but above all for an integral human formation that completes the personality."

A priest, then, must somehow "fit into today's culture, and be deeply cultured if he is to help young people to enter a culture inspired by faith."

Culture itself is what is at stake, for a true culture always God as its end.

We see today that there are people with very great knowledge but lacking an inner orientation. Thus knowledge can also be dangerous because without a profound ethical orientation it leaves the individual to his own devices, and hence without the necessary indicators to become truly human. In this regard, the core of all cultural training, which is so necessary, must undoubtedly be faith: to know the face of God, revealed in Christ, and thus to have the fundamental point of reference for the rest of culture, which would otherwise become disoriented and disorienting. A culture without a personal knowledge of God and without a knowledge of the face of God in Christ is a culture that could be destructive, because it would have no knowledge of the necessary ethical bearings. In this regard, I think, we really have a profound cultural and human mission, which opens people to all the wealth of the culture of our time but also provides the criterion, the discernment to test what is true culture and what might become anti-culture.

This is the task of the priest today, especially in regards to the youth.

When speaking of the relationship between a priest and young people, Pope Benedict said, "There is no doubt that a personal relationship with the educator is important and demands a certain amount of time so that he and the young people may get used to each other."

The Holy Father noted especially the years between 16 and 19 in which "the personality is formed: it is an inner journey of great importance, of great existential growth." As such, he suggested an assignment of three years for each Parochial Vicar so that they might establish a relationship with young people and still be able to receive a few assignments as a young priest in order to "become acquainted with other contexts, learn about other situations in other parishes and thus enrich his human skills."

In this response, the Pope Benedict sees "that both needs can be reconciled: on the one hand, the young priest can have different experiences to enrich his own human experience; and on the other, the need to be with young people for a certain length of time, to be able to introduce them into life, to teach them to be human people, is recognized."

I am now in my fourth year as the Parochial Vicar here at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, and I expect to be able to have fifth year here before being assigned to another parish, either as Parochial Vicar or as Pastor (the latter seems more likely).

I certainly cannot argue with the Holy Father's suggestion, but I'm also grateful for the possibility of another year here.

Let us pray that even without a number of assignments the Lord will grant to me the skills that will be necessary in the years ahead.

Thanksgiving for Priests

Someone sent this to me today so I thought I might share it with you:

LEADER:
The priest is another Christ.
Our faith recognizes in him
the Lord who walks with us in history.
We honor him because in him we see Jesus Christ Himself.
He is a man among men,
yet you have chosen him
to celebrate the sublime mystery of the Eucharist,
to perpetuate your love through the ages,
to forgive sins in your name,
to save in your name,
and to consecrate mankind and all creation
in the name of the Blessed Trinity.

ALL:
Thank you, Lord, for the gift you gave your Church in the priesthood.

An enjoyable day

Thursday evening a classmate from Mundelein Seminary arrived in Effingham for a brief visit. Fr. Hernan, a native of Ecuador, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Together we travelled to Mt. Vernon, Illinois to visit another classmate of ours. Fr. Robert is a priest of the Diocese of Belleville.

(The picture is at a funny angle because we had a second grader take the picture.

This is something to keep in mind in the future.)

For one reason or another, it happens that priests only rarely get together simply for a time to visit and reconnect. Fr. Hernan is trying to make a visit to each of our classmates within a "close" radius of Chicago, something for which I commend him and hope to imitate.

He is also working on bringing a Spanish radio station to Chicago and is trying to build an orphanage in Ecuador. Please keep these efforts in your prayers and when I hear more I'll be sure to update you.

It was a pleasure having him here for a day and I hope to return a visit in the not too distant future.

Silly people, silly questions

Yesterday we celebrated an "all school Mass" in the high school gym in honor of Catholic Schools Week. It has been the custom for my parish, St. Anthony of Padua, which has both a grade school and a high school, to host Sacred Heart grade school, St. Michael grade school, and St. Thomas grade school for the Mass.

As you can imagine the gym was packed for the Mass - we could never fit within the church - and many parents and grandparents participate in the Mass, as well. In addition to the students, teachers and parents were the Pastors of the parishes and yours truly, the lone Parochial Vicar.

Concelebrating with the priests of our deanery always makes me ponder my future. The ages of the priests who concelebrated are: 82, 69, 58, 47 and 42. There I stood not only as the youngest priest present but also as the youngest priest in the Diocese at a whopping 28.

The pastor of St. Thomas school told me after the Mass that one of the teachers from his school asked him: "Is the young priest who was on the end old enough to drive?" I'm guessing the contacts makes me look even younger...

Hummes to Priests

Claudio Cardinal Hummes, O.F.M., Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, issued a letter to the piests of the Roman Catholic Church on the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales, 24 January 2006.

Having only recently taken up the post, the Brazilian Cardinal admits, "I still feel like something of a novice."

Addressing the theology of the priesthood, the Prefect reminded priests that

We are bearers of a specific identity that constantly characterizes us in our existence and in our activity. We are consecrated and incorporated into the activity of Christ. The gestures and the words of Jesus become reactualized in time and in history to provoke in those who fulfil them “the same sentiments of Christ” and the same effects of salvation.

The Church, in conferring the sacrament of Orders, ontologically constitutes the Priest as an alter Christus, or as some say, an ipse Christus; and it establishes him as a minister of the Word and as a minister of the prophetic action and pastoral love of Christ. His function, therefore, is not to exhaust himself exclusively in the dimension of worship, but to complete himself in the prophetic dimension by proclaiming the Word and in the pastoral dimension by being a guide for the community.

Among the beautiful expressions of the Second Vatican Council is the following statement, which synthesizes the functions of the priest while delineating his identity: “Priests, while engaging in prayer and adoration, or preaching the word, or offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice and administering the other sacraments, or performing other works of the ministry for men, devote all this energy to the increase of the glory of God and to man's progress in the divine life.” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2).

He said to his brother priests: "we are proud and joyful of our sacerdotal identity. We are proud to be priests. " Offering further words of encouragement to those entrusted to his care, he admitted:

It is true: ours is not an easy mission. But united to Christ the Eternal High Priest, and with Mary, Mother of the first Priest and of all Priests, we will always be mindful of giving testimony to the hope that is within us to our numerous brothers and sisters who, even today, long for the Way, the Truth and the Life.