The Council at 50: The Priest: Ever Growing for His People

Welcome to one of the series of blogs on the Second Vatican Council. Each piece reviews one of the 16 documents produced by the Council Fathers during the extraordinary occasion in Church history. Vatican II, which drew together the world’s bishops, opened fifty years ago in St. Peter’s Basilica, October 11, 1962.

(Courtesy of Catholic News Service)

The qualities of today’s priest stood out in Presbyterorum Ordinis (of the Order of Priests), the “Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests” promulgated December 7, 1965 by the Second Vatican Council.

The decree highlighted the call to preach the Gospel to all people as the “first task of priests.” The Council refocused the Church on the centrality of the Word of God and raised the Liturgy of the Word to greater prominence within the Mass. Since then, priests have worked to improve the quality of preaching to move the hearts of both priest and the faithful to conversion and a more dedicated fidelity to Jesus Christ.

The “Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests” speaks of priests as the “indispensable helpers and advisers” of the bishops in the ministry of teaching, sanctifying and shepherding the People of God. Since this decree, the Church has developed the Presbyteral Council, a group of priests chosen by the bishop to advise him in diocesan matters.

The most important development occurred with Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation I Will Give You Shepherds. The pope wrote that within the Church, the priest is a “man of communion.” This phrase captures the heart of priesthood: a man in communion with God who is called to become a mediator of this relationship, bringing God to people and people to God. This happens in many ways, and especially at Mass. As a man of communion the priest also is called to become “a man of mission and dialogue.” Priesthood is never simply about the priest. It is about mission – carrying the message of Jesus Christ into a world hungry for meaning and purpose. It is about dialogue – bringing people within the Church and outside of it into community. The priest is to be a man of witness and a man of peace.

The “Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests” called for the Church to engage in the “progressive formation” of priests. Since then, a great deal of vision and effort has gone into the formation of priests after their ordination. Blessed John Paul spoke with eloquence on this need for the ongoing formation of priests quoting St. Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy: “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.”  The U.S. Bishops promulgated the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests in June 2000 to implement the pope’s vision for the renewal of priests here in the United States.

This “rekindling” must happen in several areas. The priest is called to grow in human formation, the decree said, “to develop and sharpen his human sensitivity” to understand the needs and unvoiced questions of his people. He needs spiritual formation, to deepen his relationship to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. He needs intellectual formation to be an ongoing student of Scripture, theology, and the culture in which he lives. And he needs on-going pastoral formation to help him grow in his pastoral charity, exercising a shepherd’s care for his people. In other words, he is to grow in the virtue of love.

Each priest is called to engage in this formation as a young, middle-age, or older priest.

Finally, “The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests” calls priests once again to imitate Jesus the Master: They are to serve and not be served. They are called to improve their ability to listen before they speak. This humility is central to the spirituality of the priesthood and is an ever-present challenge to any attitudes of superiority or pride. Clericalism has no place in a Church that seeks to evangelize – to bring Christ and his love to the world.

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Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

 

Confession: It puts you straight with everyone

Penance, aka confession, is the sacrament of the forgiveness of sin. You can’t beat it for convenience. It’s available practically whenever. Tell a priest you want to go to confession and you’ll get his attention. One bishop I know was cornered on an airplane. Another passenger figured out what was going on and asked if he could confess too. It must have been an interesting game of musical seats. An interesting question for priests might be: Where was the strangest place you ever administered the sacrament of penance? The answers I’ve gathered include “in a sports bar, at a graduation party” and “on the golf course, walking up the fairway.”

Confession has benefits. Here are ten:

1. Confidentiality guaranteed. There’s nothing like confessing your sins to someone guaranteed not to tell anyone else. Sometimes you need to talk in absolute confidence. Even under subpoena, a priest can’t tell anyone what’s said to him in confession. He can’t even hint at it. Now that’s confidentiality.

2. Housekeeping for the soul. It feels good to be able to start a clean life all over again. Like going into a sparkling living room in your home, it’s nice when clutter is removed – even if it’s your own.

3. A balm for the desire for revenge. When you have been forgiven you can forgive others. If the perfect Jesus forgives me, who am I to want to avenge the slights in my life. Think: “Why did they promote him over me?’ or “Mom played favorites!”

4. Low cost therapy. It’s free, which makes it cheaper than a psychiatrist for dealing with guilt.

5. Forced time to think. Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. To examine our lives and acknowledge failings marks the first step of making things right with God, others and ourselves. Life can be more worth living when you ponder the meaning of your own life.

6. Contribution toward world peace. Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, said that the imbalances in the world that lead to war and tensions “are linked with that more basic imbalance which is rooted in the heart of man.” Peace of soul leads to peace of heart leads to peace beyond oneself.

7. A better neighborhood. Confession leaves you feling good about yourself, thereby cutting back the inclination to road rage and aggressive shopping cart driving. With the grace of the sacrament you’re energized to, as Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “go and sin no more.”

8. Realistic self-perception. Confession helps overcome arrogance when you have to admit you’re as much of a sinner as anyone else. It helps build tolerance for others’ perceived shortcomings.

9. One more benefit of being Catholic. There are lots of benefits, including a sense of community, liturgical rites to help us encounter God in prayer, and the wonderful sense of humanity exemplified in the saints, from Mary, the loving Mother of God, to Augustine, the exasperating son of Monica. The sacrament that leads us to inner peace is among the greatest boons.

10. Closeness to God. Confession helps you realize that you have a close connection to God and receive his grace through the sacraments. What can be better than knowing God’s on your team, or, to be less arrogant about it, that you are on God’s.