A CATHOLIC PRIEST
XAVIER JAMES.
A priest is first of all a human who tries to perfect himself after the model of Jesus Christ. Often it becomes difficult and he stumbles as he has his own limitations and weaknesses. A priest by his very calling is set apart from the worldly lifestyle of greed, hatred, fear, lust, pride, jealousy, individualism, self-centeredness, non co-operation, judgment of others, anxieties, prejudices, worries, suspicion, insecurities, attachments, poor self-image and unhealthy competition. At the same time he is deeply inserted into and in deep solidarity with and involved in the life situation of the people especially the poor and the downtrodden. He is called to see things from God’s point of view. He is not to be blinded by prejudices but to see beyond what others see and to be able to transcend the vision constraints of his social limitations. He should try to see through the eyes of Christ. He tries to be able to see the image and likeness of God in every person. He attempts to be one who appreciates the differences as factors that challenge and enrich him rather than separate him. A Priest as a pastor is the builder of the community by making the saving work of Jesus effectively present through word, sign and style of life. If one rightly understands the priesthood of Jesus he will serve the kingdom of God to build up a community beyond barriers and enter into the saving mystery of Christ. A True priest is deeply involved with the community. He experiences the conditions of the people especially the poor and powerless. As Jesus emptied himself in solidarity with the people and knows the human condition and temptation, he is called for the same. Hence he is a people’s priest. He lives among the people and shares their lives: joys and pains, struggles and successes and keeps nobody outside the reach of his ministry. He specially serves the poor, sick, unemployed and those in despair.
A Priest is called to witness to the value of Christ: one need not have in order to be someone. He has human qualities and is emotionally and psychically an integrated person. He is genuinely involved yet not attached. He is truly free from greed, hatred, lust, fear and attachments. His life style is a witness to the people. If a priest possesses a costliest and an attractive vehicle he is giving a wrong signal to the people, contradicting the message that he proclaims. Jesus chose to be born in a stable, to work as a carpenter, to die on the cross outside the village and to be buried in a borrowed grave. His values were not worldly. He was not a materialistic, consumerism-oriented person. His top priority was on human and spiritual values. A priest does not succumb to the temptation of power. As we know, craze for power corrupts a priest. Any power has to be used in the service of the people, just as Jesus used his power for the service of people. When they wanted to crown him king, he disappeared from the scene. His action shook the disciples while washing their feet and giving them the love command. A priest is the revealer of God and of human unconditionally loving, and a man of compassionate love just as Jesus was. A priest is in the service of the wholeness of human life. He must work for those deprived of their rights to dignity, freedom and self-respect. When God’s image is destroyed or tarnished in them, the priest’s work is to rebuild this broken image. When killing one another, committing suicide and innocent suffering keep increasing in the modern society a priest is called to teach about loving one’s enemies, which distinguishes a prophetic priest from an ordinary man. Jesus picked up ordinary fisherman and transformed them into apostles so also the priest needs to serve the weak. In education, the priest must realize that the merit of a Christian school lies on in serving the academically and economically weaker students. A Priest needs to incorporate these values in his administrative system. People expect a priest to be a man of God rooted in God with a God-experience. He needs to be a person who truly loves the despised ones, going beyond all prejudices and love, as Jesus loved. He needs to relate with everybody in forgiving love. His distinctive character is his power of love lived unto the point of self-gift to the needy brothers and sisters in total freedom for the sake of wholeness in people. He needs to promote the culture of life. There cannot be peace, harmony and well being of humanity unless we respect, protect and promote the life of every human being, irrespective of who they are. It costs to be a prophetic priest. People can’t see as he sees. There is a conflict created. A prophet judges, protests, denounces evil, proclaim hope and a new future in contrast to the present. If a prophet dies and rises then he contributes to the resurrection of others, values and principles he stood for. A priest must be man of faith. He needs to be open to the supernatural reality, to God’s vision. He needs to listen to the word of God with deep faith and humility and be ready to accept challenges in the context of our reality. He prays and contemplates. His prayer consists in discovering in the light of God’s word, the signs of the times, recognizing the presence and action of God in history, listening to His call in the cry of the poor and the suffering and oppose those who exploit the powerless, cooperating with God’s liberation.
A priest is a minister of reconciliation in a divided world. He works for justice and peace, empowering people, a healer of the broken hearted and a seeker of social transformation for a just society. He creates a contrast community, a new family larger than the natural one. He is a disciple and leader by his self-abnegation, avoidance of all types of consumerism and luxury. He is ready to suffer with people, understands that leadership is for service. Priest is a spiritual father led by the spirit, a man with a new thrust and a truly loving person, free from every enslavement and a communicator of the spirit of God. He is a man of the Eucharist at the service of community. He makes the celebration of the liturgy as prophetic by, being creative and relevant because the celebrations are the expression of faith in Jesus. Since a priest is a communitarian leader he needs an in-depth personalization of the faith. He is not a leader in the worldly sense or a seeker of privilege. He is at the service of the community: neither above, nor independent of the community. He respects the rights of the people especially of the weakest. He is a public figure, humanly mature in his dealing with people. He needs to be aware of his attitudes towards wealth, position and women. He witnesses to the resurrection, of new life, new possibilities of transformed life. No one should live according to his flesh or the world but live by the spirit of Christ. He is a celibate priest in order to be available to people and to seek and serve something greater.
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