One of the greatest blessings of the Lenten Season for a Catholic Priest is the celebration of the Chrism Mass that is traditionally done on Holy Thursday morning but for pastoral reasons the Diocese of San Jose celebrates the week prior. It is a great blessing for me personally but also for our Church because it is a time when the vast majority of the priests serving in the diocese come together for a day a prayer and then con-celebration of the Mass with our Bishop. It was made even a greater blessing this year because our Bishop Patrick, who is retiring this year, celebrated his last Chrism Mass as the shepherd of the Diocese of San Jose. As I was thinking about the 20 years Bishop Patrick has been our diocesan bishop I thought that as both a seminarian and then a priest I have had the privilege of taking part in all but the very first one of these holy celebrations.
Reflecting on my years of priesthood, I try each year to read one book on my ministry and this year I chose “Priests for a New Era” by Msgr. Francis D. Kelly. While this book spoke directly to the ministerial priesthood many of the lessons apply to the baptismal priesthood we all share as sons and daughters of the living God.
Early on Msgr. Kelly takes on one of the over-arching sins of our present age that of busyness or as he calls it ”super-activism.” I often see this in myself and my brother priests but also in many young families as they run about to different events, practices, appointments where many meals are eaten in cars, quality time becomes the handing off of one child for another as they race off and family time becomes exhausted moments of zoning out before bed just to begin again.
The quiet pondering and time for deep reflection and conversation are replaced by the checking off of the boxes of “what needs to be done.”
“The antidote for this is a true quest for a spirituality that deepens the priest’s character and convictions and orders his life. Being pulled in many directions requires of the priest discipline and fortitude and a rule of life that prioritizes the spiritual over all else. It will not suffice “to go with the flow.”” (p 24) The struggle we must enter is to intentionally take time each day for prayer but also for time with others in listening and focussing on the true person in front of us and not just what the do or what needs to be done but who we are as children of God.
And this requires help and discipline…We are always faced, as a Catholic Church, with reality that there are not enough priests. At St. Lucy we are reminded that just a few years ago there where four priests where we now are served by two, and one of us also serving at St. Francis High School. Allowing others to help us carry the load is always a challenge of humility. “When in the early Apostles began to find themselves overwhelmed by the administrative and spiritual demands of the community, they established the diaconate, justifying this delegation of work by the principal: “This will permit us to concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word.”(Acts 6:4). (p 33) The Apostles sought help when needed as both priests and families we can often “hunker down” and try to do it all when both family, friend and neighbor are there for support and blessing. Jesus reminds us, “And surely I am with you always.” (Mt 28:20) but do we look for Jesus in those who surround us in love to help us and guide us in our ministry as parents, spouses, priests and sons and daughters?
When we seek help, we seek love. Love as Msgr. Kelly reminds us is the first and last word in life. We are made in love and our death finds us in the arms of love. And it is true that in the Catholic priesthood my call is to chaste celibate love… but all people are called to live chastely in the sexual expression of husband and wife or the preparing our hearts to receive our future spouse. In either case, it is understanding how God’s love flows into our lives with joy and blessing. In my ministry with Worldwide Marriage Encounter I see daily how the spousal love of husband and wife is united and strengthens my call to chaste celibacy by living out healthy relationships with God’s holy people. “The final word on celibacy must be in Word on love. Celibacy is a supreme witness to the reality of God’s overflowing love. The Christ event—his Incarnation, Passion and Death, and Resurrection—proclaimed that the fundamental force behind the universe and our lives is the love of God.” (p 51) This fundamental force is the gift and grace of sacramental love shared by God.
Lastly, Msgr. Kelly shares this quote from Basil Cardinal Hume on the need to be able to share our story of God’s love with others. We cannot share it if we do not know God and live with God daily. “It is easy to get caught up In the “institutional” aspect of the Church. But it is so refreshing just to ponder the mystery of God, just wondering what God is like. I think that is what people want us to talk about: “What is God like; what does he mean to you, what have you discovered? Tell us about it, and tell us how to find God.” I never cease to be amazed by the spiritual thirst and hunger there is in people, I fear that we may not be feeding it. To quench that thirst is one of our most important functions. But people what to hear from us our personal experience of God and that for some priests presents a problem.” (p 37) Do we live only the institutional aspect of family…or do we share the story of love with God and others?
God Bless,
Fr. Mark

Please pray for your priests.