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I s s ue 29

Tuesday Conference

Theology e-weekly

To make humanity united in worshipping God

Priest thinks about Priesthood

Our Heavenly Patron

Dear Father,
Tuesday Conference r ea ches its 29th issue on
What Priest thinks about Priesthood. These are views of
two leading catholic priests concerning priesthood in the modern
times, as they have exposed in their work. We find it meaningful
to reflect on this theme for we are in the season of Ordinations.
Tuesday Conference does not subscribe to all the concerns raised
here.
More than ever before, the priest today is expected to be a
dedicated man. Gone is the day when he was accepted simply
because he was a priest. It was once taken for granted that a man
would support the parish to which he belonged. We hear of more
Catholics who are selective about the parish they support.

We are away from the split-level division of

clergy and laity. The confusion is about where
the priest belongs. Is he a mini Bishop or a
maxi layman?

Today the priest is asked to be creative and

resourceful and he is asked to be these things with

little organizational support. He finds he is

Page - 02

challenged to be someone extraordinary.

We want
the priest

to be
human
but we
tend to
forget
that he
has
human
needs.

INTRODUCTION
Years ago there were
many structural supports built
into the church for priests.
These
ranged
from
a
supportive clerical culture to
various
kinds
of
organizational incentives. A
young man entering the
priesthood knew that he was
joining the greatest fraternity
in
the
world.
What
happened?
Vatican II broke down the walls separating clergy
and laity, thus destroying clerical culture; th e pr iest
should not only come from the people but he should remain
with the people , and refrain from seeking any kind of
organizational advancement. When we broke down the walls
separating clergy and laity we also destroyed part of that

clerical support system. In destroying the clerical culture

we destroyed much of their human support.
Abraham Maslow has shown us clearly that an
organization must meet the ego needs of its members
if it is to keep these members. As regards vocation or profession
he claims that the organization must meet not only an
individuals ego needs but also the needs for self fulfillment.

He cannot hide behind mysteries or miracles. He must stand

alone up against all currents in the society.

The Priesthood of Christ

Page - 03

We say that Christ was a priest, but we do not see him in the typical priestly
roles of today. He did not We do see him in a number of familiar priestly

live in a rectory,

roles.
say scheduled masses, concerned with the poor & the afflicted.
rails against the injustices of both church and state
wear a clerical uniform
preaches the kingdom,
manage a parish plant. shapes a discipleship,
belonged to no priestly pledges his continuance after death.
caste .
prays, fasts suffers like every other man.

It is difficult to think of him as a priest.

The Human Priest

Today modern catholic want him to be human nothing more but certainly
nothing less. They do not want him to be a magic or mystical man nor do they
want him to be a powerful father figure. They want him to be a brother- one shares
their life- one who participates in life much the same as they do.
People are attracted to the Jesus of the
gospels; they are not attracted to the
rigorous
ritual
and
complicated
ceremonies no matter how hallowed
centuries of tradition might have made
them. The priest who roots his

life in the gospel is in; the man

who stands on ritual is out.

Christ model of

ministry was not

priestly in the levital
sense that is
centered around
worship, but it was
prophetical.
Ministry cannot be equated only with the dispensation of sacraments.

Page - 04

The Priesthood: Function or State in Life

The question at the bottom of this discussion is whether the priesthood is
simply a function or is it a state in life. If it is not a state in life, then the clerical
apparatus falls apart and we must deal with the priest as a professional man. If the
priesthood is a state in life, that swallows up a mans humanity and embraces
every moment of his waking life, then we must wrap him in the clerical mantle and
show him off to the world as a scared person.
The role of the priest is 3
faceted: teacher, sanctifier and
administrator; The limiting of all the
activities of a priest into the teacher,
priest leader triad is called sacerdotal
reductionism; it is too limited as a
model for the priesthood today.

Priest a Professional Man

When we begin to understand
the priest not as a sacred person but
as one who has functions to perform
in society, a new set of criteria
emerges. We begin to look at the
priest as a professional. It seems to
us that any self respecting priest
would want to see himself as a
professional man , that is as a man
who has something which is tangible
enough to be appreciated and for which he can receive the human gratification of
knowing that he has done something worthwhile. For some the term

professional has pejorative overtones.

Many prefer the Big Daddy action of a priest who

dispenses favors from his abundance rather than the
concept of a professional priest who has technical
competence.

The Priest as a Preacher of the Word

Page - 05

Jesus not only performed great deeds;

he also said some very exciting things.
People who were personally associated with
him were not only affected by his person; they
were also affected by what he said.
Priest realizes that many people turn them off when it is time for
the homily at Mass. Th e pr iest w h o pr each es th e w or d in a vacuum
without personally involving himself in the world about him may be completely
out of touch with reality, but the priest who never preaches the word is neglecting
his primary responsibility.

The inability of the priest to communicate is also due to the

institutional life they lead. Priest live differently; it is as
simple as that. It protects him from many of the anxieties of
modern life.
He does not have the same kind of experiences as others in society. Consequently,
he speaks of a religion and not of the reality of religious experience.

When we say that the priest must

Successful preacher is close to the

be a capable preacher of the word,

we are not talking about the

poet than to the theologian. Poet

is sensitive to all that is affecting

polished speaker or the expert

man & he knows how to touch us.

theologian. It is also true that

He can write poem full of hope

even the eloquent speaker and the

profound theologian are often

without say at the beginning, I

am going to write a poem about

unable to communicate the

hope. He has no difficulty in

message of Jesus.

communicating his concern.

Page - 06

Professio
nalism in
priesthood

does not
demand
that every
priest be
proficient
in every

pastoral
skill.

The Spiritual Life of the Priest

Life experience is the key to the prayer life of todays
priest. He prays best when he is in there pastorally with
people. When he is sweating out their anxieties, sharing their
fears and doubts, he feels drawn to God. Without a life of
pastoral a care, the priest may live an arid prayer life.
The ability to pray and the
ability to love are basic
skills for ministry. If the
minister is lacking in faith,
acquiring new skills will not
assure
him
of
being
effective. Likewise, if the
minster has no natural
empathy counseling course
will not supply it.
It is interesting to note, Jesus spent an
enormous time in the streets and relatively little time
in the temple. Th e pr iest today w h o concer ns him self
with churchy matters is ignored. The

man

who

identifies with the world and concerns with all

that matters his brother is accepted and loved.
A priest has no title to continue in the ministry simply
because he is ordained. Skillful performance is the only title a
professional has to insure continuing his career. When he has
lost the art, justice demands that he not impose himself upon
people.

Page - 07

Students are
no longer
content with
theory. But
want training

in the skills

Theological training of the Priest

Theological training is very often is very an impediment
to preaching the word. We end up preaching theology and
theological speculation. Too often, he is the prisoner of his
theological language that he learned in the seminary. He is
unable to break out of that prison into clear air of human
communication. He does not know how to be theologian
without using theological language. Theological study should
help us to understand Gods word. It was never
intended to substitute for it.

they will use

as ministers.
The
curriculum
would be a
response to
expectations

Scripture and theology professors must learn the new

methods of teaching and learn to present their material for
people who are going to spend more time on the street than

of ministry

they are in libraries. Ministry is relational art, not an

the cultural

today.

academic skill. This is not an anti-intellectual

statement.

Conclusion
It must be understood that when
we talk of a professional priesthood or
ministry we are not talking about a
stifling bureaucracy or about limiting
availability or spontaneity. We are
saying that a person functions best
when he has skills that have been tested
and are found to be suitable for the job.
Published from Vincentian Vidyabhavan, Aluva.