SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS | Priests bring Christ into the world in a special way

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Of course, Jesus Christ Himself is the great high priest and all priesthood is only a share in His. And: Of course, there are two priesthoods — the baptized and the ordained. And: Of course, the ordained priesthood is in service of the unfolding of baptismal grace.

Still, within that framework, let’s pause for a few minutes to ponder the great gift of the ordained priesthood.

St. John Paul II once said: “If we take a close look at what contemporary men and women expect from priests, we will see that, in the end, they have but one great expectation: they are thirsting for Christ. Everything else — their economic, social and political needs — can be met by any number of other people. From the priest they ask for Christ!”

Now, on a day-to-day level, that’s not 100% true, is it? We do ask for many things from our parish priests: organizational leadership, social skills, financial savvy, strategic planning and so on. But, most fundamentally, he’s right: The priest brings Christ into the world in a special way — most especially in the Eucharist and in the confessional. In the end, that mediation of Christ’s presence is the most important thing.

On one level, contemporary Americans don’t like this. Part of our heart harbors a doubt and a resentment: Why should God come to me through intermediaries — why not directly?

But that question has two good answers.

First: God — who made us! — knows our nature. As body and soul, we need outward signs of spiritual realities. So God gives us outward signs through priests. For example: In the Eucharist we can taste and see that God really gives Himself to us; and in confession we can hear that God really forgives us.

Second: God — who has watched us hide since Adam and Eve! — knows our weakness. We’re not yet ready to meet God without intermediaries. In heaven, it’s true, there is no temple (see Revelation 21) and there are no sacraments — there is the immediate vision of God. But in heaven, the saints also don’t hide themselves from God. Here on earth, where we still hide in shame, God gives us intermediaries — to draw us out of hiding and prepare us for the transformation we need before we’re ready for heaven.

Here’s one more thing St. John Paul II said about the priesthood: “As a steward of God’s mysteries, the priest is a special witness to the invisible in the world. For he is a steward of invisible and priceless treasures belonging to the spiritual and supernatural order.” Great writers like G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien talked about the need to “re-enchant” the world — to make it more and more clear that the material world is shot through with spiritual realities. The priest is meant to do that: Both in what he does and in who he is, the priest lifts the veil on the supernatural world over and over for all of us. We need that witness, because we’re meant to live in that supernatural world for eternity!

After 42 years as a priest and 22 years as a bishop, I know that priesthood demands sacrifice and strength. Of course, so does every Christian life! But, for a moment, let’s pause, and give thanks to God — for the priesthood itself and for the good priests we have known.