Priest

Priests at the Chrism Mass, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston:
Photo from Cardinal Sean's Blog

What is a priest? Who is a priest? How does he pray? How often does he pray? Is the life of a priest a lonely life? a happy life? What does he long for? How much is he like everyone else? How much is he unlike everyone else? What makes him different? What makes him the same? What does he believe? Does he believe everything the Church teaches? Does he believe everything he says? What does he question? Is he closer to God than others? Does God pay special attention to a priest's prayer? What are his sins? What are his struggles? Whom does a priest go to for help?

I have my own answers to these questions. And you probably have yours. I wonder how similar they are - and how different...

Much of what we think and believe about the ministry of priests is shaped by our childhood experience of them - and what we were taught to think about priests. Perhaps some day someone will write a doctoral dissertation on the different understandings of priesthood held by those who grew up prior to Vatican Council II and those who never knew the pre-Conciliar Church.

Both the Council's recognition of the people of God as constitutive of Church and ministry and the reform of the liturgy contributed to rethinking and reshaping our understanding of the life and work of priests and how they function as servants of God's people and how they work with them and for them in the faith community.

This significant change in understanding happened nearly "overnight." I was born (1947) into a Church culture dangerously close to deifying the person of the priest, a culture in which abuse of children could and did occur -- and a culture in which abuse could be and was denied and shielded so tragically, in nearly every place in the Church. Vatican Council II opened (1962) while I was in high school. My seminary training (1965-1973) was colored by the early days of post-Conciliar ecclesial life. By the time I was ordained (1973) the liturgy was celebrated in the vernacular, lay ministers of the Eucharist were increasingly common and a popular liturgical song included the refrain, Priestly people, kingly people, holy people, God's chosen people: sing praise to the Lord!

When I was in high school we had Mass in the auditorium on the first Friday of each month. Just introduced at that time was the practice of having people present the gifts of bread and wine as the altar was prepared for the Eucharistic Prayer. A table at the back of the auditorium was dressed in a white cloth and on it were small cruets of bread and wine (we were not yet receiving Communion under both kinds) and a variety of ciboria, gold plated vessels containing hosts to be consecrated at that Mass. One of the Sisters stood at the table making sure that a white purificator or napkin was wrapped around the base of each ciborium lest our unconsecrated fingers touch the vessels in which the unconsecrated hosts would be consecrated. Within a decade lay men and women (and high school students!) were assisting the priest in giving Communion (under both kinds) and everyone was touching the vessels.

I paint that picture for you to remind you of a time when there were things that priests did, places in the church where he went, prayers he said, things he touched - that ONLY a priest was allowed to do, go, say and touch. Then, almost overnight, much of what had been reserved to priests was shared with the laity - not everything - but much of it. Most folks will acknowledge that a priest has something to do with things sacred. But what happens when things so sacred that only a priest could touch them become things placed in the hands of all believers?

Certainly the story and scandal of the sexual abuse of children by priests has shaken to the core our understanding of who priests are. Who we thought them to be, what we trusted them to be: so much of what we took to be a surety about priests has become a large and troubling question mark.

With this post I begin a series of reflections based on the italicized questions above, at the top. I invite you to add your questions to mine (in the combox) and I'll try to include them and respond to them. My hope is that both younger and older readers will add some questions and comments along the way.

Next post in this series: What is a priest?

-ConcordPastor