The Precursor’s Nativity is celebrated by the Church because, even from the womb, he chosen and sanctified for his vocation. The Baptist is the greatest of the prophets, and is more than a prophet, for he rejoiced to see the day of the Bridegroom.
While the priest, in very
specific moments, acts in persona Christi,
most of his ministry is more closely tied to that of St. John the Baptist –
directing people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In
this respect, St. John is a model for the priest as “friend of the Bridegroom”
and “voice of one crying out in the wilderness”.
On a personal note, St. John
the Baptist is particularly dear to me as a model for the priesthood, as I was
ordained a priest on the Vigil of his Nativity three years ago.
“John”
is his name, and a priest is called “Father”
And it
came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and
they called him by his father's name Zachary. And his mother answering, said:
Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is none of thy
kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he
would have him called. And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: John is
his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his
tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. (Luke 1:59-64)
Having received his vocation
when still in the womb, the Baptist was not named after his father nor after
any in his family line, but rather received a new name from the Lord. St. John
was not called merely to be a member of his own family, but rather was singled
out from among millions to be the forerunner of the Christ. In this way, John
did not so much lose his family identity, as gain a new and fuller identity in
God.
So too it is with the priest.
While religious often take on a new name, leaving behind their baptismal name,
diocesan priests keep their given name but are now called by a new name:
Father.
True, in many countries the
people call the priest not “Father” but rather some variation of “Lord” or “Sir”,
but the point remains the same. Upon his ordination, the priest is no longer
named simply by his parents, but he is called by a new title which comes from
God through the Church. His identity is no longer tied so much to his natural
family, but to his spiritual family – he is now the “Father” of many, since he
has been called to pastor the flock of Christ.
How necessary it is for priests
to be called “Father”! We forget who the priest is, and what he is meant to be
for the people, if we simply call him by his first name!
Even his own family should get
into the habit of calling the priest “Father” – for he is no longer merely a
son or brother or uncle, he is now called to be a priest even for those to whom
he had previously been bound only by natural ties. If he was once his parents’
son, now he is their pastor, their father, and he must give his life in service
for their spiritual benefit.
John
was clothed in camel’s hair, and a priest wears clerics
And
John was clothed with camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and
he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying: There cometh after me
one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down
and loose. I have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost. (Mark 1:6-8)
St. John the Baptist did not
dress in fine linens like a king, nor did he dress as common folk do, rather he
had a distinctive apparel in order to more clearly designate his distinctive vocation.
It should be clear (not only
from Canon Law and Church tradition, but also from the writings of saints and
the example of good and holy priests) that a priest ought almost always to wear
his clerical garb when in public (most especially the cassock, but at least the
modern clerics). St. John the Baptist didn’t walk around in a t-shirt and
jeans, nor did he wear a fancy suit – neither should the priest dress like a
layman.
We will give an excerpt from
the “Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests” (n. 66) from the
Congregation for the Clergy, approved and authorized by Bl. John Paul II on 31
January 1994:
“In a secularised and materialistic society, where the
external signs of sacred and supernatural realities tend to disappear, it is
particularly important that the community be able to recognise the priest, man
of God and dispenser of his mysteries, by his attire as well, which is an
unequivocal sign of his dedication and his identity as a public minister.
“For this reason, the clergy should wear ‘suitable
ecclesiastical dress, in accordance with the norms established by the Episcopal
Conference and the legitimate local custom’.(CIC, Canon 284) This means that
the attire, when it is not the cassock, must be different from the manner in
which the laity dress, and conform to the dignity and sacredness of his
ministry.
“Outside of entirely exceptional cases, a cleric’s failure
to use this proper ecclesiastical attire could manifest a weak sense of his
identity as one consecrated to God.”
There you have it: If a priest
often is not wearing his cassock (or clerical attire) he probably lacks
priestly identity. Let us unite in prayer for our poor priests – so many are
so, so confused!
John
and the priest: Celibates who defend marriage and family life
For
Herod had apprehended John and bound him, and put him into prison, because of
Herodias, his brother's wife. For John said to him: It is not lawful for thee
to have her. And having a mind to put him to death, he feared the people:
because they esteemed him as a prophet. (Matthew 14:3-5)
Finally, we see that St. John,
a celibate, died defending the sanctity of marriage. It was not so much his
direct and clear proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah, nor even his baptism
of repentance, but rather his defense of marriage that set the king against
him.
What a model the Baptist is for
the priest in this regard. The parish priest of the Latin Church is celibate,
yet he is in a unique position to defend marriage and family life!
We consider past saints like Alphonsus
Liguori and Francis de Sales, or modern saints like Josemaria Escriva and John
Paul II – these priests gave guidance not only to the Church but to the whole
world on the true means of attaining to a good, holy, and happy family life.
These priests, and countless others, gave their lives of ministry in service of
marriage and the family!
And what are the two greatest
areas of family life where the parish priest is needed? It seems to me that
these are: The family Rosary, and openness to life.
Pray, pray that priests will
help families to pray the Rosary together. Bl. John Paul II was convinced of
this: If only families will pray the family Rosary, there will be peace in the
world and peace in the home! I scarcely can think of any devotion or practice
more worthy of priestly promotion than the family Rosary!
And again, pray, pray that your
priests will preach against contraception and abortion. So long as Catholics
continue to practice contraception, Americans (and secular people of other
nations) will commit abortion. Until the home is purified from contraception,
the nation will never be free from abortion.
Pray the good Lord to send
priests who will preach boldly against contraception. Pray the good Lord to
send priests who would willingly sacrifice themselves to save the lives of the millions
of children who are aborted each year through the use of the contraceptive
pill. Pray that priests will have the courage to speak the truth: That,
statistically, if a woman/couple is on the Oral Contraceptive Pill for two
years, there has likely been at least one abortion (which would have likely been
undetected by the couple) – this is what is meant by a “5% failure rate” which
is what the contraceptive companies themselves claim. Sadly, the rate is even worse for many of the
IUDs and other such methods. [for more information on this, please see an
article with some good statistics (here)]
And pray that priests will
speak out in defense of family life – even if that means they must sacrifice
their own lives in the process. What better to die for, than the Christian family?
A
final test: Confession and Communion
Behold
the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. (John
1:29)
St. John the Baptist not only
proclaimed the Lord’s coming, but pointed him out when at last he came. This is
the great privilege of the Forerunner, this is what makes him to be more than a
prophet – he led people to Jesus.
So too, the priest’s whole life
and ministry can be judged on this one point: Did he lead people to Christ?
And what better means to
consider whether a priest has succeeded or failed than to ask whether he has
helped the people to receive Christ worthily and devoutly in Holy Communion and
whether he has aided his flock in finding Jesus’ absolution of sin through the
sacrament of Confession.
If a priest has helped people
to make better Confessions and grow in freedom from sin – then he is a good
priest.
If a priest has helped the people
to make better, more devout, and more worthy Communions – then he is a good
priest.
This is the final test for any
priest: His whole life, and especially his ministry in the confessional and at
the altar, must proclaim: Behold the Lamb
of God, behold him who taketh away the sins of the world.
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