June 17, 2009

Year for Priests not just for clerics

By James Cavanagh

June 19 marks the beginning of the “Year for Priests.” But I worry that many Catholics will not give the year the attention it deserves. Many parishioners will probably think that a “Year for Priests” is irrelevant to them because they’re not priests. Others, including some priests, might not give the year the attention it deserves because of a concern that focusing on the priesthood might invite an unhealthy form of clericalism where everything revolves around the priest; where the laity are patronized and deterred from meaningful involvement in the Church.

As a former Episcopalian priest and now a Catholic layman, I believe I have a unique perspective. 

Over the last 45 years, the laity have assumed a much larger role in the life of the Church, rightly fulfilling their baptismal vocation. This has been a tremendous blessing for the Church. Since Vatican II the Church has stressed the importance of how the faithful are called to “full, active and conscious participation” in the liturgy and the life of the Church, in keeping with their baptismal dignity. With an increased emphasis on the priestly nature of the people of God, however, one may wonder if an unintended consequence has been a diminishment of the ministerial priesthood.  Could this have something to do with a shortage of vocations? Perhaps. But there are other reasons for the shortage, one being that we haven’t encouraged vocations as much as we should have.

A recent issue of the National Catholic Register reported on a survey commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which found that a lack of encouragement has more to do with the shortage of new vocations than most other factors. “No less than 45 percent of priests planning to be ordained this year” it said, “reported they were discouraged from considering the priesthood. One can only assume that the figure is just as high, or even higher, for those who seriously considered a priestly vocation but didn’t pursue it.”

Obviously, the Year for Priests will highlight the importance of the ministerial priesthood, but that shouldn’t detract from the laity’s role in the life and mission of the Church. On the contrary, the Year for Priests presents us with an ideal opportunity to reflect on what it means to be the priestly people of God.

One of the great fruits of Vatican II was the elevation of the laity as the priestly people of God to their rightful place in the mission of the Church. By virtue of our baptism and confirmation we have been blessed with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit “to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ” (“Catechism,” 1303).  “In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission,” the Council Fathers taught. “Christ conferred on the apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in his name and power. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world” (“Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, “ 2, emphasis added).

“Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through confirmation” (AA 3) the laity are endowed with a dignity befitting sons and daughters of God.  Do we believe it? Consider one example: When we attend Mass we expect the priest to be attired appropriately for the celebration of the sacred mysteries—alb, stole and chasuble. If the ordained priest is expected to vest in accordance with the dignity of his vocation and the solemnity of the occasion, does it not follow that the priestly people of God should also dress in a way that respects the “marriage supper of the Lamb?” Flip flops, cutoffs and T-shirts do not exactly reflect the dignity of the Mass. More important, such attire does not reflect the dignity of the person who belongs to the priestly people of God. How one dresses at Mass may not be the most important thing, but it’s not irrelevant. For how one dresses not only expresses one’s respect of others and the holy sacrifice of the Mass, it also expresses one’s own self esteem—or lack thereof.  When it comes to the liturgy, everything is significant.

The Year for Priests was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, the Cure d’Ars.  He chose the theme, he said, to “encourage spiritual perfection in priests.” The focus on priestly perfection should encourage all of us to reflect on our own pursuit of perfection according to our state in life. Christ’s directive—“Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect”—was addressed to the multitudes, not just to the Twelve Apostles. 

One of the most recognizable expressions of Vatican II is the “universal call to holiness.”  “Everyone,” the Council Fathers said, “whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness” (“Lumen Gentium,” 39).  The Year for Priests is for everyone, not just those who are ordained. Good and holy priests inspire us to be good and holy people. But the converse is also true. Good and holy priests are cultivated in the fertile soil of good and holy families and parishioners. The priestly people of God and the ministerial priesthood are inseparable. A holy people will produce holy priests.  If priests are called to spiritual perfection, so are we.  “Everyone, whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness.”  And what does “holiness” mean? Nothing less than the perfection of charity. Everyone, lay and ordained, is called to follow in Christ’s footsteps and “conform themselves to his image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor” (40).

Tne final remark. In keeping with the Year for Priests I urge every parish to include prayers for Pope Benedict, Archbishop Chaput, Bishop Conley, and your own pastor (and assistant priests) in the Prayers of the Faithful every Sunday. I also urge you to include a prayer for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In this way, we honor our priests, encourage vocations, grow in “spiritual perfection” and strengthen our solidarity with the universal Church.

James Cavanagh is director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for metro area parishes of the Denver Archdiocese. He also writes the Breaking Open the Word Scripture reflection for the Denver Catholic Register.