Recently I have been meditating on the grandeur of the priestly vocation.

I thought of the Gospel passage from St Matthew which accentuates the intimate rapport between the identity of Christ and that of his priest. Just before sending his 12 disciples for their apostolic mission, Jesus told them: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (Matt 10, 40).

By virtue of his priestly ordination, the priest represents Christ not merely liturgically, but much more so existentially. The Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, highlighted this point in a speech he delivered on 13 October 1979: “The world looks to the priest, because it looks to Jesus! No one can see Christ; but everyone sees the priest, and through him they wish to catch a glimpse of the Lord! Immense is the grandeur of the Lord! Immense is the grandeur and dignity of the priest!”

But how can the priest live and preserve his priestly dignity, especially when he is rightly aware that his vocation is much like a “treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4, 7)? A great source of encouragement comes from the writings of St Francis of Assisi. In his Letter to the Entire Order, the Poverello offers key attitudes of how the priest can embrace and remain in the dignity of Christ’s priesthood.

“See your dignity, [my] priest brothers, and be holy because He is holy. As the Lord God has honoured you above all others because of this ministry, for your part love, revere and honour Him above all others. It is a great misery and a miserable weakness that when you have Him present in this way, you are concerned with anything else in the whole world… Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by Him!

Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!”

Lord Jesus, as your beloved priests, we humbly ask you to keep us always close to and protect us in your priestly heart. This we pray in your precious name. AMEN.

Fr Mario Attard

OFM Cap