In recent years, there has been much talk of a “priestly crisis”. However, contrary to appearances, it did not start now; it was in fact ignited by an Apostle: Judas Iscariot. After him, a rash of traitors – Arius, Nestorius, Huss, among a numerous horde of others – tried to encrust themselves on the Rock of Peter, without success.
The revolutions followed. The Protestant Revolution, through free examination and the destruction of hierarchy, essentially proclaimed that “everyone” is a priest. The French Revolution, with its anticlericalism, rose up as a kind of priestess, whose demigoddesses would be “reason” and “liberty”, among others. The Communist Revolution, on the other hand, debased the priestly figure through class struggle, so that priests would have to identify with their own realm of action: they would be worker-priests, indigenous-priests, and so on.
Over the last few years, the aforementioned decrease in vocations has become accentuated, combined with what has been called “clericalism”. The enormous demand for priests in all sectors is undeniable. However, more than just priests, society needs good priests. The world can survive with a few mediocre professionals, but not with mediocre priests.
The reason is that participating in the priesthood of Our Lord is not just any vocation, for it is Christ who calls – vocat – the candidate to be another Himself – alter Christus. It is not just any mission, for it is Christ Himself who acts in the one who receives it. Therefore, being a priest is not a profession or a function; rather, it is simply being Christ.
St. Thomas Aquinas (cf. Summa Theologiæ. III, q.63, a.3) comments that the character imprinted by ordination is Christ Himself – ipse Christus. The priest is Christ, but by participation. Thus, by virtue of ordination he continues to be a priest in every circumstance, and not only when serving as instrumental cause in administering the Sacraments, which is when he most properly acts in the person of Christ – in persona Christi.
In everything that the priest does, it is Christ who carries it out in him: his very life is Christ (cf. Phil 1:21). Not even sin can erase this character, although it can be stained by evil actions, and this constitutes, strictly speaking, a sin of sacrilege.
It is also worth noting that the Eternal High Priest did not simply found a new religion, but a new way of life (cf. Acts 5:20). It was necessary to no longer act like the Pharisees (cf. Mt 23:2-3) or like the pagans (cf. Mt 6:7), but as Christians, in their fullness.
From this perspective, the Council of Trent pointed out: “There is nothing that more assiduously incites to piety and the worship of God than the life and example of those who have given themselves to the divine ministry” (Session XXII. Decree on Reform, c.1).
Thus, the gestures, words and attitudes of a consecrated minister must mirror those of Christ. The founder of the Heralds, Monsignor João, used to ask himself in various circumstances: “What would Our Lord do in this situation?” Well, this should be the constant question of a priest in his actions.
St. John Marie Vianney, whose centenary of canonization we celebrate this month, said: “The priest is everything.” However, he is also “nothing,” because his ministry will be all the more fruitful the more he makes Jesus Christ increase and himself decrease (cf. Jn 3:30). The priest is everything when he says, “This is my Body”; he is nothing when he humbly kneels after the consecration of the Eucharistic Species. ◊
