Do you need Catholic Priests?

The one prayer that everyone can pray in this diocese is ‘Prayer for Vocations.’ This prayer has become very routine way of ending the Prayers of the Faithful. Has this prayer borne its fruits? Let us try to understand as to why we need priests in the Church? Can we manage without the priests? Why does the Church have priests?

Holy Orders is the Sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: Episcopate, Presbyterate, and Deaconate in other words, Bishop, Priest and Deacon.

Priest is a man of the Eucharist: The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and the celebration of the Eucharist is central for the Church. Priest celebrates the Eucharist in persona Christi. There is an unbreakable bond between the Eucharist and the priest. Priesthood becomes fulfilled when he celebrates the Eucharist.

Priest is a man of prayer: ‘I nourish you with what I myself live on,’ St. Anselm said. The proclaimed truths must be discovered and adopted in the intimacy of prayer and meditation. Our ministry of the word consists in expressing what was first prepared in prayer. Priest is the mediator between God and men; many turn to him asking for prayers. Thus prayer, in a certain sense, ‘creates’ the priest, especially as Pastor.

Identity as priest: Many priests wondered whether priest is necessary in the face of secularisation and the abandonment of religious practices. Therefore, priest wondered about the identity. From the start, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote, the priest was ‘taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.’ This is the best definition of the priest’s identity. Every priest, according to the gifts bestowed upon him by the Creator, can serve God in various ways and with his priestly ministry, can reach various sectors of human life, and bring them closer to God.

Fidelity to Christ and the people of God: Priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Priests fulfil their vocation by trusting in God’s support and constantly striving for holiness. Through the deep friendship with Christ, a priest becomes a bridge between God and His people. Therefore, a priest seeks the flock of God with love and mercy by cultivating the tranquil conviction that the One who began the work will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

The priest has a specific role in the parish community as pastor and leader. His primary role would be to pastor the people of God through the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments. Thence, the priest pastors the community on behalf of the Local Bishop, who appoints him as the parish priest. The Second Vatican Council recommends, "Parish priests ensure that the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is the center and culmination of the entire life of the Christian community" (Decr. Christus Dominus, n. 30). Without Eucharistic worship as its beating heart, the parish dries up.

In conclusion, I would like to urge every Christian to offer up to the Lord our priests in this diocese, both local and foreign. It is a crucial moment for the Church as the world is gliding towards secularism, pluralism and non-religionism. The human society has reached a state of freedom, which is a good virtue but use of freedom to meet one’s venal motives can be detrimental to the entire human family. The religious sentiments have become weaker and Gospel values have become archaic and persons tend to depend on their own ability and reason. The honest priests and genuine religious-oriented persons must be able to guide our human family to God through one principle, love of God and love of neighbor. This would not be easy task since our world values collide with the values of the Gospel.  If we say, we don’t need priests or we can manage without them, then you can ignore my article because this article has come straight from my heart, because I do value the significance of honest and committed priests.