CIN 
St. Gabriel 
E-Mail
I WILL GIVE YOU SHEPHERDS
On the Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the
Present Day
Pastores Dabo Vobis
Apostolic Exhortation promulgated by Pope John Paul II on
March 25, 1992.
I WILL GIVE YOU shepherds after my own heart" (Jer 3:15).
In these words from the prophet Jeremiah, God promises
his people that he will never leave them without shepherds
to gather them together and guide them: "I will set
shepherds over them [my sheep] who will care for them, and
they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed" (Jer 23:4).
The Church, the People of God, constantly experiences
the reality of this prophetic message and continues joyfully
to thank God for it. She knows that Jesus Christ himself is
the living, supreme and definitive fulfilment of God's
promise: "I am the good shepherd" (Jn 10:11). He, "the great
shepherd of the sheep" (Heb 13:20), entrusted to the
Apostles and their successors the ministry of shepherding
God's flock (cf. Jn 21:15ff.; 1 Pt 5:2).
Without priests the Church would not be able to live
that fundamental obedience which is at the very heart of her
existence and her mission in history, an obedience in
response to the command of Christ: "Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19) and "Do this in
remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19; cf. 1 Cor 11:24), i.e., an
obedience to the command to announce the Gospel and to renew
daily the sacrifice of the giving of his body and the
shedding of his blood for the life of the world.
By faith we know that the Lord's promise cannot fail.
This very promise is the reason and force underlying the
Church's rejoicing at the growth and increase of priestly
vocations now taking place in some parts of the world. It is
also the foundation and impulse for a renewed act of faith
and fervent hope in the face of the grave shortage of
priests which is being felt in other parts of the world.
Everyone is called upon to share complete trust in the
unbroken fulfilment of God's promise, which the Synod
Fathers expressed in clear and forceful terms: "The Synod
with complete trust in the promise of Christ who has said:
'Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age' (Mt
28:20) and aware of the constant activity of the Holy Spirit
in the Church, firmly believes that there will never be a
complete lack of sacred ministers in the Church ... Even
though in a number of regions there is a scarcity of clergy,
the action of the Father, who raises up vocations, will
nonetheless always be at work in the Church".[1]
At the conclusion of the Synod, I said that in the face
of a crisis of priestly vocations "the first answer which
the Church gives lies in a total act of faith in the Holy
Spirit. We are deeply convinced that this trusting
abandonment will not disappoint if we remain faithful to the
graces we have received".[2]
2. To remain faithful to the grace received! This gift
of God does not cancel human freedom; instead it gives rise
to freedom, develops freedom and demands freedom.
For this reason, the total trust in God's unconditional
faithfulness to his promise is accompanied in the Church by
the grave responsibility to cooperate in the action of God
who calls, and to contribute towards creating and preserving
the conditions in which the good seed, sown by God, can take
root and bring forth abundant fruit. The Church must never
cease to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he send
labourers into his harvest (cf. Mt 9:38). She must propose
clearly and courageously to each new generation the
vocational call, help people to discern the authenticity of
their call from God and to respond to it generously, and
give particular care to the formation of candidates for the
priesthood.
The formation of future priests, both diocesan and
religious, and life-long assiduous care for their personal
sanctification in the ministry and for the constant updating
of their pastoral commitment are considered by the Church
one of the most demanding and important tasks for the future
of the evangelization of humanity.
The Church's work of formation is a continuation in time
of Christ's own work, which the Evangelist Mark illustrates
in these words: "And he went up on the mountain, and called
to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he
appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to
preach and have authority to cast out demons" (Mk 3:13-15).
It can be said that through her work of forming
candidates to the priesthood and priests themselves, the
Church throughout her history has continued to live this
passage of the Gospel in various ways and with varying
intensity. Today, however, the Church feels called to
re-live with a renewed commitment all that the Master did
with his Apostles, urged on as she is by the deep and rapid
transformations in the societies and culture of our age, by
the multiplicity and diversity of contexts in which she
announces the Gospel and witnesses to it, by the promising
number of priestly vocations being seen in some Dioceses
around the world, by the urgency of a new look at the
contents and methods of priestly formation, by the concern
of Bishops and their communities about a persisting scarcity
of clergy, and by the absolute necessity that the "new
evangelization" have priests as its initial "new
evangelizers".
It is precisely in this cultural and historical context
that the last Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops took place. Dedicated to "the formation of priests
in circumstances of the present day", its purpose was to put
into practice the Council's teaching on this matter, making
it more up-to-date and incisive in present circumstances,
twenty-five years after the Council itself.[3]
3. Following the texts of the Second Vatican Council
regarding the ministry of priests and their formation,[4]
and with the intention of applying to various situations
their rich and authoritative teaching, the Church has on
various occasions dealt with the subject of the life,
ministry and formation of priests.
She has done this in a more solemn way during the Synods
of Bishops. Already in October, 1967, the First General
Ordinary Assembly of the Synod devoted five general
congregations to the subject of the renewal of seminaries.
This work gave a decisive impulse to the formulation of the
document of the Congregation for Catholic Education
entitled, "Fundamental Norms for Priestly Formation".[5]
The Second Ordinary General Assembly held in 1971
spent half its time
on the ministerial priesthood. The fruit of the lengthy
synodal discussion, incorporated and condensed in some
"recommendations", which were submitted to my predecessor
Pope Paul VI and read at the opening of the 1974 Synod,
referred principally to the teaching on the ministerial
priesthood and to some aspects of priestly spirituality and
ministry.
On many other occasions the Church's Magisterium has
shown its concern for the life and ministry of priests. It
may be said that in the years since the Council there has
not been any subject treated by the Magisterium which has
not in some way, explicitly or implicitly, had to do with
the presence of priests in the community as well as their
role and the need for them in the life of the Church and the
world.
In recent years some have voiced a need to return to the
theme of the priesthood, treating it from a relatively new
point of view, one that was more adapted to present
ecclesial and cultural circumstances. Attention has shifted
from the question of the priest's identity to that connected
with the process of formation for the priesthood and the
quality of priestly life. The new generation of those called
to the ministerial priesthood display different
characteristics in comparison to those of their immediate
predecessors. In addition, they live in a world which in
many respects is new and undergoing rapid and continual
evolution. All of this cannot be ignored when it comes to
programming and carrying out the various phases of formation
for those approaching the ministerial priesthood.
Moreover, priests who have been actively involved in the
ministry for a more or less lengthy period of time seem to
be suffering today from an excessive loss of energy in their
ever increasing pastoral activities. Likewise, faced with
the difficulties of contemporary culture and society, they
feel compelled to re- examine their way of life and their
pastoral priorities, and they are more and more aware of
their need for ongoing formation.
The concern of the 1990 Synod of Bishops and its
discussion focused on the increase of vocations to the
priesthood and the formation of candidates in an attempt to
help them come to know and follow Jesus, as they prepare to
be ordained and to live the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which
configures them to Christ the Head and Shepherd, the Servant
and Spouse of the Church. At the same time, the Synod
searched for forms of ongoing formation to provide realistic
and effective means of support for priests in their
spiritual life and ministry.
This same Synod also sought to answer a request which
was made at the previous Synod on the vocation and mission
of the laity in the Church and in the world. Lay people
themselves had asked that priests commit themselves to their
formation so that they, the laity, could be suitably helped
to fulfill their role in the ecclesial mission which is
shared by all. Indeed, "the more the lay apostolate
develops, the more strongly is perceived the need to have
well-formed holy priests. Thus the very life of the People
of God manifests the teaching of the Second Vatican Council
concerning the relationship between the common priesthood
and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood. For within
the mystery of the Church the hierarchy has a ministerial
character (cf. "Lumen Gentium," 10). The more the laity's
own sense of vocation is deepened, the more what is proper
to the priest stands out".[6]
4. In the ecclesial experience that is typical of the
Synod (that is, "a unique experience on a universal basis of
episcopal communion, which strengthens the sense of the
universal Church and the sense of responsibility of the
Bishops towards the universal Church and her mission, in
affective and effective communion around Peter"),[7] *the
voice of the various particular Churches*--and in this
Synod, for the first time, the voices of some Churches from
the East--were clearly heard and taken to heart. The
Churches have proclaimed their faith in the fulfilment of
God's promise: "I will give you shepherds after my own
heart" (Jer 3:15), and they have renewed their pastoral
commitment to care for vocations and for the formation of
priests, aware that on this depends the future of the
Church, her development and her universal mission of
salvation.
In this Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, I take up
anew the rich legacy resulting from the reflections,
endeavours and indications which were made during the
Synod's preparation, as well as those which accompanied the
work of the Synod Fathers, and as the Bishop of Rome and
Successor of Peter I add my voice to theirs, addressing it
to each and every one of the faithful, and in particular to
each priest and to those involved in the important yet
demanding ministry of their formation. Yes, in this
Exhortation I wish to meet with "each and every priest,"
whether diocesan or religious.
Quoting from the "Final Message of the Synod to the
People of God", I make my own the words and the sentiments
expressed by the Synod Fathers: "Brother Priests, we want to
express our appreciation to you, who are our
most important collaborators in the apostolate. Your
priesthood is absolutely vital. There is no substitute for
it. You carry the main burden of priestly ministry through
your day-to-day service of the faithful. You are ministers
of the Eucharist and ministers of God's mercy in the
Sacrament of Penance. It is you who bring comfort to people
and guide them in difficult moments in their lives.
"We acknowledge your work and thank you once again,
urging you to continue on your chosen path willingly and
joyfully. No one should be discouraged as we are doing God's
work; the same God who calls us, sends us and remains with
us every day of our lives. We are ambassadors of Christ".[8]
5. "Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed
to act on behalf of men in relation to God" (Heb 5:1).
The Letter to the Hebrews clearly affirms the *"human
character" of God's minister:* he comes from the human
community and is at its service, imitating Jesus Christ "who
in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without
sin" (Heb 4:15).
God always calls his priests from specific human and
ecclesial contexts, which inevitably influence them; and to
these same contexts the priest is sent for the service of
Christ's Gospel.
For this reason the Synod desired to "contextualize" the
subject of priests, viewing it in terms of today's society
and today's Church in preparation for the third millennium.
This is indicated in the second part of the topic's
formulation:
"The formation of priests *in the circumstances of the
present day".*
Certainly "there is an essential aspect of the priest
that does not change: the priest of tomorrow, no less than
the priest of today, must resemble Christ. When Jesus lived
on this earth, he manifested in himself the definitive role
of the priest, by establishing a ministerial priesthood,
with which the Apostles were the first to be invested. This
priesthood is destined to last in endless succession
throughout history. In this sense the priest of the third
millennium will continue the work of the priests who, in the
preceding millennia, have animated the life of the Church.
In the third millennium the priestly vocation will continue
to be the call to live the unique and permanent priesthood
of Christ".[9] It is equally certain that the life and
ministry of the priest must also "adapt to every era and
circumstance of life... For our part we must therefore seek
to be as open as possible to light from on high from the
Holy Spirit, in order to discover the tendencies of
contemporary society, recognize the deepest spiritual needs,
determine the most important concrete tasks and the pastoral
methods to adopt, and thus respond adequately to human
expectations".[10]
With the duty of bringing together the permanent truth
of the priestly ministry and the characteristic requirements
of the present day, the Synod Fathers sought to respond to
*a few necessary questions:* What are the positive and
negative elements in socio-cultural and ecclesial contexts
which affect boys, adolescents and young men who throughout
their lives are called to bring to maturity a project of
priestly life? What difficulties are posed by our times, and
what new possibilities are offered for the exercise of a
priestly ministry which corresponds to the gift received in
the Sacrament and the demands of the spiritual life which is
consistent with it?
I now mention some elements taken from the Synod
Fathers' analysis of
the situation, fully aware that the great variety of
socio-cultural and ecclesial circumstances in different
countries limits by necessity our treatment to only the most
evident and widespread phenomena, particularly to those
which relate to the question of education and priestly
formation.
6. A number of factors seem to be working towards making
people today
more deeply aware of the dignity of the human person and
more open to religious values, to the Gospel and to the
priestly ministry.
Despite many contradictions, society is increasingly
witnessing a powerful thirst for justice and peace, a more
lively sense that humanity must care for creation and
respect nature, a more open search for truth, a greater
effort to safeguard human dignity, a growing commitment in
many sectors of the world population to a more specific
international solidarity and a new ordering of the world in
freedom and justice. Parallel to the continued development
of the potential offered by science and technology and the
exchange of information and interaction of cultures, there
is a new call for ethics, that is, a quest for meaning, and
therefore for an objective standard of values which will
delineate the possibilities and limits of progress.
In the more specifically religious and Christian sphere,
ideological
prejudices and the violent rejection of the message of
spiritual and religious values are crumbling and there are
arising new and unexpected possibilities of evangelization
and the rebirth of ecclesial life in many parts of the
world. These are evident in an increased love of the Sacred
Scriptures; in the vitality and growing vigour of many young
Churches and their ever larger role in the defence and
promotion of the values of human life and the person; and in
the splendid witness of martyrdom provided by the Churches
of Central and Eastern Europe as well as that of the
faithfulness and courage of other Churches which are still
forced to undergo persecution and tribulation for the
faith.[11]
The thirst for God and for an active meaningful
relationship with him is so strong today that, where there
is a lack of a genuine and full proclamation of the Gospel
of Christ, there is a rising spread of forms of religiosity
without God and the proliferation of many sects. For all
children of the Church, and for priests especially, the
increase of these phenomena, even in some traditionally
Christian environments, is not only a constant motive to
examine our consciences as to the credibility of our witness
to the Gospel but at the same time is a sign of how deep and
widespread is the search for God.
7. Mingled with these and other positive factors, there
are also,however, many problematic or negative elements.
Rationalism is still very widespread and, in the name of
a reductive concept of "science", it renders human reason
insensitive to an encounter with Revelation and with divine
transcendence.
We should take note also of a desperate defence of
personal *subjectivity* which tends to close it off in
individualism, rendering it incapable of true human
relationships. As a result, many, especially children and
young people, seek to compensate for this loneliness with
substitutes of various kinds, in more or less acute forms of
hedonism or flight from responsibility. Prisoners of the
fleeting moment, they seek to "consume" the strongest and
most gratifying individual experiences at the level of
immediate emotions and sensations, inevitably finding
themselves indifferent and "paralyzed" as it were when they
come face to face with the summons to embark upon a life
project which includes a spiritual and religious dimension
and a commitment to solidarity.
Furthermore, despite the fall of ideologies which had
made materialism a dogma and the refusal of religion a
programme, there is spreading in every part of the world a
sort of *practical and existential atheism* which coincides
with a secularist outlook on life and human destiny. The
individual, "all bound up in himself, this man who makes
himself not only the centre of his every interest, but dares
to propose himself as the principle and reason of all
reality",[12] finds himself ever more bereft of that
"supplement of soul" which is all the more necessary to him
in
proportion as a wide availability of material goods and
resources deceives him about his self-sufficiency. There is
no longer a need to fight against God; the individual feels
he is simply able to do without him.
In this context special mention should be made of *the
break-up of the family and an obscuring or distorting of the
true meaning of human sexuality.* These phenomena have a
very negative effect on the education of young people and on
their openness to any kind of religious vocation.
Furthermore, one should mention the worsening of social
injustices and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a
few, the fruit of an inhuman capitalism[13] which
increasingly widens the gap between affluent and indigent
peoples. In this way tension and unrest are introduced into
everyday life, deeply disturbing the lives of people and of
whole communities.
There are also worrying and negative factors within the
Church herself which have a direct influence on the lives
and ministry of priests. For example: the lack of due
knowledge of the faith among many believers; a catechesis
which has little practical effect, stifled as it is by the
mass-media whose messages are more widespread and
persuasive; an incorrectly understood pluralism in theology,
culture and pastoral teaching which, though starting out at
times with good intentions, ends up by hindering ecumenical
dialogue and threatening the necessary unity of faith; a
persistent diffidence towards and almost unacceptance of the
Magisterium of the hierarchy; the one-sided tendencies which
reduce the richness of the Gospel message and transform the
proclamation and witness to the faith into an element of
exclusively human and social liberation or into an
alienating flight into superstition and religiosity without
God.[14]
A particularly important phenomenon, even though it is
relatively recent in many traditionally Christian countries,
is the presence within the same territory of large
concentrations of people of different races and religions,
thereby resulting in multi-racial and multi-religious
societies. While on the one hand this can be an opportunity
for a more frequent and fruitful exercise of dialogue,
open-mindedness, good relations and a just tolerance, on the
other hand the situation can also result in confusion and
relativism, above all among people and populations whose
faith has not matured.
Added to these factors, and closely linked with the
growth of individualism, is the phenomenon of *subjectivism
in matters of faith.* An increasing number of Christians
seem to have a reduced sensitivity to the universality and
objectivity of the doctrine of the faith, because they are
subjectively attached to what pleases them, to what
corresponds to their own experience, and to what does not
impinge on their own habits. In such a context, even the
appeal to the inviolability of the individual conscience, in
itself a legitimate appeal, may be dangerously marked by
ambiguity.
This situation also gives rise to the phenomenon of
*belonging to the
Church* in ways which are ever more partial and conditional,
with a resulting negative influence on the birth of new
vocations to the priesthood, on the priest's own
self-awareness and on his ministry within the community.
Finally, in many parts of the Church today it is still
the scarcity of priests which creates the most serious
problem. The faithful are often left to themselves for long
periods, without sufficient pastoral support. As a result
their growth as Christians suffers, not to mention their
capacity to become better promoters of evangelization.
8. The many contradictions and potentialities marking
our societies and cultures, as well as ecclesial
communities, are perceived, lived and experienced by our
young people with a particular intensity and have immediate
and very acute repercussions on their personal growth. Thus,
the emergence and development of priestly vocations among
boys, adolescents and young men are continually under
pressure and facing obstacles.
*The lure of the so-called "consumer society"* is so
strong among young people that they become totally dominated
and imprisoned by an individualistic, materialistic and
hedonistic interpretation of human existence. Material
"well-being", which is so intensely sought after, becomes
the one ideal to be striven for in life, a well-being which
is to be attained in any way and at any price. There is a
refusal of anything that speaks of sacrifice and a rejection
of any effort to look for and to practise spiritual and
religious values. The all-determining "concern" for *having*
supplants the primacy of *being,* and consequently personal
and interpersonal values are interpreted and lived not
according to the logic of giving and generosity but
according to the logic of selfish possession and the
exploitation of others.
This is particularly reflected in that *outlook on human
sexuality* according to which sexuality's dignity in service
to communion and to the reciprocal donation between persons
becomes degraded and thereby reduced to nothing more than a
consumer good. In this case, many young people undergo an
affective experience which, instead of contributing to an
harmonious and joyous growth in personality which opens them
outwards in an act of self-giving, becomes a serious
psychological and ethical process of turning inward towards
self, a situation which cannot fail to have grave
consequences on them in the future.
In the case of some young people a *distorted sense of
freedom* lies at the root of these tendencies. Instead of
being understood as obedience to objective and universal
truth, freedom is lived out as a blind acquiescence to
instinctive forces and to an individual's will to power.
Therefore, on the level of thought and behaviour, it is
almost natural to find an erosion of internal consent to
ethical principles. On the religious level, such a
situation, if it does not always lead to an explicit refusal
of God, causes widespread indifference and results in a life
which, even in its more significant moments and more
decisive choices, is lived as if God did not exist. In this
context it is difficult not only to respond fully to a
vocation to the priesthood but even to understand its very
meaning as a special witness to the primacy of "being" over
"having", and as a recognition that the significance of life
consists in a free and responsible giving of oneself to
others, a willingness to place oneself entirely at the
service of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God as a priest.
Often the world of young people is a "problem" in the
Church community itself. In fact, if in them--more so than
in adults--there is present a strong tendency to
subjectivize the Christian faith and to belong only
partially and conditionally to the life and mission of the
Church, and if the Church community is slow for a variety of
reasons to initiate and sustain an up-to-date and courageous
pastoral care for young people, they risk being left to
themselves, at the mercy of their psychological frailty,
dissatisfied and critical of a world of adults who, in
failing to live the faith in a consistent and mature
fashion, do not appear to them as credible models.
Thus we see how difficult it is to present young people
with a full and penetrating experience of Christian and
ecclesial life and to educate them in it. So, the prospect
of having a vocation to the priesthood is far from the
actual everyday interests which young men have in life.
Nevertheless, there are positive situations and
tendencies which bring about and nurture in the heart of
adolescents and young men a new readiness, and even a
genuine search, for ethical and spiritual values. These
naturally offer favourable conditions for embarking on the
journey of a vocation which leads towards the total gift of
self to Christ and to the Church in the priesthood.
First of all, mention should be made of the decrease of
certain phenomena which had caused many problems in the
recent past, such as radical rebellion, libertarian
tendencies, utopian claims, indiscriminate forms of
socialization and violence.
It must be recognized, moreover, that today's young
people, with the vigour and vitality typical of their age,
are also bearers of ideals which are coming to the fore in
history: the thirst for freedom, the recognition of the
inestimable value of the person, the need for authenticity
and sincerity, a new conception and style of reciprocity in
the rapport between men and women, a convinced and earnest
seeking after a more just, sympathetic and united world,
openness and dialogue with all, and the commitment to peace.
The fruitful and active development among so many young
people today of numerous and varied forms of voluntary
service, directed towards the most forgotten and forsaken of
our society, represents in these times a particularly
important resource for personal growth. It stimulates and
sustains young people in a style of life which is less
self-interested and more open and sympathetic towards the
poor. This way of life can help young men perceive, desire
and accept a vocation to stable and total service of others,
following the path of complete consecration to God as a
priest.
The recent collapse of ideologies, the heavily critical
opposition to a world of adults who do not always offer a
witness of a life based on moral and transcendent values,
and the experience of companions who seek escape through
drugs and violence, contribute in no small fashion to making
more keen and inescapable the fundamental question as to
what values are truly capable of giving the fullest meaning
to life, suffering and death. For many young people the
question of religion and the need for spirituality are
becoming more explicit. This is illustrated in the desire
for "desert experiences" and for prayer, in the return to a
more personal and regular reading of the Word of God and in
the study of theology.
As has happened in their involvement in the sphere of
voluntary social service, young people are becoming more
actively involved as leaders in the ecclesial community,
above all through their membership of various groups,
whether traditional but renewed ones or of more recent
origin. Their experience of a Church challenged to undertake
a "new evangelization" by virtue of her faithfulness to the
Spirit who animates her and in response to the demands of a
world far from Christ but in need of him, as well as their
experience of a Church ever more united with individuals and
peoples in the defence and promotion of the dignity of the
person and of the human rights of each and every one--these
experiences open the hearts and lives of the young to the
exciting and demanding ideals which can find their concrete
fulfilment in following Christ and in embracing the
priesthood.
Naturally it is not possible to ignore this human and
ecclesial situation, characterized by strong ambivalences,
not only in the pastoral care of vocations and the formation
of future priests, but also in the care of priests in their
life and ministry and their ongoing formation. At the same
time, while it is possible to detect various forms of
"crisis" to which priests are subjected today in their
ministry, in their spiritual life and indeed in the very
interpretation of the nature and significance of the
ministerial priesthood, mention must likewise be made, in a
spirit of joy and hope, of the new positive possibilities
which the present historical moment is offering to priests
for the fulfilment of their mission.
10. The complex situation of the present day, briefly
outlined above in general terms and examples, needs not only
to be known but also and above all to be interpreted. Only
in this way can an adequate answer be given to the
fundamental question: How can we form priests who are truly
able to respond to the demands of our times and capable of
evangelizing the world of today?[15]
*Knowledge* of the situation is important. However,
simply to provide data is not enough; what is needed is a
"scientific" inquiry in order to sketch a precise and
concrete picture of today's socio-cultural and ecclesial
circumstances.
Even more important is an *interpretation* of the
situation. Such an
interpretation is required because of the ambivalence, and
at times contradictions, which are characteristic of the
present situation where there is an mixture of difficulties
and potentialities, negative elements and reasons for hope,
obstacles and alternatives, as in the field mentioned in the
Gospel where good seed and weeds are both sown and
"co-exist" (cf. Mt 13:24ff).
It is not always easy to give an interpretive reading
capable of distinguishing good from evil or signs of hope
from threats. In the formation of priests it is not
sufficient simply to welcome the positive factors and to
counteract the negative ones. The positive factors
themselves need to be subjected to a careful work of
discernment, so that they do not become isolated and
contradict one another, becoming absolutes and at odds with
one another. The same is true for the negative factors,
which are not to be rejected *en bloc* and without
distinction, because in each one there may lie hidden some
value which awaits liberation and restoration to its full
truth.
For a believer the interpretation of the historical
situation finds its principle for understanding and its
criterion for making practical choices in a new and unique
reality, that is, in a *Gospel discernment.* This
interpretation is a work which is done in the light and
strength provided by the true and living Gospel, which is
Jesus Christ, and in virtue of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In such a way, Gospel discernment gathers from the
historical situation, from its events and circumstances, not
just a simple "fact" to be precisely recorded yet capable of
leaving a person indifferent or passive, but a "task", a
challenge to responsible freedom, both of the individual
person and of the community. It is a "challenge" which is
linked to a "call" which God causes to sound in the
historical situation itself. In this situation, and also
through it, God calls the believer, and first of all the
Church, to ensure that "the Gospel of vocation and
priesthood" expresses its perennial truth in the changing
circumstances of life. In this case, the words of the Second
Vatican Council are also applicable to the formation of
priests: "The Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing
the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light
of the Gospel, so that in a language intelligible to every
generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which
people ask about this present life and the life to come, and
about the relationship of the one to the other. We must
therefore recognize and understand the world in which we
live, its expectations, its longings, and its often dramatic
characteristics"[16]
This Gospel discernment is based on trust in the love of
Jesus Christ, who always and tirelessly cares for his Church
(cf. Eph 5:29), he the Lord and Master, the Key, the Centre
and the Purpose of the whole of man's history.[17] This
discernment is nourished by the light and strength of the
Holy Spirit, who evokes everywhere and in all circumstances
obedience to the faith, the joyous courage of following
Jesus and the gift of wisdom, which judges all things and is
judged by no one (cf. 1 Cor 2:15). It rests on the fidelity
of the Father to his promises.
In this way the Church feels that she can face the
difficulties and challenges of this new period of history
and can also provide, in the present and in the future,
priests who are well trained to be convinced and fervent
ministers of the "new evangelization", faithful and generous
servants of Jesus Christ and of the human family. We are not
unmindful of difficulties in this regard; they are neither
few nor insignificant.
However, to surmount these difficulties we have at our
disposal our hope, our faith in the unfailing love of
Christ, and our certainty that the priestly ministry in the
life of the Church and in the world knows no substitute.
11. "The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him"
(Lk 4:20).
What the Evangelist Luke says about the people in the
synagogue at Nazareth that Sabbath, listening to Jesus'
commentary on the words of the Prophet Isaiah which he had
just read, can be applied to all Christians. They are always
called to recognize in Jesus of Nazareth the definitive
fulfilment of the message of the Prophets: "And he began to
say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in
your hearing"' (Lk 4:21). The "Scripture" he had read was
this: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me
to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Lk 4:1819; cf. Is
61:1-2). Jesus thus presents himself as filled with the
Spirit, "consecrated with an anointing", "sent to preach
good news to the poor". He is the Messiah, the Messiah who
is Priest, Prophet and King.
These are the features of Christ upon which the eyes of
faith and love of Christians should be fixed. Using this
"contemplation" as a starting-point and making continual
reference to it, the Synod Fathers reflected on the problem
of priestly formation in present- day circumstances. This
problem cannot be solved without previous reflection upon
the goal of formation, that is, the ministerial priesthood,
or, more precisely, the ministerial priesthood as a
participation, in the Church, in the very priesthood of
Jesus Christ. Knowledge of the nature and mission of the
ministerial priesthood is an essential presupposition, and
at the same time the surest guide and incentive towards the
development of pastoral activities in the Church for
fostering and discerning vocations to the priesthood and
training those called to the ordained ministry.
A correct and in-depth awareness of the nature and
mission of the ministerial priesthood is the path which must
be taken--and in fact the Synod did take it--in order to
emerge from the crisis of *priestly identity.* In the Final
Address to the Synod I stated: "This crisis arose in the
years immediately following the Council. It was based on an
erroneous understanding of--and sometimes even a conscious
bias against--the doctrine of the Conciliar Magisterium.
Undoubtedly, herein lies one of the reasons for the great
number of defections experienced then by the Church, losses
which did serious harm to pastoral ministry and priestly
vocations, especially missionary vocations. It is as though
the 1990 Synod, rediscovering by means of the many
statements which we heard in this hall, the full depth of
priestly identity, has striven to instil hope in the wake of
these sad losses. These statements showed an awareness of
the specific ontological bond which unites the priesthood to
Christ the High Priest and Good Shepherd. This identity is
built upon the type of formation which must be provided for
priesthood, and then endure throughout the priest's whole
life. This was the precise purpose of the Synod.[18]
For this reason the Synod considered it necessary to
summarize the nature and mission of the ministerial
priesthood, as the Church's faith has acknowledged them down
the centuries of its history and as the Second Vatican
Council has presented them anew to the people of our
day.[19]
12. "The priest's identity," as the Synod Fathers wrote,
"like every Christian identity, has its source in the
Blessed Trinity",[20] which is revealed and is communicated
to people in Christ, establishing, in him and through the
Spirit, the Church as "the seed and the beginning of the
Kingdom".[21] The Apostolic Exhortation "Christifideles
Laici," summarizing the Council's teaching, presents the
Church as mystery, communion and mission: "She is mystery
because the very life and love of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit are the gift gratuitously offered to all those who
are born of water and the Spirit (cf. Jn 3.5), and called to
relive the very *communion* of God and to manifest it and
communicate it in history (mission)".[22]
It is within the Church's mystery, as a mystery of
Trinitarian communion in missionary tension, that every
Christian identity is revealed, and likewise the specific
identity of the priest and his ministry. Indeed, the priest,
by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the
Sacrament of Orders, is sent forth by the Father through the
mediatorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a
special way as Head and Shepherd of his people, in order to
live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in service of
the Church and for the salvation of the world.[23]
In this way the fundamentally "relational" dimension of
priestly identity can be understood.
Through the priesthood which arises from the depths of
the ineffable mystery of God, that is, from the love of the
Father, the grace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's gift
of unity, the priest sacramentally enters into communion
with the Bishop and with other priests,[24] in order to
serve the People of God who are the Church and to draw all
mankind to Christ in accordance with the Lord's prayer:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given
me, that they may be one, even as we are one ... even as
you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may
be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent
me" (Jn 17:11, 21).
Consequently, the nature and mission of the ministerial
priesthood cannot be defined except through this multiple
and rich interconnection of relationships which arise from
the Blessed Trinity and are prolonged in the communion of
the Church, as a sign and instrument of Christ, of communion
with God and of the unity of all humanity.[25] In this
context the ecclesiology of communion becomes decisive for
understanding the identity of the priest, his essential
dignity, and his vocation and mission among the People of
God and in the world. Reference to the Church is therefore
necessary, even if it is not primary, in defining the
identity of the priest. As a *mystery, the Church is
essentially related to Jesus Christ.* She is his fullness,
his body, his spouse. She is the "sign" and living
"memorial" of his permanent presence and activity in our
midst and on our behalf. The priest finds the full truth of
his identity in being a derivation, a specific participation
in and continuation of Christ himself, the one High Priest
of the new and eternal Covenant. The priest is a living and
transparent image of Christ the Priest. The priesthood of
Christ, the expression of his absolute "newness" in
salvation history, constitutes the one source and essential
model of the priesthood shared by all Christians and the
priest in particular. Reference to Christ is thus the
absolutely necessary key for understanding the reality of
priesthood.
13. Jesus Christ has revealed in himself the perfect and
definitive features of the priesthood of the new
Covenant.[26] He did this throughout his earthly life, but
especially in the central event of his Passion, Death and
Resurrection.
As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes,
Jesus, being a man like us and at the same time the only
begotten Son of God, is in his very being the perfect
mediator between the Father and humanity (cf. Heb 8-9).
Thanks to the gift of his Holy Spirit he gives us immediate
access to God: "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!"' (Gal 4:6; cf. Rom 8:15).
Jesus brought his role as mediator to complete
fulfilment when he offered himself on the Cross, thereby
opening to us, once and for all, access to the heavenly
sanctuary, to the Father's house (cf. Heb 9:24-28).
Compared with Jesus, Moses and all other "mediators" between
God and his people in the Old Testament-- kings, priests and
prophets--are no more than "figures" and "shadows of the
good things to come" instead of "the true form of these
realities" (cf. Heb 10:1).
Jesus is the promised Good Shepherd (cf. Ez 34), who
knows each one of his sheep, who offers his life for them
and who wishes to gather them together as one flock with one
shepherd (cf. Jn 10:11-16). He is the Shepherd who has come
"not to be served but to serve" (Mt 20:28), who in the
Paschal action of the washing of the feet (cf. Jn 13:1-20)
leaves to his disciples a model of service to one another
and who freely offers himself as the "innocent lamb"
sacrificed for our redemption (cf. Jn 1:36; Rev 5:6, 12).
With the one definitive sacrifice of the Cross, Jesus
communicated to all his disciples the dignity and mission of
priests of the new and eternal Covenant. And thus the
promise which God had made to Israel was fulfilled: "You
shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex
19:6). According to Saint Peter, the whole people of the New
Covenant is established as "a spiritual house", "a holy
priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pt 2:5). The baptized are
"living stones" who build the spiritual edifice by keeping
close to Christ, "that living stone ... in God's sight
chosen and precious" (1 Pt 2:4). The new priestly people
which is the Church not only has its authentic image in
Christ, but also receives from him a real ontological share
in his one eternal priesthood, to which she must conform
every aspect of her life.
14. For the sake of this universal priesthood of the New
Covenant Jesus gathered disciples during his earthly mission
(cf. Lk 10:1- 12) and with a specific and authoritative
mandate he called and appointed the Twelve "to be with him,
and to be sent out to preach and have authority to cast out
demons" (Mk 3: 14- 15).
For this reason, already during his public ministry (cf.
Mt 16: 18), and then most fully after his Death and
Resurrection (cf. Mt 28; Jn 20; 21), Jesus had conferred on
Peter and the Twelve entirely special powers with regard to
the future community and the evangelization of all peoples.
After having called them to follow him, he kept them at his
side and lived with them, imparting his teaching of
salvation to them through word and example, and finally he
sent them out to all mankind. To enable them to carry out
this mission Jesus confers upon the Apostles, by a specific
Paschal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the same messianic
authority which he had received from the Father, conferred
in its fullness in his Resurrection: "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:18-20).
Jesus thus established a close relationship between the
ministry entrusted to the Apostles and his own mission: "He
who receives you receives me, and he who receives me
receives him who sent me" (Mt 10:40); "He who hears you
hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who
rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Lk 10: 16). Indeed, in
the light of the Paschal event of the Death and
Resurrection, the Fourth Gospel affirms this with great
force and clarity: "As the Father has sent me, even so I
send you" (Jn 20:21; cf. 13:20; 17:18). Just as Jesus has a
mission which comes to him directly from God and makes
present the very authority of God (cf. Mt 7:29; 21:23; Mk
1:27; 11:28; Lk 20:2; 24:19), SO too the Apostles have a
mission which comes to them from Jesus. And just as "the Son
can do nothing of his own accord" (Jn 5:19) such that his
teaching is not his own but the teaching of the One who sent
him (cf. Jn 7:16), SO Jesus says to the Apostles: "apart
from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). Their mission is not
theirs but is the same mission of Jesus. All this is
possible not as a result of human abilities, but only with
the "gift" of Christ and his Spirit, with the "Sacrament":
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained" (Jn 20:22-23). And so the Apostles, not by any
special merit of their own, but only through a gratuitous
participation in the grace of Christ, prolong throughout
history to the end of time the same mission of Jesus on
behalf of humanity.
The sign and presupposition of the authenticity and
fruitfulness of this mission is the Apostles' unity with
Jesus and, in him, with one another and with the Father, as
the priestly prayer of our Lord, which sums up his mission,
bears witness (cf. Jn 17:20-23).
15. In their turn, the Apostles, appointed by the Lord,
progressively carried out their mission by calling, in
various but complementary ways, other men as Bishops, as
priests and as deacons, in order to fulfill the command of
the Risen Jesus who sent them forth to all people in every
age.
The writings of the New Testament are unanimous in
stressing that it is the same Spirit of Christ who
introduces these men chosen from among their brethren into
the ministry. Through the laying on of hands (cf. Acts 6:6;
1 Tim 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim 1:6) which transmits the gift of the
Spirit, they are called and empowered to continue the same
ministry of reconciliation, of shepherding the flock of God
and of teaching (cf. Acts 20:28; 1 Pt 5:2).
Therefore, priests are called to prolong the presence of
Christ, the One High Priest, embodying his way of life and
making him visible in the midst of the flock entrusted to
their care. We find this clearly and precisely stated in the
First Letter of Peter: "I exhort the *elders* among you, as
a *fellow elder* and a witness of the sufferings of Christ
as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint
but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as
domineering over those in your charge but being examples to
the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you
will obtain the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pt 5:1-4).
In the Church and on behalf of the Church, priests are a
sacramental representation of Jesus Christ, the Head and
Shepherd, authoritatively proclaiming his Word, repeating
his acts of forgiveness and his offer of salvation,
particularly in Baptism, Penance and the Eucharist, showing
his loving concern to the point of a total gift of self for
the flock, which they gather into unity and lead to the
Father through Christ and in the Spirit. In a word, priests
exist and act in order to proclaim the Gospel to the world
and to build up the Church in the name and person of Christ
the Head and Shepherd.[27]
This is the ordinary and proper way in which ordained
ministers share in the one priesthood of Christ. By the
sacramental anointing of Holy Orders, the Holy Spirit
configures them in a new and special way to Jesus Christ the
Head and Shepherd; he forms and strengthens them with his
pastoral charity; and he gives them an authoritative role in
the Church as servants of the proclamation of the Gospel to
every people and of the fullness of Christian life of all
the baptized.
The truth of the priest as it emerges from the Word of
God, that is, from Jesus Christ himself and from his
constitutive plan for the Church, is thus proclaimed with
joyful gratitude by the Preface of the Liturgy of the Chrism
Mass: "By your Holy Spirit you anointed your only Son High
Priest of the new and eternal Covenant. With wisdom and love
you have planned that this one priesthood should continue in
the Church. Christ gives the dignity of a royal priesthood
to the people he has made his own.
From these, with a brother's love, he chooses men to
share his sacred ministry by the laying on of hands. He
appointed them to renew in his name the sacrifice of
redemption as they set before your family his paschal meal.
He calls them to lead your holy people in love, nourish them
by your word, and strengthen them through the sacraments.
Father, they are to give their lives in your service and for
the salvation of your people as they strive to grow in the
likeness of Christ and honour you by their courageous
witness of faith and love".
16. The priest's fundamental relationship is to Jesus
Christ, Head and Shepherd. Indeed, the priest participates
in a specific and authoritative way in the
"consecration/anointing" and in the "mission" of Christ (cf.
Lk 4:18-19). But intimately linked to this relationship is
the priest's relationship with the Church. It is not a
question of "relations" which are merely juxtaposed, but
rather of ones which are interiorly united in a kind of
mutual immanence. The priest's relation to the Church is
inscribed in the very relation which the priest has to
Christ, such that the "sacramental representation" to Christ
serves as the basis and inspiration for the relation of the
priest to the Church.
In this sense the Synod Fathers wrote: "Inasmuch as he
represents Christ the Head, Shepherd and Spouse of the
Church, the priest is placed not only *in the Church* but
also in *the forefront of the Church.* The priesthood, along
with the word of God and the sacramental signs which it
serves, belongs to the constitutive elements of the Church.
The ministry of the priest is entirely on behalf of the
Church; it aims at promoting the exercise of the common
priesthood of the entire people of God; it is ordered not
only to the particular Church but also to the universal
Church
("Presbyterorum Ordinis," 10), in communion with the
Bishop, with Peter and under Peter. Through the priesthood
of the Bishop, the priesthood of the second order is
incorporated in the apostolic structure of the Church. In
this way priests, like the Apostles, act as ambassadors of
Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:20). This is the basis of the missionary
character of every priest".[28]
Therefore, the ordained ministry arises with the Church
and has in Bishops, and in priests who are related to and
are in communion with them, a particular relation to the
original ministry of the Apostles--to which it truly
"succeeds" even though with regard to the latter it assumes
different forms.
Consequently, the ordained priesthood ought not to be
thought of as existing prior to the Church, because it is
totally at the service of the Church. Nor should it be
considered as posterior to the ecclesial community, as if
the Church could be imagined as already established without
this priesthood.
The relation of the priest to Jesus Christ, and in him
to his Church, is found in the very *being* of the priest,
by virtue of his sacramental consecration/anointing, and in
his *activity,* that is in his mission or ministry. In
particular, "the priest minister is the servant of Christ
present in the *Church as mystery, communion and mission.*
In virtue of his participation in the 'anointing' and
'mission' of Christ, the priest can continue Christ's
prayer, word, sacrifice and salvific action in the Church.
In this way, the priest is a *servant of the Church as
mystery* because he actuates the Church's sacramental signs
of the presence of the Risen Christ. He is a *servant of the
Church as communion* because in union with the Bishop and
closely related to the presbyterate he builds up the unity
of the Church community in the harmony of diverse vocations,
charisms and services. Finally, the priest is a servant to
the Church as mission because he makes the community a
herald and witness of the Gospel".[29]
Thus, by his very nature and sacramental mission, the
priest appears in the structure of the Church as a sign of
the absolute priority and gratuitousness of the grace given
to the Church by the Risen Christ. Through the ministerial
priesthood the Church becomes aware in faith that her being
comes not from herself but from the grace of Christ in the
Holy Spirit. The Apostles and their successors, inasmuch as
they exercise an authority which comes to them from Christ,
the Head and Shepherd, are placed--with their ministry--*in
the forefront of the Church* as a visible continuation and
sacramental sign of Christ in his own position before the
Church and the world, as the enduring and ever-new source of
salvation, he "who is Head of the Church, his Body, and is
himself its Saviour" (Eph 5:23).
17. By its very nature, the ordained ministry can be carried
out only
to the extent that the priest is united to Christ through
sacramental participation in the priestly order, and thus to
the extent that he is in hierarchical communion with his own
Bishop. The ordained ministry has a radical "communitarian
form" and can only be carried out as "a collective
work".[30] The Council dealt extensively with this communal
aspect of the nature of the priesthood,[31] examining in
succession the relationship of the priest with his own
Bishop, with other priests and with the lay faithful.
The ministry of priests is above all communion and a
responsible and necessary cooperation with the Bishop's
ministry, in concern for the universal Church and for the
individual particular Churches, for whose service they form
with the Bishop a single presbyterate.
Each priest, whether diocesan or religious, is united to
the other members of this presbyterate on the basis of the
Sacrament of Holy Orders and by particular bonds of
apostolic charity, ministry and fraternity. All priests in
fact, whether diocesan or religious, share in the one
priesthood of Christ the Head and Shepherd; "they work for
the same cause, namely, the building up of the Body of
Christ, which demands a variety of functions and new
adaptations, especially at the present time",[32] and is
enriched down the centuries by ever-new charisms.
Finally, because their role and task within the Church
do not replace but promote the baptismal priesthood of the
entire people of God, leading it to its full ecclesial
realization, priests have a positive and helping
relationship to the laity. Priests are there to serve the
faith, hope and charity of the laity. They recognize and
uphold, as brothers and friends, the dignity of the laity as
children of God and help them to exercise fully their
specific role in the overall context of the Church's
mission.[33] The ministerial priesthood conferred by the
Sacrament of Holy Orders and the common or "royal"
priesthood of the faithful, which differ essentially and not
only in degree,[34] are ordered one to the other, for each
in its own way derives from the one priesthood of Christ.
Indeed, the ministerial priesthood does not of itself
signify a greater degree of holiness with regard to the
common priesthood of the faithful; through it, Christ gives
to priests, in the Spirit, a particular gift so that they
can help the People of God to exercise faithfully and fully
the common priesthood which it has received.[35]
18. As the Council points out, "the spiritual gift which
priests have
received in ordination does not prepare them merely for a
limited and circumscribed mission, but for the fullest, in
fact the universal mission of salvation to the end of the
earth. The reason is that every priestly ministry shares in
the fullness of the mission entrusted by Christ to the
Apostles".[36] By the very nature of their ministry they
should therefore be penetrated and animated by a profound
missionary spirit and "with that truly Catholic spirit which
habitually looks beyond the boundaries of diocese, country
or rite, to meet the needs of the whole Church, being
prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere".[37]
Furthermore, precisely because within the Church's life
the priest is a man of communion, in his relations with all
people he must be a man of mission and dialogue. Deeply
rooted in the truth and charity of Christ, and impelled by
the desire and imperative to proclaim Christ's salvation to
all, the priest is called to witness in all his
relationships to fraternity, service and a common quest for
the truth, as well as a concern for the promotion of justice
and peace. This is the case above all with the brethren of
other Churches and Christian denominations; but it also
extends to the followers of other religions; to people of
good will, and in particular to the poor and the
defenceless, and to all who yearn, even if they do not know
it or cannot express it, for the truth and the salvation of
Christ, in accordance with the words of Jesus who said:
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those
who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners"
(Mk 2:17).
Today in particular, the pressing pastoral task of the
new evangelization calls for the involvement of the entire
People of God, and requires a new fervour, new methods and a
new expression for the announcing and witnessing of the
Gospel. This task demands priests who are deeply and fully
immersed in the mystery of Christ and capable of embodying a
new style of pastoral life, marked by a profound communion
with the Pope, the Bishops and other priests, and a fruitful
cooperation with the lay faithful, always respecting and
fostering the different roles, charisms and ministries
present within the ecclesial community.[38]
"Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing" (Lk 4:21). Let us listen, once again, to these
words of Jesus, in the light of the ministerial priesthood
which we have presented in its nature and mission. The
"today" to which Jesus refers, precisely because it belongs
to and defines the "fullness of time", the time of full and
definitive salvation, indicates the time of the Church. The
consecration and mission of Christ: "The Spirit of the Lord
.. has anointed me and has sent me to preach good news to
the poor..." (cf. Lk 4:18), are the living branch from which
bud the consecration and mission of the Church, the
"fullness" of Christ (cf. Eph 1:23). In the rebirth of
Baptism the Spirit of the Lord is poured out on all
believers, consecrating them as a spiritual temple and a
holy priesthood and sending them forth to make known the
marvels of him who out of darkness has called them into his
marvellous light (cf. 1 Pt 2:4-10). *The priest shares in
Christ's consecration and mission in a specific and
authoritative way,* through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, by
virtue of which he is configured in his being to Jesus
Christ, Head and Shepherd, and shares in the mission of
"preaching the good news to the poor" in the name and person
of Christ himself.
In their Final Message the Synod Fathers summarized
briefly but eloquently the "truth", or better the "mystery"
and "gift" of the ministerial priesthood, when they stated:
"We derive our identity ultimately from the love of the
Father, we turn our gaze to the Son, sent by the Father as
High Priest and Good Shepherd. Through the power of the
Holy Spirit, we are united sacramentally to him in the
ministerial priesthood. Our priestly life and activity
continue the life and activity of Christ himself. Here lies
our identity, our true dignity, the source of our joy, the
very basis of our life".[39]
19. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me" (Lk 4:18). The
Spirit is not simply "upon" the Messiah, but he "fills" him,
penetrating every part of him and reaching to the very
depths of all that he is and does. Indeed, the Spirit is the
principle of the "consecration" and "mission" of the
Messiah: "because he has anointed me, and sent me to preach
good news to the poor ..." (cf. Lk 4:18). Through the
Spirit, Jesus belongs totally and exclusively to God and
shares in the infinite holiness of God, who calls him,
chooses him and sends him forth. In this way the Spirit of
the Lord is revealed as the source of holiness and of the
call to holiness.
This same "Spirit of the Lord" is "upon" the entire
People of God which becomes established as a People
"consecrated" to God and "sent" by God to announce the
Gospel of salvation. The members of the People of God are
"inebriated" and "sealed" with the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13;
2 Cor 1:21ff; Eph 1:13; 4:30) and called to holiness.
In particular, *the Spirit reveals to us and
communicates the fundamental calling* which the Father
addresses to everyone from all
eternity: the vocation to be "*holy* and blameless before
him... in love", by virtue of our predestination to be his
adopted children through Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 1:4-5). This
is not all. By revealing and communicating this vocation to
us, *the Spirit becomes within us the principle and
wellspring of its fulfilment.* He, the Spirit of the Son
(cf. Gal 4:6), configures us to Christ Jesus and makes us
sharers in his life as Son, that is, sharers in his life of
love for the Father and for our brothers and sisters. "If we
live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Gal
5:25). In these words the Apostle Paul reminds us that a
Christian life is a "spiritual life", that is, a life
enlivened and led by the Spirit towards holiness or the
perfection of charity.
The Council's statement that "all Christians in any
state or walk of life are called to the fullness of
Christian life and to the perfection of charity"[40] applies
in a special way to priests. They are called not only
because they have been baptized, but also and specifically
because they are priests, that is, under a new title and in
new and different ways deriving from the Sacrament of Holy
Orders.
20. The Council's Decree on Priestly Life and Ministry
gives us a particularly rich and thought-provoking synthesis
of the priest's "spiritual life" and of the gift and duty to
become "saints": "By the Sacrament of Orders priests are
configured to Christ the priest so that as ministers of the
Head and co-workers with the episcopal order they may build
up and establish his whole Body which is the Church. Like
all Christians they have already received in the
consecration of Baptism the sign and gift of their great
calling and grace which enables and obliges them even in the
midst of human weakness to seek perfection (cf. 2 Cor 12:9),
according to the Lord's word: You, therefore, must be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt 5:48). But
priests are bound in a special way to strive for this
perfection, since they are consecrated to God in a new way
by their ordination. They have become living instruments of
Christ the eternal priest, so that through the ages they can
accomplish his wonderful work of reuniting the whole human
race with heavenly power. Therefore, since every priest in
his own way represents the person of Christ himself, he is
endowed with a special grace. By this grace the priest,
through his service of the people committed to his care and
all the People of God, is able the better to pursue the
perfection of Christ, whose place he takes. The human
weakness of his flesh is remedied by the holiness of him who
became for us a high priest holy, innocent, undefiled,
separated from sinners' (Heb 7:26)".[41]
The Council first affirms the "*common" vocation to
holiness.* This vocation is rooted in Baptism, which
characterizes the priest as one of the "faithful"
("Christifidelis"), as a "brother among brothers", a member
of the People of God, joyfully sharing in the gifts of
salvation (cf. Eph 4:4-6) and in the common duty of walking
"according to the Spirit" in the footsteps of the one Master
and Lord. We recall the celebrated words of Saint Augustine:
"For you I am a Bishop, with you I am a Christian. The
former title speaks of a task undertaken, the latter of
grace; the former betokens danger, the latter
salvation".[42]
With the same clarity the conciliar text also speaks of
a "*specific"vocation to holiness,* or more precisely of a
vocation based on the Sacrament of Holy Orders, as a
sacrament proper and specific to the priest, and thus
involving a new consecration to God through ordination.
Saint Augustine also alludes to this specific vocation when,
after the words "For you I am a Bishop, with you I am a
Christian", he goes on to say: "If therefore it is to me a
greater cause for joy to have been rescued with you than to
have been placed as your leader, following the Lord's
command, I will devote myself to the best of my abilities to
serve you, so as not to show myself ungrateful to him who
rescued me with that price which has made me your fellow
servant".[43]
The conciliar text goes on to point out some elements
necessary for defining what constitutes the "specific
quality" of the priest's spiritual
life.
These are elements connected with the priest's
"consecration", which configures him to Christ the Head and
Shepherd of the Church, with the "mission" or ministry
peculiar to the priest, which equips and obliges him to be a
"living instrument of Christ the eternal priest" and to act
"in the name and in the person of Christ himself", and with
his entire "life", called to manifest and witness in a
fundamental way the "radicalism of the Gospel.[44]
21. By sacramental consecration the priest is configured
to Jesus Christ as Head and Shepherd of the Church, and he
is endowed with a "spiritual power" which is a share in the
authority with which Jesus Christ guides the Church through
his Spirit.[45]
By virtue of this consecration brought about by the
outpouring of the Spirit in the Sacrament of Holy Orders,
the spiritual life of the priest is marked, moulded and
characterized by the way of thinking and acting proper to
Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church, and which are
summed up in his pastoral charity.
Jesus Christ is *Head of the Church, his Body*. He is
the "Head" in the new and unique sense of being a "servant",
according to his own words:
"The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45). Jesus'
service attains its fullest expression in his death on the
Cross, that is, in his total gift of self in humility and
love. "He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human
form, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even death on a cross ..." (Phil 2:7-8). The authority of
Jesus Christ as Head coincides then with his service, with
his gift, with his total, humble and loving dedication on
behalf of the Church. All this he did in perfect obedience
to the Father; he is the one true suffering Servant of God,
both Priest and Victim.
The spiritual existence of every priest receives its
life and inspiration from exactly this type of authority,
from service to the Church, precisely inasmuch as it is
required by the priest's configuration to Jesus Christ Head
and Servant of the Church.[46] As Saint Augustine once
reminded a Bishop on the day of his ordination: "He who is
head of the people must in the first place realize that he
is to be the servant of many. And he should not disdain
being such, I say it once again, he should not disdain being
the servant of many, because the Lord of Lords did not
disdain to make himself our servant".[47]
The spiritual life of the ministers of the New Testament
should therefore be marked by this fundamental attitude of
service to the People of God (cf. Mt 20:24ff; Mk 10:43-44),
freed from all presumption or desire of "lording over" those
in their charge (cf. 1 Pt 5:2-3). The priest is to perform
this service freely and willingly as God desires. In this
way the priests, as the ministers, the "elders" of the
community, will be in their person the "model" of the flock,
which, for its part, is called to display this same priestly
attitude of service towards the world, in order to bring to
humanity the fullness of life and complete liberation.
22. The figure of Jesus Christ as *Shepherd of the
Church, his flock,* takes up and re-presents in new and more
evocative terms the same content as that of Jesus Christ as
Head and Servant. Fulfilling the prophetic proclamation of
the Messiah and Saviour joyfully announced by the psalmist
and the Prophet Ezechiel (cf. Ps 22-23; Ez 34:11ff), Jesus
presents himself as "the good Shepherd" (Jn 10:11, 14) not
only of Israel but of all humanity (cf. Jn 10: 16). His
whole life is a continual manifestation of his "pastoral
charity", or rather, a daily enactment of it. He feels
compassion for the crowds because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mt 9:35-36). He
goes in search of the straying and scattered sheep (cf. Mt
18:12-14) and joyfully celebrates their return. He gathers
and protects them. He knows them and calls each one by name
(cf. Jn 10:3). He leads them to green pastures and still
waters (cf. Ps 22-23,) and spreads a table for them,
nourishing them with his own life. The Good Shepherd offers
this life through his own Death and Resurrection, as the
Church sings out in the Roman Liturgy: "The Good Shepherd is
risen! He who laid down his life for his sheep, who died for
his flock, he is risen, alleluia".[48]
The author of the First Letter of Peter calls Jesus the
"chief Shepherd" (1 Pt 5:4) because his work and mission
continue in the Church through the Apostles (cf. Jn
21:15-17) and their successors (cf. 1 Pt 5:1ff), and through
priests. By virtue of their consecration, priests are
configured to Jesus the Good Shepherd and are called to
imitate and to live out his own pastoral charity.
Christ's gift of himself to his Church, the fruit of his
love, is described in terms of that unique gift of self made
by the Bridegroom to the Bride, as the sacred texts often
suggest. *Jesus is the true Bridegroom* who offers to the
Church the wine of salvation (cf. Jn 2:11). He who is "the
Head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Saviour"
(Eph 5:23) "loved the Church and gave himself up for her,
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing of water with the word, that he might present the
Church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish"
(Eph 5:25-27). The Church is indeed the body in which Christ
the Head is present and active, but she is also the Bride
who proceeds like a new Eve from the open side of the
Redeemer on the Cross.
Hence Christ stands "before" the Church, and "nourishes
and cherishes her" (Eph 5:29), giving his life for her. The
priest is called to be the living image of Jesus Christ, the
Spouse of the Church.[49] Of course, he will always remain a
member of the community as a believer alongside his other
brothers and sisters who have been called by the Spirit, but
in virtue of his configuration to Christ, the Head and
Shepherd, the priest stands in this spousal relationship
with regard to the community. "Inasmuch as he represents
Christ, the Head, Shepherd and Spouse of the Church, the
priest is placed not only in the Church but also in the
forefront of the Church".[50] In his spiritual life,
therefore, he is called to live out Christ's spousal love
towards the Church, his Bride. Therefore, the priest's life
ought to radiate this spousal character which demands that
he be a witness to Christ's spousal love, and thus be
capable of loving people with a heart which is new, generous
and pure, with genuine self- detachment, with full, constant
and faithful dedication and at the same time with a kind of
"divine jealousy" (cf. 2 Cor 11:2), and even with a kind of
maternal tenderness, capable of bearing "the pangs of birth"
until "Christ be formed" in the faithful (cf. Gal 4:19).
23. The internal principle, the force which animates and
guides the spiritual life of the priest inasmuch as he is
configured to Christ the Head and Shepherd, is *pastoral
charity,* as a participation in Jesus Christ's own pastoral
charity, a gift freely bestowed by the Holy Spirit and
likewise a task and a call which demand a free and committed
response on the part of the priest.
The essential content of this pastoral charity is *the
gift of self,* the total gift of *self to the Church,*
following the example of Christ. "Pastoral charity is the
virtue by which we imitate Christ in his self-giving and
service. It is not just what we do, but our gift of self,
which manifests Christ's love for his flock. Pastoral
charity determines our way of thinking and acting, our way
of relating to people. It makes special demands on us
..".[51]
The gift of self, which is the source and synthesis of
pastoral charity, is directed towards the Church. This was
true of Christ who "loved the Church and gave himself up for
her" (Eph 5:25) and the same must be true for the priest.
With pastoral charity, which distinguishes the exercise of
the priestly ministry as an *amoris officium,*[52] "the
priest, who welcomes the call to ministry, is in a position
to make this a loving choice, as a result of which the
Church and souls become his first interest, and with this
concrete spirituality he becomes capable of loving the
universal Church and that part of it entrusted to him with
the deep love of a husband for his wife".[53] The gift of
self has no limits, marked as it is by the same apostolic
and missionary zeal of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who said:
"And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must
bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall
be one flock, one shepherd" (Jn 10:16).
Within the Church community the priest's pastoral
charity impels and demands in a particular and specific way
his personal relationship with the presbyterate, united in
and with the Bishop, as the Council explicitly states:
"Pastoral charity requires that a priest always work in the
bond of communion with the bishop and with his brother
priests, lest his efforts be in vain".[54]
The gift of self to the Church concerns her insofar as
she is the Body and the *Bride of Jesus Christ.* In this way
the primary point of reference of the priest's charity is
Jesus Christ himself. Only in loving and serving Christ the
Head and Spouse will charity become a source, criterion,
measure and impetus for the priest's love and service to the
Church, the Body and Spouse of Christ. The Apostle Paul had
a clear and sure understanding of this point. Writing to the
Christians of the Church in Corinth, he refers to "ourselves
as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor 4:5). Above all,
this was the explicit and programmatic teaching of Jesus
when he entrusted to Peter the ministry of shepherding the
flock only after his threefold affirmation of love, indeed
only after he had expressed a preferential love: "He said to
him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'
Peter ... said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know
that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. . ."'
(Jn 21: 17).
Pastoral charity, which has its specific source in the
Sacrament of Holy Orders, finds its full expression and its
supreme nourishment in the *Eucharist.* As the Council
states: "This pastoral charity flows mainly from the
Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is thus the centre and root of
the whole priestly life. The priestly soul strives thereby
to apply to itself the action which takes place on the altar
of sacrifice".[55] Indeed, the Eucharist represents, makes
once again present, the sacrifice of the Cross, the full
gift of Christ to the Church, the gift of his Body given and
his Blood shed, as the supreme witness of the fact that he
is Head and Shepherd, Servant and Spouse of the Church.
Precisely because of this, the priest's pastoral charity not
only flows from the Eucharist but finds in the celebration
of the Eucharist its highest realization, just as it is from
the Eucharist that he receives the grace and obligation to
give his whole life a "sacrificial" dimension.
This same pastoral charity is the dynamic inner
principle capable of unifying the many different activities
of the priest. In virtue of this pastoral charity the
essential and permanent demand for unity between the
priest's interior life and all his external actions and the
obligations of the ministry can be properly fulfilled, a
demand particularly urgent in a socio-cultural and ecclesial
context strongly marked by complexity, fragmentation and
dispersion. Only by directing every moment and every one of
his acts towards the fundamental choice to "give his life
for the flock" can the priest guarantee this unity which is
vital and indispensable for his harmony and spiritual
balance. The Council reminds us that "priests attain to the
unity of their lives by uniting themselves with Christ whose
food was to fulfill the will of him who sent him to do his
work... In this way, by assuming the role of the Good
Shepherd they will find in the very exercise of pastoral
charity the bond of priestly perfection which will unify
their lives and activities".[56]
24. The Spirit of the Lord anointed Christ and sent him
forth to announce the Gospel (cf. Lk 4:18). The priest's
mission is not extraneous to his consecration or juxtaposed
to it, but represents its intrinsic and vital purpose:
*consecration is for mission.* In this sense, not only
consecration but *mission as well is under the seal of the
Spirit and the influence of his sanctifying power.*
This was the case in Jesus' life. This was the case in
the lives of the Apostles and their successors. This is the
case for the entire Church and within her for priests: all
have received the Spirit as a gift and call to holiness in
and through the carrying out of the mission.[57]
Therefore, an intimate bond exists between the priest's
spiritual life and the exercise of his ministry,[58] a bond
which the Council expresses in this fashion: "And so it is
that they are grounded in the life of the Spirit while they
exercise the ministry of the Spirit and of justice (cf. 2
Cor 3:8-9), as long as they are docile to Christ's Spirit,
who gives them life and guidance. For by their everyday
sacred actions, as by the entire ministry which they
exercise in union with the bishop and their fellow priests,
they are being directed towards perfection of life. Priestly
holiness itself contributes very greatly to a fruitful
fulfilment of the priestly ministry".[59]
"*Live the mystery that has been placed in your hands!*"
This is the invitation and admonition which the Church
addresses to the priest in the Rite of Ordination, when the
offerings of the holy people for the Eucharistic Sacrifice
are placed in his hands. The "mystery" of which the priest
is a "steward" (cf. 1 Cor 4:1) is definitively Jesus Christ
himself, who in the Spirit is the source of holiness and the
call to sanctification. This "mystery" seeks expression in
the priestly life. For this to be so, there is need for
great vigilance and lively awareness. Once again, the Rite
of Ordination introduces these words with this
recommendation: "be aware of what you will be doing". In the
same way that Paul had admonished Timothy, "Do not neglect
the gift you have" (1 Tim 4:14; cf. 2 Tim 1:6).
The relation between a priest's spiritual life and the
exercise of his ministry can also be explained on the basis
of the pastoral charity bestowed by the Sacrament of Holy
Orders. The ministry of the priest, precisely because of its
participation in the saving ministry of Jesus Christ the
Head and Shepherd, cannot fail to express and live out his
pastoral charity which is both the source and spirit of his
service and gift of self. In its objective reality the
priestly ministry is an "*amoris officium*", according to
the previously quoted expression of Saint Augustine. This
objective reality itself serves as both the basis and
requirement for a corresponding *ethos*, which can be none
other than a life of love, as Saint Augustine himself points
out: *Sit amoris officium pascere dominicum gregem.*[60]
This *ethos* and as a result the spiritual life, is none
other than embracing consciously and freely--that is to say
in one's mind and heart, in one's decisions and actions--the
"truth" of the priestly ministry as an *amoris officium.*
25. For a spiritual life that grows through the exercise
of the ministry, it is essential that the priest should
continually renew and deepen his *awareness of being a
minister of Jesus Christ* by virtue of sacramental
consecration and configuration to Christ the Head and
Shepherd of the Church.
This awareness is not only in accordance with the very
nature of the mission which the priest carries out on behalf
of the Church and humanity, but it also provides a focus for
the spiritual life of the priest who carries out that
mission. Indeed, the priest is chosen by Christ not as an
"object" but as a "person". In other words, he is not inert
and passive, but rather is a "living instrument", as the
Council states, precisely in the passage where it refers to
the duty to pursue this perfection.[61] The Council also
speaks of priests as "companions and helpers" of God who is
"the holy one and sanctifier".[62]
In this way the exercise of his ministry deeply involves
the priest himself as a conscious, free and responsible
person. The bond with Jesus Christ assured by consecration
and configuration to him in the Sacrament of Orders gives
rise to and requires in the priest the further bond which
comes from his "intention", that is, from a conscious and
free choice to do in his ministerial activities what the
Church intends to do. This bond tends by its very nature to
become as extensive and profound as possible, affecting
one's way of thinking, feeling and life itself: in other
words, creating a series of moral and spiritual
"dispositions" which correspond to the ministerial actions
performed by the priest.
There can be no doubt that the exercise of the priestly
ministry, especially in the celebration of the Sacraments,
receives its saving effects from the action of Christ
himself who becomes present in the Sacraments. But so as to
emphasize the gratuitous nature of salvation which makes a
person both "saved" and a "saviour"--always and only in
Christ--God's plan has ordained that the efficacy of the
exercise of the ministry is also conditioned by a greater or
lesser human receptivity and participation.[63] In
particular, the greater or lesser degree of the holiness of
the minister has a real effect on the proclamation of the
word, the celebration of the Sacraments and the leadership
of the community in charity. This was clearly stated by the
Council: "The very holiness of priests is of the greatest
benefit for the fruitful fulfilment of their ministry. While
it is possible for God's grace to carry out the work of
salvation through unworthy ministers, yet God ordinarily
prefers to show his wonders through those men who are more
submissive to the impulse and guidance of the Holy Spirit
and who, because of their intimate union with Christ and
their holiness of life, are able to say with Saint Paul: 'It
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me' (Gal
2:20)".[64]
The consciousness that one is a minister of Jesus Christ
the Head and Shepherd also brings with it a thankful and
joyful awareness that one has received a singular grace and
treasure from Jesus Christ: the grace of having been freely
chosen by the Lord to be a "living instrument" in the work
of salvation. This choice bears witness to Jesus Christ's
love for the priest. This love, like other loves and yet
even more so, demands a response. After his Resurrection,
Jesus asked Peter the basic question about love: "Simon, son
of John, do you love me more than these?". And following his
response Jesus entrusts Peter with the mission: "Feed my
lambs" (Jn 21:15). Jesus first asks Peter if he loves him so
as to be able to entrust his flock to him. However, in
reality it was Christ's own love, free and unsolicited,
which gave rise to his question to Peter and to his act of
entrusting "his" sheep to Peter. Therefore, every
ministerial action, while it leads to loving and serving the
Church, provides an incentive to grow in ever greater love
and service of Jesus Christ the Head, Shepherd and Spouse of
the Church, a love which is always a response to the free
and unsolicited love of God in Christ. Growth in the love of
Jesus Christ determines in turn the growth of love for the
Church: "We are your shepherds (*pascimus vobis*), with you
we receive nourishment (*pascimur vobiscum). May the Lord
give us the strength to love you to the extent of dying for
you, either in fact or in desire (*aut effectu aut
affectu*)".[65]
26. Thanks to the insightful teaching of the Second
Vatican Council,[66] we can grasp the conditions and
demands, the manifestations and fruits of the intimate bond
between the priest's spiritual life and the exercise of his
threefold ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral charity.
The priest is first of all a *minister of the Word of
God.* He is consecrated and sent forth to proclaim the Good
News of the Kingdom to all, calling every person to the
obedience of faith and leading believers to an
ever-increasing knowledge of and communion in the mystery of
God, as revealed and communicated to us in Christ. For this
reason, the priest himself ought first of all to develop a
great personal familiarity with the word of God. Knowledge
of its linguistic or exegetical aspects, though certainly
necessary, is not enough. He needs to approach the word with
a docile and prayerful heart, so that it may deeply
penetrate his thoughts and feelings and bring about a new
outlook in him--"the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16)--such that
his words and his choices and attitudes may become ever more
a reflection, a proclamation and a witness to the Gospel.
Only if he "abides" in the word will the priest become a
perfect disciple of the Lord. Only then will he know the
truth and be set truly free, overcoming every conditioning
which is contrary or foreign to the Gospel (cf. Jn 8:31-32).
The priest ought to be the first "believer" in the word,
while being fully aware that the words of his ministry are
not "his", but those of the One who sent him. He is not the
master of the word, but its servant. He is not the sole
possessor of the word; in its regard he is in debt to the
People of God. Precisely because he can and does evangelize,
the priest, like every other member of the Church, ought to
grow in awareness that he himself is continually in need of
being evangelized.[67] He proclaims the word in his capacity
as "minister", as a sharer in the prophetic authority of
Christ and the Church. As a result, in order that he himself
may possess and give to the faithful the guarantee that he
is transmitting the Gospel in its fullness, the priest is
called to develop a special sensitivity, love and docility
to the living Tradition of the Church and to her
Magisterium. These are not foreign to the word, but serve
its proper interpretation and preserve its authentic
meaning.[68]
It is above all in the *celebration of the Sacraments*
and in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours that the
priest is called to live and witness to the deep unity
between the exercise of his ministry and his spiritual life.
The gift of grace offered to the Church becomes the
principle of holiness and a call to sanctification. For the
priest as well, the truly central place, both in his
ministry and spiritual life, belongs to the Eucharist, since
in it is contained "the whole spiritual good of the Church,
namely Christ himself our Pasch and the living bread which
gives life to men through his flesh--that flesh which is
given life and gives life through the Holy Spirit. Thus
people are invited and led to offer themselves, their works
and all creation with Christ".[69]
From the various Sacraments, and in particular from the
specific grace proper to each of them, the priest's
spiritual life receives certain features. It is built up and
moulded by the different characteristics and demands of each
of the Sacraments as he celebrates them and experiences
them.
I would like to make special mention of the Sacrament of
Penance, of which priests are the ministers, but ought also
to be its beneficiaries, becoming themselves witnesses of
God's mercy towards sinners. Once again, I would like to set
forth what I wrote in the Exhortation "Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia": "The priest's spiritual and pastoral life,
like that of his brothers and sisters, lay and religious,
depends, for its quality and fervour, on the frequent and
conscientious personal practice of the Sacrament of Penance.
The priest's celebration of the Eucharist and administration
of the other Sacraments, his pastoral zeal, his relationship
with the faithful, his communion with his brother priests,
his collaboration with his Bishop, his life of prayer--in a
word, the whole of his priestly existence, suffers an
inexorable decline if by negligence or for some other reason
he fails to receive the Sacrament of Penance at regular
intervals and in a spirit of genuine faith and devotion. If
a priest were no longer to go to confession or properly
confess his sins, his *priestly being* and his *priestly
action* would feel its effects very soon, and this would
also be noticed by the community of which he was the
pastor".[70]
Finally, the priest is called to express in his life the
authority and service of Jesus Christ the Head and Priest of
the Church by *encouraging
and leading the ecclesial community,* that is, by gathering
together "the family of God as a fellowship endowed with the
spirit of unity" and by leading it "in Christ through the
Spirit to God the Father".[71] This *munus regendi*
represents a very delicate and complex duty which, in
addition to the attention which must be given to a variety
of persons and their vocations, also involves the ability to
coordinate all the gifts and charisms which the Spirit
inspires in the community, to discern them and to put them
to good use for the upbuilding of the Church in constant
union with the Bishops. This ministry demands of the priest
an intense spiritual life, filled with those qualities and
virtues which are typical of a person who "presides over"
and "leads" a community, of an "elder" in the noblest and
richest sense of the word: qualities and virtues such as
faithfulness, integrity, consistency, wisdom, a welcoming
spirit, friendliness, goodness of heart, decisive firmness
in essentials, freedom from overly subjective viewpoints,
personal disinterestedness, patience, an enthusiasm for
daily tasks, confidence in the value of the hidden workings
of grace as manifested in the simple and the poor (cf. Tit
1:7-8).
27. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me" (Lk 4:18). The
Holy Spirit poured out in the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a
source of holiness and a call to sanctification. This is the
case not only because it configures the priest to Christ,
the Head and Shepherd of the Church, entrusting him with a
prophetic, priestly and royal mission to be carried out in
the name and person of Christ, but also because it inspires
and enlivens his daily existence, enriching it with gifts
and demands, virtues and incentives which are summed up in
pastoral charity. This charity is a synthesis which unifies
the values and virtues contained in the Gospel and likewise
a power which sustains their development towards Christian
perfection.[72]
For all Christians without exception, the radicalism of
the Gospel represents a fundamental, undeniable demand
flowing from the call of Christ to follow and imitate him by
virtue of the intimate communion of life with him brought
about by the Spirit (cf. Mt 8:18ff; 10:37ff; Mk 8:34-38;
10:17-21; Lk 9:57ff). This same demand is made anew to
priests, not only because they are "in" the Church, but
because they are "in the forefront" of the Church, inasmuch
as they are configured to Christ, the Head and Shepherd,
equipped for and committed to the ordained ministry, and
inspired by pastoral charity. Within and as a manifestation
of the radicalism of the Gospel one can find a blossoming of
many virtues and ethical demands which are decisive for the
pastoral and spiritual life of the priest, such as faith,
humility in relation to the mystery of God, mercy and
prudence. A particularly significant expression of the
radicalism of the Gospel is seen in the different
"evangelical counsels" which Jesus proposes in the Sermon on
the Mount (cf. Mt 5-7), and among them the intimately
related counsels of obedience, chastity and poverty.[73] The
priest is called to live these counsels in accordance with
those ways and, more specifically, those goals and that
basic meaning which derive from and express his own priestly
identity.
28. "Among the virtues most necessary for the priestly
ministry must be named that disposition of soul by which
priests are always ready to seek not their own will, but the
will of him who sent them (cf. Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38)".[74] It
is in the spiritual life of the priest that obedience takes
on certain special characteristics.
First of all, obedience is "*apostolic*" in the sense
that it recognizes, loves and serves the Church in her
hierarchical structure. Indeed, there can be no genuine
priestly ministry except in communion with the Supreme
Pontiff and the Episcopal College, especially with one's own
diocesan Bishop, who deserves that "filial respect and
obedience" promised during the rite of ordination. This
"submission" to those invested with ecclesial authority is
in no way a kind of humiliation. It flows instead from the
responsible freedom of the priest who accepts not only the
demands of an organized and organic ecclesial life, but also
that grace of discernment and responsibility in ecclesial
decisions which was assured by Jesus to his Apostles and
their successors, for the sake of faithfully safeguarding
the mystery of the Church and serving the structure of the
Christian community along its common path towards salvation.
Authentic Christian obedience, when it is properly
motivated and lived without servility, helps the priest to
exercise in accordance with the Gospel the authority
entrusted to him for his work with the People of God: an
authority free from authoritarianism or demagoguery. Only
the person who knows how to obey in Christ is really able to
require obedience from others in accordance with the Gospel.
Priestly obedience has also a *"community" dimension*:
it is not the obedience of an individual who alone relates
to authority, but rather an obedience which is deeply a part
of the unity of the presbyterate, which as such is called to
cooperate harmoniously with the Bishop and, through him,
with Peter's successor.[75]
This aspect of the priest's obedience demands a marked
spirit of asceticism, both in the sense of a tendency not to
become too bound up in one's own preferences or points of
view, and in the sense of giving brother priests the
opportunity to make good use of their talents and abilities,
setting aside all forms of jealousy, envy and rivalry.
Priestly obedience should be one of solidarity, based on
belonging to a single presbyterate. Within the presbyterate,
this obedience is expressed in co-responsibility regarding
directions to be taken and choices to be made.
Finally, priestly obedience has a particular *"pastoral"
character.* It is lived in an atmosphere of constant
readiness to allow oneself to be taken up, as it were
"consumed", by the needs and demands of the flock. These
last ought to be truly reasonable and at times they need to
be evaluated and tested to see how genuine they are. But it
is undeniable that the priest's life is fully "taken up" by
the hunger for the Gospel and for faith, hope and love for
God and his mystery, a hunger which is more or less
consciously present in the People of God entrusted to him.
29. Referring to the evangelical counsels, the Council
states that "preeminent among these counsels is that
precious gift of divine grace given to some by the Father
(cf. Mt 19:11; 1 Cor 7:7) in order more easily to devote
themselves to God alone with an undivided heart (cf. 1 Cor
7:32-34) in virginity or celibacy. This perfect continence
for love of the Kingdom of Heaven has always been held in
high esteem by the Church as a sign and stimulus of love,
and as a singular source of spiritual fertility in the
world".[76] In virginity and celibacy, chastity retains its
original meaning, that is, of human sexuality lived as a
genuine sign of and precious service to the love of
communion and gift of self to others. This meaning is fully
found in virginity which makes evident, even in the
renunciation of marriage, the "nuptial meaning" of the body
through a communion and a personal gift to Jesus Christ and
his Church which prefigures and anticipates the perfect and
final communion and self-giving of the world to come: "In
virginity or celibacy, the human being is awaiting, also in
a bodily way, the eschatological marriage of Christ with the
Church, giving himself or herself completely to the Church
in the hope that Christ may give himself to the Church in
the full truth of eternal life".[77]
In this light one can more easily understand and
appreciate the reasons behind the centuries-old choice which
the Western Church has made and maintained--despite all the
difficulties and objections raised down the centuries--of
conferring the Order of Presbyter only on men who have given
proof that they have been called by God to the gift of
chastity in absolute and perpetual celibacy.
The Synod Fathers clearly and forcefully expressed their
thought on this matter in an important proposal which
deserves to be quoted here in full: "While in no way
interfering with the discipline of the Oriental Churches,
the Synod, in the conviction that perfect chastity in
priestly celibacy is a charism, reminds priests that
celibacy is a priceless gift of God for the Church and has a
prophetic value for the world today. This Synod strongly
reaffirms what the Latin Church and some Oriental Rites
require, that is, that the priesthood be conferred only on
those men who have received from God the gift of the
vocation to celibate chastity (without prejudice to the
tradition of some Oriental Churches and particular cases of
married clergy who convert to Catholicism, which are
admitted as exceptions in Pope Paul VI's Encyclical on
priestly celibacy, No. 42). The Synod does not wish to leave
any doubts in the mind of anyone regarding the Church's firm
will to maintain the law that demands perpetual and freely
chosen celibacy for present and future candidates for
priestly ordination in the Latin Rite. The Synod would like
to see celibacy presented and explained in the fullness of
its biblical, theological and spiritual richness, as a
precious gift given by God to his
Church and as a sign of the Kingdom which is not of this
world, a sign of God's love for this world and of the
undivided love of the priest for God and for God's People,
with the result that celibacy is seen as a positive
enrichment of the priesthood".[78]
It is especially important that the priest understand
the theological motivation of the Church's law on celibacy.
Inasmuch as it is a law, it expresses *the Church's will,*
even before the will of the subject expressed by his
readiness. But the will of the Church finds its ultimate
motivation in the *link between celibacy and sacred
Ordination,* which configures the priest to Jesus Christ the
Head and Spouse of the Church. The Church, as the Spouse of
Jesus Christ, wishes to be loved by the priest in the total
and exclusive manner in which Jesus Christ her Head and
Spouse loved her. Priestly celibacy, then, is the gift of
self *in* and *with* Christ *to* his Church and expresses
the priest's service to the Church in and with the Lord.
For an adequate priestly spiritual life, celibacy ought
not to be considered and lived as an isolated or purely
negative element, but as one aspect of a positive, specific
and characteristic approach to being a priest. Leaving
father and mother, the priest follows Jesus the Good
Shepherd, in an apostolic communion, in the service of the
People of God. Celibacy, then, is to be welcomed and
continually renewed with a free and loving decision as a
priceless gift from God, as an "incentive to pastoral
charity",[79] as a singular sharing in God's fatherhood and
in the fruitfulness of the Church, and as a witness to the
world of the eschatological Kingdom. To put into practice
all the moral, pastoral and spiritual demands of priestly
celibacy it is absolutely necessary that the priest pray
humbly and trustingly, as the Council points out: "In the
world today, many people call perfect continence impossible.
The more they do so, the more humbly and perseveringly
priests should join with the Church in praying for the grace
of fidelity It is never denied to those who ask. At the same
time let priests make use of all the supernatural and
natural helps which are now available to all".[80] Once
again it is prayer, together with the Church's Sacraments
and ascetical practice, which will provide hope in
difficulties, forgiveness in failings, and confidence and
courage in resuming the journey.
30. On the subject of *evangelical poverty,* the Synod
Fathers gave a concise yet important description, presenting
it as "the subjection of all goods to the supreme good of
God and his Kingdom".[81] In reality, only the person who
contemplates and lives the mystery of God as the one and
supreme good, as the true and definitive treasure, can
understand and practise poverty, which is certainly not a
matter of despising or rejecting material goods, but of a
loving and responsible use of these goods and at the same
time an ability to renounce them with great interior
freedom, that is, with reference to God and his plan.
Poverty for the priest, by virtue of his sacramental
configuration to Christ, the Head and Shepherd, takes on
specific "pastoral" connotations which the Synod Fathers
took up from the Council's teaching[82] and further
developed. Among other things, they wrote: "Priests,
following the example of Christ who rich though he was
became poor for love of us (cf. 2 Cor 8:9), should consider
the poor and the weakest as people entrusted in a special
way to them and they should be capable of witnessing to
poverty with a simple and austere lifestyle, having learned
the generous renunciation of superfluous things ("Optatam
Totius," 9; C.I.C., can. 282)".[83]
It is true that "the workman deserves his wages" (Lk
10:7) and that "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim
the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel" (1 Cor
9:14), but it is no less true that this right of the Apostle
can in no way be confused with attempts of any kind to
condition service to the Gospel and the Church upon the
advantages and interests which can derive from it. Poverty
alone ensures that the priest remains available to be sent
wherever his work will be most useful and needed, even at
the cost of personal sacrifice. It is a condition and
essential premise of the Apostle's docility to the Spirit,
making him ready to "go forth", without travelling bag or
personal ties, following only the will of the Master (cf. Lk
9:57-62; Mk 10:17-22).
Being personally involved in the life of the community
and being responsible for it, the priest should also offer
the witness of a total "honesty" in the administration of
the goods of the community, which he will never treat as if
they were his own property, but rather something for which
he will be held accountable by God and his brothers and
sisters, especially the poor. Moreover, his awareness of
belonging to the one presbyterate will be an incentive for
the priest to commit himself to promoting both a more
equitable distribution of goods among his fellow priests and
a certain common use of goods (cf. Acts 2:42-47).
The interior freedom which is safeguarded and nourished
by evangelical poverty will help the priest to stand beside
the underprivileged, to practise solidarity with their
efforts to create a more just society, to be more sensitive
and capable of understanding and discerning realities
involving the economic and social aspects of life, and to
promote a preferential option for the poor. The latter,
while excluding no one from the proclamation and gift of
salvation, will assist him in gently approaching the poor,
sinners, and all those on the margins of society, following
the model given by Jesus in carrying out his prophetic and
priestly ministry (cf. Lk 4:18).
Nor should the prophetic significance of priestly
poverty be forgotten, so urgently needed in affluent and
consumeristic societies: "A truly poor priest is indeed a
specific sign of separation from, disavowal of and
non-submission to the tyranny of a contemporary world which
puts all its trust in money and in material security".[84]
Jesus Christ, who brought his pastoral charity to
perfection on the Cross with a complete exterior and
interior emptying of self, is both the model and source of
the virtues of obedience, chastity and poverty which the
priest is called to live out as an expression of his
pastoral charity for his brothers and sisters. In accordance
with Saint Paul's words to the Christians at Philippi, the
priest should have "the mind which was in Christ Jesus",
emptying himself of his own "self", so as to discover, in a
charity which is obedient, chaste and poor, the royal road
of union with God and unity with his brothers and sisters
(cf. Phil 2:5).
31. Like every authentically Christian spiritual life,
the spiritual life of the priest has an *essential and
undeniable ecclesial dimension* which is a sharing in the
holiness of the Church herself, which we profess in the
*Creed* to be a "Communion of Saints". The holiness of the
Christian has its source in the holiness of the Church; it
expresses that holiness and at the same time enriches it.
This ecclesial dimension takes on special forms, purposes
and meanings in the spiritual life of the priest by virtue
of his specific relation to the Church, always as a result
of his configuration to Christ the Head and Shepherd, his
ordained
ministry and his pastoral charity.
In this perspective, it is necessary to consider the
priest's membership in and dedication to a particular
Church. These two factors are not the result of purely
organizational and disciplinary needs. On the contrary, the
priest's relationship with his Bishop in the one
presbyterate, his sharing in the Bishop's ecclesial concern,
and his devotion to the evangelical care of the People of
God in the specific historical and contextual conditions of
a particular Church are elements which must be taken into
account in sketching the proper configuration of the priest
and his spiritual life. In this sense, "incardination"
cannot be confined to a purely juridical bond, but also
involves a set of attitudes as well as spiritual and
pastoral decisions which help to fill out the specific
features of the priestly vocation.
The priest needs to be aware that his "being in a
particular Church" constitutes by its very nature a
significant element in his living a Christian spirituality.
In this sense, the priest finds precisely in his belonging
to and dedication to the particular Church a wealth of
meaning, criteria for discernment and action which shape
both his pastoral mission and his spiritual life.
Other insights or reference to other traditions of
spiritual life can contribute to the priest's journey
towards perfection, for these are capable of enriching the
life of individual priests as well as enlivening the
presbyterate with precious spiritual gifts. Such is the case
with many old and new Church associations which welcome
priests into their spiritual family: from societies of
apostolic life to priestly secular institutes, and from
various forms of spiritual communion and sharing to
ecclesial Movements. Priests who belong to religious orders
and congregations represent a spiritual enrichment for the
entire diocesan presbyterate, to which they contribute
specific charisms and special ministries, stimulating the
particular Church by their presence to be more intensely
open to the Church throughout the world.[85]
The priest's membership in a particular Church and his
dedication even to the gift of his life to the upbuilding of
the Church, "in the person" of Christ the Head and Shepherd,
in service of the entire Christian community and in a
generous and filial relationship with the Bishop, must be
strengthened by every charism which becomes part of his
priestly life or surrounds it.[86]
For the abundance of the Spirit's gifts to be welcomed
with joy and allowed to bear fruit for the glory of God and
the good of the entire Church, each person is required first
to have a knowledge and discernment of his or her own
charisms and those of others, and always to use these
charisms with Christian humility, with firm self-control and
with the intention, above all else, to help build up the
entire community which each particular charism is meant to
serve. Moreover, all are required to make a sincere effort
to live in mutual esteem, to respect others and to hold in
esteem all the positive and legitimate diversities present
in the presbyterate. This too constitutes part of the
priest's spiritual life and his continual practice of
asceticism. 32. Membership in and dedication to a
particular. Church does not limit the activity and life of
the presbyterate to that Church: a restriction of this sort
is not possible, given the very nature both of the
particular Church[87] and of the priestly ministry. In this
regardthe Council teaches that "the spiritual gift which
priests received at their ordination prepares them not for
any limited or narrow mission but for the widest scope of
the universal mission of salvation 'to the end of the earth'
(Acts 1:8). For every priestly ministry shares in the
universality of the mission entrusted by Christ to his
Apostles".[88]
It thus follows that the spiritual life of the priest
should be profoundly marked by a missionary zeal and
dynamism. In the exercise of their ministry and the witness
of their lives, priests have the duty to form the community
entrusted to them as a truly missionary community. As I
wrote in the Encyclical "Redemptoris Missio," "all priests
must have the mind and heart of missionaries open to the
needs of the Church and the world, with concern for those
farthest away, and especially for the non-Christian groups
in their own area. They should have at heart, in their
prayers and particularly at the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the
concern of the whole Church for all of humanity".[89]
If the lives of priests are generously inspired by this
missionary spirit, it will be easier to respond to that
increasingly serious demand of the Church today which arises
from the unequal distribution of the clergy. In this regard,
the Council was both quite clear and forceful: "Let priests
remember then that they must have at heart the care of all
the Churches. Hence priests belonging to dioceses which are
rich in vocations should show themselves willing and ready,
with the permission or at the urging of their own Bishop, to
exercise their ministry in other regions, missions, or
activities which suffer from a shortage of clergy".[90]
33. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. . ." (Lk 4:
18). Even today Christ makes these words which he proclaimed
in the synagogue of Nazareth echo in our priestly hearts.
Indeed, our faith reveals to us the presence of the Spirit
of Christ at work in our being, in our acting, and in our
living, just as the Sacrament of Orders has configured,
equipped and moulded it.
*Yes, the Spirit of the Lord is the principal agent in
our spiritual life.* He creates our "new heart", inspires it
and guides it with the "new law" of love, of pastoral
charity. For the development of the spiritual life it is
essential to be aware that the priest will never lack the
grace of the Holy Spirit, as a totally gratuitous gift and
as a task which he is called to undertake. Awareness of this
gift is the foundation and support of the priest's
unflagging trust amid the difficulties, temptations and
weaknesses which he will meet along his spiritual path.
Here I would repeat to all priests what I said to so many of
them on
another occasion: "The priestly vocation is essentially a
call to holiness, in the form which derives from the
Sacrament of Orders. Holiness is intimacy with God; it is
the imitation of Christ, who was poor, chaste and humble; it
is unreserved love for souls and a giving of oneself on
their behalf and for their true good; it is love for the
Church which is holy and wants us to be holy, because this
is the mission that Christ entrusted to her. Each one of
you should also be holy in order to help your brothers and
sisters to pursue their vocation to holiness.
"How can we fail to reflect on the essential role that
the Holy Spirit carries out in this particular call to
holiness which is proper to the priestly ministry? Let us
remember the words of the rite of priestly ordination which
are considered to be central in the sacramental formula:
'Almighty Father, give these your sons, the dignity of the
priesthood. Renew in them the outpouring of your Spirit of
holiness. O Lord, may they fulfill the ministry of the
second degree of priesthood received from you and by their
example may they lead all to upright conduct of life'.
"Beloved, through Ordination, you have received the same
Spirit of Christ, who makes you like him, so that you can
act in his name and so that his very mind and heart might
live in you. This intimate communion with the Spirit of
Christ, while guaranteeing the efficacy of the sacramental
actions which you perform *in persona Christi,* seeks to be
expressed in fervent prayer, in integrity of life, in the
pastoral charity of a ministry tirelessly spending itself
for the salvation of the brethren. In a word, it calls for
your personal sanctification".[91]
34. *"Come, and see"* (Jn 1:39). This was the reply
Jesus gave to the two disciples of John the Baptist who
asked him where he was staying. In
these words we find the meaning of vocation.
This is how the Evangelist relates the call of Andrew
and Peter: "The next day again John was standing with two of
his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and
said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him
say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw
them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?' And
they said to him, 'Rabbi' (which means Teacher), 'where are
you staying?' He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and
saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day,
for it was about the tenth hour.
"One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him,
was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his
brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah'
(which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked
at him, and said, 'So you are Simon the son of John? You
shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (Jn 1:35-42).
This Gospel passage is one of many in the Bible where
the "mystery" of vocation is described, in our case the
mystery of the vocation to be Apostles of Jesus. This
passage of John, which is also significant for the Christian
vocation as such, has a particular value with regard to the
priestly vocation. As the community of Jesus' disciples, the
Church is called to contemplate this scene which in some way
is renewed constantly down the ages. The Church is invited
to delve more deeply into the original and personal meaning
of the call to follow Christ in the priestly ministry and
the unbreakable bond between divine grace and human
responsibility which is contained and revealed in these two
terms which we find more than once in the Gospel: *come,
follow me* (cf. Mt 19:21). She is asked to discern and to
live out the proper dynamism of vocation, its gradual and
concrete development in the phases of *seeking Christ,
finding him* and *staying with him.*
The Church gathers from this *"Gospel of vocation"* the
paradigm, strength and impulse behind her pastoral work of
promoting vocations, of her mission to care for the birth,
discernment and fostering of vocations, particularly those
to the priesthood. By the very fact that "the lack of
priests is certainly a sad thing for any Church",[92]
pastoral work for vocations needs, especially today, to be
taken up with a new vigour and more decisive commitment by
all the members of the Church, in the awareness that it is
not a secondary or marginal matter, or the business of one
group only, as if it were but a "part", no matter how
important, of the entire pastoral work of the Church.
Rather, as the Synod Fathers frequently repeated, it is an
essential part of the overall pastoral work of each
Church,[93] a concern which demands to be integrated into
and fully identified with the ordinary "care of souls",[94]
a connatural and essential dimension of the Church's
pastoral work, of her very life and mission.[95]
Indeed, *concern for vocations is a connatural and
essential dimension of the Church's pastoral work.* The
reason for this is that vocation, in a certain sense,
defines the very being of the Church, even before her
activity. In the Church's very name, *Ecclesia,* we find its
deep vocational aspect, for the Church is a "convocation",
an *assembly of those who have been called:* "All those, who
in faith look towards Jesus, the author of salvation and the
principle of unity and peace, God has gathered together and
established as the Church, that she may be for each and
everyone the visible sacrament of this saving unity".[96]
A genuinely theological assessment of priestly vocation
and pastoral work in its regard can only arise from an
assessment of the mystery of the Church as a *mysterium
vocationis.*
35. Every Christian vocation finds its foundation in the
gratuitous and prevenient choice made by the Father "who has
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons
through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will"
(Eph 1:3-5).
Each Christian vocation comes from God and is God's
gift. However, it is never bestowed outside of or
independently of the Church. Instead it always comes about
in the Church and through the Church because, as the Second
Vatican Council reminds us, "God has willed to make men holy
and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link
between them, but rather to make them into a people who
might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness".[97]
The Church not only embraces in herself all the vocations
which God
gives her along the path to salvation, but she herself
appears as a mystery of vocation, a luminous and living
reflection of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. In truth,
the Church, a "people made one by the unity of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit",[98] carries within her the
mystery of the Father, who, being neither called nor sent by
any one (cf. Rom 11:33-35), calls all to hallow his name and
do his will; she guards within herself the mystery of the
Son, who is called by the Father and sent to proclaim the
Kingdom of God to all and who calls all to follow him; and
she is the trustee of the mystery of the Holy Spirit, who
consecrates for mission those whom the Father calls through
his Son Jesus Christ.
The Church, being by her very nature a "vocation", is
also a "begetter and educator of vocations." This is so
because she is a "sacrament", a "sign" and "instrument" in
which the vocation of every Christian is reflected and lived
out. And she is so in her activity, in the exercise of her
ministry of proclaiming the Word, in her celebration of the
Sacraments and in her service and witness to charity.
We can now see the "essential dimension of the Christian
vocation:" not only does it derive "from" the Church and her
mediation, not only does it come to be known and find
fulfilment "in" the Church, but it also necessarily
appears--in fundamental service to God--as a service "to"
the Church. Christian vocation, whatever shape it takes, is
a gift whose purpose is to build up the Church and to
increase the Kingdom of God in the world.[99]
What is true of every vocation, is true specifically of
the priestly vocation: the latter is a call, by the
Sacrament of Holy Orders received in the Church, to place
oneself at the service of the People of God with a
particular belonging and configuration to Jesus Christ and
with the authority of acting "in the name and in the person"
of him who is Head and Shepherd of the Church.
From this point of view, we understand the statement of
the Synod Fathers: "The vocation of each priest exists in
the Church and for the Church: through her this vocation is
brought to fulfilment. Hence we can say that every priest
receives his vocation from our Lord through the Church as a
gracious gift, a grace *gratis data* (*charisma*). It is the
task of the Bishop or the competent superior not only to
examine the suitability and the vocation of the candidate
but also to recognize it. This ecclesiastical element is
inherent in a vocation to the priestly ministry as such. The
candidate to the priesthood should receive his vocation not
by imposing his own personal conditions, but accepting also
the norms and conditions which the Church herself lays down,
in the fulfilment of her responsibility".[100]
36. The history of every priestly vocation, as indeed of
every Christian vocation, is the history of an
*inexpressible dialogue between God and human beings,*
between the love of God who calls and the freedom of
individuals who respond lovingly to him. These two
indivisible aspects of vocation, God's gratuitous gift and
man's responsible freedom, are reflected in a splendid and
very effective way in the brief words with which the
Evangelist Mark presents the calling of the Twelve: Jesus
"went
up into the hills, and *called* to him those *whom he
desired;* and *they came* to him" (Mk 3:13). On the one
hand, we have the completely free decision of Jesus; on the
other, the "coming" of the Twelve, their "following" Jesus.
This is the constant paradigm, the fundamental datum of
every vocation: whether of Prophets, Apostles, priests,
religious, the lay faithful--of everyone.
First of all, indeed in a prevenient and decisive way,
comes *the free and gracious intervention of God who calls.*
It is God who takes the initiative in the call. This was,
for example, the experience of the Prophet Jeremiah: "Now
the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations"'
(Jer 1:4-5). The same truth is presented by the Apostle
Paul, who roots every vocation in the eternal election in
Christ, made "before the foundation of the world" and
"according to the purpose of his will" (Eph 1:4-5). The
absolute primacy of grace in vocation is most perfectly
proclaimed in the words of Jesus: "You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit and that your fruit should abide" (Jn 15:16).
If the priestly vocation bears unequivocal witness to the
primacy of
grace, God's free and sovereign decision to call man calls
for total respect. It cannot be forced in the slightest by
any human ambition, and it cannot be replaced by any human
decision. Vocation is a gift of God's grace and never a
human right, such that "one can never consider priestly life
as a simply human affair, nor the mission of the minister as
a simply personal project".[101] Every claim or presumption
on the part of those called is thus radically excluded (cf.
Heb 5:4ff.). Their entire heart and spirit should be filled
with an amazed and deeply felt gratitude, an unshakeable
trust and hope, because those who have been called know that
they are rooted not in their own strength but in the
unconditional faithfulness of God who calls.
"He called to him those whom he desired; and they came
to him" (Mk 3:13). This "coming", which is the same as
"following" Jesus, expresses the free response of the Twelve
to the Master's call. We see it in the case of Peter and
Andrew: "And he said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you
fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and
followed him" (Mt 4:19-20). The experience of James and John
was exactly the same (cf. Mt 4:21-22). And so it is always:
in vocation there shine out at the same time God's gracious
love and the highest possible exaltation of man's freedom:
the freedom of following God's call and entrusting oneself
to him.
In effect, grace and freedom are not opposed. On the
contrary, grace enlivens and sustains human freedom, setting
it free from the slavery of sin (cf. Jn 8:34-36), healing it
and elevating it in its ability to be open to receiving
God's gift. And if we cannot in any way minimize the
absolutely gratuitous initiative of God who calls, neither
can we in any way minimize the serious responsibility which
man faces in the challenge of his freedom. And so when he
hears Jesus's invitation to "come, follow me" the rich young
man refuses, a sign--albeit only a negative sign--of his
freedom: "At that saying his countenance fell, and he went
away sorrowful; for he had great possessions" (Mk 10:22).
*Freedom,* therefore, *is essential to vocation,* a
freedom which when it gives a positive response appears as a
deep personal adherence, as a loving gift, or rather as a
gift given back to the Giver who is God who calls, an
oblation: "The call--Paul VI once said--is as extensive as
the response. There cannot be vocations, unless they be
free; that is, unless they be spontaneous offerings of
oneself, conscious, generous, total... Oblations, we call
them: here lies in practice the heart of the matter... It is
the humble and penetrating voice of Christ, who says, today,
as yesterday, and even more than yesterday: come. Freedom
reaches its supreme foundation: precisely that of oblation,
of generosity, of sacrifice".[102]
The free oblation, which constitutes the intimate and
most precious core of man's response to God who calls, finds
its incomparable model, indeed its living root, in the most
free oblation which Jesus Christ, the first of those called,
made to the Father's will: "Consequently, when Christ came
into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have
not desired, but a body have you prepared for me... Then I
said, Lo, I have come to do your will, O God"' (Heb 10:5,
7).
The creature who more than any other has lived the full
truth of vocation is Mary the Virgin Mother, and she did so
in intimate communion with Christ: no one has responded with
a love greater than hers to the immense love of God.[103]
37. "At that saying his countenance fell, and he went
away sorrowful; for he had great possessions" (Mk 10:22).
The rich young man in the Gospel who did not follow Jesus's
call reminds us of the obstacles preventing or eliminating
man's free response: material goods are not the only things
that can shut the human heart to the values of the Spirit
and the radical demands of the Kingdom of God; certain
social and cultural conditions of our day can also present
many threats and can impose distorted and false visions
about the true nature of vocation, making it difficult, if
not impossible, to embrace or even to understand it.
Many people have such a general and confused idea of God
that their religiosity becomes a religiosity without God,
where God's will is seen as an immutable and unavoidable
fate to which man has to bend and resign himself in a
totally passive manner. But this is not the face of God
which Jesus Christ came to reveal to us: God is truly a
Father who with an eternal and prevenient love calls human
beings and opens up with them a marvellous and permanent
dialogue, inviting them, as his children, to share his own
divine life. It is true that if human beings have an
erroneous vision of God they cannot even recognize the truth
about themselves, and thus they will be unable to perceive
or live their vocation in its genuine value: vocation will
be felt only as a crushing burden imposed upon them.
Certain distorted ideas regarding man, sometimes backed
up by specious philosophical or "scientific" theories, also
sometimes lead people to consider their own existence and
freedom as totally determined and conditioned by external
factors, of an educational, psychological, cultural or
environmental type. In other cases, freedom is understood in
terms of total autonomy, the sole and indisputable basis for
personal choices, and effectively as self-affirmation at any
cost. But these ways of thinking make it impossible to
understand and live one's vocation as a free dialogue of
love, which arises from the communication of God to man and
ends in the sincere self-giving.
In the present context there is also a certain tendency
to view the bond between human beings and God in an
individualistic and self-centred way, as if God's call
reached the individual by a direct route, without in any way
passing through the community. Its purpose is held to be
the benefit, or the very salvation, of the individual called
and not a total dedication to God in the service of the
community. We thus find another very deep and at the same
time subtle threat which makes it impossible to recognize
and accept joyfully the ecclesial dimension which naturally
marks every Christian vocation, and the priestly vocation in
particular: as the Council reminds us, priestly ministry
acquires its genuine meaning and attains to its fullest
truth in serving and in fostering the growth of the
Christian community and the common priesthood of the
faithful.[104]
The cultural context which we have just recalled, and
which affects Christians themselves and especially young
people, helps us to understand the spread of the crisis of
priestly vocations, a crisis that is rooted in and
accompanied by even more radical crises of faith. The Synod
Fathers made this very point when recognizing that the
crisis of vocations to the priesthood has deep roots in the
cultural environment and in the outlook and practical
behaviour of Christians.[105]
Hence the urgent need that the Church's pastoral work in
promoting vocations be aimed decisively and primarily
towards restoring a "Christian mentality", one built on
faith and sustained by it. More than ever, what is now
needed is an evangelization which never tires of pointing to
the true face of God, the Father who calls each one of us in
Jesus Christ, and to the genuine meaning of human freedom as
the principle driving force behind the responsible gift of
oneself. Only thus will the indispensable foundations be
laid, so that every vocation, including the priestly
vocation, will be perceived for what it really is, loved in
its beauty and lived out with total dedication and deep joy.
38. Certainly a vocation is a fathomless mystery
involving the relationship established by God with human
beings in their absolute uniqueness, a mystery perceived and
heard as a call which awaits a response in the depths of
one's conscience, which is "man's most secret core, and his
sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in
his depths"[106] But this does not eliminate the
communitarian and in particular the ecclesial dimension of
vocation. The Church is also truly present and at work in
the vocation of every priest.
In her service to the priestly vocation and its
development, that is, in the birth, discernment and care of
each vocation, the Church can look for her model to Andrew,
one of the first two disciples who set out to follow Jesus.
Andrew himself told his brother what had happened to him:
"'We have found the Messiah' (which means Christ) " (Jn
1:41). His account of this "discovery" opened the way to a
meeting: *"He brought him to Jesus"* (Jn 1:42). There can be
no doubt about the absolutely free initiative nor about the
sovereign decision of Jesus. It is Jesus who calls Simon and
gives him a new name: "Jesus looked at him, and said, 'So
you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas'
(which means Peter)" (Jn 1:42). But Andrew also acted with
initiative: he arranged his brother's meeting with Jesus.
*"He brought him to Jesus".* In a way, this is the heart
of all the Church's pastoral work on behalf of vocations, in
which she cares for the birth and growth of vocations,
making use of the gifts and responsibilities, of the
charisms and ministry she has received from Christ and his
Spirit. The Church, as a priestly, prophetic and kingly
people, is committed to foster and to serve the birth and
maturing of priestly vocations through her prayer and
sacramental life, by her proclamation of the Word and by
education in the faith, by her example and witness of
charity.
The Church, in her dignity and responsibility as a
priestly people, possesses in prayer and in the celebration
of the *Liturgy the essential and primary stages of her
pastoral work for vocations.* Indeed, Christian prayer,
nourished by the word of God, creates an ideal environment
where each individual can discover the truth of his own
being and the identity of the personal and unrepeatable life
project which the Father entrusts to him. It is therefore
necessary to educate boys and young men so that they will
become faithful to prayer and meditation on God's word: in
silence and listening, they will be able to perceive the
Lord who is calling them to the priesthood, and be able to
follow that call promptly and generously.
The Church should daily take up Jesus' persuasive and
demanding invitation to "pray the Lord of the harvest to
send out labourers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38). Obedient to
Christ's command, the Church first of all makes a humble
profession of faith: in praying for vocations, conscious of
her urgent need of them for her very life and mission, she
acknowledges that they are a gift of God and, as such, must
be asked for by a ceaseless and trusting prayer of petition.
This prayer, the pivot of all pastoral work for vocations,
is required not only of individuals but of entire ecclesial
communities. There can be no doubt about the importance of
individual initiatives of prayer, of special times set apart
for such prayer, beginning with the World Day of Prayer for
Vocations, and of the explicit commitment of persons and
groups particularly concerned with the problem of priestly
vocations. Today the prayerful expectation of new vocations
should become an ever more continual and widespread habit
within the entire Christian community and in every one of
its parts. Thus it will be possible to re-live the
experience of the Apostles in the Upper Room who, in union
with Mary, prayerfully awaited the outpouring of the Spirit
(cf. Acts 1:14), who will not fail to raise up once again in
the People of God "worthy ministers for the altar, ardent
but gentle proclaimers of the Gospel".[107]
In addition, the Liturgy, as the summit and source of
the Church's existence[108] and in particular of all
Christian prayer, plays an influential and indispensable
role in the pastoral work of promoting vocations. The
Liturgy is a living experience of God's gift and a great
school for learning how to respond to his call. As such,
every liturgical celebration, and especially the Eucharist,
reveals to us the true face of God and grants us a share in
the Paschal Mystery, in the "hour" for which Jesus came into
the world and towards which he freely and willingly made his
way in obedience to the Father's call (cf. Jn 13:1). It
shows us the Church as a priestly people and a community
structured in the variety and complementarity of its
charisms and vocations. The redemptive sacrifice of Christ,
which the Church celebrates in mystery, accords a particular
value to suffering endured in union with the Lord Jesus. The
Synod Fathers invited us never to forget that "through the
offering of sufferings, which are so frequent in human life,
the Christian who is ill offers himself as a victim to God,
in the image of Christ, who has consecrated himself for us
all" (cf. Jn 17: 19) and that "the offering of sufferings
for this intention is a great help in fostering
vocations".[109]
39. In carrying out her prophetic role, the Church feels
herself irrevocably committed to the task of *proclaiming
and witnessing to the Christian meaning of vocation,* or as
we might say, to "the Gospel of vocation". Here too, she
feels the urgency of the Apostle's exclamation: "Woe to me
if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). This
admonishment rings out especially for us who are pastors
but, together with us, it touches all educators in the
Church. Preaching and catechesis must always show their
intrinsic vocational dimension: the word of God enlightens
believers to appreciate life as a response to God's call and
leads them to embrace in faith the gift of a personal
vocation.
But all this, however important and even essential, is
not enough: we need a "direct preaching on the mystery of
vocation in the Church, on the value of the ministerial
priesthood, on God's people's urgent need of it".[110] A
properly structured catechesis, directed to all the members
of the Church, in addition to dissipating doubts and
countering one-sided or distorted ideas about priestly
ministry, will open believers' hearts to expect the gift and
create favourable conditions for the birth of new vocations.
The time has come to speak courageously about priestly life
as a priceless gift and a splendid and privileged form of
Christian living. Educators, and priests in particular,
should not be afraid to set forth explicitly and forcefully
the priestly vocation as a real possibility for those young
people who demonstrate the necessary gifts and talents.
There should be no fear that one is thereby conditioning
them or limiting their freedom; quite the contrary, a clear
invitation, made at the right time, can be decisive in
eliciting from young people a free and genuine response.
Besides, the history of the Church and that of many
individual priests whose vocations blossomed at a young age
bear ample witness to how providential the presence and
conversation of a priest can be: not only his words, but his
very presence, a concrete and joyful witness which can raise
questions and lead to decisions, even definitive ones.
40. As a kingly people, the Church sees herself rooted
in and enlivened by "the law of the Spirit of life" (Rom
8:2), which is essentially the royal law of charity (cf. Jas
2:8) or the perfect law of freedom (cf. Jas 1:25).
Therefore, the Church fulfils her mission when "she guides
every member of the faithful to discover and live his or her
own vocation in freedom and to bring it to fulfilment in
charity."
In carrying out her educational role, the Church aims
with special concern at developing in children, adolescents
and young men a desire and a will to follow Jesus Christ in
a total and attractive way. This educational work, while
addressed to the Christian community as such, must also be
aimed at the individual person: indeed, God with his call
reaches the heart of each individual, and the Spirit, who
abides deep within each disciple (cf. 1 Jn 3:24), gives
himself to each Christian with different charisms and
special signs. Each one, therefore, must be helped to
embrace the gift entrusted to him as a completely unique
person, and to hear the words which the Spirit of God
personally addresses to him.
From this point of view, the pastoral work of promoting
vocations to
the priesthood will also be able to find expression in a
firm and encouraging invitation to *spiritual direction.* It
is necessary to rediscover the great tradition of personal
spiritual guidance which has always brought great and
precious fruits to the Church's life. In certain cases and
under precise conditions this work can be assisted, but not
replaced, by forms of analysis or psychological help.[111]
Children, adolescents and young men are invited to discover
and appreciate the gift of spiritual direction, to look for
it and experience it, and to ask for it with trusting
insistence from those who are their educators in the faith.
Priests, for their part, should be the first to devote time
and energies to this work of education and personal
spiritual guidance: they will never regret having neglected
or put in second place so many other things which are
themselves good and useful, if this proved necessary for
them to be faithful to their ministry as cooperators of the
Spirit in enlightening and guiding those who have been
called.
The aim of education for a Christian is to attain the
"stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:13) under the
influence of the Spirit. This happens when, imitating and
sharing Christ's charity, a person turns his entire life
into an act of loving service (cf. Jn 13:14-15), offering to
God a spiritual worship acceptable to him (cf. Rom 12:1) and
giving himself to his brothers and sisters. *The service of
love is the fundamental meaning of every vocation,* and it
finds a specific expression in the priestly vocation.
Indeed, a priest is called to live out, as radically as
possible, the pastoral charity of Jesus, the love of the
Good
Shepherd who "lays down his life for the sheep" (Jn
10:11).
Consequently, an authentic pastoral work on behalf of
vocations will never tire of training boys, adolescents and
young men to appreciate commitment, the meaning of free
service, the value of sacrifice and unconditional
self-giving. In this context it is easy to see the great
value of forms of volunteer work, which so many young people
are growing to appreciate. If volunteer work is inspired by
the Gospel values, capable of training people to discern
true needs, lived with dedication and faithfulness each day,
open to the possibility of a total commitment in consecrated
life and nourished in prayer, then it will be more readily
able to sustain a life of disinterested and free commitment
and will make the one involved in it more sensitive to the
voice of God who may be calling him to the priesthood.
Unlike the rich young man, the person involved in volunteer
work would be able to accept the invitation lovingly
addressed to him by Jesus (cf. Mk 10:21); and he would be
able to accept it because his only wealth now consists in
giving himself to others and in "losing" his life.
41. The priestly vocation is a gift from God. It is
undoubtedly a great good for the person who is its first
recipient. But it is also a gift to the Church as a whole, a
benefit to her life and mission. The Church, therefore, is
called to safeguard this gift, to esteem it and love it. She
is responsible for the birth and development of priestly
vocations. Consequently, the pastoral work of promoting
vocations has as its active agents, as its protagonists, the
ecclesial community as such, in its various expressions:
from the universal Church to the particular Church and, by
analogy, from the particular Church to each of its parishes
and to every part of the People of God.
There is an urgent need, especially nowadays, for a more
widespread and deeply felt conviction that *all the members
of the Church, without exception, have the grace and
responsibility to look after vocations.* The Second Vatican
Council was quite explicit in this regard: "The duty of
fostering vocations falls on the whole Christian community,
and they should discharge it principally by living full
Christian lives".[112] Only on the basis of this conviction
will pastoral work on behalf of vocations be able to show
its truly ecclesial aspect, develop a harmonious plan of
action, and make use of specific agencies and appropriate
instruments of communion and corresponsibility.
The first responsibility for the pastoral work of
promoting priestly vocations lies with the Bishop,[113] who
is called to be the first to exercise this responsibility,
even though he can and must call upon many others to
cooperate with him. As the father and friend of his
presbyterate, it falls primarily to the Bishop to be
concerned about "giving continuity" to the priestly charism
and ministry, bringing it new forces by the laying on of
hands. He will be actively concerned to ensure that the
vocational dimension is always present in the whole range of
ordinary pastoral work, and that it is fully integrated and
practically identified with it. It is his duty to foster and
coordinate various initiatives on behalf of vocations.[114]
The Bishop can rely above all on the cooperation of his
presbyterate.
All its *priests* are united to him and share his
responsibility in seeking and fostering priestly vocations.
Indeed, as the Council states, "it is the priests' part as
instructors of the people in the faith to see to it that
each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit
to the full development of his own vocation".[115] "This
duty belongs to the very nature of the priestly ministry
which makes the priest share in the concern of the whole
Church lest labourers should ever be wanting to the People
of God here on earth".[116] The very life of priests, their
unconditional dedication to God's flock, their witness of
loving service to the Lord and to his Church--a witness
marked by free acceptance of the Cross in the spirit of hope
and Easter joy--their fraternal unity and zeal for the
evangelization of the world are the first and most
convincing factor in the growth of vocations.[117] A very
special responsibility falls upon the *Christian family,*
which by virtue of the Sacrament of Matrimony shares in its
own unique way in the educational mission of the Church,
Teacher and Mother. As the Synod Fathers wrote: "the
Christian family, which is truly a 'domestic church' ("Lumen
Gentium," 11), has always offered and continues to offer
favourable conditions for the birth of vocations. Since the
reality of the Christian family is endangered nowadays, much
importance should be given to pastoral work on behalf of the
family, in order that the families themselves, generously
accepting the gift of human life, may be 'as it were, a
first seminary' ("Optatam Totius," 2) in which children can
acquire from the beginning an awareness of piety and prayer
and of love for the Church".[118] Following upon and in
harmony with the work of parents and the family, is the
*school,* which is called to live its identity as an
"educating community", also by providing a correct
understanding of the dimension of vocation as an innate and
fundamental value of the human person. In this sense, if it
is endowed with a Christian spirit (either by a significant
presence of members of the Church in state schools,
following the laws of each country, or above all in the case
of the Catholic school), it can infuse "in the hearts of
boys and young men a desire to do God's will in that state
in life which is most suitable to each person, and never
excluding the vocation to the priestly ministry".[119]
The *lay faithful* also, and particularly catechists,
teachers, educators and youth ministers, each with his or
her own resources and style, have great importance in the
pastoral work of promoting priestly vocations: the more they
inculcate a deep appreciation of young people's vocation and
mission in the Church, the more they will be able to
recognize the unique value of the priestly vocation and
mission.
With regard to diocesan and parish communities, special
appreciation and encouragement should be given to *groups
which promote vocations,* whose members make an important
contribution by prayer and sufferings offered up for
priestly and religious vocations, as well as by moral and
material support.
We should also remember the numerous *groups, movements
and associations of lay faithful* whom the Holy Spirit
raises up and fosters in the Church with a view to a more
missionary Christian presence in the world. These various
groupings of lay people are proving a particularly fertile
field for the manifestation of vocations to consecrated
life, and are truly environments in which vocations can be
encouraged and can grow. Many young people, in and through
these groupings, have heard the Lord's call to follow him
along the path of priestly ministry[120] and have responded
with a generosity that is reassuring. These groupings,
therefore, are to be utilized well, so that in communion
with the whole Church and for the sake of her growth they
may make their proper contribution to the development of the
pastoral work of promoting vocations.
The various elements and members of the Church involved
in the pastoral work of promoting vocations will make their
work more effective insofar as they stimulate the ecclesial
community as such, starting with the parish, to sense that
the problem of priestly vocations cannot in any way be
delegated to some "official" group (priests in general and
the priests working in the seminary in particular), for
inasmuch as it is "a vital problem which lies at the very
heart of the Church",[121] it should be at the heart of the
love which each Christian feels for the Church.
42. "And he went up on the mountain, and called to him
those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he
appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to
preach and have authority to cast out demons" (Mk 3:13-15).
*"To be with him"*: it is not difficult to find in these
words a reference to Jesus's "accompanying" the Apostles for
the sake of their vocation. After calling them and before he
sends them out, indeed in order to be able to send them out
to preach, Jesus asks them to set aside a "period of time"
for formation. The aim of this time is to develop a
relationship of deep communion and friendship with himself.
In this time they receive the benefit of a catechesis that
is deeper than the teaching he gives to the people (cf. Mt
13:11); also he wishes them to be witnesses of his silent
prayer to the Father (cf. Jn 17:1-26; Lk 22:39-45).
In her care for priestly vocations the Church in every
age draws her inspiration from Christ's example. There have
been, and to some extent there still are, *many different
practical forms* according to which the Church has been
involved in the pastoral care of vocations. Her task is not
only to discern but also to "accompany" priestly vocations.
But *the spirit* which must inspire and sustain her *remains
the same:* that of bringing to the priesthood only those who
have been called, and to bring them adequately trained,
namely, with a conscious and free response of adherence and
involvement of their whole person with Jesus Christ who
calls them to intimacy of life with him and to share in his
mission of salvation. In this sense, the "seminary" in its
different forms, and analogously the "house" of formation
for religious priests, more than a place, a material space,
should be a spiritual place, a way of life, an atmosphere
that fosters and ensures a process of formation, so that the
person who is called to the priesthood by God may become,
with the Sacrament of Orders, a living image of Jesus
Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church. In their "Final
Message" the Synod Fathers have grasped in a direct and deep
way the original and specific meaning of the formation of
candidates for the priesthood, when they say that "To live
in the seminary, which is a school of the Gospel, means to
follow Christ as the Apostles did. You are led by Christ
into the service of God the Father and of all people, under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus you become more like
Christ the Good Shepherd in order better to serve the Church
and the world as a priest. In preparing for the priesthood
we learn how to respond from the heart to Christ's basic
question: 'Do you love me?' (Jn 21:15). For the future
priest the answer can only mean total self-giving".[122]
What needs to be done is to transfer this spirit, which
can never be lacking in the Church, to the social,
psychological, political and cultural conditions of the
world today, conditions which are so varied and complex, as
the Synod Fathers have confirmed, bearing in mind the
different particular Churches. The Fathers, with words
expressing thoughtful concern but at the same time great
hope, have shown awareness of and reflected at length on the
efforts going on in all their Churches to identify and
update methods of training candidates for the priesthood.
This present Exhortation seeks to gather the results of the
work of
the Synod, setting out some *established points,* indicating
some *essential goals,* making available to all the *wealth
of experiences and training programmes* which have already
been tried and found worthwhile. In this Exhortation we
consider *"initial" formation* and *"ongoing" formation*
separately, but without forgetting that they are closely
linked and that as a result they should become one sole
organic journey of Christian and priestly living. The
Exhortation looks at the different *areas* of
*formation*--the *human, spiritual, intellectual and
pastoral* areas--as well as the *settings* and the *persons
responsible* for the formation of candidates for the
priesthood.
43. "The whole work of priestly formation would be
deprived of its necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable
human formation".[123] This statement by the Synod Fathers
expresses not only a fact which reason brings to our
consideration every day and which experience confirms, but a
requirement which has a deeper and specific motivation in
the very nature of the priest and his ministry. The priest,
who is called to be a "living image" of Jesus Christ, Head
and Shepherd of the Church, should seek to reflect in
himself, as far as possible, the human perfection which
shines forth in the Incarnate Son of God and which is
reflected with particular liveliness in his attitudes
towards others as we see narrated in the Gospels. The
ministry of the priest is, certainly, to proclaim the Word,
to celebrate the Sacraments, to guide the Christian
community in charity "in the name and in the person of
Christ", but all this he does dealing always and only with
individual human beings: "Every high priest chosen from
among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation
to God" (Heb 5:1). So we see that the human formation of the
priest shows its special importance when related to the
receivers of the mission: in order that his ministry may be
humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is
important that the priest should mould his human personality
in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle
for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer
of man. It is necessary that, following the example of Jesus
who "knew what was in man" (Jn 2:25, cf. 8:3- 11), the
priest should be able to know the depths of the human heart,
to perceive difficulties and problems, to make meeting and
dialogue easy, to create trust and cooperation, to express
serene and objective judgments.
Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of
human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and
realization of self, but also with a view to the ministry.
These qualities are needed for them to be balanced people,
strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral
responsibilities. They need to be educated to love the
truth, to be loyal, to respect every person, to have a sense
of justice, to be true to their word, to be genuinely
compassionate, to be men of integrity and, especially, to be
balanced in judgment and behaviour.[124] A simple and
demanding programme for this human formation can be found in
the words of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians: "whatever
is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things" (Phil 4:8). It is interesting to
note that Paul, precisely in these profoundly human
qualities, presents himself as a model to his faithful, for
he goes on to say: "What you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me, do" (Phil 4:9).
Of special importance is the capacity to relate to
others. This is truly fundamental for a person who is called
to be responsible for a community and to be a "man of
communion". This demands that the priest not be arrogant, or
quarrelsome, but affable, hospitable, sincere in his words
and heart, prudent and discreet, generous and ready to
serve, capable of opening himself to clear and brotherly
relationships and of encouraging the same in others, and
quick to understand, forgive and console[125] (see also 1
Tim 3:1-5; Tit 1:7-9). People today are often trapped in
situations of standardization and loneliness, especially in
large urban centres, and they become ever more appreciative
of the value of communion. Today this is one of the most
eloquent signs and one of the most effective ways of
transmitting the Gospel message.
In this context affective maturity, which is the result
of an education in true and responsible love, is a
significant and decisive factor in the formation of
candidates for the priesthood.
44. *Affective maturity* presupposes an awareness that
love has a central role in human life. In fact, as I have
written in the Encyclical "Redemptor Hominis," "Man cannot
live without love. He remains a being that is
incomprehensible for himself, his life is meaningless, if
love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love,
if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does
not participate intimately in it".[126]
We are speaking of a love that involves the entire
person, in all his aspects, physical, psychic and spiritual,
and which is expressed in the "nuptial meaning" of the human
body, thanks to which a person gives himself to another and
takes the other to himself. A properly understood sexual
education leads to understanding and realizing this "truth"
about human love. We need to be aware that there is a
widespread social and cultural atmosphere which "largely
reduces human sexuality to the level of something
commonplace, since it interprets and lives it in a reductive
and impoverished way by linking it solely with the body and
with selfish pleasure".[127] Sometimes the very family
situations in which priestly vocations arise will display
not a few weaknesses and at times even serious failings.
In such a context, *an education for sexuality* becomes
more difficult but also more urgent. It should be truly and
fully personal and therefore should present chastity in a
manner that shows appreciation and love for it as a "virtue
that develops a person's authentic maturity and makes him or
her capable of respecting and fostering the 'nuptial
meaning' of the body".[128]
Education for responsible love and the affective
maturity of the person are totally necessary for those who,
like the priest, are called to *celibacy,* that is, to offer
with the grace of the Spirit and the free response of one's
own will the whole of one's love and care to Jesus Christ
and to his Church. In view of the commitment to celibacy,
affective maturity should bring to human relationships of
serene friendship and deep brotherliness a strong, lively
and personal love for Jesus Christ. As the Synod Fathers
have written, "A love for Christ, which overflows into a
dedication to everyone, is of the greatest importance in
developing affective maturity. Thus the candidate, who is
called to celibacy, will find in affective maturity a firm
support to live chastity in faithfulness and joy".[129]
Since the charism of celibacy, even when it is genuine
and has proved itself, leaves man's affections and his
instinctive impulses intact, candidates to the priesthood
need an affective maturity which is prudent, able to
renounce anything that is a threat to it, vigilant over both
body and spirit, and capable of esteem and respect in
interpersonal relationships between men and women. A
precious help can be given by a suitable education to true
*friendship,* following the image of the bonds of fraternal
affection which Christ himself lived on earth (cf. Jn 11:5).
Human maturity, and in particular affective maturity,
requires a clear and strong *training in freedom* which
expresses itself in convinced and heartfelt obedience to the
"truth" of one's own being, to the "meaning" of one's own
existence, that is to the "sincere gift of self" as the way
and fundamental content of the authentic realization of
self.[130] Thus understood, freedom requires the person to
be truly master of himself, determined to fight and overcome
the different forms of selfishness and individualism which
threaten the life of each one, ready to open out to others,
generous in dedication and service to one's neighbour. This
is important for the response that will have to be given to
the vocation, and in particular to the priestly vocation,
and for faithfulness to it and to the commitments connected
with it, even in times of difficulty. On this educational
journey towards a mature, responsible freedom the community
life of the Seminary can provide help.[131]
Intimately connected with formation to responsible
freedom is *education of the moral conscience.* Such
education calls from the depths of one's own "self"
obedience to moral obligations and at the same time reveals
the deep meaning of such obedience. It is a conscious and
free response, and therefore a loving response, to God's
demands, to God's love. "The human maturity of the
priest--the Synod Fathers write should include especially
the formation of his conscience. In order that the candidate
may faithfully meet his obligations with regard to God and
the Church and wisely guide the consciences of the faithful,
he should become accustomed to listening to the voice of
God, who speaks to him in his heart, and to adhere with love
and constancy to his Will"[132]
45. Human formation, when it is carried out in the
context of an anthropology which is open to the full truth
regarding man, leads to and finds its completion in
spiritual formation. Every man, as God's creature who has
been redeemed by Christ's blood, is called to be reborn "of
water and the Spirit" (Jn 3:5) and to become a "son in the
Son". In this wonderful plan of God is to be found the basis
of the essentially religious dimension of the human person,
which moreover can be grasped and recognized by reason
itself: man is open to transcendence, to the absolute; he
has a heart which is restless until it rests in the
Lord.[133]
The educational process of a spiritual life, seen as a
relationship and communion with God, derives and develops
from this fundamental and irrepressible religious need. In
the light of revelation and Christian experience, spiritual
formation possesses the unmistakable originality which
derives from evangelical "newness". Indeed, it "is the work
of the Holy Spirit and engages a person in his totality. It
introduces him to a deep communion with Jesus Christ, the
Good Shepherd, and leads to the total submission of one's
life to the Spirit, in a filial attitude towards the Father
and a trustful attachment to the Church. Spiritual
formation has its roots in the experience of the Cross,
which in deep communion leads to the totality of the Paschal
Mystery".[134]
Spiritual formation, as we have just seen, is applicable
to all the faithful. Nevertheless, it should be structured
according to the meanings and connotations which derive from
the identity of the priest and his ministry. And just as for
all the faithful spiritual formation is central and unifies
their being and living as Christians, that is, as new
creatures in Christ who walk in the Spirit, so too for every
priest his spiritual formation is the core which unifies and
gives life to his *being* a priest and his *acting as* a
priest. In this context, the Synod Fathers state that
"without spiritual formation pastoral formation would be
left without foundation"[135] and that spiritual formation
is "an extremely important element of a priest's
education".[136]
The essential content of spiritual formation
specifically leading towards the priesthood is well
expressed in the Council's Decree "Optatam Totius":
"Spiritual formation (...) should be conducted in such a way
that the students may learn to live in intimate and
unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus
Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Those who are to take on the
likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should
form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every
detail of their lives. They should live his Paschal Mystery
in such a way that they will know how to initiate into it
the people committed to their charge. They should be taught
to seek Christ in faithful meditation on the word of God and
in active participation in the sacred mysteries of the
Church, especially the Eucharist and the Divine Office, to
seek him in the Bishop by whom they are sent and in the
people to whom they are sent, especially the poor, little
children, the weak, sinners and unbelievers. With the
confidence of sons they should love and reverence the most
Blessed Virgin Mary, who was given as a mother to the
disciple by Jesus Christ as he was dying on the Cross".[137]
46. This text from the Council deserves our careful and
loving meditation, out of which we will easily be able to
outline some fundamental values and demands of the spiritual
path trodden by the candidate for the priesthood.
First, there is the value and demand of *"living
intimately united" to Jesus Christ.* Our union with the Lord
Jesus, which has its roots in Baptism and is nourished with
the Eucharist, has to express itself and be radically
renewed each day. Intimate communion with the Blessed
Trinity, that is, the new life of grace which makes us
children of God, constitutes the "novelty" of the believer,
a novelty which involves both his being and his acting. It
constitutes the "mystery" of Christian existence which is
under the influence of the Spirit: it should, as a result,
constitute the ethos of Christian living. Jesus has taught
us this marvellous reality of Christian living, which is
also the heart of spiritual life, with his allegory of the
vine and the branches: "I am the true vine, and my Father is
the vinedresser... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you
are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it
is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing" (Jn 15:1, 4-5).
There are spiritual and religious values present in
today's culture, and man, notwithstanding appearances to the
contrary, cannot help but hunger and thirst for God.
However, the Christian religion is often regarded as just
one religion among many or reduced to nothing more than a
social ethic at the service of man. As a result its amazing
novelty in human history is quite often not apparent. It is
a "mystery", the event of the coming of the Son of God who
becomes man and gives to those who welcome him the "power to
become children of God" (Jn 1:12). It is the proclamation,
nay the gift of a personal covenant of love and life between
God and man. Only if future priests, through a suitable
spiritual formation, have become deeply aware and have
increasingly experienced this "mystery" will they be able to
communicate this amazing and blessed message to others (cf.
1 Jn 1:1-4).
The Council text, while taking account of the absolute
transcendence of the Christian mystery, describes the
communion of future priests with Jesus in *terms of
friendship.* And indeed it is not an absurdity for man to
aim at this, for it is the priceless gift of Christ, who
said to his Apostles: "No longer do I call you servants, for
the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I
have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my
Father I have made known to you" (Jn 15: 15).
The Council text then points out a second great
spiritual value: *the search for Jesus.* "They should be
taught to seek Christ". This, along with the *quaerere
Deum* (the search for God), is a classical theme of
Christian spirituality. It has a specific application in the
context of the calling of the Apostles. When John tells the
story of the way the first two disciples followed Christ, he
highlights this "search". It is Jesus himself who asks the
question: "What do you seek?" And the two reply: "Rabbi,
where are you staying?" The Evangelist continues: "He said
to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where he was
staying; and they stayed with him that day" (Jn 1:37-39). In
a certain sense, the spiritual life of the person who is
preparing for the priesthood is dominated by this search: by
it and by the "finding" of the Master, to follow him, to be
in communion with him. So inexhaustible is the mystery of
the imitation of Christ and the sharing in his life, that
this "seeking" will also have to continue throughout the
priest's life and ministry. Likewise this "finding" the
Master will have to continue, in order to bring him to
others, or rather in order to excite in others the desire to
seek out the Master. But all this becomes possible if it is
proposed to others as a living "experience", an experience
that is worthwhile sharing. This was the path followed by
Andrew to lead his brother Simon to Jesus. The Evangelist
John writes that Andrew "first found his brother Simon, and
said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which means
Christ)" and brought him to Jesus (Jn 1:41-42). And so Simon
too will be called, as an apostle, to follow the Messiah:
"Jesus looked at him, and said, 'So you are Simon the son of
John? You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (Jn
1:42).
But what does to seek Christ signify in the spiritual
life? And, where is he to be found? "Rabbi, where are you
staying?" The Decree *Optatam Totius* would seem to indicate
a triple path to be covered: a faithful meditation on the
word of God, active participation in the Church's holy
mysteries and the service of charity to the "little ones".
These are three great values and demands which further
define the content of the spiritual formation of the
candidate to the priesthood.
47. An essential element of spiritual formation is *the
prayerful and meditated reading of the word of God*
(*lectio divina*), a humble and loving listening of him who
speaks. It is in fact by the light and with the strength of
the word of God that one's own vocation can be discovered
and understood, loved and followed, and one's own mission
carried out. So true is this that the person's entire
existence finds its unifying and radical meaning in being
the terminus of God's word which calls man and the beginning
of man's word which answers God. Familiarity with the word
of God will make conversion easy, not only in the sense of
detaching us from evil so as to adhere to the good, but also
in the sense of nourishing our heart with the thoughts of
God, so that the faith (as a response to the word) becomes
our new basis for judging and evaluating persons and things,
events and problems.
Provided that we approach the word of God and listen to
it as it really is, it brings us into contact with God
himself, God speaking to man. It brings us into contact with
Christ, the Word of God, the Truth who is at the same time
both the Way and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6). It is a matter of
reading the "scriptures" by listening to the "words", "the
word" of God, as the Council reminds us: "The sacred
scriptures contain the word of God and, because they are
inspired, are truly the word of God".[138] The Council also
states: "By this revelation, then, the invisible God (cf.
Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:7), from the fullness of his love
addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15),
and moves among them (cf. Bar 3:38), in order to invite and
receive them into his own company.[139]
A loving knowledge of the word of God and a prayerful
familiarity with it are specifically important for the
prophetic ministry of the priest. They are a fundamental
condition for such a ministry to be carried out suitably,
especially if we bear in mind the "new evangelization" which
the Church today is called to undertake. The Council tells
us: "All clerics, particularly priests of Christ and others
who, as deacons or catechists, are officially engaged in the
ministry of the word, should immerse themselves in the
Scriptures by constant sacred reading and diligent study.
For it must not happen that anyone becomes 'an empty
preacher of the word of God to others, not being a hearer of
the word of God in his own heart (St. Augustine, Sermon 179,
1: PL 8:966)".[140]
The first and fundamental manner of responding to the
word is *prayer,* which is without any doubt a primary value
and demand of spiritual formation. Prayer should lead
candidates for the priesthood to get to know and have
experience of *the genuine meaning of Christian prayer,* as
a living and personal meeting with the Father through the
only-begotten Son under the action of the Spirit, a dialogue
that becomes a sharing in the filial conversation between
Jesus and the Father. One aspect of the priest's mission,
and certainly by no means a secondary aspect, is that he is
to be a "teacher of prayer". However, the priest will only
be able to train others in this school of Jesus at prayer,
if he himself has been trained in it and continues to
receive its formation. This is what people ask of the
priest: "The priest is *the man of God,* the one who belongs
to God and makes people think about God. When the "Letter to
the Hebrews" speaks of Christ it presents him as 'a merciful
and faithful high priest in the service of God' (Heb
2:17)... Christians expect to find in the priest not only a
man who welcomes them, who listens to them gladly and shows
a real interest in them, but also and above all *a man who
will help them to turn to God,* to rise up to him. And so
the priest needs to be trained to have a deep intimacy with
God. Those who are preparing for the priesthood should
realize that their whole priestly life will have value
inasmuch as they are able to give themselves to Christ and,
through Christ, to the Father".[141]
A necessary training in prayer in a context of noise and
agitation like that of our society, is an education in the
deep human meaning and religious value of *silence,* as the
spiritual atmosphere vital for perceiving God's presence and
for allowing oneself be won over by it (cf. 1 Kg 19: 11ff.).
48. The high point of Christian prayer is the
*Eucharist,* which in its turn is to be seen as the *"summit
and source" of the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours.*
A totally necessary aspect of the formation of every
Christian, and in particular of every priest, is *liturgical
formation,* in the full sense of becoming inserted in a
living way in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ who died
and rose again, and is present and active in the Church's
sacraments. Communion with God, which is the hinge on which
the whole of the spiritual life turns, is the gift and fruit
of the sacraments. At the same time it is a task and
responsibility which the sacraments entrust to the freedom
of the believer, so that he may live this same communion, in
the decisions, choices, attitudes and actions of his daily
existence. In this sense, the "grace" which "renews"
Christian living is the grace of Jesus Christ who died and
rose again, and continues to pour out his holy and
sanctifying Spirit in the sacraments. In the same way, the
"new law" which should guide and govern the life of the
Christian is written by the sacraments in the "new heart".
And it is a law of charity towards God and the brethren, as
a response and prolonging of the charity of God towards man
signified and communicated by the sacraments. It is thus
possible to understand straight-away the value of a "full,
conscious and active participation"[142] in sacramental
celebrations for the gift and task of that "pastoral
charity" which is the soul of the priestly ministry.
This applies above all to sharing in the Eucharist, the
memorial of the sacrificial death of Christ and of his
glorious Resurrection, the "sacrament of piety, sign of
unity, bond of charity",[143] the paschal banquet "in which
Christ is received, the soul is filled with grace and we are
given a pledge of the glory that is to be ours".[144] For
priests, as ministers of sacred things, are first and
foremost ministers of the Sacrifice of the Mass:[145] the
role is utterly irreplaceable, because without the priest
there can be no Eucharistic offering.
This explains the essential importance of the Eucharist
for the priest's life and ministry and, as a result, in the
spiritual formation of candidates for the priesthood. To be
utterly frank and dear, I would like to say once again: "It
is fitting that seminarians take part *every day* in the
Eucharistic celebration, in such a way that afterwards they
will take up as a rule of their priestly life this daily
celebration. They should moreover be trained to consider the
Eucharistic celebration as the *essential moment of their
day,* in which they will take an active part and at which
they will never be satisfied with a merely habitual
attendance. Finally, candidates to the priesthood will be
trained to share in the *intimate* dispositions which the
Eucharist fosters: *gratitude* for heavenly benefits
received, because the Eucharist is thanksgiving; *an
attitude of self-offering* which will impel them to unite
the offering of themselves to the Eucharistic offering of
Christ; *charity* nourished by a sacrament which is a sign
of unity and sharing; *the yearning to contemplate and bow
in adoration* before Christ who is really present under the
Eucharistic species".[146]
It is necessary and very urgent to rediscover, within
spiritual formation, *the beauty and joy of the Sacrament of
Penance.* In a culture which, through renewed and more
subtle forms of self- justification, runs the fatal risk of
losing the "sense of sin" and, as a result, the consoling
joy of the plea for forgiveness (cf. Ps 51:14) and of
meeting God who is "rich in mercy" (Eph 2:4), it is vital to
educate future priests to have the virtue of penance, which
the Church wisely nourishes in her celebrations and in the
seasons of the liturgical year, and which finds its fullness
in the sacrament of Reconciliation. From it flow the sense
of asceticism and interior discipline, a spirit of sacrifice
and self-denial, the acceptance of hard work and of the
Cross. These are elements of the spiritual life which often
prove to be particularly arduous for many candidates for the
priesthood who have grown up in relatively comfortable and
affluent circumstances and have been made less inclined and
open to these very elements by the models of behaviour and
ideals transmitted by the mass media; but this also happens
in countries where the conditions of life are poorer and
young people live in more austere situations. For this
reason, but above all in order to put into practice the
"radical self-giving" proper to the priest following the
example of Christ the Good Shepherd, the Synod Fathers
wrote: "It is necessary to inculcate the meaning of the
Cross, which is at the heart of the Paschal Mystery. Through
this identification with Christ crucified, as a slave, the
world can rediscover the value of austerity, of suffering
and also of martyrdom, within the present culture which is
imbued with secularism, greed and hedonism".[147]
49. Spiritual formation also involves seeking Christ in
people.
The spiritual life is, indeed, an interior life, a life
of intimacy with God, a life of prayer and contemplation.
But this very meeting with God, and with his fatherly love
for everyone, brings us face to face with the need to meet
our neighbour, to give ourselves to others, to serve in a
humble and disinterested fashion, following the example
which Jesus has proposed to everyone as a programme of life
when he washed the feet of the apostles: "I have given you
an example, that you also should do as I have done to you"
(Jn 13:15).
Formation which aims at giving oneself generously and
freely, which is something helped also by the communal
structure which preparation to the priesthood normally
takes, is a necessary condition for one who is called to be
a manifestation and image of the Good Shepherd who gives
life (cf. Jn 10:11, 15). From this point of view, spiritual
formation has and should develop its own inherent pastoral
and charitable dimension, and can profitably make use of a
proper devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one that is
both strong and tender. This is a point made by the Synod
Fathers: "When we speak of forming future priests in the
spirituality of the Heart of the Lord, we mean they should
lead lives that are a response to the love and affection of
Christ the Priest and Good Shepherd: to his love for the
Father in the Holy Spirit, and to his love towards men that
was so great as to lead him to give his life in sacrifice
for them".[148]
The priest is, therefore, a *man of charity,* and is
called to educate others according to Christ's example and
the new commandment of brotherly love (cf. Jn 15:12). But
this demands that he himself allow himself to be constantly
trained by the Spirit in the charity of Christ. In this
sense preparation for the priesthood must necessarily
involve a proper training in charity and particularly in the
preferential love for the "poor" in whom our faith discovers
Jesus (cf. Mt 25:40), and a merciful love for sinners.
In the general context of charity, which consists in the
loving gift of oneself, is to be found, in the programme of
spiritual formation of the future priest, *education in
obedience, celibacy* and *poverty.*[149] The Council offers
this invitation: "Students must clearly understand that it
is not their lot in life to lord it over others and enjoy
honours, but to devote themselves completely to the service
of God and the pastoral ministry. With special care they
should be trained in priestly obedience, poverty and a
spirit of self-denial, that they may accustom themselves to
living in conformity with the crucified Christ and to give
up willingly even those things which are lawful, but not
expedient".[150]
50. The spiritual formation of one who is called to live
celibacy should pay particular attention to preparing the
future priest so that he may *know, appreciate, love and
live celibacy according to its true nature* and according to
its real purposes, that is for evangelical, spiritual and
pastoral motives. The virtue of chastity is a premise for
this preparation and is its content. It colours all human
relations and leads "to experiencing and showing... a
sincere, human, fraternal and personal love, one that is
capable of sacrifice, following Christ's example, a love for
all and for each person".[151]
The celibacy of priests brings with it certain
characteristics, thanks to which they "renounce marriage for
the sake of the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 19:12) and hold
fast to their Lord with that undivided love which is
profoundly in harmony with the New Covenant; they bear
witness to the resurrection in a future life (cf. Lk 20:36)
and obtain the most useful assistance towards the constant
exercise of that perfect charity by which they can become
all things to all men in their priestly ministry".[152] And
so priestly celibacy should not be considered just as a
legal norm, or as a totally external condition for admission
to ordination, but rather as a value that is profoundly
connected with ordination, whereby a man takes on the
likeness of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd and Spouse of
the Church, and therefore as a choice of a greater and
undivided love for Christ and his Church, as a full and
joyful availability in his heart for the pastoral ministry.
Celibacy is to be considered as a special grace, as a gift,
for "not all men can receive this saying, but only those to
whom it is given" (Mt 19:11). Certainly it is a grace which
does not dispense with, but counts most definitely on, a
conscious and free response on the part of the receiver.
This charism of the Spirit also brings with it the grace for
the receiver to remain faithful to it for all his life and
be able to carry out generously and joyfully its concomitant
commitments. Formation in priestly celibacy should also
include helping people to be aware of the "precious gift of
God",[153] which will lead to prayer and to vigilance in
guarding the gift from anything which could put it under
threat.
Through his celibate life, the priest will be able to
fulfill better his ministry on behalf of the People of God.
In particular, as he witnesses to the evangelical value of
virginity, he will be able to aid Christian spouses to live
fully the "great sacrament" of the love of Christ the
Bridegroom for his Spouse the Church, just as his own
faithfulness to celibacy will help them to be faithful to
each other as husband and wife.[154]
The importance of a careful preparation for priestly
celibacy, especially in the social and cultural situations
that we see today, led the Synod Fathers to make a series of
requests which have a permanent value, as the wisdom of our
Mother the Church confirms. I authoritatively set them down
again as criteria to be followed in formation for chastity
in celibacy: "Let the Bishops together with the rectors and
spiritual directors of the seminaries establish principles,
offer criteria and give assistance for discernment in this
matter. Of the greatest importance for formation for
chastity in celibacy are the Bishop's concern and fraternal
life among priests. In the seminary, that is in the
programme of formation, celibacy should be presented
clearly, without any ambiguities and in a positive fashion.
The seminarian should have a sufficient degree of
psychological and sexual maturity as well as an assiduous
and authentic life of prayer, and he should put himself
under the direction of a spiritual father. The spiritual
director should help the seminarian so that he himself
reaches a mature and free decision, which is built on esteem
for priestly friendship and self-discipline, as well as on
the acceptance of solitude and on a physically and
psychologically sound personal state. Therefore, seminarians
should have a good knowledge of the teaching of the Second
Vatican Council, of the Encyclical "Sacerdotalis Coelibatus"
and the "Instruction for Formation in Priestly Celibacy"
published by the Congregation for Catholic Education in
1974. In order that the seminarian may be able to embrace
priestly celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven with a free
decision, he needs to know the Christian and truly human
nature and purpose of sexuality in marriage and in celibacy.
It is necessary also to instruct and educate the lay
faithful regarding the evangelical, spiritual and pastoral
reasons proper to priestly that they will help priests with
their friendship, understanding and cooperation".[155]
51. Intellectual formation has its own characteristics
but it is also deeply connected with, and indeed can be seen
as a necessary expression of, both human and spiritual
formation: it is a fundamental demand of man's intelligence
by which he "participates in the light of God's mind" and
seeks to acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is
directed towards knowing and adhering to God.[156]
The intellectual formation of candidates for the
priesthood finds its specific justification in the very
nature of the ordained ministry, and the challenge of the
"new evangelization" to which our Lord is calling the Church
on the threshold of the third millennium shows just how
important this formation is. "If we expect every
Christian--the Synod Fathers write to be prepared to make a
defence of the faith and to account for the hope that is in
us (cf. 1 Pt 3:15), then all the more should candidates for
the priesthood and priests have diligent care of the quality
of their intellectual formation in their education and
pastoral activity. For the salvation of their brothers and
sisters they should seek an ever deeper knowledge of the
divine mysteries".[157] The present situation is heavily
marked by religious indifference, by a widespread mistrust
regarding the real capacity of reason to reach objective and
universal truth, and by fresh problems and questions brought
up by scientific and technological discoveries. It strongly
demands a high level of intellectual formation, such as will
enable priests to proclaim, in a context like this, the
changeless Gospel of Christ and to make it credible to the
legitimate demands of human reason. Moreover, there is the
present phenomenon of pluralism which is very marked in the
field not only of human society but also of the community of
the Church herself. It demands special attention
to critical discernment: it is a further reason showing the
need for an extremely rigorous intellectual formation.
These "pastoral" reasons for intellectual formation
reconfirm what has been said above concerning the unity of
the educational process in its diverse aspects. The
commitment to study, which takes up no small part of the
time of those preparing for the priesthood, is not in fact
an external and secondary dimension of their human,
Christian, spiritual and vocational growth. In reality,
through study, especially the study of theology, the future
priest assents to the word of God, grows in his spiritual
life and prepares himself to fulfill his pastoral ministry.
This is the many- sided and unifying scope of the
theological study indicated by the Council[158] and
reproposed by the Synod's "Instrumentum Laboris": "To be
pastorally effective, intellectual formation is to be
integrated with a spirituality marked by a personal
experience of God. In this way a purely abstract approach to
knowledge is overcome in favour of that intelligence of
heart which knows how 'to look beyond', and then is in a
position to communicate the mystery of God to the
people".[159]
52. A crucial stage of intellectual formation is the
study of *philosophy,* which leads to a deeper understanding
and interpretation of the person, and of the person's
freedom and relationships with the world and with God. A
proper philosophical training is vital, not only because of
the links between the great philosophical questions and the
mysteries of salvation which are studied in theology under
the guidance of the higher light of faith,[160] but also
vis-a-vis an extremely widespread cultural situation which
emphasizes subjectivism as a criterion and measure of truth:
only a sound philosophy can help candidates for the
priesthood to develop a reflective awareness of the
fundamental relationship that exists between the human
spirit and truth, that truth which is revealed to us fully
in Jesus Christ. Nor must one underestimate the importance
of philosophy as a guarantee of that "certainty of truth"
which is the only firm basis for a total giving of oneself
to Jesus and to the Church. It is not difficult to see that
some very specific questions, such as that concerning the
priest's identity and his apostolic and missionary
commitment, are closely linked to the question about the
nature of truth, which is anything but an abstract question:
if we are not certain about the truth, how can we put our
whole life on the line, how can we have the strength to
challenge others' way of living?
Philosophy greatly helps the candidate to enrich his
intellectual formation in the "cult of truth", namely, in a
kind of *loving veneration of the truth,* which leads one to
recognize that the truth is not created or measured by man
but is given to man as a gift by the supreme Truth, God;
that, albeit in a limited way and often with difficulty,
human reason can reach objective and universal truth, even
that relating to God and the radical meaning of existence;
and that faith itself cannot do without reason and the
effort of "thinking through" its contents, as that great
mind Augustine bore witness: "I wished to see with my mind
what I have believed, and I have argued and laboured
greatly".[161]
For a deeper understanding of man and the phenomena and
lines of development of society, in relation to a pastoral
ministry which is as "incarnate" as possible, the so-called
*"human sciences"* can be of considerable use, sciences such
as sociology, psychology, education, economics and politics,
and the science of social communication. Also in the precise
field of the positive or descriptive sciences, these can
help the future priest prolong the living
"contemporaneousness" of Christ. As Paul VI once said,
"Christ became the contemporary of some men and spoke their
language. Our faithfulness to him demands that this
contemporaneousness should be maintained".[162]
53. The intellectual formation of the future priest is
based and built above all on the study of *sacred doctrine,*
of theology. The value and genuineness of this theological
formation depend on maintaining a scrupulous respect for the
nature of theology. The Synod Fathers summarised this as
follows: "True theology proceeds from the faith and aims at
leading to the faith".[163] This is the conception of
theology which has always been put forward by the Church
and, specifically, by her Magisterium. This is the line
followed by the great theologians who have enriched the
Church's thinking down the ages. Saint Thomas is extremely
clear when he affirms that the faith is as it were the
*habitus* of theology, that is, its permanent principle of
operation,[164] and that the whole of theology is ordered to
nourishing the faith.[165]
The theologian is therefore, first and foremost, a
believer, a man of faith. But he is a believer who asks
himself questions about his own faith (*fides quaerens
intellectum*), with the aim of reaching a deeper
understanding of the faith itself. The two aspects (of faith
and mature reflection) are intimately connected,
intertwined: their intimate coordination and
interpenetration are what makes for true theology, and as a
result decide the contents, modalities and spirit according
to which the sacred doctrine (*sacra doctrina*) is
elaborated and studied.
Moreover, since the faith, which is the point of
departure and the point of arrival of theology, brings about
a personal relationship between the believer and Jesus
Christ in the Church, theology also has intrinsic
Christological and ecclesial connotations, which the
candidate to the priesthood should take up consciously, not
only because of what they imply for his personal life but
also inasmuch as they affect his pastoral ministry. If our
faith truly welcomes the word of God, it will lead to a
radical "yes" on the part of the believer to Jesus Christ,
who is the full and definitive Word of God to the world (cf.
Heb 1:1ff.). As a result, theological reflection is centred
on adherence to Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God: mature
reflection has to be described as a sharing in the
"thinking" of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 2:16) in the human form of a
science (*scientia fidei*). At the same time, faith inserts
the believer in the Church and makes him partake in the life
of the Church as a community of faith. Hence theology has an
ecclesial dimension, because it is a mature reflection on
the faith of the Church by the theologian who is a member of
the Church.[166]
These Christological and ecclesial dimensions which are
connatural to theology, while they help candidates for the
priesthood grow in scientific precision, will also help them
develop a great and living love for Jesus Christ and for his
Church. This love will both nourish their spiritual life and
guide them to carry out their ministry with a generous
spirit. This was what the Second Vatican Council had in mind
when it called for a revision of ecclesiastical studies,
with a view to "a more effective coordination of philosophy
and theology so that they supplement one another in
revealing to the minds of the students with ever increasing
clarity the Mystery of Christ, which affects the whole
course of human history, exercises an unceasing influence on
the Church, and operates mainly through the ministry of the
priest".[167]
Intellectual formation in theology and formation in the
spiritual life, in particular the life of prayer, meet and
strengthen each other, without detracting in any way from
the soundness of research or from the spiritual tenor of
prayer. Saint Bonaventure reminds us: "Let no one think that
it is enough for him to read if he lacks devotion, or to
engage in speculation without spiritual joy, or to be active
if he has no piety, or to have knowledge without charity, or
intelligence without humility, or study without God's grace,
or to expect to know himself if he is lacking the infused
wisdom of God".[168]
54. Theological formation is both complex and demanding.
It should lead the candidate for the priesthood to *a
complete and unified vision* of the truths which God has
revealed in Jesus Christ and of the Church's experience of
faith. Hence the need both to know "all" the Christian
truths, without arbitrarily selecting among them, and to
know them in an orderly fashion. This means the candidate
needs to be helped to build a synthesis which will be the
result of the contributions of the different theological
disciplines, the specific nature of which acquires genuine
value only in their profound coordination.
In reflecting maturely upon the faith, theology moves in
two directions. The first is that of the *study of the word
of God:* the word set down in Holy Writ, celebrated and
lived in the living Tradition of the Church, and
authoritatively interpreted by the Church's Magisterium.
Hence the importance of studying Sacred Scripture "which
should be the soul, as it were, of all theology",[169] the
Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, the history of the
Church and the teachings of the Magisterium. The second
direction is that of *man, who converses with God:* man who
is called "to believe", "to live", "to communicate" to
others the *Christian faith* and *outlook.* Hence the study
of dogmatic and moral theology, of spiritual theology, of
canon law and of pastoral theology.
Because of its relationship to the believer theology is
led to pay particular attention both to the fundamental and
permanent question of the relationship between faith and
reason and to a number of requirements more closely related
to the social and cultural situation of today. In regard to
the first we have the study of fundamental theology, whose
object is the fact of Christian revelation and its
transmission in the Church. In regard to the second we have
disciplines which have been and are being developed as
responses to problems strongly felt nowadays. This is true
of the study of the Church's social doctrine which "belongs
to the field... of theology and, in particular, of moral
theology"[170] and is to be counted among the "essential
components" of the "new evangelization", of which it is an
instrument.[171] This is likewise true of the study of
missiology, ecumenism, Judaism, Islam and other religions.
55. Theological formation nowadays should pay attention to
*certain
problems* which not infrequently raise difficulties,
tensions and confusion within the life of the Church. One
can think of the *relationship between statements issued by
the Magisterium and theological discussion,* a relationship
which does not always take the shape it ought to have, that
is, within a framework of cooperation. It is indeed true
that "the living Magisterium of the Church and theology,
while having different gifts and functions, ultimately have
the same goal: preserving the People of God in the truth
which sets free and thereby making them 'a light to the
nations'. This service to the ecclesial community brings the
theologian and the Magisterium into a mutual relationship.
The latter authentically teaches the doctrine of the
Apostles. And, benefitting from the work of theologians, it
refutes objections to and distortions of the faith, and
promotes, with the authority received from Jesus Christ, new
and deeper comprehension, clarification, and application of
revealed doctrine. Theology, for its part, gains, by way of
reflection, an ever deeper understanding of the word of God
found in the Scripture and handed on faithfully by the
Church's living Tradition under the guidance of the
Magisterium. Theology strives to clarify the teaching of
Revelation with regard to reason and gives it finally an
organic and systematic form".[172] When, for a number of
reasons, this cooperation is lacking, one needs to avoid
misunderstandings and confusion, and to know how to
distinguish carefully "the common teaching of the Church
from the opinions of theologians and from tendencies which
quickly pass (the so-called 'trends')".[173] There is no
"parallel" magisterium, for the one Magisterium is that of
Peter and the Apostles, the Pope and the Bishops.[174]
Another problem, which is experienced especially when
seminary studies are entrusted to academic institutions, is
that of the *relationship between high scientific standards
in theology and its pastoral aim.* This raises the issue of
the pastoral nature of theology. It is a question, really,
of two characteristics of theology and how it is to be
taught which are not only not opposed to each other, but
which work together, from different angles, in favour of a
more complete "understanding of the faith". In fact the
pastoral nature of theology does not mean that it should be
less doctrinal or that it should be completely stripped of
its scientific nature. It means, rather, that it enables
future priests to proclaim the Gospel message through the
cultural modes of their age and to direct pastoral action
according to an authentic theological vision. Hence, on the
one hand, a respectful study of the genuine scientific
quality of the individual disciplines of theology will help
provide a more complete and deeper training of the pastor of
souls as a teacher of faith. And, on the other hand, an
appropriate awareness that there is a pastoral goal in view
will help the serious and scientific study of theology be
more formative for future priests.
A further problem that is strongly felt these days is
the demand for the *evangelization of cultures* and the
*inculturation of the message of faith.* An eminently
pastoral problem, this should enter more broadly and
carefully into the formation of the candidates to the
priesthood: "In the present circumstances in which, in a
number of regions of the world, the Christian religion is
considered as something foreign to cultures (be they ancient
or modern), it is very important that in the Whole
intellectual and human formation the dimension of
inculturation be seen as necessary and essential".[175] But
this means we need a genuine theology, inspired by the
Catholic principles on inculturation. These principles are
linked with the mystery of the incarnation of the Word of
God and with Christian anthropology and thus illumine the
authentic meaning of inculturation. In the face of all the
different and at times contrasting cultures present in the
various parts of the world, inculturation seeks to obey
Christ's command to preach the Gospel to all nations even
unto the ends of the earth. Such obedience does not signify
either syncretism or a simple adaptation of the announcement
of the Gospel, but rather the fact that the Gospel
penetrates the very life of cultures, becomes incarnate in
them, overcoming those cultural elements that are
incompatible With the faith and Christian living and raising
their values to the mystery of salvation which comes from
Christ.[176] The problem of inculturation can have a
particularly great interest when the candidates to the
priesthood are themselves coming from indigenous cultures.
In that case, they will need to find suitable ways of
formation, both to overcome the danger of being less
demanding and to proper use of the good and genuine elements
of their own cultures and traditions.[177]
56. Following the teaching and the indications of the
Second Vatican Council and their application in the "Ratio
Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis," the Church
decided upon a vast updating of the teaching of the
philosophical and especially theological disciplines in
seminaries. This updating, which in some cases still needs
amendments and developments, has on the whole helped to make
the education available a more effective medium for
intellectual formation. In this respect "the Synod Fathers
have confirmed once again, frequently and clearly, the
need--indeed the urgency--to put the basic study plan (both
the general one which applies to the Church worldwide, and
those of the individual nations or Episcopal Conferences)
into effect in seminaries and in houses of formation".[178]
It is necessary to oppose firmly the tendency to play
down the seriousness of studies and the commitment to them.
This tendency is showing itself in certain spheres of the
Church, also as a consequence of the insufficient and
defective basic education of students beginning the
philosophical and theological curriculum. The very situation
of the Church today demands increasingly that teachers be
truly able to face the complexity of the times and that they
be in a position to face competently, with clarity and deep
reasoning, the questions about meaning which are put by the
people of today, questions which can only receive a full and
definitive reply in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
57. The whole formation imparted to candidates for the
priesthood aims at preparing them to enter into communion
with the charity of Christ the Good Shepherd. Hence, their
formation in its different aspects must have a fundamentally
pastoral character. The Council's Decree "Optatam Totius"
states so clearly when speaking of Major Seminaries: "The
whole training of the students should have as its object to
make them *true shepherds of souls after the example of our
Lord Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and shepherd.* Hence,
they should be trained for the ministry of the word so that
they may gain an ever increasing understanding of the
revealed word of God, making it their own by meditation, and
giving it expression in their speech and in their lives.
They should be trained for the ministry of worship and
sanctification, so that by prayer and the celebration of the
sacred liturgical functions they may carry on the work of
salvation through the Eucharistic sacrifice and the
sacraments. They should be trained to undertake the
ministry of the shepherd, that they may know how to
represent Christ to humanity, Christ who 'did not come to
have service done to him but to serve others and to give his
life as a ransom for the lives of many' (Mk 10:45; Jn
13:12-17), and that they may win over many by becoming the
servants of all (1 Cor 9:19)".[179]
The Council text insists upon the coordination of the
different aspects of human, spiritual, and intellectual
formation. At the same time it stresses that they are all
directed to a specific pastoral end. This pastoral aim
ensures that the human, spiritual and intellectual formation
has certain precise content and characteristics; it also
unifies and gives specificity to the whole formation of
future priests.
Like all other branches of formation, pastoral formation
develops by means of mature reflection and practical
application, and it is rooted in a spirit, which is the
hinge of all and the force which stimulates it and makes it
develop.
It needs to be studied therefore as the true and genuine
theological
discipline that it is: *pastoral or practical theology.* It
is a scientific reflection on the Church as she is built up
daily, by the power of the Spirit, in history; on the Church
as the "universal sacrament of salvation",[180] as a living
sign and instrument of the salvation wrought by Christ
through the word, the sacraments and the service of charity.
Pastoral theology is not just an art. Nor is it a set of
exhortations, experiences and methods. It is theological in
its own right, because it receives from the faith the
principles and criteria for the pastoral action of the
Church in history, a Church that each day "begets" the
Church herself, to quote the felicitous expression of the
Venerable Bede: "Nam et Ecclesia quotidie gignit
Ecclesiam"[181] Among these principles and criteria one that
is specially important is that of the evangelical
discernment of the socio-cultural and ecclesial situation in
which the particular pastoral action has to be carried out.
The study of pastoral theology should throw light upon
its *practical application* through involvement in certain
pastoral services which the candidates to the priesthood
should carry out, with a necessary progression and always in
harmony with their other educational commitments. It is a
question of pastoral "experiences", which can come together
in a real programme of "pastoral training", which can last a
considerable amount of time and the usefulness of which will
itself need to be checked in an orderly manner.
Pastoral study and action direct one to an inner source,
which the work of formation will take care to guard and make
good use of: this is the *ever deeper communion with the
pastoral charity of Jesus,* which, just as it was the
principle and driving force of his salvific action,
likewise, thanks to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the
Sacrament of Orders, should constitute the principle and
driving force of the priestly ministry. It is a question of
a type of formation meant not only to ensure scientific,
pastoral competence and practical skill, but also and
especially a *way of being* in communion with the very
sentiments and behaviour of Christ the Good Shepherd: "Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus"
(Phil 2:5).
58. And so pastoral formation certainly cannot be
reduced to a mere apprenticeship, aiming to make the
candidate familiar with some pastoral
techniques. The seminary which educates must seek really and
truly to initiate the candidate into the sensitivity of
being a shepherd, in the conscious and mature assumption of
his responsibilities, in the interior habit of evaluating
problems and establishing priorities and looking for
solutions on the basis of honest motivations of faith and
according to the theological demands inherent in pastoral
work.
Thanks to an initial and gradual experience of ministry,
future priests will be able to be inserted into the living
pastoral tradition of their particular Church. They will
learn to open the horizon of their mind and heart to the
missionary dimension of the Church's life. They will get
practice in some initial forms of cooperation with one
another and with the priests alongside whom they will be
sent to work. These priests have a considerably important
role, in union with the seminary programme, in showing the
candidates how they should go about pastoral work.
When it comes to choosing places and services in which
candidates can obtain their pastoral experience, the parish
should be given particular importance,[182] for it is a
living cell of local and specialized pastoral work, in which
they will find themselves faced with the kind of problems
they will meet in their future ministry. The Synod Fathers
have proposed a number of concrete examples, such as visits
to the sick; caring for immigrants, refugees and nomads; and
various social works which can be expressions of charitable
zeal. Specifically, they write: "The priest must be a
witness of the charity of Christ himself who 'went about
doing good' (Acts 10:38). He must also be a visible sign of
the solicitude of the Church who is Mother and Teacher. And
given that man today is affected by so many hardships,
especially those who are sunk in inhuman poverty, blind
violence and unjust power, it is necessary that the man of
God who is to be equipped for every good work (cf. 2 Tim
3:17), should defend the rights and dignity of man.
Nevertheless, he should be careful not to adopt false
ideologies, nor should he forget, as he strives to promote
its perfecting, that the only redemption of the world is
that effected by the Cross of Christ".[183]
These and other pastoral activities will teach the
future priest to live out as a "service" his own mission of
"authority" in the community, setting aside all attitudes of
superiority or of exercising a power if it is not simply
that which is justified by pastoral charity.
If the training is to be suitable, the different
experiences which candidates for the priesthood have should
assume a clear "ministerial" character, and should be
intimately linked with all the demands that befit
preparation to the priesthood and (certainly not neglecting
their studies) in relation to the services of the
proclamation of the word, of worship and of leadership.
These services can become a specific way of experiencing the
ministries of Lector, Acolyte and Deacon.
59. Since pastoral action is destined by its very nature
to enliven the Church, which is essentially "mystery",
"communion" and "mission", pastoral formation should be
aware of and should live these ecclesial aspects in the
exercise of the ministry.
Of fundamental importance is awareness that the Church
is a "mystery", that is, a divine work, fruit of the Spirit
of Christ, an effective sign of grace, the presence of the
Trinity in the Christian community. This awareness, while
never lessening the pastor's genuine sense of
responsibility, will convince him that the Church grows
thanks to the gratuitous work of the Spirit and that his
service thanks to the very grace of God that is entrusted to
the free responsibility of man--is the Gospel service of the
"unworthy servant" (cf. Lk 17:10).
Awareness of the *Church* as *"communion"* will prepare
the candidate for the priesthood to carry out his pastoral
work with a community spirit, in heartfelt cooperation with
the different members of the Church: priests and Bishop,
diocesan and religious priests, priests and lay people. Such
a cooperation presupposes a knowledge and appreciation of
the different gifts and charisms, of the diverse vocations
and responsibilities which the Spirit offers and entrusts to
the members of Christ's Body. It demands a living and
precise consciousness of one's own identity in the Church
and of the identity of others. It demands mutual trust,
patience, gentleness and the capacity for understanding and
expectation. It finds it roots above all in a love for the
Church that is deeper than love for self and the group or
groups one may belong to. It is particularly important to
prepare future priests for *cooperation with the laity.* The
Council says, "they should be willing to listen to lay
people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes and
recognize their experience and competence in the different
fields of human activity. In this way they will be able to
recognize with them the signs of the times".[184] The recent
Synod too has insisted upon pastoral solicitude for the
laity: "The student should become capable of proposing and
introducing the lay faithful, the young especially, to the
different vocations (marriage, social services, apostolate,
ministries and other responsibilities in pastoral activity,
the consecrated life, involvement in political and social
leadership, scientific research, teaching). Above all it is
necessary that he be able to teach and support the laity in
their vocation to be present in and to transform the world
with the light of the Gospel, by recognizing this task of
theirs and showing respect for it".[185]
Lastly, awareness of the Church as a *"missionary"
communion* will help the candidate for the priesthood to
love and live the essential missionary dimension of the
Church and her different pastoral activities. He should be
open and available to all the possibilities offered today
for the proclamation of the Gospel, not forgetting the
valuable service which can and should be given by the
media.[186] He should prepare himself for a ministry which
may mean in practice that his readiness to follow the
indications of the Holy Spirit and of his Bishop will lead
him to be sent to preach the Gospel even beyond the
frontiers of his own country.[187]
60. *The need* for the Major Seminary--and by analogy
for the Religious House for the formation of candidates for
the priesthood, was affirmed with authority by the Second
Vatican Council[188] and has been *reaffirmed by the Synod*
as follows: "The institution of the Major Seminary, as the
best place for formation, is to be certainly reaffirmed as
the normal place, in the material sense as well, for a
community and hierarchical life, indeed as the proper home
for the formation of candidates for the priesthood, with
superiors who are truly dedicated to this service. This
institution has produced many good results down the ages and
continues to do so all over the world".[189]
The seminary can be seen as a place and a period in
life. But it is above all an *educational community in
progress:* it is a community established by the Bishop to
offer to those called by the Lord to serve as Apostles the
possibility of re-living the experience of formation which
our Lord provided for the Twelve. In fact, the Gospels
present a prolonged and intimate sharing of life with Jesus
as a necessary premise for the apostolic ministry. Such an
experience demands of the Twelve the practice of detachment
in a particularly clear and specific fashion, a detachment
that in some way is demanded of all the disciples, a
detachment from their roots, from their usual work, from
their nearest and dearest (cf. Mk 1:16-20; 10: 28; Lk 9:23,
57-62; 14:25- 27). On several occasions we have referred to
the Marcan tradition which stresses the deep link that
unites the Apostles to Christ and to one another: before
being sent out to preach and to heal, they are called "to be
with him" (Mk 3:14).
In its deepest identity the seminary is called to be, in
its own way, a *continuation in the Church of the apostolic
community gathered about Jesus,* listening to his word,
proceeding towards the Easter experience, awaiting the gift
of the Spirit for the mission. Such an identity constitutes
the normative ideal which stimulates the seminary, in the
many diverse forms and varied aspects which it assumes
historically as a *human institution,* to find a concrete
realization, faithful to the gospel
values from which it takes its inspiration, and able to
respond to the situations and needs of the times.
The seminary is, in itself, *an original experience of
the Church's life.* In it the Bishop is present through the
ministry of the rector and the service of co-responsibility
and communion fostered by him with the other teachers, for
the sake of the pastoral and apostolic growth of the
students. The various members of the seminary community,
gathered by the Spirit into a single brotherhood, cooperate,
each according to his own gift, in the growth of all in
faith and charity, so that they may prepare suitably for the
priesthood and so prolong in the Church and in history the
saving presence of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
From the human point of view, the Major Seminary should
strive to become "a community built on deep friendship and
charity, so that it can be considered a true family living
in joy".[190] As a Christian institution, the Seminary
should become--as the Synod Fathers continue an "ecclesial
community", a "community of the disciples of the Lord in
which the one same Liturgy (which imbues life with a spirit
of prayer) is celebrated, a community moulded daily in the
reading and meditation of the word of God and with the
Sacrament of the Eucharist and in the practice of fraternal
charity and justice, a community in which, as its life and
the life of each of its members progresses, there shine
forth the Spirit of Christ and love for the Church".[191]
This ecclesial aspect of the Seminary is confirmed and
concretized by the Fathers when they add: "As an ecclesial
community, be it diocesan or interdiocesan, or even
religious, the Seminary should nourish the meaning of
communion between the candidates and their Bishop and
Presbyterate, in such a way that they share in their hopes
and anxieties and learn to extend this openness to the needs
of the universal Church".[192]
It is essential for the formation of candidates for the
priesthood and the pastoral ministry, which by its very
nature is ecclesial, that the Seminary should be experienced
not as something external and superficial, or simply a place
in which to live and study, but in an interior and profound
way. It should be experienced as a community, a specifically
ecclesial community, a community that re-lives the
experience of the group of Twelve who were united to
Jesus.[193]
61. The Seminary is, therefore, an *educational
ecclesial community,* indeed a particular educating
community. And it is the specific goal which determines its
physiognomy: the vocational accompanying of future priests,
and therefore discernment of a vocation, the help to respond
to it and the preparation to receive the Sacrament of Orders
with its own graces and responsibilities, by which the
priest is configured to Jesus Christ Head and Shepherd and
is enabled and committed to share the mission of salvation
in the Church and in the world.
Inasmuch as it is an educating community, the Seminary
and its entire life, in all its different expressions, is
*committed to formation,* the human, spiritual, intellectual
and pastoral formation of future priests. Although this
formation has many aspects in common with the human and
Christian formation of all the members of the Church, it
has, nevertheless, contents, modalities and characteristics
which relate specifically to the aim of preparation for the
priesthood.
The content and form of the educational work require
that the Seminary should have a precise *programme,* a
programme of life characterized by its being organized and
unified, by its being in harmony or correspondence with one
aim which justifies the existence of the Seminary:
preparation of future priests.
In this regard, the Synod Fathers write: "As an
educational community, (the Seminary) should follow a
clearly defined programme which will have, as a
characteristic, a unity of leadership expressed in the
figure of the Rector and his cooperators, a consistency in
the ordering of life,
formational activity and the fundamental demands of
community life, which also involves the essential aspects of
the task of formation. This programme should be at the
service of the specific finality which alone justifies the
existence of the Seminary and it should do so without
hesitation or ambiguity. That aim is the formation of future
priests, pastors of the Church".[194] And in order to ensure
that the programming is truly apt and effective, the
fundamental outlines of the programme will have to be
translated into more concrete details, with the help of
particular norms that are aimed at regulating community
life, establishing certain precise instruments and
timetables.
A further aspect is to be stressed here: the educational
work is by
its nature an accompanying of specific individual persons
who are proceeding to a choice of and commitment to precise
ideals of life. For this very reason, the work of education
should be able to bring together into an harmonious whole a
clear statement of the goal to be achieved, the requirement
that candidates proceed seriously towards the goal, and
thirdly attention to the "journeyer", that is the individual
person who is embarked on this adventure, and therefore
attention to a series of situations, problems, difficulties,
and different rates of progress and growth. This requires a
wise flexibility. And this does not mean compromising,
either as regards values or as regards the conscious and
free commitment of the candidates. What it does mean is a
true love and a sincere respect for the person who, in
conditions which are very personal, is proceeding towards
the priesthood. This applies not only to individual
candidates, but also to the diverse social and cultural
contexts in which seminaries exist and to the different life
histories which they have. In this sense *the educational
work requires continual renewal.* The Synod Fathers have
brought this out forcefully also when speaking about the
structure of Seminaries: "Without questioning the validity
of the classical forms of Seminaries, the Synod desires that
the work of consultation of the Episcopal Conferences on the
present day needs of formation should proceed as is
established in the Decree "Optatam Totius," (No. 1) and in
the 1967 Synod. The "Rationes" of the different nations or
rites should be revised where opportune, whether on the
occasion of requests made by the Episcopal Conferences or in
relation to Apostolic Visitations of the Seminaries of
different countries, in order to bring into them diverse
forms of formation that have proved successful, as well as
to respond to the needs of people with so-called indigenous
cultures, the needs of the vocations of adult men, and the
needs of vocations for the missions, etc."[195]
62. The purpose and specific educational form of the Major
Seminary
demand that candidates for the priesthood have *a certain
prior preparation* before entering it. Such preparation, at
least until a few decades ago, did not create particular
problems. In those days most candidates to the priesthood
came from Minor Seminaries, and the Christian life of the
community offered all, in general, a suitable Christian
instruction and education.
The situation in many places has changed. There is a
considerable discrepancy between, on the one hand, the style
of life and basic preparation of boys, adolescents and young
men, even when they are Christians and at times have been
involved in Church life, and, on the other hand, the style
of life of the Seminary with its formational demands.
In this context, together with the Synod Fathers I ask
that there be a sufficient period of preparation prior to
Seminary formation: "It is a good thing that there be a
period of human, Christian, intellectual and spiritual
preparation for the candidates to the Major Seminary. These
candidates should, however, have certain qualities: a right
intention, a sufficient degree of human maturity, a
sufficiently broad knowledge of the doctrine of the faith,
some introduction into the methods of prayer, and behaviour
in conformity with Christian tradition. They should also
have attitudes proper to their regions, through which they
can express their
effort to find God and the faith (cf. "Evangelii Nuntiandi,"
No. 48)".[196]
The "sufficiently broad knowledge of the doctrine of the
faith" which the Synod Fathers mention is a primary
condition for theology. It simply is not possible to develop
an *"intelligentia fidei"* (an understanding of the faith),
if the content of the *"fides"* is not known. Such a gap can
be filled more easily when the forthcoming "Universal
Catechism" appears.
While there is increasing consensus regarding the need
for preparation prior to the Major Seminary, there are
different ideas as to what such preparation should contain
and what its characteristics should be: should it be
directed mainly to spiritual formation to discern the
vocation or to intellectual and cultural formation? On the
other hand, we cannot overlook the many and deep diversities
that exist, not only among the individual candidates, but
also in the different regions and countries. This implies
the need for a period of study and experimentation in order
to define as clearly and suitably as possible the different
elements of this prior preparation or *"propaedeutic
period"*: the duration, place, form, subject matter of this
period, all of which will have t~ be coordinated with
the subsequent years of formation offered by the Seminary.
In this sense I take up and propose to the Congregation
for Catholic Education a request expressed by the Synod
Fathers: "The Synod asks that the Congregation for Catholic
Education gather all the information on experiments of such
initial formation that have been done or are being done. At
a suitable time, the Congregation is requested to
communicate its findings on this matter to the Episcopal
Conferences".[197]
63. As long experience shows, a priestly vocation tends
to show itself in the pre-adolescent years or in the
earliest years of youth. Even in people who decide to enter
the seminary later on it is not infrequent to find that
God's call had been perceived much earlier. The Church's
history gives constant witness of calls which the Lord
directs to people of tender age. Saint Thomas, for example,
explains Jesus' special love for Saint John the Apostle
"because of his tender age" and draws the following
conclusion: "This explains that God loves in a special way
those who give themselves to his service from their earliest
youth".[198]
The Church looks after these seeds of vocations sown in
the hearts of children, by means of the institution of Minor
Seminaries, providing a careful though preliminary
discernment and accompaniment. In a number of parts of the
world, these Seminaries continue to carry out a valuable
educational work, the aim of which is to protect and develop
the seeds of a priestly vocation, so that the students may
more easily recognize it and be in a better position to
respond to it. The educational goal of such Seminaries tends
to favour in a timely and gradual way the human, cultural
and spiritual formation which will lead the young person to
embark on the path of the Major Seminary with an adequate
and solid foundation. *"To be prepared to follow Christ the
Redeemer with generous souls and pure hearts"*: this is the
purpose of the Minor Seminary as indicated by the Council in
the Decree "Optatam Totius," which thus outlines its
educational aspect: the students "under the fatherly
supervision of the superiors, the parents too playing their
appropriate part, should lead lives suited to the age,
mentality and development of young people. Their way of life
should be fully in keeping with the standards of sound
psychology and should include suitable experience of the
ordinary affairs of daily life and contact with their own
families".[199]
The Minor Seminary can also be in the Diocese a reference
point for
vocation work, with suitable forms of welcome and the
offering of opportunities for information to adolescents who
are looking into the possibility of a vocation or who,
having already made up their mind to follow their vocation,
have to delay entry into the Seminary for various family or
educational reasons.
64. In those cases where it is not possible to run Minor
Seminaries
(which "in many regions seem necessary and very useful"),
other "institutions" need to be provided, as for example
*vocational groups* for adolescents and young people.[200]
While they lack the quality of permanence, such groups can
offer a systematic guide, in a community context, with which
to check the existence and development of vocations. While
such young people live at home and take part in the
activities of the Christian community which helps them along
the path of formation, they should not be left alone. They
need a particular group or community to refer to, and where
they can find support to follow through the specific
vocational journey which the gift of the Holy Spirit has
initiated in them.
We should also mention the phenomenon of *priestly
vocations* arising among people *of adult age,* after some
years of experience of lay life and professional
involvement. This phenomenon, while not new in the Church's
history, at present appears with some novel features and
with a certain frequency. It is not always possible and
often it is not even convenient to invite adults to follow
the educative itinerary of the Major
Seminary. Rather, after a careful discernment of the
genuineness of such vocations, what needs to be provided is
some kind of specific programme to accompany them with
formation in order to ensure, bearing in mind all the
suitable adaptations, that such persons receive the
spiritual and intellectual formation they require. A
suitable relationship with other candidates to the
priesthood and periods spent in the community of the Major
Seminary can be a way of guaranteeing that these vocations
are fully inserted in the one presbyterate and are in
intimate and heartfelt communion with it.[201]
65. Given that the formation of candidates for the
priesthood belongs
to the Church's pastoral care of vocations, it must be said
that *the Church as such is the communal subject* which has
the grace and responsibility to accompany those whom the
Lord calls to becomes his ministers in the priesthood.
In this sense the appreciation of the mystery of the
Church helps us to establish more precisely the place and
role which her different members have--be it individually or
as members of a body--in the formation of candidates for the
priesthood.
The Church is by her very nature the "memorial" or
"sacrament" of the presence and action of Jesus Christ in
our midst and on our behalf. The call to the priesthood
depends on his saving presence: not only the call, but also
the accompanying so that the person called can recognize the
Lord's grace and respond to it freely and lovingly.
It is the Spirit of Jesus that throws light on and gives
strength to vocational discernment and the journey to the
priesthood. So we can say that *there cannot exist any
genuine formational work for the priesthood without the
influence of the Spirit of Christ.* Every one involved in
the work of formation should be fully aware of this. How can
we fail to appreciate this utterly gratuitous and completely
effective "resource", which has its own decisive "weight" in
the effort to train people for the priesthood? How can we
not rejoice when we consider the dignity of every human
being involved in formation, who for the candidate to the
priesthood becomes, as it were, the visible representative
of Christ? If training for the priesthood is, as it should
be, essentially the preparation of future "shepherds" in the
likeness of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, who better than
Jesus himself, through the outpouring of his Spirit, can
give them and fully develop in them that pastoral charity
which he himself lived to the point of total self-giving
(cf. Jn 15:13; 10:11) and which he wishes all priests to
live in their turn?
The first representative of Christ in priestly formation
is the Bishop. What Mark the Evangelist tells us, in the
text we have already quoted more than once, can be applied
to the Bishop, to every Bishop: "He called to him those whom
he desired; and *they came to him.* And he appointed twelve
*to be with him,* and to be sent out..." (Mk 3:13-14). The
truth is that the interior call of the Spirit needs to be
recognized as the authentic call of the Bishop. Just as all
can *"go" to the Bishop,* because he is Shepherd and Father
to all, his priests who share with him the one priesthood
and ministry can do so in a special way: the Bishop, the
Council tells us, should consider them and treat them as
"brothers and friends".[202] By analogy the same can be said
of those who are preparing for the priesthood. As for "being
with him", with the Bishop, the Bishop should make a point
of visiting them often and in some way "being" with them, as
a way of giving significant expression to his responsibility
for the formation of candidates for the priesthood.
The presence of the Bishop is especially valuable, not
only because it helps the seminary community live its
insertion in the particular Church and its communion with
the Pastor who guides it, but also because it verifies and
encourages the pastoral purpose which is what specifies the
entire formation of candidates for the priesthood. In
particular, with his presence and by his sharing with
candidates for the priesthood all that has to do with the
pastoral progress of the particular Church, the Bishop
offers a fundamental contribution to formation in the
"sensus Ecclesiae", as a central spiritual and pastoral
value in the exercise of the priestly ministry.
66. The educational community of the Seminary is built
round the various people involved in formation: the rector,
the spiritual father or spiritual director, the superiors
and professors. These people should feel profoundly united
to the Bishop, whom they represent in their different roles
and in various ways. They should also maintain among
themselves a frank and genuine communion. The unity of the
educators not only helps the educational programme to be put
into practice properly, but also and above all it offers
candidates for the priesthood a significant example and a
practical introduction to that ecclesial communion which is
a fundamental value of Christian living and of the pastoral
ministry.
It is evident that much of the effectiveness of the
training offered depends on the maturity and strength of
personality of those entrusted with formation, both from the
human and from the Gospel points of view. And so it is
especially important, both *to select them carefully* and to
encourage them to become ever *more suitable for carrying
out the task entrusted* to them. The Synod Fathers were very
aware that the future of the preparation of candidates for
the priesthood depends on the choice and formation of those
entrusted with the work of formation, and so they describe
at length the qualities sought for in them. Specifically
they wrote: "The task of formation of candidates for the
priesthood requires not only a certain special preparation
of those to whom this work is entrusted, one that is
professional, pedagogical, spiritual, human and theological,
but also a spirit of communion and of cooperating together
to carry out the programme, so that the unity of the
pastoral action of the Seminary is always maintained under
the leadership of the rector. The body of formation
personnel should witness to a truly evangelical lifestyle
and total dedication to the Lord. It should enjoy a certain
stability and its members as a rule should live in the
Seminary community. They should be intimately joined to the
Bishop, who is the first one responsible for the formation
of the priests".[203]
The Bishops first of all should feel their grave
responsibility for the formation of those who have been
given the task of educating future priests. For this
ministry, priests of exemplary life should be chosen, men
with a number of qualities: "human and spiritual maturity,
pastoral experience, professional competence, stability in
their own vocation, a capacity to work with others, serious
preparation in those human sciences (psychology especially)
which relate to their office, a knowledge of how to work in
groups".[204]
While safeguarding the distinctions between internal and
external forum, and maintaining a suitable freedom in the
choice of confessors and the prudence and discretion which
should be a feature of the ministry of the spiritual
director, the priestly community of teachers should feel
united in the responsibility of educating candidates for the
priesthood. It is their duty, always with regard to the
authoritative evaluation made by the Bishop and the rector
together, to foster and verify in the first place the
suitability of the candidates in regard to their spiritual,
human and intellectual endowments, above all in regard to
their spirit of prayer, their deep assimilation of the
doctrine of the faith, their capacity for true fraternity
and the charism of celibacy.[205]
Bearing in mind (as the Synod Fathers have indeed done)
the indications of the Exhortation "Christifideles
Laici"[206] and of the Apostolic Letter "Mulieris
Dignitatem," which stress the suitability of a healthy
influence of lay spirituality and of the charism of
femininity in every educational itinerary, it is worthwhile
to involve, in ways that are prudent and adapted to the
different cultural contexts, the cooperation also of *lay
faithful, both men and women,* in the work of training
future priests. They are to be selected with care, within
the framework of Church laws and according to their
particular charisms and proven competence. We can expect
beneficial fruits from their cooperation, provided it is
suitably coordinated and integrated in the primary
educational responsibilities of those entrusted with the
formation of future priests, fruits for a balanced growth of
the sense of the Church and a more precise perception of
what it is to be a priest on the part of the candidates to
the priesthood.[207]
67. Those who by their teaching of theology introduce future
priests
to *sacred doctrine* and accompany them in it have a
particular educational responsibility. Experience teaches
that they often have a greater influence on the development
of the priest's personality than other educators.
The responsibility of the *teachers of theology* will
lead them, even before they consider the teaching
relationship they are to establish with candidates for the
priesthood, to look into the concept they themselves should
have of the nature of theology and the priestly ministry,
and also of the spirit and style in which they should carry
out their teaching of theology. In this sense the Synod
Fathers have rightly affirmed that "the theologian must
never forget that as a teacher he is not presenting his
personal doctrines but opening to and communicating to
others the understanding of the faith, in the last analysis
in the name of the Lord and his Church. In such a way, the
theologian, using all the methods and techniques provided by
his science, carries out his task at the mandate of the
Church and cooperates with the Bishop in his task of
teaching. Since theologians and Bishops are at the service
of the Church herself in promoting the faith, they should
develop and foster trust in each other and, in this spirit,
overcome tensions and conflicts (for fuller treatment, cf.
Instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith on "The Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian)."[208]
The teacher of theology, like any other teacher, should
remain in communion and sincerely cooperate with all the
other people who are involved in the formation of future
priests, and offer with scientific precision, generosity,
humility and enthusiasm his own original and expert
contribution, which is not simply the communication of
doctrine--even though it be *sacred doctrine*-- but is above
all the presentation of the point of view which unifies, in
the plan of God, all the different branches of human
knowledge and the various expressions of life.
In particular, the formative effect of the teachers of
theology will depend, above all, on whether they are "men of
faith who are full of love for the Church, convinced that
the one who really knows the Christian mystery is the Church
as such and, therefore, that their task of teaching is
really and truly an ecclesial ministry, men who have a
richly developed pastoral sense which enables them to
discern not only content but forms that are suitable for the
exercise of their ministry. In particular, what is expected
of the teachers is total fidelity to the Magisterium; for
they teach in the name of the Church, and because of this
they are witnesses to the faith.[209]
68. The communities from which the candidate for the
priesthood comes continue, albeit with the necessary
detachment which is involved by the choice of a vocation, to
bear considerable influence on the formation of the future
priest. They should therefore be aware of their specific
share of responsibility.
Let us mention first of all *the family*: Christian
parents, as also brothers and sisters and the other members
of the family, should never seek to call back the future
priest within the narrow confines of a too human (if not
worldly) logic, no matter how supported by sincere affection
that logic may be (cf. Mk 3:20-21, 31-35). Instead, driven
by the same desire "to fulfill the will of God", they should
accompany the formative journey with prayer, respect, the
good example of the domestic virtues and spiritual and
material help, especially in difficult moments. Experience
teaches that, in so many cases, this multiple help has
proved decisive for candidates for the priesthood. Even in
the case of parents or relatives who are indifferent or
opposed to the choice of a vocation, a clear and calm facing
of the situation and the encouragement which derives from it
can be a great help to the deeper and more determined
maturing of a priestly vocation.
Closely linked with the families is the *parish
community.* Both it and the family are connected in
education in the faith. Often, afterwards, the parish, with
its specific pastoral care for young people and vocations,
supplements the family's role. Above all, inasmuch as it is
the most immediate local expression of the mystery of the
Church, the parish offers an original and especially
valuable contribution to the formation of a future priest.
The parish community should continue to feel that the young
man on his way to the priesthood is a living part of itself;
it should accompany him with its prayer, give him a cordial
welcome during the holiday periods, respect and encourage
him to form himself in his identity as a priest, and offer
him suitable opportunities and strong encouragement to try
out his vocation for the priestly mission.
*Associations and youth movements,* which are a sign and
confirmation of the vitality which the Spirit guarantees to
the Church, can and should contribute also to the formation
of candidates for the priesthood, in particular of those who
are the product of the Christian, spiritual and apostolic
experience of these groups. Young people who have received
their basic formation in such groups and look to them for
their experience of the Church should not feel they are
being asked to uproot themselves from their past or to break
their links with the environment which has contributed to
their decision to respond to their vocation, nor should they
erase the characteristic traits of the spirituality which
they have learned and lived there, in all that they contain
that is good, edifying and rich.[210] For them too, this
environment from which they come continues to be a source of
help and support on the path of formation towards the
priesthood.
The Spirit offers to many young people opportunities to
be educated in the faith and to grow as Christians and as
members of the Church through many kinds of groups,
movements and associations inspired in different ways by the
Gospel message. These should be felt and lived as a
nourishing gift of a soul within the institution and at its
service. A movement or a particular spirituality "is not an
alternative structure to the institution. It is rather a
source of a presence which constantly regenerates the
existential and historical authenticity of the institution
The priest should therefore find within a movement the light
and warmth which make him capable of fidelity to his Bishop
and which make him ready
for the duties of the institution and mindful of
ecclesiastical discipline, thus making the reality of his
faith more fertile and his faithfulness more joyful".[211]
It is therefore necessary, in the new community of the
Seminary in which they are gathered by the Bishop, that
young people coming from associations and ecclesial
movements should learn "respect for other spiritual paths
and a spirit of dialogue and cooperation", should take in
genuinely and sincerely the indications for their training
imparted by the Bishop and the teachers in the Seminary,
abandoning themselves with real confidence to their guidance
and assessments.[212] Such an attitude will prepare and in
some way anticipate a genuine priestly choice to serve the
entire People of God, in the fraternal communion of the
presbyterate and in obedience to the Bishop.
The fact that seminarians and diocesan priests take part
in particular spiritualities or ecclesial groupings is
indeed, in itself, a factor which helps growth and priestly
fraternity. Such participation, however, should not be an
obstacle, but rather a help to the ministry and spiritual
life which are proper to the diocesan priest, who "will
always remain the shepherd of all. Not only is he a
'permanent' shepherd, available to all, but he presides over
the gathering of all so that all may find the welcome which
they have a right to expect in the community and in the
Eucharist that unites them, whatever be their religious
sensibility or pastoral commitment".[213]
69. Lastly, we must not forget that the candidate
himself is a necessary and irreplaceable agent in his own
formation: all formation, priestly formation included, is
ultimately a self- formation. No one can replace us in the
responsible freedom that we have as individual persons.
And so the future priest also, and in the first place,
must grow in his awareness that the Agent par excellence of
his formation is the Holy Spirit, who, by the gift of a new
heart, configures and conforms him to Jesus Christ the Good
Shepherd. In this way the candidate to the priesthood will
affirm in the most radical way possible his freedom to
welcome the moulding action of the Spirit. But to welcome
this action implies also, on the part of the candidate, a
welcome for the human "mediating" forces which the Spirit
employs. As a result, the actions of the different teachers
becomes truly and fully effective only if the future priest
offers his own convinced and heartfelt cooperation to this
work of formation.
70. "I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within
you" (2 Tim 1:6).
The words of Saint Paul to Timothy can appropriately be
applied to the ongoing formation to which all priests are
called by virtue of the "gift of God" which they have
received at their ordination. The passage helps us to grasp
the full truth, the absolute uniqueness of the permanent
formation of priests. Here we are also helped by another
text of Saint Paul, who once more writes to Timothy: "Do not
neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic
utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you.
Practise these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all
may see your progress. Take heed to yourself and to your
teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both
yourself and your hearers" (1 Tim 4: 14- 16).
Paul asks Timothy to "rekindle", or stir into flame, the
divine gift he has received, much as one might do with the
embers of a fire, in the sense of welcoming it and living it
out without ever losing or forgetting that "permanent
novelty" which is characteristic of every gift from God, who
makes all things new (cf. Rev 21:5), and thus living it out
in its unfading freshness and original beauty.
But this "rekindling" is not only the outcome of a task
entrusted to
the personal responsibility of Timothy, nor only the result
of his efforts to use his mind and will. It is also the
effect of a dynamism of grace intrinsic to God's gift. God
himself, in other words, rekindles his own gift, so as
better to release all the extraordinary riches of grace and
responsibility contained in it.
With the sacramental outpouring of the Holy Spirit who
consecrates and sends forth, the priest is configured to the
likeness of Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church,
and is sent forth to carry out a pastoral ministry. In this
way the priest is marked permanently and indelibly in his
inner being as a minister of Jesus and of the Church. He
comes to share in a permanent and irreversible way of life
and is entrusted with a pastoral ministry which, because it
is rooted in his being and involves his entire life, is
itself permanent. The Sacrament of Holy Orders confers upon
the priest sacramental grace which gives him a share not
only in Jesus' saving "power" and "ministry" but also in his
pastoral "love". At the same time it ensures that the priest
can count on all the actual graces he needs, whenever they
are necessary and useful for the worthy and perfect exercise
of the ministry he has received.
We thus see that the proper foundation and original
motivation for ongoing formation is contained in the
dynamism of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Certainly there are also *purely human reasons* which
call for the priest to engage in ongoing formation. This
formation is demanded by his own continuing personal growth.
Every life is a constant path towards maturity, a maturity
which cannot be attained except by constant formation. It is
also demanded by the priestly ministry seen in a general way
and taken in common with other professions, that is as a
service directed to others. There is no profession, job or
work which does not require constant updating, if it is to
remain current and effective. The need to "keep pace" with
the path of history is another human reason justifying
ongoing formation.
But these and other motivations are taken up and become
even clearer by the *theological motivations* mentioned
previously and which demand further reflection.
The *Sacrament of Holy Orders,* by its nature (common to
all the sacraments) as a "sign", may be considered, and
truly is, a *word of God.* It is a word of God which *calls
and sends forth.* It is the strongest expression of the
priest's vocation and mission. By the Sacrament of Holy
Orders, *God calls the candidate "to" the priesthood "coram
Ecclesia".* The "come, follow me" of Jesus is proclaimed
fully and definitively in the sacramental celebration of his
Church. It is made manifest and communicated by the Church's
voice, which is heard in the words of the Bishop who prays
and imposes his hands. The priest then gives his response,
in faith, to Jesus's call: "I am coming, to follow you".
From this moment there begins that response which, as a
fundamental choice, must be expressed anew and reaffirmed
through the years of his priesthood in countless other
responses, all of them rooted in and enlivened by that "yes"
of Holy Orders.
In this sense one can speak of a *vocation "within" the
priesthood.* The fact is that God continues to call and send
forth, revealing his saving plan in the historical
development of the priest's life and the life of the Church
and of society. It is in this perspective that the meaning
of ongoing formation emerges. Permanent formation is
necessary in order to discern and follow this constant call
or will of God. Thus the Apostle Peter is called to follow
Jesus even after the Risen Lord has entrusted his flock to
him: "Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say
to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked
where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out
your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where
you do not wish to go.' (This he said to show by what death
he was to glorify God.) And after this
he said to him, 'Follow me"' (Jn 21:17-19). Consequently
there is a "follow me" which accompanies the Apostle's
whole life and mission. It is a "follow me" in line with
the call and demand of *faithfulness unto death* (cf.
Jn:22), a "follow me" which can signify a *sequela
Christi* to the point of total self-giving in
martyrdom.[214]
The Synod Fathers explained the reason justifying the
need for ongoing formation, while at the same time revealing
its deep nature, as *"faithfulness"* to the *priestly
ministry* and as a *"process of continual conversion".*[215]
It is the Holy Spirit, poured out in the Sacrament, who
sustains the priest in this faithfulness and accompanies him
and encourages him along this path of unending conversion.
The gift of the Spirit does not take away the freedom of the
priest. It calls on the priest to make use of his freedom in
order to cooperate responsibly and accept permanent
formation as a task entrusted to him. Thus permanent
formation is a requirement of the priest's own faithfulness
to his ministry, to his very being. It is love for Jesus
Christ and fidelity to oneself. But it is also an *act of
love for the People of God,* at whose service the priest is
placed. Indeed, an act of *true and proper justice:* the
priest owes it to God's People, whose fundamental "right" to
receive the word of God, the sacraments and the service of
charity, the original and irreplaceable content of the
priest's own pastoral ministry, he is called to acknowledge
and foster. Ongoing formation is necessary to ensure that
the priest can properly respond to this right of the People
of God.
*The heart and form of the priest's ongoing formation is
pastoral charity:" the Holy Spirit, who infuses pastoral
charity, introduces and accompanies the priest to an ever
deeper knowledge of the mystery of Christ which is
unfathomable in its richness (cf. Eph 3:14ff.) and, in turn,
to a knowledge of the mystery of Christian priesthood.
Pastoral charity itself impels the priest to an ever deeper
knowledge of the hopes, the needs, the problems, the
sensibilities of the people to whom he ministers, taken in
their specific situations, as individuals, in their
families, in society, and in history.
All this constitutes the object of ongoing formation,
understood as a conscious and free decision to live out the
dynamism of pastoral charity and of the Holy Spirit who is
its first source and constant nourishment. In this sense,
ongoing formation is an intrinsic requirement of the gift
and sacramental ministry received; and it proves necessary
in every age. It is particularly urgent today, not only
because of rapid changes in the social and cultural
conditions of individuals and peoples among whom priestly
ministry is exercised, but also because of that "new
evangelization" which constitutes the essential and pressing
task of the Church at the end of the Second Millennium.
71. The ongoing formation of priests, whether diocesan
or religious, is the natural and absolutely necessary
continuation of the process of building priestly personality
which began and developed in the Seminary or the Religious
House with the training programme which aimed at ordination.
It is particularly important to be aware of and to
respect the intrinsic *link between formation before
ordination to the Priesthood and formation after
ordination.* Should there be a break in continuity, or
worse, a complete difference between these two phases of
formation, there would be serious and immediate
repercussions on pastoral work and fraternal communion among
priests, especially those in different age groups. Ongoing
formation is not a repetition of the formation acquired in
the Seminary, simply reviewed or expanded with new and
practical suggestions. Ongoing formation involves relatively
new content and especially methods; it develops as a
harmonious and vital process which--rooted in the formation
received in the Seminary--calls for adaptations, updating
and modifications, but without sharp breaks in continuity.
On the other hand, long-term preparation for ongoing
formation should
take place in the Major Seminary, where encouragement needs
to be given to future priests to look forward to it, seeing
its necessity, its advantages and the spirit in which it
should be undertaken, and appropriate conditions for its
realization need to be ensured.
By the very fact that ongoing formation is a
continuation of the formation received in the Seminary, its
aim cannot be the inculcation of a purely "professional"
approach, which could be acquired by learning a few new
pastoral techniques. Instead its aim must be that of
promoting a general and integral process of constant growth,
deepening each of the aspects of formation-- human,
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral--as well as ensuring
their active and harmonious integration, based on pastoral
charity and in reference to it.
72. Fuller development is first required in the *human
aspect* of priestly formation. Through his daily contact
with people, his sharing in their daily lives, the priest
needs to develop and sharpen his human sensitivity so as to
understand more clearly their needs, respond to their
demands, perceive their unvoiced questions, and share the
hopes and expectations, the joys and burdens which are part
of life: thus he will be able to meet and enter into
dialogue with all people. In particular, through coming to
know and share, through making his own, the human experience
of suffering in its many different manifestations, from
poverty to illness, from rejection to ignorance, loneliness,
and material or moral poverty, the priest can cultivate his
own humanity and make it all the more genuine and clearly
apparent by his increasingly ardent love for his fellow man.
In this task of bringing his human formation to
maturity, the priest receives special assistance from the
grace of Jesus Christ. The charity of the Good Shepherd was
revealed not only by his gift of salvation to mankind, but
also by his desire to share our life: thus, the Word who
became "flesh" (cf. Jn 1:14) desired to know joy and
suffering, to experience weariness, to share feelings, to
console sadness. Living as a man among and with men, Jesus
Christ offers the most complete, genuine and perfect
expression of what it means to be human. We see him
celebrating at the wedding feast of Cana, a friend's family,
moved by the hungry crowd who follow him, giving sick or
even dead children back to their parents, weeping for the
death of Lazarus, and so on.
The People of God should be able to say about the
priest, who has increasingly matured in human sensitivity,
something similar to what we read about Jesus in the Letter
to the Hebrews: "For we have not a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every
respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning"
(Heb 4:15).
The formation of the priest in its *spiritual dimension*
is required by the new Gospel life to which he has been
called in a specific way by the Holy Spirit, poured out in
the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The Spirit, by consecrating
the priest and configuring him to Jesus Christ, Head and
Shepherd, creates a bond which, located in the priest's very
being, demands to be assimilated and lived out in a
personal, free and conscious way through an ever richer
communion of life and love and an ever broader and more
radical sharing in the feelings and attitudes of Jesus
Christ. In this bond between the Lord Jesus and the priest,
an ontological and psychological bond, a sacramental and
moral bond, is the foundation and likewise the power for
that "life according to the Spirit" and that "radicalism of
the Gospel" to which every priest is called today and which
is fostered by ongoing formation in its spiritual aspect.
This formation proves necessary also for the priestly
ministry to be genuine and spiritually fruitful. "Are you
exercising the care of souls?", Saint Charles Borromeo once
asked in a talk to priests. And he went on to say: "Do not
thereby neglect yourself. Do not give yourself to others to
such an extent that nothing is left of yourself for
yourself. You should certainly keep in mind the souls whose
pastor you are, but without forgetting yourself. My
brothers, do not forget that there is nothing so necessary
to all churchmen than the meditation which precedes,
accompanies and follows all our actions: I will sing, says
the Prophet, and I will meditate (cf. Ps 100:1). If you
administer the sacraments, my brother, meditate upon what
you are doing. If you celebrate Mass, meditate on what you
are offering. If you recite the Psalms in choir, meditate to
whom and of what you are speaking. If you are guiding souls,
meditate in whose blood they have been cleansed. And let all
be done among you in charity (1 Cor 16:14). Thus we will be
able to overcome the difficulties we meet, countless as they
are, each day. In any event, this is what is demanded of us
by the task entrusted to us. If we act thus, we will find
the strength to give birth to Christ in ourselves and in
others".[216]
The priest's prayer life in particular needs to be
continually "reformed". Experience teaches that in prayer
one cannot live off past gains. Every day, we need not only
to renew our external fidelity to times of prayer,
especially those devoted to the celebration of the Liturgy
of the Hours and those left to personal choice and not
reinforced by fixed times of liturgical service, but also to
strive constantly for the experience of a genuine personal
encounter with Jesus, a trusting dialogue with the Father,
and a deep experience of the Spirit.
What the Apostle Paul says of all Christians, that they
must attain "to mature manhood, to the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph 4:13), can be applied
specifically to priests, who are called to the perfection of
charity and therefore to holiness, even more so because
their pastoral ministry itself demands that they be living
models for all the faithful.
The *intellectual dimension* of formation likewise needs
to be continually fostered through the priest's entire life,
especially by a commitment to study and a serious and
disciplined familiarity with modern culture. As one who
shares in the prophetic mission of Jesus and is part of the
mystery of the Church the Teacher of truth, the priest is
called to reveal to others, in Jesus Christ, the true face
of God, and as a result the true face of man.[217] This
demands that the priest himself seek God's face and
contemplate it with loving veneration (cf. Ps 26:7; 41:2).
Only thus will he be able to make others know him. In
particular, continuing theological study is necessary if the
priest is to faithfully carry out the ministry of the word,
proclaiming it clearly and without ambiguity, distinguishing
it from mere human opinions, no matter how renowned and
widespread these might be. Thus he will be able to stand at
the service of the People of God, helping them to give an
account, to all who ask, of their Christian hope (cf. 1 Pt
3:15). Furthermore, the priest "in applying himself
conscientiously and diligently to theological study, is in a
position to assimilate the genuine richness of the Church in
a sure and personal way. Therefore, he can faithfully
discharge the mission which is incumbent on him when
responding to difficulties about authentic Catholic
doctrine, and overcome the inclination, both in himself and
others, which leads to dissent and negative attitudes
towards the Magisterium and Sacred Tradition".[218]
The *pastoral aspect* of ongoing formation is well
expressed by the words of the Apostle Peter: "As each has
received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards
of God's varied grace" (1 Pt 4:10). If he is to live daily
according to the graces he has received, the priest must be
ever more open to accepting the pastoral charity of Jesus
Christ granted him by Christ's Spirit in the Sacrament he
has received. Just as all the Lord's activity was the fruit
and sign of pastoral charity, so should the priest's
ministerial activity be. Pastoral charity is a gift, but it
is likewise a task, a grace and a responsibility to which we
must be faithful. We have, therefore, to welcome it and
live out its dynamism even to its most radical demands. This
pastoral charity, as has been said, impels the priest and
stimulates him to become ever better acquainted with the
real situation of the men and women to whom he is sent, to
discern the call of the Spirit in the historical
circumstances in which he finds himself, and to seek the
most suitable methods and the most useful forms for carrying
out his ministry today. Thus pastoral charity encourages and
sustains the priest's human efforts for pastoral activity
that is relevant, credible and effective. But this demands
some kind of permanent pastoral formation.
The path towards maturity does not simply demand that
the priest deepen the different aspects of his formation. It
also demands above all that he be able to combine ever more
harmoniously all these aspects, gradually achieving their
*inner unity.* This will be made possible by pastoral
charity. Indeed, pastoral charity not only coordinates and
unifies the diverse aspects, but it makes them more
specific, marking them out as aspects of the formation of
the priest as such, that is of the priest as a dear and
living image, a minister of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Ongoing formation helps the priest to overcome the
temptation to reduce his ministry to an activism which
becomes an end in itself, to the provision of impersonal
services, even if these are spiritual or sacred, or to a
business-like function which he carries out for the Church.
Only on going formation enables the priest to *safeguard
with vigilant love the "mystery" which he bears within his
heart for the good of the Church and of mankind.*
73. The different and complementary dimensions of
ongoing formation help us to grasp its profound meaning.
Ongoing formation helps the priest to *be* and *act* as a
priest in the spirit and style of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Truth needs to be put into practice! St. James tells us
as much: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves" (Jas 1:22). Priests are called to
"live the truth" of their being, that is to live "in love"
(cf. Eph 4:15) their identity and ministry in the Church and
for the Church. They are called to become ever more aware of
the gift of God, and to live it out constantly. This is the
invitation Paul makes to Timothy: "Guard the truth that has
been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within
us" (2 Tim 1:14).
In the ecclesiological context which we have recalled
more than once, we can consider the profound meaning of
ongoing priestly formation in relation to the priest's
presence and activity in the Church as *mysterium, communio
et missio.*
*Within the Church as "mystery"* the priest is called,
by his ongoing formation, to *safeguard and develop in faith
his awareness of the total and marvellous truth of his
being:* he is a minister of Christ and steward of the
mysteries of God (cf. 1 Cor 4:1). Paul expressly asks
Christians to consider him in this way. But even before
that, he himself lives in the awareness of the sublime gift
he has received from the Lord. This should be the case with
every priest, if he wishes to remain true to his being. But
this is possible only in faith, only by looking at things
through the eyes of Christ.
In this sense it can be said that ongoing formation has
as its aim that *the priest become a believer and ever more
of one:* that he grow in understanding of who he truly is,
seeing things with the eyes of Christ. The priest must
safeguard this truth with grateful and joyful love. He must
renew his faith when he exercises his priestly ministry; he
must feel himself a minister of Christ, a sacrament of the
love of God for mankind, every time that he is the means and
the living instrument for conferring God's grace upon men.
He must recognize this same truth in his fellow priests, for
this is the basis of his respect and love for other priests.
74. Ongoing formation helps priests, *within the Church
as "communion",* to deepen their awareness that their
ministry is ultimately aimed at gathering together the
family of God as a brotherhood inspired by charity and to
lead it to the Father through Christ in the Holy
Spirit.[219]
The priest should grow in *awareness of the deep
communion uniting him to the People of God:* he is not only
"in the forefront of" the Church, but above all "in" the
Church. He is a brother among brothers. By Baptism, which
marks him with the dignity and freedom of the children of
God in the only-begotten Son, the priest is a member of the
one Body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:16). His consciousness of this
communion leads to a need to awaken and deepen
*co-responsibility* in the one common mission of salvation,
with a prompt and heartfelt esteem for all the charisms and
tasks which the Spirit gives believers for the building up
of the Church. It is above all in the exercise of the
pastoral ministry, directed by its very nature to the good
of the People of God, that the priest must live and give
witness to his profound communion with all. As Pope Paul VI
wrote: "We must become brothers to all at the very same time
as we wish to be their shepherds, fathers and teachers. The
climate of dialogue is friendship. Indeed it is
service".[220]
More specifically, the priest is called to deepen his
awareness of being a *member of the particular Church* in
which he is incardinated, joined by a bond that is
juridical, spiritual and pastoral. This awareness
presupposes a particular love for his own Church and it
makes that love grow. This is truly the living and permanent
goal of the pastoral charity which should accompany the life
of the priest and lead him to share in the
history or life experience of this same particular
Church, in its riches and in its weaknesses, in its
difficulties and in its hopes, working in it for its growth.
And thus to feel himself both enriched by the particular
Church and actively involved in building it up, carrying
on--as an individual and together with others priests--that
pastoral involvement typical of his brother priests who have
gone before him. A necessary requirement of this pastoral
charity towards one's own particular Church and its future
ministry is the concern which the priest should have to
find, so to speak, someone to replace him in the priesthood.
The priest must grow in his awareness of the *communion
existing between the various particular Churches,* a
communion rooted in their very being as Churches which make
present in various places Christ's one universal Church.
This awareness of the communion of the particular Churches
will foster an *"exchange of gifts",* beginning with living
and personal gifts, such as priests themselves. There should
be a readiness, indeed a generous commitment, to provide for
a fair distribution of clergy.[221] Among these particular
Churches, those should be kept in mind which, because they
are "deprived of freedom, cannot have their own vocations",
as well as those "Churches which have emerged recently from
persecution and poor Churches which have been given help
already for many years and from many sources with
greathearted brotherliness, and still receive help".[222]
Within the ecclesial communion, the priest is called in
particular to *grow,* thanks to his ongoing formation, *in
and with his own presbyterate in union with his Bishop.* The
presbyterate, in the fullness of its truth, is a
*mysterium:* it is in fact a supernatural reality because it
is rooted in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This is its
source and origin. This is its "place" of birth and of its
growth. Indeed, "priests by means of the Sacrament of Orders
are tied with a personal and indissoluble bond to Christ the
one priest. The Sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred upon
each of them as individuals, but they are inserted into the
communion of the presbyterate united with the Bishop ("Lumen
Gentium," 28; "Presbyterorum Ordinis," 7 and 8)".[223]
This sacramental origin is reflected and continued in
the sphere of priestly ministry: from *mysterium* to
*ministerium.* "Unity among the priests with the Bishop and
among themselves is not something added from the outside to
the nature of their service, but expresses its essence
inasmuch as it is the care of Christ the priest for the
People gathered in the unity of the Blessed Trinity".[224]
This unity among priests, lived in a spirit of pastoral
charity, makes priests witnesses of Jesus Christ, who prayed
to the Father "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21).
The presbyterate thus appears as a *true family,* as a
fraternity whose ties do not arise from flesh and blood but
from the grace of Holy Orders. This grace takes up and
elevates the human and psychological bonds of affection and
friendship, as well as the spiritual bonds which exist
between priests. It is a grace that grows ever greater and
finds expression in the most varied forms of mutual
assistance, spiritual and material as well. Priestly
fraternity excludes no one. However it can and should have
its preferences, those of the Gospel, reserved for those who
have greatest need of help and encouragement. This
fraternity "takes special care of the young priests,
maintains a kind and fraternal dialogue with those of the
middle and older age groups, and with those who for whatever
reasons are facing difficulties; as for those priests who
have given up this way of life or are not following it at
this time, this brotherhood does not forget them but follows
them all the more with fraternal solicitude".[225]
*Religious clergy* who live and work in a particular
Church also belong to the one presbyterate, albeit under a
different title. Their presence is a source of enrichment
for all priests. The different particular charisms which
they live, while challenging all priests to grow in the
understanding of the priesthood itself, help to encourage
and promote ongoing priestly formation. The gift of
religious life, in the framework of the Diocese, when
accompanied by genuine esteem and rightful respect for the
particular features of each Institute and each spiritual
tradition, broadens the horizon of Christian witness and
contributes in various ways to an enrichment of priestly
spirituality, above all with regard to the proper
relationship and interplay between the values of the
particular Church and those of the whole People of God. For
their part, Religious will be concerned to ensure a spirit
of true ecclesial communion, a genuine participation in the
progress of the Diocese and the pastoral decisions of the
Bishop, generously putting their own charism at the service
of building up everyone in charity.[226]
Finally, it is in the context of the Church as communion
and in the context of the presbyterate that we can best
discuss the problem of *priestly loneliness* treated by the
Synod Fathers. There is a loneliness which all priests
experience and which is completely normal. But there is
another loneliness which is the product of various
difficulties and which in turn creates further difficulties.
With regard to the latter, "active participation in the
diocesan presbyterate, regular contact with the Bishop and
with the other priests, mutual cooperation, common life or
fraternal dealings between priests, as also friendship and
good relations with the lay faithful who are active in
parish life, are very useful means to overcome the negative
effects of loneliness which the priest can sometimes
experience".[227]
Loneliness does not however create only difficulties; it
can also offer positive opportunities for the priestly life:
"when it is accepted in a spirit of oblation and is seen as
an opportunity for greater intimacy with Jesus Christ the
Lord, solitude can be an opportunity for prayer and study,
as also a help for sanctification and also for human
growth".[228]
It should be added that a certain type of solitude is a
necessary element in ongoing formation. Jesus often went off
alone to pray (cf. Mt 14:23). The ability to handle a
healthy solitude is indispensable for caring for one's
interior life. Here we are speaking of a solitude filled
with the presence of the Lord who puts us in contact with
the Father, in the light of the Spirit. In this regard,
concern for silence and looking for places and times of
"desert" are necessary for the priest's permanent formation,
whether in the intellectual, spiritual or pastoral areas. In
this regard too, it can be said that those unable to have a
positive experience of their own solitude are incapable of
genuine and fraternal
fellowship.
75. Ongoing formation aims at *increasing the priest's
awareness of his share in the Church's saving mission.* In
the Church's "mission", the priest's permanent formation
appears not only as a necessary condition but also as an
indispensable means for constantly refocusing on the
*meaning* of his mission and for ensuring that he is
carrying it out with fidelity and generosity. By this
formation, the priest is helped to become aware of the
seriousness and yet the splendid grace of an obligation
which cannot let him rest, so that, like Paul, he must be
able to say: "If I preach the Gospel, that gives me no
ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to
me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). At the same
time, he also becomes aware of a demand, whether explicit or
implicit, which insistently comes from all those whom God is
unceasingly calling to salvation.
Only a suitable ongoing formation will succeed in
confirming the priest in the essential and decisive element
in his ministry, namely his faithfulness. The Apostle Paul
writes: "it is required of stewards (of the mysteries of
God) that they be found trustworthy" (1 Cor 4:2). The priest
must be faithful no matter how many and varied the
difficulties he meets, even in the most uncomfortable
situations or when he is understandably tired, expending all
his available energy until the end of his life. Paul's
witness should be both an example and an incentive for every
priest: "We put no obstacle he writes to the Christians at
Corinth-- in any one's way, so that no fault may be found
with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend
ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in
afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments,
tumults, labours, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge,
forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love,
truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of
righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour
and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated
as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well
known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet
not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet
making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing
everything" (2 Cor 6:3-10).
76. Permanent or ongoing formation, precisely because it
is "permanent", should *always* be a part of the priest's
life. In every phase and condition of his life, at every
level of responsibility he has in the Church, he is
undergoing formation. Clearly then, the possibilities for
formation and the different kinds of formation are connected
with the variety of ages, conditions of life and duties one
finds among priests.
Ongoing formation is a duty, in the first instance, for
*young priests.* They should have frequent and systematic
meetings which, while they continue the sound and serious
formation they have received in the Seminary, will gradually
lead young priests to grasp and incarnate the unique wealth
of God's gift which is the priesthood and to express their
capabilities and ministerial attitude, also through an ever
more convinced and responsible insertion in the
presbyterate, and therefore in communion and
co-responsibility with all their brethren.
With priests who have just come out of the Seminary, a
certain sense of "having had enough" is quite
understandable, when faced with new times of study and
meeting. But the idea that priestly formation ends on the
day one leaves the Seminary is false and dangerous, and
needs to be totally rejected.
Young priests who take part in meetings for ongoing
formation will be able to help one another by exchanging
experiences and reflecting on how to put into practice the
ideals of the priesthood and of ministry which they have
imbibed during their Seminary years. At the same time, their
active participation in the formational meetings of the
presbyterate can be an example and stimulus to other priests
who are ahead of them in
years. They can thus show their love for all those making up
the presbyterate and how much they care for their particular
Church, which needs well formed priests.
In order to accompany the young priests in this first
delicate phase of their life and ministry, it is very
opportune, and perhaps even absolutely necessary nowadays,
to create *a suitable support structure,* with appropriate
guides and teachers. Here priests can find, in an organized
way that continues through their first years of ministry,
the help they need to make a good start in their priestly
service. Through frequent and regular meetings--of
sufficient duration and held within a community setting, if
possible--they will be assured of having times for rest,
prayer, reflection and fraternal exchange. It will then be
easier for them, right from the beginning, to give a
balanced approach, based on the Gospel, to their priestly
life. And in those cases where individual local Churches are
not in a position to offer this service to their own young
priests, it will be a good idea for neighbouring Churches to
pool resources and draw up suitable programmes.
77. Ongoing formation is a duty also for *priests of
middle age.* They can face a number of risks, precisely
because of their age, as for example, an exaggerated
activism or a certain routine approach to the exercise of
their ministry. As a result, the priest can be tempted to
presume he can manage on his own, as if his own personal
experience, which has seemed trustworthy to that point,
needs no contact with anything or anyone else. Often enough,
the older priest has a sort of interior fatigue which is
dangerous. It can be a sign of a resigned disillusionment in
the face of difficulties and failures. Such situations find
an answer in ongoing formation, in a continued and balanced
checking of oneself and one's activity, constantly looking
for motivation and aids which will enable one to carry on
one's mission. As a result the priest will maintain a
vigilant spirit, ready to face the perennial yet ever new
demands of salvation which people keep bringing to him as
the "man of God".
Ongoing formation should also involve those *priests*
who by their advanced years can be called *elderly* and who
in some Churches make up the greater part of the
presbyterate. The presbyterate should show them gratitude
for the faithful service they have performed on behalf of
Christ and his Church, and also practical solidarity to help
them in their condition. Ongoing formation for these priests
will not be a matter so much of study, updating and
educational renewal, but rather a calm and reassuring
confirmation of the part which they are still called upon to
play in the presbyterate, not only inasmuch as they
continue, perhaps in different ways, their pastoral
ministry, but also because of the possibilities they
themselves have, thanks to their experience of life and
apostolate, of becoming effective teachers and trainers of
other priests.
Also those priests who, because of the burden of work or
illness, find themselves in a *condition of physical
weakness or moral fatigue* can be helped by an ongoing
formation which will encourage them to keep up their service
to the Church in a calm and sustained fashion, and not to
isolate themselves either from the community or from the
presbyterate. However, they should reduce their external
activities and dedicate themselves to those pastoral
contacts and that personal spirituality which can help them
keep up their motivation and priestly joy. Ongoing formation
will help such priests to keep alive the conviction, which
they themselves have inculcated in the faithful, that they
continue to be active members for the building up of the
Church, especially by virtue of their union with the
suffering Christ and with so many other brothers and sisters
in the Church who are sharing in the Lord's Passion,
reliving Paul's spiritual experience when he said, "I
rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I
complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the
sake of his body, that is, the church" (Col 1:24).[229]
78. The conditions in which the ministry of priests
often and in many places has to be carried out nowadays do
not make it easy to undertake a serious commitment to
formation. The multiplication of responsibilities and
services, the complexity of human life in general and the
life of the Christian communities in particular, the
activism and anxiety that are features of vast areas of
society today often deprive priests of the time and energies
they need to "take heed of themselves" (cf. 1 Tim 4:16).
This should increase the responsibility of priests to
overcome these difficulties and see them as a challenge to
plan and carry out a permanent formation which will respond
appropriately to the greatness of God's gift and to the
urgency of the demands and requirements of our time.
Those responsible for the ongoing formation of priests
are to be found in the Church as "communion". In this sense,
the *entire particular Church* has the responsibility, under
the guidance of the Bishop, to develop and look after the
different aspects of her priests' permanent formation.
Priests are not there to serve themselves but the People of
God. So, ongoing formation, in ensuring the human,
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral maturity of priests, is
doing good to the People of God itself. Besides, the very
exercise of the pastoral ministry leads to a constant and
fruitful mutual exchange between the priest's life of faith
and that of the laity. Indeed *the very relationship and
sharing of life between the priest and the community,* if it
is wisely conducted and made use of, will be a *fundamental
contribution* to permanent formation, which cannot be
reduced to isolated episodes or initiatives, but covers the
whole ministry and life of the priest.
The truth is that the Christian experience of persons
who are simple and humble, the spiritual enthusiasm of
people who truly love God, the courageous application of the
faith to practical life by Christians involved in all kinds
of social and civil tasks all these things are embraced by
the priest who, while illuminating them with his priestly
service, at the same time draws from them a precious
spiritual nourishment. Even the doubts, crises and
hesitations in the face of all kinds of personal or social
situations, the temptation to rejection or despair at times
of pain, illness, death: all the difficult circumstances
which people find in their path as Christians are
fraternally lived and sincerely suffered in the priest's
heart. And he, in seeking answers for others, is constantly
spurred on to find them first of all for himself.
And so the entire People of God, in each and every one
of its members, can and should offer precious assistance to
the ongoing formation of its priests. In this sense the
people should see that priests are allowed time for study
and prayer. They should ask of them that for which Christ
has sent them and not require anything else. They should
offer to help in the various aspects of the pastoral
mission, especially in those related to human development
and works of charity. They should establish cordial and
brotherly relations with them, helping priests to remember
that they are not "to lord it over" the faithful, but rather
"work with them for their joy" (cf. 2 Cor 1: 24).
The particular Church's responsibility for the formation
of its priests is specific and depends on its different
members, starting with the priest himself.
79. In a certain sense, it is the priest himself, *the
individual priest, who is the person primarily responsible
in the Church for ongoing formation.* Truly each priest has
the duty, rooted in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, to be
faithful to the gift God has given him and to respond to the
call for daily conversion which comes with the gift itself.
The regulations and norms established by Church authority,
as also the example given by other priests, are not enough
to make permanent formation attractive unless the individual
priest is personally convinced of its need and is determined
to make use of the opportunities, times and forms in which
it comes. Ongoing formation keeps up one's "youthfulness" of
spirit, which is something that cannot be imposed from
without. Each priest must continually find it within
himself. Only those who keep ever alive their desire to
learn and grow can be said to enjoy this "youthfulness".
The responsibility of the *Bishop* and, with him, of the
*presbyterate,* is fundamental. The Bishop's responsibility
is based on the fact that priests receive their priesthood
from him and share his pastoral solicitude for the People of
God. He is responsible for ongoing formation, the purpose of
which is to ensure that all his priests are generously
faithful to the gift and ministry received, that they are
priests such as the People of God wishes to have and has a
"right" to. This responsibility leads the Bishop, in
communion with the presbyterate, to outline a project and
establish a programme which can ensure that ongoing
formation is not something haphazard but a systematic
offering of subjects, which unfold by stages and take on
precise forms. The Bishop will live up to his
responsibility, not only by seeing to it that his
presbyterate has places and times for its ongoing formation,
but also by being present in person and taking part in an
interested and friendly way. Often it will be suitable, or
indeed necessary, for Bishops of neighbouring dioceses or of
an ecclesiastical region to come together and join forces to
be able to offer initiatives for permanent formation that
are better organized and more interesting, such as
in-service training courses in biblical, theological and
pastoral studies, residential weeks, conference series, and
times to reflect on and examine how, from the pastoral point
of view, the affairs of the presbyterate and the ecclesial
community are progressing.
To fulfill his responsibility in this field, the Bishop
will also ask for help from theological and pastoral
faculties or institutes, seminaries, offices and federations
that bring together people, priests, religious and lay
faithful--who are involved in priestly formation.
In the context of the particular Churches, *families*
have a significant role to play. The life of ecclesial
communities, led and guided by priests, looks to families
inasmuch as they are "domestic churches". In particular the
role of the family into which the priest is born needs to be
stressed. By being one with their son in his aims, the
family can offer him its own important contribution to his
mission. The plan of Providence chose the priest's family to
be the place in which his vocation was planted and
nourished, an indispensable help for the growth and
development of his vocation. Now the family, with the
greatest respect for their son who has chosen to give
himself to God and neighbour, should always remain as a
faithful and encouraging witness of his mission, supporting
that mission and sharing in it with devotion and respect. In
this way the family will help bring God's providential plan
to completion.
80. While every moment can be an "acceptable time" (2
Cor 6:2) for the Holy Spirit to lead the priest to a direct
growth in prayer, study and an awareness of his own pastoral
responsibilities, nevertheless there are certain
"privileged" moments for this, even though they may be
common and prearranged.
Let us recall, in the first place, *the meetings of the
Bishop with his presbyterate,* whether they be liturgical
(in particular the concelebration of the Chrism Mass on Holy
Thursday), or pastoral and educational, related to pastoral
activity or to the study of specific theological problems.
There are also *spiritual gatherings for priests,* such
as spiritual exercises, days of recollection and
spirituality, etc. These are opportunities for spiritual and
pastoral growth, in which one can devout more time to pray
in peace; opportunities to get back to the what it means
deep down to be a priest, to find fresh motives for
faithfulness and pastoral endeavour.
*Study workshops and sessions for reflection in common*
are also important. They help to prevent cultural
impoverishment or getting
entrenched in one's ways, even in the pastoral field, as a
result of mental laziness. They help to foster a greater
synthesis between the various elements of the spiritual,
intellectual and apostolic life. They open minds and hearts
to the new challenges of history and to the new appeals
which the Spirit addresses to the Church.
81. Many ways and means are at hand to make ongoing
formation an ever more precious living experience for
priests. Among them, let us recall the different *forms of
common life* among priests, which have always existed,
though they have appeared in different ways and with
different degrees of intensity, in the life of the Church:
"Today, it is impossible not to recommend them, especially
among those who live together or are pastorally involved in
the same place. Besides the advantage which comes to the
apostolate and its activities, this common life of priests
offers to all, to fellow priests and lay faithful alike, a
shining example of charity and unity".[230]
Another help can be given by *priestly associations,* in
particular by priestly secular institutes--which have as
their characteristic feature their being diocesan--through
which priests are more closely united to their Bishop, and
which constitute "a state of consecration in which priests
by means of vows or other sacred bonds consecrate themselves
to incarnate in their life the evangelical counsels".[231]
All the forms of "priestly fraternity" approved by the
Church are useful not only for the spiritual life but also
for the apostolic and pastoral life.
*Spiritual direction* too contributes in no small way to
the ongoing formation of the priests. It is a well-tried
means and has lost none of its value. It ensures spiritual
formation. It fosters and maintains faithfulness and
generosity in the carrying out of the priestly ministry. As
Pope Paul VI wrote before his election to the Pontificate:
"Spiritual direction has a wonderful purpose. We could say
it is indispensable for the moral and spiritual education of
young people who want to find what their vocation in life is
and follow it wherever it may lead, with utter loyalty. It
retains its beneficial effect at all stages of life, when in
the light and affection of a devout and prudent counsel one
asks for a check on one's own right intention and for
support in the generous fulfilment of one's own duties. It
is a very delicate but immensely valuable psychological
means. It is an educational and psychological art calling
for deep responsibility in the one who practises it. Whereas
for the one who receives it, it is a spiritual act of
humility and trust".[232]
82. "I will give you shepherds after my own heart" (Jer
3:15).
Today, this promise of God is still living and at work
in the Church. At all times, she knows she is the fortunate
receiver of these prophetic words. She sees them put into
practice daily in so many parts of the world, or rather, in
so many human hearts, young hearts in particular. On the
threshold of the third millennium, and in the face of the
serious and urgent needs which confront the Church and the
world, she yearns to see this promise fulfilled in a new and
richer way, more intensely and effectively: she hopes for an
extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of Pentecost.
The Lord's promise calls forth from the heart of the
Church a prayer, that is a confident and burning petition in
the love of the Father, who, just as he has sent Jesus the
Good Shepherd, the Apostles, their successors and a
countless host of priests, will continue to show to the men
of today his faithfulness, his goodness.
And the Church is ready to respond to this grace. She
feels in her heart that God's gift begs for a united and
generous reply: the entire People of God should pray and
work tirelessly for priestly vocations. Candidates for the
priesthood should prepare themselves very conscientiously to
welcome God's gift and put it into practice, knowing that
the Church and the world have an absolute need of them. They
should deepen their love for Christ the Good Shepherd,
pattern their hearts on his, be ready to go out as his image
into the highways of the world to proclaim to all mankind
Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I appeal especially to families. May parents, mothers in
particular, be generous in giving their sons to the Lord,
when he calls them to the priesthood. May they cooperate
joyfully in their vocational journey, realizing that in this
way they will be increasing and deepening their Christian
fruitfulness in the Church and that, in a sense, they will
experience the blessedness of Mary, the Virgin Mother:
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of
your womb!" (Lk 1: 42).
To today's young people I say: be more docile to the
voice of the Spirit, let the great expectations of the
Church, of mankind, resound in the depths of your hearts. Do
not be afraid to open your minds to Christ the Lord who is
calling. Feel his loving look upon you and respond
enthusiastically to Jesus when he asks you to follow him
without reserve.
The Church responds to grace through the commitment
which priests make to receive that ongoing formation which
is required by the dignity and responsibility conferred on
them by the Sacrament of Holy Orders. All priests are called
to become aware how especially urgent it is for them to
receive formation at the present time: the new
evangelization needs new evangelizers, and these are the
priests who are serious about living their priesthood as a
specific path towards holiness.
God promises the Church not just any sort of shepherds,
but shepherds "after his own heart". And God's "heart" has
revealed itself to us fully in the heart of Christ the Good
Shepherd. Christ's heart continues today to have compassion
for the multitudes and to give them the bread of truth, the
bread of love, the bread of life (cf. Mk 6:30ff.), and it
pleads to be allowed to beat in other hearts--priests'
hearts: "You give them something to eat" (Mk 6: 37). People
need to come out of their anonymity and fear. They need to
be known and called by name, to walk in safety along the
paths of life, to be found again if they have become lost,
to be loved, to receive salvation as the supreme gift of
God's love. All this is done by Jesus, the Good Shepherd--by
himself and by his priests with him.
Now, as I bring this Exhortation to a close, I turn my
thoughts to all aspirants to the priesthood, to seminarians
and to priests who in all parts of the world even in the
most difficult and dramatic conditions, but always with the
joyous struggle to be faithful to the Lord and to serve his
flock unswervingly--are offering their lives daily in order
that faith, hope and charity may grow in human hearts and in
the history of the men and women of our day.
Dear brother priests, you do this because our Lord
himself, with the strength of his Spirit, has called you to
incarnate in the earthen vessels of your simple lives the
priceless treasure of his Good Shepherd's love.
In communion with the Synod Fathers and in the name of
all the Bishops of the world and of the entire community of
the Church I wish to express all the gratitude which your
faithfulness and service deserve.[233]
And while I wish for all of you the grace to rekindle
daily the gift of God you have received with the laying on
of hands (cf. 2 Tim 1: 6), to feel the comfort of the deep
friendship which binds you to Jesus and unites you with one
another, the comfort of experiencing the joy of seeing the
flock of God grow in an ever greater love for him and for
all people, of cultivating the tranquil conviction that the
one who began in you the good work will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 1:6); I turn
with each and every one of you in *prayer to Mary, Mother
and Teacher of our priesthood.*
Every aspect of priestly formation can be referred to
Mary, the human being who has responded better than any
other to God's call. Mary became both the servant and the
disciple of the Word to the point of conceiving, in her
heart and in her flesh, the Word made man, so as to give
him to mankind. Mary was called to educate the one Eternal
Priest, who became docile and subject to her motherly
authority. With her example and intercession the Blessed
Virgin keeps vigilant watch over the growth of vocations
and priestly life in the Church.
And so we priests are called to have an ever firmer
and more tender devotion to the Virgin Mary and to show it
by imitating her virtues and praying to her often.
O Mary,
Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of priests,
accept this title which we bestow on you
to celebrate your motherhood
and to contemplate with you the Priesthood of your Son and
of your sons,
O Holy Mother of God.
O Mother of Christ,
to the Messiah-Priest you gave a body of flesh through the
anointing of the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the poor
and the contrite of heart;
guard priests in your heart and in the Church,
O Mother of the Saviour.
O Mother of Faith,
you accompanied to the Temple the Son of Man,
the fulfilment of the promises given to the fathers; give
to the Father for his glory
the priests of your Son,
O Ark of the Covenant.
O Mother of the Church,
in the midst of the disciples in the Upper Room you prayed
to the Spirit
for the new People and their Shepherds;
obtain for the Order of Presbyters
a full measure of gifts,
O Queen of the Apostles.
O Mother of Jesus Christ,
you were with him at the beginning
of his life and mission,
you sought the Master among the crowd, you stood beside him
when he was lifted up from the earth
consumed as the one eternal sacrifice and you had John,
your son, near at hand; accept from the beginning those
who have been called,
protect their growth,
in their life ministry accompany
your sons,
O Mother of Priests.
Amen.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 25 March, the
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, in the year
1992, the fourteenth of my Pontificate.
ENDNOTES
1. "*" 2
2. "Discourse at the end of the Synod" (27 October 1990),
5: "L'Osservatore Romano," 28 October 1990.
3. Cf. "Propositio" 1.
4. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen
Gentium," 28; Decree on the Ministry and Life of
Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis," Decree on Priestly
Formation "Optatam Totius."
5. "Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis" (6
January 1970): AAS 62 (1970), 321-384.
6. "Discourse at the end of the Synod" (27 October 1990),
3: loc cit.
7. "Ibid," 1: loc cit.
8. "Message" of the Synod Fathers to the People of God, in
"L'Osservatore Romano," 29-30 October 1990.
9. "Angelus" (14 January 1990), 2: "L'Osservatore Romano,"
15-16 January 1990.
10. "Ibid," 3: loc cit.
11. Cf. "Propositio" 3
12. Paul VI, Homily at the 9th "Session of the Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council" (7 December 1965): AAS 58
(1966), 55.
13. Cf. "Propositio" 3.
14. Cf. "ibid".
15. Cf. Synod Of Bishops, "The Formation of Priests in the
Circumstances of the Present Day"--"Lineamenta," 5-6.
16. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern
World "Gaudium et Spes," 4.
17. Cf. Synod Of Bishops, 7th Ordinary General Assembly,
"Final Message of the Synod Fathers to the People of
God" (28 October 1990), 1: loc cit.
18. "Discourse at the end of the Synod" (27 October 1990),
4: loc cit, cf. "Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday"
1991 (10 March 1991): "L'Osservatore Romano," 15 March
1991.
19. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen
Gentium," Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," Decree on Priestly Formation
"Optatam Totius," Sacred Congregation For Catholic
Education, "Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis
Sacerdotalis" (6 January 1970): "loc cit.," 321-384;
Synod Of Bishops, 2nd Ordinary General Assembly, 1971.
20. "Propositio" 7.
21. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 5.
22. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Christifideles
Laici" (30 December 1988), 8: 81(1989), 405; cf. Synod
Of Bishops, 2nd Extraordinary General Assembly, 1985.
Cf. "Propositio" 7
24. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
7-8.
25. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 1.
26. Cf. "Propositio" 7.
27. "Ibid".
28. "Propositio" 7.
29. Synod Of Bishops, 8th Ordinary General Assembly "The
Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the
Present Day", "Instrumentum Laboris," 16; cf.
"Propositio" 7.
30. "Angelus" (25 February 1990): "L'Osservatore Romano,"
26-27 February 1990.
31. Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 7-9
32. "Ibid," 8; cf. "Propositio" 7
33. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
9.
34. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 10.
35. Cf. "Propositio" 7
36. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis 10. 37. Decree on Priestly
Formation "Optatam Totius," 20.
38. Cf. "Propositio" 12.
39. "Final Message of the Synod Fathers to the People of
God" (28 October 1990), III: "loc cit."
40. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium,"
40.
41. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis,* 12.
42. "Sermo" 340, 1: PL 38:1483.
43. "Ibid.," "loc cit."
44. Cf. "Propositio" 8.
45. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
2; 12.
46. Cf. "Propositio" 8.
47. "Sermo Morin Guelferbytanus," 32, 1 PLS 2, 637.
48. Roman Missal, Communion Antiphon From The Mass Of The
Fourth Sunday Of Easter.
49. Apostolic Letter "Mulieris Dignitatem" (15 August
1988), 26: AAS 80 (1988), 1715-1716.
50. "Propositio" 7.
51. "Homily" at Eucharistic Adoration, Seoul (7 October
1989), 2: "Insegnamenti" XII/2 (1989), 785.
52. Saint Augustine, "In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus"
123, 5: CCL 36, 678.
53. "To priests" taking part in an assembly organized by
the Italian Episcopal Conference (4 November 1980):
"Insegnamenti" III/2 (1980), 1055.
54. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 14.
55. Ibid.
56. Ibid.
57. Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Nuntiandi"
(8 December 1975), 75: AAS 68 (1976), 64-67.
58. Cf. "Propositio" 8.
59. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 12.
60. "In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus" 123, 5: "loc. cit."
61. Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 12.
62. Ibid, 5.
63. Cf. Council Of Trent, Decree on Justification, cap. 7;
Decree on Sacraments, can. 6.
64. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 12.
65. Saint Augustine, "Sermo de Nat. Sanct. Apost. Petri et
Pauli ex Evangelio in quo ait: Simon Iohannis diligis
me?: Bibliotheca Casinensis," in "Miscellenea
Augustiniana", vol. 1, ed. G. Morin O.S.B., Rome, Typ.
Poligl. Vat., 1930, p. 404.
66. Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 4-6; 13.
67. Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii
Nuntiandi" (8 December 1975), 15: "loc cit," 13-15.
68. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation "Dei
Verbum" 8, 10.
69. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
5.
70. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia" (2 December 1984), 31, VI: AAS 77 (1985),
265-266.
71. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
6.
72. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 42.
73. Cf. "Propositio" 9.
74. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
15.
75. Cf. ibid.
76. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium,"
42.
77. Apostolic Exhortation "Familiaris Consortio" (22
November 1981) 16: AAS 74 (1982), 98.
78. "Propositio" 11 .
79. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
16.
80. "Ibid."
81. "Propositio" 8.
82. Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 17.
83. "Propositio" 10.
84. Ibid.
85. Cf. Sacred Congregation For Religious and Secular
Institutes and Sacred Congregation For Bishops,
Directives for Mutual Relations between Bishops and
Religious in the Church "Mutuae Relationes," (14 May
1978), 18: AAS 70 1978, 484-485.
86. Cf. "Propositio" 25; 38.
87. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 23.
88. Decree on Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum
Ordinis," 10; cf. "Propositio" 12.
89. Encyclical Letter "Redemptoris Missio" (7 December
1990), 67: AAS 83 (1991), 315-316.
90. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis, 10.
91. *Homily* to 5,000 priests from throughout the world (9
October 1984), 2 "Insegnamenti" VII/2 (1984), 839.
92. "Discourse at the end of the Synod" (27 October 1990),
5: "loc cit." 93. Cf. "Propositio" 6.
94. Ct. "Propositio" 13.
95. Cf. "Propositio" 4.
96. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 9.
97. "Ibid."
98. Saint Cyprian, "De Dommica Oratione," 23: CCL 3/A,
105.
100. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
the Apostolate of the Laity "Apostolicam
Actuositatem," 3.
100. "Propositio" 5.
101. "Angeles" (3 December 1989), 2 "Insegnamenti" XII/2
(1989), 1417.
102. "Message for the Fifth World Day of Prayer for
Priestly Vocations" (19 April 1968): "Insegnamenti" VI
(1968), 134-135.
103. Cf. "Propositio" 5.
104. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church "Lumen
Gentium," 10; Decree on the Ministry and Life of
Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis," 12.
105. Cf. "Propositio" 13.
106. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
"Gaudium et Spes," 16.
107. Roman Missal, Collect of the Mass for Vocations to
Holy Orders.
108. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy "Sacrosanctum Concilium," 10.
109. "Propositio" 15.
110. "Ibid."
111. Cf. C.I.C., can. 220: "It is not lawful for anyone (.
defending his own privacy"; cf. can. 642.
112. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 2.
113. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church "Christus
Dominus" 15.
114. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 2.
115. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 6
116. Ibid, 11.
117. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 2.
118. "Propositio" 14.
119. "Propositio" 15.
120. Cf. "Propositio" 16.
121. "Message for the 22nd World Day of Prayer for
Priestly Vocations" (13 April 1985), 1: AAS 77
(1985), 982.
122. "Message of the Synod Fathers to the People of God"
(28 October 1990), IV: "loc cit."
123. "Propositio" 21.
124. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 11; Decree on
the Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum
Ordinis," 3; Sacred Congregation For Catholic
Education, "Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis
Sacerdotalis" (6 January 1970), 51: "loc cit,"
356-357.
125. Cf. "Propositio" 21.
126. Encyclical Letter "Redemptor Hominis" (4 March 1979),
10: AAS 71 (1979) 274.
127. Apostolic Exhortation "Familtaris Consortio" (22
November 1981), 37: "loc cit," 128.
128. "Ibid."
129. "Propositio" 21.
130. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
"Gaudium et Spes," 24.
131. Cf. "Propositio" 21.
132. "Propositio" 22.
133. Cf. Saint Augustine, "Confessions," 1,1: CSEL 33,1.
134. Synod Of Bishops, 8th Ordinary General Assembly,
"The Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of
the Present Day", "Instrumentum laboris," 30.
135. "Propositio" 22.
136. "Propositio" 23.
137. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam
Totius," 8.
138. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
*Dei Verbum,* 24. 139. Ibid., 2.
140. Ibid., 25.
141. "Angelus" (4 March 1990), 2-3: "L'Osservatore
Romano," 5-6 March 1990.
142. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy "Sacrosanctum Concilium," 14.
143. Saint Augustine, "In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus"
26,13: "loc cit.," 266.
144. Liturgy Of The Hours, Magnificat Antiphon of Second
Vespers of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of
Christ.
145. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
the Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum
Ordinis," 13.
146. "Angelus" (1 July 1990), 3: "L'Osservatore Romano,"
2-3 July 1990. 147. "Propositio" 23.
148. Ibid.
149. Cf. "ibid."
150. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 9.
151. Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, "Ratio
Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis" (6 January
1970), "loc. cit.," 354.
152. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Priestly
Formation "Optatam Totius," 10.
153. "Ibid."
154. "Letter to all the Priests of the Church on Holy
Thursday" 1979 (8 April 1979): "Insegnamenti" II/1
(1979), 841-862.
155. "Propositio" 24.
156. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
"Gaudium et Spes," 15.
157. "Propositio" 26.
158. "Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 16.
159. "The Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the
Present Day", "Instrumentum Laboris," 39.
160. Cf. Sacred Congregation For Catholic Education,
Letter to Bishops "De necessitate Philosophiae studia
in Seminariis impensius promovendi" (20 January 1972).
161. "Desideravi Intellectu Videre Quod Credidi, Et Multum
Disputavi Et Laboravi", "De Trinitate" XV, 28: CCL
50/A, 534.
162. Paul VI, Address To The Participants In The 21st
Italian Biblical Week (25 September 1970): AAS 62
(1970), 618.
163. "Propositio" 26
164. "Fides, quae est quasi habitus theologiae": "In Lib.
Boethii de Trinitate," V, 4 ad 8.
165. "Cf. Saint Thomas, "In I Sentent.," Prolog., q. 1, a.
1-5.
166. Cf. Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith,
Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the
Theologian "Donum Veritatis" (24 May 1990), 11; 40:
AAS 82 (1990), 1554-1555; 1568-1569.
167. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 14.
168. "Itinerarium mentis in Deum," Prol., 4: "Opera Omnia,
Tomus V, Ad Aquas Claras 1891, 296.
169. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Priestly
Formation "Optatam Totius," 16.
170. Encyclical Letter "Sollicitudo Rei Socialis" (30
December 1987) 41: AAS 80 (1988), 571.
171. Cf. Encyclical Letter "Centesimus Annus" (1 May
1991), 54: AAS 83 (1991), 859-860.
172. Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith,
Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the
Theologian "Donum Veritatis" (24 May 1990), 21: "loc.
cit," 1559.
173. "Propositio" 26.
174. For example, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote: "We have to
be more on the side of the authority of the Church
than on that of Augustine or Jerome, or any other
Doctor" (Summa Theol. II-II, q. 10, a. 12). And
again: "No one can shield himself with the authority
of Jerome or
Augustine or any other Doctor against the authority
of Peter" (ibid, I-II, q. 11, a. 2 ad 3).
175. "Propositio" 32.
176. Cf. Encyclical Letter "Redemptoris Missio" (7
December 1990), 67 "loc cit," 3 15-3 16.
177. Cf. "Propositio" 32.
178. "Propositio" 27.
179. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 4.
180. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church "Lumen Gentium," 48.
181. "Explanatio Apocalypsis," lib. II, 12: PL 93,166.
182. Cf. "Propositio" 28.
183. "Ibid".
184. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 9; cf. Apostolic Exhortation
"Christifideles Laici" (30 December 1981), 61: "loc.
cit.," 512-514.
185. "Propositio" 28.
186. Cf. "ibid".
187. Cf. Encyclical Letter "Redemptoris Missio" (7
December 1990), 67-68: "loc. cit.," 315-316.
188. Cf. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 4.
189. "Propositio" 20.
190. Ibid.
191. "Ibid."
192. "Ibid."
193. Cf. Address to the students and former students of
the Almo Collego Capranica (21 January 1983):
"Insegnamenti" VI/I (1983), 173-178.
194. "Propositio" 20.
195. "Ibid.
196. "Propositio" 19.
197. "Ibid".
198. "In Iohannem Evangelistam Expositio," c. 21, lect V,
2.
199. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 3.
200. Cf. "Propositio" 17.
201. Cf. Sacred Congregation For Catholic Education,
"Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis" (6
January 1970), 19: "loc. cit.," 342.
202. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 7.
203. "Propositio" 29.
204. "Ibid."
205. Cf. "Propositio" 23.
206. Cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
"Christifideles Laici" (30 December 1988), 61; 63:
"loc. cit," 512-514; 517-518; Apostolic Letter
"Mulieris Dignitatem" (15 August 1988), 29-31:
"loc. cit.," 1721-1729.
207. Cf. "Propositio" 29.
208. "Propositio" 30.
209. "Ibid."
210. Cf. "Propositio" 25.
211. "Address" to priests connected with the "Communion
and Liberation" movement (12 September 1985): AAS 78
(1986), 256.
212. Cf. "Propositio" 25.
213. "Meeting" with members of the Swiss clergy,
Einsiedeln (15 June 1984), 10: "Insegnamenti" VII/1
(1984), 1798.
214. Cf. Saint Augustine, "In Iohannis Evangelium
Tractatus" 123, 5: "loc. cit.," 678-680.
215. Cf. "Propositio" 31.
216. Saint Charles Borromeo, "Acta Ecclesiae
Mediolanensis," Milan 1599, 1178.
217. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
"Gaudium et Spes," 22.
218. Synod Of Bishops, Ordinary General Assembly, "The
Formation of Priests in the circumstances of the
Present Day", "Instrumentum Laboris," 55.
219. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the
Ministry and Life of Priests "Presbyterorum Ordinis,"
6.
220. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter "Ecclesiam suam" (6 August
1964), III: AAS 56 (1964), 647.
221. Cf. Sacred Congregation For The Clergy, Directives
for the promotion of mutual cooperation between
particular Churches and especially for a more suitable
distribution of the clergy "Postquam Apostoli" (25
March 1980): AAS 72 (1980), 343-364.
222. "Propositio" 39.
223. "Propositio" 34.
224. "Ibid."
225. "Ibid."
226. Cf. "Propositio" 38; Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 1; Decree on Priestly
Formation "Optatam Totius," 1, Sacred Congregation For
Religious And Secular Institutes And Sacred
Congregation For Bishops,
Directives for mutual relations between Bishops and
Religious in the Church "Mutuae Relationes" (14 May
1978), 2; 10: "loc cit," 475; 479-480.
227. "Propositio" 35.
228. "Ibid."
229. Cf. "Propositio" 36.
230. Synod Of Bishops, 8th Ordinary General Assembly "The
Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the
Present Day" "Instrumentum Laboris," 60; cf. Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree On The Pastoral
Office Of Bishops In The Church "Christus Dominus,"
30; Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
"Presbyterorum Ordinis," 8; CIC., can. 550 para. 2.
231. "Propositio" 37.
232. G.B. Montini, Pastoral Letter on the Moral Sense,
1961.
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