Welcoming Christ in the Person of the Priest

SEPTEMBER 9, 2007

Haven’t we all at some time received a surprise gift? And doesn’t it happen sometimes that only after a while do we realize how much we cherish the gift, even if we didn’t like it that much at first? As with presents, so also with people. It happens in marriage, for example, that only with the passing of the years and the deepening of love over time do the spouses realize how much more they mean to each other now than in the first, sometimes rocky days of the marriage.

The same is true with priests and parishioners. I mention this now because this is the time of year when Valley priests receive new assignments, and this year a very large number of changes is taking place. Many parish communities are saying goodbye to priests they have known for many years and meeting their new priests for the first time.

For the priest, these moments of change can be difficult, even traumatic. He must leave his entire family of faith behind, and alone start out anew to learn names and faces, and to make many personal and pastoral adjustments in order to fit into his new parish, with its own rhythms of life and activity. Yet, each priest takes up his new assignment in faith, knowing this new beginning will bring new life to him and to the community he comes to serve.

The arrival of a new priest also presents the parish with challenges of adjustment, and with the same new opportunity for growth and renewal, if it is willing to accept the new priest in faith as one sent by Christ.

At this time of change, I wish to offer seven simple words of encouragement and advice to parish communities receiving a new priest. These words apply equally well to parishes that are keeping the priests they have.

First, the Lord Jesus Christ is the true universal pastor, and our focus should always be centrally on him. We should pay no attention at all to any foibles or eccentric mannerisms of the priest, and remember that he is a priest because Christ called him.

Second, we should see the priest as a gift of Christ to his Church. Your priest may not be the present you would have picked for yourself, but be slow to judge. In time, you will learn to cherish him and to appreciate his God-given gifts and contributions. You can be confident that the Lord can use him very well to help you and your parish fulfill his commands and grow in holiness.

Third, just as we pray for vocations, we should also pray for the vocations we already have, namely, our priests. We should also give them the best support and cooperation we can, and not leave them to do all the work of the Church alone. The Lord has entrusted his work not just to priests, but to all the baptized, under the priest’s guidance.

Fourth, the priest is in your parish not to do your will or his own. He is there to strive to discern and do the Lord’s will, working with me, his bishop, and with you. So don’t expect him to wait for approval before he acts. Don’t try to stand over him and tell him, “This is the way we do it here.” Don’t compare him with your last priest or with any other priest. Don’t stand beneath him, either, for he does not desire to be confused with the Lord or the angels. He is a mortal man who desires to be only what the Lord has called him to be: a “fisher of men”, a spiritual father and healer, a brother among equals, a preacher of God’s word, however popular or unpopular, a minister of the Church’s sacraments, and a humble servant of all in imitation of the Lord.

Fifth, don’t expect your priest, to show any favoritism. Do expect him to do his best at showing Christ’s kindness, understanding, and compassion to all. Likewise, be kind to him. He will have bad days like you, but he’s doing his best. If he could be doing any better, he would be! It is Christ who summons us to bear one another’s burdens.

Sixth, communicate! Priests really want to hear what you have to say, as long as you speak with the same respect you want to receive. Don’t talk behind the priest’s back about issues that bother you or that need attention. Tell him. Without honest, open communication, unity is broken down.

Seventh, you will never fully understand your priest, nor he you. Your years together are, like life itself, a mystery to be celebrated. So receive your priest with the charity of Christ, and let him show you the face of Christ in a new way.

May the Lord bless and strengthen all our priests and people at this time of change, and may he bless our Valley with a rich harvest of vocations for the future.

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 05-Jun-2008 9:48 sitemap