"Down with Decent Priests"

I found this on my daily random search of Catholic headlines. I thought it was shockingly good so I've shared a short piece here. Feel free to follow the link to the blog post at Historical Christian.

"You must be more than merely decent. More than pious, more than fervent. You must be a saint. Only in becoming a saint can you then, by the grace of God, help us to become saints, too – the one thing to which we are all truly called. So be a saint, which is to be Christ, totally, given up and surrendered and abandoned to Him, martyred for Him, for love of Him, more and more as you live your life. Then you will see your congregations catch on fire, and run after you in love to be transformed, so attractive will you be. Because we will not see you, but Christ in you – and run to you to hear His voice, feel His touch, feel His power transforming our souls and our lives.

Down with decent priests, I say – and up with Christ! Up with priestly souls so radically changed and transformed in the fire of Christ’s love that you really radiate Christ to us, and draw all souls to you to be transformed as well, in His love! That is what we need! Up with Christ – and up with priests who are truly in Christ, in whom Christ truly is! “For I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

God bless you. I know it’s hard work, in a tough and thankless world that too often opposes you – and that includes the people in the pews. But the rewards are so much greater than the losses: Christ Himself will love you, and reward you. If you don’t, the losses are too great, and there is little, if any, reward. A merely decent life, being merely nice, for a priest is boring, stultifying, deadening – not only to yourself, but to the souls in your care. And in the end, will Christ truly love you, and truly reward you? "

I'm always inspired by what lay people have to say of the priesthood. It gives a seminarian a great vision from the outside.

AMDG.