Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated the Year of the Priest in 2009 and wrote to the clergy around the world: “Priests represent the grace of God which is shed not only for the Church but for all mankind. Every priest is superior to the human being.” Although they live on earth, they are entrusted with the task of transcending the things of heaven. The world has always needed priests.
1. The World Needs Heroes
The academic year begins at a Benedictine college in the United States. Introducing new students to the audience. Two of them got the most applause. A group of soldiers who have served in the army for the country and who have dedicated their lives for selfless service.
Jesus teaches that “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s brother.” Soldiers become heroes by giving their lives for their country. When priests and monks lay down their lives for the kingdom of God, it was martyrdom in the sight of God. So let’s call them heroes.
2. We cannot have a relationship with Christ without priests
Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world ” (Matthew 28:20).
Holy Eucharist is not just a loaf of bread, it is Christ Himself. We need priests to give us divine grace. Only through divine grace can we come into a true relationship with Christ. Priests are also required to give sacraments to the faithful.
3. You need a priest to forgive sins
Confession is the only sacrament that Jesus instituted after his resurrection. He breathed on the apostles and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained(John 20: 22-23).
Some testimonies of Pope Francis
2013: Pope says: “I confess every two weeks.”
2014: Confess in public and remind believers not to be afraid of confession!
2018: Pope’s call for 24-hour confession becomes world-famous.
4. The priest is needed to become the living icon of Christ
The true presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is very important. Jesus is not just a presence. He incarnated as a man. “Christ’s whole life was a continual teaching, ” says Pope John Paul II.
Christ was a man with a face. The human heart needs those who understand the message of Christ and live like Christ. The world needs people who act like Christ. So we need priests. The priest is the minister of divine grace, the complete epic of God’s mercy.
5. The world needs fathers; So we need priests
In his new book on Heavenly Father, Pope Francis speaks of a society without fathers. In particular, the role of the father in Western culture has symbolically disappeared and vanished or become inattentive.
Our problem today is not the presence of fathers who unnecessarily interfere. On the contrary, it is their abandonment. When fathers sometimes focus more on themselves, their work, or their own personal self-satisfaction, they forget about their families. Young people, though without fathers, are filled with idols that seduce their hearts. They are driven by joys and wonders but it does not give them a job. The god of money deceives them by denying them real wealth.
A priest cannot take the place of the father in the family. The priest is not a daddy. But the priests are the real fathers. They play a key role in all the important moments of our lives. They then become our role models. The priest is with us as a father, often in joy, listening carefully when problems arise, advising us and forgiving us.
6. The priest is needed to expand the family
Finally, Jesus gives an extraordinary result to those who come to follow him. Jesus answered and said unto them, say unto you, Whosoever shall not forsake his house, and his brethren, and his sisters, and his mother, and his father, and his mother, and his children, and his fields, shall receive a hundredfold here.
Many priests say that moving from one parish to another is an experience of being thrown out of a family. But the priest is expanding his family if he firmly believes in the promises of Christ