Martina Purdy
It was a simple enough question, posed by a priest who had entered religious life as a youth around 50 years ago. “What is a priest’s ‘job’?” My first thought was: bringing the body and blood of Christ to us through the power of the Holy Spirit, the greatest ‘job’ in the world. But that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. The clue was the morning’s scripture, the letter to the Hebrews. “To offer sacrifice.”
“What is sacrifice?” the priest then asked. It is one of those words we hear all the time but do not give much thought to. A sacrifice is in fact an offering to God. The words of St Paul came to me: “living sacrifice”.
Venerable Fulton Sheen had his own description for the life of a priest and did not sugarcoat it. The American bishop would tell seminarians: be prepared to be “a divine victim”. That is, to share in Christ’s cross and, like him, to be rejected, vilified, falsely accused, persecuted, tortured and nailed to a cross.
Not exactly something we all yearn for, is it?
Vocation
These thoughts were dominating my mind when the priest asked another question: “Why do you think that, in all the years that this community has been here, in this place, we have had no vocations from this area?”
He pointed out that all the members of his religious order had come from other parts of Ireland. “To my knowledge,” he said, “we have had no vocations from this area.”
“Why is that, do you think?”
Why indeed. There is no easy answer to this question.
When I was a teenager in the eighties in Toronto, there was a big marketing campaign to attract vocations to the priesthood. It was the brainchild of Fr Sean O’Sullivan who had left his career as an elected member of the Canadian parliament to follow Jesus. When he later became Vocations Director, The Archdiocese of Toronto launched a series of roadside billboards, bearing the image of a bloodied and crucified Christ with the words: “Dare to be a priest like me!”
You have to be called, or you have to be medicated”
A number was also displayed, and the phones were ringing off the hook apparently.
Why were so many hearts touched? Perhaps because there was something authentic in this invitation. Christ himself is the attraction. And, despite what people say, their heart longs for sacrifice. “Aaaagh, who wants an easy life?!” I once asked a priest. He jokingly put up his hand.
After this advertising campaign, I don’t know how many men actually ended up as priests. After all, the priesthood is a gift and is not for every man who comes forward. “You have to be called, or you have to be medicated, otherwise you can’t do it!” – a convent sister used to say.
It is the same for priests. And as Valentine’s Day approaches, it is good to remember that it is only possible to give yourself totally when you are truly in love. The invitation to the priesthood rarely comes with a direct word from the Lord, though it does happen. It is often an invitation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit through another person or persons.
Reccomendation
But how many priests, even those who love their priesthood, would recommend the priesthood in their own diocese?
The latest The Irish Catholic series ‘Relentless Ministry’ reveals the extent of the problems, and a high level of burn-out. There is a forlorn sense of working all night and catching little.
In my own Diocese of Down and Connor, a weekend of discernment for the priesthood is planned on March 9. (To my surprise, I just realised that Fr Sean O’Sullivan died on this date, aged 37.)
I sometimes tease a priest friend, who is cheerful despite the challenges of life, that there is no point in complaining. He did, after all, sign up to be a “divine victim”. He grins, because this priest knows, that I know, that all of the baptised have a share in this divine sacrifice, and a share in Christ’s priesthood.
St Paul, in Romans 12:1, was appealing to all the faithful when he wrote: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and pleasing to God.”
We can all feel the pull to resist when we are called upon”
This is reasonable service to God. And yet too often when the laity serve in the church, there is a sense that our work is just ‘helping father’. There is a big problem with, “Let me help you, father!” because Christ is the real master we serve, and we are tempted to stop helping when it no longer suits. In truth it is co-responsibility.
There is a reason Sr Clare Crockett’s motto was “all or nothing”. Whole-hearted sacrifice brings joy, but half-hearted service brings resentment. That is true for any vocation whether to marriage, priesthood or single life. We can all feel the pull to resist when we are called upon.
The need in the Church is overwhelming: children’s liturgy, catechesis, bible study, evangelisation, funeral ministry, baptism and marriage preparation, to name a few. The Church, the body of Christ, desperately needs our talents, our prayers, our time, and indeed our offering.
The other day I attended a meeting in my family of parishes/vicariate about the formation of new pastoral councils. These are now mandatory across the Church: every parish must have a pastoral council to build up the faith.
Reflection
Before being invited to serve, we were reminded that the Lord commands his disciples to cast the net out into the deep – even when human reasoning thinks it is a mad idea.
Remember when Peter, the experienced fisherman, was being told by the son of a Carpenter, how to fish? “I have been working all night,” Peter declared “But if you say so…”
And as Valentine’s Day approaches, it is good to remember that it is only possible to give yourself totally when you are truly in love”
We were reminded that the Lord commands his disciples to cast the net out into the deep – even when human reasoning thinks it is a mad idea”
This Valentine’s Day I rejoice that three couples I know are about to get married in the Catholic Church. One of the bridegrooms is a young man of 27 who confided as we toasted his engagement, “You know if anyone had told me that I would be getting married before I was thirty, I would have laughed in their face! But I’m so happy!” Love changes everything!
He and his bride met online during the Covid lockdown. They had grown up in the same area of their Canadian city but had attended different schools. Lockdown gave them a sweet courtship, a chance to get to know each other. They were limited to long talks and long walks. A solid foundation for building a relationship which has blossomed into love.
All I know about sports is what seeps into my brain against my will. But I was interested to read about the death of Virginia Halas McCaskey at age 102. She was the mother of 11, and a Catholic and the wealthy owner of The Chicago Bears, a national league American football team. Her Sedan car had a bumper sticker which read, “Pray the Rosary”. She also had a passion for The Bears and did not serve dessert on a Sunday if they lost. She liked to quote her son Pat that The Bears would stay in the family until “The Second Coming.”