TALK
TO PRIESTS AND SEMINARIANS
SAINT
JOSEPH'S ORATORY
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
SEPTEMBER
11,
1984
Dear
brothers in the priesthood:
It
is a great joy for me to meet you here,
priests from Quebec and French-speaking
priests from a number of other parts of Canada. The conversation
with my brothers in the priesthood is always a high
point in my travels. I undertake
it in
association with your bishops, whose principal
collaborators you are. They transmitted to you the powers of Christ;
each, in his own diocese, is the father of the presbyterium. Every year, on Holy Thursday, I write a
letter to all
the priests of the Catholic Church; I do it in order to
strengthen them
in their sublime vocation and in
their
indispensable mission to the people of God.
It
is indeed a demanding mission. But it is,
above all, a gift, for which
we
must unceasingly give thanks to God. In spite of our unworthiness,
Christ has called us to proclaim his Good News, to
communicate his life! A difficult responsibility, perhaps, but one
which I call on you to fulfil [sp]
in hope.
The words addressed by Saint Paul to the Christians of Rome are
even
more relevant for you, you who share in the apostolic
ministry. "May the God of hope bring you such joy and peace in your
faith that the power of the Holy Spirit will remove all bounds to hope!" (Rm 15,13).
Mark
these words: "...
in your faith!" Everything depends on the faith
which inspires your life as priests.
Your
bishops and particularly those of
Quebec, when they came for their
"Ad Limina" visit - and this in addition of course to all the reports
or
letters I received before this trip - have
made me familiar with your religious and social situation, that
situation which
has existed now for twenty years
or so and
which continues to evolve. Relatively speaking there are still
large
numbers of priests here in spite of a recent reduction
in the number of ordinations. Like your predecessors, who have left such a strong impression on the
life of the
Church in Canada, you have been
working in faithful union with your bishops. At this time, and in conformity with the general directions
indicated
by Vatican II, you are seeking
for ways to meet the "crisis" facing your Christian people.
You
have been witnessing, in fact, a deep
seated process of change, one
which heralds the
appearance of a new culture, of a new society, but which poses too a number of questions
about the meaning of life. You are
facing as well a crisis of values: values of faith, of prayer,
of religious practice,
moral values, family values,
a more materialistic, more selfish attitude to life. The Church
is no
longer alone in suggesting anwers
[sp]
or attitudes; it sometimes feels on the margin of things, some go so
far as to
speak of being "in exile".
In
the face of this new situation most
Canadian pastors do not seem discouraged.
They are inclined to see here a test, an opportunity for sacrifice,
purification, reconstruction and
all this, in humility and hope.
The
successor of Peter says to you: you must
rise to the challenge; do
not
allow yourselves to be paralyzed; recover your freedom and the dynamism
of your faith.
In
no way should a sense of realism and
meekness of spirit lead to resignation.
You cannot allow Christianity to be removed, even temporarily,
from the convictions or daily
concerns of your compatriots. The
novelty of this cultural
situation presents in a sense some positive aspects,
if one understands by that that faith can now express itself more
freely, that
it depends less on social pressures and more on personal convictions,
that it
more easily goes beyond formalism and hypocrisy, that it is
able to deal
better with new scientific questions, with the possibilities of
technological
progress or social communications, that it fosters a more active and
responsible form of participation in more flexible communities, that it
may
more readily engage in dialogue with others while respecting both their
moral
convictions and the jurisdiction of
civil
authorities.
But
when we turn to essentials - the sense
of a living God, the acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
salvation
through faith, the basic practices of religious life by which faith is
expressed and nourished, such as the sacraments of the eucharist and
reconciliation, the sense of human love in marriage, the theology of
the body,
respect for life, sharing with the poor and weak, and generally
speaking the
beatitudes -
no Christian, let alone a priest,
can be content with silence, or with standing
meekly aside on the grounds that ours is a pluralistic society, crossed
and recrossed by various currents of thoughts of which many are inspired by scientism, materialism,
even atheism.
True the Gospel does speak of the seed that must die so that it
may rise
again in a new life (cf. Jn 12, 24-25), but this death is not one of
fear or
withdrawal, but one rather of a life totally offered in witness in the
very
midst of persecution.
In
other words we must, more than ever, see
to it that the voice of Christianity
has a right to
be heard in this country, that it might be freely accepted into the
mentality
of men and women, that its witness be expressed, at all levels, in
convincing
fashion, so that the developing culture
may
at the very least feel challenged by Christian values and take them into account. Christ became man,
sacrificed
his life and rose from the dead so that his light could shine
in the
eyes of the world, so that his leaven might cause the bread to rise;
incorporated in the dough it must
be constantly renewing it, on condition, however, that it retains
its quality
as leaven.
My
dear brother priests, the challenge of
secularization calls for greater
faith
among Christians, first of all among priests. To that world, our world, Christ offers salvation,
truth,
authentic liberation: the Holy Spirit
pursues its work of sanctification; the Good News retains its force; conversion is possible, is necessary.
Yes, as I
said recently to your Swiss confrères in another context, but
one which
is not dissimilar to yours - their society, like yours is an affluent
one - the
more a society becomes dechristianized, the more it is touched by
uncertainty
or indifference, the more it needs to find in the person of priests
that
radical faith which is like a beacon in the night or like a rock on
which it
can stand (cf. Speech to Priests, Einsiedeln, June 15, 1984, No. 7).
I
know that you have this faith within you. But it must bring
about a new pastoral zeal, in all areas, a zeal like that which moved
the
founding priests and those who, with so many devout religious and
members of
the laity, have laboured to the point that French Canada has drawn its inspiration from Christian and Catholic
convictions. Yes we must speak of supernatural
lucidity and courage of faith which make it possible to resist winds
contrary to the Gospel, currents destructive of all that is great in humankind. We must be bold enough to
undertake a
new effort for the formation
of
consciences.
With
zeal, confident in the Spirit's gift of
discernment, encourage those who have managed to renew their faith and
their
prayer, those who have so generously devoted themselves to apostolic
works in
the Church and in society. But
you will also
be careful not to allow the Christian people to remain in a
kind of
spiritual vacuum or fatal religious ignorance. Should you find your
people in
confusion with new things, remember that they need, more than ever in
these
days of change, "visible signs of the Church, props, helps, points of
reference..." and community support, as I was saying to your bishops. When he
sees members of his flock disconcerted
the humble pastor must always be ready to welcome them, to
listen to
them, to understand them. He
should on
occasion show himself to be receptive to criticism directed at what might well
be questionable practices in
regard to liturgy,
catechesis or
education. In all cases he will try to lead his people to a
positive
attitude and a deepening of their faith.
You
are putting a great hope on the co-responsibility
of laity and priests,
not only to assist the clergy - whose
members have been reduced -but
because it is the role of baptized and confirmed laypersons to
participate as
living members, unreservedly and fully, in the progress of the
Church and its sanctification (cf. Lumen
Gentium, No. 33). They must share in its witness, especially in regard
to
temporal realities. If the Church
is to have a social role, that role must of necessity be played by the
laity, united with their pastors and
inspired by the Magisterium. Along
with your bishops I urge you to continue along this road to which you have
committed yourselves so very much since
the Council. The fields of activity are many. In addition to the
various forms
of the apostolate, there
are charisms exercised
for others, ecclesial tasks, even formally instituted
ministries. In the latter case the presupposition is that the layperson
be committed with a certain stability to an important service of the Church.
However,
this morning, I
will not be dealing with the role of the laity.
I will be doing so later, with those that I shall be meeting,
notably in Halifax. Because of the lack of time, I would like to turn immediately
to your specific role, there being no substitute for
the ordained ministry.
"The
role of priests", says Vatican
II,
"to the extent that they are associated
with the episcopal order, participates in that
authority by which Christ himself builds up, sanctifies and governs his
Church" (cf. Presbyterorum
ordinis,
No. 2). You have been chosen from the Christian
community, and you have been chosen to be at its service. To be a priest is a grace for the whole
community. But
your role does not derive from
the
community; you are not delegated by it. To be a priest is to participate in that very act by which
the risen
Christ builds up his Church which
is
his body. Christ, the good shepherd continues to act in his
Church.
By your ministry
you represent in a very real and efficacious way the
good shepherd who gives his live for his sheep. You act in the name of Christ the Head who builds up his Church.
The
grace of ordination, which has shaped
you in the likeness of Christ the priest and good shepherd, permits you
to
exercise the ministry of
the
word and of the sacraments. It also enables you to act as an animator
of the community thus making
manifest the initiative and kindness that
Christ has for his Church. Your ministry invariably reminds the community
that the word comes from God, that
the sacraments are acts of the risen
Christ, that the Church is assembled by and in the Spirit. Indeed, nothing
can replace your ministry as a sign
and means of gathering the faithful
into the body of Christ. May God increase your faith so that you may
fulfill the ministry he has entrusted to
you!
By
your ministry you have been put in charge
of Christian communities for
which you are
responsible. Such is the mandate you have received from your bishop.
This is
the basis for the responsible obedience you owe him, for your well-advised and confident
co-operation with him. You cannot build the Church of God without him,
while,
conversely, it is with you and through
you that your bishop discharges his
own responsibility as pastor of a
particular church, in unfailing communion with Peter's successor.
Among
all those acts of the ministry
associated with the triple sacerdotal
function, may I point out a few that have special relevance to the
spiritual needs of your fellow countrymen at this time?
A
certain number of young people have
rediscovered prayer. But many have
forgotten how or dare not pray. As it is, our secularized world will be
open to faith and conversion only if it prays as it hears the
Gospel. "That kind of devil can only be cast out by prayer and
fasting" (cf. Mk 9,29 and Mt
17,21). The
world needs teachers of prayer and spontaneously turns to the priest whom it sees
praying in the name of the Church. But
it is impossible to teach others to pray unless prayer is at
the very
centre of our own life, unless it accompanies all our pastoral efforts!
The
daily celebration of the eucharist, with suitable
dignity and with a consciousness of entering into the redemptive act of
Christ
remains obviously at the centre and the summit of your priestly lives.
When
Christian people abstain from asking for the forgiveness
of their sins, in a personal way, possibly prepared
in common,
is that not cause for concern?
Must we
not ask ourselves what importance we attach to this ministry? How available are we in this
regard? Do
we educate people sufficiently
in
regard to a sense of sin and of the mercy of God?
The
increase in knowledge of mundane matters
is matched, in contrast, by
an
increase in religious ignorance. How are we facing up to this fact in
our
catechesis of the young? What facilities for education have we provided
for adults, in addition to homilies
of real substance and serious, in-depth
preparation for the sacraments? The proper exposition of the faith
is extremely demanding; it must be
done in terms that reach both heart and mind while yet remaining
faithful to
the tenets of the Creed.
My
dear friends, you have
been entrusted with the task of guiding consciences
and therefore of answering
in unequivocal terms, and with courage, the innumerable questions posed
by
contemporary events and discoveries.
All
areas of life require this kind of
illumination, as they require appropriate
reflexion. I have in mind, among other things, all that could help
families,
the young, engaged couples and the newly married, to better grasp God's plan in regard to love,
to the
meaning of the marriage bond, to responsible parenthood, to
faithfulness, not only from a moral point of view,
but from a theological and spiritual one as well.
I
know that you have the task of educating
people in the spirit of the beatitudes
very much at
heart, that you are concerned with respect for the human person, with
justice,
with sharing, with the dignity of the poor, with
handicapped people, with the isolation of the old, with
solidarity with the hungry masses. And this you must be concerned about
in a
society where excessive
consumption
co-exists with the insecurity of unemployment.
Living
your daily lives alongside our separated brethern [sp]
has helped you develop ecumenical
relationships. But these still require more thorough theological investigation in
conformity with the directives of
the Secretariat for Unity.
And
how could one not wish to see cultivated
that missionary spirit which,
in this very century,
has so generously flourished in Canada?
I
underline finally two points whose urgency
cannot have escaped you. Vocations to the priesthood and to religious
life must
be awakened, through the
radiance
of your zeal and of your joy in being priests. But it must be associated
as well with a pressing invitation to follow Christ who
still calls us.
Generally
speaking, it can be said that
these young people, whom I am to meet this evening and who give
evidence
of so much goodwill in spite of their
trials, need to find you attentive and able to inspire confidence. And you must be an example to them of
disciples of
Christ happy to be following
his
ways.
In
my meetings
with priests around the world, I have seen that they wish
to live an intense spiritual life
adapted to their vocation. It is from
your ministry, fulfilled with conviction, and centred on the Eucharist,
that there develops your spiritual vitality, which it
is necessary for you to maintain
also in
moments of personal prayer. As servants of the word of God, may
you
yourselves be challenged, refreshed and
revived by it. You who assemble communities and are responsible for unity,
allow yourselves to stand in wonder at the works which God accomplishes in his people. As
ministers of
Sacraments, let yourselves be converted by what they celebrate.
One
cannot baptize without being invited himself
to be born again. One cannot preside over a marriage without questioning
one's own way of giving oneself in love to the Lord and to one's brothers and sisters: celibacy
is a sign of
this freedom with a view to
service.
One cannot celebrate the Sacrament of pardon without whispering at the bottom of one's
heart: Lord, I
too am a sinner who needs to be pardoned. One cannot celebrate
the
Eucharist without letting oneself be
overcome by the love of Jesus who has surrendered his life for the
many. In
the exercise of your ministry, let yourselves be seized by the power of
the Spirit.
Does
not the Bishop say to the new deacon
when handing him the Book of the
Gospels: "Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practise [sp]
what
you teach"? And
to the priest: "Imitamini quod tractatis". All your
ministry must be situated in a climate
of prayer and of sacrifice that unites
you
to Christ the Mediator and establishes you in his peace and his joy.
The
quality of your mission depends also on
the fraternity and unity which
you priests will
establish among yourselves, with respect for legitimate
differences of sensibility and charism, but in the impassioned quest
of
the same proclamation of the Gospel, in faithfulness to the Church.
Remember
the priests who, across the world
today, risk their freedom and
even their lives in order
to be faithful to their priesthood and to continue to sustain the faith
of
their people.
I
would have liked to address myself at
greater length to the permanent
deacons. Dear friends, I simply wish to repeat here that your ordained
ministry is connected to that of the priests; it prepares
for it and effectively prolongs
it; or else
it shares in it when it is a question of
Baptism or of preaching. The Church counts on your actions, for, according
to your own vocation, you play your part in accomplishing her mission.
I
greet in a special way
the seminarians present at this meeting. You
have heard me speak of the beauty and the demands of the priestly
ministry.
This is what must
keep you in the joy of being called by God to cooperate
in this ministry, with the determination to prepare yourselves for it
with all
your strength: put prayer at the centre of your formation, study
thoroughly all
the doctrines of the Church on the scriptural, dogmatic and moral planes. From this
moment on, live in pastoral availability
to the faithful, and maintain fraternal ties with your fellow students
and
trust in your Bishop. The future of the Church in Quebec will depend on
your
fervour in following Christ.
Here,
in this Oratory, where so many graces
have been granted, we pray for
the
intercession of Saint Joseph. In the lives of Mary and Jesus he had
a humble role to play, that of a servant, in intimate and
continuous contact with the Son
of God.
Above all else, we are servants of the Son of God.
We
pray too for the
intercession of Mary, associated in an incomparable
fashion with the work of her Son.
Be
men of faith and hope! And I, in the name
of the Father, of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, I
give you, with all my heart, my apostolic blessing.