“Priests are just like men”. Years ago it was not unusual to hear this innocent but confused exclamation from elementary students as they learned about the seven sacraments in catechism class. Today it seems this callow confusion among youngsters has given way to something more widespread – a regrettable unawareness or indifference among older adolescents.
Why is the Holy Spirit’s call to the priestly vocation not being heard or heeded? There may be multiple reasons. One for sure is that young men are not being encouraged to ‘open their ears and hearts’ to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. The concerns, distractions and allurements of their secular lifestyle overwhelm and dull their responsiveness. Consequently, the ability to discern, let alone the desire to do so, is foreign to them.
Another contributing factor is the inadequate understanding which generally prevails among us Catholics about the sacrament of Holy Orders. Priests are men, of course, but they are men who accept the invitation from the Holy Spirit, an invitation cultivated by the discernment of the Church, and formalized with consecration by a bishop. Ordination is much more than conferring an academic degree in sociology, psychology, or even theology – as helpful as these may be.
Priests are more than ministers, more than preachers, more than counselors. Although they may provide all these services, they are first and foremost men called to administer the sacraments and, in doing so, to sustain, nourish and help guide the Mystical Body of Christ. The priesthood is a noble calling. As an institution, its roots are ancient and can be traced back through millennia to Aaron, the brother of Moses, and even before to Melchizedek, the contemporary of Abraham. As for the Catholic priesthood, the Catechism asserts that the Sacrament of Holy Orders confers an indelible spiritual character by which the man so ordained acts in persona Christi.
In the American scene during these past decades, it has been commonplace in non-Catholic denominations for men and women ‘of the cloth’ to assume public office and be actively involved in politics. The collusion of the two callings tends to blur the distinction and integrity of each of them. Is it any wonder that in 1983 Pope John Paul II oversaw the revision of the Code of Canon Law specifically forbidding this practice among Catholic clergy?
Maybe the ‘springtime for the Church’ which Pope John Paul II predicted is now dawning. Certainly, an agency actively involved in facilitating its arrival is the National Council of Diocesan Vocation Directors (www.ncdvd.org).
Based in Huntington, New York, NCDVD has its origins in the middle of the last century. In recent years, however, it has established a strong national and international outreach. As its website states: “it supports priests and personnel responsible for mentoring and forming healthy and holy priests for their dioceses”. NCDVD does this by providing resources and programs to equip members “for effective vocation promotion, candidate assessment, and seminarian formation, offering unparalleled training in the selection and screening of priestly candidates”.
Unquestionably, of tantamount importance is the sense of solidarity NCDVD fosters among its members as they periodically convene to share knowledge and experience. This fraternal spirit extends beyond regional and national conferences as publications and programming material are made available to diocesan vocation directors around the globe. Inspired and informed by this shared commitment, vocation directors in all dioceses are able more effectively to help young men first listen and then ascertain if they are ‘being called’.
Imagine what our world would be like if elementary school youngsters today – with confidence equal to that of their peers of years ago – declared “men are just like priests”!
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