The joy of following Christ in the Priesthood and Religious Life.

When Pope Benedict addressed all of us the Bishops of Ireland before we left Rome in October last year he asked that “priests be encouraged to seek spiritual renewal and discover afresh the joy of ministering to their flock in the great Family of the Church”.

Today I wish to share with you something of the joy that we experience as we follow Christ in the priesthood.

Vocation to priesthood not a personal decision

Strangely enough as a young teenager I had no great desire to be a priest. Like most boys of my age I looked forward to graduating from College, getting a job, getting married and rearing a family. However I do remember distinctly reflecting on how good God was to me. I had a loving family, a good home and indeed secondary education that was denied to so many at that time. I believe that it was through these thoughts of gratitude that God was calling me to respond by giving my life to Him in the priesthood.

Why respond to the call?

Last week I spoke to a religious about the joy she experienced by following Jesus in the religious life. She left home for the convent at twenty one years of age. She said it was like a death for her. I asked her why she had left. She said: “By that time the love and generosity of God had touched my life and captivated my heart”. She is the happiest person I know today. Our world needs witnesses of God’s love every day. I talked to a very happy contemplative during the week who said “I feel a joy in my heart that I want to share with everyone in the world – the joy of belonging to Jesus of walking with Him and of having been set free by Him”.

We shall reflect in a few moments on the joy of religious life but let us first reflect on the joy of following Christ in the priesthood.

We are called to participate intimately in the priesthood of Jesus Christ - to participate in the ministerial priesthood. In His own native town in the synagogue of Nazareth Jesus identifies His mission and His ministry by quoting from the Prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of God has been given to me, for He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to set prisoners free, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight (Isaiah 55-3-9).

In virtue of our priestly ordination we too are called to share in that same mission of Christ and bring the Good News to the world.

Prayer and reflection on Sacred Scripture have to be the greatest source of joy in every priest’s life. Christ will knock on the door of our hearts every day and every moment of every day but he will never force His way in. The key to unlock the door of our hearts and share our lives with Christ is prayer and prayer alone.

Prayer will help us to listen with our hearts to the Word of God. People who love each other listen with their hearts to each other. It is only if we carry a love in our hearts for Scripture that we can touch the hearts of our people with the joy – with the Good News of the Gospel.

Like the disciples going home to Emmaus after Calvary, people often see the world and the events of their lives through the eyes of the world, through secular eyes. As priests we must try as Christ did to see the joys and the sorrows of life in the light of Sacred Scripture – through the eyes of Faith. It is a great privilege and joy for priests to help people discover meaning and purpose in life through the eyes of Faith.

Preaching – not always in Words

Sometimes our best preaching as priests is not by words from the pulpit but by our presence with our people in times of joy and indeed in times of sorrow. Priests have the privilege and the joy of sharing in those beautiful celebrations in every family – the celebration of Baptism, of First Confession, of First Communion, of Confirmation and indeed of Marriages. It is through the ministry of the priest that they meet Christ in every sacrament.
But he will always be with his people in their times of illness, of bereavement, of grief and of depression. Words may be of little help in these situations but his very presence and prayers can be a powerful support and strength.

There are, of course, Gethsemane moments in all our lives – moments of great pain, moments when all seems lost, moments when like Jesus Himself we seem to have failed totally and are tempted to escape from it all. Yet deep down beneath all the sorrow and all the pain there is joy of knowing that with Jesus we must embrace the cross and discover that through the pain of our cross God is drawing us closer to Himself and to each other.

Priests and the love of their people

Priests have been through very painful times in recent years but thank God they are now rediscovering the support and the encouragement of their people. Indeed the love of their people can be the greatest source of strength and encouragement in the life of any priest – the joy of knowing that he is wanted and loved by his people.

Forming worshipping communities of faith of care and of service

The building up or the formation of a worshipping community has to be our greatest challenge and joy as priests. The decree on the ministry and life of priests of Vatican II states “no Christian community is built up which does not grow from and hinge on the celebration of the Eucharist “ (N. 6). The Eucharist must be the source of spirituality in every priest’s life and at the centre of his pastoral ministry.

I believe that community is the greatest gift that the Church can offer today to a world which is growing so cold and selfish. From the days of Christ Himself parishes were communities of faith, of worship of care and service.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles which is the history of the very early Church “the whole group of believers was united. They remained faithful to the teaching of the Apostles. They sold their goods and possessions and distributed the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. They met in each other’s houses for the breaking of their bread” (Acts Ch 2:42).

Parishes must become worshipping communities where people belong to each other because they all belong to God. They must be communities where everyone from the oldest to the youngest, the weakest to the strongest, the poorest to the better off and indeed the stranger is being cared for, respected and loved. Communities of Life and Love are a source of great joy and support for the priest.

The Joy of following Christ in the Religious Life

I believe that religious communities are at the very heart of the Church. Through their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience they make a radical gift of their lives to God. Like Mary of Bethany who poured precious ointment on the feet of Christ Religious pour out their hearts in love for God. The call of the Lord makes huge demands as they leave behind their right to marriage, family, home, money, career and independence. Their response to the call is a powerful witness that love for God must be a priority in our lives. For religious both active and contemplative their joy and happiness and strength will be rooted essentially in their relationship with Christ through prayer.

The Joy of Detachment

Devout religious will tell you that the vow of poverty sets them free from the worry and the anxiety that so many people experience because of their possessions. Their joy is rooted in the detachment and joy of Christ who experienced poverty from birth.

We live in a community today where the pursuit of things material – of wealth and pleasure can take possession of minds and hearts and where people have less and less time for themselves, their families, their communications and their God.

Happy and joy-filled religious remind us by their lives that we have not here a lasting city and that our hearts shall never rest until they rest in God.

Devout religious represent what is beautiful and true and a love that is for life

In our world today we see much that is false and vulgar. We see great emphasis on what is transient. The image is more important than the real and truth is so often sacrificed to spin doctors.

Devout religious represent all that is beautiful and true and their life - long fidelity is a challenge to those who are unwilling and reluctant to make any long term commitment to any cause or career – even to life-long love in the sacrament of marriage.

The joy of following Christ in Community Life

The witness of the happy community life of devout religious is more important today than ever before.

Religious communities remind us that we are called to live and love each other as sisters and brothers in the family, and in the community of faith that is the Church. Devout Religious who make sacrifices daily to build up the love of their community are telling all of us that life is about relationships and not about things – about our relationships with God and with each other. Jobs are important, houses are important, cars are important but our greatest joy and happiness in life come from our relationships with God and with each other while our greatest pain comes from broken or betrayed relationships.

Unfortunately today ruthless greed and individualism can have no time for family or the community and we often hear the tragic comment – my faith is my own business – my religion is my private affair.

Active Religious

Most of what I have shared relates to all religious but I wish now to show the joy of following Christ as an active religious. They bring healing and strength to the sick and the vulnerable, they bring hope to the hopeless and liberation through education. They respond every day to that call of Jesus: “whoever ministers to the least of these ministers to me” ( Mt.10:40-41).

Human life is precious

Through the Incarnation – through becoming totally human Christ assures us that the gift of human life is precious beyond measure. It is the great joy of religious to help all people but especially the poor and the abandoned of the world to discover their true dignity and destiny as human beings made in the Image of God and redeemed in Christ.

Conclusion

For some people Religious Life is a waste of life but for those who have been called – for those who have been captivated by the generosity and love of God Religious Life is a response to the call of a loving God and a joy-filled expression of gratitude for their Call.

Religious recognize and rejoice that every human life finds its meaning in the story of the resurrection of Christ and its destiny to live forever in “that joy and happiness that no eye has seen and no ear has heard – the joy that God has prepared for those who love Him”. (1 Cor:2-9).

Christopher Jones
19th August 2007