The Priest, a Witness to Mercy and Service
(Msgr. Youssef Soueif, current Maronite Bishop of Cyprus)
“The Priest, a Witness to Mercy and Service” – by Msgr. Youssef Soueif
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/alkahan-shaahad-llrhmt-oualkhdmt-maa-almounsnyour-yousf-souyf
The Family of Saint Sharbel – Annaya – Friday, April 26, 2002
Christ is risen!
Our topic today was originally addressed to priests, but I still would like to share it with you. It is on “The priest, a witness to mercy and service.” Several months ago, a letter was addressed to priests by the Pontifical Congregation for the Clergy. The title caught my attention: “Priest, you are the sacrament of mercy.” This is an unusual title. We are all familiar with the sacraments of the Church, and we know that Christ himself is the Sacrament of Sacraments, but here is this letter calling the priest a sacrament of mercy.
This letter carries a profound, beautiful, and multilayered message. I would like to share it with you, the Family of Saint Sharbel, who is a priestly family despite being composed of lay people, in order to:
For all these reasons I chose to talk to you about the priesthood. In the letter I mentioned are meditations inviting the priest to consider this priestly vocation rooted in Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy is indeed the nourishment to our priestly vocation. A man becomes a priest with the help of this grace: Divine Mercy which confirms our steps, our path, and our priestly experience as we journey towards the Kingdom entrusted with the care of the community which is also journeying towards the kingdom, our life’s ultimate destiny.
Jesus Christ said to priests: “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful,” but he was not only talking to priests. Mercy means to not harden your hearts. It means that all priests and lay people who participate in the priesthood of Christ are called to be merciful because God’s mercy is the priest’s perfection. We are an honest, authentic, and faithful Church, as His Holiness the Pope said, when we profess and announce this Divine Mercy, which is the Creator’s and the Savior’s most beautiful quality. The Church is also honest when she leads the people to the springs of mercy that the Savior gives us.
A priest’s mission is to lead people to the Redeemer’s springs of mercy. The priest is a witness to this mercy, and, what is even more, as the letter states, he is the “sacrament of mercy.” This is how the priest and his service and ministry become rich in God’s eyes. The richness of the priest and the priesthood does not stem from the activities and projects that the priest takes on, but from the priest’s being. So, who are we, priests of Christ?
Some priests don’t have the ability to mobilize people or lead projects, but they still have the priesthood, which means that their priestly being is special, because the multiplicity of projects is not the measure of the priesthood. A priest’s richness in God’s eyes, then, does not stem from the projects he’s involved in, but from who he is in God’s eyes. The priest represents Christ. He becomes one with Christ. He must be mindful that he is not one with Christ only part of the day or the week, but forever, because the priest is in persona Christi. And this could be an issue. During the Divine Liturgy, the priest is aware that the transformation of the bread and wine is effected by Christ, and that he is one with Christ. But this is not only true during the celebration and the sacraments, but in all the details of life, starting with the altar and spreading to the priest’s entire life. The priest is rich inasmuch as he is united to Christ permanently.
This is, of course, difficult to achieve. A permanent union with Christ and being aware of this union under all circumstances are difficult to achieve. Consequently, we discover our weakness, denial, and regression before this truth. But one thing consoles us, and that is the word of Christ: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” The priest who lives this union with honesty, despite the weakness and the fear, is called to witness to Christ with honesty: he is an honest witness. The apostles experienced the reality of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, received his merciful love, and became, thanks to this experience, witnesses to this love. The priest also is called to live this experience with honesty and awareness, to put his finger in the Lord’s wound, look at his hands and put his hand in his side until his doubt is transformed into faith. The priesthood cannot be authentic if not based on this experience of the risen Lord. What can fill a priest’s heart except for the Lord’s mercy? Christ standing by the well waiting for the Samaritan woman is a scene that symbolizes our priestly ministry every time we patiently wait for people to return so we can bring them closer to Christ. And this is where the priest’s mercy resides. The more the priest is filled with this mercy, the more patiently he can lead people to Christ’s mercy. The priest awaits the people who come to him to renew themselves and to meet Christ. But how able and ready is the priest to listen patiently? What good is it if the priest only met with those he feels comfortable with? Priesthood means that you, priest, are standing by the well waiting for every person, but also searching for them. You, priest, are called to lead this person seeking Divine Mercy to sacramental reconciliation.
At every gathering there should be a bond of love between all those present, including those who do not go to church. The priest loves everyone. He conveys the joy he experiences in the Divine Liturgy to those he loves with complete honesty. He deals with people with patience, especially those who are far from the Church, and he tries to bring them to a bigger commitment to the Church. The priest, who is attached to the mercy of Christ, is capable of being patient, to lead people to reconciliation and to the sacraments, and is indeed the sacrament of Divine Mercy.
The priest proclaims: “Because of your word, I will cast the net.” Because of the word of Christ.
Peter denied Christ. The priest is also tempted to think himself too important or too holy. By thinking this way he is denying Christ. “Because of your word, I will cast the net.” The priest is the spiritual leader in the heart of the community of the faithful, and he is a spiritual leader who “casts the net because of the word of Christ.”
Despite his weakness and denial, the priest is set as spiritual leader for the community by Christ.
This mercy is continuously discovered by the priest, for he is called to hold fast to Divine Mercy. This way he is always connected to the Original Source and is renewed. Without Christ, there is no renewal. Without him we end up just talking about our own plans and ambitions, and we forget the reason for our existence.
Divine Mercy is incarnate in the Holy Bible. The main source of mercy in man’s heart is the Word of God, because the Word of God is the main source of God’s mercy. Whoever does not know the Holy Bible knows nothing. He is going to battle with no weapon and his life has no meaning. Divine Mercy comes to us when we take time for ourselves. I ask you to pray for us, priests. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary.” We, priests, need to be fair to ourselves and make the time of prayer to God and meditation central to our day, and not give God the leftovers of our time.
We, today, as Church and priests of the altar, need to revise our priorities. What are our priorities? Is Christ our priority? Is mission our priority? Is prayer our priority? Is our consecration to the Father our priority? Is the loving service to humanity our priority? We, today, urgently need to revise our priorities. We pray for the Church and for vocations. We also need to help priests in our parishes to keep their priorities straight. For the priest, the priority is Jesus Christ, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. God is everything.
Practically speaking, to what degree do we, priests, serve our priority? Divine Mercy comes to the priest through prayer, detachment, and renunciation. Embrace poverty for the sake of the parish. Enter into your inner chamber for your parish. Sit before the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is the main source of grace that helps us to live and be renewed by this mercy. I tip my hat off to lay people who are serious about their spiritual education, especially when I see many priests who no longer care for spiritual education, which should always be important for us.
Mercy is also revealed through the priest’s presence. The priest is:
The parish is the place where the priest personifies Divine Mercy. It is not the priest who is the shepherd of the parish, but Christ. The priest merely serves the Shepherd. The parish is not the priest’s monopoly or kingdom. It is for everyone and open to everyone. It is the community’s parish, and the priest is her servant.
It is great that our society keeps raising priests, and that our parishes remain sources of priestly and religious vocations. If you find in your homes a seed of vocation, rejoice about it, nourish and guide it. The Lord has given the priest graces, and, through God’s mercy upon him, he is able to change and transform people’s lives through his service which personifies God’s mercy for all. I say this so there will no longer be a gap between the priest and lay people. Your faith is a sign that this gap between lay people and priests is filled. This is a sign of mature faith. For whoever loves the Church does not criticize the Church. I know that you, in the Family of Saint Sharbel, love the Church and you are here to grow your love for the Church. You are, therefore, most capable of bridging that gap between the priest and the community, thanks to the mercy you also experience in your lives as lay people.
For we all, priests and lay people alike, are called to be united with this Divine Mercy and to witness to it with our love and service. Amen.
Thank you.
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/alkahan-shaahad-llrhmt-oualkhdmt-maa-almounsnyour-yousf-souyf
The Family of Saint Sharbel – Annaya – Friday, April 26, 2002
Christ is risen!
Our topic today was originally addressed to priests, but I still would like to share it with you. It is on “The priest, a witness to mercy and service.” Several months ago, a letter was addressed to priests by the Pontifical Congregation for the Clergy. The title caught my attention: “Priest, you are the sacrament of mercy.” This is an unusual title. We are all familiar with the sacraments of the Church, and we know that Christ himself is the Sacrament of Sacraments, but here is this letter calling the priest a sacrament of mercy.
This letter carries a profound, beautiful, and multilayered message. I would like to share it with you, the Family of Saint Sharbel, who is a priestly family despite being composed of lay people, in order to:
- Familiarize you with this facet of the priesthood, which is a sacrament of mercy – a mercy that, of course, is translated in service and priestly ministry.
- Foster a priestly atmosphere in the Family of Saint Sharbel, because this way the common priesthood of the faithful is nourished, but also can be discerned vocations to the ministerial Priesthood for the service of the altar.
- And this is dear to my heart, help you look at the priest through this lens and discuss how to help the priest become a sacrament of mercy.
For all these reasons I chose to talk to you about the priesthood. In the letter I mentioned are meditations inviting the priest to consider this priestly vocation rooted in Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy is indeed the nourishment to our priestly vocation. A man becomes a priest with the help of this grace: Divine Mercy which confirms our steps, our path, and our priestly experience as we journey towards the Kingdom entrusted with the care of the community which is also journeying towards the kingdom, our life’s ultimate destiny.
Jesus Christ said to priests: “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful,” but he was not only talking to priests. Mercy means to not harden your hearts. It means that all priests and lay people who participate in the priesthood of Christ are called to be merciful because God’s mercy is the priest’s perfection. We are an honest, authentic, and faithful Church, as His Holiness the Pope said, when we profess and announce this Divine Mercy, which is the Creator’s and the Savior’s most beautiful quality. The Church is also honest when she leads the people to the springs of mercy that the Savior gives us.
A priest’s mission is to lead people to the Redeemer’s springs of mercy. The priest is a witness to this mercy, and, what is even more, as the letter states, he is the “sacrament of mercy.” This is how the priest and his service and ministry become rich in God’s eyes. The richness of the priest and the priesthood does not stem from the activities and projects that the priest takes on, but from the priest’s being. So, who are we, priests of Christ?
Some priests don’t have the ability to mobilize people or lead projects, but they still have the priesthood, which means that their priestly being is special, because the multiplicity of projects is not the measure of the priesthood. A priest’s richness in God’s eyes, then, does not stem from the projects he’s involved in, but from who he is in God’s eyes. The priest represents Christ. He becomes one with Christ. He must be mindful that he is not one with Christ only part of the day or the week, but forever, because the priest is in persona Christi. And this could be an issue. During the Divine Liturgy, the priest is aware that the transformation of the bread and wine is effected by Christ, and that he is one with Christ. But this is not only true during the celebration and the sacraments, but in all the details of life, starting with the altar and spreading to the priest’s entire life. The priest is rich inasmuch as he is united to Christ permanently.
This is, of course, difficult to achieve. A permanent union with Christ and being aware of this union under all circumstances are difficult to achieve. Consequently, we discover our weakness, denial, and regression before this truth. But one thing consoles us, and that is the word of Christ: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” The priest who lives this union with honesty, despite the weakness and the fear, is called to witness to Christ with honesty: he is an honest witness. The apostles experienced the reality of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, received his merciful love, and became, thanks to this experience, witnesses to this love. The priest also is called to live this experience with honesty and awareness, to put his finger in the Lord’s wound, look at his hands and put his hand in his side until his doubt is transformed into faith. The priesthood cannot be authentic if not based on this experience of the risen Lord. What can fill a priest’s heart except for the Lord’s mercy? Christ standing by the well waiting for the Samaritan woman is a scene that symbolizes our priestly ministry every time we patiently wait for people to return so we can bring them closer to Christ. And this is where the priest’s mercy resides. The more the priest is filled with this mercy, the more patiently he can lead people to Christ’s mercy. The priest awaits the people who come to him to renew themselves and to meet Christ. But how able and ready is the priest to listen patiently? What good is it if the priest only met with those he feels comfortable with? Priesthood means that you, priest, are standing by the well waiting for every person, but also searching for them. You, priest, are called to lead this person seeking Divine Mercy to sacramental reconciliation.
At every gathering there should be a bond of love between all those present, including those who do not go to church. The priest loves everyone. He conveys the joy he experiences in the Divine Liturgy to those he loves with complete honesty. He deals with people with patience, especially those who are far from the Church, and he tries to bring them to a bigger commitment to the Church. The priest, who is attached to the mercy of Christ, is capable of being patient, to lead people to reconciliation and to the sacraments, and is indeed the sacrament of Divine Mercy.
The priest proclaims: “Because of your word, I will cast the net.” Because of the word of Christ.
Peter denied Christ. The priest is also tempted to think himself too important or too holy. By thinking this way he is denying Christ. “Because of your word, I will cast the net.” The priest is the spiritual leader in the heart of the community of the faithful, and he is a spiritual leader who “casts the net because of the word of Christ.”
Despite his weakness and denial, the priest is set as spiritual leader for the community by Christ.
This mercy is continuously discovered by the priest, for he is called to hold fast to Divine Mercy. This way he is always connected to the Original Source and is renewed. Without Christ, there is no renewal. Without him we end up just talking about our own plans and ambitions, and we forget the reason for our existence.
Divine Mercy is incarnate in the Holy Bible. The main source of mercy in man’s heart is the Word of God, because the Word of God is the main source of God’s mercy. Whoever does not know the Holy Bible knows nothing. He is going to battle with no weapon and his life has no meaning. Divine Mercy comes to us when we take time for ourselves. I ask you to pray for us, priests. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary.” We, priests, need to be fair to ourselves and make the time of prayer to God and meditation central to our day, and not give God the leftovers of our time.
We, today, as Church and priests of the altar, need to revise our priorities. What are our priorities? Is Christ our priority? Is mission our priority? Is prayer our priority? Is our consecration to the Father our priority? Is the loving service to humanity our priority? We, today, urgently need to revise our priorities. We pray for the Church and for vocations. We also need to help priests in our parishes to keep their priorities straight. For the priest, the priority is Jesus Christ, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. God is everything.
Practically speaking, to what degree do we, priests, serve our priority? Divine Mercy comes to the priest through prayer, detachment, and renunciation. Embrace poverty for the sake of the parish. Enter into your inner chamber for your parish. Sit before the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is the main source of grace that helps us to live and be renewed by this mercy. I tip my hat off to lay people who are serious about their spiritual education, especially when I see many priests who no longer care for spiritual education, which should always be important for us.
Mercy is also revealed through the priest’s presence. The priest is:
- A loving presence: My presence, as a priest, is a loving presence. How can my presence be loving if I have hatred in my heart? My presence is called to be loving wherever I am.
- A kind presence: kindness is very important, because our words are often harsh.
- A listening presence. Sometimes I talk too much and forget that God called me to listen more than to talk.
- A presence that accompanies people’s lives. How can I do that if their problems and pains are foreign to me?
- A joyful presence, always with a smile. The priest is always called to be a source of joy, despite the inner suffering, sometimes.
- A prayerful presence: the priest’s presence should always be prayerful, and the priest should always leave room for prayer in his day.
- A physical presence, which means that the priest should visit his parish, be present in his parish. His presence keeps people mindful of many things. His presence is a sign. The people’s love and respect for the priest can be of great benefit to the parish. Thank God that, in our Middle Eastern society, people still respect the priest.
- A consoling presence: to convey the presence of Christ with those who are far, before those who are near.
- And finally, the transformative and witnessing presence of Christ.
The parish is the place where the priest personifies Divine Mercy. It is not the priest who is the shepherd of the parish, but Christ. The priest merely serves the Shepherd. The parish is not the priest’s monopoly or kingdom. It is for everyone and open to everyone. It is the community’s parish, and the priest is her servant.
It is great that our society keeps raising priests, and that our parishes remain sources of priestly and religious vocations. If you find in your homes a seed of vocation, rejoice about it, nourish and guide it. The Lord has given the priest graces, and, through God’s mercy upon him, he is able to change and transform people’s lives through his service which personifies God’s mercy for all. I say this so there will no longer be a gap between the priest and lay people. Your faith is a sign that this gap between lay people and priests is filled. This is a sign of mature faith. For whoever loves the Church does not criticize the Church. I know that you, in the Family of Saint Sharbel, love the Church and you are here to grow your love for the Church. You are, therefore, most capable of bridging that gap between the priest and the community, thanks to the mercy you also experience in your lives as lay people.
For we all, priests and lay people alike, are called to be united with this Divine Mercy and to witness to it with our love and service. Amen.
Thank you.
