THE PRIEST A SERVANT OF GOD'S MERCY
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy theChurch - wrote St. Sister Faustina in one of the litany invocations (Diary 949). The Church appears as a reality richly endowed by the merciful God with the means of salvation. The special gift of Divine Mercy in the Church are priests. The Savior chose his twelve closest collaborates - the Apostles - to whom he commissioned the work of transforming the world into the kingdom of God, liberated from the power of sin and Satan, and dedicated to God and sanctified. For this reason, he commanded them to proclaim the Gospel to every creature (cf. Mt 28: 18-20), to celebrate the Eucharist in His memory (cf. Lk 22:19) and to forgive sins (cf. Jn 20: 22-23).
Priests, therefore, are to take care of the kingdom of God, that is, they are to build the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, and thus contribute to the salvation of the world and to glorify God. Like the Apostles, the priests are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, to administer the sacraments, and mainly to celebrate the Eucharist and Sacraments of reconciliation. So, priests are, as St. Faustina writes - beloved servants of Christ, stewards of God's mysteries, instruments through which His mercy flows into the world! Many times, in the "Diary" we read words or descriptions of events that mention the close bond between Jesus and priests, and how he works through them in the Church to instruct, purify, nourish, strengthen human souls and unite them with Himself. “I have come to know the great intimacy which exists between Jesus and the priest. Jesus defends whatever the priest says, and often complies with his wishes, and sometimes makes His own relationship with a soul depending on the priest’s advice. O Jesus, through a special grace, I have come to know very clearly to what extent You have shared your power and mystery with them, more so than with the Angels. I rejoice in this, for it is all for my good.” (Diary 1240).
Sister Faustina also wrote down the teachings of Jesus, in which he clearly talks about the role of the priest in the mystery of salvation. “When the priest acts in My place, he does not act of himself, but I act through him. His wishes are Mine” (Diary 331) – said Jesus. Another time he instructed Sister Faustina: “When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy”. (Diary 1602). “My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a (89) priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.” (Diary 1725).
Sister Faustina received the sacrament of penance every week, and every day she experienced God's mercy through the ministry of priests in the Eucharist. Thanks to mystical experiences, she got to know better the greatness of God's gifts which she shared in this sacrament. “One day we will know - she wrote - what God is doing for us in each Mass, and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us”. (Diary 914). She long every Holy Communion, and when the priest could not bring it in the hospital, she received it from the Seraphim for 13 days (cf. Diary 1676). “All the good that is in me, she wrote, is due to Holy Communion. I owe everything to it. I feel that this holy fire has transformed me completely.” (Diary 1392). During the celebration of the Eucharist, she saw the power of the priest's words spoken during the consecration, for which Jesus becomes present in his body and blood.
Christ calls priests "precious pearls" (cf. Diary 531); he obeys them (Diary 535), and at the same time calls them anew through the mission given to St. Faustina to proclaim the truth about God's inexhaustible mercy. “I desire - said to Sister Faustina - that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners” (Diary 50, cf. Diary 570).“Tell My priests - he instructed Sister Faustina another time - that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak(Diary 1521).
Many places in Sister Faustina's Diary are occupied by texts related to the ministry of priests as masters of retreat and spiritual directors, thanks to which she was able to quickly grow spiritually and fulfill the extremely important mission of transmitting the message of Christ's Mercy to the world. “It is a great, an immeasurably great grace of God - she wrote - to have a spiritual director. I feel now that, without him, I would not be able to journey alone in my spiritual life. Great is the power of a priest. I thank God unceasingly for giving me a spiritual director”. (Diary 721). She not only thanked God for priests, but also constantly prayed for them, pleaded for them the light and power of the Holy Spirit to discern God's plans and to fulfill it persistently.
She prayed not only for those priests whose services she used herself, but for all the priests. “O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest may the power of your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things” (Diary 1052).
Of course, each priest, depending on his function in the Church, serves merciful God and is His instrument in a unique way. Each of the ordinations: diaconate, presbyterate and bishopric, impresses a distinct sacramental character and thus makes a person like Christ, Priest, Prophet and Shepherd. Every ordained priest has a share in this threefold function of Christ - priestly, prophetic, otherwise known as teaching, and pastoral, i.e., royal. By the sacramental character, the priest belongs in a special way to Christ and to his Church. The essence of priestly life is, therefore, cooperation with Christ who offers himself, teaches and directs the world to the Father.
Presbyters, through the ordination and mission received from bishops, are raised to serve Christ, Teacher, Priest and King, participating in his ministry, thanks to which the Church here on earth grows constantly as the people of God, the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Priests consecrated to God at the moment of receiving ordination become living instruments of Christ - the Eternal Priest, so that they can continue through the ages his marvelous work, which renews the whole human race.
Each priestly ordination also makes God's life in man more intense and grants the graces needed to carry out the various tasks related to the priestly ministry. This union with Christ, the Priest, Prophet and Shepherd, is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, imparted in the sacrament of Holy Orders. The merciful God gives himself especially to priests, and through their service to God's people. Therefore, it can be said that the priests of Jesus Christ are beloved servants of a merciful God.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george