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Welcome! Rejoice! Blessings to you and your loved ones from your Catholic Charismatic NY Diocesan Service Team in this new Holy year of our Lord
Jesus Christ! As we approach the midpoint of the Year of Priests, it would be good for us to take a look at the life of Jeanne Marie Vianney in his duty as teacher of the faith to his flock. The church tells us that one of three tasks (munera) of the priesthood is that of being teacher. In
addition we are called to sanctify the people of God and be good stewards of the resources that have been entrusted to us. In the bishop’s address to priests that are to be ordained he says the following: “My sons, you are now to be advanced to the order of the presbyterate. You must apply your energies to the duty of teaching in the name of Christ, the chief teacher. Share with all mankind the word of God you have received with joy. Meditate on the law of God, believe what you read, teach what you believe, and put into practice what you teach. Let the doctrine you teach be true for the people of God Let the example of your life attract the follower of Christ, so that by word and action you may build up the house which is God's church.” First, we are commanded to believe what we read. A priest is a perpetual disciple, that is a perpetual student. Therefore, do I read? And if so, what do I read. From the earliest years of childhood, parents are encouraged to read to their children in order to foster a love for reading and a love for learning. I once heard the saying “a leader is a reader". How true that is. If we want to be a true leader a true Shepherd, then we must be good readers. Take a moment and examine your heart. What magazines, journals, books have I've been reading this past year? Have they been productive for me in my human growth as well as my spiritual growth. Secondly, the bishop commands teach what you believe. As a priest, how have I been teaching what I believe? In addition to my Sunday homilies, do I give weekday homilies “in season and out of season". Am I engaged in any parish Bible study groups? Am I an active participant in the RCIA classes of my parish? Do I go into my religious education classes and speak to the children as well as my local Catholic elementary school? Am I looking for an opportunity to give formation classes to catechists who are giving their time to teach our children the faith? In addition to the children, our parents need as much if not more faith formation. Am I speaking to the parents of the children in sacramental preparation programs? Am I open and available to give talks on retreats whether in the parish or local retreat house? Lastly, the bishop mandates that we “put into practice what you preach.” Our faith is incarnational. He commands that what we believe must be “in-fleshed”. In other words to I perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as part of my priestly ministry? Do I visit parishioners who are patients in hospitals? Do I visit residents in nursing homes and offer them the opportunity for the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist? Jesus says when I was in prison you came to visit me. Do I visit the inmates of a jail that may be in our parish boundaries? Many times God appears to us in surprising moments and in surprising ways. Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback church wrote that Jesus could be described as the God of interruptions. In his outreach to others, Jesus seemed to be going in one direction and was interrupted by a person who needed immediate and personal outreach and ministry from the hands and heart of Jesus. Warren says that Jesus must have found that the God of his experience was a “God of interruptions”. Maybe we too should be surprised by the manifestations of God in our priestly lives. In this year of the priest, let us rededicate ourselves to being priests who believe what we read, teach what we believe, and put into practice what we preach. Father Bill Cosgrove __________________________________________ Read these other articles:
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