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Holiness / Virtue / Purity |
"[I]t is
becoming that he who accepts the priesthood be as pure as if he
were in heaven." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"Imitate that which you handle" (Pope
St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Can.
124. The clergy must lead a more holy life both
interiorly and exteriorly than laymen, and must excel them in
giving an example of virtue and good deeds." (1917 Code of Canon
Law)
"A priest ought to be in no place where his
Master would not go, nor employ in anything which his Master would
not do." (Cardinal
Manning)
"The
priest must be so pure that, if he were to be lifted up and placed
in the heavens themselves, he might take a place in the midst of
the Angels." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"[H]e that is the Lord's portion or who has
the Lord for his portion must so conduct himself that he both
possesses the Lord and is possessed by the Lord" (St. Jerome,
Doctor of the Church, c. 394 A.D.)
"[A]ll
around us we see the multiplication of evil example which is a
menace to priestly virtue itself every day calls for even greater
vigilance and fresh endeavor." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"On behalf of your admirable religion,
never forsake all goodness, patience, learning, gentleness and
mildness as you try to gain for Christ the pitiful errant: lead
them back into his one sheepfold and restore them to the hope of
their eternal inheritance." (Pope Pius IX, "Amantissimus",
1862 A.D.)
"Your
sanctification has, indeed, first place in our thoughts and in our
cares; therefore, with our eyes raised to heaven, we frequently
pray for the whole clergy, repeating the words of Christ, our
Lord: Holy Father...sanctify them." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"The
priest should be adorned with all the virtues, and give an example
to others of a righteous life. Let his conversation be not
according to the common and vulgar ways of men, but with the
angels and with men that are perfect." (Thomas a Kempis)
"A
great dignity, but great too is the responsibility; placed high in
the eyes of men they must also be lifted up to the peak of virtue
before the eye of Him who seeth all; otherwise their elevation
will be not to their merit but to their damnation." (St.
Lawrence Justinian)
"We
cannot abstain from expressing our preoccupation and our anxiety
for those who on account of the special circumstances of the
moment have become so engulfed in the vortex of external activity
that they neglect the chief duty of the priest, his own
sanctification." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae",
1950 A.D.)
"Particularly
relevant...is the excellent advice of Chrysostom which was
intended especially for priests. Every night before going to
sleep, 'make your conscience appear in judgment; demand of it an
account, and having thoroughly probed and analyzed whatever evil
purposes you formed during the day, repent for them.'" (Pope
St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"But
the priesthood cannot in any way procure the full effects which
are demanded by the needs of the present time unless the priests
shine forth among the people with the marks of sanctity, as worthy
'ministers of Christ,' faithful 'dispensers of the mysteries of
God', 'God's helpers,' and ready for every noble work." (Pope
Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"This
we are also taught by those exhortations which the Bishop, in the
Church's name, addresses to priests on the day of their
ordination, 'Understand what you do, imitate what you handle, and
since you celebrate the mystery of the Lord's death, take good
care to mortify your members with their vices and concupiscences.'"
(Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)
"As a searching investigator of the
integrity of your own conduct, submit your life to a daily
examination. Consider carefully what progress you have made or
what ground you have lost... Strive to know yourself... Place all your faults before your eyes. Come face to face with
yourself, as though you were another person, and then weep for
your faults." (St. Bernard, Doctor
of the Church)
"In
the Conferences of the Fathers (Collatationes i,7) abbot Moses
speaking of religious says: 'We must recognize that we have to
undertake the hunger of fasting, watchings, bodily toil,
privation, reading, and other acts of virtue, in order by these
degrees to mount to the perfection of charity.'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"Indeed,
the Gospel, the kingdom of God, the Christian life, is not an
affair of mere words. Nothing is less speculative than the science
of salvation. Nothing makes it penetrate so deeply into the souls
of men as the holy life of him that teaches it. It is for this
reason that the Christian world counts him alone as apostle or
teacher who, in his one person, holds the double teaching of
doctrine and works." (Liturgical Year)
"Moreover,
the priest must teach the truths of faith; but the truths of
religion are never so worthily and effectively taught as when
taught by virtue; because in the common saying: 'Deeds speak
louder than words.' The priest must preach the law of the Gospel;
but for that preaching to be effective, the most obvious and, by
the Grace of God, the most persuasive argument, is to see the
actual practice of the law in him who preaches it." (Pope
Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"For
science truly deserving of the name and piety, the companion of
all the virtues, are related in a marvelous bond of affinity, and,
as God is very Truth and very Goodness, it would assuredly not be
sufficient to procure the glory of God by the salvation of souls -
the chief task and peculiar mission of the Church - if ministers
of religion were well disciplined in knowledge and not also
abundantly provided at the same time with the appropriate
virtues." (Pope Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem", 1923
A.D.)
"In truth nothing is more acceptable to
God, of more honor to the Church, and more profitable to souls
than the precious gift of a holy priest. If he who offers even a
cup of water to one of the least of the disciples of Christ 'shall
not lose his reward,' what reward will he receive who places, so
to speak, into the pure hands of a young priest the sacred
chalice, in which is contained the Blood of Redemption; who helps
him to lift it up to heaven, a pledge of peace and of blessing for
mankind?" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"[A] priest who neglects his own
sanctification can never be the salt of the earth; what is corrupt
and contaminated is utterly incapable of preserving from
corruption; where sanctity is lacking, there corruption will
inevitably find its way. Hence Christ, continuing this comparison,
calls such priests salt that has lost its savor, which is good for
nothing any more, but to be cast out and to be trodden on by
men." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Preserve the purity of your lives in
unspotted holiness. Bear in mind what you do. Let your conduct be
in conformity with the action you perform, so that celebrating the
mystery of the Lord's death, you take heed to mortify your members
from all vices and lusts. Let your doctrine be spiritual medicine
for the people of God; let the odor of your life be the delight of
the Church of Christ, so that by your preaching and example you
may build up the house, that is, the family of God." (Roman Pontifical,
c. 10th century A.D.)
"Sanctity alone makes us what our divine
vocation demands, men crucified to the world and to whom the world
has been crucified, men walking in newness of life who, in the
words of St. Paul, show themselves as ministers of God in labors,
in vigils, in fasting, in chastity, in knowledge, in
long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere
charity, in the word of truth; men who seek only heavenly things
and strive by every means to lead others to them." (Pope St.
Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"But
it is particularly as the ministers of Jesus Christ in the great
Sacrifice which is constantly renewed with abiding power for the
salvation of the world, that we have the duty of conforming our
minds to that spirit in which he offered himself as an unspotted
victim to God on the altar of the Cross. In the Old Law... sanctity of a high
degree was demanded of the priest; what then of us, now that...Christ
himself [is sacrificed]? 'How pure should not he be who shares in
this Sacrifice! More resplendent than the sun must be the hand
that divides [Christ's] Flesh, the mouth that is filled with spiritual
fire, the tongue that is reddened by [Christ's] Blood!'" (Pope St.
Pius X, 1908 A.D.)
"It
would be a grave error fraught with many dangers should the
priest, carried away by false zeal, neglect his own
sanctification, and become over immersed in the external works,
however holy, of the priestly ministry. Thereby, he would run a
double risk. In the first place he endangers his own salvation, as
the great Apostle of the Gentiles feared for himself: 'But I
chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when
I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway.' In
the second place he might lose, if not divine grace, certainly
that unction of the Holy Spirit which gives such a marvelous force
and efficacy to the external apostolate." (Pope Pius XI,
"Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"We
have lauded this affectionate solicitude for the people and
declared it to be the special duty of both the secular and regular
clergy. But in the fulfillment of this obligation let there be the
greatest caution and prudence exerted, and let it be done after
the fashion of the saints. Francis, who was poor and humble,
Vincent of Paul, the father of the afflicted classes, and very
many others whom the Church keeps ever in her memory were wont to
lavish their care upon the people, but in such wise as not to be
engrossed overmuch or to be unmindful of themselves or to let it
prevent them from laboring with the same assiduity in the
perfection of their own soul and the cultivation of virtue."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Graves De Communi Re", 1901 A.D.)
"For the
preacher two things are especially necessary: namely that his
words should be rich in [spiritual] wisdom, and that his life should
be conspicuous for the luster of its piety. But if a priest is
unequal to being both holy in life and rich in learning, holiness
of life is, without question, to be preferred to mere learning.
For the example of a saintly life is more powerful than eloquence
and a studied delivery... The priest who discharges the office of
preaching should cause showers of heavenly wisdom to fall from his
lips, and from his life rays of piety to shine out, just as the
angel in telling the shepherds of Our Lord's birth, both shone
with great splendor and expressed in words the tidings he had come
to announce." (St. Peter
Damian, Doctor of the Church)
"If...your
work is to be blessed by God and produce abundant fruit, it must
be rooted in holiness of life. Sanctity, as We said above, is the
chief and most important endowment of the Catholic priest. Without
it other gifts will not go far; with it, even supposing other
gifts be meager, the priest can work marvels. We have the example
of St. Joseph of Cupertino, and in times nearer to our own of that
humble Cure d'Ars, St. John Mary Vianney, of whom We have already
spoken; whom We have willed to set up before all parish priests as
their model and heavenly Patron. Therefore with the Apostle of the
Gentiles, We say to you: 'Behold your vocation'; and beholding it,
you cannot fail to value ever more highly the grace given to you
in ordination and to strive to 'walk worthily of the vocation in
which you are called.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"If we would only bear in
mind, dearly beloved brethren, the exalted character of the things
that the Lord God has placed in our hands, what unbounded
influence would not this have in impelling us to lead lives worthy
of ecclesiastics! Has not the Lord placed everything in my hand,
when He put there His only-begotten Son, coeternal and coequal
with Himself? In my hand He has placed all His treasures, His
sacraments, His graces; He has placed there souls, than whom
nothing can be dearer to Him; in His love He has preferred them to
Himself, and redeemed them by His Blood; He has placed heaven in
my hand, and it is in my power to open and close it to others... How, then, can I be so ungrateful for such condescension and
love as to sin against Him, to offend His honor, to pollute this
body which is His? How can I come to defile this high dignity,
this life consecrated to His service?" (St. Charles Borromeo)
"Now
to all Christians in general it has been said: 'Be ye perfect as
your Heavenly Father is perfect'; how much more then should the
priest consider these words of the Divine Master as spoken to
himself, called as he is by a special vocation to follow Christ
more closely. Hence the Church publicly urges on all her clerics
this most grave duty, placing it in the code of her laws: 'Clerics
must lead a life, both interior and exterior, more holy than the
laity, and be an example to them by excelling in virtue and good
works.' And since the priest is an ambassador for Christ, he
should so live as to be able with truth to make his own the words
of the Apostle: 'Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ';
he ought to live as another Christ who by the splendor of His
virtue enlightened and still enlightens the world." (Pope
Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"The
first striving of a priestly soul should be towards the closest
union with the Divine Redeemer, towards the complete and humble
acceptance of the precepts of Christian doctrine, and towards such
a diligent application of those precepts at every moment of his
life that his faith will illumine his conduct and his conduct will
be a reflection of his faith. Led by the light of this virtue, let
him keep his eyes fixed on Christ. Let him follow closely His
Teaching, His actions and His example, convincing himself that it
is not sufficient for him to accomplish the duties enjoined on the
ordinary faithful. He must strive with ever increasing efforts to
tend to perfection of life in keeping with the high dignity of the
priesthood according to the warning of the Church: 'Clerics must
live both interiorly and exteriorly a holier life than lay people,
and must excel them in giving an example of virtue and good
deeds'." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950
A.D.)
"Since
this is the mind of the Church on the life of a priest, one cannot
be surprised at the complete unanimity of the Fathers and Doctors
on this matter; it might indeed be thought that they are guilty of
exaggeration, but a careful examination will lead to the
conclusion that they taught nothing that was not entirely true and
correct. Their teaching can be summarized thus: there should be as
much difference between the priest and any other upright man as
there is between heaven and earth; consequently, the priest must
see to it that his life is free not merely from grave faults but
even from the slightest faults. The Council of Trent made the
teaching of these venerable men its own when it warned clerics to
avoid 'even venial faults which in their case would be very
grave.' These faults are grave, not in themselves, but in relation
to the one who commits them; for to him, even more than to the
sacred edifice, are applicable the words: Holiness becometh thy
house." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908
A.D.)
"You all know very well, wherever you may
be, the difficult period through which, in the mysterious design
of God, the Church is now passing. Consider likewise and ponder on
the sacred duty which is yours to stand by and to assist in her
struggles the Church which has bestowed upon you an office of such
exalted dignity. Now more than ever the clergy need to be men of
more than ordinary virtue, virtue that is a shining example,
eager, active, ever ready to do great things for Christ and to
suffer much. There is nothing that we more ardently ask from God
and desire for each and everyone of you. May chastity, the
choicest ornament of our priesthood, flourish undimmed amongst
you; through the splendor of this virtue, by which the priest is
made like the angels, the priest wins greater veneration among the
Christian flock, and his ministry yields an even greater harvest
of holiness." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo",
1908 A.D.)
"Priests
and beloved sons, we hold in our hands a great treasure, a
precious pearl, the inexhaustible riches of the Blood of Jesus
Christ; let us use them even to prodigality, so that, by the
complete sacrifice of ourselves offered with Christ to the Eternal
Father, we may become, in truth, mediators of justice, 'in the
things which appertain to God', and that we may deserve to have
our prayers accepted and obtain a super-abundance of graces which
may refresh and make more fruitful the Church and the souls of all
men. Only when we have become one with Christ through His oblation
and ours and when we have raised our voice with the choir of the
inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, as we read, 'We join
ourselves in song with them, our hopes in Holy Sion,' only then,
strengthened by the virtue of our Savior, shall we be able to
descend in safety from the heights of sanctity to which we have
attained, to bring to all men the life and the light of God by
means of our priestly ministry." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti
Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"Holy things, it cannot be too often
repeated, should be treated holily and with due reverence. To the
sinner, says the Prophet, God has said: Why dost thou declare my
justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing that thou hast
hated discipline? If then, for him who is defiled by sin it is
unlawful to speak on divine things, how enormous the guilt of that
man, who, conscious of many crimes, dreads not to accomplish with
polluted lips the holy mysteries, to take them into his befouled
hands, to touch them, and to present and to administer them to
others? All the more since St. Denis says that the wicked may not
even touch the symbols, as he calls the Sacraments. It therefore
becomes the first duty of the minister of holy things to follow
holiness of life, to approach with purity the administration of
the Sacraments, and so to exercise himself in piety, that, from
their frequent administration and use, he may every day receive,
with the divine assistance, more abundant grace." (Catechism
of the Council of Trent)
"'For it would certainly be better,' as
Benedict XIV, Our Predecessor of undying memory very wisely
advises, 'to have fewer ministers if they be upright, suitable and
useful, than many who are likely to accomplish nothing at all for
the building up of the body of Christ, which is the Church.' You
must examine with greater diligence the morals and the knowledge
of men who are entrusted with the care and guidance of souls, that
they may be eager to continuously feed and assist the people
entrusted to them by the administration of the sacraments, the
preaching of God's word and the example of good works. They should
be zealous in molding them to the whole plan and pattern of a
religious way of life, and in leading them on to the path of
salvation. When ministers are ignorant or neglectful of their
duty, then the morals of the people also immediately decline,
Christian discipline grows slack, the practice of religion is
dislodged and cast aside, and every vice and corruption is easily
introduced into the Church." (Pope Pius IX, "Qui
Pluribus", 1846 A.D.)
"[I]t is quite true that so holy an office demands holiness in him who holds it. A priest should have a loftiness of spirit, a purity of heart and a sanctity of life befitting the solemnity and holiness of the office he holds. For this, as We have said, makes the priest a mediator between God and man; a mediator in the place, and by the command of Him who is
'the one mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ.' The priest must, therefore, approach as close as possible to the perfection of Him whose vicar he is, and render himself ever more and more pleasing to God, by the sanctity of his life and of his deeds; because more than the scent of incense, or the beauty of churches and altars, God loves and accepts holiness.
'They who are the intermediaries between God and His people,' says St. Thomas,
'must bear a good conscience before God, and a good name among
men.' On the contrary, whosoever handles and administers holy things, while blameworthy in his life, profanes them and is guilty of sacrilege:
'They who are not holy ought not to handle holy things.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Ad
Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"It is plain, then, that all Christian
virtues should flourish in the soul of the priest. Yet there are
some virtues which in a very particular manner attach themselves
to the priest as most befitting and necessary to him. Of these the
first is piety, or godliness... Without piety the holiest
practices, the most solemn rites of the sacred ministry, will be
performed mechanically and out of habit; they will be devoid of
spirit, unction and life. But remark, Venerable Brethren, the
piety of which We speak is not that shallow and superficial piety
which attracts but does not nourish, is busy but does not
sanctify. We mean that solid piety which is not dependent upon
changing mood or feeling. It is based upon principles of sound
doctrine; it is ruled by staunch convictions; and so it resists
the assaults and the illusions of temptation. This piety should
primarily be directed towards God our Father in Heaven; yet it
should be extended also to the Mother of God. The priest even more
than the faithful should have devotion to Our Lady, for the
relation of the priest to Christ is more deeply and truly like
that which Mary bears to her Divine Son." (Pope Pius XI,
"Ad
Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)
"Nor
should you cease encouraging the priests of your dioceses to be
outstanding in moral integrity, dignity, innocence of life, and
sanctity. Those who alone are given the privilege of consecrating
the divine Host and accomplishing so holy and awesome a Sacrifice
should display these qualities. Therefore, frequently exhort all
who are initiated into the most holy priesthood to give serious
consideration to the ministry which they have received in the
Lord. They should fulfill their ministry, being always mindful of
the dignity and heavenly power with which they are endowed; they
should shine forth with the splendor of all kinds of virtue; they
should occupy themselves with divine worship, divine things, and
the salvation of souls. Then, offering themselves as a living and
holy host to the Lord, and always carrying about in their bodies
the mortification of Jesus, they may duly offer with pure minds
and clean heart to God the propitiatory Host for their own
salvation and that of all the world." (Pope Pius IX, "Amantissimi
Redemptoris", 1858 A.D.)
"And
surely every reason We have urged in showing the dignity of the
Catholic priesthood does but reinforce its obligation of singular
holiness; for as the Angelic Doctor teaches: 'To fulfill the
duties of Holy Orders, common goodness does not suffice; but
excelling goodness is required; that they who receive Orders and
are thereby higher in rank than the people, may also be higher in
holiness.' The Eucharistic Sacrifice in which the Immaculate
Victim [Christ] who taketh away the sins of the world is
immolated, requires in a special way that the priest, by a holy
and spotless life, should make himself as far as he can, less
unworthy of God, to whom he daily offers that adorable Victim, the
very Word of God incarnate for love of us. Agnoscite quod agitis,
imitamini quod tractatis, 'realize what you are doing, and imitate
what you handle,' says the Church through the Bishop to the
deacons as they are about to be consecrated priests. The priest is
also the almoner of God's graces of which the Sacraments are the
channels; how grave a reproach would it be, for one who dispenses
these most precious graces were he himself without them, or were
he even to esteem them lightly and guard them with little
care." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii",
1935 A.D.)
"Can.
276 §1 Clerics have a special obligation to seek holiness in
their lives, because they are consecrated to God by a new title
through the reception of orders, and are stewards of the mysteries
of God in the service of His people. §2 In order that they can
pursue this perfection: 1° they are in the first place faithfully
and untiringly to fulfil the obligations of their pastoral
ministry; 2° they are to nourish their spiritual life at the
twofold table of the sacred Scripture and the Eucharist; priests
are therefore earnestly invited to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice
daily, and deacons to participate daily in the offering; 3°
priests, and deacons aspiring to the priesthood, are obliged to
carry out the liturgy of the hours daily, in accordance with the
proper and approved liturgical books; permanent deacons are to
recite that part of it determined by the Episcopal Conference; 4°
they are also obliged to make spiritual retreats, in accordance
with the provision of particular law; 5° they are exhorted to
engage regularly in mental prayer, to approach the sacrament of
penance frequently, to honor the Virgin Mother of God with
particular veneration, and to use other general and special means
to holiness." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"The
priest should, therefore, study to reproduce in his own soul the
things that are effected upon the Altar. As Jesus Christ immolates
Himself, so His minister should be immolated with Him; as Jesus
expiates the sins of men, so he, by following the hard road of
Christian asceticism, should labor at the purification of himself
and of others. Hence the admonition of St. Peter Chrysologus: 'Be
you the priest and the sacrifice of God; do not lose that which
has been given to you by the authority of God. Clothe yourself
with the garment of sanctity, gird yourself with the cincture of
chastity; let Christ be the covering for your head; let the cross
of Christ be the protection before your face; instill in your
breast the sacrament of divine wisdom; constantly burn the incense
of prayer; grasp the sword of the Spirit; let your heart be, as it
were, an altar on which you may safely offer your body as a victim
to God... Offer Him your faith, for the chastisement of perfidy;
offer Him your fasting, that gluttony may cease; offer your
chastity as a sacrifice that passion may die; place on the Altar
your piety, that impiety be put away; call upon mercy, that
avarice may be overcome; and that folly may disappear, the
immolation of sanctity is called for. In this way shall your body
be also your victim, if it has not been wounded by any dart of
sin'." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae", 1950 A.D.)
"These truths are all the more evident
inasmuch as we exercise the priestly ministry not in our own name,
but in the name of Jesus Christ. The Apostle said: Let man so
consider us as the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the
mysteries of God; for Christ, therefore, we are ambassadors. This
is the reason that Christ has numbered us not among his servants
but as his friends. I will not now call you servants...but I
have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have
heard from my Father I have made known to you...I have chosen
you and appointed you that you should go and bring forth fruit. We
have, therefore, to take the place of Christ: the mission which he
has given to us we must fulfill with that same purpose that he
intended. True friendship consists in unity of mind and will,
identity of likes and dislikes; therefore, as friends of Jesus
Christ, we are bound to have that mind in us which was in Jesus
Christ who is holy, innocent, undefiled. As his envoys, we must
win the minds of men for his doctrine and his law by first
observing them ourselves; sharing as we do in his power to deliver
souls from the bondage of sin, we must strive by every means to
avoid becoming entangled in these toils of sin." (Pope St.
Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"But even if I somehow managed to control my
fears, and turn to study my episcopal work in a more cheerful
frame of mind, I lose heart again when I consider its magnitude.
For I am acutely aware of the watchfulness demanded of a prelate:
He must be pure in thought, exemplary in conduct, discreet in
holding his tongue, edifying in speech, in compassion a friend to
all, in contemplation exalted above all, a lowly companion of the
well-doer, a tower of zeal for justice against the vices of the
evildoer. As I has said elsewhere, one who governs must take the
greatest care to keep his own thoughts pure; no defilement should
pollute the man who has undertake the specific task of cleansing
the stains of sin from the hearts of others as well as his own. It
is necessary that the hand whose work is to wash filth away should
itself be spotless; otherwise its touch will contaminate
everything it handles with the dirt clinging to its own surface,
and so leave it worse then before. Be ye clean, the Scriptures
tell us, you that carry the vessels of the Lord (Is. 52:11). Those
who carry the vessels of the Lord are the men who undertake by the
example of their own mode of life to attract their neighbors'
souls to the holiness of inner sanctity. Deep self-examination
then should lead the pastor to realize the need for his own
cleansing if, in the bosom of his own personal conduct, he is to
carry living vessels to the eternal temple." (Pope St. Gregory the
Great, Doctor of the Church, 6th century A.D.)
"As to the means to be employed in
attaining this great end, it seems superfluous to name them, for
they are obvious of themselves. Let your first care be to form
Christ in those who are destined from the duty of their vocation
to form Him in others. We speak of the priests, Venerable
Brethren. For all who bear the seal of the priesthood must know
that they have the same mission to the people in the midst of whom
they live as that which Paul proclaimed that he received in these
tender words: 'My little children, of whom I am in labor again
until Christ be formed in you' (Gal. iv., 19). But how will they
be able to perform this duty if they be not first clothed with
Christ themselves? And so clothed with Christ as to be able to say
with the Apostle: 'I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me'
(Ibid. ii., 20). 'For me to live is Christ' (Phlipp. i., 21).
Hence although all are included in the exhortation 'to advance
towards the perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness
of Christ' (Ephes. iv., 3), it is addressed before all others to
those who exercise the sacerdotal ministry; thus these are called
another Christ, not merely by the communication of power but by
reason of the imitation of His works, and they should therefore
bear stamped upon themselves the image of Christ." (Pope Pius
X, "E Supremi", 1903 A.D.)
"There are some who think, and even declare
openly, that the true measure of the merits of a priest is his
dedication to the service of others; consequently, with an almost
complete disregard for the cultivation of the virtues which lead
to the personal sanctification of the priest (these they describe
as passive virtues), they assert that all his energies and fervor
should be directed to the development and practice of what they
call the active virtues. One can only be astonished by this
gravely erroneous and pernicious teaching. Our predecessor of
happy memory in his wisdom spoke as follows of this teaching: 'To
maintain that some Christian virtues are more suited to one period
than to another is to forget the words of the Apostle: Those whom
he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son. Christ is the teacher and the model of all sanctity; all
who desire to take their place in the abode of the blessed must
adapt their conduct to the standard which he has laid down. Now
Christ does not change with the passing of the centuries: He is
the same yesterday and today and forever. The words: Learn of me
because I am meek and humble of heart, apply to men of every age;
at all times Christ reveals himself obedient unto death; true for
every age are the words of the Apostle: They that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh, with the vices and concupiscences.'
These passages apply, no doubt, to all the faithful, but they
apply more especially to priests." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"It is not irrelevant to note here that Leo
XIII in his wisdom made special mention of the virtue of
abstinence, which we call self-denial, in the words of the Gospel.
He was quite right to do so, for it is from self-denial chiefly
that the strength and power and fruit of every priestly function
derive; it is when this virtue is neglected that there appears in
the priest's conduct whatever may be of a nature to cause offense
to the eyes and hearts of the faithful. If one acts for the sake
of filthy lucre, or becomes involved in worldly affairs, or seeks
for the highest places and despises others, or follows merely
human counsel, or seeks to please men, or trusts in the persuasive
words of human wisdom, this is the result of neglect of the
command of Christ and of the refusal to accept the condition laid
down by him: If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself.
While insisting on these truths, we would likewise admonish the
priest that in the last analysis, it is not for himself alone that
he has to sanctify himself, for he is the workman whom Christ went
out...to hire into his vineyard. Therefore, it is his duty to
uproot unfruitful plants and to sow useful ones, to water the crop
and to guard lest the enemy sow cockle among it. Consequently, the
priest must be careful not to allow an unbalanced concern for
personal perfection to lead him to overlook any part of the duties
of his office which are conducive to the welfare of others. These
duties include the preaching of the word of God, the hearing of
confessions, assisting the sick, especially the dying, the
instruction of those who are ignorant of the faith, the
consolation of the sorrowing, leading back the erring, in a word,
the imitation in every respect of Christ who went about doing good
and healing all that were oppressed by the devil." (Pope St.
Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"In the midst of all these duties, the
priest shall have ever present to his mind the striking admonition
given by St. Paul: Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who
waters, but God who gives the increase. It may be that we go and
sow the seed with tears; it may be that we tend its growth at the
cost of heavy labor; but to make it germinate and yield the hoped
for fruit, that depends on God alone and his powerful assistance.
This further point also is worthy of profound consideration,
namely that men are but the instruments whom God employs for the
salvation of souls; they must, therefore, be instruments fit to be
employed by God. And how is this to be achieved? Do we imagine
that God is influenced by any inborn or acquired excellence of
ours, to make use of our help for the extension of his glory? By
no means; for it is written: God has chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world
God has chosen to confound the strong, and the humble and
contemptible things of the world God has chosen, the things that
are not, in order to bring to nought the things that are. There
is, indeed, only one thing that unites man to God, one thing that
makes him pleasing to God and a not unworthy dispenser of his
mercy; and that one thing is holiness of life and conduct. If this
holiness, which is the true supereminent knowledge of Jesus
Christ, is wanting in the priest, then everything is wanting.
Without this, even the resources of profound learning (which we
strive to promote among the clergy), or exceptional competence in
practical affairs, though they may bring some benefit to the
Church or to individuals, are not infrequently the cause of
deplorable damage to them. On the other hand, there is abundant
evidence from every age that even the humblest priest, provided
his life has the adornment of overflowing sanctity, can undertake
and accomplish marvelous works for the spiritual welfare of the
people of God; an outstanding example in recent times is John
Baptist Vianney, a model pastor of souls, to whom we are happy to
have decreed the honors of the Blessed in heaven." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908 A.D.)
Also
See: Good
Priests | Example
of Priests / Good Example | Praise
/ Rewards / Benefits | Priests
& The Sacraments | Alter
Christus / In Persona Christi | Priests
& The Holy Eucharist / Mass | Religious
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Dress
/ Comportment [Pg.] | Better
a Few Good Priests Than Many That Are Not Good | People
Tend to Be of Same Quality as Their Priests | Increase
Holiness
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Holiness
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(Topical Scripture)
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Example of Priests
/ Good Example
Also See:
Priests (Topic Page)
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"In
whatever manner the priests behave, the majority of the people
will behave in the same way." (Pope Clement XIII, "A Quo
Die", 1758 A.D.)
"[E]very
priest must make an effort to be and to show himself an example of
the priestly life which for the young men whom he approaches and
among whom he looks for signs of the divine call can constitute an
ideal for imitation." (Pope Pius XII, "Menti Nostrae",
1950 A.D.)
"[N]ot only should bishops, priests, and deacons take very great
care to be examples of speech and conduct to those over whom they
are placed, but also the lower grades, and without exception all
who serve the household of God, since it is most disastrous to the
Church if the laity be better than the clergy." (St. Jerome,
Doctor of the Church)
"The
priest is above all constituted master, physician and shepherd of
souls, and a guide to an end not enclosed within the bounds of
this present life. Now he can never fully correspond if he is not
well versed in the science of divine and sacred things, if he is
not furnished with that piety which makes a man of God; and if he
does not take every care to render his teachings valuable by the
efficacy of his example, conformable to the admonition given to
the sacred pastor by the Prince of the Apostles" (Pope Leo
XIII, "Fin Dal Principio", 1902 A.D.)
"Anyone
who exercises the priestly ministry exercises it not for himself
alone, but for others. For every high priest taken from among men
is appointed for men in the things that pertain to God. Christ
himself taught that lesson when he compared the priest to salt and
to light, in order to show the nature of the priestly ministry.
The priest then is the light of the world and the salt of the
earth. Everyone knows that he fulfills this function chiefly by
the teaching of Christian truth; and who can be unaware that this
ministry of teaching is practically useless if the priest fails to
confirm by the example of his life the truths which he teaches?
Those who hear him might say, insultingly it is true, but not
without justification: They profess that they know God but in
their works they deny him; they will refuse to accept his teaching
and will derive no benefit from the light of the priest. Christ
himself, the model of priests, taught first by the example of his
deeds and then by his words: Jesus began to do and then to
teach." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908
A.D.)
"Now, however, as you know, nothing
instructs others more in piety and the service of God than the
lives and example of those who have dedicated themselves to the
divine ministry. Therefore labor so that all who are called to the
vineyard of the Lord, mindful of their proper vocation and office,
abstain entirely from things forbidden to clerics and from things
that are not proper for them. Then they may be an example for the
faithful in word, in their dealings with others, in love, in
faith, and in chastity. They must wear a clerical habit
appropriate to their order and dignity, and they must perform
their ministry piously and reverently. Further they must
administer to the faithful, with fitting piety and reverence, the
holy sacrament of the Eucharist. With it all true justice begins;
or if already begun, is increased; or if already lost, is
recovered. They should be devoted to prayer and study, especially
sacred studies, and under your guidance let them zealously serve
the salvation of souls." (Pope Pius IX, "Nemo Certe
Ignorat", 1852 A.D.)
"But
the most efficacious means of apostolate among the poor and lowly
is the priest's example, the practice of all those sacerdotal
virtues which We have described in Our Encyclical Ad Catholici
Sacerdotii. Especially needful, however, for the present situation
is the shining example of a life which is humble, poor and
disinterested, in imitation of a Divine Master Who could say to
the world with divine simplicity: 'The foxes have holes and the
birds of the air nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay
His head.' A priest who is really poor and disinterested in the
Gospel sense may work among his flock marvels recalling a Saint
Vincent de Paul, a Cure of Ars, a Cottolengo, a Don Bosco and so
many others; while an avaricious and selfish priest, as We have
noted in the above mentioned Encyclical, even though he should not
plunge with Judas to the abyss of treason, will never be more than
empty 'sounding brass' and useless 'tinkling cymbal.' Too often,
indeed, he will be a hindrance rather than an instrument of grace
in the midst of his people. Furthermore, where a secular priest or
religious is obliged by his office to administer temporal
property, let him remember that he is not only to observe
scrupulously all that charity and justice prescribe, but that he
has a special obligation to conduct himself in very truth as a
father of the poor." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Redemptoris",
1937 A.D.)
"There
is nothing that continually instructs others unto piety, and the
service of God, more than the life and example of those who have
dedicated themselves to the divine ministry. For as they are seen
to be raised to a higher position, above the things of this world,
others fix their eyes upon them as upon a mirror, and derive from
them what they are to imitate. Wherefore clerics called to have
the Lord for their portion, ought by all means so to regulate
their whole life and conversation, as that in their dress,
comportment, gait, discourse, and all things else, nothing appear
but what is grave, regulated, and replete with religiousness;
avoiding even slight faults, which in them would be most grievous;
that so their actions may impress all with veneration. Whereas,
therefore, the more useful and decorous these things are for the
Church of God, the more carefully also are they to be attended to;
the holy Synod ordains, that those things which have been
heretofore copiously and wholesomely enacted by sovereign pontiffs
and sacred councils, - relative to the life, propriety of conduct,
dress, and learning of clerics, and also touching the
luxuriousness, feastings, dances, gambling, sports, and all sorts
of crime whatever, as also the secular employments, to be by them
shunned, - the same shall be henceforth observed, under the same
penalties, or greater, to be imposed at the discretion of the
Ordinary; nor shall any appeal suspend the execution hereof, as
relating to the correction of manners. But if anything of the
above shall be found to have fallen into desuetude, they shall
make it their care that it be brought again into use as soon as
possible, and be accurately observed by all; any customs to the
contrary notwithstanding; lest they themselves may have, God being
the avenger, to pay the penalty deserved by their neglect of the
correction of those subject to them." (Council of Trent)
"There is nothing which induces others more
effectively to piety and the worship of God, than the life and
example of those who have dedicated themselves to the divine
ministry: for, since they are separated from the world and placed
in a higher sphere, others look on them as though on a mirror, to
take examples from them.' (Conc. Trid. Sess. xxii, c. 1, de Ref.)
Therefore if all men must watchfully heed against the allurements
of sin, and against seeking too eagerly fleeting pleasures, it is
clear how much more faithful and steadfast ought priests to be.
The sacredness of their dignity, moreover - as well as the fact
that it is not sufficient to restrain their passions - demands in
them the habit of stringent self restraint, and also a guard over
the powers of the soul, particularly the intellect and will, which
hold the supreme place in man. 'Thou who hast the mind to leave
all (says St. Bernard), remember to reckon thyself among what thou
wouldst abandon nay, deny thyself first and before everything.'
Not before the soul is unshackled and free from every desire, will
men have a generous zeal for the salvation of others, without
which they cannot properly secure their own everlasting welfare.
'There will be one thing only sought (says St. Bernard) by His
subjects, one glory, one pleasure - to make ready for the Lord a
perfect people. For this they will give everything with much
exertion of mind and body, with toil and suffering, with hunger
and thirst, with cold and nakedness.' The frequent meditation upon
the things of heaven wonderfully nourishes and strengthens virtue
of this kind, and makes it always fearless of the greatest
difficulties for the good of others. The more pains they take to
meditate well, the more clearly will they understand the greatness
and holiness of the priestly office. They will understand how sad
it is that so many men, redeemed by Jesus Christ, are running
headlong to eternal ruin; and by meditation upon God they will be
themselves encouraged, and will more effectually excite others to
the love of God." (Pope Leo XIII, "Exeunte Iam Anno",
1888 A.D.)
Also
See: Holiness
/ Virtue / Purity | Knowledge
/ Learning | Obedience
| Celibacy
/ Chastity | Praise
/ Rewards / Benefits | Good
Priests | Proper
Dress
/ Comportment [Pg.] | Priests
& Prayer / Meditation / Contemplation | Duties
& Responsibilities of Priests | Preachers
/ Preaching | Bad
/ Fallen Priests
Note:
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to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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