“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”

Eight years ago, I had the grace of attending in Rome, together with Fr. Bong Dublan, the concluding celebrations of the special Year for Priests, proclaimed by then Pope Benedict XVI, (19 June 2009 to 11 June 2010), which coincided with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, the holy Curé d’Ars, Patron of Priests.

Memories of those joyful events flooded my mind as this year’s feast of St. John Mary Vianney, August 4, coincided once again with the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Yet, more worth recalling are the inspiring words of the Pope-Emeritus, way back in June 2009, proclaiming the Annus Sacerdotalis, as he emphasized the famous saying of the holy Curé d’Ars: “Le Sacerdoce, c’est l’amour du cœur de Jésus” (“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, quoted in the CCC, 1589).

Pope Benedict XVI commented: “The Curé of Ars was very humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people.” For St. John Mary Vianney, “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy” (Nodet, 1966, p. 101).

The Curé of Ars regarded the priesthood as an unfathomable gift and task, whose grandeur is entrusted to a human creature, despite the defects and limitations of human nature. He said: “O, how great is the priest! … If he realized what he is, he would die… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host…” (Ibid., p. 97)

With utmost simplicity, he would explain to his parishioners such grandeur of the priesthood, saying: “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest… After God, the priest is everything! … Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is” (Ibid., pp. 98-99).

Don’t you think we need to hear these words again and again these days, as the identity and mission of priests are not only misunderstood, but also even dishonored around the globe? Don’t you think today, more than anytime, the relevance of St. John Mary Vianney must be patently perceived?

Today, we need to see once again the grandeur of priesthood, as “the love of the heart of Jesus”. With the eyes of faith, we need to hold with high esteem this gift and task of priestly ministry that our Lord has entrusted to His Church and chosen ministers for 20 centuries now.

To help us recover such high regard towards priesthood, we ask the intercession of St. John Mary Vianney, who, overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility, exclaimed:

“Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love… Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth… What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods … Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshiping the beasts there … The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you” (Ibid., pp. 98-100).