April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
EDITORIAL

Ordained to be blessed in serving

EDITORIAL



Ordained to be blessed in serving

Before he became a priest, Rev. George Fleming wondered if he was sufficiently holy to serve. Even afterward, he doubted he was good enough. Then he realized that God provides. Further, he received an extra boost through his priestly duties. 

"The overwhelming presence of God in the sacraments was something I couldn't be prepared for," he said, as detailed in last week's articles on the sacrament of ordination. This sacrament readies a man to administer the sacraments, which we have explained in our "Theology of Sacraments" series. 

Each sacrament, a visible and effective sign of God's grace instituted by Christ, touches and transforms us with divine love. We are different yet also more the person God made in His image and likeness. 

That same "overwhelming presence of God" is available to each of us in the sacraments. That a priest also finds it so may surprise many Catholics who might assume that the man at the altar is genetically or automatically holy. It's always good to remember that they, too, are human and in need of God's grace. It is also worthwhile to know that most priests find their work rewarding; indeed, surveys reveal they have among the highest levels of job satisfaction. 

In previous decades, many a Catholic boy wondered or was asked to consider if he had a vocation. We all have a role to encourage that question. We should do so knowing that priests are not saints. Expecting too much of them puts an undue burden on them and hinders the operation of a parish and the Church. 

Today, of course, the average parish priest copes with endless duties and demands, both divine and mundane, from celebrating the Eucharist to checking the furnace. We owe them our support and help so they can fulfill their office. 

At the same time, let's remember permanent deacons, who are also ordained. 

Through that office laymen can be called to step up and serve the Church as well. 

They do double duty: 90 percent are married with families and most work a full-time job. The Albany Diocese is blessed with 94 of them. 

Finally, Catholics should remember that we are a priestly people, called to the service of God in and through the Church. For those who become priests, ordination brings to a head something already present in all of us, as John Dwyer, the theologian and author puts it. 

That something is the call to be with and for others; to foster unity in the Church locally and at large; and to follow Christ's example in being a leader who serves. 

The Gospel of John, in the account of the washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper, presents a Savior who is among us as one who serves. 

"So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, 'Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.'"

The amazing lesson we learn in following Christ is the joy that breaks upon us through service. Priests know that lesson most of all.

(10/22/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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