The Priest and
the Third Christian Millennium

 

Congregation for the Clergy
March 19, 1999

L'Osservatore Romano
July 21, 1999

Directed to all priests
encouraging them to renew their evangelical efforts
as the church enters the new millennium

Submitted by: Darden Brock (darden.brock@trincomm.org)

 

 

The Priest and the Third Christian Millennium:
Teacher of the Word, Minister of the Sacraments,
and Leader of the  Community

 

 

Vatican City, March 19, 1999
Solemnity of Saint Joseph
Patron of the Universal Church

Your Eminence,
Your Excellency,

The entire Church prepares to enter the third millennium since the
Incarnation of the Word in a spirit of penance, and, by the continued
Apostolic solicitude of the Successor of Peter, is stimulated to an ever
more lively recollection of the will of her divine Founder.

At its Plenary Assembly of 13-15 October 1998, the Congregation for the
Clergy, in a spirit of intimate communion with that objective, decided
to entrust the enclosed circular letter to every Ordinary, for
transmission to their priests. On that occasion, the Holy Father said:
"The prospective of New Evangelization reaches a high point in
commitment to the. Great Jubilee. Here, providentially, we retrace the
paths laid out in Tertio millennio adveniente, in the Directories for
Priests and Permanent Deacons, in the Instruction on the collaboration
of the lay faithful with the pastoral ministry of priests and in the
fruits of this Plenaria. With a convinced universal application of these
documents, what is expressed by the now familiar term "new
evangelization" can be more easily translated into effective reality".

Bearing in mind actual circumstances, this document is designed to lead
individual priests as well as presbyterates to an examination of
conscience, remembering that, in concrete terms, love means fidelity.
This document reiterates the teachings of the Council, and of the Popes
and it refers to the other documents already mentioned by the Holy
Father. These documents are fundamental for an authentic response to the
demands of our time and for an effective mission of evangelization.

The questionnaires at the end of each section are intended as an aid to
discerning everyday reality in the light of the teaching contained in
the aforementioned documents. It is not intended that any replies should
be sent to this Congregation. Priests may use them in whatever manner
they find most helpful for them.

We are aware that no missionary activity can be realistically undertaken
without the enthusiastic support of priests, who are the first and most
valued collaborators of the Order of Bishops. This letter is also
intended as a help for priests attending study days, retreats, spiritual
exercises and priestly meetings being promoted in each ecclesiastical
circumscription during this time of preparation for the Great Jubilee,
and especially during the Jubilee Year.

May the Queen of Apostles, the bright Morning Star, guide her beloved
priests, sons of her Son, into the path of effective communion, fidelity
and generous, integral exercise of their indispensable ministry.

With sentiments of fraternal esteem, I remain

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos
Prefect

+ Csaba Ternyak
Titular Archbishop of Eminentiana Secretary

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE
In the Service of New Evangelization
1.New Evangelization, responsibility of the entire Church
2.The necessary and indispensable role of priests
Questionnaire on Chapter One

 

CHAPTER TWO
Teachers of the Word
1.Priests, ministers of the Word 'nomine Christi et nomine Ecclesiae'
2.Towards an effective proclamation of the Word
Questionnaire on Chapter Two

 

CHAPTER THREE
Ministers of the Sacraments
1.'In persona Christi Capitis'
2.Ministers of the Eucharist: core of priestly ministry
3.Ministers of Reconciliation with God and the Church
Questionnaire on Chapter Three

 

CHAPTER FOUR
Loving Pastors of the Flock
1.With Christ, incarnating and spreading the mercy of the Father
2.Sacerdos et Hostia
3.The Pastoral Ministry of Priests: service of leading in love and
strength
Questionnaire on Chapter Four

 

CONCLUSION

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Introduction

Catholic doctrinal tradition describes the priest as teacher of the
Word, minister of the Sacraments and leader of the Christian community
entrusted to him. This is the starting point of all reflection on the
identity and mission of the priest in Church. In the light of new
evangelization, to which the Holy Spirit calls all the faithful through
the person and authority of the Holy Father, this unchanging yet
ever-new doctrine must again be reflected upon with faith and hope.

The whole Church is called to greater apostolic commitment which is both
personal and communitarian, renewed and generous. Encouraged by the
personal example and clear teaching of John Paul II, both pastors and
faithful must but realize ever more incisively that the time has come to
hasten their preparations, with renewed apostolic spirit, to cross the
threshold of the 21st century and to throw open the door of history to
Jesus Christ, who is our God and only Savior. Pastors and faithful in
the year 2000 are called to proclaim with renewed force: "Ecce natus est
nobis Salvator mundi".1

"In countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in the
younger Churches as well, entire groups of the baptized have lost a
living sense of the faith or even no longer consider themselves members
of the Church and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In
this case what is needed is a 'new evangelization' or a
're-evangelization'".2 New evangelization, therefore, is firstly a
maternal reaction of the Church to the weakening of the faith and
obscuring of the demands of the Christian moral life in the conscience
of her children. Many of the baptized live in a world indifferent to
religion. While maintaining a certain faith, these practically live a
form of religious and moral indifferentism, alienated from Word and
Sacraments which are essential for the Christian life. There are others,
although born of Christian parents and baptized, who have never received
a foundation in the faith and live in practical atheism. The Church
looks on all of these with love and is particularly sensitive to the
pressing duty to draw these people to that ecclesial communion where,
with the grace of the Holy Spirit, they rediscover Jesus Christ and the
Father.

Together with new evangelization which seeks to rekindle the faith in
the Christian conscience of many and cause the joyful proclamation of
salvation to resound in society, the Church is also especially conscious
of her perennial mission ad gentes - the right/duty to carry the Gospel
to all men who do not yet know Christ or participate in his salvific
gifts. For the contemporary Church, Mother and Teacher, the mission ad
gentes and new evangelization are inseparable aspects of her mandate to
teach, sanctify and guide all men to the Father. Fervent Christians also
need loving and continuous encouragement in their quest for personal
holiness, to which they are called by God and by the Church. This is the
true impetus of new evangelization.

All the Christian faithful, children of the Church, should be impelled
by this common and pressing responsibility. In a particular way, priests
have this duty since they have been specially chosen, consecrated and
sent to make evident the presence of Christ whose authentic
representatives and messengers they become.3 It is, therefore, necessary
to assist both secular and religious priests in assuming the "important
pastoral responsibility of new evangelization"4 and, in the light of
this commitment, to rediscover the divine call to serve that portion of
God's people entrusted to them as teachers of the Word, ministers of the
Sacraments and pastors of the flock.

 

Chapter One

In the Service of New Evangelization

'You did not choose me, no, I chose you and commissioned you to go out'
(John 15:16)

1. New Evangelization, responsibility of the entire Church

Being called and sent by the Lord have always been relevant but in
contemporary historical circumstances they acquire a particular
importance. The end of the 20th century, from a religious perspective,
is marked by contrasting phenomena. On the one hand, intense
secularization in society results in rejection of God and all reference
to the transcendent, while the other is marked by the emergence of a
greater religious sensitivity which seeks to satisfy the innate
aspiration for God which is present in the hearts of all mankind but
which sometimes fails to find satisfactory expression.

"The mission of Christ the Redeemer which is entrusted to the Church, is
still very far from completion. As the second millennium after Christ's
coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that
this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves
wholeheartedly to its service".5 Today, this missionary task is carried
out largely in the context of the new evangelization of many countries
which have had long Christian traditions but in which the Christian
understanding of life appears to be in decline. It is also carried out
in the general context of mankind, in which not everyone has yet heard
and understood the proclamation of the salvation brought by Christ.

It is a sad but evident reality that many have heard of Christ but seem
to know and accept his teaching merely as a set of general ethical norms
rather than as concrete life commitments. Large numbers of the baptized
have abandoned following Christ and live by the tenets of relativism. In
many instances, the role of the Christian faith is reduced to that of a
purely cultural factor often limited to a merely private sphere and
without any social relevance in individual or national life.6

After 20 centuries of Christianity there is still no shortage of wide
missionary fields. All Christians should be aware that, in virtue of
their baptismal priesthood (cf. 1 Pt 2:4-5, 9; Rv 1:5-6, 9-10; 20:6),
they are called to collaborate, in so far as their personal
circumstances permit, in the new evangelizing mission which is a common
ecclesial undertaking.7 Responsibility for missionary activity "is
incumbent primarily on the College of Bishops presided over by its head,
the Successor of Peter".8 "Priests, who are collaborators with the
Bishop in virtue of the Sacrament of Orders, are called to share
responsibility for the mission".9 Thus it can be said that, in a certain
sense, they bear primary responsibility "for this new evangelization of
the third millennium".10

Encouraged by scientific and technical advances, contemporary society
has developed a profound sense of critical independence from secular and
religious authority and doctrine. This situation requires thorough
explanation and presentation of the Christian message of salvation which
always remains a mystery. Such must be done with respect and with the
power and capacity of the first evangelization, while making prudent use
of all suitable methods afforded by modern technology. However, it
should never be forgotten that technology is no substitute for the
witness of holiness of life. The Church needs true witnesses to
communicate the Gospel in every sector of society. From this derives the
need for all Christians in general, and for priests in particular, to
acquire a profound and proper training in philosophy and theology11
which enables them to render account for their faith and hope. Such
also alerts them to the importance of presenting the faith
constructively by means of personal dialogue and understanding.
Proclamation of the Gospel, however, cannot be reduced to dialogue
alone. The courage of the truth is, in fact, an ineluctable challenge
when confronted with temptation to conform, or to seek facile popularity
or personal convenience.

When evangelizing, it must be remembered that some of the traditional
ideas and vocabulary of evangelization have become unintelligible to the
greater part of contemporary culture. Certain contexts are impervious to
the positive Christian sense of terms such as original sin and its
consequences, redemption, the cross, the need for prayer, voluntary
sacrifice, chastity, sobriety, obedience, humility, penance, poverty,
etc. New evangelization, in fidelity to the doctrine of the faith
constantly taught by the Church and with a strong sense of
responsibility with regard to the vocabulary of Christian doctrine, must
discover means of expressing itself to the contemporary world so as to
help it rediscover the profound meaning of these Christian and human
terms. In this effort, new evangelization cannot discard the established
formulations of faith which have already been arrived at and which are
summarized in the Creed.12

2. The necessary and indispensable role of priests

While the Pastors of the Church "know that they themselves were not
established by Christ to undertake alone the whole salvific mission of
the Church to the world",13 they do exercise an absolutely indispensable
evangelizing role. New evangelization needs urgently to find a form for
the exercise of the priestly ministry really consonant with contemporary
conditions so as to render it effective and capable of adequately
responding to the circumstances in which it is exercised. This, however,
can only be done by constant reference to Christ, our only model, who
enables us to move in contemporary conditions without losing sight of
our final goal. Genuine pastoral renewal is not motivated solely by
socio-cultural considerations but, more importantly, by a burning love
for Christ and his Church. The end of all our efforts is the definitive
Kingdom of Christ, recapitulation of all created things in him. This
will only be fully achieved at the end of time but already it is present
through the power of the life-giving Spirit through whom Jesus Christ
constituted his body, the Church, as universal sacrament of salvation.14

Christ, head of the Church and Lord of all creation, continues his
salvific work among men. The ministerial priesthood is properly located
within this operative framework. In drawing all things to himself (cf.
Jn 12:32), Christ desires to involve his priests in a special way. This
is the divine plan (God wills that the Church and her ministers should
be involved in the work of redemption) which, although evident from a
doctrinal and theological perspective, can be particularly difficult for
modern man to accept. Sacramental mediation and the hierarchical
structure of the Church are often questioned today. The need for
sacramental mediation or for the hierarchical structure of the Church as
well as the reasons for them are also called into question.

As the life of Christ was consecrated to the authentic proclamation of
the loving will of the Father (cf. Jn 17:4; Heb 10:7-10) so too the life
of priests should be consecrated, in his name, to the same proclamation.
'In word and deed' (cf. Acts 1:1) the Messiah devoted his public life to
preaching with authority (cf. Mt 7:29). Such authority derived, in the
first place, from his divine condition but also, in the eyes of the
people, from his sincere, holy and perfect example. Likewise, the priest
is obliged to complement the objective spiritual authority which is his
in virtue of sacred ordination15 with a subjective authority deriving
from sincerity and holiness of life,16 and that pastoral charity which
manifests the love of Christ.17 Gregory the Great's exhortation to his
priests is still relevant: 'The Pastor must be pure in thought,
exemplary in his actions, discreet in his silence and useful in his
words. He should be close to all in his compassion and, above all,
dedicated to contemplation. He should be the humble ally of all who do
good. In justice, he should be inflexibly opposed to the vice of
sinners. He should neither neglect the interior life through exterior
preoccupations nor omit provision of exterior needs through solicitude
for interior good".18

In our times, as always in the Church, "heralds of the Gospel are needed
who are expert in humanity, profoundly knowing the heart of contemporary
man, who share his joys and hopes, his fears and sorrows, and, at the
same time, who are contemplatives in love with God". The Holy Father,
specifically referring to the re-Christianization of Europe but in terms
valid everywhere, affirms that "the saints were the great evangelizers
of Europe. We must pray the Lord to increase the spirit of holiness in
the Church and to send saints to evangelize the contemporary world".19
Many of our contemporaries, it must not be forgotten, arrive at ideas
of Christ and the Church above all through their contact with her sacred
ministers. Hence the need for their authentic witness to the Gospel
becomes all the more pressing since it is "a living and transparent
image of Christ the priest".20

In the context of Christ's saving action, two inseparable objectives can
be highlighted: an intellectual objective, on the one hand, which seeks
to teach, instruct the crowds without shepherds (cf. Mt 9:36) and move
the intelligence towards conversion (cf. Mt 4:17), and, on the other,
the desire to move the hearts of those who listened to him to sorrow and
penance for their sins thereby opening the way to divine forgiveness.
This continues to be true today: "the call to new evangelization is
primarily a call to conversion"21 and when the Word of God has taught
the intellect of man and moved his will to reject sin, evangelizing
activity attains its goal in fruitful participation in the sacraments,
especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. Paul VI taught that "the
role of evangelization is precisely to educate people in the faith in
such a way as to lead each individual Christian to live the sacraments
of faith - and not to receive them passively or reluctantly".22

Evangelization consists of proclamation, witness, dialogue and service.
It is based on three inseparable elements: preaching the Word,
sacramental ministry and leading the faithful.23 Preaching would be
senseless unless it include continuous formation of the faithful and
participation in the sacraments. Likewise, participation in the
sacraments without sincere conversion of heart, full acceptance of the
faith and of the principles of Christian morality is also meaningless.
From a pastoral perspective, the primary action of evangelization is,
logically, considered to be preaching.24 From the perspective of
intentionality, however, the primary element of evangelization must be
celebration of the sacraments, especially of Penance and the Blessed
Eucharist.25 The integrity of the pastoral ministry of priests in the
service of new evangelization is to be found, however, in a harmonious
fusion of both of these functions. Ecumenical formation of the faithful
is another aspect of new evangelization of growing importance. The
Second Vatican Council encouraged all the faithful "to take an active
and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism" and "to esteem the truly
Christian endowments of our common heritage which are to be found among
our separated brethren".26 At the same time, however, it must be noted
that "nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false
irenicism which harms the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its
genuine and certain meaning".27 Priests should ensure that ecumenism is
always conducted in fidelity to the principles established by the
Magisterium of the Church, avoid divisions and promote harmonious
continuity.

 

Questionnaire on Chapter One

1. Is the need for and urgency of new evangelization really felt in our
ecclesial communities and especially among our priests?

2. Is it frequently preached? Does new evangelization feature at clergy
meetings, in pastoral programs and in continuing formation?

3. Are priests especially involved in promoting a new evangelizing
mission -new in its "ardor, methods and expression28 - both ad intra
and ad extra in the Church?

4. Do the faithful regard the priesthood as a divine gift both for those
who receive if and for their communities, or do they regard the
priesthood merely as an. administrative function? Are prayers for
vocations to the priesthood sufficiently encouraged as well 'as prayers
for that generosity which responds affirmatively to avocation?

5. In preaching the Word of God and in catechesis the necessary
proportion between instruction in the faith and sacramental practice
maintained? Is the evangelizing activity of priests characterized by a
complementarity between. preaching and sacraments, the "munus docendi"
and the "munus sanctificandi"?

6. What can be done to help priests become ministers who harmoniously
build the prophetic, liturgical and charitable community which is the
Church?

7. From the preparations for the Great Jubilee of 2000 do priests derive
opportunities and ideas for a realistic program of new evangelization?

 

Chapter Two

Teachers of the Word

 

'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation' (Mk
16:15)

1. Priests, ministers of the Word 'nomine Christi et nomine Ecclesiae'

A correct understanding of the pastoral ministry of the Word begins with
a consideration of God's divine Revelation in itself. "By this
revelation, the invisible God (cf. Col 1:15; 1 Tm 1:17), from the
fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn
15:14-15) and moves among them in order to invite and receive them into
his company".29 The proclamation of the Kingdom in Scripture not only
speaks of the glory of God but also spreads that same glory by its very
proclamation. The Gospel preached by the Church is not just a message
but a divine and life-giving experience for those who believe, hear,
receive and obey the message.

Revelation, therefore, is not limited to instruction about God who lives
in inaccessible light since it also recounts the marvelous things that
God does for us with his grace. The revealed Word, made present and
actualized "in" and "through" the Church, is an instrument through which
Christ acts in us with his Spirit. It is both judgment and grace. In
hearing the Word, the actual encounter with God himself calls to the
heart of man and demands a decision which is not arrived at solely
through intellectual knowledge but which requires conversion of heart.

"It is the first task of priests as co-workers of the Bishops to preach
the Gospel of God to all men ... [so as to] ...setup and increase the
People of God".30 Precisely because preaching the Gospel is not merely
an intellectual transmission of a message but "the power of God for the
salvation of all who believe" (Rom 1:16), accomplished for all time in
Christ, its proclamation in the Church requires from its heralds a
supernatural basis which guarantees its authenticity and its
effectiveness. The proclamation of the Gospel by the sacred ministers of
the Church is, in a certain sense, a participation in the salvific
character of the Word itself, not only because they speak of Christ, but
because they proclaim the Gospel to their hearers with that power to
call which comes from their participation in the consecration and
mission of the incarnate Word of God. The words of the Lord still
resound in the ears of his ministers: "Whosoever listens to you listens
to me; whosoever despises you despises me" (Lk 10:16). Together with St
Paul they can testify: "the Spirit we have received is not the world's
spirit but God's Spirit, helping us to recognize the gifts he has given
us: We speak of these not in words of human wisdom but in words taught
by the Spirit, thus interpreting spiritual things in spiritual terms" (1
Cor 2:12-13).

Proclaiming the Gospel is a ministry deriving from the sacrament of
Orders and is exercised by the authority of Christ. The power of the
Holy Spirit does not guarantee all the acts of sacred ministers in the
same way. In the administration of the sacraments this guarantee is
assured to the extent that not even the sinful condition of a minister
can impede the fruit of grace. There are many other acts in which the
human qualities of the minister acquire notable importance. Those
qualities can serve to promote or impede the apostolic effectiveness of
Church.31 While the entire munus pastorate must be characterized by
service, it is especially necessary that service characterize the
minister of preaching since the salvific effectiveness of the Word
becomes more operative when its minister, who is never master of the
Word, increasingly becomes its servant.

Service demands a personal dedication on the part of the minister to the
preached Word. Such dedication ultimately is made to God "to whom I
render worship in my heart by preaching the Gospel of his Son" (Rom
1:9). The minister may not place obstacles in its path by pursuing
objectives extraneous to its mission, or relying on human wisdom, or by
promoting subjective experiences that can obscure the Gospel. The Word
of God can never be manipulated. Rather, preachers "should firstly
become personally familiar with the Word of God... and be the first
'believers' in the Word, fully conscious that the words of their
preaching are not their own, but those of the one who sent them".32

There is an essential relationship between personal prayer and
preaching. From meditating on the Word of God in personal prayer comes
that spontaneous "primacy of witness of life which discovers the power
of the love of God and makes his word convincing.33 Effective preaching
is another fruit of personal prayer. Such preaching is effective not
only because of its speculative coherence but because it comes from a
prayerful, sincere heart which is aware that sacred ministers are bound
not to impart their own wisdom but the Word of God and ceaselessly to
invite all to conversion and holiness".34 The preaching of Christ's
sacred ministers, to be effective, requires that it be based on their
spirit of filial prayer: "sit orator antequam dictor".35

Personal prayer provides priests with support and encouragement for
their sense of the ministry, their vocation in life, and for their
living and apostolic faith. In personal prayer they draw daily zeal for
evangelization. Once personally convinced of this, it is translated into
persuasive, coherent and convincing preaching. Praying the Liturgy of
the Hours thus is not simply a matter of personal piety nor is it the
totality of the Church's public prayer. It is of great pastoral use36
since it is a special opportunity to interiorize and become familiar
with biblical, patristic, theological and magisterial teaching which can
subsequently be returned to the People of God through preaching.

2. Towards an effective proclamation of the Word

New evangelization has to underline the importance of bringing to
maturity the meaning of the baptismal vocation of the faithful, thereby
bringing the faithful to an awareness that they have been called by God
closely to follow Christ and personally to collaborate in the Church's
mission. "Transmitting the faith means awakening, proclaiming and
deepening the Christian vocation, that is, God's call to all men as he
makes known to them the mystery of salvation...".37 The task of
preaching, therefore, is to present Christ to all men because he alone,
"the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and
of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most
high calling".38

New evangelization together with a vocational sense of existence go hand
in hand for the Christian. This is the "good news" which must be
preached to the faithful without any reductionismin what concerns its
goodness and the demands which are made in accomplishing it. It must
always be remembered that "the Christian is certainly bound by need and
by duty to struggle with evil through many afflictions and to suffer
death; but as one who has been made a partner in the paschal mystery and
configured to the death of Christ, he will go forward, strengthened by
hope, to the resurrection".39

New evangelization demands a zealous ministry of the Word which is
complete and well-founded. It should have a clear theological,
spiritual, liturgical and moral content, while bearing in mind the needs
of those men and women whom it must reach. This is not to succumb to any
temptation to intellectualism which could obscure rather than enlighten
the intelligence of Christians; rather it requires a genuine
intellectual charity through continuous patient catechesis on the
fundamentals of Catholic faith and morals and on their influence on the
spiritual life. Christian instruction is foremost among the spiritual
works of mercy: salvation comes by knowing Christ since "there is no
other name in the whole world given to men by which we are to be saved"
(Acts 4:12).

Catechetical proclamation cannot be achieved without use of a solid
theology since it requires not only presentation of revealed doctrine
but also formation of the intelligence and conscience of the faithful by
means of revealed doctrine so that they can authentically live the
demands of their baptismal calling. New evangelization will be achieved
not only in the measure that the Church as a whole and its institutions
but each and every Christian live the faith authentically, thereby
giving credible witness to that same faith.

Evangelizing means announcing and spreading the contents of revealed
truth by every available good and congruent means (Christological and
Trinitarian faith, the meaning of the dogma of creation, the
eschatological truths, the doctrine concerning the Church, man, the
sacraments and other means of salvation). It is also important to teach
people how concretely to translate these truths into life by means of
spiritual and moral formation so that they become a witness to life and
missionary commitment.

The task of spiritual and theological formation (and that of permanent
formation of priests, deacons and the lay faithful) is both inescapable
and enormous. Hence, the ministry of the Word and its ministers must be
able to respond to current circumstances. While its effectiveness is
essentially dependent on the help of God, it also requires the highest
possible degree of human perfection. A renewed doctrinal, theological
and spiritual proclamation of the Christian message, aimed primarily to
enthuse and purify the conscience of the baptized, cannot be achieved
through irresponsible or indolent improvisation. Less still can it be
brought about if there is an unwillingness on the part of priests to
assume directly their responsibilities for the proclamation of the
Gospel - especially those relating to the homiletic ministry which
cannot be delegated to the non-ordained40 nor easily entrusted to those
ill-prepared for its exercise.

Preaching, as always has been insisted, requires the priest to give
particular attention to the importance of remote preparation. This can
be concretized by such things as study and the pursuit of those things
which can help the sacred ministers in their preparation. Pastoral
sensitivity on the part of preachers must always be aware of the
problems preoccupying the contemporary world and be able to identify
possible solution for them. "Moreover, if priests are to give adequate
answers to the problems discussed by people at the present time, they
should be well-versed in the statements of the Church's magisterium and
especially those of the Councils and the Popes. They should also consult
the best approved writers in theology"41 as well as the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. Insistence must also be placed on the importance of the
permanent formation of the clergy and especially on its content which
should be in accord with the Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests.42 Efforts in this regard will always reap a rich harvest. In
addition to the foregoing, attention must be given to the proximate
preparation needed to preach the Word of God. Apart from exceptional
circumstances where nothing else is possible, humility and industry
require, at the very least, a careful plan of what the priest intends to
preach.

The principle source for preaching is naturally Sacred Scripture, deeply
meditated in personal prayer and assimilated through study and adequate
contact with suitable books.43 Pastoral experience well demonstrates the
capacity of the power and eloquence of the sacred text to stir the
hearts of those who hear it. The Fathers of the Church and the other
great writers of the Catholic tradition teach us how to penetrate the
meaning of the revealed Word and communicate it to others.44 This is far
removed from any form of "biblical fundamentalism" or mutilation of the
divine message. The pedagogy with which the Church reads, interprets and
applies the Word of God throughout the liturgical seasons should also be
a point of reference for preaching. The lives of the saints, their
struggles and heroism, have always produced positive effects in the
hearts of the Christian faithful who, today, have special need of the
heroic example of the saints in their self-dedication to the love of God
and, through God, to others. Reference to the lives of the saints has
renewed significance in contemporary circumstances where the faithful
are often assailed by equivocal values and doctrines. All of these are
helpful for evangelization as indeed is the promotion of a sense of the
love of God among the faithful, a solidarity with everyone and spirit of
service and generous self-giving for others. Christian conscience comes
to maturity through constant reference to charity.

The priest should also cultivate the formal aspects of preaching. We
live in an information era characterized by rapid communication. We
frequently hear experts and specialists on the television and radio. In
a certain sense the priest (who is also a social communicator) has to
compete with these when he preaches to the faithful. Hence his message
must be presented in an attractive manner. His apostolic spirit should
move him to acquire competence in the use of the "new pulpits" provided
by modern communications and ensure that his preaching is always of a
standard congruent with the preached Word. Universities today have
witnessed a resurgence of interest in rhetoric. A similar interest
should be aroused among priests as well as a desire to acquire a noble
and dignified self-presentation and poise.

Like that of Christ, priestly preaching should be positive, stimulating
and draw men and women to the goodness, beauty and truth of God.
Christians are bound to make known "the divine glory which shines on the
face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6) and present revealed truth in a captivating
way. Is it not impossible to deny the strong attractive, though serene,
nature of Christian existence? There is nothing to fear in this. "From
the moment when, in the Paschal Mystery, she received the gift of the
ultimate truth about man's life, the Church has made her way along the
path of the world proclaiming that Jesus Christ is 'the way, the truth
and the life' (Jn 14:6). It is her duty to serve humanity in different
ways, but one way in particular imposes a responsibility of a quite
special kind: the diaconia of service to the truth".45

Elegant accurate language, comprehensible to contemporary men and women
of all social backgrounds, is always useful for preaching. Banal
commonplace language should be eschewed.46 While preachers must speak
from an authentic vision of faith, a vocabulary must be employed which
is comprehensible in all quarters and must avoid specialized jargon or
concessions to the spirit of materialism. The human "key" to effective
preaching of the Word is to be found in the professionalism of the
preacher who knows what he wants to say and who is always backed up by
serious remote and proximate preparation. This is far removed from the
improvisation of the dilettante. Attempts to obscure the entire force of
truth are insidious forms of irenicism. Care should therefore be taken
with the meaning of words, style and diction. Important themes should be
highlighted, without ostentation, after careful reflection. A pleasant
speaking voice should be cultivated. Preachers should know their
objectives and have a good understanding of the existential and cultural
reality of their congregations. Theories and abstract generalizations
must always be avoided. Hence every preacher should know his own flock
well and use an attractive style which, rather than wounding people,
strikes the conscience and is not afraid to call things for what they
really are.

Priests engaged in different pastoral tasks should help each other with
fraternal advice on these and other matters such as the content of
preaching and its theological and linguistic quality, style, the
duration of homilies -which should always be reasonable, the proper use
of the ambo, the development of an unaffected normal tone of voice and
its inflection while preaching. Humility is necessary if the priest is
to be helped by his brother priests and, indirectly, by the faithful who
cooperate in his pastoral activities.

 

Questionnaire on Chapter Two

8. Do we really appreciate the real effect of the ministry of the Word
on the life of our communities? Are we anxious to use this essential
instrument of evangelization with the best possible professionalism?

9. Is sufficient attention given to perfecting the diverse forms of
proclamation of the Word in permanent formation courses?

10. Are priests encouraged to study sound theology and the writings of
the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church and of the Saints?
Are positive efforts made to know and make known the great masters of
Christian spirituality?

11. Is the formation of good libraries for priests encouraged which
reflect a solid doctrinal outlook?

12. Is it possible locally to access libraries available on the
Internet? Are priests aware of the electronic library which has been set
up by the Congregation for the Clergy (www.clerus.org)?

13. Do priests use the catechesis and teaching of the Holy father and
the various documents published by the Holy See?

14. Is there an awareness of the necessity to train people (priests,
permanent deacons, religious and laity) capable of using well the means
of communication which are key aspects of the evangelization of
contemporary culture?

 

 

Chapter Three
Ministers of the Sacraments

'Christ's servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God' (1 Cor
4:1)

1. 'In persona Christi Capitis'

"The Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members,
the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread
the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity".47 This sacramental
dimension of the whole mission of the Church springs from her very
nature as a reality which is "both human and divine, visible yet endowed
with invisible realities, zealous in action and dedicated to
contemplation, present in the world but as a pilgrim".48 In the context
of the Church as "universal sacrament of salvation",49 in which Christ
"manifests and actualizes the mystery of God's love for men",50 the
sacraments, privileged moments in communicating the divine life to man,
are at the very core of priestly ministry. Priests are especially
conscious of being living instruments of Christ, the Priest. Their
function, in virtue of sacramental character, is that of men complying
with the action of God through shared instrumental effectiveness.

Configuration to Christ in sacramental ordination places the priest at
the heart of God's people. It allows him to participate in a way proper
to him, and in conformity with the whole structure of the ecclesial
community, in the triple munus Christi. The priest, acting in "persona
Christi Capitis", feeds the flock, the people of God, and leads them to
sanctity.51 Hence the need for credible witness to the faith in all
aspects of priestly life and in his respect for and celebration of the
sacraments.52 The classic doctrine, repeated by the Second Vatican
Council, must always be borne in mind: "while it is true that God can
accomplish the work of salvation through unworthy ministers, God
nevertheless, ordinarily prefers to manifest his greatness through those
who are more docile to the promptings and direction of the Holy Spirit,
so much so that they can say of the apostolate, thanks to their own
intimate union with Christ and holiness of life: 'it is no longer I who
live but Christ who lives in me'" (Gal 2:20).53

Priests, in celebrating the sacraments, act as ministers of Christ and,
through the Holy Spirit, participate in his priesthood in a special way.
54 Hence the sacraments are moments of worship of singular importance
for new evangelization. It must be recalled that they have become the
only effective moments for transmitting the contents of the faith. While
this is true for all the faithful, it is even more true for those who,
having lost the practice of the faith, occasionally participate in the
liturgy for family or social reasons (baptisms, confirmations,
marriages, ordinations, funerals etc.). A credible life-style on the
part of priests should be complemented "with a high standard of ceremony
and liturgical celebration":55 it should not seek spectacle but truly
ensure that "the human is directed toward and subordinate to the divine,
the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, this present
world to the city yet to come".56

2. Ministers of the Eucharist: core of priestly ministry

"Jesus called his Apostles 'friends'. He also calls us friends since we
share in his priesthood by virtue of the Sacrament of Orders.... Could
Jesus have expressed his friendship for us in a more eloquent way than
by allowing us, priests of the New Covenant, to act in his name, to act
in persona Christi Capitis? This is what happens in all our priestly
service, when we administer the sacraments and especially when we
celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We repeat the words spoken by him over the
bread and wine, and, through our ministry we effect the same
consecration as effected by Christ. Can there be a more complete
expression of friendship than this? This is what is at the very core of
our priestly ministry".57

New evangelization must also signal a new clarity about the centrality
of the Eucharist, the source and summit of the entire Christian life, to
the faithful.58 "No Christian community can be built up unless it grow
from and hinges on to the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist"59
because "the other sacraments and indeed all ecclesial ministries and
works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed
toward it. For in the most Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole
spiritual good of the Church"60

The Eucharist is also the object of the pastoral ministry. The faithful
must participate in it if they are to draw fruit from it. While it is
necessary to inculcate a "worthy, careful and fruitful" preparation for
the liturgy among the laity, it is also necessary to bring them to an
awareness that they are "invited and led to offer themselves, their
works and all creation with Christ. For this reason the Eucharist
appears as the source and summit of all preaching of the Gospel".61 From
this truth many consequences follow for the pastoral ministry.

Formation of the faithful concerning the essence of the Holy Sacrifice
of the Altar is vitally important as is the need to encourage them to
participate fruitfully in the Eucharist.62 Insistence must be made on
the observance of the Sunday obligation63 and on frequent, if not daily,
participation in the celebration of the Mass and Holy Communion.
Emphasis must be placed on the grave obligation to fulfill the spiritual
and corporeal conditions governing reception of the Body of Christ -
especially individual sacramental confession for those conscious that
they are not in a state of grace. The strength of Christian life in
every particular Church and parish community depends, in large measure,
on rediscovery of the great gift of the Eucharist in faith and ado
ration. When the link between daily life and the Eucharist is not
clearly manifested in the priest's doctrinal teaching, preaching and
life, participation begins to fall into abeyance.

In this respect, the example of the priest-celebrant is fundamentally
important: "celebrating the Eucharist well is an important form of
primary catechesis on the Holy Sacrifice".64 While this is not the
immediate intention of the priest, it is important for the faithful to
see him prepare well by recollecting himself before celebrating the Holy
Sacrifice. They should be able to witness the love and devotion that he
has for the Eucharist and, following his example, they should learn to
remain, for a while, in thanksgiving after Holy Communion.

While an essential part of the Church's work of evangelization is to
teach men and women to pray to the Father, through the Son in the Holy
Spirit, new evangelization entails the recovery and consolidation of
pastoral practices which manifest belief in the real presence of Our
Lord under the Eucharistic species. "The priest has a mission to promote
the cult of the Eucharistic presence, also outside of the celebration of
the Mass, thereby making of his own church a Christian "house of
prayer".65 The faithful should be well instructed with regard to the
indispensable conditions for the reception of Holy Communion. It is
important to encourage their devotion to Christ who awaits them in the
tabernacle. A simple but effective form of Eucharistic catechesis is the
material care of everything concerned with the church and especially the
altar and tabernacle: cleanliness and decor, worthy vestments and
vessels, care in celebrating the liturgical ceremonies,66 genuflection
etc. An atmosphere of recollection should pervade the Blessed Sacrament
chapel. This is a centuries-old tradition guaranteeing that silence
which facilitates dialogue with the Lord. The heart of our churches is
the Blessed Sacrament chapel or the area in which the Eucharistic Christ
is reserved and adored. Access to it should be evident and easily
facilitated. It should be open for as much of the day as possible and it
should be well decorated.

All these are signs deriving not from some form of "spiritualism" but
from a well-tested theological tradition of devotion to the Blessed
Eucharist. They are possible only if the priest is a man of prayer and
genuinely devoted to the Holy Eucharist. Only the pastor who prays will
know how to teach others to pray and bring God's grace on those in his
pastoral charge, thereby evincing conversions, more fervent resolution
for life, priestly vocations and special consecration. Only the priest
who has daily experience of the "conversatio in coelis" and whose life
is motivated by friendship with Christ can make genuine advances towards
authentic and renewed evangelization.

3. Ministers of Reconciliation with God and the Church

In a world in which the sense of sin has declined67 it is most necessary
to insist that lack of love for God obscures our perception of the
reality of sin and evil. The initiation of conversion, not just as a
momentary interior act but as a stable disposition, begins with
authentic knowledge of God's merciful love. "Those who come to know and
see God in this way cannot live other than in continual conversion
toward him. Thus they live in a state of conversion".68 Penance is an
essential constituent of the patrimony in the ecclesial life of the
baptized. It is, however, marked by the hope of pardon: "you who were
once excluded from mercy have now received mercy" (1 Pt 2:10).

New evangelization calls for renewed efforts to bring the faithful to
the Sacrament of Penance.69 This pastoral task is absolutely
indispensable. The sacrament of Penance "opens the way for everyone,
especially those borne down by grave sin, individually to experience
mercy, that love which is stronger than sin".70 We should never fail to
encourage and promote the sacrament while striving intelligently to
renew and revitalize age-old beneficial Christian traditions. As a first
step, with the help of the Holy Spirit, this should bring the faithful
to that conversion which leads to sincere and contrite recognition of
those moral flaws or deficiencies found in everyone's daily life. It is
essential to insist upon the importance of frequent individual
confession in arriving, where possible, at authentic personal spiritual
direction.

Without confusing the sacramental moment with spiritual direction,
priests should know how to identify opportunities to initiate spiritual
dialogue outside of the celebration of the Sacrament. "Rediscovery and
promotion of this practice, also during the various moments of the
Sacrament of Penance, is a major benefit for the contemporary Church".71
Such leads to an awakening of the sense and effectiveness of the
Sacrament and creates the conditions necessary to overcome the present
crisis. Personal spiritual direction forms true apostles, capable of
activating new evangelization in society. The success of the mission to
re-evangelize so many of the faithful who are estranged from the Church
requires a solid formation for those who have remained close to her.

New evangelization depends on an adequate number of priests; experience
teaches that many respond positively to a vocation because of spiritual
direction as well as the example given by priests who are interiorly and
exteriorly faithful to their priestly identity. "In his pastoral work
each priest will take particular care concerning vocations, encouraging
prayer for vocations, doing his best in the work of catechetics and
taking care of the formation of ministers. He will promote appropriate
initiatives through a personal rapport with those in his care, allowing
him to discover their talents and to single out the will of God for
them, permitting a courageous choice in following Christ.... It is
desirable that every priest be concerned with inspiring at least one
priestly vocation which could thus continue the ministry".72

Giving the faithful a real possibility of coming to confession implies
much dedication.73 Fixed times during which the priest is available in
the confessional are warmly to be encouraged. They should be well
publicized and availability on the priest's part should not be just
theoretical. Sometimes the mere fact of having to search for a confessor
is sufficient to delay or postpone confession. The faithful, on the
other hand, willingly approach the sacrament in places where they know
confessors are available.74 Parish churches and those open for public
worship should have a good, well-lit confessional chapel, suitable for
hearing confessions. A regular organized schedule of confessions should
be provided and implemented by the priests. In order to facilitate the
faithful in their desire to approach the Sacrament care should be taken
to maintain the confessionals by frequent cleaning, ensuring that they
are clearly visible and by affording the possibility of using a grille
to those who wish to remain anonymous.75

It is not always easy to maintain these pastoral practices, but this is
no excuse to overlook their pastoral effectiveness or not to reinstitute
them where they have fallen into disuse. Cooperation between the
diocesan clergy and religious should be encouraged so as to ensure this
pastoral priority. In the same context, recognition must be given to the
daily service provided in the confessional by many older priests who are
true masters of the spiritual life in the various Christian communities.

This service to the Church would, of course, be more easily accomplished
when priests themselves are the first to approach the Sacrament of
Penance regularly.76 Personal recourse to the Sacrament by the priest,
as penitent, is an indispensable condition for a generous ministry of
Reconciliation.

"All priestly existence undergoes an inexorable decline it the priest,
through negligence or whatever other reason, neglects frequent recourse,
inspired by genuine faith and devotion, to the Sacrament of Penance. If
a priest no longer goes to confession or makes a bad confession, very
quickly this will affect his priestly ministry and be noticed by the
community of which he is pastor".77

"The ministry of priests is above all communion and a responsible and
necessary cooperation with the Bishop's ministry, in concern for the
universal Church and for the individual particular Churches, for whose
service they form with the Bishop a single presbyterate".78 The brethren
in the presbyterate should always be the special object of the priest's
pastoral charity, by helping them materially and spiritually, by
affording the opportunity for confession and spiritual direction, by
encouraging their service, by helping them in their necessities, by
offering fraternal support in their difficulties, old-age or infirmity.
This is truly an area for the exercise of priestly virtue.

Pastoral prudence is a fundamental virtue for fruitful exercise of the
ministry of Reconciliation. Thus when the minister imparts absolution he
participates as an effective instrument in the sacramental action. His
task in the penitential rites is to place the penitent before Christ,
thereby facilitating an encounter of mercy with the utmost discretion.
Disagreements which do not take into account the reality of sin should
be avoided. Hence the confessor should have opportune knowledge.79
However, the penitential dialogue should always be imbued with that
understanding which gradually leads to conversion. It should not,
however, lapse into a so-called "graduality of moral norms."

When the practice of confession diminishes, in some cases to the
detriment of the moral life and the conscience of the faithful, the
danger sometimes arises of a decline in the theological and pastoral
quality of the exercise of the ministry of confession. Confessors should
always pray to the Paraclete for the ability to fill this salvific
moment80 with supernatural meaning and to transform it into an authentic
encounter with the all merciful and forgiving Jesus for the penitent. He
should also avail himself of confession to form the conscience of the
faithful correctly - an extremely important task - by asking, where
necessary, those questions which secure the integrity of confession and
the validity of the sacrament. He should help the penitent to thank God
for his mercy and assist him in making a firm purpose of amendment for
his conduct of the moral life. He should never fail to encourage the
penitent appropriately, offering him comfort and motivating him to do
works of penance which are satisfaction for his sins and which help him
to grow in virtue.

 

Questionnaire on Chapter Three

15. The essence and saving meaning of the sacraments are invariable.
Starting out from a firm conviction of this position, how can
sacramental pastoral care be renewed and how can it be placed at the
service of new evangelization?

16. Is our particular community a "Church of Eucharist and Penance"? Is
Eucharistic devotion in all its forms nourished and promoted? Is the
practice of personal confession facilitated and encouraged?

17. Is habitual reference made to the real presence of Our Lord in the
tabernacle and, for example, is the fruitful practice of visiting the
Blessed Sacrament encouraged? Are there frequent acts of Eucharistic
worship? Do our Churches have an atmosphere which encourages prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament?

18. In a true pastoral spirit is special care given to the proper
maintenance of the Church? Do priests respect the canonical (cf. canons
284, 669; the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests) and
liturgical norms by vesting properly and reverently for divine worship
and by wearing all of the prescribed vestments? (cf. canon 929).

19. Do priests go to confession regularly and do they make themselves
available for this important ministry?

20. In the exercise of their pastoral ministry what pastoral efforts are
being made in the area of Reconciliation and Penance? Do churches and
sanctuaries have an established time for hearing confessions? Is it
respected and followed?

21. What initiatives are taken in permanent formation to perfect and
assist priests in their ministry of confessors? Are they encouraged to
update themselves properly for this indispensable ministry?

22. Are confessors reminded of the norms pertaining to prudence in the
confessional regularly and Me need for reserve when dealing with all
penitents? Among other things, in this respect, is the traditional
discipline of the confessional employed?

23. Given the importance for new evangelization of a renewal of
individual confession, are the canonical norms concerning general
absolution observed? Are penitential ceremonies in the various churches
and chapels prepared with prudence and pastoral charity? Are
opportunities made available for a number of examinations of conscience
bearing in mind the diversity of age and states of life?

24. What concrete initiatives are being made to encourage the faithful
to attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation?

 

 

Chapter Four

Loving Pastors of the Flock

'The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep' (Jn 10:11)

1. With Christ, incarnating and spreading the mercy of the Father

"The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims
mercy - the most stupendous attribute of the Creator and of the Redeemer
- and when she brings people close to the sources of the Savior's
mercy, of which she is trustee and dispenser".81 This reality
essentially distinguishes the Church from other human institutions
dedicated to the promotion of solidarity and philanthropy. Even when
imbued with a religious spirit, by themselves, such institutions cannot
effectively dispense the mercy of God. The mercy of God as offered by
the Church, in contrast with secularized concepts of mercy which fail to
transform man interiorly, is primarily forgiveness and salvific healing.
Its effectiveness on man requires his acceptance of the entire truth
concerning his being, his action and his guilt. Hence derives the need
for sorrow and encounter with the proclamation of mercy and the fullness
of truth. Such affirmations are vitally important for priests who are
called to a particular vocation, by the Church and in the Church, to
reveal and effect the mystery of the Father's love in their ministry,
lived in charity according to the truth (Eph 4:15) and in docility to
the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The mercy of God, manifested by his paternal love, is encountered in
Christ. He reveals his messianic role (cf. Lk 4:18) as the Father's
mercy for all who are in need, especially sinners who need forgiveness
and interior peace. "It is especially for these last that the Messiah
becomes a particularly clear sign of God who is love, a sign of the
Father. In this visible sign the people of our time, just like people
then, can see the Father".82 God "who is love" (1 Jn 4:16) cannot but
reveal himself as mercy.83 Through the sacrifice of his Son, God the
Father, in his love, implicated himself in the drama of man's salvation.

While in the preaching of Christ mercy acquires many striking
characteristics which surpass human realization - as emerges in the
parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Lk 15, 11-32) -it is in his sacrifice
on the cross that its meaning is most especially revealed. The crucified
Christ is the radical manifestation of the Father's mercy, of that "love
which goes against the very source of evil in human history: countering
sin and death".84 The Christian spiritual tradition regards the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, which draws priestly hearts to itself, as a profound,
mysterious synthesis of the Father's infinite mercy.

The soteriological dimension of the entire priestly munus pastorate is
centered on the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of Jesus' offering
up of his life. "There exists, in fact, an intimate rapport between the
centrality of the Eucharist, pastoral charity and the priest's unity of
life. He finds in this rapport the decisive indications for the way to
holiness to which he has been specifically called.... If the priest
lends to Christ, Most Eternal High Priest, his intelligence, will, voice
and hands so as to offer through his own ministry the sacrifice of
redemption to the Father, he should make his own the dispositions of the
Master and, like him, live those gifts for his brothers in the faith. He
must therefore learn to unite himself intimately to the offering,
placing his entire life on the altar of sacrifice as a revealing sign of
the gratuitous and anticipatory love of God".85 In the permanent gift of
the Eucharistic Sacrifice, memorial of the death and resurrection of
Jesus, priests have sacramentally received the unique and singular
ministerial capacity to bring the witness of God's infinite love to men,
which will be confirmed as more powerful than sin in salvation history.
The paschal Christ is the definitive incarnation of mercy and its living
sign, both in salvation history and eschatologically.86 According to the
Cure d'Ars, the priesthood is "the love of the heart of Jesus".87 In
virtue of the consecration and their ministry, with Christ, priests are
living and effective signs of this great love, described by St.
Augustine as the "amoris officium".88

2. Sacerdos et Hostia

Essential to authentic mercy is its gratuitous nature. It is received as
an unmerited gift which has been freely and gratuitously given and which
is completely unmerited. Such liberality is part of the Father's saving
plan. "This is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God's love for
us when he sent his son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away" (1
Jn 4:10). The ordained minister, in precisely this context, finds his
raison d'etre. No one can confer grace of himself; it is always given
and received.

This presupposes that there are ministers of grace, authorized and
empowered by Christ. In the Church's tradition, the ordained ministry is
referred to as "sacrament", since through the ministry those sent by
Christ, by God's gift, effect and offer that which they themselves can
neither effect nor give.89

Priests should therefore regard themselves as living signs and bearers
of that mercy which they offer, not as though it were their own, but as
a free gift from God. They are thus servants of God's mercy. The desire
to serve is an essential element of priestly ministry and requires the
respective moral disposition in the subject. The priest makes Jesus, the
Pastor who came to serve and not be served (Mt 20:28) present to men.
The priest primarily serves Christ, but that service necessarily passes
through the Church and her mission.

"He loves us and sheds his blood to wash away our sins: Pontifex qui
dilexisti nos et lavasti a peccatis in sanguine tuo. He gave himself for
us: tradidisti temetipsum Deo oblationem et hostiam. Christ introduces
the sacrifice of himself, ransom for our redemption, into the eternal
sanctuary. The offering, the sacrificial victim, is inseparable from the
priest".90 While only Christ is simultaneously Sacerdos et Hostia, his
minister who partakes in the dynamic of the Church's mission, is
sacramentally priest and permanently called to become a Hostia and
thereby assimilate "the same sentiments that Jesus had" (Phil 2:5). The
effectiveness of all evangelizing activity depends on this unbreakable
unity of priest and sacrificial victim,91 or priesthood and Eucharist.
Today, the work of divine mercy, contained in Word and Sacraments,
depends on the unity, in the Holy Spirit, of Christ and his minister,
who does not substitute for him but relies on him and allows him to act
in and through him. The significance of St John's Gospel can be applied
to this link between the ministry of the priest and Jesus: "I am the
vine... cut off from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:14).

The call to become, like Jesus, a Hostia underlies the compatibility of
the commitment to celibacy with the priestly ministry in the Church. It
implies the incorporation of the priest in the sacrifice with which
"Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her so as to make her
holy" (Eph 5:25-26). The priest is called to be "a living image of Jesus
Christ, Spouse of the Church" and to make his entire life an offering
for her".92 "Priestly celibacy, then, is the gift of self in and with
Christ to his Church and expresses the priest's service in and with the
Lord".93

3. The Pastoral Ministry of Priests: service of leading in love and
strength

"Priests exercise the function of Christ as Pastor and Head in
proportion to their share of authority. In the name of the Bishop they
gather the family of God as a brotherhood endowed with the spirit of
unity and lead it through Christ in the Spirit to God the Father".94 The
indispensable exercise of the munus regendi by the priest, far from
being a mere sociological concept or organizational capacity, derives
also from the sacramental priesthood: "in virtue of the Sacrament of
Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest (Heb
5:1-10; 7:24; 9:11-28) they are consecrated in order to preach the
Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as celebrate divine worship as
true priests of the New Testament".95

Since priests participate in the authority of Christ they differ notably
from the faithful. These realize, however, that "the presence of Christ
in their ministry is not to be understood as if ... [they] were
preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error and
even sin".96 The word and guidance of ministers are subject to greater
or lesser effectiveness depending on their natural or acquired qualities
of intelligence, will, character and maturity. This awareness together
with a realization of the sacramental origins of the pastoral ministry,
inspires them to imitate Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and makes pastoral
charity indispensable for a fruitful exercise of the ministry.

"The essential object of their action as pastors and of the authority
conferred on them" is "to bring the communities entrusted to them to
full spiritual and ecclesial development".97 However, the community
dimension of pastoral care ... the needs of each of the faithful ...
Jesus himself, the Good Shepherd, calls "his sheep one by one" with a
voice well known to them (Jn 10:3-4). By his example he has set the
first canon of individual pastoral care: knowledge of the people and
friendly relations with them.98 In the Church, a community vision of the
pastoral ministry must be in harmony with this personal pastoral care.
Indeed, in building up the Church the pastor always moves from a
personal to a community dimension. In relating to individuals and
communities, the priest cares for all "eximia humanitate".99 He can
never be the servant of an ideology or of a faction.100 He is obliged to
treat men "not according to what may please men, but according to the
demands of Christian doctrine and life".101

Today more than ever, the style of pastoral action needs to be such as
can address the demands arising in traditionally Christian communities
which have become largely secularized. In this context, consideration of
the munus regendi, in its original missionary sense, acquires greater
significance. The munus regendi, however, should never be confused with
a merely bureaucratic or organizational task. It requires a loving
exercise of strength on the part of priests - the model for which is the
pastoral activity of Jesus Christ. He, as is clear from the Gospels,
never revised to assume that responsibility deriving from his messianic
authority and exercised it with charity and strength. This authority is
not an oppressive domination but a spirit of and a willingness to serve.
This dual aspect - authority and service - is the reference point for
the munus regendi of the priest who must always commit himself to a
coherent exercise of his participation in the condition of Christ, Head
and Shepherd of the flock.102

The priest, with and under the Bishop, is also a pastor of the community
entrusted to him. Moved by pastoral charity he should not fear to
exercise proper authority in those areas where he is obliged to exercise
it for he has been constituted in authority for this very purpose. It
must be recalled that when authority is duly exercised it is done "non
tam praeesse quam prodesse" (not so much to command but to serve).103
Those in authority must overcome the temptation to exempt themselves
from this responsibility. If they do not exercise authority, they no
longer serve. In close communion with his Bishop and with his faithful,
the priest should avoid introducing into his pastoral ministry all forms
of authoritarianism and forms of democratic administration which are
alien to the profound reality of the ministry, for these lead to a
secularization of the priest and a clericalization of the laity.104
Behind such approaches to the ministry there is often a hidden fear of
assuming responsibility or making mistakes, of not being liked or of
being unpopular or indeed a reluctance to accept the cross. Ultimately
these spring from an obscuring of the real source of priestly identity
which is assimilation to Christ, the Shepherd and Head of the flock.

New evangelization requires that the priest make his authentic presence
evident in the community. They should realize that the ministers of
Jesus Christ are present and available to all men.105 Thus their
amicable insertion into the community is always important. In this
context it is easy to understand the significance and pastoral role of
the discipline concerning clerical garb, to which the priest should
always conform since it is a public proclamation of his limitless
dedication to the brethren and to the faithful in his service to Jesus
Christ. The more society is marked by secularization, the greater the
need for signs.

The priest should avoid falling into the contradictory position of
abdicating exercise of his specific authority so as to involve himself
in temporal, social or even political matters,106 which God has left to
the free disposition of man.

The priest enjoys a certain prestige amongst the faithful and, in some
places, with the civil authorities. He should, however, be aware that
such prestige should be lived in humility and used correctly for the
promotion of the "salus animarum" while remembering that Christ is the
real head of the people of God. It is to him that the faithful must be
directed and not to any attachment to an individual priest. The faithful
belong to Christ alone, for only he has redeemed them by his precious
blood, to the glory of God the Father. He is thus Lord of all
supernatural goods and Teacher who teaches with authority. In Christ and
the Holy Spirit, the priest is but an administrator of the gifts
entrusted to him by the Church. He has no right to omit or deviate them
or remodel them to his own liking.107 He has received, for example, no
authority to teach the Christian faithful that only some of the truths
of the Christian faith have been given to him so as to obscure or ignore
others which he personally considers more difficult to accept or "less
relevant".108 Concerning new evangelization and the pastoral leadership
given by priests, all need to undertake a sincere and careful
discernment. The attitude of "not wishing to impose", etc., may well
mask a misconception of the very theological substance of the pastoral
ministry or a lack of character which seeks to escape responsibility.
Neither undue attachment to persons or particular ministerial positions
nor misguided desires for popularity nor lack of proper intention can be
underestimated when making this discernment. Pastoral charity, void of
humility, is empty. Pride or need to crave attention can mask seemingly
motivated rebellion, reticence in the face of pastoral changes desired
by the Bishop, eccentric preaching and celebration of the liturgy,
refusal to wear ecclesial garb or alteration of ecclesiastical garb for
personal convenience.

New evangelization demands a renewal of commitment to the pastoral
ministry, especially on the part of priests. "As the Council points out
'the spiritual gift which priests have received in ordination does not
prepare them merely for a limited and circumscribed mission, but for the
fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation to the end of the
earth. The reason is that every priestly ministry shares in the fullness
of the mission entrusted by Christ to the Apostles'".109 Numerical
shortages of clergy, experienced in some countries, coupled with the
mobility of the contemporary world makes it particularly necessary to be
able to call on priests who are willing to change not only pastoral
assignments but also cities, regions, countries in response to various
needs and to undertake whatever mission may be necessary while
renouncing personal plans and desires for the sake of the love of God.
'By the very nature of their ministry they should therefore be
penetrated and animated by a profound missionary spirit and 'with that
truly Catholic spirit which habitually looks beyond the boundaries of
diocese, country or rite, to meet the needs of the whole Church, being
prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere".110 A correct sense
of the particular Church, especially in permanent formation, should
never obscure a sense of the universal Church and should always be in
harmony with it.

 

Questionnaire on Chapter Four

25. How can the Mercy of God of those in need. be made more clearly
evident through our communities and especially through our priests? Is
sufficient emphasis given to the practice of the spiritual and corporeal
works of mercy as a means of attaining Christian maturity and of
evangelizing?

26. Is pastoral charity in all its dimensions really "the soul and
dynamism of the permanent formation" of our priests?

27. Are priests encouraged to care for their brother priests with a
sincere fraternal spirit, especially the sick and the old or those who
find themselves in difficulty? Are there forms of common life available?

 

28. Do our priests understand and exercise their proper and correct
function as spiritual leaders of the communities entrusted to them? In
what concrete form is this exercised?

29. Given the urgency of the apostolic mission on the threshold of the
third millennium when all the faithful must be asked to have the courage
to show that they are followers of Christ by manifesting themselves as
believers, how can emphasis be given to the need for priests to make
ever more evident, even externally, their specific presence among men?

30. Is sufficient emphasis given to the missionary dimension of the
sacred ministry and to the Church's universal dimension in the spiritual
formation of priests?

31. Do we {actually omit preaching on certain truths of the faith or
particular moral principles simply because they are regarded as
difficult to accept?

32. Are all priests encouraged to teach Christian morality in its
integrity?

33. One of the demands of the pastoral ministry is to unite initiatives
in promoting the mission of evangelizing. Are all the vocations present
in the Church encouraged and their specific charisms respected?

 

Conclusion

"New evangelization needs new evangelizers and these are the priests who
are serious about living their priesthood as a specific path toward
holiness".111 To accomplish this it is fundamentally important that
every priest rediscover the absolute need for personal sanctity. "Before
purifying others, they must purify themselves; to instruct others they
must be instructed; they have to become light in order to illuminate and
become close to God in order to bring others closer to him; they have to
be sanctified in order to sanctify".112 This commitment is made concrete
in a profound unity of life which leads the priest to be and live as
another Christ in all the circumstances of his life.

The faithful in the parish and those who collaborate in various pastoral
activities see, observe, feel, and listen not only when the Word of God
is preached but also when the liturgy is celebrated, especially the
Mass, when they are received in the parochial office (which should be
comfortable and welcoming);113 when the priest eats and when he rests
and they are edified by his temperance and sobriety; when they visit his
home and they rejoice in his simplicity and priestly poverty;114 when
they talk with him and discuss common interests and are comforted by his
spiritual outlook, his courtesy and his behavior in treating humble
people with priestly nobility. "The grace and charity of the Altar are
diffused at the ambo, in the confessional, in the parish archive, in the
schools and oratories, in the homes of the faithful, in the streets and
at the hospitals, on public transport and in the media. The priest has
an opportunity to fulfill his role as Pastor everywhere. In every
instance it is his Mass which is diffused. His spiritual union with
Christ, Priest and Host, causes him to be the grain of God that is to
become the true bread of Christ - as St Ignatius of Antioch says (Epist.
ad Romanos, IV, 1) - for the good of the brethren".115 Thus the priest
of the third millennium will be able to repeat again the reaction of the
disciples at Emmaus, who, having heard Jesus, the Divine Teacher,
explain the Scriptures, could not but ask themselves "did not our hearts
burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the
Scriptures to us?" (Lk 24:32). We pastors should entrust ourselves to
Mary, Queen and Mother of the Church, so that, united with the Vicar of
Christ, we may discover new ways to evince a sincere desire for renewal
among the Church's priests in their tasks as teachers of the Word,
ministers of the Sacraments and leaders of the community. Let us ask the
Queen of Evangelization for the Church to discover anew the path which
the mercy of God, in Christ and through the Holy Spirit, has prepared
from all eternity to draw all men, including our own generation, into
communion with him.

Rome, at the Palace of the Congregations, 19 March 1999, Solemnity of St
Joseph, Patron of the universal Church.

 

 

+Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos
Prefect

+Csaba Ternyak
Titular Archbishop of Eminentiana Secretary

 

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary, Star of the new evangelization, who from the outset gladdened and
renewed the hearts of the apostles and their helpers in their spreading
the Gospel, at the dawn of the third millennium, cause to grow in
priests an increasing realization that they are primarily responsible
for new evangelization.

Mary, First of the evangelized and first evangelizer, who with
incomparable faith, hope and charity responded to the Angel, intercede
for those configured to your Son, Christ the Priest, so that they too
may respond in the same spirit to the Holy Father's urgent call made to
them in the Father's name on the occasion of the great Jubilee.

Mary, Teacher of lived faith, who accepted the divine Word in total
availability, teach priests to know the Word in prayer and to devote
themselves to his service in humility and love, so that the same Word
may continue to exercise his all saving power in the third millennium.

Mary, Full of grace and Mother of grace, protect your priestly sons who,
like you, are called to be collaborators of the Spirit who causes Jesus
to be born in the hearts of the faithful. Teach them to be faithful
dispensers of the mysteries of God during this anniversary of the birth
of your Son, so that with your help they may open the way of
reconciliation to sinners, make the Eucharist the summit of their lives
and of the lives of those entrusted to them.

Mary, Morning Star of the third millennium, continue to guide the
priests of Jesus Christ in following your example of love of God and
love of neighbor. May they know how to be true pastors. May they guide
the footsteps of all men to your Son, true light enlightening all men
(Jn 1:9). May priests and through them, all God's people, listen
lovingly to his call on the eve of a new millennium in the history of
salvation: "Do what he tells you" (John 2:5). The Vicar of Christ tells
us that "with renewed force, the year 2000 should echo the proclamation
of the truth: Ecce natus est nobis Salvator Mundi".

 

 

Endnotes

1 John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Tertio millennio adveniente, 10
November 1994, n. 38: AAS 87 (1995), p. 30.

2 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 7 December 1990,
n. 33: AAS 83 (1991), p. 279.

3 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life
of Priests, n. 7: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1994, p. 11.

4 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis,
25 March 1992, n. 18: AAS 84 (1992), p. 685.

5 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, n. 1: l.c., p.
249.

6 The Christian religion is often regarded as just one religion among
many or reduced to nothing more than a social ethic at the service of
man. As a result its amazing novelty in human history is quite often not
apparent. It is a 'mystery', the event of the coming of the Son of God
who becomes man and gives to those who welcome him the 'power to become
children of God' (Jn 1:12)" (John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, n. 46: l.c., pp. 738-739).

7 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 2; John
Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, n. 13:
l.c., 677-678; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry
and Life of Priests, nn.. 1, 3, 6: l.c., pp. 7, 9, 1011; Congregation
for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples, Pontifical Council for the Interpretation
of Legislative Texts, Instruction Ecclesiae de mysterio (15 August 1997)
on some aspects of the collaboration of the lay faithful with the
ministry of priests. Foreword: AAS 89 (1997), p. 852.

8 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, n. 63: l.c., p.
311.

9 Ibid., n. 67: l.c., p. 315.

10 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, Introduction: l.c., p. 4. Cf. John Paul II,
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, nn. 2 and 14:
l.c., pp. 659-660; 678-679.

11 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 14 September
1998, n. 62.

12 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 171.

13 Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, n. 30.

14 Cf. ibid., n. 48.

15 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 21: l.c., pp. 688-690.

16 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 12; John
Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, n. 25:
l.c., pp. 695-697.

17 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life
of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 43: l.c., p. 42.

18 St Gregory the Great, Regula Pastoralis, II, 1.

19 John Paul II. Allocution to the VI Symposium of European Bishops, 11
November 1985, Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, VIII, 2 (1985), pp.
918-919.

20 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 12: l.c., pp. 675-677.

21 John Paul II, Inaugural Allocution to the IV General Conference of
CELAM, Santo Domingo, 12 October 1992, n. 1: AAS 85 (1993), p. 808; cf.
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 2
December 1984, n. 13: AAS 77 (1985), pp. 208-211.

22 Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi (8 December 1975),
n. 47: AAS 68 (1976), p. 37.

23 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, n.
28.

24 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 4; John Paul
II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, n. 26: l.c.,
pp. 697-700.

25 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorun ordinis, nn. 5, 13,
14; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, nn. 23, 26, 48: l.c., 691-694; 694-700; 742-745; Congregation for
the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, n. 48: l.c.,
pp. 48ff.

26 Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, n. 4.

27 Ibid., n. 11.

28 Cf. John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of CELAM, 9 March 1983:
Insegnamenti, VI, 1 (1983), p. 698; Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Pastores dabo vobis, n. 18: l.c., pp. 684-686.

29 Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, n. 2.

30 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 4.

31 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1550.

32 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis,
n. 26: l.c., p. 698.

33 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life
of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 45: l.c., p. 44.

34 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 4.

35 St Augustine, De Doctrina Christiana, 4, 15, 32: PL 34, 100.

36 Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution Laudis canticum, 1 November 1970,
n. 8: AAS 63 (1971), pp. 533-534.

37 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 45: l.c., p. 43.

38 Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, n. 22.

39 Ibidem.

40 Cf. The Congregation for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the
Laity, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for
Bishops, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation
for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,
Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts,
Interdicasterial Instruction Ecclesiae de mysterio on some questions
concerning the collaboration of the lay faithful with the ministry of
priests, 15 August 1997, article 3: AAS 89 (1997), p. 852ff.

41 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 19.

42 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, nn. 70ff.: l.c., pp. 778ff.; Congregation for the Clergy,
Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, nn.
69ff.: l.c., pp. 72ff.

43 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, nn. 26 and 47: l.c., pp. 697-700, 740-742; Congregation for the
Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia,
n. 46: l.c., p. 46.

44 Congregation for Catholic Education, Instruction on the Study of the
Church Fathers in the Formation of Priests (10 November 1989), nn.
26-27: AAS 82 (1990), pp. 618-619.

45 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 14 September 1998, n.
2.

46 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life
of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 46: l.c., p. 46.

47 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 738.

48 Second Vatican Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 2.

49 Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, n. 48.

50 Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, n. 45.

51 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 7b-c: l.c., pp. 11-12.

52 Cf. John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience of 5 May 1993,
Insegnamenti XVI, 1 (1993), p. 1061.

53 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 12.

54 Cf. ibid., n. 5.

55 John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 12 May 1993,
Insegnamenti, XVI, 1 (1993), p. 1197.

56 Second Vatican Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 2.

57 John Paul II, Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1997 (16 March
1997), n. 5: AAS 89 (1997), p. 662.

58 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, nn.
2; 10.

59 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 6.

60 Ibid. n. 5.

61 Cf. ibidem.

62 Cf. John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 12 May 1993,
Insegnamenti XVI, 1 (1993), pp. 1197-1198.

63 Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dies Domini. 31 May 1998, n. 46:
AAS 90 (1998), p. 742.

64 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 49.

65 John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 12 May 1993,
Insegnamenti XVI, 1 (1993), p. 1198.

66 Cf. ibidem; Second Vatican Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum
Concilium, nn. 112, 114, 116, 120, 122-124, 128.

67 Cf. Pius XII, Radio Message to the National Catechetical Congress of
the United States, 26 October 1946: Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, VIII
(1946), p. 288; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, n. 18: AAS 77 (1985), pp. 224-228.

68 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Dives in misericordia, n. 13: AAS 72
(1980), pp. 1220-1221.

69 Cf. John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 22 September
1993: Insegnamenti XVI, 2 (1993), p. 826.

70 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Dives in misericordia, n. 13: l.c.,
p. 1219.

71 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 54, l.c., p. 54; cf. John Paul II,
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, n. 31:
l.c., pp. 257-266.

72 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 32: l.c., p. 31.

73 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 13;
Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 52: l.c., pp. 52-53.

74 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 52: l.c., p. 53; cf. Second Vatican Council,
Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 13.

75 Cf. Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts,
Risposta circa il can. 964, §2 CIC, 7 July 1998, in AAS 90 (1998), p.
711.

76 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 18; John
Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, nn. 26,
28: l.c., pp. 697-700, 742-45; Catechesis at the General Audience, 26
May 1993, n. 4: Insegnamenti, XVI, 1 (1993), p. 1331; Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, n. 31: l.c., pp.
257-266; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and
Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 53: l.c., p. 54.

77 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia, n. 31, VI: l.c., p. 266.

78 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis,
n. 17: l.c., p. 683.

79 In this regard, a solid preparation on those matters which arise more
frequently in confession is asked of priests. A useful aid in this
respect is the Vademecum for Confessors concerning Some Aspects of the
Morality of Conjugal Life (Pontifical Council for the Family, 12
February 1997, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997).

80 Cf. ibidem.

81 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Dives in misericordia, 30 November
1980, n. 13: l.c., p. 1219.

82 Ibid., n.3: l.c., p. 1183.

83 Cf. ibid., n. 13: l.c., pp. 1218-1221.

84 Ibid., n. 8: l.c., p. 1204.

85 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 48: l.c., p. 49.

86 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 8: l.c., pp. 668-669.

87 Cf. Jean-Marie Vianney, cure d'Ars: sa pensee, son coeur, presente
par Bernard Nodet, Le Puy 1960, p. 100.

88 St Augustine, In Johannis Evangelium Tractatus, 123, 5: CCL 36, 678.

89 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 875.

90 John Paul II, Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1997 (16 March
1997), n. 4: AAS 89 (1997), p. 661.

91 Cf. St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 83, a. 1, ad 3.

92 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis,
n. 22: l.c., p. 691.

93 Ibid., n. 29: l.c., p. 704.

94 Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 6.

95 Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, n. 28.

96 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1550.

97 John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 19 May 1993, n. 2:
Insegnamenti. XVI, 1 (1993), p. 1254.

98 Ibid., n. 4, l.c., pp. 1255-1256.

99 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 6.

100 Cf. ibid., n. 6.

101 Ibid., n. 6.

102 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life
of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 17: l.c., pp. 18-20.

103 St Augustine, Ep. 134, 1: CSEL 44,85.

104 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 19; John Paul II, Allocution at the Symposium
"Collaboration of the Laity with the Pastoral Ministry of Priests" (22
April 1994), n. 4; Sacrum Ministerium 1 (1995), p. 64; cf. Congregation
for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Pontifical Council for
the Interpretation of Legal Texts, Interdicasterial Instruction
Ecclesiae de mysterio on some questions concerning the collaboration of
the lay faithful with the ministry of priests, 15 August 1997, Foreword:
AAS 89 (1997), p. 852.

105 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of
Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 66: l.c., pp. 67-68.

106 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2442; CIC, canon 227;
Congregation for Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry
and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 33: l.c., pp. 31-32.

107 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Sacrosanctum
Concilium, n. 22; CIC, canon 846; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory
for the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, nn. 49 and 64:
l.c., pp. 49 and 66.

108 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 26: l.c., pp. 697-700; Catechesis at the General Audience, 21
April 1993, Insegnamenti, XVI, 1 (1993), p. 938; Congregation for the
Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia,
n. 45: l.c., pp. 43-45.

109 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 18: l.c., p. 684; cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree
Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 10.

110 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 18: l.c., p. 684; cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Optatam
totius, n. 20.

111 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 82, l.c., p. 801.

112 St Gregory Nazianzus, Orationes, 2, 71: PG 35, 480B.

113 Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 43: l.c., pp. 731-733.

114 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 17;
CIC, canon 282; John Paul II Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores
dabo vobis, n. 30: l.c., pp. 705-707; Congregation for the Clergy,
Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 67:
l.c., pp. 68-70.

115 John Paul II, Catechesis at the General Audience, 7 July 1993, n. 7:
Insegnamenti, XVI, 2 (1993), p. 38.

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