Congregation for the Clergy Tele-conference,
Paper by Professor Paolo Scarafoni,
L.C.
Rector of the
“«To serve», I treasure these words greatly! “Ministering” priesthood»,
words that amaze” (John Paul II, Stand
up, let us go!,
41). The presbyter has precedence in the sense that “he must be the first to lay down is life for his sheep; it is he
who must be the first in sacrifice and in devotion” (Ibidem); as Christ did and as His
apostles did in imitating Christ.
For the formation of candidates to priesthood, the Second Vatican
Council prescribes that they must: “understand most clearly that they are not destined for
domination or for honors but are given over totally to the service of God and
to the pastoral ministry, …, to conform themselves to Christ crucified” (Optatam totius 9). “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am
filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body,
which is the church” (Col
1,24).
Martyrdom and priesthood are intimately linked. Having to identify with
Christ the Priest for Holy Ordination, candidates to priesthood must become
used to being united with Him in the intimate and full sharing of life,
especially consisting in:
-
Exercising heroic charity
following Christ’s example and answering His orders
-
Welcoming sacrifice and
suffering as a privilege
-
Obedience and humility
imitating Christ
-
Avoiding laziness and
comfort in personal priestly life
The spiritual formation of seminarists must be
based on full identification with Christ, especially with His Passion and death
on the Cross for love, the apex of His mission and of priesthood. When offered
to seminarists, the living memory of saintly and martyred
priests and bishops who have imitated Christ to the point of giving up their
lives, contributes to allowing them to understand that such imitation is
possible, at time even heroic. During religious persecution in
One other central point in priestly formation, linked to martyrdom, is
the delicate attention paid to the Holy Spirit’s inspirations: these are
exacting and strongly against laziness and comforts, and must be followed
precisely and making an effort. Earthly comforts are contrary to the Holy
Spirit, because they lead to the prevalence of the worldly spirit, while the
Holy Spirit instead never ceases to work with charity. Readiness for martyrdom
is a special gift from the Holy Spirit bestowed upon those who are docile to
Him. Under the totalitarian regimes of atheist Marxism the Holy Spirit showed
His lively presence in many Catholic and Orthodox bishops and priests, and in
many lay people, who faced martyrdom for love of Christ, the Church and their
brothers. In today’s materialistic world the Holy Spirit still excites saintly
priests who do not indulge in worldly matters and are capable of offering their
earthly lives with loyalty and charity to the point of heroism, imitating
Christ.
The Eucharist is Christ’s redeeming sacrifice offered by the Church; the
real presence of the Lord, the communion that bears the fruit of purification
and identification with Him. “In the ancient Church martyrdom was considered a
real Eucharistic celebration; the extreme fulfilment of contemporaneity
with Christ, of being one with Him” (J. Ratzinger,
Introduction to the spirit of liturgy, 55). The frequent contact seminarists and priests have with the Eucharist, in the
celebration and the tabernacle, allows them to offer their lives everyday to
the Father together with Christ, and is also nourishment for pastoral service
and charity unto martyrdom. Some bishops and priests have become martyrs during
the Eucharistic celebration, while others have joined their own suffering to
the Eucharistic sacrifice, celebrated in dangerous conditions and also secretly
in prisons.