Ongoing formation and priestly spirituality

(Prof. Jose Vidamor B. Yu, Manila – 1 July 2005)

Priesthood is both a gift and a task. Vatican II continually reminds us that priests are chosen by God and taken from among men and appointed them for the People of God in the things that appertain to God, that they may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Priests owe to everybody the spiritual nourishment the Church needs and they have to share with them the truth of the Gospel. (cf PO 3-4) The priests are called to a holiness of life. They have to constantly receive God’s grace amidst their human weakness.

As the priest receives the sacrament of Holy Orders, he participates in the holy anointing of Christ in the Holy Spirit. He is in communion with the mission of Christ and in communion with the people of God. The Directory on the Life and Ministry of Priests reminds us on the importance of ongoing formation as the work of the Holy Spirit conferring continuously God’s grace on the life and missionary activity of the priest. Through ongoing formation "the priest is not only ‘consecrated’ by the Father and ‘sent’ by the Son, but also ‘animated’ by the Holy Spirit." (Directory on the Life and Ministry of Priests 69)

The directory highlights that through ongoing formation the priest continues to manifest his fidelity and respond more adequately to his vocation. The grace of the Holy Spirit helps him fulfill his ministry amidst a secularized and a rapidly changing society. The priest has to seek the aid from the Holy Spirit to continuously perfect himself in order to conform himself more closely to Christ. It is in Christ that he finds vivacity of his ministerial priesthood.

The pastoral life of the priest is deepened and becomes more meaningful by his ongoing spiritual formation. The formation he had begun in the seminary should be continued after his ordination because it is the moment in which he needs more the discerning power of the Holy Spirit in his life and ministry.

To enhance more fruitfulness and effectiveness in the pastoral ministry of the priest, the bishop has to support programs for ongoing formation. Bishops and priests are encouraged to preach the gospel to the society in such a way that the message of Christ may shine on all the activities of the faithful. (cf GS 43) It is the cooperation of the priests and the bishops that the ongoing formation be fruitfully manifested in their pastoral ministry.

The priest’s ongoing priestly formation is necessary because he continues to make present the love and grace of God in the world. John Paul II reminded us that the priest is a "visible continuation and sacramental sign of Christ in his own position before the Church and the world, as the enduring and ever-new source of salvation" (PDV 16). This identity can be carried out only if he lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Ongoing formation demands a sense of sacrifice to provide room for growth and effectiveness in the ministry. The priest has to die to himself to be of service and to develop the sense of generosity. It is not acting towards people in order to please them but according to the demands of Christian doctrine and life. (PO 6) Ongoing formation constantly develops the life of holiness among the priests so that they may have an effective missionary heart and mind and be open to the real needs of the Church and of the world. (cf. Directory on the Life and Ministry of Priests no. 14).

Giving oneself to formation after priestly ordination is a manifestation of a humble search for sanctification. It is a way of overcoming one’s weaknesses amidst the challenges of the "signs of the times." Ongoing formation of priests is considered as a "need" because it springs from the grace of God which constantly provides strength to the priest in order conform himself in persona Christi. Negligence of ongoing formation may create a dualism between ministry and spirituality that may cause the origin of some crises in the priesthood.