The Priesthood

Excerpts from The Duties and Dignity of the Priest St. Alphonsus Liguori

“Though their functions are performed on earth, the priesthood should be numbered among the things of Heaven.” St John Chrysostom

According to Cassian, the priest of God is exalted above all earthly sovereignties, and above all celestial heights – he is inferior only to God.

For us it is enough to know, that Jesus Christ has said that we should treat his priests as we would his own person: “He that heareth you, heareth Me; he that despiseth you, despiseth Me,” hence St John Chrysostom says, that “he who honours a priest, honours Christ, and he who insults a priest, insults Christ.”

“When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.” St John Vianney

The entire Church cannot give to God as much honour, nor obtain so many graces, as a single priest by celebrating a single Mass; for the greatest honour that the whole Church without priests could give to God would consist in offering to Him in sacrifice the lives of all men. But of what value are the lives of all men compared with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is a sacrifice of infinite value? What are all men before God but a little dust? They are but a mere nothing in His sight: all nations are before Him as if they had no being at all. Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass, in which he offers Jesus Christ in sacrifice, a priest gives greater honour to the Lord, than if all men by dying for God offered to Him the sacrifice of their lives.

By a single Mass, he gives greater honour to God than all the Angels and Saints, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, have given or shall give to Him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.

Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption here on earth. What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door?

He is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you.

A word falls from their lips and the body of Christ is there substantially formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word descended from Heaven, if found really present on the table of the altar!

With regard to the mystic body of Christ, that is, all the faithful, the priest has the power of the keys, or the power of delivering sinners from Hell, of making them worthy of Paradise, and of changing them from the slaves of Satan into the children of God. And God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgement of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse or give absolution.

“Such is,” says St Maximus of Turin, “this judiciary power ascribed to Peter that its decision carries with it the decision of God.” When St Michael comes to a dying Christian who invokes his aid, the holy Archangel can chase away the devils, but he cannot free his client from the chains till a priest comes to absolve him.

Hence, in giving priests the power of absolving from sin, the Redeemer breathed on them, and said to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive,they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

Besides, the power of the priest surpasses that of the Blessed Virgin Mary; for, although this Divine Mother can pray for us, and by her prayers obtain whatever she wishes, yet she cannot absolve a Christian from even the smallest sin.

“The Blessed Virgin was eminently more perfect than the Apostles,” says Innocent III. “It was, however, not to her, but only to the Apostles, that the Lord intrusted the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.”

“O wonderful dignity of the priests,” cries out St Augustine; “in their hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.”

But as St Jerome says, “great is the dignity of priests; but also, when they sin, great is their ruin. Let us rejoice at having been raised so high, but let us be afraid of falling.”

“Pray much for my priest, that they’ll love purity above all, that they’ll celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with pure hands and heart. Certainly the Holy Sacrifice is one and the same even when it’s celebrated by an unworthy priest, but the graces called down upon the people is not the same.” (Our Lord to St Grignion)

How great, then, must be the horror of the angels when they behold a priest, who is the enemy of God, stretching forth his sacrilegious hands to touch and eat the immaculate Lamb!

"Who," exclaims St. Augustine, "shall be so wicked and daring as to touch the most Holy Sacrament with polluted hands!"

St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Prayer for Priests

Mary, Mother of Jesus, throw your mantle of purity over our priests.

Protect them, guide them, and keep them in your heart. Be a Mother to them, especially in times of discouragement and loneliness.

Love them and keep them belonging completely to Jesus. Like Jesus, they, too, are your sons, so keep their hearts pure and virginal.

Keep their minds filled with Jesus, and put Jesus always on their lips, so that he is the one they offer to sinners and to all they meet.

Mary, Mother of Jesus, be their Mother, loving them and bringing them joy.

Take special care of sick and dying priests, and the ones most tempted.

Remember how they spent their youth and old age, their entire lives serving and giving all to Jesus. Mary, bless them and keep a special place for them in your heart.

Give them a piece of your heart, so beautiful and pure and immaculate, so full of love and humility, so that they, too, can grow in the likeness of Christ.

Dear Mary, make them humble like you, and holy like Jesus.

Amen