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The priesthood is a call from Christ to live a relationship with Him by serving His people.
The priesthood is a calling. Christ asks of some men the sacrifice of their lives in following Him as His more intimate companions. From all eternity, certain men are called to the priesthood. It is a call inscribed in their nature and because of this, is a call that will bring them fulfillment. Thus, the priesthood is not simply one occupation among many. It is a way of life through which God invites a man to enter more deeply in relationship with Him.
The priesthood is a sacrament. Sacraments are physical means through which God’s grace is experienced in the world. The sacrament of the priesthood (known as Holy Orders) is the visible way through which Christ continues His mission in the world today. As Pope John Paul II once noted, “The priest offers his humanity to Christ, so that Christ may use him as an instrument of salvation, making him as it were into another Christ.”
We live in a moment in history when all are searching for meaning. What is the meaning of my life? Where am I to find the happiness that I desire? Our being cries out for meaning, for purpose, and, if we are honest with ourselves, for love. God has not left us alone. He has heard our cries for love, for mercy, for justice, for beauty, for goodness, for truth. And He has loved us so much that He has become man and dwelt among us. He has sent His son, Jesus Christ, as an answer to human longing. Christ instituted the priesthood so that we would not be alone. It is the priest who makes present Christ Himself in the Eucharist through the daily offering of Holy Mass. It is the priest who leads men and women to God. The world needs priests, because ultimately the world needs Christ. Jesus has not forsaken His flock but He keeps it under His constant protection through His priests.
Jesus Christ and His people are the focal point of a priest’s life, but each one is unique. A priest has his own talents, hobbies, sports, friends and family, and all of this gets factored into the life of a priest. God takes whatever is good in a man’s life and transforms it to be of service. At St. Peter Catholic Church, we are proud of the men from our parish family who are in priestly formation.