What is the priest? - Fr. Steve Mondiek

This weekend the Church emphasizes the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. All three vocations are gifts from God (marriage, single, priesthood/religious life) but I would like to draw our attention to the priesthood for a moment. You see priests all the time, but what are they actually?

A priest is a man chosen by God to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and bring Christ’s salvation to a world without hope. The Catholic Priesthood was started by Christ when Jesus appointed His Apostles to act in his person – in persona Christi – and carry on His ministry in the world through His Church. God ordains each man to serve as Christ came to serve — to give their lives so that others might live to the fullest and achieve the greatest good of heaven. The vocation of priesthood is a sacred calling. God calls each priest to serve in many ways, but the dignity and essence of the priesthood is not just in what a priest does, but in who he is: An Alter Christus – Another Christ in the World.

A priest offers the ministry of Jesus Christ to us today. When a priest offers the holy sacrifice of the Mass, it is Christ who offers it through him. When a priest absolves sins in the Sacrament of Confession, it is Jesus who forgives. When he preaches and teaches and evangelizes, He does so with the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit. When a priest acts as a father, comforting and supporting his children, he does it as Jesus’ image of our heavenly Father.

A diocesan priest spends his time being God’s instrument in the world. His activity revolves around the priestly identity given to him at Ordination, and the three munera, or roles, of the priest–to teach, to sanctify, and to govern. They correspond to the three identifications of Christ as Priest (sanctifier), Prophet (teacher), and King (governor). Each munera is exercised in different ways depending upon the specific assignment of the priest.

The office of teaching is exercised whenever he preaches at Mass, offers spiritual counsel, teaches in a parish school, etc. The office of sanctifying is exercised first and foremost through the celebration of the sacraments, especially daily Mass, and through blessing and living a life of prayer. The office of governing is expressed through the daily administration of the parish, or specific ministry, and through providing for the human and spiritual needs of his flock.

No matter what your vocation, the process of discovering it is half of the challenge. Do you know your vocation? What is a vocation?

Our vocation is our call from God to share in His mission in the world, and it is given to us for our salvation and to cooperate in the salvation of others. We receive our vocation at the moment of our Baptism, then we spend the next several decades of our life trying to discover what that call may be. We often speak of discovering our vocation rather than choosing it.

Discovering our vocation is itself beneficial to us and to our ability to live the vocation most fully. Searching for our calling can be beneficial. It builds dedication and resolve, it requires humility and trust in Divine Providence, it helps you to listen to God and pray to Him.

Here are some practical suggestions for discerning your vocation. These will help you to becoming more open to God’s grace working within you: daily Mass or go more than once per week, daily Rosary or at least a decade, daily Holy Hour or spend 10 to 15 minutes of quiet prayer, pray the Divine Office (morning and evening prayer which can be accessed at ibreviary.com), and frequent confession (every 2 or 3 weeks).

Each of these keys to unlocking your vocation is a goal to work towards. It is helpful to talk them over with a priest or spiritual director to help stay on track and not get discouraged. God has given each of us a holy vocation; let us listen to our God’s voice in our hearts. God bless you!