LESSON #27
PART ONE - Our Journey Toward A Deeper Understanding of the Truth Through Jesus Christ and His Church
In our efforts to truly change our hearts during the season of Lent, the following prayer from the February 2002 issue of "Magnificat" magazine has been included as an opening prayer in this lesson.
O God, who planted a garden in Eden, you have planted your Church beside the stream of living water flowing from the side of Christ crucified. Pour out upon us the Spirit of your wisdom, so that we may choose to die to self in order to live in Christ. Thus make us grow through our Lenten observance so that we may bear abundant fruit at Easter, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
AMERICA TODAY - For the peace and safety of America, the following has been included in this lesson.
O God of justice and of love, you care for your people in every time and place, despite our tendency to stray from you in our foolishness. Keep us in your care from morning until evening, that we may come to rest safely in the shadow of your all-powerful wings. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
The following "Meditation of the Day" is from the February 2002 issue of "Magnificat" magazine.
Lord, I can see plainly that you are the only and the true source of wisdom, since you alone can restore faith and hope to a doubting and despairing soul. In your Son, Jesus, you have shown me that even the most terrible suffering can be beautiful, if it is in obedience to your will. And so the knowledge of your Son has enabled me to find joy in my own suffering. Lord, my dear Father, I kneel before you this day, and praise you fervently for my present sufferings, and give thanks for the measureless sufferings of the past. I now realize that all these sufferings are part of your paternal love, in which you chastise and purify me. And through that discipline I now look at you without shame and terror, because I know that you are preparing me for your eternal kingdom. BLESSED HENRY SUSO
Blessed Henry Suso (died 1366) was a German Dominican priest whose mystical writings focus on divine wisdom and love for Christ's passion.
Powers and Duties of Priests
From the book, "My Catholic Faith," chapter 164
by Fr. Louis LaRavoire Morrow
Rubrics are rules for the proper execution of the services of the Church, for the exact conduct of any liturgical function. The rubrics of the Church are contained in the Missal, Breviary, Ritual, Pontifical, and Ceremonial. In books, rubrics are printed in red, for clearness and distinction. The chief liturgical books of the Western Rite are six: The MISSAL contains all the prayers and ceremonies used for Mass, for each day of the year. The BREVIARY is the priests' prayer book, containing the Divine Office without chant. The RITUAL contains all the services needed by a priest which are not in the Missal or Breviary, such as the administration of the sacraments. The PONTIFICAL and CEREMONIAL are the Bishops' books. They contain the rites for episcopal functions such as Pontifical Mass, Confirmation, ordinations, consecration of altars, etc. The MARTYROLOGY is an enlarged calendar giving names and short accounts of the lives of the principal saints commemorated on each day of the year, in different parts of the Catholic world.
What are the CHIEF SUPERNATURAL POWERS of the priest?
The chief supernatural powers of the priest are: to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to forgive sins in the sacrament of Penance.
1. The Eastern Orthodox priests have received their orders from validly ordained bishops.
Therefore, even thought they are not united to the Catholic Church, they have the power to say Mass. If they should return to the unity of the Church, they are not re-ordained.
The priests who apostatize, or are suspended or excommunicated still remain priests. They retain the power, although not the authority and jurisdiction, of priesthood. For example, they have the power of saying a true Mass, although they would sin grievously if they do so. However, they cannot forgive sin, except in the case of the dying; absolution is a judicial power, and needs jurisdiction.
2. Unlike the Orthodox and Old-Catholic churches, no Protestant denomination has validly ordained bishops or priests.
A number of these denominations call some of their ministers "bishops" but they are so only in name -- unless some individual minister obtained valid orders from a schismatic bishop.
WHAT are the chief duties of a priest?
The chief duties of a priest, besides living in celibacy, and reciting the Divine Office daily, vary in accordance with the position held.
A priest is ordained for the exclusive service of God, that is, for the salvation of souls: his talents, his time, his very life belong to His service. St. Paul says: "He who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please God. Whereas he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife; and he is divided" (1 Cor. 7:32-33).
1. The priestly vow of celibacy is taken when a man is received into the subdiaconate. Catholic priests of the Western Rite are not married, in imitation of Christ Himself. The Apostles, after they were called to the ministry, left all they had. Elias, Eliseus, Jeremias, and St. John the Baptist, lived in celibacy.
Celibacy is the glory of the Catholic Church. It is an ecclesiastical law and this is why the Church may and in fact does grant a dispensation, as it does with priests of some of the Catholic Eastern Rites, and in very special cases, with priests of the Western Rite.
2. The duties of a parish priest are many, varied, and of great responsibility.
As shepherd of his flock, he is responsible to God for the souls committed to his care. Preaching and teaching Christian doctrine is a primary duty of his. He must visit his parishioners in order to know them and their spiritual needs. He must find out if any new Catholics have moved into the limits of the parish, if all his parishioners have been married in Church, if the children go to a Catholic school or at least receive religious instruction and if the faithful come to Mass on Sundays and holidays. He hears confessions and is always ready for a sick call and the administration of the last sacraments. The parish priest must promote the various parochial organizations, like the Holy Name Society, Catholic Action, Legion of Mary, Sodalities of Our Lady, etc. The temporal administration is also part of his duties; he must see that the church, school, convent buildings, the cemetery if there is one, are properly cared for. One of the duties closest to his heart should be the custody of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
3. Priests who are "not parish priests" assist pastors in their manifold duties and works, teach in seminaries, schools and convents. Following the instructions of their bishop, they attend to all sorts of undertakings that have as their end the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
The parishioners knowing all the duties and responsibilities of their priests, should love them all the more, pray for them and assist them in the performance of their difficult task. Different sodalities and organizations should take care of the church and sacristy, of the choir, altar boys, of the poor and needy, of the sick and aged, of the unemployed. Parishes are the backbone of the Church.
What is THE DIVINE OFFICE?
The Divine Office is the service which all priests and certain other clerics, as well as many religious, are obliged to recite in private or chant in choir daily. It constitutes the official public prayer of the Church.
1. It is contained in the Breviary, and includes prayers, psalms, hymns, canticles, extracts from Holy Scripture, lives of saints, passages from writings of the Church Fathers, and the most important prayers. The 150 Psalms of the Bible, usually recited within a week make up the substance of the Divine Office..
Every priest is obliged to say the entire Office of the day within the 24 hours of that day. Matins may be anticipated after 2 p.m. of the previous day, but no part may be put off for another day. In prescribed and fixed order, the Breviary is usually printed in one, two, or four volumes, and adapted to the four seasons of the year.
Dignity of Priesthood
From the book, "My Catholic Faith," chapter 165
by Fr. Louis LaRavoire Morrow
Priesthood is the highest dignity on earth. The dignity of a priest surpasses that of emperors, and even of angels. No angel can convert bread into the Body of Christ by the mere power of his word; nor can any angel forgive sin. The priest stands between God and man. He is God's representative, God's ambassador. Therefore whatever honor we pay to the priest, we render to God Himself. St. Francis of Assisi said that if he met an angel and a priest at the same time, he should salute the priest first.
WHY should Catholics SHOW REVERENCE and HONOR to the priest?
Catholics should show reverence and honor to the priest because he is the representative of Christ Himself, and the dispenser of His mysteries.
1. The dignity of a priest is higher than any earthly dignity, for his is the representative of God. He has the power that the most powerful civil rulers do not possess. The humblest priest by his word can call down God upon the altar and convert bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. He can say to the sinner, "I absolve thee," and the sinner's soul is saved from hell. Not even the Blessed Virgin possessed the power to forgive sins, to grant absolution that erases the very guilt of sin.
2. We owe the priest reverence due to his dignity as a representative of Christ. Even if a priest's life does not correspond with the requirements of his office, we should give respect; this we offer to his office.
The priest is "alter Christus" -- another Christ. Our Lord calls him "a city built upon a hill," the "salt of the earth." He is in the world, but not of it. St. Francis of Sales said of priests: "I will close my eyes to their faults, and only see in them God's representatives."
WHAT is the Pontifical Work FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS?
It was established by Pope Pius XII in 1941 under the auspices of the Roman Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities for the following purposes:
a) To intensify among the faithful, by every means, but particularly through the lay organization in the dioceses, the desire of promoting, safe guarding, and assisting ecclesiastical vocations;
b) To disseminate the right knowledge of the dignity and necessity of the Catholic priesthood;
c) To unite the faithful of the whole world in communion of prayers and pious practices for priestly vocations.
Many indulgences and spiritual favors are granted to all the members of this Pontifical Work.
What are the "Serra Clubs?"
The "Serra Clubs" are organized groups of Catholic business and professional men with two main purposes: a) to foster and assist in the education of young men for the priesthood; and 2), to further Catholicism through enduring friendships among Catholic men.
These two purposes are vital for the Church. The Serra Clubs constitute the "Serra International," now formally aggregated to the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations. Catholic business and professional men who are able should become members of a Serra Club in their locality. There are more than 200 clubs in the United States. Its name was taken from Father Junipero Serra, the noted Spanish Franciscan missionary in the West.
How can we help TO HAVE MORE PRIESTS?
First, by prayer. Our Lord commanded us to "pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest." Second, by joining at least one of the various associations of the diocese to promote priestly vocations. Third, by assisting at least one young man to become a priest.
Thoughts, poems, addresses and prayers regarding the United States of America from articles by Salesians Missions.
"Uncommon valor was a Common Virtue."
Inscribed on the base of the Iwo Jima World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In our efforts to truly change our hearts during the season of Lent, this prayer from the February 2002 issue of "Magnificat" magazine has been included as a concluding prayer in this lesson.
Lord,
may everything we do
begin with your inspiration,
continue with your help,
and reach perfection under your guidance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen