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So, who needs priests anyway? It seems to me that priests are a dying breed. I don’t have the stats but it would seem that many seminaries and convents in Europe and in the USA are closing down due to lack of vocations. Many churches in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. have now been taken over by priests coming from the Third World, the Philippines, India or Africa. And it’s not necessarily because these visiting missionaries do a better job either. On the contrary, the priesthood happens to be one of those professions which requires excellent language proficiency skills. Hence, it would take almost superhuman effort for these foreign priests just to get by or to be understood in English. But then of course you might say they are in the “miracle” business. In that sense, their “exotic” English might just prove to be the element needed in a business that thrives on “mystery” or “mysticism.”
Can you ever imagine a preacher who has to grope for words in the middle of his sermon? Jesus was never lacking for words. Any small-town fire-and-brimstone preacher from the so-called Bible belt in the southern part of the USA can easily whip up a storm of a sermon with his eloquence that would put Katrina to shame. Indeed, just like lawyers, priests can only exercise their profession mostly with the (clever) use of words or delicately-crafted phrases that appeal to the heart. Unlike doctors or engineers or accountants who only have to say “aaah,” wield a slide rule, or choose between debit or credit, priests and lawyers it seems have a lot of explaining to do to be believed.
Speaking of which, I believe that preaching is part and parcel of a priest’s work. A physician heals, a lawyer argues, a carpenter builds, a priest preaches. After all, it was one of the last instructions of Jesus Christ: “Go…make disciples (i.e., proselytize, preach)… baptize…” Mt. 28:19. Is it any wonder then that one of the oldest religious societies (15th century) was the Dominican Order, otherwise known as the Order of Preachers (Ordo Praedicatorum)? In obedience to their divine mandate, it was they who first preached the Gospel in this country and, for good or ill, made Christians of us all.
There was a time when becoming a priest must have been every other boy’s secret dream. In our town of Sta. Rita, Pampanga, for instance, there was a time when virtually every prominent family had a brother or close relative who either became a priest or at least went to the seminary and tried to become one. In my time alone, the Ricaforts sent no less than four or five cousins to the seminary. The Gosiocos had a Jesuit. My first cousin “Koyang Ditong” was an ordained deacon. He has two sisters who became Benedictine nuns. Our cousin, “Cong Paking” (or “Among,” as priests are called in Pampanga), recently retired as parish priest of Angeles City. He also had 2 sisters who became nuns. My late mother’s uncle was bishop of San Fernando, Pampanga. I could go on and on. I’m sure everyone has his/her own story about religious vocations in the family.
While I was in the seminary, I had a classmate, Fil Leones, who hails from some remote town in Abra, an SVD stronghold, who himself became an SVD priest. He was later joined by no less than 3 other brothers, two of whom I believe were likewise ordained. How does one try to explain this phenomenon? Isn’t there anything else for a young boy to think about in that God-forsaken province than dedicating himself to serving the Hidden God?
Nowadays, however, I don’t know of any cousin or friend who has a close relative in the seminary anymore. They have all gone to enroll in computer engineering, medicine, nursing, caregiving or becoming seafarers. Most families I know now have relatives in the Middle East, in Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia; in all major cities of the world, London, Rome, Hongkong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, etc., not as missionary priests and religious but for something a bit more mundane and invariably expressed in a foreign currency.
Evidently, many of our young people have never heard of the ancient if significant philosophical admonition “facere sequitur esse;” literally, “to do follows to be.” Tell me what you do and I’ll tell you who you are. It cannot be helped. You are what you do. Let’s face it: a doctor smells of medicine; an undertaker almost always looks like Good Friday; a mechanic must be closely related to Mama Mary, full of grease; and a banker sees nothing but $$$ signs (“mukhang pera”). Nowadays, people look at a priest or hear of a relative/friend becoming a priest and ask, “sigurado ka bang bakla siya?” A young man was asked why he entered the seminary. He replied: “Kasi ayaw nila akong tanggaping magmadre.”
Is it simply a case of “weder-weder” or signs of the times? Time was when the priest was virtually the focal point of the town, at least the church was. Go into any old town in the Philippines, its civic center or town plaza is practically the church courtyard. As kids riding with our parents in our family car on that long trip from Baguio to Sta. Rita, Pamp. to attend our town fiesta, and passing through all those towns along the way, we knew we were getting close to the next town whenever we spotted the church belfry or steeple in that town. It was practically the only imposing structure or landmark in every town.
Now, people do their thing at an SM Mall – “we’ve got it all for you.” And, that includes Sunday church services.
Everything of any consequence used to happen or was held in church. If the rebels were coming, everybody would run to the church. There is no town fiesta without a religious procession, preceded by nine days of prayers/novena to the church’s patron saint. Every important family event had to have a priest invited to officiate, grace or bless the occasion. Aside from being served first and only the best food and drinks, the priest would usually go home with loads of goodies and some cash. Nowadays, people invite their councilor or congressman instead and mainly for some donation or to borrow his tarpaulin tent and plastic chairs.
To make matters worse, many of our priests are leaving the priesthood, ostensibly because they cannot seem to find any more meaning in their life or chosen vocation, or they feel they have only one life to live and they desperately want to live it to the full. More often, however, there is this young pretty thing with a sanctifying name like Faith, Hope, Rosario or even Grace, who has suddenly given flesh to their otherwise abstract metaphysical ideal or meaningless or sterile existence.
There is also a great tendency for many priests these days to leave their vestments in the sacristy and to engage in affairs, let me re-phrase that, to get involved in careers, which used to be exclusively the domain of laymen. Now, for instance, they also want to become psychologists, psychiatrists, agriculturists, lawyers, faith healers, engineers, TV personalities or even politicians. Many blame Vatican II for this noticeable shift in career preference. What makes it even more confusing is that some laymen these days want to take over the role traditionally performed by priests.
So, where or how does a priest fit in the general scheme of things these days? In this age of specialization, when scientists, professionals and even businessmen will specialize and concentrate on minute little things like a particular bacteria, a dreaded or unknown disease, or a particular area of the brain, trade in some specialized spare parts for new-fangled gizmos, the general practitioner has become fossilized. Who needs a priest who wants to be all things to all men?
On the other hand, one needs only to peruse the morning paper to realize that our world seems to be spinning out of control in the wrong direction. Millions are dying from famine and internecine wars, senseless killings, murders, rapes, grand theft, plunder and large-scale scams and frauds, greed and rape of the environment.
More than ever, I believe the world needs priests, more priests, better priests. Let’s face it – man was born without any operating manual. We really do not know –at least we’re not so sure about - the meaning of life, why we exist, and especially where are going. We know so much already, in fact too much about almost everything else. If we don’t there’s always Google. Lord knows it’s not so much more knowledge we need.
Man is weak by nature. It takes more than right conscience to produce good behavior. That’s the role of religion – to remind us, to inspire us, to motivate us to be good and to do good; to be able to do the right thing, the ethical, moral or proper thing, even when no one is looking. That’s where a priest comes in. We need him to speak to our heart, to appeal to our soul and to inspire us to aspire for something that’s supposed to be even better, greater than this life.
We need priests constantly to remind us, to convince us, to demonstrate to us in some heroic manner and degree, by their very lives and lifestyle: “Hindi po dito nagtatapos ang ating mundo.”
In brief, as I have tried to remind Fr. Jerry O time and time again, I will always need a spiritual guide, leader or counselor, just as I will need a doctor or lawyer; someone I can look up to for inspiration in this difficult battle with the forces of evil and the snares of Satan. It’s true that laymen can and do try to lend each other some moral support, counsel and guidance for us to be able to see the light. However, left to our own devices, we laymen are constantly in danger of losing our way, forgetting our true destiny, or otherwise getting attracted to or hoodwinked by other forms of lights, more engaging lights, twinkling lights, “yung patay-sindi.”
I am weak. I am a great sinner. I need a priest who like Moses will help me and guide me from the wilderness through the desert until I reach the Promise Land. I need a priest, a dedicated priest, a spiritual hero, the wind beneath my spiritual wings, constantly to inspire me by word and action that he lives for and by one principle and one principle alone, by the message of his Master who once told Pontius Pilate:
“Regnum meum non est de hoc mundo.” My kingdom is not of this world. Jn. 18:36. That’s what I need priest for, and badly. – James L
 | Salamat, Kuya James. Tama ka diyan. I just asked the question early this morning: Could it be that our so-called christian/catholic leaders in government, in commerce and industry, many of whom are/were products of exclusive catholic schools, are corrupt and unchristian in their ways, because they did not and do not see their religious/church leaders doing/practising what they preach/ed? That, as a perspicuous writer observed so keenly, so pointedly: Christianity has not failed; it has not really been tried. Where are the priests/ministers of the gosp[el who live like The Master lived while he was on earth? He showed the best example not by words but by deeds. Jesus practised what he preached. How many priests and ministers do practise what they preach? Where are the priests and ministers who live as Christ, the Master, did live? |
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butchcelestial wrote on Nov 20, '08
The faithful in the Catholic church still need priests but we must on our own try to learn the real Christian journey. At the start of your very timely article, Kuya, I remembered right away John 18:36, a favorite. If we are to really follow Jesus Christ we must claim only citizenship in heaven which is still to come and not be distracted by the 'world'. Yes, 'distracted' because the world now is a great entertainment, a very subtle form of temptation that's why the warning in 1 Peter 5:8. There is no question that God loved the world as in John 3:16 but He also told us only a few can get out of it alive (Mat 7:13). You mention the 'great commission' - Matthew 28:18-20, I believe it is speaking to all of us believers not only to priests. |
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Alongside Kuya viagba's blog entitled "“Meditation Amidst Global Meltdown”, would the following be appropriate questions to raise?
1. Will priests find invigorated relevance in a climate of international financial crisis? 2. Insofar as determinants of a genuine quality of life is concerned, will reverence to Wall Street, to pork barrels, and to the almighty dollar be scaled down to accommodate BACK spiritual values? 3. Is there a need to further reevaluate and restructure PRIESTHOOD so as to effectively separate the real priests from the hoods? An old joke goes: Socrates said, "To do is to be." Sartre said, "To be is to do". Apo Hiking Society said, "Do be do be do". |
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butchcelestial wrote on Nov 20, '08
Resumus rose on the question of privilege and I question his form and substance . . . . hehehe . . . . too much congressional hearings on TV 'distracts' or sometimes 'entertains' us. See what I mean. Everything is reduced to 'technicality doldrums' . . . ad infinitum. One questions motives . . . . another 'sings' . . . . only the lawyers look serious because we cannot see if they are 'laughing in the inside'. Nobody is interested in the Truth anymore. You may ask Rotarian Joc-Joc, 'Is it the truth'? |
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butchcelestial wrote on Nov 20, '08
Sorry, could not help it! Lets go back to the 'priest' issue. I say the world still needs priest. Lets preserve them. |
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I still think we are putting a disproportionate burden on the priests for making this world a better place. We have to remember that the new slogan is: Everyone is called. We are all responsible for creating ripples of goodness wherever we are. It is the decent people, the people of good will, with their small acts of goodness, that move this world in very small increments, almost unnoticeably, towards the cosmic Christ. I believe that even the priesthood has been secularized in the sense that even we, the secular laity, are called to assume the functions that we traditionally reserved for the ordained priests.
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butchcelestial wrote on Nov 20, '08
. . . . Kuya Jems, you said . . . 'Let’s face it – man was born without any operating manual. We really do not know –at least we’re not so sure about - the meaning of life, why we exist, and especially where are going. We know so much already, in fact too much about almost everything else. If we don’t there’s always Google. Lord knows it’s not so much more knowledge we need.' . . . but we have the Word of God - the Bible. That is our manual. And we are also SURE of the meaning of life, why we exist and where we are going - its to serve and obey God and be in heaven with with Him when we leave this world. In fact we know too much and have driven our knowledge into chaos by being too 'entertained' for our own good. . . . and for those who like it very much . . . there is GOOGLE in heaven! |
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Thanks, JimmyDee. it never fails your musings are irresistible, It never fails to illicit so much response because you verbalize what truly resonates in each on us.
Do we need Priest? Has so many other lurking questions, trying to jump out seeking answers and clarifications from this one question alone; Does a layman experience a conversion from “Saul to Paul” when he enters the seminary? Does a Seminarian experience a conversion from “Saul to Paul” when ordained? What makes a Priest different from a layman from the God experience view point then? Jesus came to announce the “Kingdom of God is in you” and “God is your Father”, did he mention anything about following the example of the Rabbis? Jesus talked to whoever will listen, regardless of religion. Jesus had followers, disciples, were they meant to be priest or just believers in the Kingdom of God his message.? What about the Apostles were they suppose to be his priests? Why did he chose only 12 surely the task would require so many more? The Jesus message of the Kingdom of God is in you is about liberation of the masses from the control of the Temple (Old Law). It was not about Liberation Theology (liberation from man institutions), Kingdom of God is in You, is about Consciousness Liberation. Do we need Priest ? YES, but not because of their exemplar life, not because they have a special direct line to God. They too have to stick to the fundamental message “The Kingdom of God is in You” and God is your Father, and they too should recognize as Jesus did the Church/Temple is a human organization to facilitate this message and that is it. The relationship between God and man is direct and personal, and does not require an intermediary, as exemplified by Jesus' teachings. Most priest share this view of their functional priesthood, it is we the lay people who tend to attribute more power to priest than they themselves wish. Because we stopped believing in or doubt God's genuine love for us personally that we tend to seek intercession. And we do have an operating manual, 'Discernment' the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus reminded us just before He left. It is the manual our souls go by. |
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Just asking myself...
If the DBR YHWH were reincarnated today instead of 2k yrs ago(point in human history) and walked this earth again as he did then, will I be able to recognize Him? Where do you think I can find him...in the Vatican?, in the CBCP?, in the Seminary?, in the Basilica, in Convents and Parishes? ... or hey probably in Smokey Mountain or in Payatas or along the riles ...and why not, probably in some remote village in Sultan Kudarat? Siguro ang kanyang mga magulang ay si Mg Jose na magsasaka at ang kanyang ina ay si Aling Maryang labandera. You tell me. |
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Yes, Cecil.
Sang-ayon ako sa tanong-sagot mo. Sigurado, hindi Siya matatagpuan sa Vatican, hindi sa CBCP, hindi sa Seminary, hindi rin sa mga Convents and Parishes. Panahon na nga siguro upang "balikan" ng mga kaparian, ng mga pinuno ng simbahan, ang orihinal na Kristo na sinasabi nilang "Amo" nila. Ilan ang tunay na simbahan ng mahihirap? Ilan sa mga kaparian ang namumuhay at nabubuhay tulad ni Kristo? |
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cecilpf said
 If the DBR YHWH were reincarnated today instead of 2k yrs ago(point in human history) and walked this earth again as he did then, will I be able to recognize Him? Where do you think I can find him.. 
Jesus dies and goes up to Heaven. The first thing He does is look for His Father. He had not seen Him for decades. He is no longer sure if He can still recognize Him.
He asks St. Peter "Where is my father?" St. Peter says he doesn't know. He asks the archangel Gabriel "Where is my father?" Gabriel doesn't know either. He asks John the Baptist "Where is my father?" But John does not know. So He wanders Heaven, impatiently searching. Suddenly He sees out of the mist an old man coming toward Him. The man is very old, with white hair, stooped over a little. "Stop!" Jesus yells. "Who are you?" "Oh, please help me, I am an old man in search of my son." Jesus is very curious. Could this be His Father? "Tell me of your son, old man." "Oh, you would know him if you saw him. Holes in his hands where the nails used to be. He was nailed to a cross, you know..." "Father!!!!!" screams Jesus. "Pinocchio!!!!!!!" yells the old man. LESSON: For each day that more complications are added, being misled becomes easier and easier. |
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