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Consecrated Hearts - On the Priesthood |
"Jesus of nazareth repeats to his
disciples - do not be afraid"
Christmas Note
to Priests and Deacons
By the Congregation for the Clergy
December 25, 2010
Dear Priests and Deacons,
At this time, when the Holy Father has graciously named me as the
new Prefect, I would like to take the opportunity to convey a
cordial greeting to each and every one of you.
The Year for Priests, recently brought to a conclusion, remains
always before us, both in its content and in its model of sanctity,
St John Mary Vianney. With regard to its content, it is to be fully
assimilated into the environment of the formation of the Clergy,
both in the initial and ongoing stages, especially concerning to the
central place it wished to recognise of the Eucharist, celebrated
and adored; with regard to the model of sanctity that was offered,
the heroic participation of the Curé of Ars in the self-giving of
Christ for the life of men shines forth, and that witness spurs us
continually to offer ourselves to the Lord in the "fragrant
sacrifice".
Even in the face of the storm of the "worldly sea," Jesus of
Nazareth repeats to his disciples, "Do not be afraid!" To the
temptation of activism and of the fitful searching after solutions
that are human, and all too human, He beckons us gently, "Remain in
my love" (Jn 15: 9).
As the Holy Father Benedict XVI pointed out, "If we continue to read
this Gospel passage attentively, we also find a second imperative:
"abide", and "observe my commandments". "Observe" only comes second.
"Abide" comes first, at the ontological level, namely that we are
united with him, he has given himself to us beforehand and has
already given us his love, the fruit. It is not we who must produce
the abundant fruit; Christianity is not moralism, it is not we who
must do all that God expects of the world but we must first of all
enter this ontological mystery: God gives himself. His being, his
loving, precedes our action and, in the context of his Body, in the
context of being in him, being identified with him and ennobled with
his Blood, we too can act with Christ" (Allocution at the Pontifical
Roman Major Seminary, 12 February 2010).
Dear friends, it is precisely this primacy of the ontological over
the ethical, of the "abiding" over the "doing" that is the
guarantee, and the only guarantee possible, of the fruitfulness of
our apostolate!
In the face of prevailing secularism and rampant relativism, Blessed
John Henry Cardinal Newman reminds us that, "Christianity has been
too often in what seemed deadly peril, that we should fear for it
any new trial now. So far is certain; on the other hand, what is
uncertain, and in these great contests commonly is uncertain, and
what is commonly a great surprise, when it is witnessed, is the
particular mode by which, in the event, Providence rescues and saves
His elect inheritance. Sometimes our enemy is turned into a friend;
sometimes he is despoiled of that special virulence of evil which
was so threatening; sometimes he falls to pieces of himself;
sometimes he does just so much as is beneficial, and then is
removed. Commonly the Church has nothing more to do than to go on in
her own proper duties, in confidence and peace; to stand still and
to see the salvation of God" (Biglietto Speech, 12 May 1879).
With these sentiments of profound, radical fidelity to the Lord in
the Church and in history, in the Lord of my and of your sacerdotal
existence, I ask a particular remembrance in your prayers, while I
assure you of my pastoral concern, entrusting each one of you to the
powerful protection of Her who, by virtue of a most special title,
is the Mother of Priests: the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
