Vocations to the Priesthood - Part V (Conclusion)

What is a priest?

The role of the priest is described by Christ as the good shepherd, the one who leads and guides the flock. He was also the mediator between God and man, described by Paul (Heb.5:1) as "taken from among men and made their representative before God." Vatican II echoes this same ambivalence about the priests’ role when it writes in the Constitution on the Church : "They are consecrated in order to preach the gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament."

While the two roles are not exclusive, we tend to emphasize one or other and the functions associated with them: preaching, teaching, administration, presiding at or leading the liturgical celebrations, sanctifying and administering the sacraments. One or other role dominates in the life achievements of most priests, though some can balance both roles remarkably well.

In the traditional role of the pre-1960 priest: he administered the parish, counseled the parishioners, celebrated the mass and sacramental activities of the parish and directed all that went on in the

Election Issues

                                                       Election Issues

The presidential race has been clarified finally by the withdrawal of Ron Paul from the Republican race. So now things get serious. Up to this candidates at least paid lip service to the old principle that you don't soil your own nest, though it seems to have been mainly lip service.

 A few younger politicians actually seem to have tried to discuss issues rather than personalities and hopefully this will benefit them in the long run.  Jimmy Carter was elected president because people saw him  as honest and moral. They eventually get tired of scandal and sleaze in high offuce and

Why Catholic

                                              Why am I still a Catholic?

I blogged the other  day about my concerns with the negative publicity the Church hierarchy is attracting recently, about rigid  responses to nuns, priests and laity and cover-ups by bishops which are clearly dishonest. 

After one has spent pages detailing the failures of Church leaders to live up to the ideals of Christianity, it is necessary to say why I am still Catholic. Every day I run across people who ask “why are you still a Catholic?” The simple answer is Peter’s: “Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life!” But those words are increasingly difficult to distinguish in all the clamor and debate today.

As one realizes that the Church only gives us the principles but we must make our own decisions as to their application, right and wrong are no longer simple obedience to another human, be they bishop or pope. Before God

The Irish Church

The Church in Ireland

I have not written much  here lately as I have been writing about the crisis I see developimg in the Church in recent months. We have reactionary responses by bishops to their flocks, a clamp-down by Rome on women religious and the silencing of priests in Ireland for daring to question the edicts of curial big-wigs in the Vatican. All of these are in contraventiom of Vatican II but probably sweet music to the members of  the Society of St. Pius X.

But today's news is a different story. It comes from "Holy Ireland", the land of traditional orthodoxy, where when Rome said "Jump", they asked "How high?" A few daring priests asked "Why?" and decided to meet to discuss a response.  They felt there would be few willing to speak up, at most  they hoped for 100/200. They finished with over 1000, not just priests but lay Catholics, men and (whisper it) even women who felt they too were Church and had a voice. These people had read the Documents of Vatican II, had read the Bible and used their God-given brains under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to understand them.They seem to think that Christ told His Apostles at the Last Supper t6hat they were to serve the Church, not to rule it.

What has the world come to?

Stand by for further bulletins.