Life

The role of the priest is changing

The role of the priest is changing, not mainly because there are fewer of them but because the needs of the world have changed, says Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown.

Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown. Picture by Hugh Russell
Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown. Picture by Hugh Russell Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown. Picture by Hugh Russell

The scripture readings proclaimed throughout the world, for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time give us great nourishment.

They are typical of the Gospel message that is both encouraging and challenging. They present that consistent picture of a God who tells us that we are fit for great things - and who points out to us where we can be betrayed by those forces that tempt us to expect only fun but no real joy, only entertainment but no real commitment, an inhuman belief that everything is passing and nothing is really real.

But all adults know that life is real and it is not merely `a beautiful sport'. All our own lives and those of our families and friends are marked by painful scars, regrets, secrets and unfulfilled dreams. It was into the heart of that world that Jesus spoke, telling us that we can become whole and holy - and it is still into that messy reality that Jesus wants His body, the Church, to minister.

It is clear from the Gospel that, within the whole Church of believers, Jesus also urgently calls men and women to make this mission their full-time and life-long mission. Your duty is to spread the news of the Kingdom of God.

Ministry in the New Testament is modelled on that of Jesus, who emptied himself, taking on the forms of a servant and being obedient, even to death on the Cross (Phil 2:8). Being an ordained minister of Jesus is a not a job to be done. It is a dedication of all that you are and have to be crucified to the world (Gal 6:14).

Our Gospel passage shows us that dedication to Christ means giving up everything. Build your rest time round your ministry, not the other way round. Lay your hand to the plough and go where the Lord of the harvest leads you. There are those who suggest that, if only we made things easier, more people would be available for ordination and for consecrated life. As in Jesus' time, so also today Jesus calls for heroic prophets who take risks for the Gospel.

Your ministry will mean a constant dying to self so that you will decrease and Christ will increase. Don't be afraid to be a fool for Christ’s sake (1 Cor 4:10). We live in a culture which says that liberty is about self-indulgence, that life is too short to say no. The Gospel says that self-indulgence destroys our dignity and makes us slaves of our lowest instincts. Proclaim that spirit of crazy generosity and idealism to our young people, help them believe in better, enable them to fulfil their often inarticulate hunger to `see Jesus' (Jn 12:21), show them how to contemplate the beauty of life and the beauty of God, help them to have eyes for the invisible and not just for the pound on the ground when they are around.

Celibacy is mocked in some quarters as being outmoded and unrealistic, a barrier to people entering ministry, merely the entry to an elite clerical caste. But, like Elijah and the people in the Gospel, you have been called to leave behind many beautiful things, including marriage and fatherhood.

You answer the call, not because it is a life-style choice that you fancy but because you have been called to bear the marks of Christ in your body (Gal 6:17). Today you sacrifice to God all that you used to plough your furrow with in the past. Today your life is placed at the service of preparing the ground for a different sort of harvest. And make sure that the sacrifice of celibacy is matched with simplicity of life-style. A pampered celibacy is a counter-sign of Christ's call.

Make sure that you reveal the divine call to witness to the Cross as much by your life-style as by your words. Everyone recognises when there is a gap between what you preach and who you are. Pope Francis has been very strong on the temptation to careerism and self-promotion in priesthood. He is doing no more that repeating St Paul's words if you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.

We are called to promote, not ourselves but Christ. We have nothing to offer other than our availability - pickled in prayer - to be channels of Christ's peace. Our talents, our image and our qualifications can often be a barrier to and not a bearer of Christ's grace. We come to serve and not to be served. So make sure that your celibacy is liberating. Bear the pain and loneliness of it. Jesus did - and you are his bearer to the world.

As with every period in history, this is a challenging time for people in Church, just as it is for many in society, politics, economics and family. We live in an era of fragmentation where fear seems to be driving people to build walls and not bridges, to protect me, to recall what is perceived as our glory days of old. We see that in the British referendum, the US election campaign and Russian self-assertiveness. And we see the same fear in Church as well.

There are those who want to flee to a mythical, secure past. They forget that the People of God are always on an exodus journey. The Promised Land is never behind us. God's future is always in front of us, beyond our comfort zone. Those who worship the true God will never idolise either an idealised past or a simplistic future. You are called to be a leader who will seek to discern where God is calling his Church forward in the concrete circumstances of today. We are called to have confidence, not in our plans, our security or our power, but in Christ’s unreasonable Cross.

So, be prepared for a difficult journey in the service of Christ. The role of the priest is changing, not mainly because there are fewer of them but because the needs of the world have changed. The New Testament Church was constantly changing to suit new circumstances. The Church is Christ's instrument to heal the world's pain, not a gated enclosure into which we flee to heal our fears. He calls His people to be out loving the streets, not behind our walls, shouting angrily at those on the other side or calling down fire from heaven to burn them up. The world cannot be hated into knowing the love of God, or the wisdom of the ways.

The one from whose defenceless side poured forth blood and water on Calvary will not be satisfied by some theology of cheap grace or angry words in His defence.

:: Taken from the Homily of Bishop Donal McKeown at the ordination of Rev Christopher McDermott.