THE PRIEST IS A HUMAN NOT A SPIRIT

 THE PRIEST IS A HUMAN NOT A SPIRIT

Fr Ogiator CDA

Introduction

My dear brothers, we gather not as angels disguised in cassocks but as men who have been looked upon by mercy. Before the altar and before the people, the priest stands as one who has been chosen, called and consecrated. Yet he remains profoundly human. This recollection invites us to return to a simple and liberating truth. The Catholic priest is not a spirit pretending to be human. He is a human person raised, healed and strengthened by the grace of God. Forgetting this truth wounds the priest and quietly harms the people entrusted to him.

The Danger of Pretending to Be a Spirit

There is a subtle temptation in priestly life to appear permanently strong, permanently prayerful, permanently in control. This temptation is often rewarded by applause and silence. But it slowly hollows the priest from within. Assuming to be a spirit leads to emotional repression, spiritual pride and moral vulnerability.

The Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests speaks clearly about the need for ongoing human formation and authentic fraternity. The Church knows that a priest who does not live as a man among men will struggle to live as a shepherd for them. Transparency, healthy friendships, rest and even appropriate joy are not betrayals of priesthood. They are safeguards of it.

THE PRIEST IS HUMAN 

Sacred Scripture never hides the humanity of those whom God calls. Moses stuttered and feared. Jeremiah protested his youth. Peter wept bitterly after denial. Paul spoke openly of weakness so that the power of Christ might rest upon him. The priestly call does not erase humanity. It assumes it. The Letter to the Hebrews says that every high priest is taken from among men and appointed to act on their behalf in relation to God, able to deal patiently with the ignorant and the erring since he himself is beset with weakness. Hebrews 5:1 to 2. Our weakness is not an embarrassment to the vocation. It is the soil in which compassion grows.

One of the undeniable truths we must learn to live with dear Brothers is the fact that the Priest is a Human, not a Spirit, and if Human, he must know that he susceptible to be weak, sick, tired, hungry, lonely, make mistake, take a rest, jealous, envious, Happy, greedy, sad to mention but a few. The Priest is a Human called to do the work of God, Human called to perform a divine task, Human called to do more than what Angels can and cannot do, For example Angels cannot celebrate Mass, Hear confessions, Absolve sins, or even anoint the sick, little wonder St Peter Damian says When St Michael comes to the bed of a dying soul, the Holy Archangel can chase away demons, but he cannot free his client from his chain of mortal sins until a priest comes to absolve him, Humans called to dispense Grace and stand as an intermediary and intercessor between God and his people. If this is the case Brothers, the Priest must remember that before his  Baptism, Confirmation and even Ordination, he was a Human, he is a human and he will always be human

Pope St John Paul ll in his Post Synodal  Apostolic Exhortation, Pastores Dabo Vobis no. 43 hinges the importance of the human formation in priestly formation as crucial and essential when he describes it as the foundation little wonder the common saying, Ordination does not change the human nature, if you are good , you are good and if you are not, you are not.

As priests brothers, let us have a human face, let us be humane, Human to God, Human to our fellow brothers and sisters, humane to our Parishioners, human to the Presbyterate, Human to the Diocese, human to ourselves

Being Humane to God

The Church has always taught that grace builds on nature. This ancient wisdom is not abstract theology. It is pastoral realism. Ordination does not cancel emotions, fatigue, attraction, fear, loneliness or joy. It consecrates a man who carries all these realities into a new relationship with Christ and the Church. Presbyterorum Ordinis reminds us that priests live in the midst of other men and share their condition of life. The document does not ask us to flee our humanity but to allow it to be ordered and transformed by grace for service.

When a priest assumes he is no longer human, he becomes isolated. He stops listening. He hides struggles. He spiritualizes what should be healed and prays over what should be accompanied. Grace then becomes a mask rather than a medicine.

Configured to Christ Yet Still a Man

Through ordination, the priest is configured to Christ the Head and Shepherd. This is real and profound. Yet Christ himself took on full humanity. He grew tired at the well. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He experienced anguish in Gethsemane. To be configured to Christ is not to float above human experience but to enter it with redemptive love.

Pastores Dabo Vobis teaches that the priest must grow in human maturity so that his humanity becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others to meet Christ. A priest who denies his humanity risks presenting a Christ who is distant and unreal. A priest who embraces his humanity under grace presents a Savior who understands.

Being Humane to our fellow brothers and sister (Parishioners)

1st Tim. 5,1-2 gives us blueprint of how our behaviors and attitudes should be across board that's treat older men etc but are we truly humane to our Parishioners, they feed us, fuel our vehicles, pay our bills, gave us a place to call our home, we need not shout, talk down, insult or curse them with I don't have time, can't you see I am busy etc

Being Humane to fellow Priests

The priest does not save himself. He walks with his brothers. Lumen Gentium teaches that priests are united among themselves by sacramental fraternity. This fraternity is lived not by pretending perfection but by shared prayer, honest conversation and mutual support. A priest should be able to say to his brother, I am tired, I am struggling, pray with me. That confession does not weaken the priesthood. It purifies it.

Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that he carries treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7. Our humanity is the earthen vessel. Grace is the treasure. Breaking the vessel in the name of holiness only spills the treasure.

Brothers we are not competitors, let us learn to look out for each other, many of us are fatigued from over thinking, worrying ,fear, not helpful enough to each other, most times we wait for brothers to talk and even when they talk, little or no assistance is given, no condition is permanent, tables turn, let us be brothers as we call ourselves 

Being Humane to the Diocese

Let us do everything we can do our duties to the Diocese when called upon in every ramifications pay your required due to the Diocese, attendance and participation at all gatherings, this is the only one we have 

Being Humane to yourself 

Brothers let us be humane to ourselves, Be merciful to yourself, wear a human face for yourself, you are not a super man, After two or three masses on Sunday some of us will not eat before going for parish pastoral council meeting, Harvest meeting, Laity Council meeting, Marriage course, Catechism class, some of us will not even rest before going for Benediction yet early on Monday morning we are praying and Anointing out Parishioners again, At the beginning of this year have had your check up, Our Bishop has been reminding us on the need for those above 40 to have their prostate checked, have you checked yours this year, some of us don't go on Leave, some of us even say we don't take our allowance of that's the case, how do you eat, fuel your car or pay your bills. Brothers let us be humane to ourselves 

Conclusion

Brothers, the priesthood is not an escape from being human. It is a call to live our humanity fully in Christ. We are men elevated by grace, not angels in disguise. May we never fear this truth. May we live it with humility, gratitude and joy.

An old wise priest once told me you are only useful to the church as long as you are healthy, a spirit cannot be said to be healthy, only humans can be described as healthy, a healthy priest is a healthy human, a healthy priest is a healthy parish and Apostolate, a healthy priest is a healthy Presbyterate and Diocese 

Our people do not need perfect priests. They need believable ones. They need shepherds who know their own need for mercy and therefore preach mercy with conviction. They need men who pray because they are weak, not because they are invincible. When the priest accepts his humanity with humility, grace flows freely. When he denies it, grace is resisted.

As fellow priests, let us allow ourselves to be human before God, before one another and before those we serve. Let us trust that God knew what he was doing when he called men and not spirits. In embracing our humanity, we honor the Incarnation itself.

May God make us truly humane after the example of his son

References

Sacred Scripture

Hebrews 5:1 to 3

2 Corinthians 4:7

Matthew 26:36 to 41

John 4:6

John 11:35

Church Documents and Magisterium

Second Vatican Council Lumen Gentium

Second Vatican Council Presbyterorum Ordinis

Saint John Paul II Pastores Dabo Vobis

Congregation for the Clergy Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1548 to 1551