priest Archives | Fr. Ed Broom, OMV Oblates of the Virgin Mary

God has called priests to a very sublime role: to imitate and to conform their lives to the life of the High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ! There is never a man who is worthy of such a sublime calling, but God calls and communicates the grace to live out such a sublime vocation. In other words, God’s grace is always more than sufficient to carry out the office, duty and vocation of the priesthood! It is up to every individual priest to respond generously to this call! One of the most noble enterprises and activities of the priest is to work side by side with Jesus, the High Priest in the harvest ground of saving immortal souls. Every priest should be ignited with apostolic zeal and an interior fire to work generously with the Lord Jesus in the most noble enterprise of saving souls. What then are ways that priests indeed can grow in holiness??? We will give ten short but very important proposals. We invite people to pray for more priests and the sanctification of those who have already been ordained to the priesthood! The salvation of many souls depends on the sanctification of religious but also the priesthood!

1. PRAYER. For a priest to grow in holiness, he must take very seriously his prayer life, which is another way of saying his union and friendship with Jesus the High Priest. Jesus called the Apostles “Friends” at the Last Supper. All priests are called to a deep prayer life and an ever growing and dynamic friendship with Jesus. Especially important for priests, according to the teachings of St. Alphonsus Liguori, is the practice of mental prayer. Read and reflect upon the inspiring words of the Saint priest, Saint Peter Alcantara on the importance of mental prayer: “In mental prayer the soul is purified from its sins, nourished with charity, confirmed in faith, and strengthened in hope; the mind expands, the affections dilate, the heart is purified, truths become evident, temptation is conquered; sadness dispelled; the senses are renovated; the drooping powers revive, tepidity ceases, the rust if vices disappear.”

2. HOLY MASS. Every priest should be keenly aware of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and its importance for him as well as the whole world. There is no more sublime prayer that a priest can offer on a daily basis than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Mass unites heaven and earth. In every Holy Mass Jesus becomes truly present as the Victim who offers Himself to the Father, through the words and hands of the priest, for the salvation of the entire world. For that reason, priests like Padre Pio would go into ecstasy when saying the Mass, especially in the moment of consecration! So great and sublime is the holy sacrifice of the Mass that the priest should celebrate every Mass as if it were his first Mass, last Mass, and only Mass!

3. LITURGY OF THE HOURS. Once ordained a deacon, there are two obligations that are assumed: celibacy, as well as the daily praying of the Liturgy of the Hours. Composed mostly of Psalms, the Liturgy of the Hours is a beautiful act of praise to God, prayed at various hours of the day for the personal sanctification of the priest as well as for the sanctification of the world at large. In the Acts of the Apostles we see the Apostles going to the Temple at various hours during the day; so priests are called to pray at various hours of the day for their sanctificationas well as the sanctification and salvation of the whole world.

4. ONGOING FORMATION. Once a priest is ordained to the priesthood, he has finished his seminary formation and the course of the studies that the Church demands. However, it is incumbent upon the priest to make a concerted and constant effort to pursue ongoing as well as permanent formation. This should entail a deepening knowledge and love for Sacred Scripture, the Church teachings and documents, a constant study of dogmatic and moral theology, as well as other disciplines. A priest is called to be a teacher, and a teacher must be constantly on the ball in deepening his learning so as to enlighten the souls that have been entrusted to his pastoral care and salvation.

5. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. All followers of Christ must have some form of regular or periodic direction. In honesty, we all must humbly admit that we have some blind spots in our lives. We simply do not see certain areas in our lives, sometimes because we do not want to see them since it is too painful to make the drastic changes that we call daily conversion. With adequate, methodical and systematic spiritual direction these blind spots can be pointed out and overcome. Not only that, but spiritual direction serves as an extraordinary tool to grow in knowledge of prayer, discernment of God’s will and overall direction in the life of what a priest is called to do and how he is carry it out. In a word, spiritual direction can help a priest be faithful to his vocation of holiness and his vocation of being a Good Shepherd to the sheep entrusted to his care.

6. SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION. Of immense value to the priest is the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation. In two ways: the priest as penitent and the priest as confessor. First of all, a priest should be a constant and good penitent. To be able to dispense fully and actively the mercy of God, the priest must personally experience the infinite mercy of God by being forgiven himself in Confession. Then the priest, in imitation of the exemplary priests—the Cure of Ars, John Bosco, Padre Pio, Leopold Mandic, Alphonsus Liguori, Anthony Claret, and many others—should be ready and willing to spend many hours in the confessional reconciling souls to God, expressing these beautiful and consoling words: “And I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Then: “Your sins are forgiven; go in peace!” Lay people can transcend the priest in holiness, but they will never have the power to absolve sins; only the priest can carry out this as a result of the Sacrament of Holy Orders!

7. APOSTOLIC ZEAL. This is another important quality of the priest. What do we mean by apostolic zeal? It is simply this: loving what Jesus loves most—the salvation of immortal souls! As a friend of Jesus, the priest should love Jesus and love what Jesus loves most, the salvation of immortal souls. Saint Thomas Aquinas reminds us that one soul is worth more than the whole created universe. The great Saint John Bosco had as his motto: “Give me souls and take all the rest away.” Saint Ignatius sent Saint Francis Xavier off to India with these inspiring words: “Go set all on fire!” A holy priest should have a burning and consuming desire to do all he possibly can to work with Jesus, side by side, in saving immortal souls. Saint Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises presents us with the contemplation, the Call of the King. The Eternal King has one over-riding desire—to conquer the kingdom of souls, to save as many souls as possible. May the priest by consumed with this fiery and ardent desire, to yearn for saving souls day and night. May his harvest be abundant!

8. PATIENCE. A very important virtue that the priest must practice is the virtue of patience and in three ways: with God, with others and even with himself. Let us explain. With God, the priest must never try to impose his will upon God, but rather strive patiently to discern God’s will and to carry it out. This demands much discernment and much patience and a willingness to carry the cross—another way of understanding patience! With others! As a priest, many people will flock to the priest and sometimes with great demands. The priest must pray for heroic patience in dealing with all sorts of individuals and beg for the grace to maintain great calmness, meekness and equanimity in the midst of the storms—the torrent of demands that descend upon him. A moment of impatience can drive souls always; great meekness and patience allure souls into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Francis de Sales is our model in this all-important virtue of patience. Jesus Himself said: “By your patience you will save your souls.” Finally, a priest should cultivate patience with himself. If he falls in whatever way, he should gently arise and start again. Father Venerable Bruno Lanteri, the founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, coined an immortal phrase: NUNC CAEPI—meaning, now I will begin. One of the key tools and spiritual weapons of the devil is to persuade the individual to give in to discouragement and eventually despair. A priest should cultivate an infinite trust in Jesus. A priest should be aware of the teachings of Jesus through Saint Faustina Kowalska’s Diary of Divine Mercy in My Soul and read it, meditate it, understand it, assimilate it, and live it out!

9. RETREAT. A priest must be aware of the constant danger of ACTIVISM! Saint Pope John Paul II also coined the phrase HORIZANTALISM. What we mean by activism, as well as horizontalism, is simply this: giving too much time to work and neglecting the dimension of prayer. In other words, the constant temptation of the priest is to fall into MARTHAISM—to be like Martha working hard in the details of hospitality and being oblivious of the role of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus looking at Him, listening to Him, talking to Him and loving Him. Jesus gently corrected Martha for her tension and nervousness and defended Mary who simply sat at His feet. Priests must get away every year for their annual retreat and try to give the Lord a good week of prayer so as to recharge their spiritual batteries. It is not a bad idea for the priest to get away for a day on a monthly basis; once again to recharge his spiritual batteries. The more the priest can fill himself with God the more he will be able to pour out God to others. Nobody can give what he himself does not have!

10. MARY: THE MOTHER OF PRIESTS. There is a saying: “Behind every successful man there is a woman.” In the case of the priest, this woman must be Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, the Mother of all of us, but in a very special way, Mary as the Mother of priests. Beneath the cross Jesus gave His Mother Mary to Saint John, the model of priests. Like Saint John every priest should take Mary into his home which means to take Mary into the depths of his heart. The priest should honor and love Mary. The priest should talk to Mary. The priest should confide in Mary. The priest should open up his heart and reveal his problems to Mary. The priest should share his joys with Mary; the priest should share his sorrows, sadness and even his failures with Mary. The priest should share his plans, goals and projects with Mary. The priest should open up to Our Lady, Mother of priests and share his insecurities and fears with Mary. She is the best of listeners. Our Lady of Guadalupe expressed these consoling and reassuring words: “Do not worry, am I not your Mother? I have you in the crossing of my arms.” In a word, Our Lady was saying: “I have you in the very center of my heart.” From this great and trusting love that the priest experiences and lives with Mary, he can communicate this great love to the many people that God places in his path. Of course one of the most clear and concrete ways that a priest can show his love for Mary is by praying the most Holy Rosary on a daily basis and to promote that the sheep that are in his flock also form the habit of praying the Rosary on a daily basis, recalling the words of the Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays together stays together.”

In conclusion, God has called some men to follow Jesus the High Priest in His mission to glorify the Eternal Father and to work strenuously in saving souls. Hopefully these short but concrete suggestions can serve a s motivation for priests to seek a dynamic life of holiness and may this holiness overflow like an immense ocean on the many souls who are truly thirsting for God’s love and eternal salvation!

Father Ed Broom, OMV, is Associate Pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and was ordained by Saint John Paul II on May 25, 1986. Fr. Ed teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction.

All of us are called to bring forth life and life in abundance. Jesus said: “I have come to give life and life in abundance.” Likewise, we are all called to be fathers or mothers in the biological realm or in the spiritual realm.

DESOLATION AND SADNESS OF DEATH.

A barren field, a desert wasteland, a stagnant marsh, a weed-filled garden, smoldering ashes, a flowerless meadow, a leafless and barren tree, a fruitless orchard– what do all of these share in common? Correct lifelessness or better-yet death! The famous English Poet T.S. Eliot depicted the modern world as a “Wasteland” in his famous poem.

Fertility, vitality, the bloom and fragrance of spring flowers, the rush of powerful waves or currents, autumn foliage season in full bloom, the mother bird feeding her chirping young ones– all of these present a marked contrast between the former scene depicting death!

SPIRITUAL PATERNITY WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE CHURCH

Priests, nuns, male and female Religious have willfully chosen to renounce biological or physical paternity/maternity for the purpose of exercising what we might call SPIRITUAL PATERNITY. All are called to be mothers or fathers in the physical or spiritual realm. For that reason priests, as well as nuns are called “Father”, “Mother” or “Sister”. How is it then that priests indeed exercise this spiritual paternity, the bringing forth children in the spiritual realm? Following, we will offer some very clear and concrete examples;

1. BAPTISMS. Every time that “Father”, the priest baptizes and uses the baptismal formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and simultaneously pours water upon the head, then he indeed has become a spiritual father to that new baptized. The soul of the newly baptized has new life, life in abundance!

2. CONFESSIONS. Another Sacrament that manifests this spiritual paternity is that of the Sacrament of Confession, also called Penance, Reconciliation, Sacrament of God’s mercy. When the sinner bares his soul to the priest who represents Christ in the Confessional and humbly begs pardon for his sins, then the priest– the spiritual Father– concludes the Sacrament by imparting absolution, with these final words: “And I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Then the dismissal: “Your sins are forgiven; go in peace.” In that moment, once again, spiritual paternity is being exercised. The sinner who had died in sin, due to mortal sin, is bought back to new life through the Sacrament of God’s mercy, this being carried out by the priest, the spiritual Father, and Physician of the soul.

3. HOLY MASS, CONSECRATION, AND HOLY COMMUNION. One of the most powerful and efficacious means by which spiritual paternity becomes a reality is through the most sublime action that can ever be carried out– the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the moment of Consecration, when the priest– spiritual father– repeats the words that Jesus pronounced at the Last Supper: “Take and eat, this is my Body; take and drink, this is my Blood; do this in memory of me” then once again Jesus is being born again. Moreover, in the moment of Holy Communion, when the priest-father is distributing Holy Communion, “The Body of Christ”, “Amen”, then upon receiving Holy Communion into one’s soul, once again Jesus is being born in that soul. Life is born in that soul. Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

4. PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD: LIFE TO THE SOUL! According to the Church Documents the principal duty of the ordained priest is the Ministry of the Word, most specifically, the Preaching of the Gospel. Now how is this related to bringing forth new life? The spiritual father the priest spends time with the Lord by meditating upon the Word of God, the Gospel for the day in Holy Mass. The Word that the priest reads or meditates passes from the page to his eyes and from his eyes to his mind and from his mind to his understanding and then from his understanding the Word sinks into the very depths of his heart. (in imitation of our Lady who pondered the Word of God in her Immaculate Heart). Then, within the context of Holy Mass, after the priest– spiritual father– reads the Gospel, then he preaches and explains it. Now this is how spiritual birth is brought forth in those who are attentively listening to the words of the priest, the spiritual father. The Word of God that is in the depths of the heart of the priest, as a result of his personal prayer and meditation, comes forth from his heart to his mouth in words, concepts, ideas, spiritual ideas. These words then vibrate in the ears of the listeners; then they ascend to the minds of those who are attentive; then finally, these words descend into the depths of the hearts of those who are well-disposed. What a miracle of grace, and sublime spiritual paternity! The Word of God that took deep root in the priest– the spiritual-father– has passed into the minds and hearts of the many. These leave the Church being spiritually enriched and being spiritually renewed, being spiritually enlightened, possibly even spiritually reborn. All of this is related to the spiritual paternity that every priest is called to live out to the fullest extent possible in the exercise of his sacerdotal ministry. Indeed, Jesus came that we might have life and have life in abundance.

5. PRIEST– SPIRITUAL FATHER, ACTING IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST. Jesus, in His providential plan, willed to choose collaborators, friends and companions in the work of redemption. Indeed a very fruitful spiritual father was the great Apostle Saint Paul. Through his preaching, suffering, writing, and finally by his shedding his blood through decapitation, the Apostle to the gentiles brought forth a most abundant spiritual harvest he stated: “We fill up what is lacking in the passion of Christ.” The meaning? Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection– the Paschal mystery- resulted in the salvation of many, many souls! However, Jesus willed that priest be the spiritual-father to work side by side with Him until the end of time. Therefore, pray for vocations to the priesthood; pray for priests already active in their ministry so that they will understand with greater clarity and depth their call to bring forth new life and life in abundance!

PRIESTS GROWING IN HOLINESS—TEN WAYS!!!

SPIRITUAL PATERNITY | BRING FORTH SPIRITUAL LIFE!