Priesthood in the
church is surrounded by many problems. Some of them affect the very nature and
understanding of the priesthood itself and other concern its relation to the
church and the world that is its ministerial aspects. Today everyone is aware
of the global phenomenon of the crisis among priest and death of priestly and
religious vocation. World is changing and so also changes are found in the
Church also. There have been changes in ecclesiastical thinking and organization,
liturgical matters, participation of the faithful and in numerous other areas.
Seeing all this reality
in the church today I have chosen my topic for major essay is “Priesthood in
Modern Age.” I have divided my topic into three different chapters. In chapter
one I have dealt with origin and meaning of priesthood according to the scripture. In the second chapter I have given a short
view of Vatican II and Code of Canon Law on priesthood. And in the last chapter
I have mentioned about the challenges of modern priest. An ideal priesthood is a real challenge
precisely because it is based on Jesus the Icon of priestly calling. Against
this background of deepened understanding of the priesthood, I have dealt with
some actual challenges of priesthood in the modern world.
The
word “Priest” comes from the Greek word Presbyter. The Greek word referred to
an office in the early Christian church. The word priest and priesthood were
used to translate sacerdotal terminology of pre- Christian religion. The Greek
word presbyters means an elderly man. In a more technical sense it is used to
describe a person holding position of trust and respect. “The priesthood is
not, as those outside the fold maintain, a human usurpation of divine authority.
Neither is its authority derived from the corporate will of the congregation.
It is of divine institution.”
The priestly office, however, was vested primarily in Bishops, but the priest
shared in the priestly functions in the absence of the Bishops. As the
Christianity spread and the establishment of churches took place, the parish
priest became the principal celebrant of the Eucharist. With the privilege of
hearing confession and granting absolution, the priest eventually assumed the
role to the representative of God to the people rather than people’s
representative to God.”
The
dictionary of the Bible says that Jesus applies the title Priest neither to
himself nor to his disciples, and the idea of a Christian priesthood is
implicit in the New Testament. The title of priest is first applied to the
Christian community in 1 Pt 2: 5. This passage is an application of the title
of Israel which means a kingdom of priest to the Church.
In the Old Testament
there are two forms of the reality of the priesthood. They are (a)
Non-specialized exercise of priestly functions: such as performed by heads of
families and clans. (b) Specialized priestly functions: such as ritual
sacrifices connected with the tribes of Levi. This was hereditary. Levites and
priests under the supreme authority of the high priest.
There is also reference to universal
priesthood in Israel. (Ex.19:16) “You are a priest for ever according to the
order of Melchizedck.”(Ps.110:4)
2.1.
Babylonian Exile
“The exile to
Babylonian in 587 B.C. spelled of which the monarchy and so of the ministerial
priesthood of which it had become the sole expression.” The Babylonian
captivity definitely abundant catholism and out line, a new theory about the
nature of church and this sacramental’s; on those days temple were ruined,
monarchy destroyed this put on end to
royal tutelage over priesthood. “The priest gave authority over people,
Prophets disappeared and with this prophets disappearing uncontested monopoly
over people. They established sacerdotal hierarchy.” And the priest worked
under him. They were sons of Aron, the high priest was consecrated and
anointed. (Lev.8:12)
Israel
is unique in her extension of notion of priesthood to the whole people. It is
because of the covenantal relationship with Yahweh. They were called a holy
nation and priestly kingdom. (Exo.19:6) With Moses Levite tribes became
priestly class with hereditary title and with especial functions.
(Exo.32:25-29) thus the single monolithic Leviticus priests were chosen and
consecrated by God himself. (Exo.32:27). So there were professional priests and
after sacrifice the offering was left to the hands of the families, in this way
both familial and professional priestly ministry developed side by side.
In the first place,
there is the non-specialized exercise of priestly functions. During the age of
the patriarchs, these functions are carried out by the heads of families or
clans. In
this period there were no religious, institution, no temple, no priestly class,
but there was a kind of natural or familial priesthood. We see the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob exercising what are priestly functions, (Gen.13:18,
18:22) they do as heads of the families and they do it in places and on
occasions where God has manifested himself in some way, If there were priest at
all and they were only strangers e.g.
Melchizedek (Gen.14:18) priests of pharaoh in Egypt. (Gen.41:55) in this period
the Levitical tribe was not consecrated.
During the age of the
monarchy, the kings, David and Solomon in particular, exercise priestly
activites of king-priest variety in accord with the pattern that appears in
many monarchies.
The kings were invested with the priestly function as Yahweh’s representative
before Israel. A kind of mediator between God and Israel, this is called the
priestly king David. (2 Sam: 13) offered sacrifice, Jeroboam too offered the
golden calf. (1king 12:28) Ahaz offered sacrifice. (1king16:10-13) They are
supporters rather than priests and members of the priestly class. Functional
priesthood becomes an organized institution in Jerusalem.
“During this period of
time groups of professional priests belonging to hereditary families,
ministered at the various sanctuaries such as Shiloh, Gilgal, Dan, Beersheba
and bethel. They were primarily with the proclaiming of oracles and not with
scarifies.”
“The priesthood of
Jesus is secular, man-oriented, and world-confined.”Jesus
of Nazareth was not a priest in the Jewish society in which he lived. Yet the
New Testament speaks of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ that is of the risen
Lord.
The priesthood of Christ is different from that of Aron, it is in the order of
Melchizedek. “The priest is the minister of Christ, an instrument, that is to
say, in the hands of the divine redeemer. He continues the work of the
redemption in all its world-embracing universality and divine efficacy, the
work that shaped to marvelous a transformation in the world.”
Thus the priest is said to be another Christ who continues the work of Jesus.
“Since
then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the
son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who
is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every
respect has been tested as we
are, yet
with our sin.” (Heb. 4:14-15) The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews
undertakes a coherent presentation of the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ in
order to show that the Christian religion ranks above Judaism.
The Epistle regards Christ as the one who “brings a new convenat, as a
mediator” (Heb 9:15 Hebrews give more importance to Jesus’s priesthood.
According to Hebrews, Jesus priesthood is greater than Levitical priesthood
because, for the forgiveness of sinners He offered himself.
The
most frequent title applied to Jesus in the epistle to Hebrews is “High
Priest”. Nowhere else in New Testament Jesus is called our high priest. The
doctrine of Jesus’s high priestly ministry is directly bound up with the
reality of his humanity. This is so because it is the essence of the priesthood
to form a link between humanity and God: “they are selected from among human
beings to function on their behalf in inward matters (Heb 5: 1). Because Jesus
is at the same time both man and God, he is God himself the perfect idea of
which every form of priesthood is a symbol.
It
is really daring from the part of the author to present Jesus as the high
priest of the Order of Melchizedek because Jesus “has offered one single
sacrifice for sins and then he has taken his place for ever at the right hand
of God” (Heb.10:12). There was not anything external tin the life of Jesus,
like a birth in a priestly tribe that could have made the task easy for the
author. His aim was to underscore the essential dimension of the priesthood
form the exterior and qualitative point of view and thus prove the superiority.
Jesus the High Priest According to the Order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7:11). He
does not belong to Levitical priesthood. His Priesthood is not Jewish. “Jesus
claimed by his allusion to Psalm 110 both the dignity of the royal Messiah and
the quality of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.”
In
today’s world we see in every religion we have some kind of priests e.g. Mullah, Sadhu, Panda, etc. In the same
way in Christian religion too have the priest, whose work is to offer sacrifice
to the Lord for the people.When we analyze the meaning and origin of priesthood we find that priesthood
existed before Christ came into this world. But the life of Jesus Christ gave
new meaning to the priesthood. His priesthood surpasses the priest hood of Old
Testament. In the Old Testament priests offered blood sacrifice which was not
their own where as in the New Testament Jesus is both sacrifice and sacrifice.
He sacrificed himself for the forgiveness of the sin of human being.
The Second Vatican council presents
a dynamic view of the Christian priesthood based on the mystery of Christ and
his priesthood. According to the Council, Jesus Christ instituted the Christian
priesthood as a sharing in his consecration and mission, and so the ministerial
priest through the sacrament of the holy orders is configured to the Christ a
priest. The priest is consecrated “after the image of Christ”, in order to
continue the redemptive mission of Christ in a specific manner.
“Priesthood in the catholic church
is the second of three orders of the ordination ministry namely: Diakonoi, presbyterorum and episcopoi.” The Vatican II presbyterorum Ordinis No.4 determines
with greater clarity: “the people of God are formed into one in the first place
but the word of the living God, which is quite rightly sought from the mouth of
priests.”
It is the first task of priests as co- workers of the bishops to preach the
Gospel of God to all. Vatican II gives more important to the ministry of
priest.
The
priest is the servant of Christ who offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the
community. He is the man set apart from the faithful, gifted by God with
transcendent powers and marked with consecratory character, which makes as the
head of the community. By the sacrament of the holy orders he is set apart to
offer sacrifice. He is primarily for the common welfare of the faithful. He is
the symbol and cause of the unity of the church.
“…specially
by the celebration on the Mass they (priests) offer Christ’s sacrifice
sacramentally.”The
Eucharist is the principle and centre root of the whole priestly life. Priests
derive the meaning for their lives and exist for it. Eucharist is like a
life-giving current that links our ministerial or hierarchical priesthood to
the common priesthood of the faithful. In the mystery of the
Eucharistic sacrifice priests fulfil their principal function and the work of
our redemption is continually carried out. For this reason the daily
celebration of Eucharist is recommended.
When
the priest celebrates Eucharistic sacrifice he carries out his principal
mission and expresses himself in all his fullness. Late Pope John Paul II said
to a group of priests from United States on 1982, ‘the essential mission of
priesthood is found in the Eucharist, what the people want from us is that the
mystery of redemption should be made accessible to them, and it is through the
Eucharist that Christ's redemption touches the human hearts and transforms
human history. It is in our faithful ministry that we are fully effective ministers
of the Gospel and the servants of Jesus Christ and his people. Sanctifying the people of
God especially by the celebration of Eucharist transmission of the word of God
and governing the people of God is the mission of the priesthood.
Priests are sent to all and their
mission begins from preaching of God’s word.
They have as their duty to spread the gospel of Christ to all. Through the saving word the spark of faith is
struck in the hearts of those who are away for Christ and fed in the hearts of
the faithful.
The
priests are sent to all and their mission begins form the preaching of God’s
word. They have as their duty to spread the Gospel of Christ to all. The goal of evangelization is to
make all sing God’s praise and to enable all to lead a trust worthy and grace
filled life. The ministry of the word rightly understood, leads to Sacraments
and to the Christian life, as it is practiced in the church, the visible body
of Christ and in the world. Through the
sacraments the word is brought to fuller effect that is the communion in the
mystery of Christ. “Priests then owe it to everybody
to share with them the truth of the Gospel in which they rejoice in the Lord” (Gal.
2:5). Preaching the Word of God is our daily ministry, in the complication of
life, we should not reduce it to a boring ‘routine’ but should be renewed
everyday anew and in this way the novelty of salvation is announced every way
anew. The salvific plan of God,
performed by Jesus Christ once and for all is therefore the same throughout the
ages, passes through the priest’s ministry.
In this ministry of priest, both the pastor and faithful are same and
sanctified together. The priestly
service should be full and unconditional dedication open to all, so that no one
feels excluded.
Jesus considered every man as a person and
respected and loved him/her. He wanted every man to be fully alive and fully
human. Jesus wanted to save humankind from all forms of bondage. It is to save humankind from the clutches of
evil that God sent him on earth. Jesus sent his disciples to continue this
mission. Every priest shares in Jesus’ mission. Hence a priest should conduct
himself after the example of the Master, who came amongst men “not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).
An ideal shepherd is concerned about the
wellbeing of the sheep. The shepherd unlike hired servant loves the sheep and
calls the sheep by name. The sheep hears his voice. The priest tends the sheep
belonging to God. The priest is always at the disposal of his parishners. Like
the good shepherd he takes care of his people. He has a special concern for the
sick and the wounded. This model calls the priests to self-emptying sacrifice and
a preferential option for the sick, the suffering the last and the least.
Today we live in a disturbed world
where there is disharmony, various forms of discrimination, violence,
terrorism, hatred etc. Human heart is
the place where its ultimate roots are found.
Yet there is desire among many expressed in many ways to restore harmony
and peace. The sincere longing for peace
reflects the presence of God’s grace.
The
message of reconciliation forms the very heart of church’s mission. Vat. II says, “Church is the sign and
sacrament of intimate union with God and of the unity of all mankind. If the Church has experienced in herself
deep reconciliation than it can become a reconciliation force in the world, so
also the priest. He also must experience
the solace and the joy of the sacrament of reconciliation. He should be a man reconciled in
himself. What he gives is what he passed
through himself. When we minister
reconciliation we have to let pass through ourselves and be men reconciled to
God and to our fellow men. We have to be
spiritually and emotionally balanced.
The message of what God wishes to do must first of all be done and be
seen in us.
Priesthood in the church is
surrounded by many problems, some of which affect the very nature and
understanding of the priesthood itself.
Everyone is aware of the global phenomenon of challenges among the
priest immediately after the Second Vatican Council. It is in this context of the changing world
the code of Canon Law offers valuable indications considering what the church
retains useful and necessary for the priest in the modern world and reflects on
what may be required to be priest in the world.
No one is admitted to priesthood
unless he has first undergone the formation according to the norm of the
Church. The code of canon law No.1027 clearly says on admission to priesthood:
“Aspirants to the diaconate and the priesthood are to be formed by careful
preparation in accordance with the Law.”
A
priestly formation and maturation are not to be identified only with academic
studies but also taken into consideration of the spiritual formation. The code
of the canon law no. 1028 states, “the diocesan Bishops or the competent
superior must ensure that before they are promoted to any order, candidates are
properly instructed concerning the order itself and its obligations.”
Certain requirements are necessary
for the candidate to be promoted to the priesthood. He should have integral
faith, the right intention, required knowledge other physical and psychological
qualities.
Priest is not a Pujari, who has been consecrated to preside
over the Eucharist or administer the sacraments. He is a pastor who has been
officially charged with the building of the Christian community. Pastoral
function which the Christian priest exercises as ‘ministry’ is an act of
service and not manifestation of skill, of status or of power.
The priest in
India is seen as a ‘sacred person’ (sacerdos) whose primary identity derives
from this cultic function. He has a sacred character, which sets him apart from
the lay Christians and empowers him to officiate at cultic celebration in a way
in which the lay person is not able to do. Because he is sacred person he is
set apart from the world and belongs to the sacred realm and must be
distinguished from ‘lay’, non-priestly contemporaries by special form of
life-style and dress, which reinforces the distinction between the sacred and
the profane. Even though Jesus sought to overcome this distinction all through
his life, in the catholic priesthood this distinction has taken a visible form
in priestly celibacy, not taking part in trade and not being allowed to enter
into politics, etc.
It is also
important to see that there are problems within the Church, because most of the
studies done have been primarily oriented to the improvement of the training of
priests. As preparation for a Synod of Roman Catholic Bishops in October 1971,
in Rome, on the theme of ministerial priesthood, the clergy commission of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of India conducted among catholic priests in India.
The important areas of enquiry were: the challenges of priests in India, the
theological understanding of priesthood, the desirability of priestly celibacy
and the relationship between bishops and priests. The survey brings out that
the cultic images of the priest in his sociological distance from laity, the
prophetic mission, and the vocation to serve this are often not seen
sufficiently.
In India today,
the priest must be a community builder whose concern reach beyond the minuscule
Christian community to which he belongs. His concern must be as large as the
concern of Jesus himself. Jesus came into this world not to save a few
individuals, nor to give sight to a pair of blind people or heal a few sick. He
came to destroy the rule of Satan and to establish the reign of God. This is
the true meaning of priesthood.
Central
India (the Chota Nagpur) was then opening up to missionary work and Constant Lievens
was sent to the area in 1885. Lievens settled in a hut at Torpa, a large
village 60 km south of Ranchi. Torpa became the centre of his activities. He
freed the land of Mundas from land lords. He was looked like savior for
them. Many asked and received baptism. A
large conversion movement was set into motion. In the year 1886 the number of
Christians was 2700 and successively increased to 40,000. He was then helped by
other missionaries who came to support him in his task. he shifted residence to
Ranchi (1888-1892), the district headquarter, from where coordination of missionary
activities (justice and social work, education and evangelization) was easily
done.
And in this way missionaries came to Chotanagpure and priests involeved
themselves in continuing the mission.
“Stay
awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial”. (Mt 26:41). This
is how Jesus exhorted his disciples Peter, John and James when he prayed to his
heavenly Father before his arrest. The same exhortation is applicable to
priests today.
“The
first thing a priest must do to lead a priestly life is to realize that he is a
priest …the efficacy of the priesthood lies first of all in its spirituality.”
It is necessary in all ages, a priestly spirituality is especially needed in
modern society. Spirituality is that which determines and directs one’s life.
It is immediately clear that spirituality neither is nor restricted to any
particular religion as such. In its widest sense, spirituality refers to any
religious or ethical value that is concretized as an attitude or spirit from
which one’s actions flow. Again this concept of spirituality is not restricted
to any particular religion; it applies to any person who believes in the divine
or the transcendent, and fashions a lifestyle according to one’s religious
conventions. In this context, one can speak of Zen, Buddhist, Jewish, and
Muslim spirituality as well as Christian spirituality.
Priesthood
was instituted by Jesus Christ Himself before his death. It is known to us
through the Gospels and same thing is repeated in the document of the church;
Vatican II. Being Christian we all accept the teaching of the Church. It also
describes clearly the origin and purpose of priesthood, their functions and
mission. Whereas Canon Law gives some order for a candidate to be admitted into
clerical order.
Today
in order to be a effective priest either in Chotanagpur or any parts of the
world, it is very much demanding form the people that priest be a spiritual
man, a man of prayer. In India priest are seem as sacred persons, so they have
to be holy as Jesus was holy in thought, words and deeds.
CHAPTER
THREE
Human
life is cluttered with glitches and inconsistencies. This is true in the
priestly like too. He is not only struggling to remain holy and grow in it, but
also facing a lot of challenges to actualize his priestly ministry both internally
and externally. He is questioned by his very self as well as by outsiders in
proclaiming the good news. Here are some
challenges a priest faces in his life.
1. Spiritual
challenge
2. Social
challenge
3. Sexual
challenge
4. Psychological
challenge
This
fast developing world poses a lot of challenges for a priest. It is a world of
technology, globalization and consumerism. Hence, the relevance of prayer and
spirituality has gone down. Priests too tend to be swayed by the current tide
of the time. It is difficult to be unaffected by this drastic change of the
time one may be tempted to spend a lot of time in front of the internet,
television and to use mobile phone. Then, there is very little time left for
prayer and even if there is time, he may find it boring and dry, because his
life gets oriented towards such kind of time- table. According
to the demand of time priest involve themselves in various ministries like
social developments of the people, education, running the big institution etc.,
and at the end of they have no time to focus on their spiritual life. They give
much importance to duties. Though a priest may be very intelligent, educated,
efficient and effective without prayer he will be devoid of spiritual glow.
Mother Teresa says, “The Lord does not ask us to be successful; he asks us to
be faithful.”
Priests
have to be faithful to their prayer lives. “Priests who do not pray gradually
lose their credibility, because people seek guidance and support from those who
are prayerful and spiritual. When prayer has been abandoned a priest will be
surrounded by temptations from all around like bees he will crave for power and
position. He will accumulate money. Alcohol will be his constant companion and
there will be crisis in his chastity this is the low ebb of priestly life. The
sad aspect of priestly life of today is that modern life style has choked the
beautiful creeper of prayer life. It needs revival and resurgence. It is the
need of the hour to strike a balance between things of comfort and spiritual
life.”
Gone
are the days when people used to come to the priest or consult a priest for all
matters. A priest was the most educated man in the society. A priest was
considered the beacon of the society. Now people are more educated. Therefore
the role of the priest today is more challenging. Challenges to the priestly
vocation were historically perceived as those coming out of a negative concept
of the world. Nothing was expected good or holy form the world and therefore
traditions, cultures, mores, behaviors, songs, dances, thoughts, writings and
all proved as challenges to be overcome by a priest.
Now
he is not only a religious leader or a spiritual guide but he has to play
multiple roles like social worker, counselor adviser and healer. Pope Benedict
XVI in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth) comments
“Globalization may make us neighbors but not brothers/ sisters.” The world has
become a small family. Often his mission is comprises people of different
religions, languages, races and regions. Each one fights for his own identity.
There is disrespect for others. A priest stands for unity. He has to cultivate
harmony and peace in the society and bring every member of the parish in front
of the same alter of the Lord. Whether rich or poor, he has to treat everybody
with the same dignity. This is a challenge for modern priest.
The
catholic priest is known for his celibate life. The gift of celibacy is
foundation stone for a pries. The obligatory celibacy is requirement for
priesthood is a challenge. Sexual misconducts of priests have very much
tarnished the image of the church. It has also led to the deterioration of the
confidence of the people in priests. Sexual misconducts like homosexuality,
paedophilia, molestations, etc. create a negative attitude towards priesthood
both among Christians and non-Christians alike.
To
live the celibate life, he needs to be mature emotionally. Thus emotional
maturity is the bedrock for an authentic spiritually and intellectual life.
Meaningful relationships with both the laity and priests friends will help the
priest to grow more and more in his life. Integration of sexuality and the
proper understanding of celibacy also help him. Acceptance and good relation
with the presbyterium may prevent loneliness and help him live out the gospel
values. Otherwise, loneliness may lead a priest to pornography, masturbation,
pedophilia, and homosexuality and so on. Even some may leave the priesthood.
Today’s world is centered on fashions and sex. Thus the priest is challenged.
Very
often the term “wholeness” is associated with Psychological maturity. The psychological
maturity is the proper way of behavior and attitude expected form a normal person.
The term “Holiness” is associated with Spiritual or Religious maturity. Second
Vatican council emphasizes the need for wholeness in our Holiness. One cannot
divide human functioning into various dimensions because various aspects of a
human person, namely spiritual, psychological, intellectual, physical, social
etc are inseparable part of a single unit. Maturity or immaturity in one
dimension will affect the other dimension will affect the other dimensions of
the human person. Immaturity in psychological life of an individual will affect
both the physical and spiritual aspects of the human person.
Since
priests are dealing with human persons in their ministry their psychological
maturity are very important. It is said if a distressed person finds a
psychologically mature priest then he is likely to live a better life, on the
other hand if a distressed person finds a psychologically immature priest, then
his problem may become worse. A
solid psychological maturity goes hand in hand with a solid spiritual maturity.
Hence priest’s psychological maturity is very important to be a spiritually
mature person. Psychologically mature person is a relational person. Holiness
is relationship; spirituality is relationship so also Psychological maturity is
also relationship. If a priest wants to be effective in his ministry first and
foremost he should become relational person.
In
recent days, the priest is challenged intellectually, physically, emotionally,
and spiritually. To face these challenges is not easy. Therefore the priest
should know the true understanding of discipleship, which includes concern and
care for the poor and the needy and the selfless service to humanity. For this
he needs a conversion in his way of living to face the challenges and to
witness to Christ. He can attain this only through the integration of his body,
mind and soul and a deep personal relationship with God. Furthermore, the up to
date knowledge about the world through good reading and select television
programme and attending seminars may help him to grow more in his priestly
life. Thus he can challenge the world.
Priesthood
in the Catholic Church has its origin and foundation in the priesthood of
Christ, the High priest. A priest is
ordained to the prophetic, priestly and kingly ministry of Christ. Jesus’
priesthood was not a cultic one; he did not belong to the priestly order of his
days. He did not offer his sacrifice in a liturgical solemnity or in the
temple, but offered himself on the cross to build the kingdom of God.
In
the same way priests engaged in struggle for human rights, and in spreading
education, legal awareness and in promoting various forms of solidarity among
people. In our situation, it is important that the priest views his role as
builder of the wider community, beyond his barrier of religion, cast, language
or ethnic group. Like Christ the priest is anointed with the Holy Spirit so
that in this society he may bring Good News to the humble, bind the
brokenhearted, announce liberation to those in captivity, and comfort those who
mourn.
Priesthood is a precious gift and a
vocation that the world looks up to. Leaving aside those struggling and trying
to find the meaning of this vocation, there are so many dedicated and happy
priests who are mediating God’s love to the poor and abandoned. Vocation of a priest is carrying ones cross
daily with a joyful heart.
In
recent days, the priest is challenged intellectually, physically, emotionally,
and spiritually. To face these challenges is not easy. Therefore the presets
should know the true understanding of discipleship, which includes concern and
care for the poor and the needy and the selfless service to humanity. For this
he needs conversion in his way of living to face the challenges and to witness
to Christ. He can attain this only through the integration of his body, mind
and soul and a deep personal relationship with God. Furthermore, the up to date
knowledge about the world through good reading and select television programme
and attending seminars may help him to grow more in his priestly life. Thus he
can challenge the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constant_Lievens
