Back to Ordinary Time we go this week (the wear’n of the green!). But I still have the Christmas liturgies fondly in mind. I think back on all the preparations that went into the celebration of the Lord’s birth. By Christmas Eve the choirs (classic, contemporary and children’s choirs) were practiced and ready to go.
The sanctuary was adorned with poinsettias, candles, and trees. Extra chairs were set in the Gathering Space. Altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers and greeters were all assigned and ready to serve. Everything was ready. But what about . . . the priest?
I hate thinking about this, but what if Fr. Tim or Fr. John had gotten Covid? Who would say mass? All the preparations for Christmas would stand silent. There is no one to proclaim the Gospel and pray the prayers that change bread and wine into the Body of Christ. What do we do; sing Silent night and go home?
I describe this unhappy scenario to make a simple point. We need the priest to activate the worship of the community in the celebration of The Mass. Only in the Catholic Church is there the absolute dependence on someone acting in the Person of Christ. This person, the priest, is the instrument by which the people (united with Christ in Spirit) offer themselves to the Father in the Sacrifice of the Cross and, in return receive the Resurrected Christ in the Eucharist.
Someone needs to be Jesus. And as you can imagine, no one takes this upon themself. Because that person, the priest, is just a man. A human being. He must be given that authority by the Church. And the Church too must be given that power by God. And God did. At the first Eucharist (the Last Supper) Jesus told the apostles “Do this in memory of me.”
Friends we need priests. Current statistics should cause concern about the future availability of the Eucharist for those who hunger for it.
There are currently 91 priests in active full-time ministry. The median age of a priest in the Diocese of Rochester is 73. With the retirement age for priests set at 75, 27 priests will reach retirement in the next 5 years. In that same time we currently hope to ordain 3 men to the priesthood. Are you getting the picture? For over ten years parishes have had to cluster together to share the ministry of a single priest.
Yet the People of God seem oblivious to the upcoming challenge. “As long as we have “our priest,” we’re ok. Good luck to the rest of you.” It doesn’t work that way. The priest serves in a parish at the discretion of the bishop. He goes where he is assigned. That way no parish “owns” a priest. He is a gift from the diocese. Declining numbers of worshippers and a growing lack of priests sometimes requires a bishop to ask a parish to share a priest. Some of my closest priest friends find themselves shepherding two and three churches.
So what do we do? A couple things. First, pray. Jesus said, “The harvest is rich but laborers are few. Ask the Harvest Master to send laborers to the Vineyard.” (Mt. 9:37)
Next, talk to young men. (I start to mention this to boys who’ve reached the fifth grade. Something like, “You have good faith. I’ve seen it in the way you treat others. The way you pray at mass, etc. Have you ever thought you could serve God as a priest? Think about it.”
We Catholics are so shy about this, aren’t we? Why? Several reasons, but I think they all boil down to the feeling that vocations to the priesthood “just happen.” They don’t. We have to plant the seed in the hearts of these young men.
And . . . we have to share with these young ones the beauty of a life that says Christmas Mass, baptizes my children, marries us, hears our confession, visits us in the hospital, and sends us off to God in our burial.
We will continue to pray for priests and religious women at every Sunday mass at Holy Trinity. Let’s get to work.
Fr. Tim
