The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Priests

by Rev. Fr. Eugene Fadul

San Pablo Theological Formation House

23 March 2002

INTRODUCTION

It is very usual that the understanding of priesthood is always connected with Jesus Christ. Theologically speaking, a priest is an "alter Christus"—another Christ. Every time he administers the sacraments, he is acting "in persona Christi Capitis "—in the person of Christ, the head of the Church.

There is nothing bad in seeing the priesthood in relation to Christ, since it is really he, who is the origin of priesthood. However, it is sad to say that it seems the role of the Holy Spirit in the priesthood is somewhat overlooked or is always presupposed.

The purpose of my conference today is to present how does the Holy Spirit act in the life and ministry of a priest.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF A PRIEST

According to our doctrine, the Holy Spirit is first received by a person through the sacrament of Baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Baptism…makes the neophyte ‘a new creation,’ an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature,’ member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit." It gives "new life" through the sanctifying grace. In addition, Baptism confers the "common priesthood" to all the faithful. Through this priesthood, a Christian participates into the priesthood of Jesus Christ, and leads him to a holy life.

A priest receives again the Holy Spirit during his ordination. In the rite of ordination, there are three parts wherein the conferring of the Holy Spirit is being shown: first, during the imposition of the hands. Traditionally, the imposition of the hands is a gesture of bestowing the Holy Spirit to a person. In the his first letter to Timothy, St. Paul reminds Timothy to stir into flame the gift of God which he has received through the imposition of St. Paul’s hands (Cf. 1Tim. 1,6). Second, the priest receives the Holy Spirit when the Bishop prays the prayer of consecration: "Renew within him the Spirit of holiness…" Lastly, the Holy Spirit is conferred on the priest during the anointing of his hands. The Bishop prays the following prayer: "The Father anointed the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit." "Anointing with oil [also] signifies the Holy Spirit, to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit."

From the data presented above, we can say that the life of a priest is closely connected with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit elevates the grace of common priesthood, which he received in Baptism, to a higher level, that is, the ministerial priesthood. He is no longer participating but performing in the person of Christ.

As I have stated above, the main goal of Baptism is holiness. The Holy Spirit leads the Christian to live a life of holiness. Moreover, in the sacrament of Holy Order, the Holy Spirit is re-conferred. It only means that the vocation of the priest now is to a more perfect state of holiness. The Holy Spirit guides the priest to live a life of holiness.

The life of a priest has various aspects. According to Pope John Paul II, these are the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral dimensions. These are the four pillars, which support the life of a priest. Holiness can be manifested if a priest can balance these four dimensions. A priest cannot be holy if he is prayerful while neglecting his pastoral duty, nor if he is good in his relationship with the people while neglecting his prayer life, and vice-versa. Holiness in priestly life is integrating these four dimensions. Holiness means to be "holos"—to be whole.

The Holy Spirit makes the life of a priest whole, thus making him holy.

Furthermore, after the priest’s transformation by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit leads him into communion with the Church. The Directory on the Life and Ministry of Priests states:

"Inserted in the communion of the Church with the entire priestly order, the priest will be guided by the Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent through Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches him everything and reminds him all Jesus has said to the Apostles. Therefore, the priest with the help of the Holy Spirit and the study of the Word of God in the Scriptures, with the light of Tradition and of the Magisterium, discovers the richness of the Word to be proclaimed to the ecclesial community entrusted to him."

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE MINISTRY OF A PRIEST

The public ministry of Jesus began in his Baptism at the Jordan. The gospels narrate that when Jesus was baptized by John, the heaven opened, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and voice was heard saying, "this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 3,16-17; Mk. 1,11; Lk. 3,21-22). In Nazareth, Jesus proclaimed his mission:

"the Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty

to captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord" (Lk. 4, 18-19).

The priest is an "alter Christus." He acts "in persona Christi Capitis." Jesus is the prototype of priesthood. Therefore, the mission of Jesus is also the mission of the priest. Christ has instituted the priesthood so that his mission may be carried on.

Through the priestly ministry, the priest performs the work Christ has entrusted to him. Etymologically speaking, ministry comes from the Latin word "ministrare" which means, "to serve." Jesus has come into the world "non ministrari sed ministrare" (Mk. 10,45).

Thus, every time the priest administers the sacraments, every time he serves the needy, every time he proclaims the Word of God, he is acting in the person of Christ. What makes him capable of performing such enormous tasks? The answer is: the grace of God, which has been conferred on him during his ordination, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit makes a human being a Christian during Baptism. The same Spirit inspires the hearts of the faithful every time the Word of God is preached.

If we can notice the pattern, the ministry of the priest is just revolving around the activity of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there can be no Church. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the one who animates the inner life of the Church. Being the Temple of the Holy Spirit, as Vatican II declares , the Church has a primary mission. This mission is to serve the faithful through her ministries, particularly through the priestly ministry.

CONCLUSION

To sum up what I have shared, I would like to give you the most beautiful example of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Priesthood. In John 14, at the Last Supper, Jesus promised the coming of the "Paraclete": "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth…" (Jn. 14,16-17a).

The sacrament of Holy Order was instituted during the Last Supper, and Jesus, at the same time, promised the Paraclete to his disciples. The connection here is very clear. Christ gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples, particularly to his apostles, in order to carry on his mission.

The Holy Spirit, as the Paraclete, serves as their guide and strength. Thus, when the apostles have received the Holy Spirit, they have experienced an intrinsic transformation. Before, they were afraid; now, they become courageous witnesses and announcers of Christ’s salvific message.

The mission of Christ is still on going up to this time. The priest, like the Apostles, is called to live the life of the Spirit and to serve the Church, through the Holy Spirit.

To end up this conference, I would like to share with you a poem about the transformation experienced by the apostles during Pentecost. Also, as priests, we must experience this in order to face the challenges of the present time.

They collected what little was left

of their friendship.

There hadn’t been enough of it

to be with him under the cross.

They had sat so far off

with looks of terror

while he died.

Sober to the point of contempt,

disappointment permeating to the roots of their hearts,

creatures between this world and the underworld—

disciples, apostles, chosen ones—

ones who could see, yet saw nothing,

ones who could hear, yet heard nothing,

ones who could believe, yet believed nothing,

unawakened, unenlightened,

victims of fear, heir of someone crucified.

Until the Spirit came

and burned their images of Jesus

and scattered to the winds

their dreams of power.

Then Peter; normally afraid of pain,

rose up

and began to speak, risking his life

like Isaiah and Jeremiah before him,

and no cross could prevent him

from saying to all mankind:

"He who was crucified lives!"

A Paper Work submitted to Rev. Fr. GUILLERMO V. VILLEGAS, SVD Divine Word School of Theology Tagaytay City