Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - St. Anthony, abbot
[Hebrews 5:1-10 and Mark 2:18-22]Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God......
Last week I preached a retreat for Dominican seminarians (student brothers) who are studying at Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, MO. Most, but not all, of these young brothers are discerning the call not only to Dominican life but also to the priesthood. A few of them feel called to be non-ordained brothers - whom we call "Cooperator Brothers." All of them are attracted to the charism of our Order - PREACHING. Those who are studying for the priesthood find the discernment challenging. The role of the priest in the Catholic community is somewhat "in flux" now. For those who are members of religious orders and not necessarily destined for parochial ministry, the discernment is very different than for a seminarian studying for priestly ministry on the diocesan level. A Dominican priest may find himself teaching, in campus ministry, itinerant preaching, hospital or other chaplaincy. In other words, a man does not enter the Order of Preachers with the same expectations as a diocesan seminarian. It is true that diocesan priests do perform all those other ministries in various places, but that is not the "default" role of the diocesan priest. That role is one of a parish priest. For the Dominican, the "default" role is that of a preacher! St. Thomas Aquinas and other great Dominican theologians were never parish priests, but they did have to preach. Some Dominicans do serve in parochial ministry and the expectation is that those parishes will be known for the quality of the preaching. Therefore, the discernment that a young Dominican (and those who are in charge of his formation) must make about the "call" must include that brother's attitude and talent for preaching!
The Letter to the Hebrews points out that no one takes the honor and role of priest on himself. He must be called by God. That "call" can take many shapes. I remember the persistent urge that I felt which could have been translated into the words: "You must do this!" I did not know a lot about the Order of Preachers and it took those seven years of initial formation to introduce me to the charism of preaching. I had no expectation of working in a parish but found myself especially enjoying pastoral ministry in a university setting, which had a great impact on my preaching. I have subsequently spent about 28 years in campus ministry and gradually began the itinerant preaching ministry that I perform now. The discernment was a mix of my own self-understanding, that of my Dominican superiors and the Holy Spirit working through both! The Dominican student brothers will have to make that same discernment. It is a combination of a decision to embrace Dominican life and charism (ordained or not) and a decision about the challenging "ambiguity" of the role of priest in our Order. Please pray for these men. I found myself last week preaching to the future! All of us are "beset by weakness" and must recall our humanity in offering ourselves in service to God's people. The quality of the brothers who faced me last week gave me great hope for our Dominican future. AMEN
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