Word to the Wise
Monday, January 16, 2023 - Monday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 5:1-10 and Mark 2:18-22]
In my 50+ years of ordained ministry I have had many an occasion to meditate on this passage from the Letter to the Hebrews. Every profession is carried on by human beings and human beings have weaknesses. Some of those weaknesses can be very dangerous, indeed, as the sex-abuse crisis among Catholic clergy [and other professions, as well] has shown. But there are weaknesses far more common among the clergy than pedophilia, and the failure to recognize those weaknesses can result in loss of folks in the pews. The second largest Christian denomination in the USA after Catholics is former Catholics!
The nobility and value of priesthood in the Body of Christ is truly great but it comes with "occupational hazards." One of my principal preaching ministries since the early 1990's has been retreats for priests and deacons (usually with spouses in attendance, too). I have to be aware of my own experience of weakness before I talk to others. [1 Cor. 9:27] The stresses and strains that come with the exercise of an authority that has sacramental power can be considerable. Lord Acton's famous dictum about the corrupting influence of power is alive and well in the church, and priests and deacons must constantly be aware of that corrupting influence. The Spanish hymn puts it well: Poder es servir!" [To be powerful means to serve.]
In the rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders, the candidate is presented by the People of God to the bishop for service to the People of God, the Body of Christ. As the Letter to the Hebrews puts it, "No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God...." Humble service is the only thing worthy of that call. AMEN