Conclusion of The Year for Priests

The Year for Priests concluded this past Friday, June 11, which was also the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On this occasion, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at St. Peter's Square in Rome, where thousands of priests had gathered for the closing ceremonies of this holy year. In his homily at this Mass, the Holy Father spoke simply but profoundly of the sacrament of the priesthood.

The priest is not a mere office-holder, like those which every society needs in order to carry out certain functions. Instead, he does something which no human being can do of his own power: in Christ’s name he speaks the words which absolve us of our sins and in this way he changes, starting with God, our entire life. Over the offerings of bread and wine he speaks Christ’s words of thanksgiving, which are words of transubstantiation – words which make Christ himself present, the Risen One, his Body and Blood – words which thus transform the elements of the world, which open the world to God and unite it to him.

The priesthood, then, is not simply "office" but sacrament: God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all men and women, and to act on their behalf. This audacity of God who entrusts himself to human beings – who, conscious of our weaknesses, nonetheless considers men capable of acting and being present in his stead – this audacity of God is the true grandeur concealed in the word "priesthood".

The "audacity of God" is most astonishing. Indeed, it's almost shocking. The logical mind cannot grasp it. Only the believing heart can accept it. Our faith as Catholics is not in the priesthood or in any of the sacraments as such. Rather, our faith is in God, who works in ways the world neither knows nor understands. But we know the One in whom we have believed, and we rejoice that through the sacrament of holy orders, Christ Himself becomes our forgiveness and our Eucharist. Thanks be to God for our many dedicated priests, who daily lay down their lives for us in faith, love, and service. The Year for Priests has ended, but may our prayers of gratitude and petition for them never cease! Amen! Alleluia!

My dear people,
let us pray that God the all-powerful Father

will pour out abundantly the gifts of heaven

on these, his servants,

whom he has chosen for the office of priest.

~from the Rite of Ordination of Priests