Freelance Priests

[Nihil Obstat]

I hope I never meet this young man in a Roman collar. Of course we're 'clericalist'.


Saecula, you've put yourself at polemic odds with the entire catholic Church. Especially in this year for priests, I pray for strong, devoted, and above all, holy men to serve God in the ordained state.

[Saint Therese]

There are so many things to say about this, where to begin? First of all, you seem to have a real lack of understanding of the sublime dignity of the priesthood. Why would we want to create a system that minimalizes the role of the priest and the priesthood? Secondly, men who are not willing to submit to the authority of the Church are not worthy of the priesthood. It is a truth of the spiritual life that true freedom is found in submission. Thirdly, you are correct in saying it is not true that your model of the priesthood has never been tried. In post WW2 europe, the Commumist regimes tried to force this model of a 'worker priest', as part of their strategy to weaken the Church.

[Ephrem Augustine]

Priests are not just sacrament distributing machines Saecula,
preists are servants in the person of Christ, for sake of communion. The communion which is the Body of Christ, and the communion which is the unity of the People of God, and that communion entails sacraments, it entails pastoring, it entails faithfulness to truth.
a seminary program without the laying on of hands and consecration does not a priest make. It is the power of the holy Spirit, in the sacrament of holy Orders, conferred by a Bishop, in communion with the Bishop and the entire Church. A priest does not stand on his own, and study all the same things just to be a priest, it just makes no sense. It shrinks in on itself and ruins the purpose of communion. For the sake of the unity of the holy Spirit, it only makes sense that the priest is devoted to the flock of Christ, and not his own momentary interests.

[CatherineM]

I was actually thinking about this today, and wondering when our pastors would have time to have a day job. Between visiting the sick, counseling, attending meetings, and saying mass during the day, they barely have time to change clothes.

[cmaD2006]

[quote name='Ephrem Augustine' date='03 March 2010 - 10:57 AM' timestamp='1267628227' post='2065892']
Priests are not just sacrament distributing machines Saecula,
[/quote]

A priest is not just sacrament distributing machines ... they are a walking Sacrament.

(just for clarity ... I definitely agree with Ephrem Augustine)

Edited March 4, 2010 by cmariadiaz

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='cmariadiaz' date='04 March 2010 - 02:13 PM' timestamp='1267726388' post='2066517']
... they are a walking Sacrament.

[/quote]

That is profoundly beautiful and TRUE.

[Ephrem Augustine]

[quote name='cmariadiaz' date='04 March 2010 - 01:13 PM' timestamp='1267726388' post='2066517']
A priest is not just sacrament distributing machines ... they are a walking Sacrament.

(just for clarity ... I definitely agree with Ephrem Augustine)
[/quote]

Thanks for completing this thought with such poetic beauty, I appreciate it