Today's priesthood: shadow over the sun.

The following talk was delivered by the author on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Father Colleton is well known. He has criss-crossed Canada while delivering his humour-filled, serious messages on the defence of the unborn.

Editor.

In recent years the priesthood has to some extent suffered kind of partial eclipse in the public view, because of the undoubted weaknesses of many of our members. That is a human reaction to bad publicity. I do not say false publicity, but theologically it is an unsound reaction. For the priesthood draws its glory not from the perfection of us its members, but from the Divinity of Christ. And just as the Divinity of Christ remained intact in spite of the weakness of Peter, the treachery of Judas, and the cowardice of the other apostles, so the glory and splendour of His priesthood remain untouched by the unworthiness of those with whom He shares it. A cloud passing across the face of the sun may obscure its light from human eyes, but the sun itself remains as bright and undimmed, as glorious and as powerful, as it always has been and always will be.

Nevertheless, we humans, both priest and laity, see the priesthood as it were incarnated in the human form who stands at the altar, raises his hand in absolution, and passes on the eternal message of the gospel in a human and often uninspiring voice. And so, I shall try to paint briefly for you my image of what a priest should be. And I assure you that in doing so, I feel like an inferior artist feasting his eyes on a da Vinci or a Raphael and saying, "I wish I could paint like that."

Alter Christus

In Catholic theology the priest has always been referred to as an "Alter Christus," another Christ. The priest by his ordination is meant to be a reflection of Christ Himself. What is the first obligation imposed on a priest by his ordination? According to Father John Hardon, a well-known Jesuit spiritual writer, "The first duty of a priest is to lead a holy life." He says, "Priests are to be holy in order to be an example of sanctity for the faithful to imitate." But, he continues, "the principal reason why a priest should be holy is that his primary ministry is to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."

When the priest pronounces the sacred words of Consecration, he does not say, "This is Christ's body, this is Christ's blood." No, he says, "This is my body; this is my blood." He stands in the very sandals of Christ Himself. Surely that demands a holy and Christlike life, a life in which others can see a true reflection of Christ. When the priest raises his hand in forgiveness over the sinner, he does not say, "Christ forgives" but "I forgive you."

Did it ever occur to you that even if Our Lady and the three archangels were standing by the bedside of a dying sinner, they could not absolve him from his sins, but the most unworthy priest, even a priest who had left the active ministry, could do so. Why? Because the powers of the priesthood are given to him, not for himself, but for the spiritual good of others. The priest, because of the Sacrament of Ordination, speaks with the authority of Christ Himself. And that is why the Catholic laity have always held the priest in reverence. That is why they address him by the beautiful title of "Father." It is not because of his intellect, his learning, his wisdom or his eloquence.

If we were to depend on such gifts for the love and fidelity of our faithful, many of us would fail to qualify. But the eyes of faith can penetrate the humanity of the man and fix their gaze on a soul that is stamped for eternity with the indelible character of the Priesthood, a soul miraculously endowed with the power of Christ Himself.

Preaching the word of God

One of the most important duties of the priest is the preaching of the Gospel. The total Gospel, not just the nice bits that will not offend anyone or adversely alter the Sunday collection.

That was the last command of our Lord, "Go, teach. Teaching them to observe all the things I have taught." If ever the preaching of the integral teaching of the church was vital, it is surely in this materialistic age when our people are being bombarded through all the wonderful techniques of today, with the doctrines of naturalism, secularism, materialism and the philosophy of a world without God.

Where else will our faithful and particularly our young people find the antidote to the spirit of the world if not in the pulpit? In the words of St. Paul, "The priest must preach the Gospel, in season and out of season." And in the words of the same great Apostle of the Gentiles, "Woe is me, if I preach not the Gospel."

What I have given you is merely an outline of the priesthood as I have seen it over the past half century. I have deliberately avoided being too personal, simply because I could not trust myself.