Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests (Ascension)

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Chapter 6: Pastoral Formation

When priests fail to remember that they are beloved sons of God, 180 disciples of Christ before all else, they easily lapse into the errors of clericalism. Moreover, since they share in the priesthood of the very Son of God himself, it is fundamentally important that they be deeply aware of being “sons in the Son” and share in his outlook and desires. Priests will then be ready, with all the force and attractiveness of their personality and personal witness, to communicate the love of Christ to those whom they serve, as spiritual fathers and good shepherds. Primacy Given to Salvation of Souls 215 One of the defining features of a man called to the priesthood, a necessary quality of his interior and apostolic life, is a desire for the salvation of souls. St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, expressed his own burning desire when he boldly prayed to God, “Grant me the conversion of my parish; I consent to suffer whatever you wish, for as long as I live.” 181 The heart of a priest is therefore marked by a generosity in his service to others, zeal in the apostolate, 182 and qualities of pastoral charity such as patience, compassion, mercy, and a desire to reconcile sinners to God. 183 He endeavors to follow the guidance provided in the First Letter of St. Peter, which encourages priests about the need to serve in humility and self-forgetfulness: “I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. Tend the flock of God in your midst, [overseeing] not by constraint but willingly, as God would 180 See DMLP, no. 3. 181 St. John Vianney, quoted in St. John Paul II, “The Cure of Ars” (Letter to All the Priests of the Church for Holy Thursday 1986), CatholicCulture.org, July 11, 2023. 182 “In the image of the Apostles, apostolic zeal is the fruit of the overwhelming experience issuing forth from closeness with Jesus.” DMLP, no. 21. 183 “He will also know how to bend over with mercy upon the difficult and uncertain journey of the conversion of sinners, to whom he will reserve the gift of truth and the patient, encouraging benevo lence of the Good Shepherd, who does not reprove the lost sheep, but loads it onto his shoulders and celebrates its return to the fold (see Lk 15:4-7).” DMLP, no. 41.

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