Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests (Ascension)

GOFP 121

Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

Capacity for Friendship 121 Celibacy does not exclude affection and friendship. In fact, a key marker of any healthy human life is the capacity to make and keep properly ordered friendships, one of the great goods of life. Jesus himself showed us the importance of friendship in his love for friends such as Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, as well as his Apostles. He spoke from his heart to his friends on the night before he died: “I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father” (Jn 15:15). 122 Friendship is a good in itself, being a form of human communion and an example of neighborly love that Jesus identified as a key feature of a Christian life. Friendships are also a school of charity, a source of consolation in difficult times, and a stimulus to courage when friends tackle challenges together. 100 Priests desire solid friendships to help them live their vocation well and trust God in every encounter. 123 One’s first relationships in life are with parents, siblings, extended family, and childhood friends. Some of these friendships will hopefully continue to nourish a priest throughout his life. Many priests make friendships in adulthood with both men and women, and these relationships often continue to grow and mature after ordination. Such friends can frequently provide a helpful perspective that is less constrained by ecclesiastical assumptions. 124 Friendships with the people he serves, given proper boundaries, can also be a healthy source of joy and genuine growth for the priest. 101 Pastoral charity dictates that the priest give himself for the sake of 100 “Friendship is one of life’s gifts and a grace from God. Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity. Faithful friends, who stand at our side in times of difficulty, are also a reflection of the Lord’s love, his gentle and consoling presence in our lives.” Francis, Christus Vivit (Christ Is Alive) , March 25, 2019, no. 151. 101 See CIC, c. 277 §2.

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