Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

28 | GUIDE TO ONGOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS

lives. 52 So too in ongoing formation, the best resources in the world will do little to help a priest who does not make the effort to grow. It is up to us to make formation a priority, by giving it the time, attention, and energy that it deserves. 53 In St. Peter’s Basilica, a mosaic of Ananias and Sapphira faces the priest who emerges from the sacristy to celebrate Mass. These two early disciples were found wanting because they sold their land but secretly withheld a portion of their proceeds from the Apostles. They wanted to create the impression that they had given all their revenue, without actually having done so. It is no coincidence that the mosaic greets the priest in St. Peter’s Basilica as he walks to the altar for the most important moment of his day. Too often, we priests may give the impression of having made a complete gift of ourselves, while we hold back the time and energy that rightfully belong to God. Taking our ongoing formation seriously is a way of keeping our priesthood rooted in pastoral charity. It helps us continue to give ourselves generously to God and to his people. If we devote ourselves to personal growth in the priesthood, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit will multiply our efforts and forge us into the priests we dreamed of becoming on the day of our ordination. 54 73. 74. 75. When our Lord commissioned his disciples to preach the Kingdom of God, he sent them out two by two. He could have doubled his reach in those first efforts to preach the Gospel by sending them out singly, but he knew that their mutual support would more than compensate for the loss. The book of Proverbs teaches that “a brother that is helped by 52 “This necessity [for ongoing formation] is intrinsic to the divine gift itself which is to be continually ‘viv ified’ so the priest may adequately respond to his vocation. In fact, as a man situated in history, he needs to perfect himself in all the aspects of his human and spiritual existence in order to attain that conformity with Christ, the unifying principle of all things.” DMLP, no. 87. 53 “Ongoing formation is a right-duty of the priest and imparting it is a right-duty of the Church. It is there fore stipulated in universal law.” DMLP, no. 90; see CIC, c. 279. 54 “Precisely for this reason, it [that is, ongoing formation] cannot be a limited task, because priests never stop being disciples of Jesus, who follow Him. Sometimes we proceed with celerity, at other times our step is hesitant, we stop and we may even fall, but always staying on the path. Therefore, formation understood as discipleship accompanies the ordained minister his entire life and regards his person as a whole, intel lectually, humanly and spiritually.” Francis, Address to the Plenary of the Congregation for the Clergy, October 3, 2014. FRATERNAL MEANS