Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

CHAPTER 3: HUMAN FORMATION | 49

preaching the Gospel. In addition, many people around the world do not have enough food even to be temperate; those of us who live in prosperous nations can at least strive to be closer to the poor by moderating our meals Restraining alcohol and tobacco consumption, too, has both a personal and an apostolic benefit. The number of priests in the grip of substance dependency is not negligible. Curbing the desire for nicotine and alcohol will lead to longer, more active, and happier lives. It will also ensure that substance abuse does not become an obstacle to a priest’s ministry, as it has, sadly, in too many cases. Often living alone, sometimes in isolation from brother priests and other friends, a priest is particularly susceptible to the excessive use of alcohol and nicotine and must make concrete resolu tions to keep its use in healthy bounds. Another area for temperance is the proper use of digital media and personal devices. Apart from the need to avoid offensive and inappropriate content, temperance means that these technologies do not become a form of bondage for the priest. Many people today, even those who have embraced digital media for good purposes, find themselves attached to digital media and devices that cultivate compulsive behavior. The priest, like everyone else who uses these tools, must offset these pressures with equally deliberate choices. He might, for instance, limit his daily usage of certain content sources, install accountability software, refrain from carrying his digital device on him at the rectory, or make his living space a digital-free zone. In addition, a temperate priest considers regulating which websites and news sources he engages with, particularly those that are irresponsible, inflam matory, or disingenuous. 106 Temperance is a way of humbly acknowledging that concupiscence is real, that we are weaker than we might imagine, and that we are susceptible to bad influences. Excessive technology use can be a distraction that consumes time, energy, and attention. It can become an impediment to silence and recollection. Moderating our intake of digital devices and content is one way to express that humility. 107 129. 130.

131. A final way to practice temperance pertains to the craving for material goods. The priest promises to live a simple life, a pledge that he

106 Priests should be aware that online activity—email, browsing, texting, social media, and so on—is never absolutely private. The prudence and integrity the priest exercises in using such media are for the sake of not only his own soul, but also the reputation of the priesthood and the Church as well as the good of the faithful. 107 See CIC, c. 666.