How are you living your being a priest, prophet and king? - Daily Reflections November 4,2014

SAINT CHARLES, THE CZAR

OF THE PRIESTHOOD MINISTRY

 

St. Charles, together with great figures of his time (St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Pius V, and St. Philip Neri), countered the Reformation of the Protestants. He pioneered the need for the clergy to undergo education and formation in preparation for priesthood. He fought for holy, good and quality priests. We should not wonder anymore why the Archdiocese of Manila named its seminary (San Carlos Major Seminary) after him.

       Now, more than ever, the faithful are very demanding of their priests. The onslaught of secularism, modernism and other “isms” are testimony to the growing awareness and aggressiveness of the faithful in their faith. They do not just accept things “hook, line and sinker.” They begin to question and they expect the Church to be responsive.

       St. Charles envisioned this and the Church is just too happy for this development. The baptized are also given the responsibilities to be priests, prophets and pastors or shepherds/kings. Priests, in the sense that they can lead in prayers and be given responsibilities in liturgies. Prophets, in the sense that they are expected to know, understand, live and witness to the Word of God. And pastors, in the sense that they are their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, too. The Church is the entire People of God.

       We thank St. Charles for requiring future clergymen to be trained in prayer and apostolate. We need well-formed priests. It may be true that there are priests who, in spite of years of formation, had maligned and disgraced the priesthood. But that is precisely the Church — sinful and holy at the same time.

       With the help of St. Charles of Borromeo, let us pray for more priestly vocations. Let us pray, too, that the faithful will live their baptism — to be priest, prophet and king. In that way, all of us baptized, ordained and lay, will find our way to the Kingdom as promised by God. Fr. Benny Tuazon

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How are you living your being a priest, prophet and king?

 

Thank You, Lord, for the foresight of St. Charles of Borromeo. I pray for Your priests — may they be holy as You are holy. And may they lead the faithful to the same holiness.