March 2000 Print

Letters of Archbishop Lefebvre published in Avis du mois (March-April, May-June, and September-October 1966), the monthly letter of the Superior General of the 5,200-member Congregation of the Holy Ghost.

The Priest and Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Conciliar Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis

If there is a keynote, one predominant idea which characterizes the conciliar decree on priests, it is that of the link between the priest and our Lord. We read:

Priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are signed with a special character, and so are configured to Christ the Priest in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the Head (§2).

It should be noted that the decree places more emphasis than used to be the case on the priest's mission as an envoy, a successor of the Apostle par excellence. Thus, more stress is put on the ministry of the Word, of preaching. Nevertheless, this ministry is not an end in itself, but prepares for and leads up to another and more essential ministry, which is the specific purpose of the priesthood.

This purpose is outstandingly well expressed in the following terms:

Through the ministry of priests, the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ, the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priest's hands in the name of the whole Church, in an unbloody and sacramental until the Lord Himself come. The ministry of priests is directed to this and finds its consummation in it. (§2)

The ultimate object of the Eucharistic sacrifice, as of the whole life and ministry of the priest, is the glory of God:

The object that priests strive for by their ministry and life is the procuring of the glory of God the Father in Christ. (§2)

These important affirmations help the priest better awareness of the essential meaning of his vocation. They show him the ultimate orientation his life, both interior and exterior, and will give him a fuller understanding of the consequences of that orientation both for his private life and his apostolate.

By imitating our Lord, the priest, while living among men, will bear witness to a life other than that of this world.

Zealous for the spreading of the Good News by every available means, his aim will always be to bring men to participate in the Eucharist. Here, again, the decree is to the point:

Therefore the Eucharistic celebration is the center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides. (§5)

To bring souls to Jesus Christ, to cause them to participate in His sacrifice and so lead them to the spirit of prayer.

To the exercise of an ever more perfect spirit of prayer throughout their lives... (§5)

What a magnificent agenda! Furthermore, the decree insists anew on the care and attention to be given to the church building.

The house of prayer in which the most Holy Eucharist is celebrated and reserved... (§5)

So that the faithful may find there help and consolation. It is also in the celebration of the Eucharist that the priest will discover his union with his bishop, a union which on certain occasions will be given more concrete expression by concelebration with the bishop.¹

This emphasis which the council puts on the Eucharistic sacrifice as the center of the priesthood is a comfort, for whatever success or lack of it a priest may have in his apostolate, he knows that in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice he accomplishes the essential act of his priesthood, the act in which he offers up all those to whom he is sent, and through which God's blessings come down upon the world and especially upon those around him. Through it, sins are forgiven, depending upon dispositions, graces are received and praise and thanks are given to God.

May we all be convinced by this salutary teaching, so that our courage may be strengthened, and we may be ever more closely united with the Eucharistic Christ.

 

The Conciliar Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, on the Priest in Relation to Others

The first picture which the decree paints of the priest shows him in relation to our Lord, the Priest par excellence and source of his priestly grace, which is exercised above all in the Eucharistic sacrifice and in preaching. In the second, the priest is seen in his relations with other people: "Habitudo ad alios."

It goes without saying that the person closest to a priest is his bishop, and the decree strongly emphasizes the union between bishop and priest, which will find its expression especially in the concelebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

The Council asks bishops to be close to their priests, to meet with them and gather together those whose wise counsels will be helpful to them in the government of their dioceses. Priests, for their part, must respect and obey their bishops. Gathered around their bishop, priests make up a family, so they must avoid an isolation which would be detrimental to the whole body. The same applies also to religious who are sent to work in dioceses. They must be closely integrated with the diocesan family to the full extent that they are a part of it.

But as well as their bishops, priests must also be united with their fellow-clergy. It is in fraternal cooperation among them, "...in the bond of charity, prayer, and every kind of co-operation." That the unity willed by our Lord will be manifested-unity and charity between the oldest and the youngest, a unity which is expressed in a fraternal life lived in common, in periodic gatherings, in charity towards those who are weak.

Let us remember that this fraternal charity is most edifying for the faithful, who are glad to see their priests gathered together in prayer and study and shared joy. It is an expression of the charity and holiness which are marks of the Catholic Church. This is such a consolation for them—the best of sermons.

As one who exists for the building up of the Body of Christ, the priest must see himself as a father and teacher among the people of God, but also as a disciple, a brother among the baptized. He is there to serve, and to use his position not for himself, "Not seeking the things that are his own, but the things that are Jesus Christs's" (cf. Phil. 2:21). His attitude toward the laity must include respect for their liberty, and a willingness to listen to them, to accept their help and to approve and encourage their worthwhile projects. Nor must he neglect those, "non pauci—not a few," who are called to an advanced spiritual life. The priest must be a man for all, "that no-one may feel an outsider in the community of the faithful." What an admirable maxim! And so is the one that follows. Priests are to be the defenders of the common good ... and at the same time the unwavering champions of truth, lest the faithful be carried about with every wind of doctrine" (cf. Eph. 4:14).

The priest must take care of everyone, including the lapsed, separated brethren, and unbelievers.

In just a few sentences the Council has set out the way a priest must live in the midst of the world. Let us profit from what it tells us.

Before closing its second chapter on the priest, the Council considers the distribution of priests and vocations to the priesthood.

We must take note of this desire for a better distribution. Working towards this goal is intrinsic to the vocation of our Congregation, but we could perhaps do more if we showed greater zeal for vocations and made some organizational changes.

For this purpose there can with advantage be set up some international seminaries, special dioceses, or personal prelatures and other institutions to which... priests can be attached or incardinated for the common good of the whole Church. (§10)

Our projects for promoting vocations will draw their inspiration from §11, which provides such opportune and encouraging instructions on the subject.

 

The Priest and Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Conciliar Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis

This third part of the decree deserves to be the subject of frequent meditation by all priests. First it underlines the fundamental reasons for the priestly vocation, and consequently for the priest's call to perfection, then it stresses certain specific requirements for achieving that perfection, and it concludes with various means which are invaluable aids to that end.

Any who doubt the greatness and importance of their priesthood should read this text carefully. In it they will find nourishment both for their faith and for their zeal for their own sanctification, which will, in its turn, guarantee the sanctification of their neighbor.

 

The Priestly Call to Perfection

The basic principle is laid down in the very first line: "By the sacrament of Order, priests are configured to Christ the Priest….” Everything that follows stems from this principle.

The Council invites priests to reflect, perhaps more than they have done in recent years, on the need to acquire perfection, so that they may be ever more "the living instruments of Christ the Eternal Priest to accomplish His wonderful work." And the Synod most strenuously urges—vehementer hortatur—all priests to devote themselves to the quest for that perfection, that holiness, which will render them fitter instruments for sanctifying the People of God.

Again, the decree emphasizes the need for the priest to sanctify himself in the exercise of his ministry. This supposes in his activities and habitual attitude that deep sense of the Faith which comes from reading the Word of God which he teaches to the faithful. The decree makes its own the words of St. Thomas: "To convey to others the fruits of their own contemplation," so that in the very act of preaching the Word, priests are united to Christ the Teacher.

But above all, the Council stresses the Sacrifice of the Mass, and its daily celebration which is "earnestly recommended." In this, the Synod clearly states, "priests fulfil their principal function." Next, it speaks of the administration to the faithful of the sacrament of Penance, the fruit of the holiness and charity which flow from the Eucharistic Sacrifice—a salutary thought for those who have to hear large numbers of confessions.

This charity will find its expression also in the public prayer of the breviary, and in priests' total self-giving for the People of God.

At the same time, the Council Fathers have examined the difficulties experienced by many priest in making a synthesis, a unity, of their lives in the midst of the many and varied tasks they have to accomplish in the course of their daily apostolate. They point to a basic principle: once again, priests must keep their eyes fixed on our Lord, the Model priesthood. They will achieve the unity of their life by imitating Christ in the recognition of the Father’s Will, and in the gift of themselves on behalf of the flock committed to them.

What will be the source of this unity? The Eucharistic Sacrifice, "which is therefore the center and root of the whole priestly life." But this cannot be achieved unless priests themselves penetrate ever more deeply, through prayer, into the mystery of Christ.

They will discover God's Will also in fidelity to the Church and in the bond of communion with their bishops and their brother priests.

There shines from these pages the light shed by faith in the great and sublime vocation of the priest. He is another Christ. Let us make that reality the heart of our priestly life.

 

Special Spiritual Requirements in the Life of the Priest

The first basic disposition needed by priests is to seek not their own will, but the Will of Him who has sent them. Why? Because the Wisdom of God transcends human strength and human wisdom. Hence the need for obedience to those who are set in authority. This obedience, freely chosen and consented to, requires that priests should put forward their suggestions and schemes to their superiors while being always prepared to submit to their judgment. Humility and obedience will conform them more closely to Christ, who became obedient unto death.

Another requirement for the priest, in conformity with the Church's tradition and commended by the word and example of our Lord, is chastity through the practice of celibacy.

What is the universal and traditional understanding of this requirement? Again, it is to be understood in the light of the principles laid down at the beginning of this chapter. Our Lord's references to the perfection of this kind of continence are numerous and quite clear. He Himself set the example, an example followed by those He most especially loved.

 

Priestly chastity for love of our Lord and of souls will be one of the most effective levers of the apostolate. By this example, priests demonstrate their faith that their priesthood originates from God, whose origin is not of the flesh, their undivided love for Christ, and through that love their total availability for the service of God and man. They are also a sign of the life to come, in which the children of the Resurrection will no longer marry.

The Council solemnly reaffirms its wish to maintain this requirement for the holiness of the priest and his perfection, for the honor of the Church and the salvation of souls. It asks priests, and the faithful, too, to hold priestly celibacy in high esteem.

The third and final requirement for the perfection of the priest is his freedom vis-à-vis the things of this world. He has to remain free so as to be docile to the voice of God, and with regard to earthly goods he must behave with real prudence, enlightened by faith. Naturally he will have to make use of those things necessary for his subsistence and his ministry, but the Council emphasizes the need for detachment and poverty, and the usefulness of holding some goo s in common. This virtue, again, will help us to be imitators of our Lord, who became poor for our sakes.

These considerations are eminently beneficial for us religious, who have vowed publicly before God and the Church, to practice these virtues with all our soul and all our strength.

 

Helps for the Priestly Life

Outside the actual exercise of their sacred ministry, priests have available to them other means of sanctification, means which the Church recommends and sometimes commands.

The decree goes on to enumerate these means:

• the nourishment of Scripture and the Eucharist;
  
  
• frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance, prepared for by a daily examination of conscience;
  
  
• spiritual reading, to increase the spirit of faith;
  
  
• devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary;
  
  
• a daily colloquy with Jesus present in the Eucharist;
  
  
• retreats and spiritual direction;
  
  
• mental prayer and priests' own choice of vocal prayer, to unite their souls and the souls committed to them with our Lord.

Next, the Council recommends study, especially of Holy Scripture, the Fathers, the documents of the Church's Magisterium, and the works of theologians, "the best, approved (writers) on (theological) science."

Nor should the priest neglect his general culture if he is to exercise his apostolate well, and he should seek knowledge at clerical gatherings where priests can share their pastoral experiences.

Finally, the chapter concludes with the means of providing proper support for diocesan clergy.

But we cannot omit the final exhortation, which is both moving and heartening:

Amid all the difficulties which His priests encounter in their life today, God still loves them as He has loved His Son. Even in the midst of this sinful world, the Church finds living stones for the building up of God's temple. The Holy Ghost continues to show the Church new paths, and inspires her to follow them.

Let priests remember that they are not alone, but are upheld by God's almighty power. Let them walk by faith, as Abraham did and as must all who lead the people for God. Let them believe in the divine power, which brings forth the harvest. Let them believe in Him who has overcome the world.

It is so good for us, and such a comfort, to hear the Church supporting us in our demoralization and despondency, worn out as we are by our crushing labors, and to find in these directives, these counsels from our Mother, the way of peace and serenity in the joyful accomplishment of our sublime vocation.

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1. The editor would like to clarify that while Archbishop Lefebvre admitted the possibility of concelebration in the traditional rite on certain occasions, for instance, at the ordination of priests, as always practiced by the Catholic Church, he never supported the habitual concelebration of Mass as a replacement for the traditional practice of each priest celebrating his daily Mass. This conviction of Archbishop Lefebvre is shown in the following from A Bishop Speaks where he himself says that:

The priest, himself, individually, has been consecrated as a priest to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, his Sacrifice, the Sacrifice for which he himself, not an assembly, has been given the sacerdotal character. It is he himself who has been consecrated. There was no massive and global consecration of all priests. Each has severally been truly and personally consecrated and they have received a character not given to the assembly. It is a sacrament received personally, hence the priest is made to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass individually.

There is therefore no doubt that concelebration has not the worth of the totality of Masses which would be celebrated individually. It is not possible. There is but one Transubstantiation, consequently there is but one Sacrifice of the Mass. Why multiply the Sacrifices of the Mass if one Transubstantiation alone has the worth of all the Sacrifices of the Mass? In that case, there should never have been more than one Mass in the world after Our Lord's, did it still serve a purpose. The multiplication of Masses is useless if the priests who concelebrate perform an act which is equivalent to ten distinct Masses. It is false, utterly false. Why should we say three Masses at Christmas and on All Saints day? It would be an absurd practice.

The Church rightly requires that multiplication of the Sacrifices of the Mass, both for the application of the sacrifice of the cross and for all the ends of the Mass-adoration, the act of thanksgiving, propitiation and entreaty. All these new practices show a lack of theology and a lack of the definition of things (A Bishop Speaks, pp. 111- 112).