Holiness of Priests English

HOLINESS OF PRIESTS

POINTS OF A Power Point Ppt TALK GIVEN TO PRIESTS & RELIGIOUS

OF JAFFNA DEANERY ON 08. JUNE 2018

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

BY S.J.EMMANUEL

1.    OUR HOLINESS ?

EACH ONE OF US HAS GROWN IN HOLINESS FROM OUR CHILDHOOD, IN OUR FAMILIES

CONSCIOUSLY, MAY BE AFTER 1ST COMMUNION…

AND MORE CONSCIOUSLY DURING PERIOD OF FORMATION AS PRIESTS & RELIGIOUS.

CHURCH GUIDES US – POPE FRANCIS CALL

HOLINESS CONTINUES TO GROW IN VARIOUS STAGES OF OUR GROWTH & EXPERIENCE

HENCE SHARING OF EXPERIENCES WILL HELP US IN OUR FUTURE GROWTH

I HUMBLY OFFER MY EXPERIENTIAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT HOLINESS, WITH THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS

2.    5 POINTS ON PERSONAL HOLINESS

OUR RELATION TO GOD, TO HIS CREATION, TO HIS PEOPLE?

OUR RELATION TO

            A) GOD AS FATHER,

            B) SON, AS JESUS CHRIST

            C) HOLY SPIRIT

4. OUR LIFE AND WORK

5. PRAYER & INTERIOR LIFE

3. WHO ARE WE? OUR IDENTITY?
1.

1. MAN – CREATED IMAGE OF GOD, UNIQUELY POWERFUL, BLESSED WITH FACULTIES/ IMMENSE POTENTIAL TO SEE, HEAR, TOUCH, SMELL, INTELLECT, IMAGINE…..

2. TAMIL – BLESSED WITH LANGUAGE, CULTURE, HARD-WORKING, INTELLIGENT, TALENTS – BUT WITH GROWING EVILS AMONG US

3. CHRISTIAN – DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, TO FOLLOW HIM IN LOVING, SERVING & HEALING HUMANITY,

4.    WHERE ARE WE?
CONTEXT OF LIFE & WORK?

IN A WORLD OF HUMAN AND NATURAL RESOURCES

BUT OF DARKNESS AND EVIL HUMAN FORCES – CAUSING VIOLENCE AND WARS –

CAUSING POVERTY, SICKNESS, OPPRESSION, INEQUALITIES, ….. ALL WAITING TO BE HEALED

THIRSTING FOR HEALTH, HAPPINESS & PEACE.

IN A WORLD NEEDING ENLIGHTENMENT, HEALING, HOPE, LEADERSHIP,

5.    UNKNOWABLE GOD REVEALS & RESIDES WITH US

GOD AS OUR FATHER & HUMANITY AS BROTHERS & SISTERS?

“OUR FATHER”?

JESUS CHRIST – GOD LIVING IN US AS JESUS 

OUR GURU-TEACHER, MODEL, LIGHT & SALT OF OUR LIFE,

HOLY SPIRIT– OUR CONSCIENCE/TEMPLES

AS LIGHT, PROPHETIC COURAGE & INSPIRATION

6.    WORSHIP OF GOD
AS AUTHOR & FATHER

GOD & HIS CREATION – MACRO & MICRO

WORSHIP HIM - IN THE MACRO UNIVERSE, WONDER & ASTOISHMENT - THANKSGIVING

IN THE MICRO UNIVERSE – PEEP IN WONDER TO BEAUTY & MYSTERY

MY AUTHOR & FATHER ?

PRAYER JESUS TAUGHT ? GOG’S KINGDOM & MAN’S NEEDS

TO PRAY THIS, NOT TO HIM, BUT WITH HIM, TO OUR COMMON FATHER

7.    DISCIPLESHIP OF JESUS

TO UNDERSTAND OUR PRIESTHOOD, AS TAUGHT BY THE CHURCH, AND TO REUNITE OURSELVES WITH JESUS THE HIGH PRIEST  AND THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE,

WE MUST UNDERSTAND WELL OUR CLOSE DISCIPLESHIP OF JESUS, AS THE AXIS OF OUR BEING, STARTING WITH OUR BAPTISM

DISCIPLESHIP OF JESUS, MORE RADICAL AND GOES MUCH DEEPER INTO OUR BEING THAN PRIESTHOOD, MUCH DEEPER THAN APOSTLESHIP, OR SUCCESSION OF PRESBYTERS AND BISHOPS, WHO CAME AFTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

8.    VISION & MISSION OF JESUS

DISCIPLESHIP = ACQUIRING VISION, MISSION, ATTITUDE, LIFE&WORK STYLE OF JESUS

BUT THE VISION AND MISSION OF JESUS CANNOT BE SPELT OUT WITH ALL THE DOCUMENTS OF THE CHURCH OF ALL TIMES .

IT GOES BEYOND, OVERFLOWS OVER ALL HUMAN INSTITUTIONS.

SO IS OUR PRIESTHOOD WHICH IS AN INTENSIFICATION OF DISCIPLESHIP.

CALLED TO FOLLOW HIM IN HIS VISION AND MISSION, WE BECOME VISIONARIES AND MISSIONARIES,

THERE LIES THE DIVINE/GODLINESS  CHARACTER OF OUR PRIESTHOOD

9.    PRIEST OF THE CHURCH

THE PRIESTHOOD/ EPISCOPATE, IN THEIR PRESENT FORM ,HAS BEEN ENRICHED BY CENTURIES OF GROWTH, AND STANDS AS A FORTRESS

AND GIVES US A SECURE INSTITUTION TO LIVE AND WORK, TO PRAY AND WORSHIP. ALL TRUE!

WE MUST MAKE THE BEST USE OF THESE TRADITIONALLY TESTED LIFE&WORK-STYLE,

CHURCH’S TEACHINGS, ITS METHODS, WITH MISSALS, BREVIARIES, LITURGICAL RITUALS

OUR TEMPTATION IS TO BECOME MORE & MORE FUNCTIONARIES AND LESS AND LESS THAT SPECIAL/CLOSE DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST,

WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE & SERVE THE PEOPLE AS HE DID.

10.           UNIQUE PRIESTHOOD
OF JESUS CHRIST

THE UNIQUE PRIESTHOOD INTO WHICH GOD HAS CALLED US TO FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST CLOSELY,

AND SERVE THE PEOPLE, AS HE DID,

CANNOT BE CONTAINED OR LIMITED BY ANY INSTITUTION OR METHOD, HOW MAGNIFICENT AND MIGHTY THEY MAY BE.

IN SHORT, JUST AS JESUS CHRIST CANNOT BE CONTAINED WITHIN A CHURCH, NOT EVEN BY THE RC CHURCH, HOWEVER UNIVERSAL IT MAY BE,

OUR PRIESTHOOD IS ALSO A CALLING IN THE NAME OF GOD,  BY THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF THE CHURCH, WITH IMMENSE POTENTIAL TO LIVE AND WORK AS JESUS DID.

 11.           TO BE LEADERS & SERVANTS

THE CHURCH, OUR HOME/ MOTHER, PROVIDES US WITH  SECURITIES AND HELP TO LIVE A LIFE, WELL DISCIPLINED, WITH CLEAR FUNCTIONS ASSIGNED BY THE CHURCH, AND MANY DUTIES TOWARDS THE PEOPLE.

BUT LET THOSE NOT MAKE US MERE FUNCTIONARIES

NOT STUNT OUR GROWTH, REDUCE OPENNESS/SENSITIVITY TO THE WORLD, TO THE CRYING NEEDS/ CHALLENGES OF TIME AND OF PEOPLE

AND OF GOD’S CONTINUOUS CALL TO COME CLOSE! DO MORE, WALK THAT EXTRA MILE!

WE HAVE TO STRUGGLE DAILY AGAINST BECOMING MERE FUNCTIONARIES OR MINIMALISTS

BUT KEEP OUR VISION AND MISSION VIVID, TO BEING JESUS LIVING AMONG OUR PEOPLE, CREATIVE, INITIATIVE TO LEAD FROM FRONT OR PUSH FROM BEHIND, TOWARDS HIS KINGDOM

12.           PRAYER & INTERIOR LIFE

PRAYER THE POWER-HOUSE OF OUR LIFE & WORK

LITURGICAL PRAYERS WITH CHURCH/ PEOPLE IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR A CLOSE DISCIPLE OF JXT.

PERSONAL PRAYER ?– DIFFERENT LEVELS, DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, DIFFERENT MODES,

SILENCE – ACTIVE OPENNESS NOT FILLED WITH TALKING-MODE – BETTER MORE IN LISTENING MODE

13.           HOLINESS = IDENTITY+CONTEXT+
RELN TO GOD & PEOPLE+ IN INTIMATE DISCIPLESHIP+ INNER-LIFE

ACCEPTING, THANKING, REJOICING IN BEING MAN, TAMIL, CHRISTIAN

FOR  OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, AS FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT

INTENSIFYING OUR CLOSE DISCIPLESHIP AS PRIESTS THROUGH PRAYER

LIVING OUR DISCIPLESHIP AS JESUS, LIVED & SERVED

" But whoever keeps his word, truly has the love of God been made perfect in him. The way we can be sure we are in union with him is for the man who claims to abide in him to conduct himself just as he did" 1 Jo 2. 5-6