Holy Church now passes on to specify some of the privileges of her priests and the solemn and sacred obligations flowing from them. Foremost amongst these, as is to be expected, is the divine power of uttering the words of consecration and thereby changing bread and wine into the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ. The priest, says the Collect, called to minister to God in these heavenly mysteries, must be a worthy servant of His altar and the words spoken by his lips must be hallowed and ratified by the lips of Christ. This same privilege is surely included, though not specifically mentioned, in the Secret when we pray that the priest may be made worthy to discharge "the duties" of his ministry. The PostCommunion becomes again explicit: "O God, Who hast willed that I, a sinner, should serve Thy altar ... refuse me not the pardon of my sins. . . ."
And what are these "duties"? They may be summed up by saying that the priestly vocation requires that the priest must try to become a living monstrance radiating Christ wherever he goes. Indeed, that is the ideal for every Christian but it is especially incumbent on the priest. Just as the Baptist pointed to Our Lord and said: "Behold the Lamb of God"; just as the heavenly Father, speaking from out the clouds over Jordan declared that Christ was His beloved Son, so must all people who contact the priest recognize in him the traits of his Master. They too should be able to point to their priest and exclaim: "Behold the Man of God!"
One of the priest's obligations is chosen for special reference; it is the work enjoined upon him to praise God. The priest has been selected "to give praise to the might of Thy Name." The emphasis is very significant, for it underlines the need of priests who will be, before all else, men of prayer. A priest may be a good manager, an excellent organizer, an able preacher and theologian, an effective defender of the, truths of the Faith, but all this and much more will not make him a true priest. For this he must have mastered the art of "praising" his Master by the practice of faithful and habitual prayer.
Further, he begs here, and we beg it for him, the power to influence other souls, so that they in turn may unite with him and with the whole Mystical Body in its hymn of unbroken praise and prayer. This is the great work of the preacher. He seeks to convince only in order to lead souls to pray. He unfolds before their eyes the splendors of the Godhead; he opens the treasurehouse of divine mercy; he answers difficulties and seeks to prove the truth of the Church's claims _ all in order to induce souls to lift up their voices in ceaseless prayer.
Jesus, we kneel to thank You for the stupendous powers and privileges entrusted to the frail keeping of Your priests. Keep unsullied those hands which touch Your sacred Body. Keep free from all snares of carnal love those hearts irrevocably consecrated to You. Give power to those lips to speak Your message fearlessly and convincingly, so that immense numbers of souls may be won who will praise You and persevere in prayer.