The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

On Holy Thursday, we saw that Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood when He gave the Apostles the power of Transubstantiation. Today, eight days after His Resurrection, He adds to their power and authority by giving them the power to forgive or retain sins. These responsibilities include guiding us spiritually, administering sacraments, and leading us closer to Christ. Recognizing these duties helps us appreciate the vital role priests play in our salvation and encourages us to honor their spiritual responsibilities.

Laymen only have to give an account of themselves to God. They will have to give an account of their use or abuse of God's gifts, and whether they have received Holy Communion to their salvation or to their damnation. The priest, however, will have to give an account of himself, as well as those God has given him charge over. St. John Chrysostom tells us that: "For you have but the care of what concerns yourself; and if you look well after that, you will not be held accountable for what others do. But the priest, even should he order his own life in a fitting manner, yet does not scrupulously have due care for both your life, and the lives of those about him, shall go with the wicked into everlasting fire; and so he often times while not failing in his own conduct, will perish because of yours, if he has not done all that belonged to him to do." Because of this, St. Paul tells us: "Obey your prelates and be subject to them." (Heb. 8,7)

How often do we find it easy to criticize those who are placed over us? Anyone and/or everyone above us is made the butt of jokes and ridicule. Sadly, this also includes the clergy that God has given to us. Children rebel against their parents, workers against their employers, citizens against their rulers and police, and Catholics rebel against their priests. The authority God has placed over us represents God's authority over us. All authority comes from God and is exercised in His Name. When we rebel against true power and authority, we are rebelling against God.

Today, we are asked to consider the danger that those in authority have been placed in, in having to give an account of us. We are joined together as one body in the Church. The true prelates are the heads of this ecclesiastical body. When any member of the body suffers, the entire body suffers, especially the head. The sins, faults, and failings are not ours alone; the shepherds of our souls must bear them with us. We have read that St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (The Cure of Ars) would often weep over the sins of his penitents with such great sorrow as if he had committed these sins himself.

This is another manifestation that the priest is another Christ, because, like Jesus, he takes our sins upon himself and suffers with us. The sins of every soul affect the entire body of the Church. Our sins weigh heavily upon our confessors and pastors, reminding us to pray for their strength and perseverance in their suffering.

The bishops and priests must always strive to lead us away from sin and into grace and virtue. In the examination of their consciences, they must ask if they have truly done all that they could for the souls that God has entrusted to them. Have they prepared and preached well, have they given good and appropriate counsel in the confessional, etc? Our failings in the spiritual life become their failings also. In confessing our sins to the priest, we are, in a sense, also confessing his sins or failings in keeping us on the straight and narrow path. The priest's gentleness in the confessional towards us is often a sign of sympathy, because the priest has not faithfully fulfilled his duty towards us; hence the brunt of the punishment falls on the priest himself.

It is true that we each have our own free will and the priest is not strictly responsible for our sins, but it is also true that Jesus is not responsible for our sins either, yet He has taken our sins upon Himself. This is a terrible burden to bear for a man, even one who is clothed with the graces of the priesthood. He must ever strive to live up to the vocation of being another Christ to us. Of course, he is not perfect, and he does have faults, failings, and even sins. This is no reason for us to rebel and make his life all the more bitter; on the contrary, it is all the more reason for us to pray for him and even make sacrifices for him daily. If our spiritual head is lost and must suffer for our sins, we too (because we are joined to our spiritual head) will be lost and will suffer as well.

It is in our own best interest to love our priests and bishops as we love our own physical head. We can show reverence by listening attentively during sermons, praying for their intentions, and speaking respectfully about them. They have taken the burden upon themselves, in imitation of Christ, of bearing our sins upon their own backs. Let us not fear to approach them with our confessions and needs, knowing that in forgiving us our sins, they help heal the entire body of Christ, including themselves. Our respectful actions and prayers strengthen their spiritual humility and dedication.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!

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