Fr James Valladares, assistant priest at Adelaide’s St Francis Xavier Cathedral parish, begins a new column for The Record on The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.
On the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, 19 June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the death (dies natalis) of John Mary Vianney, the Patron Saint of Parish Priests worldwide.
His objective was clear and definite – to deepen the commitment of all priests and to emphasise the paramount importance of an internal renewal so as to ensure a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world.
Wisely quoting the saintly priest, our Holy Father said: “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.”
This penetrating insight makes it crystal clear that a priest is indeed a very precious gift both to the Church and to God’s people.
Said Jesus to his first priests: “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (Jn 15:16). Fully appreciative of this gratuitous and supernatural gift, Pope Benedict adds: “How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests, who, amid difficulties and misunderstandings, remain faithful to their vocation as ‘friends of Christ,’ whom he has called by name, chosen and sent?”
The Significance of a Gift
There are two very striking features of a genuine gift; it is gratuitous and generous. In other words, in spite of the fact that the recipient has no claim whatsoever, the benefactor gives it willingly and with no strings attached – it is gratuitous.
Then the gift is given as a gesture of unfeigned goodwill regardless of the cost to the benefactor – it is generous.
Such is the priesthood – it is a gratuitous and generous gift of our Triune God.
These two features of a genuine gift are very vividly manifested in the heartwarming story of the widow in the Gospel.
The wealthy came forward and ceremoniously made an ostentatious display of their largesse by putting their handsome gifts into the treasury.
Their sole intent was to draw attention to themselves; theirs was a gift but with a string attached – self-centred and pretentious pride. By contrast, a poor widow crept up to the temple treasury; very humbly and inconspicuously she put in two small copper coins – that was all she had. Her gift was both gratuitous and generous.
First, she was under no obligation whatsoever to put in anything, as she was extremely poor and was justifiably exempt. Second, she put in all that she had because of her heartfelt gratitude to God, and God deserved nothing short of the best she could offer.
Commending her generosity, Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on”(Mk 12:44).