The life of the Priest Salesian

The life of the Priest Salesian

          In the coming weeks, there will be diaconal and priestly ordinations. I would like to reflect a bit on the life of the Salesian priest.

          "The priest is the icon of Christ", said Cardinal Godfried Danneels. “The whole value of the icon comes from the reality it represents, from the relationship that unites it with this reality. Neither can we exist and minister outside of our relationship to Christ and God. An icon is poor. The priest on his own is weak; all his strength comes from God himself.” To be a Priest is to be like Christ: to be a man of God and a man for others in total self-donation like Jesus. When they saw Don Bosco as priest at work, the young people of the Oratory of Valdocco said: "Don Bosco looks like Our Lord". Indeed, the priest is "another Christ"

          Don Bosco fostered his priestly holiness.  He wanted to be and was essentially a priest by example and word, by action and prayer. The priest, according to the axiom often repeated by Don Bosco, is always a priest, and he must manifest himself as such in all circumstances. "How happy I am to be a priest!", Don Bosco said, and again: "The priest must take care of the salvation of souls, but first of all his own ... A priest never goes alone to paradise or to hell. "      

              Our Constitutions in n. 45 say: “The Salesian priest or deacon brings to the common work of promoting human development and of educating in the faith the specific quality of his ministry, which makes him a sign of Christ the Good Shepherd, especially by preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments.” The Constitutions ask Salesian priests to be fully priests above all.   

              "Let us remind ourselves of the words so beautiful and so full of meaning that Don Bosco addressed to Minister Ricasoli who had invited him to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence on December 12, 1866: "Excellency, know that Don Bosco is a priest at the altar, a priest at the confessional, a priest in the midst of his young people, and just as he is a priest in Turin, he is also a priest in Florence, a priest in the house of the poor, a priest in the palace of the king and of the ministers”. It is a magnificent testimony to the personal identity and unity of life in Don Bosco. » (The Salesian Life Project of Don Bosco. T. 2).

          To all our fellow priests and to the confreres who will receive priestly ordination this year, I hope that they will be priests in the image of Christ the Good Shepherd and according to the model of Don Bosco. I would like all the fellow priests to think, speak and act as priests.  Yes, "A priest is always a priest", Don Bosco said. Whatever form of activity he devotes himself to, he is always the same: the man of God. I believe it is good and necessary that we become aware of this reality: to be a priest is to be close to Jesus and close to our brothers and sisters. In our activities, in our human relationships, in our words, in our behaviour, in our way of living, others must perceive or know how to detect that we are "priests". In this, we are primarily responsible, but we must also help each other, even protect ourselves.      

              I would like to emphasize a point that seems important to me. I think I can say that we are first priests where we are. We were assigned to a work, a school, a youth centre, a formation house, a parish or a mission station, etc. Well, our first task as a priest is there. We can do a beautiful priestly work there. We should not look for it too much elsewhere. As Salesian priests, we do not have to run from all sides to "say masses". Often this carries the risk of not performing our priestly task properly in our own home. The risk of absence and dispersion is real. Obviously, I do not want to curb apostolic zeal and especially not to prevent "rendering service" where common sense invites us to do so. I only want to draw attention to the beneficial presence of the priest in our Salesian houses.  There are many ways we can be a priest among young people. Young people and our whole educational and pastoral community need it. This is an important aspect of Salesian assistance.    

              I conclude my reflection with the beautiful words of Mama Margaret, pronounced in front of her son the day of his ordination: "Here you are a priest, you say Mass, you are therefore closer to Christ than before. Remember, however, that to begin saying Mass means to start to suffer. From today, think only of the salvation of souls and don't worry about me”.

I especially wish the new priests of our Provinces of the Africa-Madagascar Region a fervent belonging to Christ and to the community where they will be of service with priestly grace.   

Camiel

Nairobi, June 19, 2020, at the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.