St. Bernard, Eureka, CA Our novices continue their reflections on the Eucharist and the priesthood each Thursday in August in light of their recent pilgrimage to many of the churches in our diocese. Reflection – A Royal Priesthood
If the primary function of the priest is to render worship to God to whom we owe all our love, adoration, and our very lives, how do we as a priestly people offer this worship? Certainly, we do this through our participation in Holy Mass as we unite ourselves interiorly to the Eucharistic sacrifice taking place on the altar. We worship also by offering spiritual sacrifices. This means that whatever is at our disposal – our time, talents, and gifts – is offered back to God for His greater glory and the salvation of souls. Our suffering and pains are also offered to God by uniting them to Christ’s sufferings. If done with love, our spiritual sacrifices are empowered by Christ’ power so that they sanctify us and others, make atonement for our sins, and thereby involve us in a real way in His redemptive work and mission. This is the meaning and fulfillment of our priestly identity. Spiritual sacrifices, in order to be efficacious, need to be Christocentric. Since our sacrifices have no power or efficacy apart from Christ, they must in motive and manner reflect the example of His own sacrifice on Calvary. They must be made for Christ, like Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. Jesus shows us that to make a pleasing offering to God, the sacrifice must be “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1:4). That is, they must proceed from a pure love of God free of selfish motives. The Eucharist – the source and summit of our faith and the heart of all our churches – teaches us that we too must make Christ the center of our lives. This requires that we begin to endeavor, at whatever cost, to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). We awaken to the realization that to die to self-centeredness, insecurity, and dependency is to rise again in Christ, our solid foundation, and to live in the freedom and joy that is ours to enjoy as children of God and co-heirs to an eternal inheritance.
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