During the long and momentous papacy of Pope St John Paul II, it was customary for the Holy Father to write a yearly letter to us priests today, as we are celebrating Maundy Thursday when Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders; these letters still speak to us, particularly today as we are thanking God for the gift of the ministerial priesthood which certainly we do not merit.
Pope John Paul felt this inner need to speak to us. In his first letter to us priests, on Holy Thursday on April 9th, 1979, Pope Wojtyla writes: At the beginning of my new ministry in the Church, I feel the deep need to speak to you, to all of you without any exception, Priests both diocesan and religious, who are my brothers by virtue of the sacrament of Orders (no.1). The reason is obvious: For you I am a Bishop, with you I am a Priest (no.1).
To each of us priests is levelled this commandment: You shall love the Lord your God [and his Church] with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt 22:37). Pope John Paul says practically the same thing when within this same letter he continues: Although care for the salvation of others is and must be a task of every member of the great community of the People of God, that is to say also of all our brothers and sisters who make up the laity—as the Second Vatican Council so amply declared—nevertheless you Priests are expected to have a care and commitment which are far greater and different from those of any lay person. And this is because your sharing in the priesthood of Jesus Christ differs from their sharing, “essentially and not only in degree” (no.5).
Certainly this is so essential to highlight because the life of the priest is modelled on that of Jesus Christ as the shepherd of the flock. St John Paul II continues: But for you there holds also the parable of the flock, for, thanks to the priestly character, you share in the pastoral charism, which is a sign of a special relationship of likeness to Christ, the Good Shepherd. You are precisely marked with this quality in a very special way (no.5).
This brave Pope had the courage to mention the role that virtuous women have in the life of a priest. Having in mind the International Conference called by the United Nations Organization in Beijing in September 1995, Pope Wojtyla felt the inner calling of starting his 1995 letter addressed to us priests in this revolutionary manner: Do not be surprised if I begin this Letter, which I traditionally address to you on Holy Thursday, with the words of a Polish Marian hymn. I do so because this year I wish to speak to you about the importance of women in the life of the priest, and these verses which I have sung since my childhood can serve as a meaningful introduction to this subject (no.1).
Moreover, Pope John Paul II was innovative enough to view women as a great blessing and not an obstacle in a priest’s life. He wrote:
Certainly “woman as sister” represents a specific manifestation of the spiritual beauty of women; but it is at the same time a revelation that they are in a certain sense “set apart”. If the priest, with the help of divine grace and under the special protection of Mary, Virgin and Mother, gradually develops such an attitude towards women, he will see his ministry met by a sense of great trust precisely on the part of women whom he regards, in the variety of their ages and life situations, as sisters and mothers.
The figure of woman as sister has considerable importance in our Christian civilization, in which countless women have become sisters to everyone, thanks to their exemplary attitude towards their neighbour, especially to those most in need. A “sister” is a guarantee of selflessness: in the school, in the hospital, in prison and in other areas of social service. When a woman remains single, in her “gift of self as sister” by means of apostolic commitment or generous dedication to neighbour, she develops a particular spiritual motherhood. This selfless gift of femininity “as sister” lights up human existence, evokes the best sentiments of which human beings are capable and always leaves behind gratitude for the good freely offered.
Thus the dimensions of mother and sister are the two fundamental dimensions of the relationship between women and priests. If this relationship develops in a serene and mature way, women will find no particular difficulties in their contact with priests. For example they will not find difficulties in confessing their faults in the Sacrament of Penance. Even less will they encounter any in undertaking various kinds of apostolic activities with priests. Every priest thus has the great responsibility of developing an authentic way of relating to women as a brother, a way of relating which does not admit of ambiguity. In this perspective, Saint Paul exhorts his disciple Timothy to treat “older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity” (1 Tm 5:2) (no.5).
When this aspect is deeply connected with prayer, meditation, spiritual direction and priestly fraternity all this brings joy and healing of the heart. In his extraordinary paternal solicitude St John Paul II had a consoling word to those priests who are experiencing difficult moments in their vocation. He prayed for those who have left the ministerial priesthood for different reasons. This wonderful aspect of his exercise of the Petrine ministry is to be noted and appreciated all the more. Within the same letter he wrote:
Today our thoughts and prayers turn in a special way to our brothers in the priesthood who meet with difficulties in this area, and to all those who precisely because of a woman have abandoned the priestly ministry. Let us commend to Mary Most Holy, Mother of Priests, and to the intercession of the countless holy priests in the Church’s history the difficult time which they are experiencing, and let us implore for them the grace of a return to their first fervour (cf. Rev 2:4-5). The experience of my own ministry, and I believe that this is true of every Bishop, confirms that such returns do occur and that even today they are not rare. God remains faithful to his covenant with man in the Sacrament of Holy Orders (no.5).
Whilst we are commemorating today the Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, let us thank God for the indescribable gift of priesthood. Let us pray for us priests and keep asking the Lord for more priestly vocations.
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people. Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen.