Sermon:Bp. Fellay on the Occasion of the Ordination of Fr. Bertrand, January 27, 2013 in Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet

[Dawn Marie]

The union of the priest to Christ, Priest and Victim

30-01-2013
Filed under Documents

 

Sermon of Bishop Bernard Fellay for priestly ordination of Father Bertrand Monday, January 27, 2013 in Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet

Dear Father, dear sirs abbots, Monday dear family, dear faithful,

Divine Providence allows us, this Sunday Septuagesima to order a priest, and the Church gives advice, advice to future priests. It considers that this is a very serious, very serious order a priest. Everything can be summed up in two words, it is very short but I think that says it all. Usually, it is said in the plural to many priests, "quod Agnoscite agitis, quod imitamini tractatis; Recognize, know what you do, imitate what you do."

What is a priest?

First: know, have this knowledge, recognize what you are doing.

When the world and even today, alas, many Catholics are a priest, what idea do they make? What is a priest? Almost always they remain at a definition, a description extremely superficial: he is a man of the Church, it is Monsieur le Cure, he is presiding over the religious ceremonies ... He takes care of souls ... and when speaking of souls, we advance the right side!

This is one of the greatest evils of our time that this ignorance of what the priest before they even know what it does. The only way to know the priest in reality, it is faith. The only knowledge that you must have when approaching the priest, is the knowledge of faith. Human knowledge, we report our senses is not enough. Our human experience tells us something certainly, but if we stay here, I dare say it may deceive us. Deceive us? Why? Because we do not see a man. While the priest is human, but it is another reality. He is chosen among men, it is true, but it is selected - not himself, not by men - but by God. It is God who chooses - it is Holy Scripture, in St. Paul, who tells us (Heb. 5:1). It is God who chooses his priests. And He chose to be his ambassadors, ambassadors of God with men, ambassadors of men with God. The term comes from the Holy Scriptures, is mediator. Mediator between man and God (cf. Heb. 9.15).

This choice will be made by the Church, but the Church is really the name of God. There is a call, you will hear during the ceremony. The candidate must meet, you will also hear: "Adsum. I'm ready, I'm here. " He is a man, yes, this is the man of God. And when said ambassador is not said enough. An ambassador is a representative. Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted to make his priest even more. He wanted to make his instrument.

The word evokes instrument much for us, it is true, and maybe we are a little wrong. The priest is a special instrument, a unique instrument, which retains his freedom, his intellect, his will, but at the decisive moment, when the sacraments and the Mass is completely captured by our Lord Jesus Christ, priest, king and priest of the New Testament only. And if the priest carries the title of priest, it is because of his ineffable union with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This union was achieved in the sacrament by a character, the priestly character, that is a reality, but not the corporeal order. It is a reality that will mark the soul is spiritual. This mark is indelible, like the other characters elsewhere. This actually makes the brand priest, equip with powers infinitely beyond all abilities, all the faculties of men. Our Lord is intimately involved, take part, it really is the definition of the priestly character: participation in what is called the Hypostatic Union. The Hypostatic Union is what Jesus did, that is to say, the union of two natures, human nature and the divine nature in the person of the Word of God. When the Word of God became incarnate, became man, He assumed a human nature. This is what the priest does, because that is what makes mediator between God and men. And because He has two natures - He is God and He is man - He can stand in the middle between the two. It titles on both sides. In addition, being God, all his actions have infinite value. And therefore there can be more great priest, there is no other than our Lord who is the bridge between God and man. He who, in addition, repairs, because men unfortunately, since the beginning of history have offended God. He is the only one who could fix it for us.

The priest is the instrument of God's Word

The priest is really associated, united to Our Lord Jesus Christ, a union that is beyond comprehension. We have no example of possible comparison in order of creatures, to describe the union that Our Lord wants to have with his priest. And it is through this union that He is precisely the instrument, one could say his priestly instrument. In the same way that all art, all the personality of the writer passing through his pen, as it is written can be analyzed by graphology: we can know through what is written, something the person who wrote it. It does mean that there is something of the person who has passed through the instrument, that is the pencil. Well, for the priest, there is something of the person of the Word, therefore Jesus, who passes through this instrument and who performs all the individual works and the priest. The priest has the dignity of an instrument. It is capable of doing extraordinary things, but never alone. Always led, dependent, and absolute dependence of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what will make the ordination.

When you think that St. Leo, the feast of the Nativity, said: "Christian, recognize your dignity ..." - the same word, agnoscite - "recognize your dignity as a Christian, and live accordingly" ... What should I say to the priest ? Recognize your dignity, know who you are. This is a great mystery. The Cure of Ars said that if we could know what the priest, we die, we die of love to see this greatness, the infinite mercy of God for men.

O priest, where do you find this science, where do you recognize what you are? Well, mostly in the Mass, Our Lord if you want a priest is first and foremost for the Sacrifice. To renew, perpetuate the Sacrifice of Calvary. It chooses you to actually make this - that is to say re-present - His Sacrifice. But the word does represent perhaps not strong enough yet. Because the sacrifice is not an image, not a reminder. It is certainly a reminder, but it is not that this is much more because every time you open your mouth, you will fill this office instrument, you say "This is my body", c is Our Lord Himself who will delight you these words, which will make them his own. It is there to say. He is there to get this power so enormous that it will realize that it will make real what these words say. And then the host that you hold in your hands, this piece of bread, and when the words say is Jesus, the Word of God. Almighty God, Creator, Savior, Redeemer, your hands, your mouth, God leans, who obeys his priest.

The priest must have faith in his priesthood

There is a close relationship between the priest and the host to which it is well worth exploring. When you see the host, what we see are only appearances, called species: this is what our senses. One sees a shape, a color we see in the mouth one feels, and everything tells us bread: they are appearances, species accidents. But the reality is Jesus. And the priest one sees, one hears a man, but the reality is Jesus.

This is not quite the same because in the host, the substance of the bread is gone, it is replaced by the substance of the Body of Christ. While the priest is indeed human. It is man, but he is carrying a reality that is accessible only by faith. It really is in the Mass that you see how high God calls you and raise you to the point that even the angels disappear.

There is this beautiful story of St. Francis de Sales, who saw his guardian angel, who had a relationship really close with her guardian angel who led everywhere. On the day of his ordination to leave the church, the angel withdrew to let the priest. Above the angels, that the priest! Acknowledge what you do.

The sacraments are like an extension of the Mass, but it really is in the Mass that you find what you are. You are no longer for yourself. You are for God and for souls. You are the Church, but above all you are to Jesus. This is your everything. And He calls you to sacrifice. Mass is a sacrifice. We do not say maybe not enough. Today we rehashing so many times that the Mass is the assembly of God's people, the community that - it's a heretic definition - memory of the Last Supper. Then the priest becomes the President of this Assembly. Mass is a meal, a party ... and say that the Mass is a meal, is condemned by the Church. Condemned! See how many errors are common on this reality. No, the Mass is a sacrifice. This is the Sacrifice of Our Lord at Calvary. Identical to sacrifice a sacrifice. And you are associated with. Now your life is meaningless and has no other meaning than in the Mass, in the Sacrifice.

In saying all this, you see that the priest is a man of faith. This is a man who must have faith in his priesthood. There must believe. He no longer has the right to rely on himself. It must of course give everything he has, everything he can, all his faculties and all the gifts of God, he must grow, but never rely on himself. Ever, because everything you do for the souls can not remain at the level of men. It would be pointless to Heaven. Your action is to give grace, grace is supernatural. And that, you can in no way produce by yourself. There is God who produces grace, because grace is a participation in the life and nature of God.

This is why necessarily, all your apostolate must be accomplished with the eyes of faith. When you forget it, you do nothing. You shake, men may admire you, but it becomes useless because it lacks the essential things not seen. Therefore, it is necessary to first have this faith in your priesthood, to take the right steps and are still supernatural and then to communicate that faith. If you do not have faith, you can not please God. It is impossible, says the Scripture (Heb. 11.6). It is God who tells us himself: impossible to please God if we do not have faith.

The fight of faith

We live in a time when that faith is abused, attacked, torn everywhere outside as well as within the Church. This will be one of your duties, after Mass, to give this faith, communicate to souls, to rise above the human realities, to lead them to the reality of God. And this faith, we must also defend.

This is our history, that of the Society, that of our founder. And this story, my dear brethren, it continues. I would say that before this sublime reality, talk agreements or not with Rome, is a trifle. Defend the faith, keep the faith, died in faith, is the essential! One has the impression that the Roman authorities do not understand us, because they did not understand that to keep the Catholic faith, we are willing to lose everything. We absolutely do not want release faith. But unfortunately it is a fact that we see every day, with the Council, by the Council, and the Council were introduced poisons that are harmful to the faith, who lead the souls into error, who defend more, which no longer protect them in their faith. We denounce this, and that is why we are condemned. Even today, if we want to impose on us as we recognize the Catholic is to accept those things that just demolish the faith. But we can not, that's all this is simple. In any case, we are willing to reduce what is absolutely essential to go to Heaven, faith, with all its consequences. That's why this fight is necessary, a fight every day.

Credidimus caritati

But there is not the fight of faith. It is essential but not enough. Why? Because today, we arrived at a time, one might say, of universal struggle: there is salvation. We must have faith, but we also have charity, you must have the grace and live in the state of grace. One can sin against many other virtues as faith, as these poor people who are in a world that has become an abyss of temptations. There is almost nothing but temptations in this world. And we must resist, we must give these people the strength and courage to resist. Agnosce quod act, acknowledge what you do.

The role of the priest is essential for the world, any time, but today more than ever. It is reported that Padre Pio said that the world could easily take place without the sun than without a priest. The priest is much more important as the sun. Imitare tractas quod, mimics what you do. Faith, he must, but it is not enough.

A priest who has faith is important. And if you have faith to move mountains, even better, but this is not enough. Imitate what you do. And again, this is still the Mass, which tells you that this sublime commerce with God where you negotiate the salvation of souls, you must pay your person, - I say: pay yourself. The priest is not only a priest, he has a share in the sacrifice on the part of the victim, the host. And at every Mass, it will be recalled that in the communion for you is, first and foremost, the eating of the victim, that is to say, the association, union with the Sacrifice of the victim, who is our Lord. Our Lord said: "There is no greater love than to lay down his life for those we love" (Jn 15:13). Our Lord commands you to love his sheep, to love Him first, and then all souls. There is no exception. There is no limit. All those for whom He gave His Blood. He died for all, for all souls, and He wants you to embrace this concern there. This is the concern of the priest, I would say that there is no other: saving souls.

This is for our salvation He became man, He became Jesus. And if you are a priest, and that is why nothing else to save souls, no limit, no restrictions. You can never say I have to take care of those souls only this small group that I know of those who love me. No, you can never say no more: such souls, they are enemies, I do not care. No, Our Lord died for all. You wear the priestly character, the mark of a priest, and all the men, secretly in their hearts, know that you are a priest for all.

It is hard sometimes when you see the enemy, when you feel painfully pinned to forget and throw in the Passion of Christ for these souls, too. "Bless those who curse you" (Lk 6:28), it is the law of the Gospel. Imitate what you do. Then you radiate. You do not need to tell them. Simply seeing you do the souls know that you are there for them, you love them, they are more important than you, in your life. But for you, with more Jesus, your Lord.

We will ask the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Jesus, Mother of Priests, Mother of the sublime vocation, you bury it, it makes you go much more deeply into the faith of the priest, in love, in priestly charity given to you. The Pontifical says, in effect, that God is powerful enough to give you this love to give you the grace to make you grow in love.

May Our Lady protect you, help you in this beautiful vocation, for yourself, for the salvation of souls, for the glory of God and the honor of the Church. So be it.

In order to preserve its own character this sermon, the oral style was maintained.

The title and the headings are writing. DICI of 30/01/13.

On the same topic:
Photo slideshow of the ordination of Father Bertrand Monday
The audio version of the Sermon on the Latin Gate