Peter Novecosky, OSB

Service, not entitlement

This week the Prairie Messenger prints its annual Vocation Supplement.
While all vocations in Christian life are unique and a special gift to the church and to society, the focus of the stories and ads in this supplement focus on the priesthood and religious life. This is in line with the focus on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

This is also the Year for Priests proclaimed last June by Pope Benedict XVI. With the worldwide publicity about sexual abuse by priests and its coverup by church officials, the priesthood has received a black eye in the minds of many. But the Year for Priests is not an attempt to put priests onto a pedestal again so that they can do no wrong in the eyes of churchgoers; rather, it has been promoted as a year for priests to grow in authentic spirituality, according to the mind of Christ.

The failures of priests — which have become all too evident in the past decades — arise, in part, out of a sense some had that they were entitled to a life of privilege rather than called to a life of service. This same attitude affects other leaders who enjoy a position of power or prestige in our society, whether it be teachers, coaches, politicians, rock stars or celebrities. All are prone to think they are entitled to privileges not granted to others. And while the majority are able to resist temptation, the reputation of all are tainted by the actions of a few.

It is not the example of those caught in scandals of sexual abuse that will attract the minds and hearts of those called to a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Rather, it is the lives of heroic men and women that will call forth the generosity needed by those who aspire to serve the Christian community as a priest or religious.

One current example is reported in this issue. Priests in Mexico are being threatened with violence, kidnapping and extortion from narcotics and trafficking gangs. According to reports, a growing number of priests — mostly serving in remote and mountainous areas — have been transferred to other parishes or assigned other types of work because of threats they have received. Others have been forced to raise up to $800 weekly for extortion payments.

“We have personally felt the variety of problems that affect our homeland, such as the overflowing wave of violence and insecurity that has been ongoing for years and have claimed numerous victims — many of them innocent,” the bishops of Mexico said in an April 14 statement. “Many priests live their ministries in a heroic way, amid the fear of threats, poverty, violence, extortion and aggressions.”

The violence from drug wars in Mexico has claimed at least 22,700 lives since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006 and sent the army and federal police to crack down on the drug cartels.

All Christians, but especially Christian leaders, are called to exemplify the standard Jesus set. As St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians put it: “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself. . . . He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.”

Fortunately, the Christian community has a memory bank full of people — laity, religious and priests — who have led exemplary and heroic lives. More Christians suffered and died for their faith in the 20th century than in any other century, Pope John Paul II noted. They felt it was a privilege to imitate the example of Christ rather than seek the privileges of the world.

These are the role models priests and religious need to reaffirm. It will make a difference in the lives of countless people, a difference for the good.