Posted on 04/27/2015 7:19:27 AM PDT by NYer
.- Pope Francis presided over the ordination of nearly twenty men to the priesthood on Sunday, where he warned them against being vain priests who live first for their own pleasure rather than for God’s.
“A priest is ugly who lives for his own pleasure,” Pope Francis said, adding that such a priest “acts like a peacock.”
Pope Francis presided over the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Apr. 26, during which he, as the bishop of Rome, ordained 19 men for the Roman diocese.
During the ordination Mass, the Pope delivered the standard homily based on the Italian edition of the Pontificale Romanum for the ordination of priests, but digressed from the text several times to offer advice to the men about to be ordained.
In these remarks, he said priests should nourish God’s people with their homilies, while making sure they are not bored.
Ensure “that your homilies are not boring; that your homilies reach the heart of the people, because they come from your hearts,” he said. “What you say to them is what you have in your heart.”
The Pope also warned against proclaiming God’s Word without giving a good example.
“Words without example are empty words,” he said. “They are ideas that do not reach the heart, and may even cause injury.”
Pope Francis gave the men further advice in executing their responsibilities as priests.
In presiding over Mass, he told them not to “rush” through the celebration. Rather: “Imitate that which you celebrate,” because “it is not an artificial rite.”
Speaking of their responsibilities as priests in distributing the Sacraments, the Pope said to “never refuse Baptism to whoever asks for it.”
With regard to the sacrament of Penance, he told the new priests the confessional is a place where they are called “to forgive, not to condemn.”
“Imitate the Father who never tires of forgiving,” he said.
After the Mass, Pope Francis delivered his Regina Caeli address from the Papal Palace overlooking Saint Peter’s Square, explaining that the newly ordained priests are called to have a pastoral life based upon the Good Shepherd.
Recalling how the Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” the Pope said this day is an occasion to reflect on Jesus’ gift of Self, through His passion, death, and resurrection.
The Good Shepherd, he said, “gives life, has offered his life in sacrifice for all of us.”
To newly appointed bishops: "Don't be airport bishops" (bishops who spend too much time away from their dioceses)
To pastors: The Confessional is not a 'torture chamber'
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a 'magic rite'
On the need to be politically active: “Don’t respond to the crisis with a Pontius Pilate-like attitude”
To Vatican Police on spiritual war: “Napoleon is not coming anymore”
Pope Francis speaks out against "Christians at half-speed" (one who professes to be a christian but lives like a pagan).
Pope Francis says Confession is not like going to see a psychiatrist
Pope Francis: A bishop is to serve, not dominate
On wanting physical proof: Our Lady doesn't work in a post office, She doesn't mail out letters every day
Pope Francis: our faith is 'not an ornament'
On what it means to be a christian: Do you want to live your life like a burning lamp, or an extinguished one?
The Cross is not an ornament but the mystery of God's love.
Don't live the faith as if it were a non-stop funeral.
Pope Francis: Pray with your heart, not like a parrot
Pope: The Church isn't a rental unit... it's a home
God is a creator – not a magician.
Catholic ping!
Good list. And prayers for the newly ordained priests.
Do you think those quotes profound?
What about a bishop?
Profound? Lol! No, they're catchy, witty, attention grabbing.
Bishops are priests.
It does apply to both.
A bishop is a priest.
One could reasonably assume that peacocks don’t become priests, but over time peacocks can be made of some of them, if the system projects peacockery and delivers cockeyed service to the Church.
I’ve always thought the expression of “don’t be a peacock” related to how you dress or in this case over dress.
The “Other Pope Francis “isms”” you posted in #2 are good advice to any new or old priest/minister/pastor
The peacock thing: I construed that as, “it’s not about you; be humble and don’t take your office for granted.”
(He’s half Italian; my Grandmother would have laughed about the rabbit remark: she had 16 kids!!!)
We have in the Bible the perfect job description for service in the clergy:
“This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach. Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3 1-7
I don’t think it gets any clearer than this. And I don’t know why anyone would want to change the above job description.
There is no reason to conclude that the phrase “husband of one wife” necessarily equals “at the time he is bishop he must be married”. Those two previously quoted phrases are just not the same. After all, what if a bishop’s wife died while he was in office. Is he somehow disqualified by his wife’s death? Does he need to get remarried before he can be bishop again?
St Paul wasn’t married. Is he somehow disqualified?
Obviously the passage must mean something more, as has been suggested, perhaps that it’s forbidding polygamy, since that was popular at the time, or forbidding a widower from marrying again. It makes no sense otherwise, if one takes it to be some kind of job requirement.
Who can honestly say that if a man wasn’t married but fulfilled all the other requirements for being bishop (in that passage) that he’d be disqualified simply because he discerned he was to live a life of chastity? Really? After St Paul has written on the virtues of chastity in service to God it suddenly becomes a burden, for the office of bishop arguably one of the most important still existing today?
It’s good for a lay person or a person in a “lower” office to lead a chaste life, but it somehow becomes “bad” if one is a bishop?
Really?
I doubt very seriously a requirement for being married was a job requirement for being bishop. That makes no sense, as its contrary to how St Paul extolled the virtues of chastity and also because being married and holding the office of bishop contains no essential value. What more value does a married man hold that an unmarried does not, for the office of bishop? In fact it can be more reasonably argued that an unmarried man has simply mkre time and energy to devote to the office than a married one. And when kids are in the picture, even less time (and energy) is available from the married man.
With all that said if one still insists marriage is a job requirement for a bishop then it’s perfectly valid to view bishops as married to the Church, entrusted to Her care until Her Bridegroom returns.
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