Saint
Maximilian Kolbe once said, “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice
and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” I can never
find a quote better but as short as Saint Maximilian’s as stated above that can
perfectly fit the connection between Mary and the Ministerial priesthood.
The primary similarity between the roles of Mary and the clergy in the
salvific order is sacrifice: to give up oneself and to bring the incarnated
Word of God into the world.
Just as the second Person of the Blessed Trinity was
incarnated, “descended”, from the heavens to be conceived in the womb of the
Blessed Virgin Mary to be offered as the once for all sacrifice to God for our
salvation, Christ, once more, like the incarnation, substantially descends to
the bread and wine at the consecration at Mass for our salvation. Through the
power of the Holy Spirit, Mary conceived Christ, the Living Bread of life.
Through that same Spirit, the priest consecrates the sacred species into
Christ’s salvific Body and precious Blood. Both the incarnation (God becoming
man) and transubstantiation (mere bread and wine turning into Christ’s body and
Blood) are directed towards the salvation of Men. Mary and the priests share
this similar, though not equal, mission to be offered to God for us- to bring
Christ into the world.
Again,
it would be necessary to reiterate that Mary’s mission, though it shares some
similarities with a priest’s mission, is not equal with the mission of the
clergy. Unlike the sacrament of Holy Orders, which could be shared among
multiple men, the mission of Mary is just uniquely set apart for her: to be,
not only the daughter of the Father, but also the mother of the Son, and the
spouse of the Holy Spirit. The reason for pointing out the parallel is that if
ever there is one person that the priests should imitate, it has to be Mary.
There
are three essential Marian virtues that priests have to embody in order to
become good shepherds: obedience, consistency, and humility.
Obedience-
Mary has risked a lot when she said “yes” during the annunciation. She is just
a young lady, unmarried, when she conceived Christ. Think of what the people
were thinking of her during that time. Think if what they were thinking about
her baby! They would’ve thought of Jesus as an illegitimate child. But despite
all the negative remarks the people may have against her, Mary remained loyal
to her calling. Priests, like Mary, must be obedient as well. The priesthood is
not an easy vocation, but all we need is obedience, and that virtue unites us
closer to God. Again, priesthood is not easy. Sometimes, priests even have to
risk their lives just to share the Gospel. But “what would profit a man, if he
gains the world yet loses his soul?” (Mk 8:36). Obedience is hard, but it’s
worth it in the end.
Consistency-
Mary didn’t just say “yes” during the annunciation, she continued to say “yes
for the rest of her life, avoiding sin and accepting even the fact that her Son
has to die in the most humiliating manner. Priests are called to be consistent
with their “yes” at their ordination. Meaning, obedience is a continuous duty.
The clergy cannot be “lukewarm” in their ministry. The zeal for bringing Christ
in word and deed has to be with them always, up to the point of death.
Humility-
Mary was just a mere humble servant of the Lord, yet because she obeyed, she
was exalted above the other creatures, making her the queen of Heaven and
earth. The end of every man is to be “exalted”: to fully experience the
spiritually true, the spiritually good, and the spiritually beautiful. In other
words, the end of every man is heaven (and when a soul is in hell, it does not
meet its end, therefore it’s a disordered
soul), the Church Triumphant. Priests have to “wear combat boots” and lead
the Church Militant into heaven. And that could only be possible if they embody
this third virtue: to humbly bow down to our “Commander King”, Jesus Christ.
In
conclusion, a priest can never be a good priest if he does not know how to be
obedient, consistent, and humble like Mary. We, the faithful, have the rightful
duty to pray for our priests, especially those priests who have played a big
role in our nourishment as Christians; priests who baptized us, gave us Holy
Communion, absolved our sins, who became our spiritual directors, and many
more. Let us, most of all, ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
mother of all priests, that she may always guide them and wrap them in her
maternal protection.
- Matthew Luis D. Antero
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