A man with intelligence who could be a great lawyer, the best
doctor or the finest educator, yet he chooses to be a priest.
A man with a heart who could be a good husband to his wife, a good
parent to his children, a good father of his family, yet he chooses none of
them and becomes a priest.
A man with all his best to serve God and His people, the worst
still stands against him.
A man with all his strength to fulfil his promise of obedience,
poverty and celibacy, yet his weakness remains in him.
His life as a priest is not just all about prayer and sacraments;
He needs to eat not only during fiestas but every day in order to
live.
He needs electricity and water in the parish at least for a decent
living.
He needs somone to talk to, to laugh with, to cry with.
With all the splendour of the priesthood, he is still human who
needs to be understood so as to better understand him.
He needs a community to listen to his frustrations, anger and
resentment and most of all, how he struggle to stay in the ministry.
What most Catholics forget, the priest deals with people not for popularity
or to please everybody but always for the good of the Church, for the salvation
of the souls.
What some Catholics do not see, lawyers may choose to practice as public
or private lawyers, doctors may be a public or private physician, teachers may
teach in public or private schools, but a priest is always with the Church and
for the Church.
What few Catholics never know, when the priest gets sick, when he
retires, when he is dying, though he needs the sacrament of last anointing, he
needs medicine.
When he dies, he dies no hero, not even declared as saint.
His family carries all the burden and debts he left.
Yes, a good priest’s life is full of sacrifice and even in his
death there is greater suffering but he chooses to live and die a priest.
Only in heaven that all shall know, it is not him who chooses to
be a priest first, but it is God.
Only heaven can proclaim, from his birth until death, he is chosen
to be a priest, a priest forever.
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