Priestly commitment to sanctity in today's world

Archbishop Joseph Mercieca and Bishop Nicholas Cauchi last week issued their annual pastoral letter on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption. This is the full text of the pasoral letter:

As we all know, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven has a special place in our nation's history and life. It is a feast in which our Christian people unite in a celebration of thanksgiving and prayer to Mary for whom God prepared a special place in the History of Salvation: the Lord chose Her to be the Mother of Jesus, his Only Son, the High Priest.

We, Bishops, therefore felt that, on the occasion of this feast so dear to us all, we should share with you a few reflections on the International Congress of Priests that will be held in our country this coming October.

We feel encouraged to do this by Pope John Paul II himself who called Mary a "mother and educator of our priesthood".

It is a great honour for our country that the Universal Church Authorities chose the Maltese Islands, the Islands of Paul, to get together hundreds of priests worldwide. Yet, this is not only an honour. This is a very special and significant experience that also carries a responsibility.

We therefore encourage you not only to greet the priests with the greatest joy and kindness, for which we are known and praised even in Scripture, but also to do our utmost so that this extraordinary occasion bears strong spiritual fruit in these priests and in our country.

We pray and encourage you to place this Congress of Priests in the intercession of Mary and beseech her to help us all so that this experience will really be a great opportunity of formation for our priestly life.

The way towards sainthood

The theme chosen for our study and prayer is "Priests for the formation of Saints for the new millennium - on the footsteps of the Apostle Paul". This topic has a direct bearing on our priestly mission. Our mission is to strive to sainthood and to help others to become saints.

We have to go on hearing the echo of the last words of Jesus to the Apostles before he ascended into heaven: "And then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1, 8).

This is a sentence of great hope. Both the Church and the priesthood pass through difficult times. Yet the Lord always remains faithful to us, and goes on calling youths to the priesthood. Our country is a fine witness to this fact.

Those Apostles who proclaimed Christ on the first Pentecost went through many similar experiences. They all lived with Christ. Some of them renounced or abandoned him. They all repented. They were all pardoned.

Notwithstanding their sins, they all received the same mission: "And you shall be my witnesses... to the ends of the world." Jesus knew beforehand the weakness and sins of each of those he chose. Still he chose them just the same and also sent them to convert the world in his name.

This is the crux of the mystery of priestly life. God makes use of weak and sinful human beings to sanctify the world. This does not mean that sin can be disregarded. On the contrary, sin hurts the life of many. It is also a stumbling block in the Christian way and a burden in the Church's mission. But this is also our school where we are taught humility. None of us deserves to be a disciple, and much less an apostle, and yet God chose us just the same.

Love for God

Today, more than ever, the Church needs priests who love God more than themselves; who seek the glory of God more than their own; who dedicate themselves and their time wholly to spread the Gospel; who lead the people of God by being their servants; who are merciful and humble because they realise their own weakness; who are capable of preaching the truth even if they are despised; and who have a great zeal to win man for God.

We priests have the mission to form Christians to sanctity through our life. If priests are persons of faith, the people of God will find it easier to believe. If priests lead a saintly life, the people of God will find it easier to heed the call for sainthood.

Vatican Council II teaches us that, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest receives a spiritual power that is given to him precisely to be able to build the people of God.

This is a spiritual power that must come from Jesus Himself. He said clearly that without him we could do nothing (Jn 15, 5). This shows how strong our belief that we depend on Jesus in our priestly mission should be. This means that, in our priestly mission, we have to be true men of God. As Pope John Paul II declared to the Parish Priests and Clergy of Rome: "Not only the faithful that are near to us, but also the weak and insecure in faith and who are far away from the service of Christian life cannot but feel the presence and testimony of a priest that is truly a man of God" (March 6, 2003).

An invitation to prayer

We, Bishops, wish to avail ourselves of this occasion so that, together with our dear brethren in the ministry of the priesthood, we remember the greatness of God's call to us, and at the same time, the enormity of our responsibility.

We encourage you to participate in this Congress as another moment of grace that will help us move towards living better our priesthood. Meanwhile, we invite you to keep this Congress in your prayers.

We also wish to call our brethren in the common priesthood, that is, all Christians. We know that the large majority of the Maltese and Gozitans have a great love and respect for the priest. We would like to encourage you all to pray for us priests in our country and in the world. Pray for us so that we will be priests who in honesty and generosity answer "Yes" when Jesus repeats to us the question he made to St Peter: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"(Jn 21, 15).

Let us pray to Mary to help us all so that, whatever God's call for us in this world, we will be able to respond to it with Evangelical love and generosity.

We impart on you our pastoral blessing as a pledge of every heavenly good.