Rev. Anthony Pereira
Considering that my 10th Anniversary of Ordination was June 5, 1992, these reflections are over a year late. (Considering how my life runs, that is par for the course.)
When I began my journey into the seminar at 13 years of age, I began with an enthusiastic spirit, believing I had all the energy to save the world. Today my enthusiasm is tempered by a sense of realism that one can only do so much and that the Church needs every member of the Body of Christ to build the kingdom of God. To put it differently: everyone must do their fair share to make this world a better place.
My waking hours are about the same as during my seminary days. We got up at 5:30 a.m. and retired about 10:30 p.m. (or 11 p.m if we finished homework under the covers with a flashlight.) Today my day begins at 4:30 a.m. and ends at 11:00 p.m. (I don't have to use the flashlight under the covers.)
You might wonder what could keep the priest so busy. Rather than give a boring breakdown of statistics which are available in the "National Catholic Directory", let me tell it in a way you can relate to in your own family life. Isn't it tough to have quality time with your family these days?
The Church is one large family--call it the Body of Christ. Consider only the registered parishioners of each parish. In my present parish that is 1700 families. Try to have that time to celebrate all the sacraments from birth to death. Add the preparation time to do a good, caring job in all these celebrations (personalizing all your services by meeting with the families in each case to get a sense of what their spiritual, emotional need is.) When St. Paul writes "I must be all things to all," I wonder if he was known for his tongue in cheek humor.
Add meetings on all levels that a priest is expected to attend. On the diocesan level with the Bishop or with other Parishes, or Community Service agencies that range from financial advice to charity work for the poor (not to mention the poor at the rectory door.) Then, there are the regular meetings at the school and parish level. The Family Life Group, The Mother's Club, The Father's Club, The Legion of Mary, The Knights of Columbus, The Boy's Club, The Girl's Club, The Junior High, The Boy Scouts, The Girl Scouts, etc. - the list can go on. Then there are the prayer groups.. (And how about the Grade School kids who want to see their priest in their class rooms?)
Don't get me wrong. I am not a work-a-holic. (I enjoy my priesthood.) If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose to be a priest. In every crisis story with a happy ending; in every funeral that helps the family through the pain and sadness of death to the hope of Eternal Life for their loved ones; in every wedding preparation that allows the couple to correctly decide whether to get married or not; in every hospital or convalescent care visit--in all these there is joy in knowing that people were expecting Jesus to come and be there with them, and He was!
But my point is this: all of the above is ministry--it is our work together. We are all part of the same body, and each has to do his or her part for the kingdom of God to be at hand. I've learned to share the work, not because I can't do it all, but because Christ works in all of us and through all of us. All we need to do is our little part, after we have asked His guidance in prayer. (That's why I still get up early just to have an hour time for prayer each day.)
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