In a recent video, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect Emeritus of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, recalled the sublime vocation of the priest to be a "living icon" of Christ among the faithful.
According to the eminent American prelate, the priesthood finds its most perfect expression in the celebration of the Mass, where the priest sacramentally makes present the redemptive sacrifice of Calvary.
"In consecrating the bread and wine, the priest gives us to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Lord, the fruit of His immolation for the remission of our sins."
An Indelible Character Configured to Christ
But the priestly ministry is not limited to the altar, Cardinal Burke continued. In every sacrament, and particularly that of Penance, the priest is the mediator enabling souls to "encounter Christ, confess their faults, and receive from Him pardon and the grace to start anew."
This is why the priest must always be aware of the indelible character received at his ordination, which configures him ontologically to Christ, the Head and Shepherd of the Church. "Whether we are at the altar, in the confessional, or in more ordinary tasks, we remain priests at all times and in all places."
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The Cardinal then addressed the question of "blessings" and other "sacramentals" which, while distinct from the seven sacraments, remain intimately linked to the sacred liturgy. "When a priest blesses an object or leads a procession, he is not celebrating the supreme worship, but expressing our communion with Christ and His Church."
A Call to Priestly Holiness
According to the prelate, such gestures cannot, however, endorse anything opposed to the faith or tainted by sin. "To ask for divine blessing on evil would be a profound mark of disrespect toward the Lord and a lack of love for Him."
Cardinal Burke concluded by exhorting priests to ardently seek holiness out of love for Christ and redeemed souls. He also invited the faithful to pray that ordained ministers may be true "beacons of truth and grace" in the midst of the flock.
"Only a renewed and deepened catechesis, for the young as well as for adults, can revive in the hearts of believers the sense of the sacred and of the real presence of the Lord in our lives."