Praying, studying and preaching in priestly ministry
PRAYING,
STUDYING AND PREACHING IN PRIESTLY MINISTRY
CL.
Mario D'Couto SDB
Good
communication is essential for an effective pastoral ministry. Communication is
not the mere ability to talk. It is not merely saying the right words at the
right time. We can do all that and still not communicate. People often read a
priest’s attitude more than words. They study the way you are saying something
to find out why you are saying it or how important it is. The way people
respond to you in your ministry is a barometer of effectiveness in
communication. It does not happen by talking a lot. Some priests hope that
talking a lot would act as a good motivator. But that is not the case.
To
be a good communicator, the priest should first of all be credible. Credibility
means that there should be a connection between one’s words and behaviour. None
can trust an unreliable person who says one thing and does something else. In
this regard, it is crucial to look at the importance of communicating the Word
of God. Communicating the Word of God is an essential part of priestly ministry
and hence it is important to know the subject. To establish confidence in the
minds of your listeners, you must study and prepare carefully. So do your
homework well!
The
second thing with regard to the art of good communication is to say it like you
mean it. If you are not convinced by it, don’t expect your people to be swayed
by your words for no one can give that thing which he or she does not have.
This is what made Jesus’ ministry unique; He taught with authority. Unlike the
Pharisees and the Sadducees who were like schoolboys merely repeating what was
said earlier, Jesus was far ahead. Of course, the secret of His ministry lies
in His prayer. Jesus certainly did spend a lot of time in prayer and the
Gospels testify to it. Hence it is important to pray before you begin to
prepare and pray before you preach as prayer is an essential part of the
message of preparation and presentation.
Study
is also a major source of sanctification in one’s priestly ministry. Today,
priestly studies have become more of an academic exercise or some kind of ‘intellectual gymnastics.’ What is
important is to cultivate a balance – a balance between prayer and study. They
should go together. This is because in the 14th century, there was
an anti – intellectual movement that was going on in Netherlands and it was
called ‘Devotio moderna.’ The focus
of this movement was the emphasis on faith and not so much on reason. Today,
the shift has changed and thus priestly studies have become more of an
intellectual pursuit rather than some kind of divine endeavour. Thus, as noted
earlier, balance is important and this is precisely because in as much as a
priest is called to be a man of prayer, he should be able to proclaim the Word
and catechize the faithful. Thus, we can say that there are two things that a
person needs to take note of when it comes to studies in priestly ministry,
i)
When
one studies, the insights or the things learned during the process of study
should lead him (the priest) to God.
ii)
When
a priest gives too much of importance to study to such an extent that he
neglects his pastoral duties like hearing confessions or preparing homilies,
then that becomes a vice.
Every student whether theology, philosophy, physics
or chemistry or any other subject who applies the mind rightly can sanctify the
self and others and thus link them to the divine love insofar as he or she
works at one’s desk trying to fathom a particular subject matter as part of his
or her vocation. If the primary and immediate subject of study happens to be
God or the things related to God, then the truth pondered over or contemplated
will lead one to an in – depth knowledge of divine love and quite often the
divine love will usually augment a greater sanctification of truth.
Meditation is an important pre – requisite for study
as it moves the intellect to seek the truth. In fact for the celibate, it is
important because giving up the pleasures of married and family life, he must
still have some pleasures but of a higher kind to sublimate his life with. Of
course, one thing we should note is that such a thing cannot be achieved by
mere human efforts; it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Yet, all the same,
contemplation of divine things and assiduous union with God in prayer is to be
the first and foremost duty of all religious.
For a priest or anyone wanting a deep spiritual life,
to think of study as a mere game of the mind and having no bearing on the life
of prayer is an illusion. It is as dangerous to study too much as it is not to
study anything at all. The key to opening up the treasure of divine truth is
not exclusively to spend hours before the Blessed Sacrament and abandon study
but to acquire this virtue of studiousness and integrate it with the
theological virtues and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. When this happens,
then a true spirituality of study is alive and active not only in an individual
priest but also in religious communities, seminaries, dioceses and even
university faculties.
Finally, in as much as one’s studies should be
combined with prayer, it is also important that a priest’s sermon must bear two
things. The first is that it should lead to God for as St. Francis de Sales
would write in his masterpiece, “Introduction
to the Devout Life,” “A good sermon is not about being impressed by the flowery
language of the preacher. Rather it is about what a person thinks what he or
she can do to improve one’s self spiritually after hearing the sermon.” The
second thing follows from the first point and that is it should be practical.
There is a story told of a youth who stood up during a sermon and told a
priest, “Father, you’re a nice guy but
cut the clerical crap. Tell us something we can understand and give ourselves
to.” No doubt, the boy was rude but the priest also got a rude awakening.
All in all, study and prayer are the two most
important things when it comes to preaching, not forgetting that ultimately a
sermon is a food for thought in which there is something that every man, woman
and child can take with him or her back home. But most of all, effective
preaching comes with the integrity of one’s life, a life in which there is
nothing secretive or anything to hide, as St. Anthony of Padua would put it, “Preach, preach, preach at all times but use
words only when necessary,” that is truly the mark of a good priest, a
witness to the love, compassion and mercy of God.
