杏MAP导航 to seminarians: 'A priest not close to his bishop is lame'
By Kielce Gussie
鈥淕ood day. How quiet you are!鈥� With these words, 杏MAP导航 Francis greeted a group from a seminary in Toledo, Spain. He jokingly asked them if they traveled to Rome to make a visit for tourism or as a penance.
鈥淧riests must be close鈥� to four groups
Challenging the bishops, formators, staff and seminarians present to develop a simple spirituality, the 杏MAP导航 urged them to foster closeness with four groups of people. First, they must be close to God, so 鈥渢hat there is the ability to find the Lord.鈥� The second group is a reciprocal closeness, one between the priests and bishops. 鈥淎 priest who is not close to his bishop,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis warned, 鈥渋s 鈥榣ame鈥� and he is missing something.鈥�
Moreover, he reminded the group that they must have a sense of solidarity among each other, 鈥渨hich starts already in the seminary.鈥� The final group priests should be close with are the laity, 鈥渢he holy and faithful People of God.鈥�
A Eucharistic feast
杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on the seminary group preparing for an ancient tradition that commemorates the first time the Eucharist was kept in the Tabernacle, which he called 鈥減rocession of the 'Reserved' feast.鈥� He highlighted three important moments in the tradition: the Mass, the exposition of the Holy Eucharist throughout the day, and the closing procession. The 杏MAP导航 underscored that this commemoration highlights fundamental aspects of the priesthood.
The first being the Mass as it is the moment Jesus comes into our lives. 鈥淛esus calls us, as Church,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥渢o make Himself present in the priesthood and in the people, in the sacrament and in the Word.鈥� After the Mass, the Eucharist is exposed in the monstrance for the entire day. The 杏MAP导航 encouraged the seminarians and priests to spend time in front of the Eucharist as an opportunity to listen to God. He said, it is 鈥渙nly a personal encounter, a loving encounter, with Jesus illuminate, sustain, and support the course of our earthly day.鈥�
The third and final part of the feast is the procession of the monstrance. 杏MAP导航 Francis used this is as a reminder that the priestly ministry is to bring Christ to His people. He closed the meeting leaving the group with his wish for them. 鈥淚 hope that, without taking our eyes off the One who leads us,鈥� he said, 鈥渨e learn to walk together in the hope of the encounter that we already taste here sacramentally.鈥�
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
