{"id":40093,"date":"2013-06-12T06:11:12","date_gmt":"2013-06-12T11:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=40093"},"modified":"2013-06-12T09:20:43","modified_gmt":"2013-06-12T14:20:43","slug":"priesthood-and-the-crucifixion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/06\/priesthood-and-the-crucifixion\/","title":{"rendered":"Priesthood and the Crucifixion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you remember the Pilgrimage of Prayer<\/a>? In the last week, I have \u201cstopped, looked, and listened.\u201d It is beautiful when you and I can share with one other the fruits of our contemplation<\/i>, the fruits and thoughts of our prayer. The Order of Preachers (nicknamed the Dominicans) uses that phrase to describe their vocation, \u201cto contemplate and share with others the fruits of our contemplation<\/i>.\u201d The following isn\u2019t terribly scriptural, but a sharing of thoughts and prayers. I hope it can draw us into the mystery of the priesthood and crucifixion- the man who is priest and victim for the people. I hope it can relate the evangelical counsels to us too.<\/p>\n

\"salvadordali-crucifixionEach part of the priesthood is signified by different parts of the Passion. The evangelical counsels have a significant role in the priesthood too- just as they did in the life of Christ. Poverty, chastity, and obedience are the three evangelical counsels. Us the laity are not called to live the virtue of chastity in celibacy (unless we are forever single or consecrated virgin), but we are called to live it out, since purity is for everyone, and since Jesus says blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. This purity<\/b> is more than sexual; it is also emotional and mental, it is wholesome.<\/p>\n

Think about it: does God only ask my body to be pure? If that is the case, I am not a whole person who has body and soul. We know that is not true. I have a mind, body, soul, heart. It follows, therefore, to understand and practice purity of my whole person<\/b>, the whole person whom God loves and desires. Think of the contrast: if God only asks purity of body, I can lust all I want. No one sees it and it\u2019s not physical, is it? Remember Jesus again, \u201ceveryone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.\u201d Again, this purity that the blessed see, \u201cthey shall see God,\u201d this is a wholesome purity.<\/p>\n

The agony in the Garden<\/b> is Obedience. Read John 17, the high priestly<\/i> prayer of Jesus.\u00a0 He pleads for unity among his apostles and disciples, and for the joy of knowing the greater good and eternal beauty. The priest today does the same. He is also obedient to the bishop, to do not his will but the one of whom sent him. Sound familiar? Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22 give accounts of the Agony. Consider his plea and look with wonder on his obedience to God our Father.<\/p>\n

The scourging at the pillar<\/b> is Poverty. \u201cI will give you even my back.\u201d \u201cI do not withhold myself.\u201d Most of us have trouble giving ten dollars to someone we see after daily Mass. Consider Jesus, he became poor for us in every way. This poverty is gruesome and ugly to us\u2026 and what riches did it merit us? The priest is called to do the same. Does your pastor get along with everyone? The short answer is, likely not. Our priests give themselves to us in ways we don\u2019t see. We may see them in the Sacraments and in Ministry, but where else are they? They mediate for us and God; they sanctify and consecrate our own sacrifice and gifts.<\/p>\n

The crowning of thorns<\/b> is Chastity. What? King, who do you crown? Your wife, the queen, and vice versa. The word mocked (and mocks) him for who he is, Holy and Pure, God and Man. He proclaims by his life the virtue of Chastity (and celibacy in this case). The world recognizes how much he doesn\u2019t \u201cfit in.\u201d Even though he took part in creation, the world did not know him; his own people did not receive him. Purity is beautiful! If you don\u2019t understand St. John of the Cross in his writings, understand this: St. John is teaching you to be pure and holy as the bride is for the Bridegroom who is Jesus! How else is marriage consummated? In sin, or in purity? How do we live in heaven, in sin, or in purity? How else will \u201cthe pagans,\u201d and the atheists and everyone on earth believe? Will it be because of our grave sin? No, they will see us the disciples of Jesus as contradictions in the world\u2026 yet completely true and joyful and rich in this unseen thing we call God (2 Cor. 6). Chastity. The priest models this virtue for us in celibacy. He is crowned with thorns as a sign of the worthiness of this virtue.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Eucharist<\/p><\/div>\n

The words of Consecration<\/b> in the Mass can be likened to the Crucifixion<\/b>. This gift of self is total, whole, and complete. This sacrifice, his wounds, are what we enter into in Communion (and his Resurrection). The priest gives of himself by giving us Jesus in this and all the Sacraments.<\/p>\n

How will you participate in the salvation of the world? How will you give of yourself for the sanctification of your friends, family, and enemies? It is a worthwhile life when it is lived in and with God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you remember the Pilgrimage of Prayer? In the last week, I have \u201cstopped, looked, and listened.\u201d It is beautiful when you and I can share with one other the fruits of our contemplation, the fruits and thoughts of our prayer. The Order of Preachers (nicknamed the Dominicans) uses that phrase to describe their vocation,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90],"tags":[486,183,70,348],"class_list":{"0":"post-40093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-faith-blog","7":"tag-chastity","8":"tag-discernment","9":"tag-priest","10":"tag-vocation","11":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":308041,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/the-song-and-the-priesthood\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":0},"title":"The Song and the Priesthood","author":"William Rooney","date":"October 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, thanks to my Old Testament Writings class, I have spent a lot of time reading, meditating on, and writing about the Song of Songs. It is a marvelous book which I highly encourage you to read. In some ways, the Song is a remarkable book to find in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ACNM"","block_context":{"text":"ACNM","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adam and Eve and the desire for something other than God","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Adam-and-Eve-reaching-for-apple.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":124986,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/an-open-letter-to-sr-simone-campbell-of-the-nuns-on-the-bus\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":1},"title":"An Open Letter to Sr. Simone Campbell (of the Nuns on the Bus)","author":"Rachel","date":"June 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog is in response to an interview\u00a0aired by the radio program On Being, hosted by Krista Tippett, on June 11, 2015. I invite you to listen to the interview before reading this post, and would especially point your attention to the unedited version of the interview. The time stamps\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sister Simone Campbell, left, and Sister Diane Donoghue, right, lead the way as the the \"Nuns on the Bus\" arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, July 2, 2012, after a nine-state tour to bring stories of hardship to Congress. Sister Simone Campbell is executive director of Network, a liberal Catholic social justice lobby in Washington. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/AP120702122892-550x377.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/AP120702122892-550x377.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/AP120702122892-550x377.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14722,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/05\/a-priest-and-a-sister-dish-on-religious-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":2},"title":"A Priest and A Sister Dish on Religious Life","author":"Kathryn Whitaker","date":"May 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A little over a month ago, I asked you to send in your best questions to local Dominican Sister, Sr. Elizabeth Ann, O.P., of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.\u00a0 There were some great questions (and she gave some great answers, below).\u00a0 But, I thought it would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/SrEA.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":160743,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/the-great-good-of-celibacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":3},"title":"The Great Good of Celibacy (A Response to “Dismantling the Cross”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"October 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a really tough time at Mass last Sunday. Since the readings were so clearly about marriage, I expected to hear a homily on that\u2014and I did. I heard a great homily, actually; I'm thankful for that. Yet as someone who is openly celibate and may well remain so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Great Good of Celibacy: A Response to \"Dismantling the Cross,\" by Patricia Snow at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/acnm_celibacy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":257365,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/review-discovering-feminine-genius\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":4},"title":"For Women Only… and A Little Bit for Men (Review: “Discovering the Feminine Genius”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"June 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I finally found a book about women's spirituality that is (a) not about single life and (b) one I like! That is a rare find. I read (and write) a lot about being a single Catholic woman. There's a market for it. There's also a need for materials that explore\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"circle of women","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/2621843516_aaa5743876_o-630x420.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/2621843516_aaa5743876_o-630x420.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/2621843516_aaa5743876_o-630x420.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":161163,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/a-fruit-of-discipleship-authentic-praise-and-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":40093,"position":5},"title":"A Fruit of Discipleship \u2013 Authentic Praise and Worship","author":"William Rooney","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This summer I had the amazing experience of visiting my friend, Katie Smith, who is a supervisor with the National Evangelization Team (NET) in St. Paul, MN. In case you have not heard of NET, here\u2019s a quick background: NET is devoted to challenging \u201cyoung Catholics to love Christ and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"praise","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/praise-280x190.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40093\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}