The Icon of Christ The High Priest

This icon appears on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . The author has given his permission for its (non-commercial) use for the Year for Priests. This is his own description of the icon;

"This icon (egg tempera and gold leaf on wood panel, 28” x 22”) is based on a fifteenth century Greek prototype; here Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestments with a gold pelican over His heart, the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice. The borders contain a winding grapevine and altar prepared for the celebration of the liturgy of the Mass; in the borders are smaller icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.” Czarnecki explains: “I wrote the icon about seven years ago [for seminarians and priests] to be able to see Christ in themselves, and themselves in Christ. We often hear that the icon is called a window; in this case, it’s also meant to be a mirror.” The Good Shepherd reminds the priest that he is to “lay down his life for his sheep” (www.seraphicrestorations.com).

Models of Priesthood

I guessed (and hoped) that Pope Benedict would say something significant about the priesthood and priestly spirituality. I did not expect him to declare a "Year for Priests". Linking this with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney which providentially fell on the Solemnity of The Sacred Heart - and perhaps it was this that inspired him - is a wonderful gift.

Our main focus is on Christ the High Priest. After the Lord, we need to look again at the life and example of the Cure D'Ars. it would also be good to consider other priestly "heroes" and saints, and there is much to be learnt from looking at how Catholic priests have been depicted in literature and the Media. The picture above is of Karl Malden in the film, "On The Waterfront". He gave one of the best dramatic portraits of a Catholic priest.

My church was built by Fr. John O'Connor, the model for Chesterton's "Father Brown". Chesterton admired Fr. O'Connor's intellectual abilities. In Father Brown we also recognise humility and humanity. St. John Vianney can seem a very distant and daunting figure, with a spiritual life that is way beyond anything most priests can attempt. But this is a mistake. It is worth re-reading Trochu's magnificent biography (for my money one of the best biographies of a saint). When Pope John Paul 11 visited Ars, he spoke about the need to learn from the example of St. Vianney. Some priests criticised the Pope for saying this, suggesting that the Cure D'Ars was almost irrelevant to the priestly life today. Following John Paul's visit, the Fraternite de St. Jean Vianney was founded in Ars (its headquarters being at the Seminary there). Even a short pilgrimage to Ars (I have been at least five times) leaves a lasting impression and encourages most priests to be more generous in living their vocation.

It's good to have models and heroes, and I hope to share some of mine from time to time during the coming year - from the Cure D'Ars to Blessed Damien and beyond.

Corpus Christi and First Holy Communions

I have been away from blogging for a while because of illness and because I have simply been too busy at times.

This morning we had our First Communion Mass. The congregation was larger than normal and included some Catholics who no longer practice the faith in any way that we would recognise, as well as some who seem to have no allegiance to any denomination. I always think that these events are opportunities to preach the Gospel. Just how much impact this makes is something I can rarely judge, but preachers "plant seeds" and then must wait or leave the rest to God.

These days I often enter a "Billy Graham" mode, which means that I preach the essentials and invite people to accept Christ. Actually I have been doing this, on and off, for some years.

This morning I spoke about the experiences of Fr. Hermann Cohen and the late Andre Froissard, both of whom had extraordinary experiences in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament - experiences that led them to conversion. I recommend Froissard's book, "God Exists, I Have Met Him".