Portrait of a Priest

Seeing Jesus as the only perfect priest

11/5/2017

Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.  For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

       Do you love your priests? Or, do you loathe your priests? Or, do you light-hearted laugh at your priests? I was showing some parishioners a room in our church office displaying the portraits of the pastors of Immaculate Conception Church. A couple of the pictures made them laugh. They pointed at one and said: “He looks like George Castanza from the comedy show ‘Seinfeld’!” They took a double-take at another one and said: “I thought he looked like Donald Trump because of his rosy cheeks and his hair.” Now, to be fair, people also poke fun at me. One friend said after Mass: “If I close my eyes and listen to you speak, you sound a lot like Barack Obama!” Well, let me be clear: Obama sounds like me.

  

       Sometimes we put priests on a pedestal and see them as saints, while at other times we point out their problems and pitfalls and see them as scoundrels. I’m reminded of Shylock, the Jew, in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock’s comment could easily be applied to priests when he said: “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?” (Merchant, III, 1). In other words, priests are still men, no matter how exalted their calling.

       Today, I want to paint two portraits of priests for you: the first somewhat a scoundrel, and the second somewhat a saint. The scoundrel is the fictional priest in Ken Follett’s historical novel called The Pillars of the Earth. Do you remember “Waleran Bigod”? He was a conniving clergyman, who ruthlessly used people to gain greater power and prestige. He begins as a deacon but climbs the clerical ladder to become a bishop. The second portrait is of the first pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Fr. Lawrence Symth. He was pastor of I.C. for 38 years, from 1862 to 1900. Last week, someone gave me a copy of his last will and testament. Fr. Smyth wrote: “I, Lawrence Smyth, Pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception…being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make and publish this my last will and testament.” He goes on: “I give, devise and bequeath to my successor, the pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception all real estate and personal property that I may possess…for the sole use and benefit of the Church…” And finally, he instructs: “I direct my Executor to erect a small monument over my grave, and also to pay…for Masses for the eternal repose of my soul.” Fr. Smyth might not be a canonized saint, but he humbly hoped for heaven. The portrait of a priest comes in many colors, some scoundrels and some saints.

       In the gospel today, Jesus paints the portrait of two priests, too. See if you can tell which painting looks like Bishop Waleran and which one Fr. Smyth. Jesus says: “They preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders…They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassles. They love places of honor at banquets and seats of honor in synagogues.” Obviously Jesus is describing the Waleran-like priest. But then he paints another portrait, saying: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” That sounds more like the Smyth-style priest to me. Jesus hopes his apostles see that portraits of priests come in many colors, and which he expects them to be.

        So what does all this have to do with the average person in the pew? Does it even matter, after all, who the priest is? Isn’t your religious life mainly a matter between you and Jesus? That’s true. But ask yourself this question: have the priests you’ve known over the years helped your grow closer to Christ or wander away from him? How many “Roaming Catholics” in Fort Smith moved parishes because of a priest? Priests do not play a small role in our relationship with Christ. You, too, have seen many portraits of priests over the years: some who look like George Castanza, some that sound like Barack Obama; others who act like Waleran, and others that behave like Lawrence Symth.

       May I suggest three things you can do regardless of the portrait of the priest you have to look at every Sunday? And maybe it will help you see that portrait more clearly. First of all, pray for your priests. We often believe it’s the job of the priest to pray for his people, and that’s absolutely true. But don’t forget priests need your prayers, too. Pope Francis often ends his speeches by asking the people to pray for him. How humble.  St. Augustine, the saintly bishop of Hippo, said: “For you I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian.” That is, I, too, need your prayers to be a good Christian as I stumble along following Jesus.

        Secondly, be patient with your priests. Priests also make mistakes, but we can also learn from them and grow as persons and as pastors. I’ve been a priests for 21 years now, and I shake my head in dismay when I think of some of the things I said and did when I was first ordained. A priest friend of mine agreed and said: “If we were doctors we would have been sued for mal-practice.” The people in the parishes where I have served were very patient with me, as I slowly learned the lessons of love that Jesus teaches all of us, priest and people.

         And third, please remember there really is only one perfect priest, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone asks you: “How many priests are there in the Diocese of Little Rock?” You should answer: “There’s only one: Jesus Christ. All others are just cheap imitations.” Why?  Well, all other priests (like me) are imperfect, flawed, greedy, lazy, ambitious and selfish. So, if you’ve noticed that your priest says something wrong in a homily, or fails to show up for every event, or losses his temper or oversleeps, well what a shocker! What did you expect? “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?”

        C. S. Lewis made this observation about men becoming priests: “It is painful, being a man, to have to assert the privilege, or the burden, which Christianity lays upon my own sex. I am crushingly aware how inadequate most of us are…to fill the place prepared for us [in being priests]. But it is an old saying in the army that you salute the uniform not the wearer” (Essay, “Priestesses in the Church”). Folks, next time you see the portrait of a priest, salute the uniform, not the wearer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!