The Canonical Imperatives of Priestly Sanctity (Part III)

By Fr. Jaime Blanco Achacoso, J.C.D. AFTER considering the demands laid down by Canon Law as regards the pastoral ministry of priests, we can proceed to other obligations which likewise are specify the general duty of priests to seek holiness. 2nd Imperative Can.276, §2 — 2º [Clerics] are to nourish their spiritual life from the two-fold table of Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist; priests are therefore earnestly invited to offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist daily and deacons are earnestly invited to participate daily in offering it. This imperative to make the Holy Mass the root and center of the priest’s entire life by its daily celebration is reiterated in c.904: Priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed daily celebration is strongly recommended, since even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function. Furthermore, the Code specifies an obligation to offer the Holy Mass for the people for certain clerics by virtue of their office: 1) For the diocesan bishop: After he has taken possession of his diocese, the diocesan bishop must apply a Mass for the people committed to him on Sundays and the other holy days of obligation within his region (c.388, §1). 2) For the diocesan administrator: The diocesan administrator is obliged to reside in the diocese and to apply Mass for the people according to the norm of c.388 (c.429). 3) For the parish priest: After he has taken possession of his parish, the pastor is obliged to apply Mass for the people entrusted to him each Sunday and holy day of obligation within the diocese; if he is legitimately prevented from this celebration, he is to apply Mass on these same days through another priest or he himself is to apply it on other days (c.534, §1). On the other hand, the pious celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is safeguarded by the following canonical provisions: 1) Prohibition against routine due to too many Masses daily: It is not licit for a priest to celebrate the Eucharist more than once a day, except for certain instances when the law permits such celebration or concelebration more than once (c.905, §1). In fact, only if priests are lacking can the Local Ordinary allow exceptions to this general limitation to one Mass per day: a) twice a day for a just cause; b) thrice on Sunday and holy days of obligation, for pastoral reasons. 2) Prayer before and after Mass: The priest is not to fail to make the required prayerful preparation for the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, or the thanksgiving to God upon its completion (c.909). 3rd Imperative Can.276, §2 — 3º Priests as well as deacons aspiring to the priesthood are obliged to fulfill the liturgy of the hours daily in accordance with the proper and approved liturgical books; permanent deacons, however, are to do the same to the extent it is determined by the conference of bishops. The degree of obligation is lost in translation; in effect the original obligatione tenentur is used in the Code for obligations of the greatest rank—e.g., duty of celibacy for clerics (c.277, §1), duty to attend Mass on holy days of obligation (c.1247). Indeed the liturgy of the hours forms part of the public worship of the Church, and its celebration constitutes a grave obligation for clerics, even if the commandment does not affect all the hours equally—i.e., Morning Praise and Evening Prayer form the double axis around which the divine office rotates , which should not be omitted except for a serious cause. This canonical norm is in perfect continuity with c.135 of the old CIC17. 4th Imperative Can.276, §2 — 4º [Clerics] are also bound to make a spiritual retreat according to the prescriptions of particular law. The obligation to attend spiritual retreat is also given in terms of strict obligation, and canonical provisions are made to facilitate such attendance. Thus, the days spent in such retreats are not counted among the vacation days of the parish priest, when he is allowed to be absent from the parish (cf. c.533, §2); the same right is given the parochial vicar (cf. c.550, §3). This obligation should be interpreted in the context of the right and duty of the priest to permanent formation. 5th Imperative Can.276, §2 — 5º [Clerics] are to be conscientious in devoting time regularly to mental prayer, in approaching the sacrament of penance frequently, in cultivating special devotion to the Virgin Mother of God, and in using other common and particular means for their sanctification. This canonical imperative lumps in one provision a series of norms of piety and sacramental life which are further spelled out in the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests as follows: 1) Devoting time regularly to mental prayer: Following the example of Christ, the priest must know how to maintain the vivacity and abundance of the moments of silence and prayer in which he cultivates and deepens his own personal relationship with the living figure of Jesus Christ (Directory…, n.40). 2) Approaching the sacrament of penance frequently: Like any good faithful, the priest also needs to confess his own sins and weaknesses. He is the first to realize that the practice of this sacrament reinforces his faith and charity toward God and his brothers. In order to effectively reveal the beauty of Penance, it is essential that the minister of the sacrament offer a personal testimony preceding the other faithful in living the experience of pardon. In this sense, it is good for the faithful to see and know that their priests go to confession regularly (Directory…, n.53). 3) Cultivating special devotion to the Virgin Mother of God: The Directory makes special mention of the Holy Rosary (Directory…, n.39). 4) Other common and particular means for their sanctification. The Directory enumerates the following: daily Eucharistic celebration, with adequate preparation and thanksgiving; spiritual direction already practiced in the seminary; the complete and fervent celebration of the liturgy of the hours, on a daily basis; examination of conscience; divine readings; the Via Crucis and other pious exercises; and the fruitful reading on lives of the saints (Ibid.). Conclusion These brief considerations were meant to show that the ideal of priestly holiness is a pretension of paramount importance in the canonical order, such that in fact concrete norms have been laid down for its accomplishment. These norms are laid down in the most concise and concrete manner in the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests. I consider this to be the best little manual for the life and ministry of priests, a veritable vademecum specifically for the secular clergy who many times suffer precisely from a lack of specifically secular spirituality, as compared to the members of religious orders or societies of apostolic life who enjoy well-defined norms and means of ongoing formation that safeguard fidelity to their vocation. I would like to end with a quotation from Bl. John Paul II, concluding his landmark Apostolic Exhortation, Pastores dabo vobis: “I will give you shepherds after my own heart (Jer. 3:15). Today, this promise of God is still living and at work in the Church. At all times, she knows she is the fortunate receiver of these prophetic words. She sees them put into practice daily in so many parts of the world, or rather, in so many human hearts, young hearts in particular. On the threshold of the third millennium, and in the face of the serious and urgent needs which confront the Church and the world, she yearns to see this promise fulfilled in a new and richer way, more intensely and effectively: She hopes for an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit of Pentecost.” (n.82)