[Consider] the difficult problem of the interior unity of the priest’s life when he is faced with a great number of different tasks. It is a problem which, with the continuing decline in the number of priests, threatens to become ever more the real crisis of priestly existence. A pastor today, who is in charge of multiple parishes, and always on the move from one place to the other (a situation that missionaries know well), is becoming more the norm for the countries of ancient Christianity. The priest, who must try to guarantee the celebration of the sacraments in several communities, is tormented by administrative duties, is challenged by the complexity of every kind of question and is aware of the difficulties of persons that he does not even have the time to contact. Torn between the variety of activities, the priest becomes drained and finds fewer opportunities for the recollection, which would give him the new energy and inspiration. Externally stretched and interiorly drained, he loses the joy of his vocation, which in the end he feels to be an unbearable burden.
If that sounds like a commentary on today’s Church, know that these words were penned 30 years ago by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The future Pope Benedict XVI was asked to address priestly identity in light of two trends: growing secularism in the world and growing functionalism in viewing the priesthood. Combined, the priest becomes (in Pope Francis’ words) a kind of holy bureaucrat, asked to do more with less — less time, less resources, less support, even less interest from others unless they want to correct or critique.
Your favorite AI app will give you the seven causes of burnout. Or six, or nine or 12. Even figuring out what stresses you is stressful. Humanly speaking, priests are as susceptible to that as teachers and farmers, nurses and doctors, business owners and parents.
You can also find multiple suggestions online to support your priest: engage in friendly conversation; invite him to coffee, family dinners or community events; celebrate important dates like his birthday and ordination anniversary. Pray regularly for him; ask how you can help with necessary tasks and follow through; contribute your time, talent and treasure as a steward of God’s gifts to help the parish thrive and grow. Counter negative comments and gossip with a listening ear and encouragement.
All of these are helpful, since like any of us, priests benefit from sincere gestures of basic human courtesy and respect.
I cannot speak for the heart of any other priest. I barely know my own sometimes. But for me, the greatest stress in ministry arises from the regular clash of high ideals and human limitations. As with anyone drawn to vocations of service, priests want to offer compassion, availability and kindness to those in need. Even more, we are called to imitate the divine and human love of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Representing the Son of God sets the bar quite high.
Yet we are so often constrained by the realities of too much good to be done and too little time, energy, imagination and capability to do it as we would wish. This underlying sense of falling short can become a nagging discouragement. Even with all good external supports and encouragement, that inner awareness of limitation can whisper to us.
I was blessed very soon after ordination with an insight that has always helped me: as a priest, I am most myself when there is least of me. That is, we are ordained not for ourselves but for others, to serve the Church’s mission for the whole Body of Christ.
The most significant things the priest does are not his at all; they are the actions of Jesus to bring the new life of baptism, to forgive sins in penance, to heal soul and perhaps body in the anointing of the sick, at times to hand on the Holy Spirit in confirmation and most remarkably, to feed God’s faithful with the Body and Blood of Jesus. None of this belongs to human power; it is the “I” of Jesus who speaks and acts through the ones he has chosen, for reasons of his own, as his priests.
In taking on our humanity, the Son of God chose limitation. He could not be everywhere, heal all the sick, speak to everyone in need of forgiveness and hope. The culmination of his mission from the Father was ultimately one particular Friday afternoon, a specific piece of wood, a handful of nails and the surrender to death. It is in our weakness and limitation that we are most united to the humility we pray for in the Litany of the Sacred Heart: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine.”
C.S. Lewis said: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s simply thinking of yourself less.” It is this immersion of the self into the person, life and mission of Jesus that is the surest support for the priest — not a holy bureaucrat, but a servant and disciple. This complex union with Jesus can be encouraged, modeled, prayed for by others; but ultimately it comes from the daily personal relationship between the priest Jesus chooses and the Jesus who has called him not to be served, but to serve, precisely in his limitations.
Cardinal Ratzinger ends his reflection with just this insight:
“The foundation [of the priest’s support] is an intimate communion with Christ whose food was to do the will of the Father (John 4:34). It is important that union with Christ abide in his conscience and in action: all that I do, I am doing in communion with Him. By doing it, I am with Him. All my activities, no matter how varied and often externally divergent constitute only one vocation: to be together with Christ acting as an instrument in communion with Him. … Christ, the greatest, became the least; He who is the first took the last place. To be a priest means to enter into the community of those who make themselves small.”
May every priest find it so.
Supporting Idea:
Rooted in apostolic tradition, our Catholic priests are called to be living instruments of Christ’s love, serving the Church with humility, fidelity and sacrificial devotion. Supporting priests through prayer, participation and generosity, the faithful ensure their shepherds are sustained in their mission to bring Christ to the world.
To learn more about the All Things New pastoral plan, visit stcdio.org/all-things-new/.
Father Tom Knoblach is pastor of Sacred Heart in Sauk Rapids and Annunciation in Mayhew Lake. He also serves as consultant for health care ethics for the Diocese of St. Cloud.