A Priest is a "Superman", an Image of Christ the God-Man

Bishop Utleg delivered this homily during a priestly ordination which he officiated in 2002. He shares this reflection with both clergy and lay faithful on the occasion of the feastday of priests.

What kind of priest does the Church, or our Diocese, needs today? If you listen to what everybody says it seems that people want no less than a superman to be their priest. To satisfy every demand from everybody, the priest must be

An Intellectual: one who is updated not only in theology and philosophy, but also in psychology and sociology. He must be able to answer any question thrown at him, and speak with authority on almost any topic.

An outstanding Preacher. He must know how to hold the attention of his audience, tell funny and meaningful stories, able to make his audience laugh and cry.

A Finance Wizard and Fund Raiser. He will be asked to build churches and rectories, find financing for his schools and catechists and pastoral programs.

A CPA, a good Accountant. The parish council and the bishop will ask him to make a financial statement and make an accounting of all the income and expenses of his parish.

A brilliant Organizer. The out-of-school youth, the young professionals, the farmers, the vendors, even the senior citizens will ask him to organize them and give them something to do. He must organize the Parish Council, WEST commissions, barangay pastoral councils, etc. Not only that, he must also know how to direct the traffic for all the religious organizations and movements in the parish so that their activities will not overlap and they will not quarrel with one another.

A sympathetic Guidance Counsellor. Many people will come with their problems and he has to be understanding, encouraging, give good advice, and avoid being emotionally involved with the counselee especially if she is lonely and beautiful.

A good Singer and Actor, or even a DI. There will be programs and social gatherings the priest must attend and he will be asked to sing or dance. The youth want to present something and will ask the priest to direct their play.

An Engineer and Architect. The parishioners are not contented with the sanctuary and they want the priest to put in there something beautiful. The roof leaks and there is no money to consult an engineer and so the priest does it himself.

And many others: mechanic, car driver, gardener, landscaper, artist, organist, composer, computer expert, basketball player, athlete, electrician, paramedic, legal expert, philanthropist, etc. But most of all he must be

A tireless Worker – one who will say Mass in three barrios on Sunday, visit all 30 barangays at least once a month, conduct prex every other week, meet the religious organizations every Saturday, join a prayer group every Thursday, be available when the bishop needs him, and he is not allowed to get tired or sick.

Before you start hesitating and doubting whether you [the ordinandus] will proceed with the ordination or not, let me assure you: what people really want of their priest is not what you can do, but what you are, and what they (and God, the Church, the Christian Community) want you to be is just to be a holy priest. And whether you can be holy is something you should not worry about.

You cannot do everything that I mentioned above, and are not expected to. Nobody can have all the talents to be all those. But to be holy is not a talent, but an attitude and a desire. You can be holy if you want to be holy.

What is the kind of holiness asked of a priest? Since he is another Christ, his holiness is also patterned after that of Christ. After the miraculous catch of fish Peter said to Jesus: depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. Christ exhudes holiness. The priest reflects the holiness of Christ. As Christ was, so the priest must also be (have)

1. A man of prayer. Christ withdrew from the crowds, went to the desert alone to commune with the Father. The priest also reserves certain moments of the day doing nothing but praying – not reading, not preparing his homily, not working, not saying Mass, but simply communing with God, telling him how much you love him, how tired you are, etc.

2. Simplicity. There was nothing complicated or extravagant about Jesus. His needs were down to the minimum, with not even a pillow to rest his head, but he did not become less human because of that. The priest lives a simple life-style. He is not cheap, but he knows the difference between necessity and extravagance, between what is luxurious and what is necessary for him to do his work and be healthy.

3. Single-mindedness. Christ never deviated from what the Father sent him into the world to do. My food, says Christ, is to do the will of Him who sent me. And His will is: to establish God’s reign here on earth. The priest knows why he is a priest. He has made the decision and in everything he does he is aware of his mission. And nothing – not worldly ambitions, not beautiful girls, not the tempting joys of family life, can distract him from it.

4. Humility. Though he was God, Christ took the form of a human being and became a slave or servant of all. The priest is humble because he knows and accepts the truth. He is grateful for God’s gifts, but he is also aware of his limitations. He knows, no matter how old or how high-placed he is, that he still has so much to learn. So he gladly listens to feedbacks and accepts advise from his fellow priests and parishioners, and of course submits willingly to the bishop. He also happily and readily shares honors and responsibilities with others.

5. Compassion for the poor. Christ definitely spent more time with the poor than with the rich and did most of his miracles in their behalf. All the saints, if we examine their lives, were all outstanding in their love for the poor. What would be the connection between being a saint and having compassion for the poor? It is simple: if holiness consists in being close to Christ, then it is natural that we are close to the poor with whom Christ chose to identify himself on earth. “Whatever you did….”

Perhaps you have noticed that the second, third and fourth marks of the holiness of Christ are similar to the so-called evangelical vows: simplicity for poverty, single-mindedness for celibacy and humility for obedience. This is true. The holiness of the priest comes from his faithfulness to his vows, plus prayerfulness and compassion for the poor.

You are not expected to be a superman but you are expected to be holy. What is the difference between the two? Superman is a figment of the imagination. He exists only in the movies and the comic books but not in reality. Holiness is a reality. Christ, the ultimate source of holiness, is present in the Church and that is why the Church is holy, although always in need of renewal. All of us, as members of the Church, are called to holiness. And this call to holiness is especially directed to the priest, the alter Christus – the image of Christ in the world.