The Clerical Curmudgeon - divers thoughts on the Church, the world, etc.

 Wednesday, 12 January 2022

Good morning, gentle reader!

I've recently taken to watching a certain kind of video on YouTube.  I've seen several "Day in the Life of a Priest", all by young priests.  Some of them are interesting, others are just downright annoying to me.  But all of them have a fatal flaw in my opinion. I'll expound on all of these facets below.

Firstly, the vast majority of these vlogs are done by young priests.  We old veterans seem to eschew making videos in favour of writing, it seems. The videos I've seen thus far portray these young bucks as "cool" - whatever the hell that means.  They play guitars.  They skateboard. They ride motorcycles. They go to the gym and lift weights. They play sports.  In a word, they are "cool", unlike us old, uninspiring, frumpy old farts.

Even as a child, I thought of being a priest.  I play-acted Mass at home.  I began serving Mass in third grade.  I began proclaiming the Scripture readings at Mass in fifth grade.  I enjoyed it all.  However, never did I ever consider any of the priests at my home parish "cool".  I admired them.  I looked up to them and trusted them.  But thinking them "cool"?  Nope.  They were ordinary, middle-aged guys, with a couple of younger guys sprinkled in here and there as assistants.  They didn't go out onto the playground and play ball with us.  They didn't zip around on skateboards. They weren't gym bros with bulging muscles. 

It makes me wonder if any young man thinks to himself, "Gee, Father X is so cool.  I want to be cool, so I'll become a priest like him.". For me, in considering priesthood, it never entered into my mind that being a priest was cool.  It was heroic; it was sacrificial; it was different; but it wasn't cool.  My opinion is that these young vlogging priests are trying too hard to be "relatable".  Perhaps they really are being authentic and not acting "cool".  All I can say, is that I am damned glad that I do not have to share a rectory with any of them.

Secondly, all of the videos I have yet viewed portray these young guys as constantly busy, aside from the times that they stop to pray.  Yes indeed, there are days when activities seem to be non-stop.  There are other days when it's pretty slow.  That is the case in every parish, large or small.  Speaking of prayer, in every video, the various rectories in which these guys live, have a small chapel with the Blessed Sacrament reserved.  In some cases, where the rectory is a house in a subdivision near the parish church, that is understandable.  However, in most cases, rectories are usually right next to the church, and sometimes attached to it via a passage or breeze-way.  In that case, I do wonder why there is a chapel in the rectory, when the priests can easily walk over to the church for his personal prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. I also noticed that some of these young bucks make their "Holy Hour" and expose the Eucharist in a monstrance when it is just themselves in the chapel.  In my understanding, this goes against the rubrics for Exposition and worship of the Holy Eucharist.  Exposition is to be for more than just one person.  I can easily make a "Holy Hour" in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle.  I know He is there.  He knows I am there.  I don't need to see the consecrated Host in order to adore Him; that's why it's called an act of faith.  After all, our physical eyes only see what appears to be a wafer of unleavened bread.  By faith, we know and claim It to be the Lord, really and truly present for us in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

On a side note, I do not like what I call "peek-a-boo" tabernacles.  You may have seen some of them - with a small glassed over opening in the door of the tabernacle in which a large Host is displayed, which itself has a small, thin metal door which can be opened by anyone without the use of a key.  Again, these go against the rubrics in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal which calls for our tabernacles to be of solid material, not opaque, lockable and sturdy enough to safeguard the Blessed Sacrament from theft and desecration. The "peek-a-boo" styles, while lockable, are not secure, since only a piece of glass is between the Host and the viewer.  I doubt that the glass is shatter-proof, which means that the Host is left in a quite vulnerable state.  

Lastly, every one of these videos I've watched is all about activity - prayer, liturgy, meetings, teaching, etc. Yes, priests do these things.  My gripe is that it that it seems priesthood is equated with what priests do, rather than who priests are.  Priesthood is not a job or occupation.  It is a vocation to a state of life.  Which of you, gentle readers, who are married would describe your marriage as your job or occupation?  None, I'd hope.  Marriage is a vocation, a state of life, a call to live holiness together with your spouse, helping one another, and your children, to get to heaven.  So it is with the priesthood.  To reduce priesthood to activity does damage to the idea that it is a unique, even peculiar, call by God and His Church to a man; calling him to conform himself to Christ our High Priest, not just as he is in seminary, but throughout his life.  The idea that is conveyed by the majority of the videos I've seen is that priesthood is what a priest does, rather that who a priest is.  Yes, the activities of prayer, liturgy, teaching, administration, and so on, are part and parcel of what a priest does.  However, all those things, those acts, are not who I am as priest.  Those acts are the acts of Christ working through His priests, continuing His salvific ministry unto the end of time for the good of the Church and the world. 

Not one of the young bucks I viewed ever made plain that it is Christ's priesthood acting in them.  I'm sure they believe it, or at least I hope so.  But any priest worth his salt will honestly admit that he is an unworthy sinner, called by God (who knows why), to undeservedly share in the eternal Priesthood of Christ.  Yes, I know these guys are young, new at it, and full of youthful idealism, gentle reader.  I will cut them some slack.  In many ways, priestly ministry is a hands-on learning life.  The longer they do it, the more they know, and the better they can do it, not just practically, but especially spiritually.

On an ending note, I did notice that some of the young priests "made" themselves breakfast or lunch - usually something quick and easy.  It makes me wonder how many guys, young or old, know how to cook for themselves.  Every priest should.  None of them mentioned that part of the daily life of most priests are household chores, such as grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and so forth.  Long gone are the days of live-in housekeepers.  Perhaps a kind of "home ec" class could be offered in seminary to prepare these guys to be ready and do for themselves.  Every priest, every man should know these basic skills, rather than assuming that some kind-hearted woman would do them for him.

That, my gentle reader, are my thoughts for the day.  Pray for new, young priests.  Pray for the middle-aged priests who often bear the brunt of the work.  Pray for the old priests, who have laboured in the vineyard and are now retired from parish ministry.  Pray for those who are sick, disabled, or unable to minister.  Pray for those who have been suspended from public ministry.  Pray for all priests, the good, the bad, the ugly.  We need your prayers, gentle reader, if we are to live up to the call which Christ has given us.

Until later, gentle reader!

God bless you all!

Father P