Priests should be with Jesus
“What is the concept of a priest in the New Testament? He should be with Jesus and fulfil His mission in the world,” emphasised Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam.
Apr 16, 2014
By Bernard Anthony
“What is the concept of a priest in the New Testament? He should be with Jesus and fulfil His mission in the world,” emphasised Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam.
He presided at the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral of St John on April 9 with Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Joseph Marino the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, Msgr Marek Zalewski, Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, Msgr Daniel Lim and all the priests in the archdiocese. Some 1,100 Catholics from around the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur were present, to witness the Blessing of the Holy Oils and to pray for their priests to be more committed, humble and generous servants of the Lord.
In his homily, the Archbishop Emeritus quoted from a book Priestly Ministry — A Search for Its Meaning which included an elaboration on the richness of the priesthood. Referring to the Gospel text from Luke about the Prophet Isaiah, the prelate said, “The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me, He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.” Applied to the work of a priest, this meant that the priest must first come to know Jesus before he can take the word of God to the people.
Touching on the importance of prayer, the prelate said the first book that our Pope Francis opens in the morning and the last book he closes at night is the Divine Office or the Prayer Book of the Church. Similarly the priest must make time to deepen his prayer life.
“Priests too have sinned, because we are human, but if we priests, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament and go for confession, we can make a difference in living our calling. Priests who seek to put Jesus in the centre of their lives can be good priests and the Catholic Community will be blessed.”
He also advised his priests not to lose courage in their ministry, but to find strength by deepening their relationship with Jesus. Pope Francis, who is united with the Heart of Jesus has touched many people.
“We are at the frontier of society but as parish priests we must not impose our own private theological leanings on the people. We need to strengthen the formation of our BECs,” stressed the prelate. He also shared his own BEC experience when he brought Holy Communion to two elderly homebound Catholics.
By coming for this Chrism Mass the laypeople, as BECs, are a sign that they are supporting their priests to renew their commitment to the priesthood.
The homily was followed by the Renewal of Commitment by Priests, in the presence of the prelate. Three jars of oils, the Oil of Holy Chrism, the Oil of Salvation and the Oil of the Sick were presented to Archbishop Emeritus Pakiam to be blessed. These will be used for the administration of the sacraments throughout the archdiocese for the year.
The celebration concluded with a dinner fellowship for all in the cathedral’s ground.
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