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CV NEWS FEED // The holiness of priests is key to the vitality of the Church and its mission, Archbishop of Denver Samuel J. Aquila emphasized in a recent article reflecting on the connection between the Eucharist and the priesthood.
In his September 11 article in the Denver Catholic, Archbishop Aquila expressed his deep gratitude for the priests serving in the Archdiocese of Denver and reminded the faithful that priests are called to not only celebrate the Eucharist but to live lives that reflect Christ’s sacrifice.
“Priests are not only called to fulfill the role of celebrant in the liturgies where these graces are given but their whole lives are expected to be conformed to this message,” he wrote.
Archbishop Aquila highlighted how the Eucharist and the priesthood are essentially intertwined, quoting John Paul II’s statement that “[t]here can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.”
He also pointed to Pope Francis’ encouragement of seminarians to maintain their “first love” for God, reminding seminarians that love must fuel their mission.
The Archbishop stated in the letter that the “foundational anchor of my mission as Archbishop is to foster holiness,” which, he clarified, does not mean that he thinks priests are not “holy enough:”
“In no way do I suggest that,” Archbishop Aquila wrote.
“As disciples,” he continued, “every baptized person has received the ‘first love’ Pope Francis mentions, and as priests, we must grow in that authentic love, deepen it and let it transform us so we can shepherd the People of God.”
The Archbishop noted the link between holiness and the Eucharistic Revival’s Year of Mission, stating: “The transformation and growth in holiness must lead to the mission of sharing Jesus and the Gospel with others.”
The Year of Mission is the final part of the three-year Eucharistic Revival initiative, which was launched by the National Eucharistic Revival, as CatholicVote reported previously. Launched by the National Eucharistic Revival, its goal is to deepen communities’ devotion to the Eucharist through various ways.
“Jesus gave the Church the priesthood to make himself present to us in the Eucharist, to nourish us with his love, to increase our love for others and, importantly, to send us on mission,” Archbishop Aquila wrote in his recent article.
The Archbishop concluded by encouraging the faithful to pray for the holiness of their priests, stating that priests who are deeply in love with Christ will lead their communities “on mission with him and with you, to bring the message of the Gospel to a world that so desperately needs it!”
