The Power of a Priest

               The “Power of a Priest” is, indeed, unimaginable and yet it is often taken for granted.  This is the thought that overwhelmed me as I reflected on the words of St. John Vianney, whose feastday we celebrate today, August 4.

            In the booklet  ‘The Anawim Way’ I read the words of St. John Vianney on the holiness and dignity of a priest, which run as follows:

“Behold the power of the priest!  The tongue of the priest makes God

from a morsel of bread!  It is more than creating the ‘world’. The ‘Blessed Virgin Mary’  herself  cannot make her Divine Son descend into the host.  The priest can however simple he may be.”

The Eucharistic Celebration is  considered  the   center and summit of

 the Christian Life here on earth.  It is because when the priest pronounces the words of Consecration “This is My Body… This is the cup of My Blood…a very great miracle happens – THE HOST BECOMES CHRIST HIMSELF, THE GOD-MAN, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, although unseen by the naked eyes of men.  In a very mysterious way CHRIST RE-ENACTS HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS by which the GRACE OF REDEMPTION is offered to all mankind.

In God’s infinite wisdom this tremendous power “TO MAKE GOD PRESENT IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY UNDER THE APPEARANCES OF BREAD AND WINE “ is given  to every duly ordained priest whenever he pronounces the Words of Consecration.

Such power, St. John Vianney says, is greater than creating the world.   We acknowledge the greatness of the world whenever we sing the song: “Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the world Thy hands have made.”   The power of God in creating the world is, indeed, a tremendous power which no one can deny.  It really defies my imagination to see how much greater still is the power that God bestows on a priest. 

 Comparing God’s power in creating the world  and His power of Consecrating Bread and Wine through the words of a priest I see that the difference lies in their visibility.  Much of God’s power in creating the world can be seen by our naked eyes.   The power bestowed on a priest to consecrate bread and wine and make Christ present in a very special way is something that can be seen only by the eyes of Faith.  This may be the reason that it is just taken for granted.

The comparison made by St. John Vianney has made me ponder on the great Power of a Priest and has deepened my conviction in giving support, spiritually and materially, to the Priestly Vocation.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

August 4, 2012