We are half-way through the Year of the Priest that our beloved Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed on June 19, 2009. He did not proclaim it to glorify priests or bishops or himself. He proclaimed it to ask for our prayers on behalf of those whom God had chosen as His priests, and to reflect of what the gift of the priesthood means to us. Then, when we realize what a great gift the priesthood is, we will thank the Giver of such a precious gift.

It is through the sacramental priesthood that Jesus touches us every day; that He feeds us His precious Body and Blood, that He gives us His forgiveness and anoints those who are dying.

Growing up as I did in a Catholic country, at a time when the people were still simple and unspoiled by too much of everything, I have known many exemplary priests. Thanks to their great example, I learned to love the great gift of the priesthood. I did not realize at the time how blessed I was, but I do now. When I was young, every parish was fortunate enough to have several priests. Parents used to pray for the gift of a priestly call for at least one of their sons, and every boy was encouraged to discern his vocation. I don’t mean that they were pushed; they were simply presented with the possibility.

I remember when I was a teen ager, rebelling against some of my parents’ rules (they must have been pretty reasonable, because I can’t remember a single one of them). Instead of getting on the phone with my friends to complain, or threaten to run away, I’d get on the # 64 bus and head directly to one of the many seminaries, where my dad’s best friend was the Rector. That humble, intelligent, holy priest would welcome me, take me down to the kitchen and ask the nuns to put something on the table for me to eat. Then, sitting down in front of me, he calmly listened to my agitated outbursts, calmed me down, talked some good Catholic sense into me and sent me back home in a better mood. I never thought at the time what a blessing the Lord had bestowed on me! All I knew is that a priest was a father. He fed me the Body of Christ, he taught me the Faith, he cared about me in a selfless way; and he was there for me when I needed someone to help me straighten out my perspective. And he always made sense! I know from family members, that the wise counsel of the priests who served in their parishes helped hold communities together, calmed down angry spirits, and even provided a voice for the humble when they suffered injustices. In fact, reading the history of Lombardy, the region in which I was born, the priest stands out as the true shepherd of the flock, the defender of the oppressed when my region, with other parts of Italy, was invaded by various foreign powers, the French, the Austrian and the Spanish.

Have there been priests unworthy of their office? Certainly! But they have always been a very small minority. What I see today, from my vantage point of having worked for the Church, is a great spirit of sacrifice and commitment on the part of our pastors. Many believe that all priests do is celebrate Mass on Sundays and enjoy the high life the rest of the week. How far is this from the truth! They run from one call to the other; they are often called at all hours at night when someone is dying; they truly are on call the legendary 24/7, and they do it all for love of God. They indeed need all His graces to keep going the way they do! And they need our prayers. That’s why, I believe, our beloved Holy Father proclaimed a year for us to stop and rediscover the incredible gift that the Lord has given us in the sacramental priesthood.

It would also open our eyes to read about the priests and bishops who have given their lives for the sake of their flocks; some were killed to protect their people, some wore themselves out for their sheep, just like a good shepherd is supposed to do. Here are some titles:

Forget not Love by Andre’ Frossard. It is the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteered to take the place of a father of 10 who had been condemned by the Nazi to die in Auschwitz’ starvation bunker.

The Cure’ D’Ars – St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney by Fr. Trochu. The Cure’ of Ars is the patron saint of priests. Reading the book we can understand why.

The Priest is Not His Own by Archbishop J. Fulton Sheen. I don’t think he needs introductions.

Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco – the Apostle of Youth. This is a must read for parents of boys.

The Golden Thread by Louis De Wohl. This reads like a novel but it is the story of the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius Loyola.

And if you do nothing else this Year of the Priest, please, pray for our priests!