I want to be a great priest. I want to be someone who listens, helps, responds to needs, and does his best every single day to say “yes.” I want to be someone who brings people closer to God, and I never want to do anything that pushes people away from God.
I think that’s true of my brother priests, and it should be true of all faithful Christians. If people come to Church and find an unwelcoming community, no smiles or friendly hellos, and no signs of love, chances are they will not come back.
It’s important that we remember our actions speak volumes about our beliefs, our faith, and our commitment to loving God and our neighbor.
While I don’t have a bad temper, I can get frustrated and not show the patience and kindness I want to. That worries me because I know how much people look to their priests for love, care, support, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. If I don’t show those, I worry that I could be the reason someone decides to stay away from Church or not practice their faith.
I am well aware that as a priest I carry additional responsibility when I am not as loving as I should be. I am not perfect, like all of us, but I wear a collar and represent the priesthood established by Jesus. I am called to be the joy, kindness, and love of Jesus. If people don’t see Jesus in me, I get concerned.
I think all priests should try their best to be as loving as possible, as open as possible, and as you may have heard from me before, say “yes” as often as possible to all those seeking God. It may mean extra work – maybe even a lot of extra work – but it’s worth it. The Church is sometimes criticized because of conversations or interactions with priests, and I think we can all try to be more pastoral, loving, and understanding.
I believe I have gotten better at that after many years in the priesthood, but as I get older, I realize more and more how much I don’t want to be the reason anybody walks away from the Church or from God. It breaks my heart when I, or another priest, makes anyone feel unwelcome, unappreciated, and unloved.
We priests represent God. It’s what we signed up for. People want to see God in us and through our actions, and they should. The Church can be built up or torn apart by the way we as its representatives act.
I think we should all ask ourselves – priests and laity – if others see Jesus in us and what that looks like. As human beings in a fallen world, we are not always the people we want to be or are called to be. It affects us, and it affects those around us.
Fortunately, we were created by a merciful God who loves, forgives, and redeems us. We can be instruments of redemption by being the welcoming, caring, loving people God calls us to be.
May we all strive to represent Jesus well and to bring others closer to God rather than drive them away. May our decisions, actions, and interactions be guided by that thought, and may God help us live so that others see Jesus in us.
(Msgr. John Enzler serves as the mission advocate of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a chaplain at his alma mater, St. John’s College High School in Washington. He writes the Faith in Action column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
