St. Paul is an example of a priest who was completely identified with his ministry — just as the holy Curé d’Ars would also be — conscious of possessing a priceless treasure, that is, the message of salvation, but in an “earthen vessel” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7); thus he is at the same time strong and humble, intimately persuaded that everything is God’s doing, everything is grace.
“The love of Christ possesses us,” the Apostle writes. This could well be the motto of every priest — that the Spirit compels (cf. Acts 20:22) him to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2). The priest must belong totally to Christ and totally to the Church; to the latter he is called to dedicate himself with an undivided love, like a faithful husband to his bride.
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Benedict XVI: On Saint Paul, a Model of Love for Christ
St. Paul is an example of a priest who was completely identified with his ministry — just as the holy Curé d’Ars would also be — conscious of possessing a priceless treasure, that is, the message of salvation, but in an “earthen vessel” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7); thus he is at the same time strong and humble, intimately persuaded that everything is God’s doing, everything is grace.
“The love of Christ possesses us,” the Apostle writes. This could well be the motto of every priest — that the Spirit compels (cf. Acts 20:22) him to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2). The priest must belong totally to Christ and totally to the Church; to the latter he is called to dedicate himself with an undivided love, like a faithful husband to his bride.
Read it all.