REFLECTIONS

"Servants of the Good Shepherd"

The priest is a friend of the Lord, called to a personal and trusting relationship with him, nourished by the word, the celebration of the sacraments, and daily prayer. Friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of the ordained ministry, the ultimate reason for our celibacy, and the source of our daily commitment to the service of the ecclesial community. It sustains us in times of trial and enables us to renew each day the "yes" we said to the Lord at the beginning of our vocation ....

Priestly formation ... is a journey of growth in intimacy with the Lord. It engages the entire person - heart, mind, and freedom - in order to shape him in the image of the Good Shepherd. Only those who live as friends of Christ, and are imbued with his Spirit, can preach with conviction, console with compassion, and lead with wisdom. This includes learning to listen patiently to others, meditative prayer, and the cultivation of a rich and rightly ordered inner life ....

Despite the signs of a crisis in the life and mission of priests, God continues to call, and he remains faithful to his promises .... Do not be afraid to present young people with demanding and liberating possibilities for their future! ... May all of us feel the desire to renew our "yes," and to rediscover the beauty of being missionary disciples of Christ the Good Shepherd ....

That is why we want to recover, together, a missionary spirit: a missionary outreach that courageously and lovingly proposes the Gospel of Jesus .... When we imitate the example of the Master, we grow in faith and thus become credible witnesses of the vocation we have received. When someone believes, it shows: the joy of a priest mirrors his closeness to Christ, who sus­tains him in his mission and ministry.

POPE LEO XIV
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was elected to the See of Saint Peter in 2025