Book review: In Persona Christi

February 10, 2005

EDITOR'S NOTE: This book review is sponsored by the Religious Education Media Center as a service to those interested in developing their own spirituality. Books featured in this column can be borrowed from the diocesan media center.

You may request this or other books by writing Deacon Larry Sitzman, Religious Education Media Center, 1821 Jackson St., Sioux City, IA 51102, e-mail him at larrys@scdiocese.org or phone (712) 255-7933. For the book featured in this review, ask for pr 1176.65.

Msgr. Richard Zenk, pastor at St. Patrick Church in Akron, offers this review on the book titled IN PERSONA CHRISTI: Reflections on Priestly Identity and Holiness, by Rev. Mark O'Keefe, OSB, Saint Meinrad School of Theology, Abbey Press, St. Meinrad, IN 47577.

The author is a Benedict Monk of St. Meinrad's Abbey, a professor of Moral Theology and the Rector of the Seminary at St. Meinrad's. He knows his subject well, as he has been the rector and a teacher of seminarians for some years.

His topic is the role of the ordained Catholic priest in the Catholic church. That is why he entitled his short booklet: In Persona Christ: (In the person of Christ).

By baptism all members of the church share in the common priesthood of Christ.

But the man who receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders and is ordained to the priesthood, is called by Christ and the church to be a Christ's representative, the head and shepherd of the church. For in this way the priest is acting in Persona Christi Capitis (in the person of Christ the Head).

Through his ordination, the ordained priest shares in the ministry of Christ and his church as Christ's representative, his instrument, and in his name.

The author stresses that by his ordination the priest is not simply a functionary (what does a priest do?) but rather the priest represents Christ and acts in the name of Christ (in answer to the question: what is the priest?) Fundamentally the priest is called by Christ through the church, and for the church - by a special call from Christ. Thus, the priest is not called by the people of the church to be their representative, but the priest is called by Christ to be his representative and Shepherd of the faithful.

The ordained priest is to model his life on the life of Christ, and to strive by his life to lead others to Christ. The priest is not above the other members of the church, but rather he is called to serve and not to be served in imitation of the Lord Jesus Himself. In this way, one can say that the priest to act in the person of the church, and not only as Christ's instrument or representative.

Perhaps the thesis of this booklet can be summarized with this quotation from the present pope, which the author cites: "The priestly vocation is essentially a call to holiness, in the form which derives from the Sacrament of Orders. Holiness is intimacy with God; it is the imitation of Christ, who was poor, chaste and humble; it is unreserved love for souls and a giving of oneself on their behalf and for their true good; it is love for the church which is holy and wants us to be holy, because this is the mission that Christ entrusted to her. Each one of you should also be holy in order to help your brothers and sisters to pursue their vocation to holiness"