“Priests should be joyful and see things from both a human and a divine perspective, as St John Bosco did.” That was His Holiness Pope Francis’ message during the Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pontiff encouraged priests “to imitate Don Bosco, who looked upon reality with the heart of a father and of a teacher, as we read in the opening prayer.”
As reported by Vatican news, His Holiness Pope Francis remarked that “The priest should have these two polarities to look upon reality with human eyes, and with the eyes of God. And this means spending a lot of time before the tabernacle.” The Pontiff emphasized that priests should not be functionaries, or simply employees with set office hours. “We have plenty of good officials,” he said, “who do their jobs, as officials must. But the priest is not a functionary, he cannot be.” The Pope then called on priests to see with human eyes – and, he promised, “you will receive that sentiment, that wisdom of understanding that they are your children, your brothers and sisters. And then, you will have the courage of going out there to fight. The priest is the one who struggles with God.”
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his remarks by thanking God for the gift of Don Bosco, who began to work as a child, and knew what it meant to earn his bread each day.
