THE PRIEST AS KING

Christ the eternal king came to establish his kingdom here on earth so that man can be able to practice here on earth what is in the world to come. The mission of the establishment of the eternal Kingdom Christ carried out through his actions of evangelization, working of miracles, prayers, etc. A king is vested with the responsibility of leading the people entrusted to him. He leads them on the right part of life, protects and cares for them and finally shares in every situation of the subjects, be it that of joys or sorrows. This was exactly what Christ did while he was on earth. He cared for the sick, led the people on the right path of life by teaching them good attitudes of life and then protected them spiritually by establishing the sacraments which will assist the people in this regard. His sole aim in all these is to prepare man for the membership of the eternal kingdom.

 

However, because he could not carry out this mission alone, and given the case that his time is almost coming to an end here on earth, he instituted the sacred priesthood as an office that will continue to carry out his mission work. The priests since they share in Christ’s priesthood are also kings who are obliged to spread the news of the Kingdom of Christ and prepare people for that eternal kingdom. This is basically what the priests are called to be. Also they are kings because they are the leaders of the faithful through preaching the Word and celebrations of the sacraments. These they do so that the people are not only well –prepared for the eternal Kingdom, but are made very fit for the membership of the Kingdom of God.

 

As a leader, the Priest is expected to lead the people on the part of righteousness. He is expected to be an example to the people in the practice of the virtues which of course he teaches always. Hence, the people look up to him in matters of morality and most often are ready to follow his footsteps. It is taken for granted that the leader must know it all and must be a perfect example to the subjects, in that case, the Priest is called to do this so that his followers/subjects will learn from him.

As a guardian, Christ made sure that the people are on the right path of life. Hence he taught them good conducts of life always. And so the priest as another Christ is expected to preach fearlessly to the people of God about the right attitudes to life. In other words, the priest must tell the people what it takes to be part of the eternal kingdom of Christ. Also he must be ready to celebrate the sacraments faithfully for the interested faithful. The Priest is expected to be ever ready to celebrate the sacrament of penance for the faithful wherever he finds himself. By so doing, he is guarding the people so that they will not be excluded from the eternal kingdom of Christ and this was exactly what Christ did while he was on earth.

 As a king and leader, one is ordinarily expected to share the joys and sorrows of the subjects.  This is what the priest must do because he too is a divinely instituted king and leader of the faithful. The priest must be close to the people he is leading and be able to know their problems and then offer possible help to them. He cannot choose to isolate himself from his subjects because a true leader never isolates himself from the subjects.  Hence he must be ready to celebrate the sacrament of anointing of the sick and then visit the aged and sick faithful. This attitude alone will be an encouragement to the faithful who will not only love their leader the Priest but also be ready to listen to his words.

 However, in the process of being a true king and leader, the priest will face many challenges. These challenges which may come from different means and areas are meant to test the faith of the leader. And so the leader cannot afford to lose his faith because if he does, to whom will the faithful look upon?

Thus the Priest is called to be a true and faithful leader and king. He must attract people to Christ the eternal King. He must be conscious of all he does as many people are looking up to him. For those who are aspiring to become future kings and leaders as Priests, they must also encourage people to be in union with God. This will be done if through their life styles, they are able to encourage priestly vocations among people.

 A Priest is one especially consecrated to the service of a divinity and through whom worship, prayer, sacrifice, or other service is offered to the object of worship, and pardon, blessing, or deliverance is obtained by the worshiper. He is a king and a leader and is bound to be faithful to his responsibility. Anything contrary to the above makes him a fake and false king and leader.

 Nwanyanwu Chris