Kapłan jako sługa Eucharystii w świetle nauczania Benedykta XVI/Josepha Ratzingera

Abstract

The Eucharist is the centre of every priestly vocation. It expresses its deepest meaning. For the priest is a servant of the Eucharist. The priesthood itself ‒ according to Saint Augustine - is “amoris officium”, that is, the office of a good shepherd. The essence of his sacrificial service is to make present the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The priest acts with power and in the name of Christ himself. By making the Eucharistic Sacrifice, he not only represents God before the gathered people of God, but also on behalf of the whole Church he puts a prayer before the Lord. In this perspective, reflections on the subject: “Priest as a servant of the Eucharist” are presented. This is an analysis of the thoughts of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and then of Pope Benedict XVI. The key to this analysis is the triple principle: love ‒ shepherd – imitate. The text consists of three basic parts. The first of these points to the priest’s spirituality, which is conditioned by the truth of faith that he appears “in persona Christi”. The second part, entitled ‘Sacramentum Caritatis’, contains the Pope’s thoughts derived mainly from his exhortation of the same title. Whereas the third part has a somewhat provocative title: [Priest] Servant or / and friend of [the Eucharist]? The answer to this question was formulated in the spirit of the key words “amoris officium” and “Sacramentum caritatis”.