The Christo-Centric Church

THE CHRISTO-CENTRIC CHURCH

Our Roman Catholic religion should be Christo-centric, not clerico-centric. We acknowledge the duty of the priests to be holy. However, emphasizing the obligation of the priests to pray, study, teach, hear confessions, preach retreats, etc. is something that priests themselves, not the lay faithful, should hear, that is, it is much less important to the lay faithful in the sense that it asks the lay faithful to focus on the priest, a focus which is misplaced. The priest is there to mediate the graces of God to the Roman Catholic faithful. Therefore, the more he recedes into the background so that it is God whom the faithful encounter in the Church and in the sacraments, the better. In the words of Saint John the Baptist, “He must increase, I must decrease.”

The priest who fulfills his duties well without calling undue attention to himself does well for himself and the faithful. The priest should point to Christ, not to himself. Only Christ can fully satisfy the hearts of the faithful.

“He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.”—Saint Ignatius of Antioch

The faithful are seeking Christ, not the clergy. The priest should step aside, disappear if at all possible. He should not make himself the center of attention. God save us from narcissistic, egotistical, and megalomaniac priests.