Be a Good Priest!

Being a Catholic priest in the military can be challenging at times. Unlike a parish priest who is set in a faith-centered environment, surrounded by people who share and adhere to Catholic values and teachings, the military is a very non-religious and pluralistic environment. The cultures of the military and the parish are, of course, way different, too! Therefore, to be a Catholic priest in the military carries a set of unique challenges. Nonetheless, when I asked our Ordinary and brother priests who have been serving for a long time, they all seemed to say, “Be a good priest!” I was amazed to keep hearing the same thing being emphasized, so it begs the question, “Why!?!”

First, we, as priests, have to wear two hats in the military. We are, of course, priests for the Catholic faithful, but we also have to be Chaplains for those who do not share our faith (and those who do not have faith at all). We serve everyone who seeks 100% full, privileged, and confidential communication and pastoral counseling. Chaplains and their assistants are the only ones in the whole military structure given the time-honored and trusted privilege. Even though there have been people who questioned such privileged means of confidentiality, the military understands the need for people to receive spiritual assistance and care without worrying about what is being said or communicated. NOTHING that is shared with us in confidence can ever be repeated or used against people in any disciplinary or legal means. Hence, it is a very sacred and revered honor to uphold and protect as Chaplains.

Yes, we have to be Chaplains for the greater and non-Catholic audience. Most of the time, too, they tend to not have any religious or spiritual backgrounds at all. That is why many Chaplains, as well as Catholic priests, are encouraged to seek professional means to educate and better themselves in counseling and chaplaincy skills. That is great and well-intended advice and effort, but too many have made it into something very career-focused. I was advised the same thing, too, and I consulted with other senior long-serving priests to hear their opinions. To my surprise, all of them told me, “Do not worry about pursuing more professional degrees… just be a good priest!” One after another, they all told me to learn from life’s experiences and its valuable lessons instead of worrying about pursuing more abbreviations after one’s name or having another diploma to be framed.

Careerism exists in the military and its chaplains, as well as in the Church and her priests. Perhaps in a secular and pluralistic environment, it is often more emphasized and focused. Too many times, we are asked to be good, efficient, and effective officers first. Hence, many Chaplains take that to heart and try their best to be good in the career field and its objective, professional, quantifiable, and metric-based system. Nonetheless, this is where many have missed the (true) mark as well. If we look at people in a careerist kind of way, they become means to serve our goals and ends. If that is the case, we risk the danger of using what is in front of us for our personal purposes and likings. If we are only to be good officers and managers, we can be good in the objective sense but miss the true purpose and meaning of why we are much more than other (typical) professionals.

All things are well-intended, but the Devil is often (hidden) in the (humanistic) details. He knows and can use best-intended desires as a way for us to turn toward ourselves and forget what we are truly called to be. All intentions are good on the outside, but if they become obstacles on our faith journey or impediments to stop us from trusting in God, they are then manipulated, vain, and false goods. Over and over again, we have seen the Devil and his minions manipulate the fine details in salvation and human histories to turn us against God and one another. The evil ones often twist the truth and make us serve ourselves instead of following God’s will. What began as good intentions can become very egocentric, mundane, and career-centered instead of true ministry and service.

Yes, I know, and it has been drilled in our heads that, as Chaplains, we are supposed to be non-line officers who execute the commander’s intentions and programs for the spiritual well-being and resiliency of the total force. Nonetheless, priests were never called to be officers first. We were called to the priesthood, to discern, follow, and give ourselves in service of the Church in persona Christi capitis. We were called to leave our family, friends, and loved ones in order to learn and be formed as priests after Christ’s own heart. Therefore, we are called to be priests first and foremost, and anything that would impede or deter us from truly living our priesthood in total service, humility, and dedication should be rejected. If we are good officers with distinctions and praises from others but have failed to be gentle, kind, loving, and faithful priests who celebrate the sacraments worthily, offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with humility, and willingly conform ourselves to His will, we are nothing but quacks and liars.

If we are successful in our military, professional, and earthly career choices and paths but do not have love and lose focus on who we are, we end up losing our very selves and identity in Him. Therefore, I am joyfully surprised to hear the Archbishop and senior priests telling me and my brother priests to be good priests in celebrating the sacraments worthily. To be honest with you, the temptations are very real because the whole military structure, culture, and environment thrive on these calculable, quantifiable, and metric-based measurements of things getting done. People love to be praised, lifted up, and magnified for their good works and achievements. So many are chasing after projects and things that sound very good and nice on the outside. So many have vainly chased after nicely-packaged busy works as their performance report bullets, but have not made any real, personal, and caring impacts on those who are around them.

We are all tempted by vanities, including chaplains and priests. Even as people who are supposed to care and serve, we can get bogged down by earthly goods, vain temptations, and self-building desires as well. Even if we check ourselves to stay away from these temporal and false goods, they will always creep in and hide themselves behind good intentions. Therefore, we have to be honest, transparent, and vulnerable in checking ourselves in the light of Christ and of the Gospel. We have to be very real in asking ourselves whether we are too busy building up a kingdom or name for ourselves, or whether we are trying to humbly serve and love God!

When I was advised to better myself through more quantifiable professional developments so I could make myself more presentable and credible as a subject matter expert, I was really tempted at first. As a matter of fact, I spent some time looking into terminal degree options because those advertisements do make sense. However, there was something off… I was not feeling at peace. I actually lost sleep over it, because it was a struggle between my humanistic wants and desires in comparison to what I am truly called to do in Christ Jesus. I took it to prayer many days, trying to do the pros and cons between the two decisions (trying to tell myself that the decision makes sense). Nonetheless, in order to avoid turning and making everything about myself, I sought advice from those whom I respect and admire.

Hence, in a kind and gentle way, the Holy Spirit led me to the truth that sets me free from my own internal struggles and worries. I was able to hear from other senior priests what my heart and spirit were telling me all along, even though I was trying too hard to make sense of it in my mind. At the end, I found my peace in knowing that none of the saints that I admire have a terminal, advanced, or professional degree in the eyes of the world. The ones that I respect and want to emulate are the simple ones who dared to live their lives in service of the poor, forgotten, and abandoned.

Therefore, if I simply live as a priest with true devotion, dedication, and service of His people, I will attain the true freedom and joy that this world can never offer me! None of my academic or professional degrees will help with my salvation or help me to become a better priest. In the past, I studied for different programs and degrees out of obedience to those who were put in charge of me (because they wanted me to attain them). But since I have been a priest, I am not asked for anything more, so I should not personally choose something that will not ultimately serve what I have already learned and can learn through the school of life. If I am faithful and genuine to what He has called me to do, I will achieve my mission and purpose in answering my vocation and following His will.

I am sharing this with you so you can, too, reflect on your own personal faith journey. There are many temptations and well-intended desires that we can spend our whole life trying to chase and pursue… but if we spend our days always trying to attain “more,” we will never be at peace and find the time to find, understand, discern, and rest in the presence of God. If you and I are content with what we have and have been given, faithful in serving and growing where He has planted us, we will surely radiate His joy to those who are around us. If we are faithful in small things and do them with great love, we will definitely set the world on fire with genuine faith, hope, and charity. Therefore, let us not seek mundane, worldly, and vain goods but choose to simply be great (in being faithful and loving Him) in small things. Simply put, whatever vocation, state of life, or situation that He has called us to be, let us be that well with genuine devotion, humility, commitment, perseverance, and love.