The Catholic Priest

by Michael Müller, Hermenegild (Preparation)

Father Muller states: "The great roots of all the evils that press upon society, and make man unhappy, are THE IGNORANCE OF THE MIND, AND THE DEPRAVITY OF THE WILL. Hence he who wishes to civilize the world, and thus assist in executing the plans of God's providence, must remove these two great roots of evil by imparting to the mind infallibly the light of truth, and by laying down for the will authoritatively the unchangeable principles of morality. If the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has accomplished in society this twofold task, then has it rendered itself worthy of the praises of all men, and deserves to be called the greatest, the most astonishing, the most divine fact in the history of the world - then the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is truly the light of the world, and the salt of the earth." And he continues elsewhere: "IF it is the Popes, the bishops and priests who have drawn forth the civilized nations of the world from barbarism, it is also the Popes, the bishops and priests who keep them from falling back into their former degradation. It is for this reason that our Divine Saviour calls them also "the salt of the earth." Almighty God, Who incessantly, vatches over the welfare of His Church, has, in every century, provided chosen vessels holy Popes, bishops and priests - to defend and uphold her holy doctrine. Against Arianism, God raised up an Athanasius and a Hilary of Poirtiers; to oppose the Nestorians, God sent St. Cyril. He sent St. Augustine to beat down the Pelagians; St. John Damascene, to fight the Iconoclasts. When the world became Christian, and Catholics grew rich, and forgot the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Franciscan monks were called to teach the love of Christian poverty to voluptuous Catholics." Father Muller extols the powers of the Catholic priest: "Every priest can say, in some measure, with Jesus Christ who sent him: "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." The influence of this power is felt in heaven, in giving the elect; it is felt in hell, in snatching from it victims; it is felt in purgatory, ill consoling efficaciously the Church Suffering. The influence of the priest's power is felt all over the world in sustaining the Church Militant." Fathom this privilege of the priest: "GOD has given to the priest the keys of heaven. He has given the priest power over the faithful, over His mystic body; but He has given the priest even a more extraordinary power, -a power so stupendous, so unutterably great, that, had we not the grace of faith, we could never believe it. He has given to the priest power over His own Sacred Body, power over Himself!"

162 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2013

About the author

Father Michael Mueller, C.SS.R., was born in 1825 in Germany. He later joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, and was one of eleven clerics sent to the United States by the American Redemptorist Provincial. Upon completion of his theology studies in Maryland, he was ordained in 1853 by John Nepomucene Neumann. He served the Redemptorist communities in the U.S. as Consulter to the Provincial, as well as Superior and Novice Master. Father Mueller is the author of The Blessed Eucharist, Prayer: The Key to Salvation, Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament, The Prodigal Son, and God the Teacher of Mankind. He died in 1899.

Reviews

[Dawn Axelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Father Müller and I certainly agree about the dignity and the sublimity of the priesthood. How he set about proving his theses is my point of contention with his writing.

This was an extremely uneven book. He frequently wanted to put forth a Pope Leo the Great or some other mighty saint and use that as a proof for priests, bishops, and popes everywhere. It was sloppy and it was unconvincing.

Sometimes, he would name drop and it would work, such as when a long list of popes condemned secret societies in perfect concord.

Other times, he would list the people who had stood up for the sanctity of marriage and boldly assert that Rome was always the champion of keeping the powerful from their selfish annulments. I kept thinking how St. Jane of Valois would certainly like a word with him on that one.

Father Müller also used St. Charles Borromeo’s experience in Milan of a terrible plague as a proof that priests are always ready, willing, and able to die horrible deaths for their people. Putting aside the cowardice on display in modern times, I actually listened to the audiobook of St. Charles Borromeo’s heroic efforts during that time. One of his sacred duties as leader had been to call back priests who had fled in fear. Father Müller’s efforts to make every priest a paragon of virtue simply by the act of his being ordained fool no one.

All the same, there are beautiful passages in this little work. When he talks about the priesthood as an office, or when he talks about an individual priest’s merits without trying to extrapolate it onto every priest who has ever been, it works quite well.

In other places, it is tone deaf and heavy handed.