A spirituality for priests
The apostolic spirituality of Prado Here are the main lines of Prado spirituality
→ An evangelical spirituality
It is rooted in the Gospel, which means that its constant point of reference is the life of Christ and his teaching.
Christ is life, and his words are spirit and life. And it is the Spirit who gives life. The reference to the Gospel in Pradosian spirituality is therefore essentially spiritual: it is the Spirit who makes us know and love Christ, who conforms us to Him. "It is the Holy Spirit who produces Jesus Christ in us" (Père Chevrier).
A concrete spirituality :
- Based on the facts of the Gospel and the life of Christ
- In relation to ourselves: it determines in us a way of speaking and acting that is in line with the Church.
The Gospel does not exclude the contribution of the other books of the Bible; all the books of the Old and New Testaments bear witness to Christ. Father Chevrier especially recommended seeking knowledge of Jesus Christ in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters of Saint Paul. But the Gospel remains at the centre of everything.
→ A contemplative and apostolic spirituality
The spirituality offered by Prado is not primarily oriented towards personal sanctification or pure contemplation; nor is it directly oriented towards action. It is a contemplative and apostolic spirituality, in the strongest sense of the word.
Being an apostle It asks us to conform to the attitude of Jesus, who accomplishes the mission he receives from the Father, or to the attitude of the apostles, who gave themselves totally to Christ and worked with him for the salvation of mankind. "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".
This can only happen if we accept ...
... To be a disciple It requires a knowledge of Christ's love: this is its contemplative aspect. Following Jesus Christ more closely means conforming to Him. Becoming another Jesus Christ," Father Chevrier used to say, "means that as a priest, you have to be". a stripped man "(this is the mystery of the Incarnation), and then the priest". is a man crucified "like Jesus on the Cross.
Finally, the fulfilment of the mission received requires that the priest " or a man eaten "Let him give himself fully and selflessly for the Love of Christ, in the service of those for whom Christ died, giving them the treasure of the Gospel by proclaiming it.
→ A spirituality for diocesan priests
The Gospel is offered to all people. Every Christian is therefore called, in a way appropriate to his or her state in life, to live according to the Gospel and to give himself or herself to Christ in order to cooperate in his or her mission. In so doing, they exercise the royal priesthood they received at baptism.
But Father Chevrier had a special thought for diocesan priests, asking them to live their ministry in conformity with Christ. "The priest is another Christ" (Tableau de Saint-Fons). Our Blessed Founder invites us to exercise our ministry by following the example of Jesus: "I have set you an example, so that as I have done, you too may do". (Jn 13).
A secular priest's spirituality: the Pradosian vocation is part of the vocation to the ministerial priesthood. An evangelical, apostolic and priestly spirituality can certainly be lived within the framework of a religious congregation; but, in fact, the Pradosian spirituality is a spirituality of secular priests for three reasons:
- Presence to menJesus, both in Nazareth and in his public life, wanted to perfectly realise this presence to mankind, which is a constitutive element of the mystery of the Incarnation. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Thus, the secular priest is called to live his apostolate as a priest in the midst of people and with them. Through the ministry he has received, he makes Christ present to people. Then Christ himself can save them through the ministry of the priest.
- With theÉand in communion with him. It is from him that he receives his mission. The commitments he makes: poverty, chastity, obedience, do not distance him from his diocese; on the contrary, they commit him to live more intensely the mission at the service of the diocese in an evangelical way, to make the Gospel grow in the hearts of the poor.
- In fraternity with the priests of the diocese. There is only one Priest, who is Christ Jesus, so all priests must be one in Him. Pradosian spirituality invites us to come together in small teams, each month with a suitable time, to share our progress in the knowledge of Jesus Christ thanks to the way of reading the Gospel inherited from Father Chevrier; to do a contemplative rereading of our pastoral action and our mission; to live a time of prayer. This nourishes fraternity.
Christ sent his disciples out two by two. Pradosian spirituality points towards community life and community support. This includes fraternal life and support for our brother priests in the diocese. Wherever possible, the Bishop will facilitate team life centres bringing together Prado priests. This community life can bear witness, within the diocesan clergy, to fraternity between priests, attachment to Christ, communion and dedication to the poor to proclaim God's love for the very young..
