The Priest is Not His Own: Becoming The Father God Has Called You To Be

THE PRIEST IS NOT HIS OWN
By Fulton J. Sheen

The Priest Is Not His Own is far more than a book for priests or those considering the priesthood as a vocation. In these penetrating, deeply pondered discussions of the priesthood, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen has produced a work of lasting value, a book that will perhaps change many hundreds of lives, and certainly a book that will also interest readers who have no direct concern with the priesthood as a calling.

Inspiration for this volume came while Bishop Sheen was writing his famed Life of Christ, and it was out of those "dark days," as he describes them, that the thoughts of priesthood, illumined by the vision of Christ the Saviour, were first formulated.

Just as the earlier work was based on the thesis that Christ offered no other sacrifice but Himself, so in this new book, Bishop Sheen envisages the priest as a man sacrificing himself in the prolongation of Christ's Incarnation.

Bishop Sheen writes of how all priests, whether pagan or in the Old Testament, offered victims distinct from themselves, such as lambs. But in Christ and the Christian conception, priest and victim are united inseparably.

Drawing on his profound knowledge of Scripture, Bishop Sheen is able to describe the exact and true significance of the individual priest, and in vibrant detail, his constant, unending sacrifice - as victim.

He writes, "God still thunders to his priests: I have set watchmen, Jerusalem, upon thy walls, that shall never cease crying aloud, day or night; you that keep the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, nor let Him rest either…. (Isaias 62:6,7)

"Watchmen are we," adds Bishop Sheen, "who have been put on the walls of the Church by the High Priest... What we are, the Church is, and what the Church is, the world is. . . . Night and day, giving God no rest, we will utter over and over again: I dedicate myself for their sakes, that they too may be dedicated through the truth." (John 17:19)

In considering the priest's many obligations and roles, and his ever more gratifying fulfilment of them, Bishop Sheen has created a series of unsurpassed meditations. It is a very concrete guide to the many ways in which each priest can enrich his own spiritual life, as well as the lives of all those around him.

The Priest Is Not His Own is the work of a great and beloved inspirational leader - a world-famous priest himself writing eloquently and insistently to his colleagues and to those who would join him in a calling he understands and has most brilliantly realized.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen brings the life of the Priesthood of Christ into terms of sacrifice, suffering, and vindication. This book is amazing in that while it speaks primarily to the ministerial Priesthood, the lessons learned can be translated easily to the priesthood of the faithful through Baptism. The depth of this teaching of what a priest "is," and not what a priest "does," is amazing. Sheen's ability to speak of deep subjects directly, yet with poetic beauty, is mesmerizing. This is a must-read for any Priest.

Many would recommend reading this book even if you are not a priest. Some have bought the book for sons and grandsons so they would know what would be expected of them if they decided to become priests. When married men read the book, substitute the word "Father" for "Priest". For single men reading the book but not contemplating the priesthood or religious life, substitute the word "Man" for the word "Priest". Reading from this different perspective will change your life and how you live it. This is how God is calling men to live lives of service to others. Read it if you dare - it is not for the faint of heart."