Summary of Priesthood in a New Apostolic Age by Bishop Scott McCaig (Priest Retreat 2023)

Here are some highlights of a retreat given by Bishop Scott McCaig:

1. We are at the end of Christendom

“Christendom is economic, political, social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is ending — we’ve seen it die. Look at the symptoms: the breakup of the family, divorce, abortion, immorality, general dishonesty.” – Fulton Sheen

As a result, the Christendom model of ministry (“3 S’s”: sermons, schools, sacraments) is gone.

Advice: Accept our current reality & stop complaining! These are great days. We are living in a new apostolic age.

2. We are living in a clash of kingdoms

Storm analogy: When two pressure systems collide, a storm comes forth. The greater the difference between the high system & the low system, the greater the storm.

We are living in a collision of good & evil, a clash of two kingdoms – the kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of darkness, and that results in a great storm on earth.

“Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” – C.S. Lewis

We are part of the Church Militant and we are on a mission for a King – to bring 1 person at a time into the Kingdom of God. It’s going to get messy.

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained” – ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Advice: Ask Christ the King, “What particular battle am I called to fight in this war?” and keep your eyes fixed on Him.

Advice: Don’t fight the wrong battle. 1942 Diep Raid: Canadian division considered the best troops Eisenhower had – best trained, smartest. But they were totally wiped out. Why? They were using wrong battle plans… ones that were obsolete 30 years old. WW1 stuff. They were fighting the wrong battle… Best troops died on the beaches. We must adapt to the times we are in!

3. Be the lightning!

We need to “be the lightning” for the people the Lord has entrusted to me.

In other words, we need to be saints! Saints are the lightning in the storms of life.

The #1 pastoral priority for priests in a New Apostolic Age is to be saints.

Our ministry will have influence to the extent that it is HIS ministry in and through us.

The Lord can use us to the extent that our lives are @ His disposal.

“The Lord has given me EVERYTHING I need to become a saint at my parish. The Lord has given you enemies to forgive & love. The Lord has given you opportunities to obedience – even when you are convinced of another path. The Lord has allowed temptations to happen so that you can make a decision about who is lord of your life. You don’t have the travel to Calcutta… or have a different assignment… or join a religious order… to become a saint… Nope. It’s 1 small decision at a time.” – Bishop Scott

3 practical ways to “be the lightning” going forward:

1. Community: Build authentic places where people feel loved, cared for, and known. Find people with a charism of hospitality. Evangelization today is belong, behave, believe. When people feel loved & cared for, they listen to your message… and their hearts begin to open to the Gospel… accompaniment on the road of conversion.
2. Kerygma: If people do not understand why Jesus matters to them personally, they won’t stick around. Stop trying to build the house from the 4th floor down… they need to build the foundation & understand why Jesus matters… The Rescued Project, CCO Discovery Study. Do thematic preaching. Eventually integrate programs for faith & science, and theology of the body.
3. Primacy of experience: The experience of authority in previous generations has been replaced by the authority of experience now. We don’t listen to authority figures today very well. But do we listen to experience. Eventually you got to bring in the hard truths… but to appeal to them where they are at, you need to create opportunities for them to encounter God themselves. Alpha works well. Eucharistic miracle stories help too.

4. Rediscover Jesus.

Priests need to shake off the slumber of routine & rediscover the awesomeness of Christ.

We treat Jesus like a house cat (fuzzy, warm when we need to cuddle, throw him away when we don’t need him) but He is a lion!

• Jesus is untamed goodness, dangerous, a true warrior king who has fierce and courageous love. The 1st reaction of people in the Gospels to Jesus wasn’t warm fuzzies, it was “fear and awe!” Power came out of him dynamite power!

Jesus “wept” with the death of Lazarus.

• Wept: That word in Greek means “snorting in spirit” – like a war horse that smells blood in the air & is pawing, ready to go. Death took his friend & he is ready to take death down.
• Reflection Question: What is Jesus snorting in spirit about in my life? What death do I let live in my life that He is angry with a jealous love? Not angry at me… but hating at what is wounding me…

 “We have been tantalized by Jesus. We have been fascinated by him, dazzled. We have been trapped and captured. We are prisoners of the Lord. But we are delighted to be in his custody. We would not want it any other way. We are able to say with St. Paul “that we have reappraised all else as rubbish in the light of knowing Christ Jesus, that we are now racing racing to capture the prize for which he has captured us” (Ph 3:12). – Fr. Bob Bedard, CC

Advice:

• Read Man Alive by G.K. Chesterton.
• Pray with Scripture: Lectio divina is one of the best ways for priests to encounter the Lord. Bishop Scott’s “Delight Story” – that word became mine – that word was made flesh in my heart.
• Beg for the grace to be tantalized, fascinated, dazzled by Christ again.
• Beg for the grace to be boldly confident in Christ. If you think Jesus has given everything to you already… you don’t know Him… you don’t know the Heart of Jesus. The lack of confidence of closest disciples is what wounds Jesus the most.

5. The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The crazy hesed love of God:

• hesed – merciful love, covenant faithful, tender-hearted mercy, loving kindness… no word captures the enormity of hesed – that God is actually madly in love with us. God has no need of me whatsoever… but He treats me as if He can’t live without me…
• Foolish Love: Love is foolish… if you want to serve God, you gotta be foolish sometimes… you gotta dream about crazy things for Jesus – transformation @ the parish…
• PRAYER: Jesus, give me this heart! An enfleshed hesed in the midst of this broken & fallen world.

Sacrificial love

• It’s not sacrifice when you’re in love. Love can’t do otherwise. Love always adapts itself to the needs of the beloved.
• You love someone to the extent that you are willing to suffer for them. There is a price to be paid to love. Sacrifice is love in action.
• The sacrifice of priesthood is the monotony of sacrifices… 15-20 little ones that no one notices except God.
• Story: Eucharistic Congress story in Quebec – Mother who gave up everything for her 3-year-old son who got cancer. Got angry with priest who congratulated her on so many sacrifices.

“Priesthood is the love of the sacred Heart of Jesus.” – St. John Vianney

We can lead people into the heart of God only if we ourselves are in that Heart!

• Our lives don’t make any sense apart from Jesus… our 1st call is to fall in love with our Lord.
• People want to be loved by their priest.
• Mark 3:14. Jesus chose us 1st. He chose us to be with Him, as His brother, to be close to Him. From that place of intimacy of conforming my heart & mind to His own, then he sends me out.

Priestly Vestments (as a sign of what is important)

• Stole – authority
• Chasuble – charity
  • charity over top of authority
• Alb – washed in blood of the lamb – 1st thing we put on – 1st call we have – intimacy with Christ – clothed in white.

3 key dispositions for priests: Humility + Gift + Responsibility

• Live the tension between these 3 dispositions – humbly acknowledging that the priesthood is a pure gift – that we carry an immense gift (Jesus lives his priesthood in my flesh!!) and so we are responsible to pour out this immense gift to the souls our Lord has entrusted to us – not out of fear or duty, but out of love.
• Jesus wants to love His Bride through me.
• The enemy wants to take out our priests… strike the shepherd & the sheep will scatter… ruin a parish…

Ghana Story Priestly Sacrifice: Bishop Scott saw walls full of missionaries with long beards. Did all of these missionaries come just to this parish? Priests going to Ghana knowing they only had 6 months of ministry due to abundance of deadly disease (Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Malaria). They thought the people were worth their own lives to bring them Jesus. Belgian missionaries built their coffins beforehand. Give your own life for your parish!

Advice:

• Waste time with Jesus in prayer: If you can waste 4 hours playing golf, you can waste 4 hours with our Lord…
• Read Dear Father by Catherine Doherty (click here for a summary).

6. The Eucharist

Priestly REALLY need the Eucharist to be the source and summit of our lives.

• It’s so easy for us priests to get used to the Eucharist. Is there anything we can become more numb to than the presence of our Lord in the tabernacle?
• Beg for the grace to see the Eucharist with new eyes – to have Eucharistic amazement.
• We are ADVANCING the kingdom of God @ Mass. This the highest moment of our priestly life.
• Jesus consummates the marriage @ Mass. He impregnates the Bride. And we stand in the position of the Bridegroom @ every Mass. Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb!

Eucharistic Adoration

• Fr. Benedict Groeschel – these is more healing sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in silence than all the psychological advice.
• The Chapel – go and sit in the decompression chamber. Eventually, it all lifts.
• When the Lord sees the Shepherd at prayer, He sees the sheep too – He sees all those He has entrusted to us priests.

Prayer Dialysis Analogy

• If you needed an hour for dialysis every day to stay alive, you will make it happen.
• It’s not about ability it’s about priority.
• Prayer is HIS time. Give it to Jesus.
• Keep showing up. The hunger will grow.
• One experience is never enough b/c we were created for infinite beauty, goodness, and love.
• #1 strategy of the enemy – prevent you from intimacy with Jesus – make you a functionary. Because as soon as you are connected with Christ, you are trouble for him. Satan makes a crappy spiritual director! Don’t listen to him.

7. The Holy Spirit

The Gift of the Holy Spirit:

• We have received this gift, yes. But have we opened it up and used it? Probably not. Faith tears apart the wrapping paper.

The 3 Effects of the Holy Spirit:

1. New experience of the Person of Jesus Christ in one’s life: from intellectual knowledge (know about them) to heart knowledge (know them). A new experience of the Lordship of Jesus today. #1 job of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the person of Jesus. Holy Spirit makes Jesus known. When the Holy Spirit is unleashed in your life, Jesus becomes very real and alive to you.
2. Power of sanctification: Eliminate sin. A thrust in the right direction.
3. Presence of the charisms in the life of Christians: Gifts: 7 gifts for us. Which allow us to respond to the Holy Spirit. Charisms: Channels of God’s grace through which we are empowered to fulfill our mission & love in the world. Innumerable charisms. God custom-designs them for each one of us. Different members of the Body of Christ have different gifts. Every single person has received charisms. What are yours? Charisms are the principle way the lay apostolate will be lived out in the world. In a time of Christendom, charisms are not needed a lot… but in this Apostolic Age, it’s critical!!

Q. How do you discern a charism? 3 signs.

1. When you work in an authentic charism, something comes alive inside of you. You can’t wait to get to it… it’s more than human gifts, virtues… there’s an anointing in the Holy Spirit in it.
2. It really works! There’s a big difference between just a good musician and someone who can lead you in the very throne-room of God.
3. People sense it and come looking for it. You don’t have to convince anyone. They come looking for you. They find you.

Pastors are called to:

1. recognize charisms of the faithful
2. get equipped in them
3. use them & be set loose

God answers pastor’s prayers by giving charisms to the parishioners.

Advice:

• Read Clothed with Power from on High by Bishop Scott

8. Mary and our Priestly Mission

• Our Guide: A guide who knows the mountain backwards & forwards, which paths are best at which times of the year, where the storms blow in and where to shelter from them, where the bears are, where the fresh water is, where the lookouts and vistas are… way more effectively than if you tried to do it yourself. No one knows the Heart of Jesus better than Mary… no one reflects the Heart of Jesus better than our Lady… and so we take her hand as our guide and let her lead us there… To Jesus through Mary = to the top of the mountain through the guide.
• Our Model: Perfect yes. Gave herself 100% to God’s plans. Full. Total gift. Without counting the cost. Without considering what it might demand of us. She cherished the Word in her heart. And she teaches us this. “Do whatever He tells you.” Teaches us how to stand at the foot of the Cross and trust in God.
• Our Intercessor: Queen Mother. Had a throne next to the king. The only one the king would honour. Wedding Feast @ Cana – not your job yet – you have not yet been made Queen when Jesus becomes King on the Cross. For St. JP2, Marian devotion was not a pious devotion but an evangelical strategy – a program of Marian consecration. Mary Undoer of Knots.
• Our Protectress: Ark of the New Covenant. The privileged place of encounter. Ark leads battle. Mary busts his head.