“But everything that you do, should be done with Joy and Care”
One of the most difficult points for a priest is inner fatigue. Internal fatigue is often the product of the difficulties he has to live through as well as the failures he finds hard to accept.
1. One thing is tiredness and another is discouragement: Tiredness is positive because it is the product of having done things for others. It is linked to one’s organic and mental capacity. However, discouragement is negative because it can be combined with depression or a lack of strength to overcome failure.
The long hours of attention and dedication to people lead many priests to feel vulnerable to chronic stress or burnout, often added to the feeling of helplessness.
2. Personality: We can find priests who have an idealistic vision and certain tendencies towards being perfectionists. This can lead to having high expectations of giving everything you can give, even if people do not respond to you. This makes you feel discouraged and hurt by the community. It is therefore important to have spiritual direction and to allow yourself to be helped by professionals. Learn to understand the limits that one has as a priest, and do not idealize things that can later hurt you. The key is to let ourselves be guided to pray so the Holy Spirit moves us to fulfill His will.
3. Three types of fatigue:
a) Fatigue from the outside: This tiredness comes from paying attention to people, their demands, and doing things for others.
b) Fatigue from the inside: This is becoming tired of yourself. This requires work on yourself and this is where each one faces their existential battle.
c) Institutional fatigue: This is when the institution begins to suffocate you; where the demands of compliance are constant: submitting records, receiving collections, paying bills, filling forms, etc…
Here is a phrase I heard from a priest that stuck with me: ” I do double what I can and half of what people expect.”
The priest will always generate expectations that will never be satisfied. It is important to work on “guilt” within yourself because you will not always reach every goal or every person. Remember that Jesus did not cure 98% of the blind in His land, only some of them. That is why you never stop remembering that there are limits and that you cannot reach everyone; there is a consequence for everything.
I once read a quote from an Italian priest:” In my diocese there are two types of priests: the regular ones, and the foolish ones. The regular ones never go into a crisis. They firmly cling to their rolls, tasks, and convenient pastoral destinations. The foolish ones are those who jump from crisis to crisis; trying to cover all the open gaps left by the regular ones, who never move from their comfortable chairs.”
That is why you have to reframe your life and be clear about why you do the things you do. It is very important to make space in your agenda, during the week, for time to share with friends; those good old friends who know you by “Luis”, (by your first name). Another key to being able to take care of yourself is having your spiritual guide ,and your planned, determined prayer time set aside. Life will always put you in a crisis and you will generate some crises yourself… the key is to know how to face these crises and accept that you can’t do everything. But everything that you do, should be done with Joy and Care.
Let us pray today for priests in crisis and for those who feel tired of living in the ministry; because with everyone’s help we can help them move forward !
Something Good is on the Way
