What's a priest?

I expect that at least one mother had the job of explaining what a priest is last night.

Walking along the bike path with Deacon Gregory last evening, we encountered a girl, about nine years old, who was riding her bicycle. Her mother and some siblings were following behind at some distance, and so the girl had stopped at a bend in the path waiting for them to catch up. Dcn. Gregory and I were both dressed in our clerics, and as we approached the girl she observed, "I'll bet y'all work in a restaurant, huh?" I responded, "No, I don't think so," and Dcn. Gregory then attempted to explain that we were preparing to become priests. She didn't seem especially impressed.

While it may have gone right over the head of this little lady, our encounter with her did make an impression on me. It is important for us to dress according to our state in life. It says something. It serves as a witness. Married people should wear their wedding bands as a testimony to their love and fidelity to God and spouse. For the ordained, the collar serves a similar function. By wearing them, we point beyond ourselves to the reality of God's love for us. It is evangelism without words. In a world where what we, as Catholics believe, is so often derided by our culture, it is a great opportunity we have to witness to our faith simply by what we wear.