What a scary job description!!
As I am rereading SPE SALVI, I am struck by the Pope’s quotation of St. Augustine’s daily itinerary:
The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported, the Gospel’s opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies need to be guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved.
This is an terrifying job descrption for any priest and bishop. I don’t know if Fr. Kyle would want to use it to promote vocations, but it definitely presents the pastoral life of a priest as an unending adventure. It is similar to a quote from LaCordaire, which I hope to find later. It kind of reminds me of what my daily tasks as a hospital chaplain were. Say a prayer that we will be able to do these things well and for the honor and glory of God.
