Page:The Eternal Priesthood (4th ed).djvu/88

76 We then better understood such words as these:

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel; and thou shalt hear the word out of My mouth, and shall tell it them from Me. If, when I say to the wicked, 'Thou shalt surely die,' thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him that he may be converted from his wicked way and live, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness and from his evil way, he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul." With this commission weighing upon him, the priest fresh from his ordination enters upon his pastoral work. Then begin his dangers. S. John Chrysostom, after speaking of the trials of Bishops and priests, how they are exposed to all tongues and tempers, accusing them of contradictory things, and taking offence whether we will or no, says: "The priesthood requires a great soul; for the priest has many harassing troubles of his own, and has need of innumerable eyes on all sides." This sounds as a warning. Let us look further into it.

1. To a priest who enters for the first time upon the sacerdotal life the first danger is the loss of the