The Catholic Priesthood: Recapturing the Fading Glory

By Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeoke

In recent years, the Catholic Church has suffered a deluge of accusations, bad press, and tragedies. Now is the time for the priesthood to recapture the faithfulness which led them to their calling, and to inspire their laity as never before.

A timely, urgent handbook for Catholics of every nation, Th e Catholic Priesthood offers a wake-up call not only to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, but to all Christians everywhere. Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeokes firm grasp of Catholic teaching, the Churchs history, and the priesthood vocation off er an enlightening criticism of how the Church needs to return to the fundamental teachings of its beginning.

Through short, easy-to-digest chapters, Rev. Father Ezeoke reviews the role of priests in the Old and New Testaments, Jesus as the High Priest, and the apostles calling to continue Jesuss ministry. He addresses specific questions related to some of the issues currently plaguing the Church today and offers hope and inspiration for change. Above all, he issues an encouraging plea for every member of the Catholic Church to reawaken the Gospel within their hearts.

The Catholic Priesthood is the first step toward reviving hope within the Catholic Church and her flock.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475939088

Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeoke

Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeoke, a lawyer by profession, was ordained a Catholic priest on August 22, 1992, a day after he turned forty years old. He was born and raised in Nigeria.

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Copyright © 2012 by Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeoke

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-3906-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-3907-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-3908-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012912881

iUniverse rev. date: 8/8/2012

Contents

Book Blurbs And Praises

Dedication

Preface

Appreciation

Introduction

Chapter One The Priesthood: A Sacred Call

Chapter Two Priesthood In The Old Testament Bible

Chapter Three The New Testament

A. John The Baptist’s Ministry

B. The Ministry at the Time of Jesus

C. The Priesthood of Jesus Christ

Chapter Four The Apostles: Their Call And Some Scenes Of Interest

Chapter Five The Apostles: Christ’s Witnesses

Chapter Six The Era After The Apostles Up To Our Own Time

Chapter Seven The Priesthood Is A Gift To:

[A] The Individual

[B] The Church

[C] Vocations Today

Chapter Eight Love Of Christ Would Make Us Feed His Sheep

Conclusion

Bibliography

About The Author

Book Blurbs And Praises

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An Internet source defines a leader as, A person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. This ‘goal’ is specific, pointing to the honest efforts of the leader to bring about higher consciousness and change that favor the entire group. It was in this spirit that Joshua, after he succeeded Moses, summoned all Israel to gather at Shechem and challenged them, thus:

Choose today whom you wish to serve, whether

the gods that your ancestors served beyond the

River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land

you are now living. As for me and my House,

we will serve Yahweh (Josh 24:15).

In the above observation, Joshua had presupposed the ugly but true fact of The impending loss of God’s glory among his subjects. Life, basically, offers unlimited choices to us each day. Just as Joshua reminded the people of how faithful their ancestors had been in worshiping their God in the past, so has Rev. Barrister Anthony Ezeoke challenged all of us in his book to choose either to recapture and live by the heroic sacrifices which, for ages, had guided the faith of the Church and given her victories over the forces of darkness and trials or choose the easy ways of the world, pleasure, inordinate desires to acquire more wealth, heaven-on-earth evangelization et cetera. Life is cyclical, full of rules and regulations. There are no two ways of being a Catholic priest - a man of prayer, whose joy and strength is the Lord, soul-searching ambassador of Christ, an embodiment of truth, justice and peace. As ministers of the Word, we cannot eat our cake and have it. The Cross of Jesus is inescapable and inseparable from the Catholic Priesthood. By our fruits society comes to know us.

Ineluctably, this prophetic handbook of ‘Instructions and Pastoral Ministry’ is timely and urgent. It is a wake-up call or religious awakening to all Christians, especially the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, Priests and Religious to begin to claim their glory in the Cross of Jesus, their Master. Life is a vacation that comes to an end at death and, so is the priesthood a choice that ends with judgment. The author has said it all, leaving no room for arguments or theological debates as he, in a very challenging style and manner, convinces his readers, either to accept the hard truth of the Gospel Message and lead by it or simply begin to venture into the nasty war of ideas and criticisms with themselves and start shooting the breeze, Who is this Fr. Anthony Ezeoke by the way, what is he trying to teach us, when was he ordained and so on, does he know who I am or what position I hold in the Church?. It has happened. Personality, position or status is not an issue in the divine equation. The author has fired the unexpected shot of a vocation that is completely deep-rooted in the love of Christ, an all-embracing vocation that inherently knows no boundaries.

Obviously, Fr. Anthony’s message is very clear, not voluminous, and brief to the core, the linguistic fluidity also self evident, easily readable and comprehensible, non-judgmental, no name-calling, and very appealing, not forceful. This is a book every priest, religious and layperson should endeavor to have on his or her reading table, meditation room, work place, office or bedroom. Fr. Anthony has given us a special gift and we should extend it to others. That is, the greatest gift any serious minded Catholic or Christian can give to others is to assist them recapture the fading glory of - God’s presence in their lives, - being loved by God, - of their being aware that they are the most precious creatures on the planet, the fading glory of the therapeutic confidence, joy, strength, immortality, undivided unity, eternity guaranteed, love of the Catholic Priesthood and Ministry, the inherent Gospel of the Cross of Jesus. Wow! Fr. Anthony Ezeoke has, in this book, invited us to claim our glory once more and never be limited by the transient, ephemeral and materialistic tendencies of this passing world.

Therefore, I recommend that this package, call it, A handbook of Meditation, My Daily Manual of Prayer, My Spiritual Companion etc, be made compulsory in all Seminaries, Religious Institutions, Catholic Rectories and individual lives.

Read the book yourself and discover why there is need to recapture our fading power manifestations, emotional intelligence, unconscious and internal muscles, intellectual virtue, inner consciousness, strengths and energy of who we are as Catholic Priests, Christians and Leaders per excellence, the prophetic voice of the age, defense of the defenseless, destitute, the vulnerable, people set apart for the difficult task of winning souls and salvaging the broken suitcases of faith of the Century.

Fr. Anthony O. Nwachukwu, Ph.D, Psy.D.

Prof. of Counseling Psychology and West African Studies,

Faculty Consultant, Bureau of West African Scholars.

www.gtfeducation.org

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Rev. Fr. Anthony Ezeoke cares deeply about the global Church and its future, and he longs to see the resurgence of a vibrant Church where priests, religious and lay faithful are on fire with the same spirit-filled enthusiasm first discovered in the upper room and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Pointing to visible and troubling signs that many of today’s churches are like smoldering embers, Fr. Anthony’s reflection challenges those in priestly office to lead the way forward through an immersion in fervent prayer, a reverence for proclaiming the Word, and an acceptance of their God-given charge to minister to all with the compassion and love of Christ. I applaud this courageous effort.

Cathy Grandjean, MA, BCC, (Fmr.) Director of Chaplaincy,

Catholic Health Services of Long Island, New York

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These reflections of purely spiritual issues and values in a world that seems to have totally sidelined God, morals and things spiritual all for filthy lucre are indeed refreshing tome. Who still remembers that what we can see belong only to the senses; and what really matter and last, we cannot see? I receive this work as one of many to come in these times of raving materialism, for if I have any idea about God, then I know He never gives up on us. Because He loves us. For this, I strongly recommend this masterpiece to all who wish to worship their God sincerely.

Dr. Charles Ezeoke MD, FAAP

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It is very difficult to pinpoint the most impressive aspects of Father Ezeoke’s work, The Catholic Priesthood: Recapturing the Fading Glory - the depth of his research, the simplicity of his language and the originality of his thesis