In the nearly 18 months since I last posted anything I’ve mulled over many ideas on which to write. Then, of course, I got busy, or got behind, or got stuck or got so bored with what I was writing that I couldn’t bring myself to finish. Behind all of this was a need to follow up on a post from almost 2 years ago on the Priesthood of un-meaning. If you’ve not read this or read it so long ago as to have no clue what it’s about then follow the link and check it out. It’s not that long so I’ll wait….
The conclusion promised a further post on a new priesthood, a priesthood that could heal the carnage created by the human “priesthood of un-meaning:” those acts inescapably part of our human priestliness that are abusive, wounding and destructive. These acts can be anything from gossip to genocide and they all seek to rob human life of joy, meaning and hope. But how could I describe a priesthood, this new priesthood, that I knew in theory but wasn’t sure how to exercise? That question derailed the series and though I wrote some posts on different subjects, things were pretty hollow. In the last two years, without realizing it, I’ve been learning to exercise this new priesthood, almost by accident. So maybe I should retitle this blog from the Apprentice Priest to the Accidental Priest.
The key priestly act here is the act of blessing. There’s a good deal more to blessing that good wishes or kindly words. Blessing can do remarkable things in the deepest wounds of our souls. And that’s where I’ll posit an alternative to the priesthood of unmeaning.
The Apprentice Priest 