Santiago, Chile, Aug 27, 2009 / 11:18 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, told priests this week, “God calls us to be the first on the path to holiness,” an attitude that was “essential” to Father Alberto Hurtado, the 20th century Jesuit priest from Chile who was raised to the altars by Pope John Paul II.

During adoration of the Eucharist before the tomb of the Chilean saint, Cardinal Errazuriz invited priests during this Year for Priests to seek a “deep encounter with Jesus Christ, who is the source of our vocation, of the mystery of the love of God for us.”

The cardinal recalled that priests have received “a truly free mystery, we do not deserve it. So many others could have been called before we were. We weren’t the brightest, the holiest, the best students, and yet Jesus fixed his gaze on us, with love, and he gave us grace.”

For this reason he called for a greater commitment from priests so that the faithful might see them as disciples of Jesus. “May the people notice that he who is preaching is a disciple of Jesus,” the cardinal said.

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