How the Servants of God should honour Priests. -part 1

26th July Admonition  26   Blessed is the servant of God who puts faith in those priests who live upright lives according to the Roman Church.   And woe to those who despise them. For no one should criticise a priest-even one who is a sinner, because the Lord reserves to Himself alone the judgement of a priest.   For, just as so much greater is their responsibility concerning the holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they possess , and which they receive, and which they alone can minister to others,   so much so is the sin of one who sins against a priest greater than any other sin found amongst men in the whole world.   Translation Pia Fugaccia aka Sr. Giles

This is an interesting Admonition; (Part 1)   Francis indicates that our self-regard depends on our regard for others. When we trust our neighbour we will feel respectful.   When we disapprove of him/her we will feel disrespectful ourselves.   When the one whom we respect or disrespect is a Priest then not only will we experience respectfulness or disrespectfulness, we will incur judgement because God alone judges Priests.   God’s Word translation has 1”’Stop judging so that you will not be judged. 2 Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you”’   Is Francis telling us that if we judge a priest, even an unrighteous one, then God will judge us as severely as if we are Priests ourselves?   And why? Because (Francis believed) that those who are set aside as Priests are the only Christians permitted and empowered to confect the Eucharist and to administer it to others.   And to sin against Priests is greater than any sin we can commit, (because it is like judging Christ himself)?