Think of your sense of betrayal and disappointment as a call to service. Take it upon yourself to make sure that others do not suffer this same difficulty.
I think this is good advice.
The clergy cannot do it all themselves. They need us to help them.
It is easy for us to have unrealistically high expectations of our clergy. We want them to be eminent theologians, deft pastors, skilled orators, able administrators, charismatic evangelists, and courageous leaders all rolled into one. Certainly, that would be
awesome if every priest were like that! But that’s not a realistic expectation. We all have our gifts and talents. No one person has
every gift.
So if we recognize that our priest may be a bit weak in one area,
help him. Don’t drop him negative letters complaining about what he’s not doing. Don’t grumble and complain about him behind his back. Offer to help. If you think that good catechesis is in short supply, volunteer to be a catechist.
And, of course, pray for your priest and all priests. Whether we agree with their choice of topics and delivery of their homilies, they have literally given their life for Christ and the Church. They have forgone marriage and children. They have forgone their freedom to up and move whenever they feel like it. They have forgone much free time and privacy. And they do it all for the love of God and the love of the souls under their care. Let’s not be quick to presume they do not care.
Certainly, no priest is perfect. If we go looking for their faults, we can easily find some. But it’s for more fruitful if we try to build them up and help them as we can.