• Men who love the Church, her people, and want to be a part of the Church and serve her people. This is counter cultural as we increasingly do not wish to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

• Men who wish to give their life as a gift to God and the Church. This is what the sign of celibacy is saying, namely, that I wish to totally make a gift of my life for the Kingdom of God. Again, counter cultural.

• Men who will teach the truth of Jesus Christ with courage and conviction in our ever secular world in which relativism is so pervasive. Again, counter cultural.

• Men who will help the people of the Church use their God given talents to build up the Kingdom of God. The Second Vatican Council taught that all the baptized are commissioned by the Lord to do His work and the priest needs to invite and challenge all to be involved in God’s work.

• Men who deeply love the Lord and want to grow in their relationship with Him.

The basic work of a priest is to proclaim the Word of God. Now this can be done in a number of ways. A priest has to spend time preparing for, and then performing the Sacraments—Eucharist, Reconciliation, Baptism, Funerals, Marriages, Sacrament of the Sick. Part of each day should be set aside for prayer, especially since sharing the fruits of prayer, whether through homilies or through teachings is an important aspect of a priest’s work. A priest does a lot of visiting, whether to the sick in hospitals or nursing homes, or to families in their communities with all of the various activities involved in family life.
Working with various parish and other neighborhood organizations is also a component of a priest’s life. The diocesan priest’s main gift to his people is the ability to be available, to be able to spend time with his people. Thus, a priest will also be involved in people’s lives who have special needs or problems, such as with marriages, with drugs, with parent/child issues, with depression, or with life in general. A diocesan priest is considered to be a leader for his people in both the social and the spiritual concerns. Like anyone else, a priest should also schedule in time for exercise, rest, vacations, hobbies and other enjoyable activities.

Men who attend seminary receive the best education the Church has to offer. The official Priestly Plan of Formation focuses on four major areas of development to help the seminarian become a well-rounded man capable of leading the Church to a deeper relationship with God.

• Human formation: forming the future priests’ personality to be a bridge to Christ; ensuring healthy psycho-sexual development and a mature integrity.

• Spiritual formation: developing a deep and mature relationship with Christ through prayer and virtuous living.

• Intellectual formation: understanding the truths of the Faith and cultivating the skills to teach the Faith to others.

• Pastoral formation: learning how to be a “shepherd of souls,” helping parishioners through the joys and trials of life.

Just as God our Father prepared a worthy dwelling place for his Son in the immaculate womb of a virgin, so it is fitting that a priest prepares himself to take the place of Jesus, the Son of God, by freely choosing priestly celibacy. Marriage and procreation are miracles of God’s love by which men and women become his co-workers, to bring new life into the world. But Jesus has clearly spoken to something even greater than that, when he said that in heaven people neither marry nor are given in marriage but live like the angels; and that there are some who have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God.
 
Priestly celibacy is that gift which prepares for life in heaven. Jesus calls his priest to be his co-worker in the Church, to fill heaven with God’s children. Celibacy is not only our ability to give but more our ability to accept God’s gift, God’s choice. 

Priestly celibacy creates an emptiness to receive that other wonderful gift that only Jesus can offer and give, the gift of divine love. By freely choosing priestly celibacy the priest renounces earthly fatherhood and gains a share in the Fatherhood of God. Instead of becoming father to one or more children on earth, he is now able to love everybody in Christ. Yes, Jesus calls his priest to carry his Father’s tender love for each and every person. For this reason, people call him ‘Father’.
 
Priestly celibacy is not just not getting married, not to have a family. It is undivided love of Christ in chastity. Nothing and nobody will separate me from the love of Christ. It is not simply a list of don’ts, it is love. Freedom to love and to be all things to all people. 

To be able to really be a priest according to the heart of Jesus, you need much prayer and penance. A priest needs to unite his own sacrifice with the sacrifice of Christ, if he really wants to be completely one with Jesus on the altar.

Excerpts taken from:
Priestly celibacy: Sign of the charity of Christ by St. Teresa of Calcutta