Hello! Sorry for the delay in meaningful posts. We are in Week 6 now, which means last week, Week 5, was midterms aka “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” week. Week 5 + snow day = everything out of wack. Thanks for coming by and checking things out anyway, and thanks to everyone for the kind words via email, facebook, and phone. I’m glad to have the support.
Here’s a special editors note, though. I don’t want to give anyone the wrong notion of that I am doing here. I AM CATHOLIC. Hence why I am writing about becoming a CATHOLIC PRIEST. Oh, you’re not Catholic? Great! I am talking to you just as much as I am to any Catholic. There is ONE GOD, the FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. But since I’m not very well versed in the particulars of other faiths, I apologize that I can’t always cater to them. But I think the ways that I have found to come closer to God and the things I talk about are pretty universal and can apply pretty much anywhere. Your comments and opinions are, of course, always welcome here; but expect mine in return.
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So, 4 classes, 1 RA interview, a skipped meal, trombone lesson, and Cyber bullying forum later, here I sit; here I reflect.
I’m getting made fun of and joked with a lot at North Central about this; mostly, I suspect, because most people don’t understand what discerning the priesthood entails. Even my friends, some of whom are entirely devout Catholics or Christians, do not understand. I attribute this to the fact that having a friend who is open about wanting to become a Catholic Priest in these times of uncertainty for my Chuch is all but unheard of; rare, yet spectacular. But those are the things I never tell my friends.
In the recent post, Why?, I posted a video all about discernment and the priesthood. That video, Fishers of Men, has been hailed as one of the best about priesthood. It has certainly struck a nerve with some as I have had more than one multi-day ordeal surrounding it. But in the video, a young priest says, “the call to the priesthood is not natural, it is supernatural.”
PRIESTS ARE SUPERHEROS!!!!!!
In a way, yes. In a way, no.
The priesthood is supernatural in that, from the initial call to the ordination to the dying day, the priest has a unique relationship with Christ; he puts on Christ and becomes his direct Disciple on earth. They become the “Other Christ” and have his power. Even I have heard what I truly believe to be the voice of God and felt His pull and influence over me at different periods over time. As I mentioned, spectacular.
One thing that I wish I could get my friends to see is that this is not the same as deciding I want to be an accountant or a teacher or an athletic trainer. This isn’t the same as going to one’s mom or spouse or friend and asking for advice on what the best life path to take would be. This is a matter of shutting up and listening for what God is saying and then PRAYING for the courage to act upon what has been made known to us. It is about creating a routine that will, slowly and softly, begin to blend one’s secular and religious life until they become one of the day of Ordination. It’s easy to email a professor for guidance…you cannot email God. But He is one of the best friends in that I know His door is always open and I can stop by his house anytime, even for a supper with my brothers and sisters.
So I love Christ. You love Christ (I hope).
It’s getting harder to stay motivated and to stay in the routine. Please pray for me.
So tonight, I pray for all the men and women discerning God’s call to the priesthood, religious life, to a vocation of marriage, or to a life of solitude.
And, of course, I pray for you.
Goodnight,
RA