Year III, Number 16

Today, however, this Christian reading of existence must reckon with some characteristic traits of Western culture where, in everyday life God is, to all intents and purposes, pushed to the sidelines. That is why we need a unified effort of the whole Christian community to "re-evangelize life". For this fundamental pastoral effort, there has to be the witness of men and women who show the fruitfulness of an existence that has its source in God, that has its strength in its docility to the workings of the Spirit, that has its guarantee of the authentic meaning of daily toil in its communion with Christ and the Church. Within the Christian community, each person must discover his or her own personal vocation and respond to it with generosity. Every life is a vocation, and every believer is invited to co-operate in the building up of the Church. On the "World Day of Prayer for Vocations", however, we turn our attention, in a special way, to the need and to the urgent requirement for ordained ministers, and for persons who are ready to follow Christ on the arduous path of consecrated life in the profession of the evangelical counsels.

We need ordained ministers who are "in different times and places the permanent guarantee of the sacramental presence of Christ, the Redeemer" (Christifideles laici, 55) and who, in their preaching of the Word and celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments, guide Christian communities on the paths of eternal life.

We need men and women who, by their witness, "remind the baptized of the fundamental values of the Gospel", and who foster "in the People of God an awareness of the need to respond with holiness of life to the love of God poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit, by reflecting in their conduct the sacramental consecration which is brought about by God's power in Baptism, Confirmation or Holy Orders" (Vita consecrata, 33).

May the Holy Spirit stir up an abundant number of vocations to special consecration, so that these, in their turn, can encourage the Christian people to adhere ever more generously to the Gospel, and so that they can help all people to understand more easily the meaning of existence as the manifestation of the beauty and holiness of God.

Q. I am 42 years old and single (not by choice). I have wondered whether my single state was an indication that God was calling me to the priesthood. Is my age likely to be a factor in the decision to admit me to a seminary?

A. Dear Tod,

God certainly is the Lord of history, and is able to govern it to make his will known. When he wants something he is perfectly capable of placing all the conditions there for it to happen, but never to the point of eliminating our free will, though there are graces that "cannot be resisted".

What I mean to say is that the fact you are not married at your age and not by your own choice could be an indication that God wants you to be a priest. If it is, it will not be the only sign, it will be there in a context of other subtle and not so subtle pointers in the same direction. The sum of all the pointers and the absence of notorious impediments will tell you what God probably is saying, but even that conclusion will not be absolutely certain -- following a vocation always is an act of love, there is always some 'imprudence' and risk to it, and you can never find out for certain without actually taking the step.

What are some of the other pointers? That you are a normal and healthy male, physically and psychologically; that you have the right motivation when you think of the priesthood; that spiritual things matter to you; that you are capable of and want to live celibacy for the Kingdom of God (in other words that your option for celibacy is not just the acceptance of a situation you don't like but seems to be inevitable).

Yes, your age will be a factor in the decision to admit you to the seminary since the reasons for having remained single will be an important consideration in the admissions process, and something you will have to speak about in depth with your spiritual director.

So, offer yourself to God in prayer and take a closer look at where he seems to be leading you.

- Fr Anthony

Q. I am 25 years old and I’m thinking about becoming a priest. What I would like to know is how do I tell if God is really calling me to become a priest or if he wants me to enter into the vocation of marriage. I do have a desire to be married but as my faith grows so does my desire to become a priest. I pray that God will tell me how He would like me to serve Him and his people but I haven’t heard anything pointing me in one direction or another. What can I do to help me hear God’s call? Gregory

A. Dear Gregory,

I don't know what more you are looking for, or how you expect God to answer you. You have a desire for marriage. Good, that's a relief, you're normal. Then as you develop your life of faith the desire for the priesthood grows too. That is the way God usually works.

What should you do now? Continue to develop your life of faith through prayer and the sacraments. Continue to learn more about your faith by reading books that will help your faith mature from feelings to convictions, and give you truths that you can live by and to which you can turn to find your way. Then do something new: take a step. Talk about your thoughts to a priest you trust - he will ask you about yourself, your health, your faith journey, your past, and your answers will help him to give you advice. He will be able to tell pretty soon if there are signs that you should not pursue the priesthood. Then, if there are not, visit a seminary or check out a religious order you might have heard about and are interested in.

By doing this you will give God a chance to speak to you more clearly. He can't do much unless you start cooperating with the grace that is already at work in your soul. If you just remain passive waiting to be pushed before taking a further step towards a vocation you will be withholding the greatest thing you have to offer to God, your freedom and trust.

I'll say a special prayer for you. God bless.

- Fr Anthony Bannon, LC

Introduction: Christ clearly tells his disciples that to follow him implies a free decision to accept and take on the conditions of discipleship. One of these conditions is the cross and contradiction. To the eyes of the worldly-minded, the cross is an obstacle, something to be avoided, skirted, passed by. In the logic of love, the Cross is a measure of commitment, and a promoter of allegiance to the Lord. Suffering and sacrifice is the language of love.

Gospel Passage: Mt 10:34-39

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it."

1. The "happy division"

Christ's coming into the world obliges every man, woman and child to make a basic decision regarding him. Where will we stand in relation to him? No one can be indifferent or undecided before the Lord. Either they decide to accept and follow his way, or, by default, follow the ways of the world and selfishness. Because there is no middle ground, Christ says that he has come to bring a sword of division. Following Christ means making decisions that will set us apart from the rest of the world. It may even set us apart from our nearest and dearest. However, this is the glory of the Christian, to go against the current.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, I realize that your coming into the world and into my life cannot leave me indifferent. Help me Lord, never to be afraid to go against the current of the world. Help me even to be a sign to my family members of what it means to follow you faithfully. Give me Lord the strength and courage of being an example and witness to you, and never seek the approval that comes from the world.

2. A question of priorities: Christ before all else

Christ's words seem very hard: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." However, they are not only true, but they also reveal to us that the only way to really love even those who are closest to us is by loving them in Christ. Love for Christ purifies and enhances all other loves. Our relationship with Christ will correct and direct our other relationships, making them proper and true. If we do not love in Christ, it is impossible to truly love at all.

Love means to value someone above all else, to give ourselves to that person freely and joyfully, knowing we are doing what is best. Love grows as decisions are made to bolster it.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to perceive the truth and mercy of your words. Help me to comprehend, Lord, that when I love you above all else, above all other, it is then that I really begin to learn to love all else and all other in a more profound and authentic way, because then I will love them with your own love.

3. The Cross: the only true source of life

Christ comes to the heart of the matter: "He who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it." This goes completely against everything the culture we live in teaches us insistently. The world says: "If it doesn't feel good or right, then there's something wrong." We may be convinced that somehow God's will has to fit within the parameters we subconsciously set for it. The Cross means death to selfishness, to pride, to complacent comfort... It means love for God above all else, to the point of seeking what pleases God most.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have said it all, and have given me the example of how to put your words into practice. All that remains for me is to ask you for the grace of my conversion of heart. Help to love the Cross. Help me, Lord, to not fall prey to false joys and a false life.

Questionnaire: To help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him.

1. Do I value Christ and my love for him above all other things? Is there anything that I am unwilling to do, or to give up for Christ? Do I ever make any voluntary renunciation of things that are good and legitimate in order to "test" my love for Christ?

2. Are all my human loves directed to Christ? Are my relationships pleasing to Christ? If Christ were to ask me to set aside a certain relationship for his sake, would I do it?

3. Am I content with a mediocre love for the Lord? Is it enough for me to "not offend him", or do I "try to do what is right and pleasing to him"? Do I ever actively seek the cross? Do I ever confuse what I like, prefer and feel comfortable with, with God's will?

St. Paul, whose feet were well and truly planted on the ground, but whose heart was anchored in eternity, felt a kind of inner conflict: he wanted to live longer in order to continue preaching the name of Jesus Christ, but at the same time he was consumed by the desire to leave this world. He expressed this in words that were a madman’s – or a saint’s: “Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more.” (Phil 1:21) And elsewhere he says: “For we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens. In this present state, it is true, we groan as we wait with longing to put on our heavenly home over the other; we should like to be found wearing clothes and not without them. Yes, we groan and find it a burden being still in this tent, not that we want to strip it off, but to put the second garment over it and to have what must die taken up into life...we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord.” (2 Cor 5:1-4, 8)

There is no doubt that such phrases verge on madness. But we should ask ourselves who is really mad: St. Paul, who is so clearly consistent with the truth, or those who call him that, because deep down they live attached to–or rather, trapped in the grip of a life full of foolishness, smoke and deception?

I choose priesthood.

I am just two years away from ordination, and today the priesthood is under fire, the priest is under suspicion. We all know why.

There are very real and evident victims. Knowing that one of the reasons I want to be a priest is to do good and lead people to what is right and good by example, word and deed makes my heart go out all the more to those who have been deceived and whose lives have been damaged, at times irremediably.

And there are other, less evident victims, the reputation of all good priests and seminarians has been tarnished, too. This newspaper quite appropriately called this the "collateral damage" of priestly sexual misconduct.

The Romans also used to persecute priests, Ignatius of Antioch was fed to the lions and Polycarp was burned alive. Nowadays, there's no need for such drastic measures. A rumor here, an accusation there, an anonymous declaration to the local press, about Father So-and-So. It doesn't matter whether or not the claims are true. Either way, the priest's reputation is ruined forever.

If a priest is wrongly accused, he is guilty even if proven innocent. People will never look at him the same way again. Eyes will lower during his homilies, parents will forbid their sons from serving as altar boys at his Masses. No school will have him as chaplain. Even among the people who remain friendly and supportive, outwardly trusting in his innocence, there will always be that little something held back, that nagging doubt: What if it's true?

Ordination used to mean being nailed to the cross, now it can also mean putting your head on the chopping block. What is a future priest to do?

The way I see it, I have several choices. I can opt out, I can bury my head in the sand and adopt a "that could never-happen-to-me" attitude, or I can make a firm commitment right here and now to live a prayerful, zealous, disciplined, careful priestly life - in short, a life of holiness and prudence.

Addressing this very subject last month, Pope John Paul II said in his "Letter to Priests": "We must beg God in his providence to prompt a wholehearted reawakening of those ideals of total self-giving to Christ which are the very foundation of the priestly ministry."

"Therefore, take up the armor of God," advised St. Paul (Ephesians 6: 13). If this means that, as a future priest, I will have to lay down some strict rules and stick to them, so be it. Holiness isn't just lived on your knees. It could mean installing glass doors in the rectory so that everyone can see what is going on inside my office, and wearing my Roman collar even if I'm going out to lunch with my sister. It definitely means never being alone with a child where I can't be seen.

Lay people also have a role to play. First, we need your holiness. Holy priests come from holy Catholic families. We need you to speak positively about the priesthood and priestly vocations. Second, we need your direct engagement as chaperons, driver and mentors in the parish. Father cannot and should not have to do it all himself. Third, priests count on your moral and effective support. If you hear someone spreading unsubstantiated rumors about a priest, don't let the cat get your tongue, make it perfectly clear, right then and there, that you will not allow a man's reputation to be unjustly ruined for life.

Some would say it is a scary lime to choose priesthood, but wait minute! This is no time to throw in the towel. The Church needs priests. Badly, The people of God need priests. Holy priests! Who will celebrate the Eucharist if there are no priests? How will they believe if there is no one to preach (Romans 10:14)? Dante remarked that the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in time of great moral crisis. Ignatius and Polycarp didn't shrink from their calling. They knew full well the consequences of their call. The Reformation was also a time of decadence and it took saints the likes of Ignatius of Loyola, Theresa of Avila, and Thomas More - clergy, religious and laity - to renew the Church from within.

"For our struggle is nor against enemies of blood, and flesh, bur against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil" (Eph 6: 12), When St, Paul speaks about "authorities and "powers," he is referring to the Evil One, who else could it be?

Who will fight the good fight against this formidable foe? Who will "overcome evil by doing good" (Romans 12:21)"? "Here I am, Lord" Isaiah rushed to answer when he heard God say, "whom shall I send?"

And by the way, if you are thinking about saying yes to God, don't hesitate for a minute. It's a great time to choose priesthood.

Upcoming Events & Retreats

(( Listed here are retreats directed by the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi members. For a listing of diocesan activities and other events, click here to go to the vocation.com website ))

LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST

Atlanta, GA, June 6-17, "Come and See" Program. Contact Fr Patrick Murphy, (678) 428-6348. pmurphy@legionaries.org

Los Angeles, CA, June 6-17, "Come and See" Program. Contact Fr Thomas Maher, (509) 780-8130. tmaher@legionaries.org

Cheshire, CT, June 6-17, "Come and See" Program. Contact Br Shane Johnson, (800) 420-5409. vocation@legionaries.org

Edgerton, WI, June 6-17, "Come and See" Program. Contact Br Chad Wahl, (608) 884-8856. cwahl@legionaries.org

CANDIDACY. June 6 - August 26 in Cheshire, CT. Visit any time! No cost. For more details visit www.legionofchrist.org or call (800) 420-5409.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

Greenville, RI, May 23-30. "Open Your Doors" retreat for women ages 17-30. Contact Malise Lagarde, (401) 378-3201. mlagarde@inteducators.org

Los Angeles, June 1-15. "Open Your Doors" retreat for women ages 17-30. Contact Magdalena Faine, (562) 400-3362. mfaine@inteducators.org

Syracuse, NY, June 1. Half-day retreat for women ages 17-30. Contact Laura Mayers, (914) 522-5506. lmayers@inteducators.org

Ottawa, June 16. Half-day retreat for women ages 17-30. Contact Lourdes Cano, (612) 205-7566. lcano@inteducators.org

CANDIDACY. June 28 - August 10 in Greenville, RI. Visit any time! For more information, visit www.regnumchristi.org or call (401) 378-3201.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

Call Tony McDonnell for more information, (301) 365-3205. info@ytm.org

ShoreLines welcomes your questions and comments at questions@shorelines.org. If you do not specify otherwise, your question may be posted in the Vocations Q&A section.

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