In my years of experience in the formation houses, I've seen umpteen number of youngsters hell bent on becoming priests... however only a handful of them are intent also on being a priest. For clarity's sake I'll mark the second individual (being a priest) as 'A' and the other (becoming a priest) as 'B'.
While 'A' is out to understand the spirit of the formation period and imbibe the same, 'B' wants nothing to do with the spirit of the whole process. He is concerned mostly with the letter of the text. There also are guys who are concerned neither with the spirit nor the letter. Their only concern is to 'stay out of danger'! ... danger of being 'knocked off the list'!
[In this context I remember a Priest asking me why one of the students of the seminary was not promoted and asked to leave. His argument ended with this statement, "He didn't do anything (wrong)." I replied, "That's exactly the reason. He didn't do anything! He merely was present here; with no intent of doing or being!"]
'A' strives for Priesthood, not for the title or fame but for the grace called 'priesthood'. 'B' strives merely for the title 'Fr' before his name that will ensure him everything a businessman aspires (sans hard work) ... like social security, economic prospects, privileges, 'above-the-ordinary-feel', an invisible license to do anything under the garb of the cassock...
For 'A' ordination is but a mere ceremony. It adds nothing more to him than an official social and ecclesial seal... he is already a Priest long since! For 'B' ordination is the greatest day of his life. That's when he gets the tag 'Fr' and marks the end of a long agonizing period called formation. He is now free!
All along the time offered as preparation for priesthood, 'A' seeks opportunities to enhance his skills and talents knowing well that it is for the Kingdom that he is preparing (for God and His people); 'B' too is grabbing every opportunity that comes his way but it is all for him alone, his motivation begins and ends with himself!
'A' loves his vocation and knows that priesthood is a means to spiritual perfection, that God has chosen for him (just like married life was something chosen by God for his parents). And therefore will cherish this path (not destination) and strive for perfection (meaning, virtues of the Kingdom). So if under any unfortunate turn of events, he is stripped of his title and habit he will still be a priest (not theologically but in reality). 'B' too loves his vocation and will go to any length to safeguard it. However he is only safeguarding the title and the habit Nothing else matters! But mind you, he'll do anything, really anything, he'll go to any extreme, to safeguard it. And if by any chance (luckily!) he is stripped of them both, he most probably will never ever be seen in any Church or be part of any charity. His priesthood never began, so I can't say that it ended on that lucky day!
In a moment of crisis when one has to choose between continuing in the seminary as a mute spectator/ with Herod's attitude or quitting the seminary, because values are at stake, 'A' will ultimately (because he will prudently work first to restore the value at stake and only when he has exhausted the possibilities and is expected to work against the value) choose the latter; while for 'B' the latter possibility (especially, the value) does not exist in his list of options.
(May be a repetition in different words) For 'A' priesthood is a way of life, a life-style, definitely not the goal of life; for 'B' priesthood is the goal for another kind of life, a life other than the one he is forced to live now because of the seminary setting. Hence after ordination he does not know what to do! 'A' is driven by the vision he has set for himself for which priesthood offers an ideal path; 'B' is driven only by the desire to be a priest, nothing more and nothing less!
While 'A' is out to understand the spirit of the formation period and imbibe the same, 'B' wants nothing to do with the spirit of the whole process. He is concerned mostly with the letter of the text. There also are guys who are concerned neither with the spirit nor the letter. Their only concern is to 'stay out of danger'! ... danger of being 'knocked off the list'!
[In this context I remember a Priest asking me why one of the students of the seminary was not promoted and asked to leave. His argument ended with this statement, "He didn't do anything (wrong)." I replied, "That's exactly the reason. He didn't do anything! He merely was present here; with no intent of doing or being!"]
'A' strives for Priesthood, not for the title or fame but for the grace called 'priesthood'. 'B' strives merely for the title 'Fr' before his name that will ensure him everything a businessman aspires (sans hard work) ... like social security, economic prospects, privileges, 'above-the-ordinary-feel', an invisible license to do anything under the garb of the cassock...
For 'A' ordination is but a mere ceremony. It adds nothing more to him than an official social and ecclesial seal... he is already a Priest long since! For 'B' ordination is the greatest day of his life. That's when he gets the tag 'Fr' and marks the end of a long agonizing period called formation. He is now free!
All along the time offered as preparation for priesthood, 'A' seeks opportunities to enhance his skills and talents knowing well that it is for the Kingdom that he is preparing (for God and His people); 'B' too is grabbing every opportunity that comes his way but it is all for him alone, his motivation begins and ends with himself!
'A' loves his vocation and knows that priesthood is a means to spiritual perfection, that God has chosen for him (just like married life was something chosen by God for his parents). And therefore will cherish this path (not destination) and strive for perfection (meaning, virtues of the Kingdom). So if under any unfortunate turn of events, he is stripped of his title and habit he will still be a priest (not theologically but in reality). 'B' too loves his vocation and will go to any length to safeguard it. However he is only safeguarding the title and the habit Nothing else matters! But mind you, he'll do anything, really anything, he'll go to any extreme, to safeguard it. And if by any chance (luckily!) he is stripped of them both, he most probably will never ever be seen in any Church or be part of any charity. His priesthood never began, so I can't say that it ended on that lucky day!
In a moment of crisis when one has to choose between continuing in the seminary as a mute spectator/ with Herod's attitude or quitting the seminary, because values are at stake, 'A' will ultimately (because he will prudently work first to restore the value at stake and only when he has exhausted the possibilities and is expected to work against the value) choose the latter; while for 'B' the latter possibility (especially, the value) does not exist in his list of options.
(May be a repetition in different words) For 'A' priesthood is a way of life, a life-style, definitely not the goal of life; for 'B' priesthood is the goal for another kind of life, a life other than the one he is forced to live now because of the seminary setting. Hence after ordination he does not know what to do! 'A' is driven by the vision he has set for himself for which priesthood offers an ideal path; 'B' is driven only by the desire to be a priest, nothing more and nothing less!
No comments:
Post a Comment