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The answer to our quest for happiness lies in recognizing that what our heart longs for is Our Creator. Many men discerning a potential call to the priesthood have opened themselves to the answer: allow God to be the center to their lives. Excellent!
Yet a struggle seems to remain sometimes: “I know God’s Will is to place Him at the center of my life. But how do I know it’s really His Will that I serve Him as a priest?” Seek the answer to this question because God’s Wills to answer. Getting the answer, however, requires taking concrete steps forward including daily prayer, reception of God's Sacraments; and certainly, reaching out to one of the priests in the vocation’s office. God Wills to help you find out if He is indeed calling you to the priesthood, and His help entails allowing His Church to formally accompany you in your journey. ~ Fr. Jaime G. Maldonado No, you can’t get married.
No, you can’t have sex. No, you can’t be a dad and raise a family. No, you can’t make serious money. No, you can’t determine the course of your own life. When I first felt the call as a teenager, I thought of the priesthood through the lens of all these Nos. Most of the priests I knew growing up embodied this life of No – unapproachable, grouchy and insecure in their authority. Who would want that kind of life? Not me, for sure. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties, when I started taking the faith seriously for the first time, that I started to think of the priesthood as, not a list of Nos, but one great YES. Yes, Lord, I offer you my body. Yes, Lord, I offer you my masculinity. Yes, Lord, I offer you my strengths. Yes, Lord, I offer you my weaknesses. Yes, Lord, I offer you my past. Yes, Lord, I offer you my future. YES, Lord, I give you all of me – without conditions or reservations – in the ultimate YES. Yes, Lord, I will serve you as a priest. If you are struggling with your calling to the priesthood, reframe what the priesthood is. It’s not a series of Nos, it’s the life of YES. ~ Fr. Anthony J. Federico |
AuthorSFr. Michael Casey Archives
April 2023
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