A young man came into my office on Thursday night. He is seriously entertaining the notion of entering into the seminary in a bout a year or so and we talked about the journey and what he might do to prepare. I told him that when my priest friends and I get together we often say, “I can’t believe more guys don’t want to do this!” If this is what God is calling you to, this is a great way to live life!But it is different. You get used to that difference after a while and do not even realize it. It takes someone else to point it out. My sisters are good at that. We will be walking down the street and one will remark, “Why is everyone being so friendly today?” Then she’ll look at me, see the collar and sock me in the arm. “Oh! That’s right. I with YOU!”
The essentials are the same. For example priests have friends just like anybody else but there will always (or should always) be a slightly different element in the relationship that does not exists elsewhere. So last week I went to visit a friend whose young adult children were just about to switc
h kidneys. But you are never just a friend, you are also a priest and so I talked to the them about being anointed. One readily agreed but the other baulked saying that he was not planning on dying. Now this kid knows his theology and his sacraments and should know better but I showed him the prayers assuring him that they were not putting the mark of death on his forehead but asking for his protection and healing and so we were able to go ahead with the sacrament.Back to the young man who wants to become a priest. I asked him what led him to desire priesthood and he responded that God has touched him so deeply and that it is so awesome he wants to in some radical way share that with others; to get them to wake up to the joy that is there waiting for them if they would just wake up to it! That is also part of the delight of being a priest as well as friend. What an honor and privilege it is to be able to bring Christ to those who are close to you in such a way.
2 comments:
Fr. V., it's so cool that you so very obviously just LOVE being a priest. It would not surprise me one bit to find out that many young men want to follow in your footsteps.
adoro,
think ahead...
after Fr V is gone home.
what will young men who did follow his example remember about him?
when we get together with him, maybe we could leave with a blessing, an autograph, and some other 2nd and or 3rd class future relics.
i'm serious.
what would you not give for some of St Pio's relics, no?
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