4) Penance

1. For more information or other vocations resources, please contact Graeme Munks, convenor of the Rosebank Parish PPC Vocations sub-committee, on 083 235 6813 or email abbot@iafrica.com

2. Ask any man who is now a priest and he will say the same thing, “We’ve all been there. We have all gone through the same ups and downs, trying to figure it out.” Guys who get the idea of being a priest should expect periods in time where the calling is strong and times when the feeling recedes. Trying to decide if you should become priest can be at times exhilarating and also confusing. This is normal and is the first step of discernment. It is important to acknowledge to yourself that you have thoughts or feelings about becoming a priest. Nothing is more important than discovering and living God’s will. We shouldn’t fear exploring any option that God might call us to. God loves us and our life will ultimately be most fulfilled if we live as He wishes. However, just because you have these thoughts, doesn’t mean you should become a priest. The final decision is the result of a process or personal journey. Practicing a Virtuous Life Begin the discernment process by understanding and embracing the virtues of poverty, chastity, obedience, penance and prayer. Practicing a virtuous life helps stabilize the soul and allows you to hear and accept what the Lord wants for you… 1) Poverty Poverty is the first beatitude - “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” The virtue of poverty is about achieving detachment from worldliness, detachment from things, states of affairs, and relationships, so that you do not require any of these things to be happy. It frees your will and soul to seek God first. 2) Chastity Chastity unifies our body, mind and heart. Sexuality is a beautiful thing given as a gift from the Lord, but it is reserved for married people. Celibacy simply means that you’re not going to enter the married state, and can be the biggest decision a man makes in choosing between priesthood and family life. 3) Obedience You are a wise and obedient man when you have a listening heart. The world is cluttered with choices. Many are offered to you through provocative means intended to convince you this is the best choice for you. Listen for God’s voice and obey what he asks of you and you will find the Lord. Obedience requires patience and humility and leads, ultimately, to satisfaction and freedom. 4) Penance Penance helps to conquer sinful habits and builds generosity, humility and patience. Are you able to confess your sins? Are you able to get in touch with your shame? Are you able to acknowledge your sinfulness before the Lord? These are key questions for you to consider for improving yourself and building an honest relationship with the Lord. 5) Prayer Prayer is communication with God and therefore is essential for growing closer to God. It is through prayer that the Holy Spirit leads us into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Prayer is absolutely essential, because one of the things a priest must be is a man of prayer. But it is also a skill that develops over a lifetime, with a God who is infinitely patient. Who is the Church Looking For? There is no single personality type that is “best” for the priesthood. The Vocations director will meet and talk with you. He is basically looking for a good, well-rounded guy. He will look at your aptitude to gain skills to fulfil the requirements of the priesthood. St. Peter was an impulsive, emotional man with natural leadership skills, while St John was a quiet man with a tremendous contemplative mind. Pope John Paul II was an outgoing extravert while Pope Benedict XVI is a shy introvert. If it is God’s will that a man be a priest, then every talent God has given him will be used in his priesthood. I’m not a saint, so can I be a good priest? Offer yourself up to God’s will as Christ did. Remember, prior to spreading the Gospel, St. Peter denied Christ, St. Paul persecuted the Church, St. Augustine fooled around with women and Alphonse Ratisbonne was an athiest who vigorously hated all things Catholic. These are just a few examples of wonderful priests who did not start out as saints, but turned their sinful lives around when they recognized God’s call. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “To build your life on Christ, to accept the word with joy and put its teachings into practice: This, young people of the third millennium, should be your program! There is an urgent need for the emergence of a new generation of apostles anchored firmly in the word of Christ, capable of responding to the challenges of our times and prepared to spread the Gospel far and wide. It is this that the Lord asks of you, it is to this that the Church invites you, and it is this that the world - even though it may not be aware of it - expects of you! If Jesus calls you, do not be afraid to respond to him with generosity, especially when he asks you to follow him in the consecrated life or in the priesthood. Do not be afraid; trust in him and you will not be disappointed.” Is the priest, therefore, different and distinct from everybody else in the Church? Yes, insofar as he has special functions and responsibilities that other members of the Church do not have. And no, insofar as the priest is still a member of the Church, exists for the Church, and makes no sense apart from the Church. Is the ordained priest another Christ? Yes, because all members of the Church are other Christ's, charged with carrying on the mission of Christ. Yes, also, because the priest’s likeness to Christ has a dimension that others do not have - that is, the likeness to Christ as head of the Church conferred on him in the sacrament of holy orders. Is the priest “better” than others in the Church? The priest is certainly “different” insofar as he has a specific and particular function to exercise that others cannot fulfil and cannot do without. But it’s important to remember that the priest exists for the people, not vice versa. He is not some sort of superior being that the people are there to serve; rather, he is a specialized agent of the Lord sent to serve the people. The Church is basically a community of laypeople, and the priest is there to help them to be what they are called to be by Christ. Is the priesthood, then, just another job in the Church? Not really. It is true that the priest has certain specific functions he is supposed to carry out, but there is also a personal permanence to the priesthood that goes beyond the various tasks priests perform. Once a priest is ordained, he is a priest forever, even if he is unable to perform any sort of priestly work, even if he decides to leave the practice of his ministry. The priest is changed into something different by the sacrament of holy orders, even as other members of the Church are changed into something different by the sacrament of baptism. The indelible nature of baptism speaks about the faithfulness of God toward those who have accepted His promise of salvation. The indelible nature of holy orders speaks about the faithfulness of God’s care for His Church community. The priest, then, is God’s man for the Church, a permanent representative of the headship of Christ in the Church, called to a permanent mission of service to those who represent the lordship of Christ in the world. The priest is there for Christ’s people, but the people cannot be Christ’s people without their priests. ~ The Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Johannesburg is Fr. Lionel Sham, at 011 402 6400 or email admincatholic@icon.co.za