4 Things You Need to Know If You’re Discerning the Priesthood

​4 Things Every Man Discerning the Priesthood Should Know

(by Garrett Johnson)

1. Let’s cut the nonsense, consecrated life is for real men. With this, the idea isn’t to propose some type of feminine exclusion. What I want to say is that the Church needs people that are courageous, generous and willing to sacrifice. The renunciation of a family, the total dedication to a religious/apostolic mission, the different vows or promises that are assumed, the responsibility taken on before God and the Church, are very serious realities. In order for them to flower and grow in consecrated life, two things are necessary. In the first place, the Grace of God. In the second, a virile commitment, one that doesn’t give up at the first sight of difficulties but rather hangs on to the Lord’s hand with obdurate humility.  Before assuming a commitment of this caliber, according to the Gospel, it is better to measure one’s own forces.

2. If it isn’t be a saint, why have you come? Consecrated life, like any other vocation, is a path towards holiness and nothing else. When this horizon is lost, one’s life becomes insipid and loses its joy. Allowing God to make us saints is nothing more than being docile and letting ourselves be molded by His love. We can squabble and argue over our plans all we want… but in the end, our holiness and our happiness consist in being conquered by Him. If you have arrived at the door of consecrated life while still stubbornly grasping on to own plans, why have you come?

3. Consecrated life is a life of joy. No one denies the fact that there will be difficulties on the path, just like every other vocation. But to have the opportunity – and the call – to dedicate your life to knowing and serving God cannot be anything but a source of great joy. A joy that transcends the difficulties. Jesus came to share His own joy so that our own might be fulfilled. With their humor, the young guys in the video transmit the wonderful happiness that we discover in a life lived in and for Christ. Pain and joy are so clearly distinguished and anxiously separated in the secular world, In the Christian life, however, they are not only compatible but many times, if understood correctly, the pain maximizes the joy.

On the other hand, this joy is a beautiful sign of authenticity and naturalness. Discovering ourselves to be loved by God frees us from the overly negative judgments that we so often make against ourselves. We see here a joy that is close, natural, fresh,  and authentic.

4. If you don’t need friends, this is not your place. The kryptonite of consecrated life is individualism, while the spinach – Popeye style – is good friends. The sketch presented in the video is full of friendship and camaraderie, of that sense of belonging and of communion that allows us to take on challenges with a willing and positive attitude. The cross that we are called to carry, is carried together, as brothers. Consecrated men are no supermen, they too need a place to rest their hearts, to share difficulties, to regain strength. Friendship and communion, today, are, according to my humble opinion, some of the most precious treasures of consecrated life.

(Article first appeared at ​https://catholic-link.org/video-consecrated-life-real-men/)