Of course I believe in Christ; Just look at my Talents

The Rhetoric of my belief is not one of knowledge as much as understanding the mission the Holy Spirit has sent me on. In the business world one might pursue a level of outstanding persuasiveness from education, family wealth, or inheritance from a family business. In the Church, however, it does not matter if there are one or more aspects that will guarantee a position without something deeper than secular attributes. We must acknowledge that without the Holy Spirit at the helm of our guidance into Holy living the choice of Holy Orders can become a walk that will collapse.

No one should try to discourage a man from entering the ordained life. If it is a call from God it will succeed with the strength of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. But there were some from the Old Testament that God called into ministry when he saw that the priests who went off on their own because it looked like a choice that would give them esteem and high ranking position. This is what Jesus found when he began his ministry and discovered the Pharisees were his first enemies because the mission that Jesus was promoting would in fact threaten their style of being the ones who dictated what God wanted from these teachers of the Law.

When the Lord found and called them out on this false idea of telling the people how to live according to their belief in the Law he realized that the teaching of these religious leaders was nothing more than another struggle of power that supported their own desires to live according to their selfish perspective.

Fortunately the men today that are responding to the Lord’s call into priesthood are more mature and the experience in the secular world has been a boost to their choice that finds them ready to tackle what is needed as a priest; the understanding of serving rather than being served. Perhaps the scene after the Last Supper of Jesus removing the outer garment, which stood as a sign of superior essence, and becoming the lowest stature of a servant and washing the feet of the disciples. We need to keep in mind what Jesus told his disciples about coming to serve rather than to be served.

“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me “teacher” and “master,” and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (Jn 13: 12 - 15).

This is the most perfect sign that a king could do for his servants; to take the role of a servant and humble himself as a servant as well. By the very fact that the Lord humbled himself to assure humanity is the perfect sign of a king becoming one like us to redeem our souls from eternal death. This is what the call to priesthood is all about. Those that assume this vocation are indeed men living to their call.

Ralph B. Hathaway