Speaking to the members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Pope Benedict said, of his time in seminary, "there, in profound dialogue with Christ, our desire to be deeply rooted in him was strengthened. In those years, we learned to see the Church as our own home".Here am I, almost at the end of my time in seminary, and when I hear these words, they make such sense. It is true, over the year, I have very much come to see the Church as my home. In fact, I was just talking to the Rector about this very issue, recently.
I encourage you to read the Pope's word, which you will find here, reported by zenit.org.
He also said, "On the other hand, the need for priests to address the challenges of today's world must not lead to the abandonment of a painstaking discernment of the candidates, or the neglect of necessary -- even rigorous -- demands, so that their formative process helps to make them exemplary priests." It is true we need to be tested, but always in a spirit of love, that we might grow and flourish. Demands which leave people dejected and feeling ill-equipped are, probably, not that helpful. It's good to be put through our paces from time to time.
Boy, we can do some moaning, though!
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