Holy Families Make Holy Priests
An article from the Fall 2005 issue of Heart and Mind magazine, written by my oldest son Timothy.
“I have recently been accepted by my diocese, the Diocese of Harrisburg, to discern the vocation of the priesthood within the seminary. Support and congratulations have come from all over. Shortly after hearing the great news, I was asked to write an article for a magazine about how homeschooling has affected my discernment of what God is calling me to, namely the priesthood. I had not the slightest idea of what I would write. Nor did I have any desire to write such an article. But a certain person I happen to know is quite pushy. After all, she did have to homeschool me.
I didn’t really like homeschooling. For me it was like eating my vegetables. And as much as I hated having to be taught by my own mother and father, I was told it was good for me. Now, looking back I can say, with about as much certainty as to my vegetable-eating, that it was good for me. I learned to study more independently and get involved in my own education. Beyond the schooling though, I learned the importance of my family.
During my years of home education, I learned that honesty is the best policy. And to be honest with those of you reading, I am not sure homeschooling was particularly an important factor in my discernment process. So, I will not be writing about how homeschooling was what made me want to be a priest, for it wasn’t. The important factor to my vocational discernment was in my family.
I come from a large family, being the oldest of nine children. Our family consists of seven boys and two girls. I am very proud to be from a large family. My home is by no means heaven and I only hope that God allows my time in the house to compensate my time in Purgatory. But we all should know that the best things come with sacrifice. True love is not easy to live. As half of this country’s marriages end in divorce, the testimony of a large family is a strong testimony of love, as is the testimony of a homeschooling family. I was raised with this love, and that is why I am entering the seminary.
Some people I talk to about my decision to follow God’s call are confused or dismayed. Those confused say I should wait until I’m older and have tried other things. Those dismayed say that my family experience would make me a great father. Both groups show a lack of understanding the vocation of the priesthood.
To answer the confused: priesthood is a vocation. God calls. God chooses. He chooses me. I can only answer His call. I cannot say for the future what He is calling me to, but I know that He is calling me to the seminary at this moment.
To answer the dismayed, priesthood is fatherhood. That isn’t some random cheesy line either. There is a reason why we call our local parish priest “Father”. It reveals a very enlightening truth that all men are in some way called to give glory to the Father by living in his image and likeness as fathers. Jesus Christ came to this earth to give glory to the Father. As men, we are all called to follow Christ’s example of living our lives to glorify the Father. Many theologians have stated that the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son. What a magnificent portrait of the Holy Trinity this is! With the love that is the Holy Spirit, priests are called to live as the Son to glorify the Father. The priest truly is a family man.This could be one reason why the Church will not be allowing married priests. The priest is married. The priest has his children. What marriage is a sign of, priestly celibacy is. It is the total love for the Father working completely to glorify Him and the Church, the priest’s bride. Having already reached the fulfillment, there is no reason to retreat to the sign. Just as Christ was misunderstood for abolishing the law while he was fulfilling it, so the people misunderstand the Church by believing the priest is “missing out.”
The lack of priests is not due to any problems with Church teaching. Pope Benedict, when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine Faith, said this: “Today’s parents have other plans for their sons and daughters. The primary consideration, therefore is: Are there any believers, and only after that – will they produce priests? The man that now serves as our pope has essentially stated that whatever problem there may be with a lack of holy priests it must be attributed, before anything else, to a lack of holy families.
I have been blessed with a holy family. As written above, it may not be heaven, but it is helping to pave the way. A strong family is what has helped make me who I am. The priesthood cannot make any sense if marriage and family does not make sense first. I need my family in order to properly understand the role of the priest.
The Church has always stressed the importance of a strong family. The Church’s roots are in the family. The Church itself is a family. We have no need to pray for a change in Church teaching. We must pray for a change in the hearts of people. I do not mean only the young men discerning the possibility of a calling to the priesthood. We must pray for generous mothers. We must pray for devoted fathers. We must pray for loving brothers and sisters. We must pray for caring grandparents. Let us implore the Son to teach us once again how to pray, and may He direct us once again to the Father. ”
**Update as of Fall 2006: Timothy isn’t continuing in the seminary at this time but continues to discern his vocation. Please keep him in your prayers.
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