So, as this blog is called the Catholic Badass blog, I should be talking more about badass things and people, and in my mind, there is nothing more badass than fathers. (Mothers are great too, but this is Father's Day, so shut up). I know not everyone would share that opinion based on their childhood or even their lives right now. Too many of my friends have parents who are divorced, have bad relations with their fathers, or never even see their fathers anymore. That is really depressing to me, because the world needs good fathers, and Catholic men should be discerning whether or not they want to take up that responsibility of fatherhood.
Growing up in the Catholic Church, I heard a lot about discernment. Now, what comes to most people's minds when they think of discernment is discerning whether or not they want to join the priesthood or religious life. That was my way of thinking for a long time too, and I feel like that idea is shared by a lot of other young Catholics too. As young men in the Church, we are asked over and over again (well, at least I am) to discern the priesthood. It almost feels like there is a lack of priests in the Catholic Church, so they are pushing more young men to discern, so that we can have priests in the future. That is totally false. Last year, a couple of my friends and I where having a discussion with our pastor about discernment and calls to the priesthood, and he said that their isn't a problem with numbers, but with distribution. It's a problem with spreading the love. There are some communities where a priest has to perform mass at three different parishes, or guest priests consistently need to be called to fill the vacancies.
I'm not saying that guys should stop discerning the religious life, but don't think that by not choosing the priesthood that the U.S. is going to run out of priests.
It won't, don't worry.
There are men (and women) all over the country discerning God's call, just like you, and some of them may be called to the religious life and others may not. What's important is to constantly listen to God's call, because then you will truly know, and that's important, because again, what this world needs just as much as good priests is good fathers. There are a lot of kids who don't have a father or other positive male role model in their life to guide them. Even for the kids whose fathers are present in their lives, they are not always the best role models or provide the support that a child needs.
I lucked out, because I have an amazing father who loves me and has supported me since I was born. That doesn't mean that he's ever gotten mad or angry at me, and that's ok, because it shows that he wants the best for me. I've made some big life choices in the past week, and one thing that I was worried about was not having my parent's support in these decisions. I had talked with both my parents over the phone, and though it wasn't exactly what they had in mind for my future, they understood my decisions. I was still a little uneasy, and when we had some face to face time on Saturday, we talked more, and they explained how they were worried, but they would always support me. That's all I needed. Just knowing that my father and mother would support me and believed in my decisions was all I needed. If a parent can give that to their child, it will improve that child's outlook on life so much more than any sort of material possessions.
So, the next time that someone asks you to discern, remember that you're not just discerning the priesthood or religious life, you're also discerning fatherhood (or motherhood). Like I said, the world needs good fathers just as much as it needs good priests. Even priests are encouraged to date during their first year or two in seminary, so that they know for certain what path God is leading them towards. Of course, both fatherhood and priesthood are wonderful paths. Just know that God has a plan for you, and one way or the other, He will use you to bring others closer to Christ.
Peace and Love and Happy Father's Day
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