SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

Try to discern how the evangelical counsel can help in the formation of good candidate towards the ministerial priesthood of Christ.

INTRODUCTION

The catholic priesthood which is model after the ministerial priesthood of Christ is very significant in the ministry of the church in reaching out the Gospel truth to the whole world. The importance of the priestly ministry makes it necessary that the candidates preparing for the catholic priesthood should be well prepared and nurtured for the mission ahead of their ordination. The priest cannot do all things by his own power; therefore, provisions are made by the church to help the priest in his ministry. The provisions made by the church include the institution of the evangelical counsels.

Before I proceed to the major concern of this paper, I consider it appropriate to make some definition of key terms that would apply to this work. These terms may include: discernment, Evangelical counsel, formation, and ministerial priesthood.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

DISCERNMENT: discernment is one of the best means by which we can find out the will of God and live our conversion in our day-to-day life without blemish.[1] It is the capacity to respond to an inner and personal promptings of the Spirit and reading the signs of times.

EVANGELICAL COUNSELS: the term evangelical counsel signifies that something pertains to, or is in accordance with the Christian Gospel.[2] The evangelical counsels are voluntary poverty, perpetual chastity, and entire obedience. Their observance is not necessary to salvation; they are rule of perfection put forward to be voluntarily taken up by those who find in themselves the vocation to do so. They are not perfection itself, but instruments for its attainment, for maintaining and strengthening the love of God and one’s neighbor.[3]  These vows are very peculiar to religious priests, but it is not less applicable to diocesan priest.

FORMATION: refers to the preparatory years, mostly in the seminary, undergone by candidates who desire or are called to the vocation to the ministerial priesthood. It involves the development of the candidates’ intellectual ability, spirituality, human relationship and pastoral ability.

MINISTERIAL PREISTHOOD: priesthood is the priestly office, character or dignity imprinted on the soul by the valid reception of the sacrament of the Holy Orders. The ministerial priesthood set some people apart for the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice, the ministering of the sacraments and the teaching office of the church. [4]

HOW THE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS CAN HELP IN THE FORMATION OF CANDIDATRES FOR THE MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.

            The candidates of the ministerial priesthood of Christ are expected to have a living response to the call God has given them. The ministerial priesthood of Christ is more than a choice, it is a call, and the evangelical counsels helps in the formation of the candidates to this priesthood. With the evangelical counsels, candidates are well oriented with what is expected in the ministry; what they may face and how to handle difficulties that they may be facing in their ministry. The evangelical counsels help so much in discerning what good, acceptable and perfect will of God is. The evangelical counsel helps in different ways for the formation of good candidates for the ministerial priesthood of Christ:

1.      The evangelical counsels help to nurture, form and model the candidates’ vocation according to the priesthood of Christ: the facts of Jesus’ ministerial priesthood have been has been a continuous tradition in the Catholic Church. The evangelical counsel depicts the elements that Jesus’ priesthood is modeled on. With the evangelical chastity, the candidate is prepared to enter into the ministry of an all-consuming love of God, and a total surrender of his life to the affairs of God.[5] With the evangelical poverty gives the candidate an evangelical notion of leaving all things to follow the Lord. This vow frees the candidate to follow Christ in a total dedication.[6] With the evangelical obedience helps the candidate to live a life of obedience just as Jesus was obedient even to death.

2.      The evangelical counsels helps the candidates to follow Christ like the apostles did: the apostles followed Christ in accordance to the perfect example that Christ gave them. With the evangelical counsels candidates to the ministerial priesthood are kept in constant focus without distraction to the requirements and expectations of their vocational call. The evangelical chastity keeps the candidate from sexual distractions. The evangelical poverty keeps the candidates from material distractions. The evangelical obedience keeps the candidates from testing for power, and more yet makes them good followers.

3.      The evangelical counsels helps the candidates to develop a fundamental relationship with Christ the head and shepherd: with the evangelical counsels, the candidates to the priesthood gains a perfect platform through which their relation and imitation of Christ the head and shepherd is made much more easier, for the ones who will follow the evangelical counsels strictly.

4.      Pearl joyce

POVERTY

Poverty is first seen as a limiting factor in ways which appear less important for consideration, but this is not so for anyone who is concerned about practicing evangelical poverty. The evangelical counsel of poverty helps the candidate to be focus in his mission and be more interested in the ministry of which he is been prepared for instead of running after material things and losing focus of the important elements of the mission and priestly ministry.

OBEDIENCE

Obedience helps the candidates to foster communion with their Bishops. The evangelical counsel does not cancel freedom; it gives rise to freedom, develops freedom and demands freedom.

The evangelical counsels are the vows professed by priests and religious which shows their faithfulness to their way of life and different apostolic ministries.

---

[1] Fr. F. Antonisamy, An Introduction to Christian Spirituality, (Mumbai: St Paul Press Training School, 2000), p. 162

[2] Evelyn Kirkley, “Evangelicals” in Orlando Espin and James Nickoloff (eds.), An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies, (Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2007), p.  427

[3] Donald Attwatter (ed.), A catholic dictionary, third edition,(Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1997), p. 179

[4] Ibid, p. 401

[5] Gerald Arbuckle, SM (ed.), Religious Life: Rebirth Through Conversion, (New York: St Paul Publication, 1997), p. 25.

[6] Ibid, p. 27