Man of God

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I had my first go at an extended recollection with the seminarians last weekend. This would be my first and starting official 'work' within my role as Spiritual Director of the House for the seminary. With such an officious name like that and all those usual expectations that fall upon this formator, I was had taken great pains to want to make the weekend recollection work and be fruitful as well as meaningful for the seminarians in attendance.

I chose the letter from Pope Benedict XVI written to seminarians given last year in October of 2010.

There were many reasons why I chose this to present, but primarily it was to help our seminarians here in St Francis Xavier Major Seminary to come to better terms with their vocation and calling as they journey towards the priestly ministry as a community. Hence the title of the recollection: A Community Journeying Towards Priestly Ministry", which by the way is also what the Holy Father mentioned or pointed out in his letter.

Much has changed and 'transformed' over the years since I last left the seminary, upon finishing my studies here, till now that I am back as a formator. One of the significant changes would be the area of how to handle/deal/interact with young men who enter the seminary these days compared to how thsi was approached during my time when I first entered. I am sure the formators in the past had done their level best to form seminarians in line with the needs of the archdiocese. Today, however, the needs of the archdiocese have changed and this follows from the changing times we faced from society and the world around us. What methods and tools of formation used in the past may have been appropriate then, but is no longer viable or useful today. Hence, those changes we see unfolding today with how we deal with seminarians entering to the Seminary.

Nonetheless, the basics and foundation of forming seminarians into priests after the heart of Christ remain. We still look into the need to mould them through the four pillars of formation which all seminarians in the world would be very familiar with: Human, Spiritual, Pastoral and Intellectual.

The presentation I gave over the weekend wants to impress and encourage our current crop of seminarians that what they are undergoing now is not to make life 'difficult' for them but more to the betterment and empowerment of them to be truly that 'man of God' ,which the Holy Father mentions in his letter, with a heart that is after that of God and being the good shepherd of Christ in the world that is lost and scattered.

To that account, I hope I had contributed my part accordingly.

Related articles

• Benedict XVI's Letter to SEMINARIANS! (wdtprs.com)

Afraid, Be Not!

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It's a message centered on prayer, on penance and conversion, that is projected beyond the threats, dangers and horrors of history, inviting mankind to trust in the action of God, to cultivate great hope, to experience the grace of the Lord so as to fall in love with Him, source of all love and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI, Mass at the Fatima Shrine, May 13, 2010

We are fast approaching the feast of Pentecost and, once again, be made aware of the presence, power and fruits of the Holy Spirit. For many of us, this feast only comes once a year and promptly places us  in its midst and after that, it is put aside and life carries on like it did before.

The homily given by our Holy Father at Fatima, during his visit there recently, is a timely reminder that we need to recover our lifeline and relationship on a better footing with God, our Creator and Father.

It is certainly not an easy task when you have to juggle between what affects you in your daily dealings with the world and what is required of you as a follower of Christ and a member of the Catholic Church. We speak of the dichotomy that tends to exist between the two (world vs faith) and there are grounds for concern when one is torn or struggling to find one's proper footing in the effort to find the middle ground.

Thus, the homily given at Fatima carries with it profound elements of joy and peace that we can hold on to without having to wring our hands in panic and hopelessness in the face of great turmoil. When we begin to relate ourselves appropriately with God through prayer, penance and conversion, we can hear with acute distinction, the calming voice of the Father, "Be not afraid!". This therefore starts a whole new outlook in life where we begin to sense with greater assurance that God is in control and can be truly trusted.

It is a reminder for myself that even with what I am experiencing in the parish and elsewhere, in relation to the ministry, there is always this sliver of hope under every dark cloud.

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• Homily of Pope Benedict XVI in Fatima (Full Text) (te-deum.blogspot.com)
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Five Years...

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For a change, instead of rambling on with my insignificant life and goings on, I would like to take this opportunity on the 5th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI to wish him a glorious and blessed leadership and that God continues to support and grant him the necessary graces to carry our Church confidently into the future.

We continue to keep him in our prayers, especially with the recent bad press and uncalled for remarks from the media on the problem of sexual abuses in the Church.