A Reflection of a Priest-to-be

The formation in the seminary is an essential part of being a seminarian. The priestly vocation is a gift from God (Cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis). The very life of a seminarian and a priest-to-be is their witness of loving service to the Lord and his Church. There are times in the seminary when one experiences boredom because of the repetitive activities that are part and parcel of the seminary life as activities that are repeated and repeated becomes virtues over a period of time.

Everyone is called to share and completely trust in the fulfillment of God’s promise. Going out of the periphery of the seminary is one of the most challenging factors of my life as a seminarian. For this reason, trust in God’s faithfulness is vital to me. And, it also needs to be accompanied by my great faith in Him and I have to cooperate responsibly in the action of God who called me.

To be sent out and do apostolate is a work given by Jesus Christ to his Apostles. But before they were sent by Jesus to mission, they accompanied Jesus throughout his public ministry. The Apostles accompanied Jesus so that they knew and understood why God called them. The plan of God to fulfill His promise of salvation is being realized in the person of Jesus. Throughout his daily contact with people, his sharing in their daily lives, the seminarian needs to develop and sharpen his human sensitivity so as to understand more clearly their needs, respond to their demands, perceive their unvoiced questions and share their hopes and expectations, the joys and burdens which are part of life: thus, the seminarian will be able to meet and enter into dialogue with all people.

Moreover, the formation given by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to the twelve is true and the same with me as a seminarian and as one aspiring to become a priest of Jesus. I narrated the calling of the twelve because before they were sent out, they prepared themselves by building an intimate relationship with the master: Jesus Christ. The formation given by the seminary to me is similarly patterned after what the Lord did two thousand years ago to his disciples. The seminary is preparing me to have an intimate relationship with the Lord, the Good shepherd. This task demands that the seminarian be deeply and fully immersed in the mystery of Christ and capable of embodying a new style of pastoral life, marked by a profound communion with the other seminarians and a fruitful cooperation with the faithful. The spiritual life of the seminarian must be marked and moulded by very life of Christ himself who is the head and shepherd of the church.

This I continue to experience in many of my seminary pastoral exposures I am currently assigned in one of the Pastoral areas in the Archdiocese of Davao. My experiences in my pastoral synthesis are quite fruitful and beautiful. I encounter many people who have become my formators throughout the program. I encounter different attitudes, different styles and different life perspectives which help me to reflect on my vocation to be with the people.

The people I encounter in my pastoral areas have become instruments for me to look back to my seminary education. My pastoral exposure makes me ask how I am able to apply the knowledge I have learned and gained in the seminary to actual life experiences among the faithful. The bigger challenge for me is how to bring the presence of Christ to others through my way of life.

My spiritual formation is of great importance. My journey toward this vocation is gauged through my relationship with God. Without spiritual life, pastoral life will be left without foundation. I realize that pastoral life becomes vague when God is not the center or the reason of all. The spiritual life according to the document Pastores Dabo Vobis is a life of prayer. I am in need of spiritual mentorship to be able to form mature and free decisions which are built on self-discipline and on my relationships with those who share my journey. That is why spiritual direction is part and parcel of my priestly formation.

The love of God which was revealed to me before I entered seminary formation continue to be my guiding principles and light. The moments of doubt and darkness that naturally come during formation becomes brighter if this love of God is concretized in my day-to-day living. I need to have a good relationship with Jesus through my prayer. It is through prayer that I am able to discern the will of God for me. In my daily service, in the parish in particular, I realize how God is able to bring me out of my unworthiness. Despite all my limitations still God is faithful to his promise to me. I challenge myself to try and pattern my life according to Christ who is the author of my vocation. This vocation is not my own. It comes from the Lord himself.

It is the Lord who summons me to continue his mission: “go therefore and make a disciple of all nations” (Mt. 28:19). This is the work of the Spirit who reveals the very vocation to all. This shared vocation that I received from the Lord is my strength and stability as a seminarian doing the work of Christ.

In addition, the spiritual life of a seminarian grows through the exercise of the future ministry that is given by the Lord. Exercising the pastoral work and going out my comfort zones are the most challenging parts of my life as a seminarian. I must renew and deepen my awareness of being a seminarian of Christ. I am an ambassador of the church and I bring the name of the church. I have to be equipped with the necessary teachings of the Lord and be knowledgeable enough about the church so that I may possess and give to the faithful the guarantee that I am transmitting the Gospel in its fullness.

The seminary is a good avenue to look into one’s self. This is my realization as I continue to submit myself to the formation. The seminary offers many opportunities to develop one’s self and mastery of one’s action. I also cannot deny the intervention of the external factors like the parish exposure and among others. I cannot deny that human formation is essential in the life of a seminarian and a priest-to-be.

I remember what Saint John Paul II said in Pastores Dabo Vobis: “Priestly formation would be deprived of its foundation if it lacked an authentic human formation, following the examples of Christ who “knew what was in man” (Jn. 2:25). Quoting the fathers of the Vatican II, the document went ahead to say that human qualities are needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities. (cf. Optatan Totius, 11). That is why formation in the seminary is indispensable to becoming a true shepherd. As a future shepherd of the flock, I need to have a heart like Jesus. (Bro. Soren Abellanosa)

(Bro. Soren Abellanosa completed his Theology at the Regional Major Seminary of Mindanao (ReMaSe) and is now doing his pre-deacon exposure at the DXGN 89.9 Spirit FM and the Davao Catholic Herald.)