Seminarians are told to be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect

The Gospel of the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time is telling the Christian world to love their enemies, pray for their oppressors, and become perfect because the Heavenly Father is perfect.

But this article is addressed to the seminarians who are still in the formation whether diocesan or religious. Especially now that the world is into technology and social media platform, the seminarians, if not formed moralistically, will be with the flow of the materialistic world.

First, seminarians should not subscribe to the principle of eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. As early as their first years in the formation, they should avoid feelings that will succumb them to that principle. It is actually true to everyone. At the start of feeling hatred or animosity towards someone because of injustice and unfairness, immediately run to God and complain to Him the injustice. Bask in the loving presence of God and the assurance that everything will turn out well and good.

Second, look at everyone, as in everyone through the eyes of God. Verse 45 says: He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Sun and rain are both natural occurrence. Not one can stop the sun from rising nor the rain from falling. But seminarians can stop from imitating the wrong doings of the people around them but still continue to love them and pray for them. They can choose to be influenced by the God-fearing and God-loving people in their environment. These people could be priests, seminarians, lay formators, family members, and friends; who do not drive high-end cars; who do not always purchase latest models of cellphones; who do not maintain association or friendship with corruptible people. They should look at everyone through the eyes of God with compassion and kindness but with preference to becoming perfect as God is perfect.

Finally, their formation does not end when they are ordained to priesthood. Their quest to perfection starts on their ordination day especially that gadgets, cars, women or men, luxurious life and moneyed parishes are just waiting to corrupt them. Seminarians should know that God is always incorruptible and so are they.