Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests

18 | GUIDE TO ONGOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS

CHALLENGES TO LIVING THE PRIESTHOOD TODAY

44. The qualities of a holy, healthy priesthood explored in the preceding paragraphs constitute the goal of ongoing formation, the ulti mate fruit of the divine Farmer’s labor. Although none but the Lord ever attained the perfection of life represented in all these qualities, with the assurance of grace we can continue pressing onward toward their fulfill ment in our lives, however imperfect the result may be. Nevertheless, in addition to this goal, we must consider those obstacles that can choke the seed from growing properly. Every priest encounters some of these difficulties. The purpose of this document is not to give specific instructions to resolve them, but rather to encourage priests to live the kind of lives that can best meet them. The descriptions of these obstacles, then, are intentionally cursory. They offer just a glimpse, but they are an important acknowledgment of the kinds of challenges that any personal plan of ongoing formation should address. As observed earlier, these obstacles come in the form of imper fections in the priestly culture itself as well as harmful factors in both the ecclesial and the wider social environment. This section groups these short comings under these three, admittedly overlapping, general subheadings: within the priesthood, within the Church, and from the wider culture. Many of the challenges we face are of a more personal nature. For instance, an increasing number of priests struggle with the repercussions of unhealthy family dynamics in their upbringing. Many come from broken or dysfunctional families that have left them fragile, lacking in confidence, distrustful of authority, and sometimes in need of spiritual and psycholog ical healing. These wounds are often compounded by the danger of isola tion in a cultural environment that tends to prioritize individualism above all else. The rich tapestry of parochial relationships that once supported priests, often including life in common among priests themselves, is now greatly diminished. As a consequence, many priests experience their celi bacy primarily as loneliness, as a difficult sacrifice, and not as a gift intended to expand the heart with a broad and profound love for God and neighbor. 45. 46. WITHIN THE PRIESTHOOD 47.