Part 7 – Our Greatest Power: Made in God’s Image

by Michael Salemi, Seminarian  |  07/28/2024  |  After My Own Heart

“I learned [Wisdom] without guile and I impart without grudging; I do not hide her wealth, for it is an unfailing treasure for men; those who get it obtain friendship with God, commended for the gifts that come from instruction.” —Wis 7:13-14

In keeping with the building analogy, intellectual formation acts as the structural support that connects the human foundation with the walls of the spiritual life. When the walls are built higher, the support needed to keep them from collapsing will increase. This is the role of intellectual formation in the seminary. The correct way to approach theological studies is with the mentality of faith seeking understanding. This is not learning for the sake of passing required classes or to become the know-it-all priest at the parish. These classes are to help deepen the seminarian’s spiritual life and to pass on these teachings to his future parishioners.

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The Bread of Life

by ©LPi — Father John Muir  |  07/28/2024  |  Gospel Meditation

The world is filled with people whose basic needs aren’t met, whether for clean water, nutrition, safety, education, meaningful work, stable family life, basic medical resources, religious freedom, and the right to life. So how can we possibly believe what Psalm 145 says to us this week, “The hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs”? Does he? What about the countless poor? Can’t we identify at least a few unmet needs in our own lives right now? Is the Bible promoting wishful thinking and laziness in helping others?

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Rest in the Generosity of God

by ©LPi — Father John Muir  |  07/21/2024  |  Gospel Meditation

Burnout. Recent studies suggest that roughly two-thirds of doctors and nurses have signs of it. You probably know what burnout is: long-term stress leading to emotional exhaustion and a lack of a sense of personal accomplishment. Burnout can threaten anyone who tries to seriously serve and love others. How does our faith inform this challenging experience, and how do we find refreshment?

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Part 6 - Attached to the Vine: Our Source and Summit

by Michael Salemi, Seminarian  |  07/14/2024  |  After My Own Heart

"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. —Romans 12:1-2

After the foundation of humanity is laid, the walls of a spiritual life begin to be built. A proper understanding of self leads to a proper understanding of relation to Christ. Spiritual formation focuses on instilling the virtues of prayer and devotion needed for a thriving priesthood. The list of focus areas for a seminarian's spiritual life include: Eucharist, Confession, Liturgy of the Hours, spiritual direction, Scripture, retreats, meditation, reading the Church Fathers, personal devotions, asceticism, simplicity of life, solitude, obedience, celibacy, and other things. (PPF 229)

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Seek Fellowship, Live Simply, Act Boldly

by ©LPi — Father John Muir  |  07/14/2024  |  Gospel Meditation

Once I asked a fallen-away Catholic friend of mine what he remembered about the parish priest from his youth. He said, “He was a gentle, nice guy. Kind of vanilla. Kept to himself.” It struck me that he, perhaps like many, perceive Catholic priests as the following: lonely, harmless, and self-sufficient. As a challenge both to this perception (accurate or not) and to us priests who perhaps feel a pull in that uninspiring direction, stands the mighty image of what we see in the Gospel this Sunday.

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Part 5 – Laying the Foundation: A Priest Is Still Human

by Michael Salemi, Seminarian  |  07/07/2024  |  After My Own Heart

There are four pillars, or dimensions, of priestly formation: Human, Intellectual, Spiritual, and Pastoral. At each of the stages that we have covered, there are different benchmarks that need to be met before moving forward. The pillars act as cornerstones to the seminarian’s development so he can continue to progress and grow even after completing seminary. Similar to a college education, a seminary cannot teach everything, but can give the tools and foundations that will be used after graduation. The first and most foundational of these dimensions is Human Formation.

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Turn to God

by ©LPi — Father John Muir  |  07/07/2024  |  Gospel Meditation

Recently I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on how to optimize willpower in the face of weakness. The message was: do not accept your weakness. Crush it. Dominate it. In one video, however, at the end of a rant by a willpower coach, the muscular stoic admitted, “You’ll never actually get what you want, no matter how hard you try.” Amazingly, he admitted that willpower alone is not sufficient for us weak-willed humans.

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Part 4 – Forming the Priest: Made in Christ's Image

by Michael Salemi, Seminarian  |  07/06/2024  |  After My Own Heart

"The Glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me." (Jn 17:22-23)

After three to five years of seminary formation, we now arrive at the final stage of seminary: Configuration. Unlike the previous two stages, there is no minimum or maximum number of years for this stage. A seminary's theology curriculum usually lasts four years, so most programs still try to help the men complete this stage in the same timeframe. Configuration is an intense period of formation. The previous stages were of intense discernment, but this is no longer needed because the seminarian has received candidacy and is considered finished with his priestly discernment.

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