If what's being offered is participation in the priesthood of Jesus Christ Himself, the ability to turn bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus, the ability to forgive sins through Divine power, the ability to call down the Holy Spirit... these things make those sacrifices not only worth it, but insignificant by comparison. But if what's being offered instead is no different from what you'd get at nearly any secular doctoral program in the country, why become a Jesuit?
Link (here) to a very challenging post at the Catholic blog, Shameless Popery.
7 comments:
Mary, Mother of God and Mother of priests, we ask you to obtain from Jesus the light and strength for His priests to live a truly priestly life. So that, the priests that Jesus ordained might be priests who are living the lives of martyrs, who are ready to shed their blood for your divine Son.
Mary, Mother of the Church, beg your Son to inspire thousands of young men to embrace the vocation to the priesthood, and thus become the communicators of grace; to a world which is starving, starving for the truth that priests are to teach; to a world that is dying, dying for the love that priests are to bring; a world that is suffering, but a world that shall love the cross, because priests have taught this world that the greatest joy on earth is to love Jesus crucified. Amen.
--John Hardon SJ
And yet, talented and smart young men ARE becoming Jesuits! I've visited a few Jesuit communities and they are far from being "hospices" as the FIRST THINGS writer claims.
It's a tougher vocation than sequestering yourself off from the world and playing priest ca. 1950.
"Why become a Jesuit?"
Free education at the best schools in the world. Free room and board.
Free travel. Free clothing. Free laundry and housekeeping services. Free transportation. Lots of opportunity to mix and mingle with wealthy donors. Access to others with same sex attraction. Daily Mass and prayers optional.
Is Anonymous 7:28 talking about the Legionaires!?
@Anon 10.56 p.m.: I don't know any Legionnaires, only Jesuits. They live pretty well, imho.
Many live well--too well I'm sure. The Legionaires run a kind of brothel.
BTW, how's your lifestyle--are you living simply?
@Anon Oct 28, 10.55 p.m.:
"BTW, how's your lifestyle--are you living simply?"
Do any of us have a choice in this day and age? :-D
Define 'simply.' I think I would answer in the affirmative anyway. At any rate, the Jesuits take a vow of poverty, which they'll remind you of over a bottle of 16 year old scotch and a Cuban cigar...
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