"Maybe above everything, I wanted to do something for him; and since-as writer, reader, teacher-most of my doing in the past had involved paper and pen, books and study, a seminary seemed the proper place to do it."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.31)
Why am I a priest? Good question and probably one that every priest should ask themselves annually, if not daily. I gave a flip answer to my grandfather when he asked, mainly because I knew the question was a jab and not actually a serious inquiry. I told him I was going to church anyway, may as well get paid. That stopped him in his tracks, he didn't see that coming.
But it really isn't an answer to the question. On the deepest levels the answer is I feel called to this vocation. However that is a very vague answer also and actually invites even more questions. I know what I enjoy about the priesthood. I love pastoring, being present with people in their joys and their sorrows. I know that I enjoy leading worship and preaching. I enjoy teaching about faith and scripture. I'm not as fond of all the administrative stuff and I'm not a huge fan of meetings.
I find that when I get bogged down in the less exciting aspects of being a priest, I can get unstuck by doing what I really enjoy, refocusing on that.
I believe this experience is not unique to my vocation. What is it that you do? Why are you doing what you do for a living? Is there a passion you have that can only be realized by being that? Or is it just a paycheck? I believe that when we are fully engaged in work and play that feeds our needs and draws on our strengths, we stop needing to work for the weekend and watch the clock.
Blessings,
Ed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment