What I’m saying is that your attitudes and habits in the seminary are going to reflect your attitudes and habits now. It’s analogous (not the same, but similar in nature) to what we say about chastity: If you are unchaste before marriage then you will probably continue to be unchaste within marriage because marriage is not something that magically fixes chastity.
You can’t expect that you can say “once I’m in seminary my prayer life will be all fixed and good” because it simply doesn’t work like that. What I’m saying is that you’re going to experience the same stressors that you are experiencing now. How you respond to such stressors is by habit, that’s just the way we work. You have to work to develop the good habits now, because if you don’t work to develop good habits then habits will form anyways, and they won’t be good ones.
Maybe I should re-clarify that I have been to University before. As I said, I’m the near the end of my course; I’ve done most of the hard bits, I’ve endured sleepless nights of having to balance studies, work and a relationship all at once. I’ve been there, and I’ve conquered that. Life experiences like these come from learning and failing, they don’t come from attaining a certificate of completion. The case you’re making would perhaps be a lot more suitable in a debate of whether somebody should go into a University to study in the first place before going straight into the seminary. As I said, I’ve done the miles (4 years, to be exact). I’ve gained the experience of stress and time and management, trust me. This is simply a matter of necessity in taking those lost couple of extra miles in the other direction. I’ve walked on the ice and gotten what I need, why risk breaking it to go an extra mile when there’s hardly anything more you can learn?
OK, but once you leave seminary, it won’t be ‘scheduled in’ – you’ll need to schedule it in, yourself. And, you won’t have the time to sit around after Mass and read: chances are, if you’re praying in the church, someone will come up and interrupt you anyway! Putting in the time now, and developing those habits, will only help you down the road…
As I said, I’ve already developed them.
I don’t mean to raise my head up high here, but I’ve been through the miles (as said previously above). I went from the sick child fighting for life, to my mother promising to give me up to priesthood if I survive, to the hard-working labourer man, to the studying prospective businessman, to the 2 year relationship with a girl, to the ugly breakup due to discernment, to the depression, to the sickness, to the loneliness, to the denial and rejection and anger at God, to the depths of sin and struggle of lust, to the trail back to healing, to the new-found faith, to the mercy and comfort of God, to the transformed celibate lifestyle in Christ, to the helping of others, to the unbreakable faith centered completely around God and a reliance on Him.
Yes, I’ve been there before. It is through these things that Christ has called me to serve Him. I feel quite annoyed (yet still loving of you, my dear brother) that you would insist none of these life event matter because I want to follow Christ sooner rather than waiting another year doing something completely unrelated. Believe me, I know the vale of obedience. I’ve had God’s hand come up against my weak body and felt His blow. I’ve heard His mighty voice challenging my pride. I know what it feels like to be spiritually dry even in a state of purity and grace. I know what it feels like to suffer, and then re catch your breathe, and then have another blow hit you.
Of all you’ve said, this bothers me the most. What you’re saying is that, if you have better prospects, you’d take advantage of them over serving God; that is, unless God is the only viable option you have, you wouldn’t choose Him. Hmm… that doesn’t good…
Oh no, not quite. As I said, every man has his limits. What’s being said here is that if I choose not to finish my degree, I may be tempted to walk away from the seminary when things get tough as well. I simply applied the same argument but with the reverse action (ie, actually finishing my degree) merely to show that whatever I do, I’d be faced with temptation either way. Temptation is inescapable. Females populate the earth with revealing clothes, money can buy a lot of great material things, and holding your head up in pride sure does feel good. Temptation everywhere! However, what I’m trying to say is that despite that, I will not give in. I will not let myself give up. I will take vows of chastity, poverty and humility despite all those things. Completing an unrelated degree will make no difference.
