Happy birthday brother!

God bless you,

Matthijs

All I can really say is that it hurts my heart to hear him speak like that. There is obviously so much hurt in his soul. He speaks about the clergy as people who seek to control and dominate human life, only promising things in the future and turning people away from their lives here on earth.

Every one of us here at the seminary has a deep desire to follow God. The life of a priest is not an easy one. It’s not fun. It is nothing I would ever enter into because I wanted to or would enjoy it. That’s not to say that it is not a very rewarding life, but only because we have, through a lengthy discernment process of many, many years accepted a call we experience as coming from God.
Being a priest means giving your life away. When you are in seminary with no income of your own, you have already given up so much. Privacy, a girlfriend, future children, earthly wealth… you know you will never own your own place. It is in a very real way a giving of yourself in love. This is the motivation that is at the heart of every priestly vocation.

If you listen to the man in the video, you will realize he is wrong just about on every point. If you only dare to believe, you will see that there is a great happiness in our Christian lives. Our Christian lives are very much part of the here and now, and very joyful precisely because of that. The salvation and God’s Kingdom are not only in the future, but it has also already begun, if we accept it. It’s a joyful life that I am so happy with.

A last comment on obedience. Why is obedience so important in the Church? Well, obedience really is the only way that we can ‘train’ ourselves in hope. If we only put our trust in our own abilities and in what we know, we live a very isolated life. But every time we accept someone else’s idea over our own, we give a little of ourself away in what we call obedience. If God really founded the Church – and we believe that He has – then He will grant her the grace that she needs to help all of us become better human beings. Not to get into heaven, or for something vague in the future. No, God has already saved us, right here and now the moment we accept it. As of that moment, however, we seek to become better people as a response to what we have been given – a joy in our heart and a desire to help God save the world. We cannot do it ourselves. He doesn’t even need our help. Yet He rejoices.

As a priest, we give up everything. Does this mean we succeed? No, not everyone and no, not every time. Does this mean we are perfect? Far from it. But the least we can do is recognize that priests have an honest desire in our heart to follow Christ out of love for him and true love for our neighbour. This is how I experience it, and I am sure all my brother seminarians and priests can say Amen, Amen, to that!

Goed om te horen dat je goed bent aangekomen en je verhaal over de eerste tijd te lezen. En mooie foto’s zodat ik een beetje de indruk krijg hoe jullie daar leven.
Ben nu net klaar met inpakken maar kan pas daadwerkelijk verhuizen naar mijn stage in Helmond ‘t Hout op 19 september a.s Van tevoren nog wel een parochiebedevaart naar Lourdes. Is wel gaaf. Ben net terug uit Banneux van een mooie ziekenbedevaart: vele oude bekenden maar ook nieuwe gezichten. Is altijd weer goed om bij ons Moeder te zijn.

Sprak Stef gisteren nog. Komt veel op hem af met het fusiegebeuren en zo. Wil hem en zijn medepriesters en de de aan hen toevertrouwde parochies in je gebeden meenemen…en ze op op voorspraak van Maria aan de Heer toevertrouwen.

Ik hoor graag van je.

In gebed verenigd, broeder!

Jacob

Goed te lezen dat je alweer aan het sjouwen bent geweest daar. Ik had al wel gehoord dat je inmiddels naar Edmonton was gegaan, dus dat was geen verrassing meer voor mij. Hoe is het daar? Je kamer en je auto enzo? Denk je dat je daar een beetje kunt gaan wennen en is het ‘luxer’ dan in Nederland?

Ikzelf heb zojuist m’n nieuwe auto opgehaald in Culemborg en ik heb ook een nieuwe telefoon gekregen en een zooi declaratieformulieren, waar ze ook het kopje ‘monsteraankopen’ hebben staan. Dus als je nog wat nodig hebt….:p

Hoop snel weer wat van je te horen, en ik blijf zoiezo van tijd tot tijd je website wel checken.

Liefs,
Nini

Thanks for the great comment! Glad you like the post. And thanks a lot for the correction, you were absolutely right!

God bless, my friend!