This is an adaptation of a note I wrote for Facebook a few months before I headed to seminary:
“This is the Will of God, your holiness.” – I Thess. 4:3
As I have grown in my understanding of my Catholic faith, I have come to realize that each is called to a unique vocation, which ultimately brings us, if properly followed, to the end result of holiness, righteousness and an eternal dwelling with Almighty God. Just as unique as each person, a vocation will nonetheless bring about the same result, that is, the result destined for all humanity – sanctification. Some will never know the beauty of a proper vocation – some scoff at the notion that Our Lord has created a marvelously fitting path for us to take as individuals and as members of His Church. Yet, as Believers in Christ, in His Authority and the authority He passed down in His Church, we must realize God’s true omniscience and omnipotence (Jer. 1:5).
Some of my closest friends have questioned my recent decision to go on to seminary. Out of love for me, they have asked “Why?” As a Catholic priest, I would be faced with many challenges that seem commonplace and cultural to most. Two issues have seemed to be the most important concerns put in front of me. The first, obviously, is celibacy. Having so many friends of Protestant persuasion, it is a choice that would at first seem illogical. In a society where sex is so prevalent, Christianity has been inundated with the false idea of the inability to maintain a celibate lifestyle. In all honesty, celibacy is more difficult in our current time due to media, a devolving Christian culture and non- Christian cultural influence. We have forgotten that the sexual act is one of spiritual and physical unity. Unity between spouses foreshadows our own unity with Almighty God. Today’s culture views “sex” as simply a physical act; one in which we, as animals, are “programmed” to seek out (I Thess. 4:4-5).
The sacrament of Matrimony is a microcosm of the unity that exists between Christ and His Church. As Christ freely gave of Himself on the Cross, and asks for complete surrender of His Church to His Divine Will, so too must man and wife freely give of each other and surrender one to another. This cannot be done by frustrating the matrimonial act in an unnatural manner. God does not give to us what He has not strengthened us to endure. In this day in age, modern thought has allowed for "the pill," condems, diaphragms, etc. to justify having marital relations that are not fruitful in any measure. Two do not become one flesh under such circumstances (Eph. 5:31); the act is interrupted, impeded. The sacred act of marital love cannot bring to fruition what God has ordained it to do, principally to bring about the conception of life.
What one must remember about the sacrament of Matrimony is that it is, in and of itself, a vocation. One is called to the married life; it cannot be a simple choice. People seem to think that married life and celibacy do not share equal weight or importance, yet, as vocations, their end should be the same – not self-fulfillment, but edification and glorification of God. No matter the path taken in life, our end will be the same, for “unto dust you shall return.”(Gen. 3:19).
The second concern, that of Orthodoxy, has been placed before me from my fellow Catholics. I have gone through a long journey of faith within the past decade. I came from a Protestant background, to the Catholic Church; I have come from the vantage of a new convert, to a pessimistic viewpoint of one who thinks he knows more than his superiors. I have lived the Faith because of love for it, and have nearly lost the Faith because of despair within it. Our Lord has shown me His mercy and compassion, and His “ever-present help in distress.” (Ps. 46:2). Because of this, I feel that the choice of a diocesan priest is one that is fitting for my current state of faith. My Faith has been simplified by placing Faith, Hope, and Charity in those of authority within the Church (I Cor. 13:13).
I have decided to become a diocesan priest because I feel truly called to Oklahoma; to minister to its Catholics and its non-Catholics. I know the predicament of the Church – I know its short-comings and its sometimes ugly countenance. Yet I am reminded of Christ’s actions toward Mary Magdalene when I begin to despair… who am I to throw the first rock (John 8:7)? Who am I to tout orthodoxy when my own life has been riddled with sin, with heresy of mind and body? This does not mean that I do not fight for what I know is true and good in the Faith, for as a Catholic, I know that is my obligation to Holy Mother Church. If I do not fight for these things, I condemn myself to die alongside Her, for I count myself as a member of Her Body, and, therefore, a member of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13). What better way to bolster this wonderful Faith than to work for holiness within Her?
I hope this does explain, in part, how I feel regarding this important decision in my life.
Benedicat vos, Omnipotens Deus: Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus
Aaron James Foshee,
Seminarian for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
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