Components of Formation: Spiritual Formation

Seminary / Components of Formation: Spiritual Formation

 

“Just as for all the faithful spiritual formation is central and unifies their being and living as Christians, that is, as new creatures in Christ who walk in the Spirit, so too for every priest his spiritual formation is the core which unifies and gives life to his being a priest and his acting as a priest [...] Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives” (PDV #45)

 

The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Training of Priests, Optatam Totius, states: “Spiritual formation [...] should be conducted in such a way that students may learn to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit” (#8). St. Gregory of Nazianzus writes, “We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently.”

 

The decisive factor to spiritual formation is Jesus Christ. More precisely, it is one’s habitually developed relationship with Christ: “Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives” (PDV #45). Hence, the seminarian “should be taught to search for Jesus.” As his relationship with Jesus Christ grows, so will his love and commitment to the Church; as his faith grows, so will it illumine his attitudes until it eventually dominates his entire outlook on life. The discovery of God’s love and presence in human life will be attained through ongoing conversation of mind and heart such that the seminarian will become self-giving through freedom on the human level.

 

The search for Christ will focus on three areas: a faithful meditation on the word of God, active participation in the Church’s holy mysteries and the service of charity.

 

Knowledge of the word of God and familiarity with it are especially important for the prophetic ministry of the priest. The seminarian will learn to listen to him who speaks such that his vocation can be ‘discovered and understood, loved and followed, and one’s own mission carried out” (PDV #47). The most fundamental response to the word is prayer, which must be a key concern of spiritual formation.

 

A priest is not just a man who prays; he must be a man of prayer, a man transformed by constant prayer. One sure sign that the seminarian is both listening to and responding to the word of God will be his eagerness to participate in those sacramental and prayerful events which will deepen his relationship with Jesus Christ. The high point of both sacrament and prayer is found in the daily Eucharist. It will also find expression in recourse to the sacrament of Penance and recitation, both communal and private, of the Divine Office.

 

Finally, spiritual formation involves “seeking Christ in people” (PDV #49). Jesus came “not to be served but to serve.” For the seminarian, this will mean formation in conformity to the servant Jesus in the particular mode of Christian priestly ministry. The seminarian should be trained in the charity of Christ, specifically in obedience, celibacy and poverty such that the student is led to that state of joy that will enable the focus to move from self to others.