Journal Exercise: The Body of Christ

My discernment journal exercise this week posed the following question:

Think about the body of Christ. Which part of the body are you?

My first reaction to this question is drawn from a memory of a class I took with a very learned, very holy professor. He said that "we as Christians are all part of the body of Christ." Some of us just tend to act like the less desirable parts." He continued by stating that he feels extremely fortunate to be in the body of Christ, and that he would do so even if he had to be the toejam!

I think my professor's answer demonstrated two key point in our attitude on the body of Christ. First, though we are all part of the body of Christ, we do not always live in that reality. The second is that we are fortunate that in his mercy, Jesus has joined us to his body, to himself in an intimate and personal way.

To answer the question directly I do not consider myself to be something akin to the big toe of the body of Christ. Follow me on this one. The big toe is not vital to the body to breathe, or pump blood, or think. Instead, the big toe is necessary to move with quickness and urgency in any direction. It is a person's big toe that allows them to run, to change directions, to move forward with a sense of mission.

When I think of my place in the body of Christ, I think of the role that Christ is calling me to serve. He knows that I am not the lifeblood of the Church nor its most important member. But perhaps I can be the mechanism that helps the Church move forward, change directions for the better and be the support for others in their path.

My desire in being a part of the body of the Christ is not attain glory for myself or to be prominent. Rather, it is realize that my importance is tied only to the glory I give to God and Christ Jesus.

Too often, many Christians desire to be the heart or mind of the Church, or even its right hand of power. But these are vain pursuits that lead to our own desire for glory rather than the building up of the life of the Church, of every body part great and small.

A priest is like a big toe. Who would have thought? I think that every priest who is humble and lives to serve others would agree that they may not be the most important part of the body of Christ but that without them the Church could not move forward, change directions, or have great urgency in fulfilling the call to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Night of Joy

The last week has been spent trying to get back the sleep I lost from spending a whole Saturday through to the night with a group from my church attending the Night Of Joy festivities at Hollywood Studios in Orlando. It was a great experience getting to know these young kids who we are hoping will become a greater part of our church and eventually become the foundation of our church's growth for the next several decades.

Walking amidst the thousands of young people with t-shirts and other Christian paraphernalia my priest, who is not from the United States, asked me a poignant question. Did I think Christianity in this country had become too commercialized?

It gave me pause.

My first reaction was that all the products that young and old people buy that sport Christian symbols or messages were going against the culture. But then I realized that in some ways he was right. Christian culture has been inundated with so many brands, logos, and slogans that it was hard to defend my position. I was also resistant because I've owned more than my fair share of Christian t-shirts.

But I also realized a key fact that I pointed to my priest. A Christian t-shirt on the right back with the right message can be a message. A person who wears a shirt but has no idea the significance of what they are wearing and who cannot explain it with any authority, are actually witnessing against what they are trying to promote. I've seen this happen more than once with both Christian and non-Christian apparel.

I think that wearing Christian clothing is great. It is not only an opportunity to be a witness for Christ in this highly secularized world but it can also be a challenge to the wearer to learn more about their Christian faith before they decide to wear it. Plus, it beats the other messages people out there are sporting.

In the end, be careful what you wear. Someone just might ask you what it means.

Time To Work and Time To Play

Nothing that we desire of any value comes without a great deal work. I've learned from my father not to trust anything that didn't take a good deal of blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish. To that end, the youth group at our church is traveling to Orlando to attend Night of Joy. It's when several Christian Rock bands gather together and thousands of young teenagers and young at heart adults invade MGM studios for a night of praise, worship, and fun.

The only issue? Getting there. With twelve kids and a handful of chaperones we needed a vehicle that would carry all of us there and back safely.

The solution came in a 16 passenger van owned by a couple who is actively involved in the church. The catch? We have to take the seat out of storage and install it back in the van which I can tell you takes longer than writing this sentence. Between the Florida heat and the dust it took plenty of sweat to get this transportation ready for our journey tomorrow.

The lesson of the day? Nothing comes without sincere and concerted effort. Ministries, community service, and the yes the Kingdom of Heaven require more than just talking about how we are accomplish our goals in meeting after meeting. It requires sincere Christian people who are willing to give their time, their energy, and their sweat to do the little things that make our efforts to serve God possible.

As an aspiring priest this experience also taught me a great deal of the kind of work a priest does. My mentor and spiritual director once told me that being the head priest at a parish often means picking up the slack that no one else has attended to, even if that means pushing a lawnmower in the middle of day with a collar on! Truly, words to take to heart when considering what it means to serve God.

Humbly In His Service

Every journey has a beginning. All that we endeavor to accomplish has beginning. It's when we envision the possible (and sometimes the impossible) and set our hearts on a goal.

I am beginning this blog as the beginning of my journey. I have set my goal. I have set my resolve. I have opened myself up to God's will and answered his call to humbly serve Him.

I have decided to become a priest.

This words might or not seem provocative to you. Depending on whether or not you are a person of faith and religion I could appear to be anything from a crazy dreamer to someone living in the delusion of a fictitious reality. But if you are a person of faith and you believe that God calls you then you may understand the journey upon which I am about to embark. You will understand the hopes and disappointments, the soul-searching and contemplation that's involved.

This blog is about understanding the journey as it happens. It is about seeing my personal discernment process as I watch God come alive in my heart in an intimate way. But more than anything it is about my reaction, my answer to the call. "Come. Follow me."

If you read this I appreciate your encouragement or your comments. I will try my best to be honest with myself and with you the reader.

It is my sincere desire to be a priest. My journey has begun.