30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Self Assessment

The 2nd reading yesterday (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B), is truly a great strength and encouragement for me.

I am in the midst of assessing myself as the Fathers in the seminary will assess me on 6th Nov. This is a normal practice in evaluating the seminarians based on the Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood from the Apostolic Exhortation PASTORES DABO VOBIS of His Holiness John Paul II. The main Areas of Priestly Formation stated in the document are Human Formation, Spiritual Formation, Intellectual Formation & Pastoral Formation. (Hope 1day I’ll explain all this areas).

Going back to the 2nd reading taken from the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1-6, it’s a strength and encouragement because, as I was evaluating myself, I realised even after 6 years of priestly formation, I am not perfect, I still have many weaknesses and struggles within. Yes, I do feel unworthy to this call to act in persona Christi. But the reading assures me; “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant and wayward because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people”.

Wow…this explains to us why Jesus had to be man!!!! We see this attributes of the priesthood in Jesus Christ, the High Priest. Jesus fully human, fully divine. "Although He was Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered” (Heb 5:8). In His human nature He truly carried the burden of our sins (Heb 2:14, Rom 8:3). His offering was not for “His” sins, since He was sinless (Heb 4:15).

Truly this honour of becoming a priest is not from man’s initiative; as the reading says; “ No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God".
O Lord, I am your clay, mould me to be a priest after Your most Sacred Heart. Amen.