The following are some highlights from Pope Benedict's 10/18/10 letter to seminarians...
* "Where people no longer perceive God, life grows empty; nothing is ever enough. People then seek escape in euphoria and violence; these are the very things that increasingly threaten young people. God is alive. He has created every one of us and he knows us all. He is so great that he has time for the little things in our lives: 'Every hair of your head is numbered'. God is alive, and he needs people to serve him and bring him to others. It does makes sense to become a priest: the world needs priests, pastors, today, tomorrow and always, until the end of time."
* "Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a 'man of God', to use the expression of Saint Paul (1 Tim 6:11)."
* "Celebrating [Mass] devoutly, and thus encountering Christ personally, should be the centre of all our days."
* "The sacrament of Penance is also important. It teaches me to see myself as God sees me, and it forces me to be honest with myself. It leads me to humility."
* "I urge you to retain an appreciation for popular piety, which is different in every culture yet always remains very similar, for the human heart is ultimately one and the same."
* "Above all, your time in the seminary is also a time of study. The Christian faith has an essentially rational and intellectual dimension. Were it to lack that dimension, it would not be itself."
* "Your years in the seminary should also be a time of growth towards human maturity."
[10/18]
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