What does it mean to be human? How do we find ourselves in the “here” and “now”— the “mundane” of the everyday? And, to what extent am I fulfilled? These are merely some of life’s perennial questions that I think we all ponder from time to time. In a sense, we know various features of our humanity by simple observation of daily life, we know who our parents are and what their family background is, and we know what gives us happiness — albeit, in this life, temporarily.
Progressing on this journey toward the priesthood, marked by prayer, studies, parish activities, apostolic work, and the like, I have found that formation has revealed to me an answer that satisfies all three questions and more, simultaneously. It is something that, while it may seem obvious on the surface, will never be fully plumbed if understood in its depths.
The answer:
RELATIONSHIP.
You and I find all the answers to life’s deepest questions in relationship, primarily in our relationship with God through prayer. Subsequently, our relationships with each other help us to realize God’s presence more fully in our lives.
Today, our world is overwhelmingly marked by a self-seeking, individualistic society. But when one studies God, one quickly realizes that to be made in His image and likeness means to be in relationship. The Holy Trinity distinguishes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit only through subsisting relationships. Theologians term this idea perichoresis, which simply means that each of the Three Persons is fully united with one another in an eternal and ineffable love while perfectly possessing the divine essence.
Consequently, being made in the image and likeness of God calls us to strive for unity with one another. We, the Baptized faithful, make up the Church, which comes from the Greek word ekklesia meaning “assembly” or “gathering.” The Church is universal (i.e., Catholic) and forms the Mystical Body of Christ.
Knowing these truths should naturally call us to a spirit of evangelization. We should ache for those who are separated from Christ’s Church just as a wounded body experiences pain. And just as the body seeks to be healed by its complex biological processes, so too should we feel the impetus of restoring health to Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church. After all, it is we, along with Christ, who are wounded by the division that exists between God and His beloved children.
It is far too common for me to meet fallen-away Catholics, separated brethren, or people who have no faith at all. As I understand the ways in which the Lord is calling me to serve Him as His priest, I am reminded of the unity that Jesus desires for His followers. In John 17:20–21, Jesus’ prayer to the Father is as follows:
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, so that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
This unity inspires me to embrace the spirit of evangelization, rooted in relationship. I live firstly to receive the graces God wishes to bestow upon me by opening my heart in relationship with Him so that I can freely share these gifts with others. I pray that my priesthood will be marked by an offering of my entire existence to God, that He may use me as a means of serving all my brothers and sisters, drawing them into communion with one another and ultimately with Him through the Sacraments.
We only truly become human when we go outside our own interests and extend ourselves for the good of others. The central point of humanity is not found within, but only from without. It is by interacting with others, inviting them into relationship for the sake of encountering God, that we truly come to know who we are.
I view my time in the seminary as a precious gift, allowing me to deepen my theological understanding of God, learn the dynamics of human relationships, and enhance my Spanish-speaking abilities to reach more people. These experiences will prepare me to serve the community I hope to guide, inviting them into a life of communion with God and His Church. I pray that when I receive the Laying On of Hands, God willing, I will be ready to pour myself out as one who is all things to all people, embodying an evangelistic spirit of joy, generosity, and gratitude.
Michael Hess, seminarian for the Diocese of Madison, is in his second year of Configuration formation; God willing, he will be ordained a priest in 2027.