Have the courage to let God in

By JACOB SCHNEIDER
Seminarian for the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City

Editor’s Note: Jacob Schneider is a seminarian for the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. He is currently in Pre-Theology I at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. The following is taken from his Question and Answer interview that begins on Page 2 and continues on Page 14. Because of the depth and extent of his answer, the SKR is including it below.

Southwest Kansas Register: As you go through seminary, have you recognized any misconceptions about seminary students, or those seeking the priesthood, that you would like to dispel?
The seminary is first and foremost a place of discernment. All too often when a guy goes to seminary, people think that he is already a priest.
We go to seminary to try and listen to what God is truly calling us to do in our life, what will be most pleasing to Him, and what will be most rewarding and satisfying for us on earth.
If a guy is discerning a priestly vocation and he thinks he can discern this while still dating, and still walking down a path to marriage, I would say good luck -- you may be doing what seems right. However, that may not be what God is calling you to do. I can only speak for myself, but if I had not taken that step of saying yes to God’s little nudge of at least giving the seminary a shot, I would probably be planning a wedding. This is not saying that marriage is a bad thing. Marriage is a wonderful sacrament and good, healthy marriages are very important for harboring vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
However, that step of saying yes to God’s little nudge, and saying no to the beautiful relationship I was in, has taken me, in just a year-and-a-half, halfway around the world, all over the country, and has allowed me to meet and experience Christ in my faith in a way that I thought was not even possible.
Christ is not just a part of my Catholic Faith. He IS the Faith.
That being said, I still have a long way to go. The more I become aware of my faults, failings, and sins, I begin to wonder how I will ever be able to stand in the place of Christ at the offering of the Mass! And the answer is that one must always remember that Christ chooses us, not the other way around. God is not going to pull you in two different directions; that is what the devil does. God can do anything with you if you only allow Him to.
You must first place your will in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By doing this, it is not you trying with all your might to figure out what God wants, but it is Christ leading you gently with love and peace.         
With Christ in the driver seat, look out! I am continually humbled and amazed at how gracious God has and continues to be in my life. The generosity of prayers and support of the people in the diocese continues to humble me and allows me to realize the abundant blessings God has bestowed on me.
By giving Christ the permission to enter into my life and lead me, I have opened the door to grace I have never had before, prayer, and a way of life I would never have chosen by myself. When you open the door of your heart and let Christ in, what he can, will, and wants to do for you will transform your life beyond the definition of the word transformation. It will literally make in you a new creation.
This is not something that is owed to anyone. We are all sinful and unworthy to receive such a gift. Yet God has and continues to call men to priesthood.
A misconception I think people can have is that all priests were perfect children or that to be a priest you have to be perfect. No; just ask the brothers, sisters, and parents of a priest. Men who discern the priesthood know all too well their past failings and sin. Unfortunately, this can and does keep men from pursuing the seminary. Ever thought of how you could ever be worthy enough to do what God is asking you? Well, guess what? We’re not.
However, if God is calling you, beg Him for the courage to say yes and take that step. Let Him guide your steps. Then, when things begin to make sense, know that it was not your own doing. It is God. He stands at the door of our heart and knocks. It is up to us to say, “enter”. Then we give God the permission to do his good work in us.