This is pretty great: how to prepare your son for the priesthood

Last updated on: November 17, 2017 at 10:25 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

This is pretty great: how to prepare your son for the priesthood 2017-11-17T10:25:46-05:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I would add: these are great ways to prepare your son for manhood.

From the sublime Jennifer Fitz:

We hear a lot of noise about praying for vocations, and sometimes it sounds like we’re all hoping the Vocations Fairy will sprinkle Magic Vocation Dust on our dioceses, causing priests to pop up in the lawn like mushrooms after wet weather.

Priests don’t grow in the grass. Priests grow in families. They are born to parents (a subject treated elsewhere, but not to be underestimated in its importance). As a Christian parent, it’s not your job to wander through your son’s childhood helplessly, hoping the Vocations Fairy will cause your boy to be transformed into a well-formed young man able to answer his calling. It’s your job to oversee his formation, teaching him some very specific skills that will help him become a man of God.

1. Teach Him to Pray

You do this about like you teach him to eat: Prayer should be a part of your family life from the get-go. It’s something you help him with when he’s a baby, but that gradually he does better and more independently as he ages. Like family meals, you never completely quit praying together.

Prayer ought to be at least as important in your own life as food is; when he’s a teenager and eating you out of house and home, that’s when you start praying all the more voraciously. Don’t worry—he’ll naturally inspire you that way. It’s what kids do.

2. Teach Him Self-Control

You’re raising a man, not a slave. He needs to learn that he doesn’t have to have everything he wants. He needs to learn to deny himself now in order to do what needs to be done. He needs to learn to seek the genuine good of himself and others, not the fleeting pleasure of the moment.

So do you, probably.

3. Teach Him Responsible Obedience

Obedience is a courageous act of love. It requires doing without complaining things you don’t like but which are morally acceptable, and refusing to carry out immoral orders even when it would be much easier and more pleasant to get along and go along. Most of us absolutely stink at this, so you and he can grow together in this regard.

4. Teach Him What Good Liturgy is Like

How open would your son be to marriage if the only girls he ever met were shallow, vain, and boring? Your son needs to meet a Mass that you’d want for a daughter-in-law: Intelligent, reverent, and a pleasure to spend time with day after day, week after week, year after year. She doesn’t need to be perfect, but she needs to be a keeper.

These are just for starters. You’ll want to read the whole thing — there are some surprises on the list, but a lot of common sense, too. Then share it with every other parent you know—Catholic or not. Good stuff.

Voices & Views

Previous Post

November 17, 2017

NASCAR's Johnny Sauter wins big—and gives credit to the Blessed Mother and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Next Post

November 17, 2017 Priest: China paying the poor to replace Christian images with pictures of Xi Jinping

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism education Education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized VATICAN Vatican vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Nebuchadnezzar see inside the fiery furnace along with the three men?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A great cloud of smoke A fourth figure like "a son of the gods" An angel with a sword A vision of his own kingdom

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »