Why I want to be a priest

In some jobs it is obvious why someone wants to do it. When I saw the movie Top Gun I wanted to be a naval aviator; being shot off a carrier and flying at incredible speeds who would not want to do that. Watching fire trucks rush by I think makes everyone think about fighting fires. Just recently I was watching Mythbusters with my dad. He was confused about the plot of the show for about ten minutes before he understood and now watches regularly. Watching a priest does not always inspire someone to think about answering the call to priesthood. It is a decision that is less obvious. But being less obvious does not means that it does not have some great aspects.

One of my favorite aspects of the priesthood is the Eucharistic Prayer. It is a prayer that I did not really understand until I was ordained and began to pray it actively for the Church. I understood the words from when I was a little kid, but I never really listened to the concept. It was always a time that I felt disconnected from the Mass because it was something the priest said and I had to wait patiently until he was done. I learned about it in college seminary and in theology. I began to understand it from an intellectual standpoint. When I was ordained to the diaconate, I knew it well because now I was turning the pages of the Sacramentary for the priest. But it was not until I was a priest that it really dawned on me what was taking place.

On the altar are the gifts that God has asked for, wine and bread. By the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest, states the prayer of Jesus to the Father and by means of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God accepts the gifts and transforms them and returns them to us. There are a couple of parts that always cause me great joy. In the second Eucharistic Prayer the priests states:

Lord, You are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness.

I get to stand right next to the font of holiness. I can see how a fountain is always throwing water up into the air and some of that spray gets carried by the wind. I have been to Victoria Falls in Africa and felt that powerful spray that can be seen for miles. So everyday I stand next to the font and am doused in holiness. In the third Eucharistic Prayer the priest states:

And so, Father, we bring You these gifts. We ask You to make them holy by the power of Your Spirit…

Sometimes people ask me as a priest where is God in this world. One answer is that God is present on that altar every time Mass is celebrated. In the first Eucharistic Prayer it states:

Then, as we receive from this altar the Sacred Body and Blood of Your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing.

I know that I need all the help I can get and in the Eucharist prayer we have God giving Himself in the Eucharist. God is giving Himself to help us to be conformed to His image.

Being a priest means cooperating with the Divine rather than the mundane of a jet or an explosion.