Iron Sharpens Iron

As an only child, going from 0 to 49 brothers in the span of 72 hours when I first entered seminary three years ago was incredibly daunting. I found myself suddenly living with guys with whom, it seemed, I had little in common.  Like any family, each seminarian is unique with interests ranging from theater to football and everything in between. But we have an important similarity: we are striving to be faithful disciples of Jesus who are discerning a call to the ministerial priesthood. This binds us in the love of Jesus Christ under the watchful eye of our Heavenly Father; what a powerful bond that is. In fact, it's so powerful that it’s instantaneous. While I certainly had to grow into my new role as brother, I knew from the minute I walked through the seminary doors that these men sitting next to me in the chapel and in class were my brothers. I could turn to them for anything. 

Fraternity is integral to seminary formation; you can’t do it alone. Seminary life is difficult: classes can be confusing, formation rigorous, and the spiritual life challenging. But when I first arrived at JPII, I had older brothers who had taken the same classes, lived the rule of life, and progressed in the spiritual life who could offer guidance and advice. Then, as I progressed in formation, I became the older brother whom the new men could come to when they had a question or just needed to talk. Sometimes, being a brother doesn’t mean doing anything: instead, it means suffering together through a tough class or sharing in the joy of a newborn niece or nephew. Being a brother means always being there for one another and always having someone there for you. Formation is a difficult path, but fraternity gives you someone to walk with.

This fraternal connection doesn’t just extend to the 48 men at JPII or to the 55 men in my home diocese. Whenever I travel and meet another seminarian, we are instantly brothers. We know what the other is going through as we each prepare for the priesthood. Guys I knew in high school who are now seminarians are much closer friends than before even though our dioceses are half the country apart, simply because we now have something deeper in common: we have a shared goal. 

Learning to be a good brother in seminary is essential for the priesthood. These men will, please God, be serving side by side with me one day as priests. Brotherhood will be even more important then. These will be the men I look to for support in my ministry and who will look to me to support theirs. Brothers help to keep you from burning out, keep you grounded, and hold you accountable in prayer and work. Most importantly, brothers ensure you don’t turn in on yourself. When you are your brother's keeper, your life is oriented towards care for another —the essence of the priesthood. A priest is not ordained for himself — he is ordained for the other. Seminary fraternity gives me countless opportunities to put my brother’s needs and wants before my own, opening my heart and preparing it to properly care for the souls that God may one day entrust to my care. Without my brothers, I know I couldn’t become the man and, please God, the priest I am called to be. No matter what happens, I know I will never be an only child again. 

Mr. Moore is a College IV seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.