Turning Point in a Priestly Career
As told to “Awake!” correspondent in Venezuela
AFTER spending two years in the Legion of Mary and seven years in a seminary preparing for the priesthood, I was faced with a vital decision. Would I continue the remaining three years to become a full-fledged Roman Catholic priest, or would I give it all up? Circumstances had developed to the point where I must make a clear decision. What would it be?
It was not that I had lost my love for God. I was still very keenly interested in religious questions. It was not that I was a failure at my studies. Rather, I had made excellent progress. With others in the upper classes of the seminary I would have my turn reading Mass and directing music.
When home on vacations I was chosen at times to substitute for the subdeacon in our local parish. This involved reading a portion of one of the Epistles, passing the bread and wine from the table to the hands of the deacon, and changing the missal, or book of order of prayers at Mass for every day of the year. My acquaintances were proud to see a young man from their midst stepping up to the altar and serving as subdeacon. On one occasion when I thus served it happened to be the inauguration of a small chapel that had just been built. I was really progressing toward my goal of becoming a priest.
Early Interest in Religion
I had always been religiously inclined, as I recall. My family was nominally of the Roman Catholic religion, but were not very religious. Nevertheless, I would go daily to church, where I had the privilege of studying catechism with a group of youngsters. As time went on I decided to enroll in the Legion of Mary, an organization that functions within the church. With this organization I worked at giving lessons to other young people on the Virgin Mary, the purpose being to spread the worship of Mary.
Two years thus passed, during which time I became thoroughly familiar with the doctrines of the Legion. Then the local priest approached me about entering a seminary. “Would you not like to become a priest?” he would ask. “Have you thought of entering a seminary? Wouldn’t you like to become a follower of Christ?”
Of course I liked the idea of one day being a priest, but I could not give him an immediate answer. There were matters to be considered. For example, there was the fee of $550 a year for room and board, as well as books for the first year that would mean an additional expenditure of some $155. Where was the money to come from? Besides, my parents were not at all in favor of my entering the priesthood.
The priest was insistent. He offered help in the form of a scholarship, so that the greater part of the expense would be paid for me. Also parental opposition was handled by a Scripture text often quoted by the priests: “There is no man who hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who shall not receive an hundred times as much, now in this time.” (Mark 10:29, 30, Catholic Douay Version) After considering the matter for a year, I determined to accept, and arrangements were made for me to enter the seminary.
Seminary Education
It seemed that now my fondest hopes would be realized. Was it not to be expected that seminary life would bring me closer to God, answer all my eager questions about life and the future? But with the passage of time came disillusionment. I was not getting what I had hoped for. Besides, some of the boys had intolerable habits, practices that were a source of concern to me.
Each day followed a pattern. On arising at 6 a.m., the first thing we did was to make the sign of the cross, repeat the “Holy Mary,” and then off to Mass. Meditation period would follow, this including usually consideration of Vatican Council II. We would then review our classroom studies. After breakfast an hour and a half would be employed cleaning the hall and watering the plants. Meals were taken in silence, since we had to listen to selected readings.
But the daily five hours of classroom study proved to me to be unsatisfying. There was little help with the understanding of God’s will. Most classes could have been taken in any other school—Latin, Spanish, art, music, philosophy, biology, history. Only four hours a week were devoted to the teaching of the church’s ecclesiastical doctrine.
True, the Bible was used for the reading of the Gospels and Epistles during Mass. But there was no explanation, no application of its lessons on morality to stem the bad practices of some of the boys.
My sister, one of Jehovah’s witnesses, used to write often and explain things about the Bible, but I seldom received her letters. They were intercepted by the head priest. During vacations my sister would try to explain things to me from the Bible, but I treated her efforts lightly. Besides, her explanations were at variance with church teaching.
The Bible Speaks
In seminary institutions it is common to have a half hour each day set aside for “spiritual” reading, that is, in any book that narrates the life of a “saint.” One particular evening I had no such book on hand, so I had to fall back on my pocket edition of the Nácar-Colunga Version of the Bible. Not knowing where to start, I opened the Bible at random and began reading at Exodus chapter 19. All went well until I reached Ex chapter 20, verses four and five.
What a surprise to find in the Word of God a text condemning the making and worshiping of images! I could hardly believe my eyes! I had always viewed the Bible as sacred. I closed the Bible and pondered. “How is it possible?” I thought to myself. “Have they been deceiving me all this time?” My next thought—“I should not be thinking this way about our church’s teaching, for I could be consigned to hellfire.”
Again I opened the Bible to finish out my half hour of reading, and this time it fell open at Isaiah chapter 40. By the end of the time allotted I had reached Isaiah 42:8, where it says: “I am, Jehovah is my name, I give my glory to no other, neither to idols the honor that is due me.” Once more I realized with a jolt that the Bible was speaking to me directly and emphasizing that God is not pleased with the worship of images. How confused I felt! Could it be that my religion was on the wrong track? Just then the bell signaled that it was time for bed.
Searching for Help
A sleepless night followed. Next morning I went straight to the bishop. I asked him to explain Exodus 20:4. His reply was that it was part of the Mosaic Law, which was abolished by Christ. Then I pointed out that the Ten Commandments, which are part of that law, are taught to Christians in their catechisms. “How can you explain that one part was abolished and not the other? I inquired. He suggested that one part was left for the benefit of Christians. “It cannot be possible,” I insisted, “because if Christ came to abolish the law, it must be the whole law.” He sent me to the spiritual director whose job it is to help with the spiritual problems of the boys.
His efforts to satisfy my questions were based on mysteries and philosophy. Realizing very soon that I could never get the truth here, I decided to leave the seminary. Many were the arguments presented to convince me to stay: “You ought to stay so as not to harm your companions. You know you are in one of the upper classes and they take notice of that.” This and much more. But I was firm in my determination. “You may go,” he said at last, “but you can take nothing with you from here, and you must wait three days.” Later I found out that the time was used to arrange an outing for the boys, so they would not be around at the time of my departure.
Finding the Truth
I left without a single thing, not even what was my own property, confused and disconcerted. When my sister learned what had taken place, she gave me the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life and advised me to read it carefully, comparing its pages with the Bible. Soon a Bible study was being conducted regularly with me, I insisting that it be held three or four times a week. Two months later I symbolized my dedication to Jehovah God, and this by baptism in water.
Immediately I headed back to the seminary, my bag filled with copies of a particular issue of Awake! magazine containing “An Open Letter to Sincere Catholics.” The priest tried to prevent my entry, but his purpose was foiled because the boys kept coming out to greet me. I witnessed to them and left many copies of the magazine. The results? Twenty-two of the boys decided to leave. Six of them agreed to having a course of study in the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. In fact, one of them attended the latest district assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses in Caracas.
Now people are surprised when I call at their doors, not as a student priest of the Catholic Church, but as one of Jehovah’s privileged witnesses. How happy I am that Jehovah spoke to me by his Word and directed me to his organization!