So one of my dreams for students in the pastoral Ministry is that they be formed to become men of prayer who continually live in the awareness of the Father's love. I hope they learn the importance of prayer in their lives, especially the prayer of silence. In contemplative prayer, we realize that God is everything and we are nothing. In  moments of silent prayer, seminarians will sense the dreams that inspired Christ and appreciate the defeats that humanized Him. God the Father resided at the core of Jesus' humanity and it was the consciousness of the Father's loving presence that made that humanity strong. To encounter the mystery of God in Himself and in others, the pastor must be able to look, listen, discern and respond with the mind and heart of Christ. Contemplative prayer will help him to do this. 

"Only a contemplative spirit will enable us NOT to impose our own agendas on the already existing dialogue between God and His people but rather to enter into dialogue with the mind and heart of Christ and to discover God's agenda." Fr. M. McCabe  SMA.  

I see the pastor as a man of self-denial and I am sure a seminarian will be exposed to opportunities for formation in this virtue. Here, I am not speaking of the traditional meaning of self-denial - denying oneself some comfort or pleasure to mortify the body. Rather I'm speaking about self-emptying. This means denying ourselves the need to be accepted even by those closest to us; denying ourselves any gratification in fulfilled expectations - those who have for ourselves and those others have for us; denying ourselves the "pleasure" of self-pity when our best efforts are frustrated; it means identifying with Christ who went to ignominious death living his dream for the establishment of a universal Kingdom of love, far from being accomplished. What He did accomplish was to do His Father's will. The true disciple will therefore deny himself the legitimate need for human approval and be prepared to often go it alone.  

Finally the seminary training must nurture in the candidates the spirit of love and compassion - compassion especially for sinners, the weak and vulnerable, the poor, the outcasts, the sick, the handicapped and the aged. It was Christ's compassion that attracted the marginalized to him. So seminarians must be well versed, not only the social teaching of the Church but also in current social issues and should even spend time working with marginalised groups. It would be ideal if one whole year of seminary training could be spent "in the field" working with the poor, handicapped, migrants etc preferably working with a priest or lay person involved and committed to this work. This is how Christ formed His apostles, not by telling them what to do but by acting new ways in their presence, showing them how to be open to sinners by dining with them and by reversing certain values held  sacred to the Jews like touching a leper or talking with the Samaritan woman. Christ was restructuring Old Testament theology in their presence and they were learning the place of love and compassion in the life of an Apostle. I believe there is room for such practical reconstruction today if the Church is really to be seen as the Church of the poor. With this formation our future pastors would become the leaven in the dough of the parish to teach the flock what "being Church" is all about. This is not to say that the cry of the poor has not been brought to our attention or to blame anyone if we have failed to hear it. I am only suggesting that pastors who speak from grass root experience may have an edge over those who lack such experience and may be able to cut through mental blocks more efficiently by being credible witnesses to the Christ of the poor. 

I hope that this reflection may be of some little help to you, dear friends, as you journey on through formation years in the seminary, in answer to God's call.