10/6/2017

Q: How old do you have to be to get into the seminary?

A: You must be 18 years of age in order to enter the seminary. In the area of education, a candidate for entrance must possess a high school diploma or equivalent.You see, entering the seminary can be similar to beginning your first year of college. However, like myself, many seminarians transferred from other colleges in order to enter the seminary.

Q: Why were Abraham and Sarah renamed in the Bible?

A: This is a very good question for how did Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah in the Book of Genesis (Gn 17:4-16)? In fact, it was God who changed the names of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah because a newmission was established and a covenant was renewed.The change in names signifies a new life for Abraham and Sarah as they would be proud parents of Isaac, and “give rise to nations.” This “mission change” is the very fact Abraham would have countless descendants.

Q: How can we love God more besides praying and reading the Bible and going to Mass?

A: You mentioned a good foundation regarding our love of God as expressed through prayer, meditation on the Bible and attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What we read, hear, do and, most importantly Who we receive at Mass, equips us with the ability to deepen our love for God. Jesus is the way to the Father and he sustains us through the Eucharist and all the sacraments, not to mention, of course, the revealed word in the Bible.

That being said, we can take lessons from lives of two priests born in the United States, namely, Blessed Father Stanley Rother of Oklahoma City and soon-to- be declared Blessed Father Solanus Casey of Detroit. Both priests exemplified putting our faith into action, thereby deepening their love for God in service for others. We can do the same by seeing Jesus in each person we encounter, especially those who are on the peripheries, that is, people marginalized in society, such as the poor.

We can even deepen our love for our Lord in how we interact with our family members, encouraging them in times of challenges and sharing our joys with them as well. I encourage you to deepen your love for God in reading about the lives of the saints.

May you and your family have a blessed October and as we celebrate Respect Life Month.