Joy is the Journey
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:26-28) This passage from Paul's letter to the Romans has formed and informed me for over twenty years. It was at the heart of my discernment to the priesthood, encouraging me to not over think, but enter into silence and listen. Listening is an art that requires me to strip away all distractions, to sift through the noise and the false enticements, in order to hear what is essential. Listening means I open myself to the unexpected, to being challenged. My ordination process, twenty years ago, hit some bumps in the road. I had one person, part of the