Last week, I had a conversation with a person about priests. The person mentioned that it would be nice if priests had "real world" experience. The implication was that priests could not understand the struggles that most people face since priests don't have the responsibilities related to having a spouse, a family, making a living, etc. I was a bit taken aback and mentioned that priest didn't just "fall of the turnip truck" - that they experienced family life, the demands of college and seminary, the challenges of running a parish, etc.
After giving some thought to this exchange, I came to the conclusion that I missed the boat. I have had the good fortune to have crossed paths with many priests. Virtually every priest I have known has a much better handle on "real world" issue than I do. Yes, I struggle with a fair number of the challenges most non-priests face - maintaining a strong relationship with a spouse, paying a mortgage, dealing with work issues, etc. However, the length of the list of my "real world" challenges is nowhere near as long as the list of such challenges in which priests are deeply involved. Priests regularly do the following: help people prepare for the final portion of their earthly journey, help families through the grief process, help couples work through significant marriage challenges, help people work through addiction issues, help people work through depression related to a job loss, guide people struggling in their spiritual life, assist couples dealing with infertility issues, etc. And this list is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
The next time someone mentions to me that priests have no "real world" experience, I will be in a better position to assert that most priests have far more "real world" experience than most non-priests.
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