On Sacrifice 

Dear Alumni and Friends:

Decades ago, Archbishop Fulton Sheen attempted to define the chief characteristic of our present society. To that end, he coined the term stratophobia  — “fear of the Cross.” Sheen meant by this not only a rejection of the Cross of Jesus, but a generalized disdain for sacrifice, an unwillingness to endure suffering, and a loss of a spirit of patient endurance of hardship. Sheen called this phobia a symptom of the great sickness of the age.

In many respects, this echoes the insight of the historian Will Durrant, who once said, “A nation is born stoic and dies epicurean.” This, unfortunately, is reflected in the course of history. The founders of great nations often make heroic sacrifices for the sake of establishing themselves. The building of roads, the construction of cities, the composition of legal codes, etc., require that certain natural impulses be channeled and immediate gratification be denied. Indeed, a non-sacrificial culture is something of an oxymoron. A community that rejects the need for sacrifice and lives in fear of the Cross will eventually pass out of existence.

These thoughts came to me during the Lenten season, a time when we think deeply not only about the Cross of our Lord, but the cross all of us must embrace as the cost of discipleship. To be sure, both during and after Lent, all Christians are called to accept the Cross daily, but priests must be willing to lead the way and be able to give authentic witness to this demand. Pope Francis has drawn our focus to an image of servant leadership as a model of priesthood for our time and this, perforce, must entail sacrificial leadership. Theological College, like all seminaries, must assume this challenge and be a school of sacrifice. Our men have already sacrificed careers and family life by even considering priesthood as a possibility. The lesson of sacrifice, however, is not learned just once; it is something that must be recalled every day. Our Lord says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).

I ask you to pray, dear friends of Theological College, that this community will heed the command of Jesus. It is my own heartfelt prayer that our men, by their lives of self-giving love, will offer an example of love of the Cross in place of the fear of it that too often defines our times.

Blessings,

Rev. Gladstone (Bud) Stevens, P.S.S.

Rector