Letter from an Ex-Priest (who doesn't have an agenda against the Church)
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Road to Purity
Most of us are aware of the stages of grief as outlined by Elisabeth Kubler Ross;
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Throughout my years as a priest and therapist I leaned heavily upon such stages not only to empathize and encourage others, but also to simply help myself. Many psychological stages and therapies abound with the general movement of the mental and emotive spirit to an eventual acceptance or self awareness. While the descriptors varied the end result was peace.
But psycho-therapy was not the first ‘discoverer’ of such stages in the psyche of human development. Great saints had their ‘way’ and often times it touched upon such stages. A favorite of mine through the years, St. John of the Cross centered his self reflective writings on the movement of the human spirit, in this life, towards its’ Creator. One such poem and subsequent treatise; The Dark Night invites, explains, and encourages the soul on its journey towards God--it too has ‘stages‘ and the end result, found in The Spiritual Canticle, was Union with God--peace. My purpose is not to offer an academic essay--centuries and scholars have done this saint and his writings justice and insight--no, my thoughts are rather simple today--our will.
When my son was young he used to say; “I wish I didn’t have free will.”
I get it.
Wouldn’t it be easier?
Wouldn’t it be smoother?
Wouldn’t the world be nicer?
Wouldn’t evil have no foothold?
Instead we have a journey, a process, stages, dark nights, purgings of senses and spirit and will.
We have to do the work.
Perhaps faith and works (one of the most argued reformation scriptural interpretations to this day) is really the point.
Perhaps the ‘works’ is made more pure when forged in the heart of faith.
Faith can’t help but do ‘works’.
Life simply takes work. Beginning in the Book of Genesis we received the command following the fall--to do toil and labor. Sometimes the toil and labor is not just physical. True toil and labor is the surrender of will. Moving through the psycho spiritual stages, however they are labeled, is really simply a surrender of the will. St. John of the Cross talks of union with Christ and likens it to marriage, but that spiritual union comes only following a purgation (modern day term; surrender) of not only the senses but the spirit.
There is no other way.
Ever notice how a married couple, as the years progress, begin to look like each other? That comes from the work of selfless love, purgations, encouragements, forgiveness and seeking to become holy together.
I don’t know why God allowed free will but I am grateful He gave me a ‘Way’ to, in the end, be with Him.
Ordained a Roman Catholic priest, Michael left the active ministry, married, worked as a therapist, then later became an Episcopal priest. In 2004, together with his wife and son, he made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in thanksgiving for her healing from cancer. It was at this first pilgrimage that he felt called to reconcile with the Roman Catholic Church--a church from which he had been excommunicated.
Following he and his family’s return to the Catholic Church, he has been requested by parishes and prayer groups for talks and retreats on a variety of spiritual topics. He reaches a broad audience because of the wealth of his experiences as a priest, therapist, protestant minister, ex-communicant, hospice chaplain and of course a husband and father. He is a captivating story teller, preacher, and has a knack for connecting with the congregation and audience.
Michael is a full time chaplain for LECOM VNA Hospice. In addition he facilitates several bereavement and support groups.
Michael enjoys family adventures, bicycling, cooking, fly fishing, building projects, and music composition. He lives with his lovely wife and five hounds. On occasion he runs a half marathon with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.
A Lost Shepherd , Michael’s first book was published in 2012 and received a nomination for Book of the Year by the Small Publishers Association. In 1991 He composed, performed and produced Earthen Illusions a selection of musical compositions and donated all proceeds to the American Cancer Society. He is also a contributor to Priest magazine, published by Our Sunday Visitor. He is currently authoring a new work on Spritual Direction in Hospice.
