My name is Steven Reeves, and I am a seminarian for the
Archdiocese of Louisville.
Not very long ago, I could not imagine that I would ever
write those words. I was born in South Carolina, but moved to Louisville with
my parents and younger brother when I was seven years old. My parents are
Southern Baptist, and that is the faith in which I and my brother were raised.
I was baptized shortly after we moved, and I began to take my relationship with
Jesus seriously as a result of summer camps I attended with my youth group in
middle and high school.
I attended the University of Kentucky pursuing a degree in
mathematics. After a period of doubt and struggling with my faith during my
freshman year, something happened which, although not evident at the time,
began to change the direction of my life in a radical way. I turned on the TV,
and saw on the news that Pope John Paul II was dying. For a reason I could not
explain, I found myself greatly moved by the events that played out in Rome
during April 2005: the crowds keeping vigil outside the dying pope's window,
then lining up for miles to pay their respects; the shouts of "Saint
now!" during his funeral; and the conclave to elect his successor, Pope
Benedict XVI. Seeing those historic events created a longing in my heart for
something: it was longing to be united to the one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic Church, although I didn't yet know that. To make a very long story
short, five years later I was received into the full communion of the Catholic
Church in 2010 during the Easter Vigil at St. Louis Bertrand Church in
Louisville.
Even before I became Catholic, though, I began to feel a
call to the priesthood. I had resolved to enter the Church and begin RCIA in
the fall, when one night the thought of priesthood popped into my head. Try as
I might to dismiss it or ignore it, it just kept coming back. I've never been
one to rush into things, though. After teaching high school math for two years
and returning to UK to get a master's degree in math, the thought of priesthood
still hadn't gone away, and in fact was sometimes more of a desire or longing.
So at the beginning of this year I contacted
the vocations director for the archdiocese, Fr. Jeff Shooner. And now, here I
am, studying first philosophy at Saint Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana, at
the beginning of a journey that, if it is God's will, will lead to my
ordination as a priest.
It's amazing to look back over my life and see all the
people, places, events, and circumstances that God has used to bring me to
where I am today. It reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite books, The
Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. As Frodo Baggins is beginning a
long journey, he recalls the advice of his wise uncle Bilbo: "It's a
dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and
if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off
to." I feel like the Holy Spirit is like that. If we let him, God will
sweep us off our feet and carry us to places we would never have thought to go.
It can be very hard for us to let go of our own plans for our life, but God's
plans for us are far greater than our own. He wants to sweep us off to heights
we could never reach on our own. So open yourself up to the Holy Spirit's
promptings, and be willing to let God sweep you off your feet! As now-Blessed
John Paul II, the man who started my own unexpected journey, proclaimed so many
times: Do not be afraid!
I'm excited to have this opportunity to share with you some
of my seminary experiences through this blog, and I hope that it will be
helpful to whoever is out there in Internet-land reading this. I'd also love to
hear any comments, questions, or suggestions for future posts. Please pray for
me and my brother seminarians that we will always remain open and obedient to
the will of God for our lives.
