An always-messy Church and our seminarians

Last month, during the final week before seminary classes resumed, I had the blessing of joining our Mobile seminarians for their annual summer retreat. It was a time of prayer, talks and fraternity.
During one of the talks which I gave to our seminarians, I acknowledged that in recent weeks they had experienced, along with everyone in the archdiocese, a painful moment for our archdiocese. I shared with them that such painful moments had occurred when I was a seminarian, as such moments have sadly happened on a number of occasions ever since. 
I shared with them what I remember a member of my seminary class sharing with us, his fellow seminarians, during a scandal those many years ago. He told us that there was a grace in the midst of this embarrassment and pain for the Church. He told the rest of our class that, if we decided to be ordained, we would make our commitment to priesthood with no delusions concerning the “humanness” of the Church, with all her flaws and human weakness. We would go into priesthood with our eyes open, mindful that we are called to ministry in the midst of the sinful condition we all share and not isolated from it. 
I told our seminarians that I prayed this difficult moment would be such a grace-filled opportunity for them as well.
I further shared with our guys something which I often ask an engaged couple during their marriage preparation. I ask the couple, usually the bride-to-be, how their relationship will change once they are married. The answer I usually receive is an explanation of how the groom-to-be will change once they are married.
Then I share with her an old expression: “A woman chooses to marry a man because he is perfect, and then spends the rest of her life trying to fix him.” I tell her to look at her fiancé. I tell her that he is a mess of a human being. So am I. So is she. Every human being is a mess. We all have our flaws, our faults, our failings. I tell her that the question is not if she can “fix” him, she won’t. The question is whether she can make a lifelong commitment of marriage to this mess of a human being.
I told the seminarians that the question is the same for them. If they think that they will “fix” the Church once they are ordained, their priesthood will be one of great frustration, probably ending in becoming demoralized. The Church is always flawed, always in need of being reformed. I know that the Acts of the Apostles tells us that the early Church was of “one mind and one heart” (Acts 4:32). However, in about three more chapters the early Church was swept up in division and controversy. It has been that way ever since.
Our seminarians are great men. Their openness to discerning God’s will in their lives is an inspiration to me. However, with the wonderful optimism of youth, they wish to “fix” what they judge is wrong with the Church. 
I explain to them that the question for seminarians is not whether they can “fix” the Church, they won’t. 
The question is whether they can make a lifelong commitment to serve this Church, founded by Christ, but composed of messy people, people who have flaws, faults and failings. Are they willing to be a priest, who is himself flawed, but who through word, worship and service brings the love of God into the sinfulness of this world? Can they make that commitment to be God’s instrument in this Church He has established for our salvation?
It is not easy to be a priest. The Church can cause a priest great frustration, disappointment, hurt, and pain. The Church at times has caused me to have these feelings as well. Yet, I pray to die in her arms.
After 45 years of being a priest, I am profoundly grateful for God’s gift of priesthood. If I had it to do all over again, I would.