God or the Girl

This past Sunday was the final installment on a five part reality tv series called God or the Girl. Before it had came on a few weeks ago, I remember seeing the advertisements for it and some news agencies creating a stir about it. The premise of the show is 4 catholic men that are deciding on whether or not they want to go into the priesthood. They come from various backgrounds and what not. It is a show that is actually done very well, they focused on the delemas in making the decision to enter into the priesthood, how they feel about giving up different parts of their lives and what they could potentially receive as benefits.
If you want to watch this show, you can find it on A&E, and if you really desire to want to know what happens by watching it yourself, stop reading here.

So, as each of the 5 shows progressed, each of the guys came closer and closer to making their decision on what they are going to do. By the end of the 3rd show, one of the guys, Mike, had decided to not enter into the priesthood. He was offered a job as a school teacher and he desired to see with his relationship with his girlfriend would go. Joe had been dealing with whether or not to enter the priesthood for 10 years...10 years!!! I kept saying to the tv, and Erin agreed with me on this, and to Joe- "Crap or get off the pot!" Seriously, that's too long to be deciding to see if that's an option in your life. So, he decided not to go...he really didn't have a serious female connection, he thought that he did in Germany...but his ex didn't want to see him.
Dan was an interesting character and I was surprised by his decision. Dan had been given the challenge of making a cross and then carrying it for 22 miles from one church to another. His father (not biological, Catholic) said that he needed to do this out of obedience...so he did. The first 2 shows focused in on this and also his college ministry and the challenges that he faced there. One instance that they showed was when a "fundy" (fundamentalist...I'm going to be nice and not say anything more...) ripped him a part for being Catholic and pretty much said that 1.1 Billion Christians are going to hell...well, that's a fundy for ya! Anyhoo, he didn't fire back, he definitely took the high road there! Anyhoo, Dan played it up to make it sound that he was going to go into the priesthood, but he opted out. He said that his college ministry was where he felt at home. He and his ex-grilfriend, in the 6 months later part, got back together. So far, God 0, the girl 3.
Next was Steven. He struck me as a character not suited for the ministry. He was extremely timid. He also kept on braging on how he gave up is $80,000 a year job and his $400,000 house and all that...not a fan. But he gave up all that to be a missionary to U of Nebraska. (If you recall a blog from last fall, that's where Tommy Lee did his college thing for a term.) Anyhoo, he's challenged to go to Guatemala on a mission trip, he struggles with being there and not being able to do the ministry because of the language barrier. --One thing that he realized, and it is true with short term mission work, that the mission changes the person who went more than those being served.-- Anyhoo, Steven goes into the priesthood. That totally caught me off guard, he didn't seem like one who would have made it. It just goes to show that I'm not, thankfully, always right. -I wouldn't want that burden on my shoulders, of always being right.

Anyhoo, this show, both Erin and I thought this, would give most guys who are thinking of becoming priests or pastors the idea of what it means to struggle with that concept. It was a very enjoyable show. If I was in any of their shoes and had to make a choice between becoming a priest or choosing Erin...I would choose Erin...but, thanks be to God, that I can, in a sense, have the best of both worlds!