The decisive factor to spiritual formation is Jesus Christ. More precisely, it is one’s habitually developed relationship with Christ: “Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives” (PDV #45). Hence, the seminarian “should be taught to search for Jesus.” As his relationship with Jesus Christ grows, so will his love and commitment to the Church; as his faith grows, so will it illumine his attitudes until it eventually dominates his entire outlook on life. The discovery of God’s love and presence in human life will be attained through ongoing conversation of mind and heart such that the seminarian will become self-giving through freedom on the human level.
The search for Christ will focus on three areas: a faithful meditation on the word of God, active participation in the Church’s holy mysteries and the service of charity.
Knowledge of the word of God and familiarity with it are especially important for the prophetic ministry of the priest. The seminarian will learn to listen to him who speaks such that his vocation can be ‘discovered and understood, loved and followed, and one’s own mission carried out” (PDV #47). The most fundamental response to the word is prayer, which must be a key concern of spiritual formation.
A priest is not just a man who prays; he must be a man of prayer, a man transformed by constant prayer…
http://www.catholicpriest.com/fourcomponents.html
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