How the Lord blessed me with joy
Posted on by Admin
By MARTIN MORENO
I was scared, nervous, uneasy, and honestly, I was hesitant about answering the call to priesthood.
I asked myself: “Celibacy/chastity? No family? Being alone for the rest of my life? Do I really want this? Do I have the strength?”
I knew that I felt something deep in my heart, something that was pushing me toward a greater service to our God and His people. I could faintly hear the whisper of God within me telling me to follow Him, to lay down my life. How could I, though? My life was going great.
Today I am in my third year of college at Mt. Angel Seminary, and I am the happiest I have ever been. All the doubts and fears are faint.
Don’t get me wrong: they come back every once in a while; however, the joy that I have experienced in my three years as a seminarian triumphs over any fear that may come.
I have come to realize that as a priest I will have all that I was afraid of not having. Family, the people of God, the Church; these will be my family. Being alone and lacking strength? No, I have made lifelong friends who will walk with me. Celibacy/chastity? I will commit to these because I want to give my life fully to the service of God.
I hope that anyone who is thinking about priesthood, who has that desire to live a life greater than ourselves, can read this and realize that being afraid is part of the process.
I tell you this, the journey is not always easy, but TRUST me… it’s worth it. I took a leap of faith into the unknown three years ago and as result I have experienced nothing but the pure gift of God’s joy.
In the words of Blessed John Paul II, “Do not be afraid!”