Vocation Sunday

Vocation Sunday Today we celebrate Vocation Day of Prayer for Vocations that is to publicly fulfill the Lord's instruction to, "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). I never thought of priesthood, though my uncle is a priest and he founded a small congregation in the Philippines called the Society of the Holy Family. My elder brother is also a priest and he is in our diocese. I worked happily in the bank. I was working from Monday to Friday and Saturdays and Sundays, I was doing my masteral course, and in some evenings, I had to meet my unit, as I was also heading a group of Singles for Christ. My life completely revolved around these three commitments plus my family. In the morning, at 6:00am, a priest would collect me, and I go to the Carmelite monastery for mass. But I was also living in the compound of the Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker. I was surrounded by religious sisters and priests, as my uncle was the parish priest at the cathedral. I was happy, but behind my happiness was also emptiness. I just thought of it like normal thing. I had a demanding job, studies and it was just part of the stress. So I decided to ask for two-week leave, in order to rest home. But I ended up doing my 8-day directed retreat, my first time ever, in complete silence. It was there that I discovered my vocation. I realized that I had a calling, but I suppressed because of my work and studies. From then on, I made a decision, started reconnecting with the Comboni Missionaries, whom I came to know through World Mission Magazine. The following year, I resigned from the bank and joined the postulancy at St. Daniel Comboni Seminary. My priest uncle was shocked, my priest brother and the whole family were shocked too. That is just a tiny fraction of my vocation story. There were more dramas after, tears of pain, joys and laughter. There were more trials and difficulties, but I did not waver. I remained strong and determined, even in moments of difficulties. Vocation is a mystery. It is God’s call but difficult to define and to understand. The vocation of Peter and the rest of the disciples were dramatic too, and they left immediately their boats and nets and followed Jesus. St. Paul’s vocation happened on his way to Damascus, after seeing a ball of light that made him blind. The call to be a priest or sister or religious can occur any time in ordinary ways. There is a hidden desire at one stage of your life. In my part, there was a denial maybe, though I felt it when I was young. But I wanted to be self-sufficient, to build my own house with sliding doors, to have my own way of life, to be independent and manage everything. I wanted to have my own car. I did not become rich, but I was so independent in everything. In as much as I was happy, I did not feel that complete peace. But when I read the magazine of the Comboni Missionaries, World Mission magazine, and saw the situations of people in some other missions. I said: This is the life that I want to live. Nobody knew in the bank of my hidden plan. It was only after my trip to Manila for the Come and See program, and when I was accepted, that I told my manager and handed him over my resignation letter. All my office mates were shocked. The Bank Cashier did not accept my resignation because nobody was trained for my post. But the manager told: “I want to hold you here if only I could, but I cannot compete with God.” Then he approved my resignation. On that day too, I received my promotion from Manila, but I told them to give it to somebody who is worthy. The news spread right away that I have resigned and many young people started coming in to apply for work. But many people said: “Sayang, what a waste! Many people are jobless, others are tired of looking for work, and you are just resigning.“ Yes, I think I gave up a lot. I gave up a secured work and leaving my family. My mother at that time was bedridden, completely invalid because she had a stroke. I left a sickly mother and a retiring father. Few months after my entrance, my mother had another stroke and she was dying; and my father had a vehicular accident, which broke his right clavicle. When they asked me if I still have to go back to the seminary, I said the most painful yes in my life. I cried and cried secretly in my room, to leave behind a dying mother and completely bandaged father, both bedridden at that time. Yes, I gave up a lot, but it didn’t destroy my faith. I did not set my heart on my career either or my family situation, or the house that I built for them. But there were times that I felt it was too much to carry. Nobody knew that sometimes, in the middle of the night I ran to the chapel and cried and cried, and the following morning, I remained the happy man. I gained that title in the seminary and in the scholasticate “the happy man.” I left behind painful things for a better and higher endeavor. I never spiritualized what I went through, but I said to my superior, when they asked me if I want to leave and be with my family, “I will continue, I know that the Lord will breathe on them.” I was fully grounded with my pain and struggles, but I guess I grew much in understanding my vocation and my spiritual journey. I left some things behind for a better purpose in life because I was also fully in touch with my reality. It was God’s plan, and if it is for God, it will always bear fruit. I left for England to do my Theological studies. December 25th, 2000, my first Christmas abroad, and my mother passed away. The most painful part is that I was not able to go home for her funeral, as I had my exams right after New Year. I never had the time to grieve for her death. My grieving came after years, when I was doing my sabbatical. Then I left right away to Zambia for my first mission, which was a first evangelization mission, hard, rough and tough. Is priesthood giving me pleasure? 100percent! Nothing is giving me pleasure than serving, something money cannot buy. Nothing is pleasurable than helping others to discover the love of God and to allow God to enter into their lives. The fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as the Good Shepherd Sunday, which I think is very much relevant to us priests as the Good shepherd in our parishes and missions. The gospel is very much related to that of Jesus Himself, who is the Good Shepherd, who cares for His sheep and gathers them and lays down His life for them. Many asked me before, if you are not a priest, what do you think your life be? I said, “I probably would still be working in the bank, maybe a manager or director.” But frankly speaking, I could not imagine myself anymore not a priest. Priesthood is my life, and this is forever. So I invite young people, men and women, if you feel that desire, maybe you can talk it to anyone of us. Not because we are perfect, we are not. We are living this life of abandonment, and we hope we could spark your life too. I invite young people, to discover and nurture your vocation, to consider yourselves giving to Jesus in a way of life that is worthwhile and meaningful. You are not leaving things behind, your family most especially. You are leaving things for a better and higher purpose in life. I realized, as a missionary priest abroad, the more that I am far from my family, the closer I become to them. Because I think of them every day, I pray for them every day. I offer them to the Lord every day. We are just separated by distanced, but we are bound together in love and spirit. Pope John Paul II invites men and women to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. These are his words, “Listen to the invitation of Jesus: "Come and see". Give your witness to Christ in the ecclesial community.” And I invite you parishioners, dear young men and women; we should allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts, to guide us to truth and for us to become authentic witnesses to the gospel, the love and the freedom that is taught by the Lord. We should not be overwhelmed by easy life and riches of the world. We should not be dictated by the lures of technology and money, or by successes and riches. We should not be afraid in following the demanding paths, but be generous in committing ourselves by being charitable to God. I invite you also parents, may you affirm and support the vocation of your children. You yourself should also respond to this call of generosity and trust. You also must aid your children to discover the dream of God for them, that they may become humble servants of God and His people. Lastly, we are responsible to be both a self-supporting and self-propagating Church. We support local vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life by both our Treasure and by our prayer for Vocations. Every Parish and Pastoral District must build a Local Vocation awareness. The Society of St Peter the Apostle builds a spirituality of support for Vocations by Prayer, Sacrifice and Treasure. The new Episcopal Vicar for Vocations and the Commission for Vocations support both the work of Parishes in raising awareness about Vocations and the process of discernment for those considering a vocation to the Priesthood or Religious Life. The Archdiocese of Pretoria has 73 Parishes and Pastoral Districts and over 150 Churches. Many communities do not have weekly Mass as we do not have enough Priests to cover every parish and build up those emerging communities into new Parishes. Seminary Costs per year per seminarian are over R140 000 each, of which the Archdiocese pays about R70 000. The rest is found through the Society of St Peter the Apostle and the Lenten Appeal. This is not just promotion of vocation but also an invitation to give a special offering for subsidies and maintenance of our seminaries seminarians.