samedi, août 19, 2006
4:07 PM
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For love of God
At age 12, Celerino "Rino" Reyes knew he wanted to be a priest. After grade school, he decided to enter the San Jacinto Minor Seminary in Tuguegarao, inspired by his father who was once a seminarian.
His decision surprised his friends. "My friends and classmates were shocked to hear that their notorious grade school bully was aspiring for the priesthood," Rino chuckles. "Well, I guess they eventually understood that with God nothing is impossible -- I have changed for the better."
And change he did. Now a graduating pre-divinity student in the Ateneo de Manila University, Rino's years of discernment and living as a seminarian has convinced him that his aspirations to become a priest are genuine. He says, "I want to be a priest because I feel a deep desire to be of service to God and His people."
But he confesses that he sometimes feels tempted to abandon his goal. "When issues -- psychological, emotional, academic, vocational -- come up and I find myself unable to handle them, I feel like giving up. Fortunately, I feel that I am not alone in bearing these setbacks. Oftentimes I transcend these problems by praying, spending some time in quiet solitude, and talking to people who can understand," he says.
Although his desire to become a priest is firm, he expressed some worries about entering priesthood. "Frankly speaking, with all the issues concerning the church today, all the scandals that pop up from time to time, I feel scared, scared that I might not be able to lead that life which is required of every aspirant to the priesthood-a life of prayer, sanctity, chastity and moral uprightness," he confesses.
After graduation, don't be surprised to see Rino joining other fresh graduates in search of work. "The seminary encourages us to go out for a while to experience the world. We are given one to three years of regency where we get to choose what work we want to be into... to be exposed to a life without the seminary structures and we literally live on our own without the security provided by the seminary," he explains.
He is prepared to leave the San Jose Seminary in Ateneo, where he has stayed for four years now, once he finds a job. "I have applied to various jobs in the corporate world, government and foreign services. This period of regency is a test for me to see if I'm really called for priesthood."
Then he adds, "While it is true that I do want to be a priest, I remain open to the voice of God, open to where he may lead me. For in the end, what matters most is not my plans or desires but His plan for me, and that is where I want to be."
from: http://you.inq7.net/crosscampus/features/04022004/feat1-1.htm
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i was struck by this article.. why? i dont know..
i took AB Philosophy (Pre div) as my first choice in ateneo.. like the person described in the article above, different reactions met my decision.. let me quote him.. "My friends and classmates were shocked to hear that their notorious grade school bully was aspiring for the priesthood,"---"Well, I guess they eventually understood that with God nothing is impossible -- I have changed for the better."
we have the same reason why we wanted to be a priest.. to be of service to God and his people..
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in the end, it is not my plans that will happen.. it is god's plans for me..
fiat voluntas tua.
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so that's it.
