March, 2008

Happy Easter, vocation bloggers! Lent is finished and the great celebration of Easter has begun! May God give you all great blessings during this time of grace.

March went by very quickly, but not without much effort. For my brother seminarians and I, March is usually the time when we feel the Lenten spirit in all its vigor: through papers, exams, and a lot of rain and mud. I personally appreciate this month because it reminds me of the need I have for God. Without Him, we are going to mess up everything. From class to class (through the rain), it is God that keeps us going, as we say: “Your Will be done, O Lord.” I remember having this reaction again and again during March—and I am glad to have it, in order that I may be ready to do God’s Will even when it is not favorable for me.

Some persons that I know thought that seminarians were locked away in prayer hour after hour, but I laughed and said: “I wish!” The monastic life is a beautiful one, and I will always admire its heartfelt devotion. A friend of mine keeps reminding me that it is the monasteries that hold the world together through their prayers. I believe this too; but though it is a wonderful vocation, it is not the vocation I am called to. The diocesan priesthood, at least in my experience with diocesan priests, is about taking the great love of Christ, found and bound in prayer, and taking it out into the world—and usually to the parts of the world that need Christ the most. So, we do pray a lot, and we should. However, prayer is the spring which nourishes our ministry—and for seminarians, our study. We go into chapel in order to come out filled with faith, hope, and charity; including the diligence to finish a paper or study for several exams.

So, March is the time of year in which I remember why I make a habit of prayer: because it is when I need God’s merciful guidance the most. We are so blessed to be able to go to Mass every day and be nourished by Christ in the Eucharist. Lent reminds me of these things. It reminds me of the need the Church has for repentance and contrition, and how Christ comes daily in order to forgive us.

The Mass encompasses Lent and Easter, and for that reason Mass is a time of contrition and joy. So, where March is a time of repentance and work, Easter is a time of renewal and rest. And in the past three years, Easter has always come too quickly but has left a mark of encouragement and peace which has enthused me forward in my vocation. As I mentioned above, Easter is a time of grace. May God bless you during this time of grace, so that the struggles of life may be overcome by God’s peace.