«JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE MY LIFE»... A beautiful song to increase our missionary spirit

For your consideration…

Celibacy for the Kingdom… A vocational reflection

Catholic priests, like the religious men and women, do not get married so as to dedicate themselves completely to Jesus and to His people. The compromise of celibacy is a sign to the world that only Jesus can give us the happiness that we all crave. Religious priests live this with a vow: The vow of celibacy for the kingdom of heaven, to anticipate, somehow the way we will live in heaven.

Giving up something as important as marriage and family is a powerful sign to the world that Jesus Christ is real! He is worth living for and sacrificing for. No, it is not easy, but neither is marriage. The fact is, every vocation requires great personal sacrifice, because make a “choice” means “give up” everything else. And there is great joy in sacrifice when it is done for Jesus and for others!

Celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom is a powerful sign that Jesus is real, and that He is worth living for, sacrificing for, and dying for! Besides, in the world as a whole, vocations to the priesthood and religious life have dramatically increased in the last thirty years. In Africa, they increased by 394%; in S.E. Asia by 152%; in Central America by 165%; and in South America by 253%! It is only in the U.S. and Western Europe that there has been a decline. Perhaps the problem is not celibacy, but other larger cultural issues and values. If you feel the call … take courage and follow Jesus!

Alfredo Leonel, M.C.I.U.

Falling plates…

The joy of vocation... A call from God trough Christ to give God's mercy

In our Western culture, usually we think too much about ourselves and our preferences. Our expectations about vocation cannot be seen in this way, because if we think so, we are wrong. Consciously or not, some young people sometimes expect a vocation to solve all all their personal problems, answer all of their personal questions, and satisfy all their personal desires. But these are not the purposes of a vocation. Discernment, likewise, does not consist in finding the choice that will meet those expectations. Discernment is not about finding the hidden, magic key that will unlock your life and solve the riddle of your being.

If you listen the God’s call, is not to will answer all your questions, solve all your problems, or satisfy all your desires. The purpose of respond to the vocational call, is the unitive devotional service of God, which includes the love the neighbor (in whom God dwells). This is the real purpose of any vocation. Some forms of life, such as monasticism, are ordered directly to this end; other states of life are oriented toward it indirectly. But these are only different versions of the one human vocation: to love and serve God, and become one with him in Christ.

The joy of vocation —any vocation— is a school of mercy. Your vocation is the means by which your ego will die in order to be resurrected as the servant and lover of God. In any vocation all the call people are invited to carry the cross of their own problems in a life of dedication, but always thinking in all the others in order to give them the mercy of God.

Maybe your daily confusions, recurring frustrations, and deep puzzlements will remain. Life, even life illumined by faith, will be an enigma. We remain ourselves; but our focus simply rests on the merciful Lord – everywhere present and filling through our "yes" in response to the call.

The cross will be with you and me in the way of our vocation. It will be contradiction at the most of the time, but the cross will be alongside the joy and truth of the Gospel. It is what we must suffer until we are fully united with God in eternity.

Slowly, step by step all, in our specific vocation, all of us will be freed from the trap of selfishness in which we were born. In the vocation's school, Christ will teach us to forget  our wants, and even our needs, for the sake of the charity that “seeks not its own” (1 Cor. 13:5). This is a great joy always.

No matter what calling you embrace, your vocation must be your means of letting Jesus into your life completely, learning to love God more than yourself.

Alfredo Delgado, M.C.I.U.

The grace of the vocation to be a missionary priest…

A missionary priest brings Jesus to people and people to Jesus. For this reason, the man who feel the call to this vocation has a deep concern for the people of God. He wants to help them grow in holiness; he wants to ti be a priest for teach them the truths of the faith; he wants to minster to them during the trials of life. The vocation of priesthood is about leading others to heaven.

If you’ve thought about the possibility of priesthood like a missionary, but don’t yet have these signs and qualities, don’t despair! All people must strive for holiness. And future missionary priests go through a long and intensive formation period, precisely to help them grow in virtue and be effective in their ministry.

If you’re interested in this vocation, ask God for this special grace. He can help you further discern your vocation. And remember that true happiness and peace depend on following God’s perfect will for your life. If God wants you to be a priest, trust in his grace to lead you. 

We are waiting for you in our mission in Mange Bureh, Sierra Leone, West Africa!

Alfredo, MCIU

Have you considered lately what is your vocation?…

Missionary priests and brothers are people as varied any other group…

Missionary priests and brothers are people as varied as any other group, widely different in interests, temperament and background. This is one of the riches of the priesthood. No missionary priest or brother can in practice be all things to all people: but together they do much better! So do not worry if you are not very much like some other missionaries you know. You may think you are an unlikely person to be a priest or a consecrated brother, but so are most priests, more brothers! The apostles themselves were a motley bunch. What mattered was that Jesus chose them, and they said «Yes».

Say yes like Mary…

Say “yes” like the Virgin Mary. The Lord calls you to be with him following his will. He has given you gifts and beautiful qualities.

Jesus thinks in you… Jesús piensa en ti...

A reality…