WORD ALIVE
A reader, Ronald Ricamata, e-mailed me during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying “In this difficult time, our priests, nuns and seminarians are also frontliners.
“Our spiritual frontliners fight against unseen enemy. They must be acknowledged and appreciated, too.”
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I agree with what he said. There are services that only “spiritual frontliners” can do, like anointing of the sick and the dying, celebrate Holy Mass, hear confessions, do baptisms. These are services that lay people, whether he is a physician, a king, a president, or the wealthy, cannot do.
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Today is "Good Shepherd Sunday." It is designated by the Catholic Church worldwide to focus attention on the vocation of “spiritual frontliners” or the religious priests, nuns and lay brothers.
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Every year thousands graduate from numerous courses in our country as shown in the just-concluded bar and board examinations. While there’s an oversupply in these courses, there is an undersupply of religious vocations.
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When I entered Christ the King Mission Seminary in Quezon City, we were seven in high school undergrad. Gradually, our rank dwindled until I was the only one left.
I told myself I was the “valedictorian” — but no salutatorian! When I was nearing ordination, I joined the seminarians who came from the SVD seminary in Cebu and from the SVD northern seminary in Urdaneta.
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Since families are the seedbeds of vocations, parents can show their love for God by encouraging and supporting their children who have the inclination to follow in the footsteps of Christ. The truth is it’s God who manifests His love for parents when He chooses one of their children to serve Him and his sheep.
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I recall a seminarian who was close to becoming ordained as SVD missionary priest. Being the eldest and only male of eight siblings, he was hesitant to continue, thinking of his widow-mother taking caring of all the siblings.
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With a heavy heart and after a self-introspection, he told his mother that he would rather leave the seminary and help her. The mother wrote him a heartwarming letter, thus: “My son, don’t worry about me and your sisters. Since God wants you to follow Him, I won’t block your way. He will help us survive and manage our life. Son, don’t worry. God will make a way.” That boost his aspiration to go on and eventually became an SVD missionary priest, and later a diocesan priest working abroad.
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We should not lose heart praying for more religious vocations. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers to His harvesting.”
For further information on the religious vocation, consult your parish priest or contact the vocation director in Christ the King Mission Seminary at E. Rodriguez Blvd. QC, tel. 8726-5002 (03).
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Today World Prayer Day of Vocations, let us help seminarians in need of financial assistance. Donate any amount or sponsor a one-year schooling. For inquiry, e-mail me at: [email protected].
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The lighter side. A drunk staggers out of a bar and runs into a priest. “Hey, Father, I am God!” Startled, the priest says: “No son, you’re not.” “Father, you don’t believe?” he replied. “Here, I’ll prove it.” He walks back into the bar, pulling the priest to go inside. As he comes in, the bartender looks up, sees the drunk and groans: “My God, you again?!”
“See that Father?”
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Another drunkard staggered up to the parish priest and greeted him. Annoyed, the priest ignored his greeting.
But the drunkard persisted and asked, “Excuse me, Father, could you tell me what causes arthritis?”
Seeing the opportunity to scare him from his vices, the priest said: “Drinking causes arthritis…Gambling causes it, too. So with womanizing.”
The priest was curious and said, “By the way, why did you ask that?”
“Because it says in the papers that the bishop is sick of arthritis,” the drunkard blurted out.