Almost led to Vocation

In March of 2004 a guy named Johnny, joined a lay organization in their parish, under a religious congregation in their town, he undergo series formations, seminars and retreats. But he has no intentions to become a priest, as the years goes by he lived his life to the fullest in serving God and his faithful community and some priest encourage him to enter the religious life. and his answers are always "I'll think that over" but deep inside his heart there was a deepest longing for something, that he could not find what it was. And he decided to discern for that.

In 2007 their organization held a 1-week Lenten retreat in a nearby province, and that time he was still in the discernment process, and he decided to end his discernment and answer the call to religious life. And that time as they arrived to the retreat house where they will stay for 1 week he said that In this place (retreat house) he will end his discernment. and his question for that week was

"Lord, what do you want me to do?"

In their 2nd day of the retreat their retreat master was the speaker of a topic and the topic was "Discipleship and Mission." He was struck by the words of their retreat master.

When evening came around 9:00pm, while everybody went into their own room to rest get ready for the next day, he went to the adoration chapel where the blessed sacrament is exposed alone and to pray for guidance. when he was praying and contemplating he heard a certain voice (but he knows that everybody is asleep) the voice said "look at your left" and he looked at his left. When he looked at his left he saw his retreat master coming down from his car, the he said in prayer.

"Lord, Lord is this what do you want me to do?, to be a priest?"

and the mysterious voice disappeared, then he continued to pray. But at the back of his mind he was wondering who is that voice and he concluded that it was the voice of God the answer of his prayer.

After 1 year...

A good friend of him invited him to attend a spiritual seminar in a parish, and he attended during the seminar, he gained a lot of friends. He met someone a Dominican priest who became his friend, that priest opened to him the real world of living a single life, as time goes by Johnny declined his aspiration to become a priest, even though he knew that it was the answer to his prayer. He enjoyed going out with that friend. After 1 year, his Dominican friend left and went to the mission. And that time Johnny realized the value of the vocation to the priesthood and if that he did not met that person he would now be a 3rd year seminarian.

Reflection:

1.) Not all things are permanently, all this things here on earth are temporarily, and such as friends, people just come and go into our lives.

2.) what is really important is the will of God for us