Forever changed

Today after classes, we went to the Salesian Seminary, a quick walk away, to have a volleyball and basketball tournament. The seminarians there represented more than 30 different nations, very different from Mundelein, which although having men from other countries, still by far has a majority of Americans.

The men there were very welcoming and were so excited to have us that they even invited us over the next day, though we had to decline because of our busy schedule. Some of us had a grand tour of the place while others played volleyball, which we ended up losing – but we evened the score by winning next in basketball.

After all the games were finished, we went to their dining room and had snacks and socialized. It was amazing and encouraging to meet men from so many different countries that are pursuing the will of the Lord, just like us, to become His priests. Though we are all at different stages in life, we are all in love with the one same God and have a passion for spreading His love throughout all the countries we will serve.

As our pilgrimage comes near to its end, what keeps coming up in my heart is rebirth. This has been a time of revival and rebirth for all of us: coming to know the Lord in a deeper way by coming to the land where He spent His whole life on earth, the way it would be to see the childhood house and neighborhood of your mom or dad for the first time, seeing things through their eyes and thus coming to a new understanding of your parents. We have gone through a rebirth in the Lord as we have seen where He was born, ministered, died, was buried, rose, ascended, and did everything else. We understand the Lord in a new way and have allowed Him to understand us in a way that makes us new, that gives us new life. This experience will change us forever, and the people we minister to as priests will be able to see the Lord through our eyes too and thus be changed forever.