This weekend I had the privilege of promoting vocations with the parishes of St. Mary Magdalen in Evanston and St. Helen in Ft. Bridger. Fr. Jaime Bueno is their pastor. The readings offered a perfect launch point for vocation discernment. Jesus declares to Martha, "Your brother will rise." She asserts her faith in the resurrection on the last day and then Jesus reveals the fuller truth about himself, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Do you believe this?" It is the discovery of Jesus as our life, as our security, that opens our hearts to offer ourselves to God in relationship and in service. This discovery calls for a conversion of heart on our parts. Jesus is the resurrection and the life! It was a powerful experience to celebrate with these communities of faith and to experience their openness to the way that Jesus calls us to follow Him in marriage, priesthood, religious life, the diaconate, or the single life. I got a particular joy celebrating mass in Ft. Bridger, a small mission parish served by Fr. Jaime. It has been my experience that mission parishes really own and celebrate parish life and priestly ministry. I had been a seminarian in these communities nearly 20 years ago and what a gift it is to return and see how much these parishes have grown. I learned that I need to work on my Spanish! Though I was able to offer the entirety of my vocation presentation to many in the youth group in Spanish and English. On Sunday morning I received a surprise gift! The Knights of Columbus from Evanston, primarily led by a High School student and his mother, did a bingo fundraiser for vocations. They presented me with a check for $1,335.51! What a support this will be! Being with Fr. Jaime Bueno was truly an encouragement. I was really sick during my time in Evanston. Must have had the stomach flu, so I felt awful. Fr. Jaime came from Columbia to Wyoming after many years working in missions in Africa, Europe, and South America. Three separate times, in two different counties, people tried to kill Fr. Jaime for his work with the poor! Not only that, while in Africa he experienced the cultural and religious prejudices of other religions. Though it all, he persevered and joyfully served as a witness to the "resurrection and the life!" Now he is serving in another "mission" the Diocese of Cheyenne. After the masses in Evanston I drove back 313 miles on Monday to host a discernment dinner for young men at St. Paul's Newman Center. Fr. Steve Titus was the guest presider and presenter. He related his vocation story as a gentle journey in utter freedom. "God is good! God only gives us what we need to take the next step." He used the image of light in darkness. As though we only have a lantern or flashlight, you can only see so far, just enough to take the next several steps. Fr. Steve described God's guidance working in the everyday events of our lives and in keeping with the general direction of our lives. He suggested not looking for signs, rather trusting that "the God who made the universe is not going to screw up when it comes to leading us to our fullest joy." Prayer, keeping a journal of our important prayer experiences, spiritual direction, and being serious about our moral and spiritual lives are all elements of our discovery of God's call. It was so joyfully obvious that Fr. Steve and also Fr. Bueno are happy in their choices to become priests. It is always an inspiration to me and an encouragement to know that God does have a plan for us and that it is possible to discover it, and in the living of that plan is found an adventure and fulfillment!
