A common question discerners ask me is, “Where does the desire to serve the poor overseas come from?”

Our deepest desires and longings are found in a very special place in our heart. Our intellect knows God, our heart desires God. And when our intellect and heart familiarizes with God, we also get in touch not only with the way God sees the world but also with how God cares for the world.

Care involves protecting that which you love. Jesus came to show us how God loves, how God desires and communicates with the world. And if Jesus spent significant time attending the poor, we are to look at this aspect carefully. The desire to serve the poor overseas is directly linked to the commandment Jesus gave us, namely, to love one another.

I was recently asked why it’s important for a person to take time to consider whether he or she has a vocation to serve the poor overseas. It’s because the “why”, when given quality time — when carefully looked at and properly discerned — will produce great meaning and vision for our way forward in this world. In short, it aligns us to follow Jesus. If we claim to follow someone who served the poor, we should do the same. As the very name “Christian” implies, we who follow Jesus are to share in his preferential option for the poor. Our lives should manifest our concern for God‘s vision.

Having a concern for the poor overseas — working for peace and justice in other parts of the world — is part of our baptismal & confirmation promises. Our vocation as Maryknoll priests or brothers is a gift full of good news for those deprived, excluded and marginalized. It is as if we are using a magnifying glass to discover the layers of our vocation as baptized Catholics sent out into the world as missioners — as heralds of the Gospel. Often the most difficult and thought-provoking questions bring us to a place of vision such as, “What kind of person do I want to become?” Think of the meaning behind the beatitudes Jesus preached during the Sermon on the Mount!

How do I know this vocation is for me then? When is the right time to decide? A good answer is when your intellect and heart agree that, regardless of how many more options are out there, this one makes the most sense and is worth committing to.

So if you have the desire to serve the poor abroad, Maryknoll can be your opportunity! I want to persuade you to make up your mind and apply now. Don’t rush away from the passion of your life. Give it a shot. Do it. Suddenly, your vocation is no longer a mystery.

Here is a quote from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “watch carefully how you live… try to understand what is the will of the Lord… be filled with the Spirit… give thanks always and for everything.”

Our Lady of Maryknoll, pray for the young men who are discerning a call to serve the poor.

Amen.

– Fr. Rodrigo