Denver Catholic

39 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 2023 1 There are so many things, obviously the theological formation, the rhythm of a prayer routine that becomes part of our daily life, and many others. But maybe for me, it was the realization that sometimes there are clear signs of God's will, and other times we must move forward with faith and trust. In most instances, we won't feel qualified or prepared, but there was a point when I simply said, "Lord, I will never be ready, but here I am and I want to do your will." 2 I cannot imagine trying to go through formation or any of the daily challenges we have in life without the Eucharist. Jesus in the Eucharist has sustained me my whole life in good times and in bad. During forma- tion, I also have begun to realize how beautiful it is to find Jesus in the ordinary, in seeking him in the Eucha- rist, and not to expect "extraordinary" in how Jesus reveals himself to us. 3 My call was a combination of both, it was gentle like a whisper but in the clarit y, it was more like a roar. My first reaction was to run for Tarshish like Jonah but I eventually submitted to God's will — I did stay away from the ocean while I discerned though! 1 I learned that God is within my soul and that he is always there waiting for me, no matter what I have done! 2 I have always staked my life and mission to serve the Church on the true presence of Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. Through discerning my vocation to the diaconate, the Eucharist has become the focal point of my service in helping to bring Jesus to his Bride, the Church. 3 Every step of the way, Jesus has confirmed my call. I knew I was in the right place when I was praying in the small chapel at the Seminary (at the first discernment meeting) and saw my two great patrons, St. Francis of Assisi (in the stained glass image) and St. John Paul II (a first class relic: a drop of his blood), and I knew they were interceding for me to find this calling over the previous 20 years since World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. ⊲ 1 Using Lectio Divina as a means of prayer and anal- ysis has been one of the most valuable lessons. Lectio Divina — ref lecting, praying and listening with scripture has been an emphasis of the four years and was used in a multitude of exercises. One example was an exercise to analyze what sin affects us most and then develop a strategy of mitigation. We would ref lect on scripture, using Lectio to identif y our core sin, the pattern of this sin in one week and a strat- egy over three weeks. The key was to let the Holy Spirit be our guide. Knowledge of my core sin has been very beneficial in guiding my actions. 2 The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, it is our life as a Christian. "Whoever eats my f lesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him" (Jn 6:56). Eucharist is our union with Christ. He lives in me, within my soul and within my body. We are one and I believe this. Union with Christ is the purpose and goal of our existence. I am here for Christ, not the "good-life" that this world offers. As we know, the life of this world has blips of happiness, but is one that is surrounded by misery, a lack of peace and life without God. The Eucharist is God's great gift that leads us to him and strengthens us in that union. 3 God's call has been a whisper. I remember a priest teaching our confirmands that to hear God's call, you have to be close to him. As I got closer to God, so did his voice. I have always had a prayer life, but that regi- ment was not sufficient. Over the last 15 years, I started to go to confession more often, capture a daily Mass during the week, read and ref lect on the readings of the day. I made my business trips a mini-retreat with reading, time in chapel and a Mass if possible. A chapel opened up close to work and I was able to spend time with the Lord after work and this is where I heard the call. The call has been a consistent and quiet whisper. D E ACO N LU K E O E S T M A N St. John the Evangelist Parish in Yuma D E ACO N S T E P H E N M Y E R St. Mary's Parish in Littleton D E ACO N E D G R E E N Sacred Heart Parish in Roggen

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