“BE FAITHFUL UNTIL THE LAST BREATH”
Posted On March 31, 2010
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| Francisco Java, Bali and Alfonsus Vicidius Lombok were ordained August 9, 2009 in Mataram. P. Francisco (left) is now in Paris for language training. Alfonsus (center) is in Rome to study”spirituality”, and Father Vicidius (right) is now a missionary in the Mentawai Islands (Indonesia).
When the bishop, after our ordination which lasted nearly five hours, knelt before us and asked us three newly ordained missionaries for a blessing, I asked myself: Who am I to bless my bishop? Then I remembered the words spoken in the heart of Mary: “He has done great things for me.” God has given me a great gift in my missionary priesthood, which is to be offered for all humanity.
I feel like the lamb carried lovingly on the shoulders of Jesus. During the ordination, there was a joyful applause among the Christians gathered there, as well as Muslim who also participating in the Mass. There were neighbors, Christians and Muslims, relatives who had to travel hundreds of miles from the islands of Java and Bali. My grandmother, a Muslim, told me that she always prays for me and my mission, and asks me to always be faithful to my calling, to my last breath.
I feel that the gift of the missionary priesthood is like a leaven to raise the faith and hope of the entire Christian community. It is a wonderful experience to be a newly ordained missionary priest at this juncture of a long journey of faith. When my mission calls for sacrifice, I must not be afraid…
Fr. Alphonsus Widhiwiryahan, SX Indonesian Xaverian Priest |
