By Manuel Delgado E., CMF

Every morning, as the assistant manager of mortgage lending at a bank, my first task was to review my agenda regarding visits to clients who had mortgages. My work consisted of foreclosing the assets of those who could not pay their debt.           

There were many difficult moments and I always thought this job wasn’t really for me. I had a salary that allowed me to cover my personal expenses and all the comforts a young person like me would want. But there were moments of doubt and I was faced with the need to make decisions. Then I was invited to participate in a youth group led by Salesian priests.

This is how my other agenda began. This ministry focused on service to the most marginalized people of the city. After a time of discernment, I began to ask myself, What does God want of me? It was hard to tell my parents about my decision to enter the seminary and the changes that were about to happen in my life. After three months in the seminary, however, I decided to start another adventure as an immigrant to the United States. It wasn’t easy, because for three months I couldn’t find a job. Finally I started working in an aluminum factory. While I was there, God came knocking at my door once again and I returned to Mexico to finish my theology studies in Mexicali. While there, I worked in a parish and attended classes as a lay person in the seminary.

Through the experience I had in serving people who were poor, I started hearing the words inside my heart: “Here I am, Lord. Take my life and send me.”

During my Holy Week vacation, I traveled to Nogales, Arizona, where for the first time, I met a Claretian missionary, FatherRichard Bartlett. Through him I was able to contact the Claretians in Chicago. It was difficult for me to leave my country and my family a second time. I was starting a new missionary agenda. St Paul’s Parish in Chicago was my first home and  I lived in various Claretian houses after that. This year I renewed my vows as a religious in Chicago and now, impelled by the fire of the Spirit, I am responding to my new mission in the province of Mexico, where I will continue my theological studies.

I am seeking in faith what God wants for me: what I must do in this world for my neighbor. In other words, I need to place my qualities and talents at the service of the Kingdom of God, knowing that I fully depend on the missionary agenda of God. As Paul says: ”The love of God impels us.”

For reflection

What is your agenda each day? What are your plans for the future? Do they involve making money and getting all the possible comforts? Do you think God’s plans might change your course?


 

Manuel Delgado E., CMF is studying in the seminary in Mexico.