Thy Kingdom Come!
By Fr. Jesús Salinas
When I look back at my journey towards the priesthood I am always amazed at God’s plan. He can do amazing things through anyone and anything – the only thing that He asks from each one of us is to keep our eyes fixed on the finish line. I very much enjoy running, but especially running in a race because that’s where all the pains and sacrifices of your training will pay off. The key thing for me is to remember why I am running, what’s the real motivation and where am I heading: I am heading towards the finish line, I want to receive that prize, that big medal. In order to achieve that, perseverance is a key virtue. All of us are called to finish the race well, to cross the finish line strong and full of joy because we have persevered in our calling. Just like in a marathon, you will have fantastic miles in which you will be going so fast and you will feel so fresh, but you will also hit some miles in which you don’t feel so great and perhaps you will be tempted to just stop and give up. All these ups and downs are part of our race to Heaven, and our Lord allows them in our lives so that everyday we can renew our desire to keep our eyes fixed on the real finish line: Heaven, being with Jesus and bringing many others with us to Heaven through the vocation that He has given me.
There’s no doubt that for me the starting line in my vocation towards the priesthood was my home, my family. That’s where Our Lord started working in a very special way and where I heard that first “start.” I don’t have enough words to thank my parents for the wonderful witness of faith that they have always given me by placing God always first. They transmitted that gift to all their kids. I am the youngest of 5 siblings. Home was the first seminary for me. Now that the race had started, the miles continued through my years at school. I was blessed to attend a great catholic school in Mexico City (Instituto Cumbres) where I am from, and where I met the Legionaries of Christ – the priests that were running my school. Their daily presence in my life undoubtedly left a big impression and a big desire to start considering the possibility of becoming one of them. I was very involved with the Legionaries’ and Regnum Christi’s youth program: ECYD. Pope John Paul II was the Pope at the time and I just remember how moved I always was when I would see him on TV or even reading about him in books or magazines. My mom says that when I was little I would carry with me a little card with his photo – there was a connection happening there, and God was using him to keep inspiring me.
It was the summer of 2001 when I was invited to try out the summer program at the Legion’s high school seminary in Mexico City, so I gave it a try with the full support of my parents which I am very grateful for. At that point I didn’t know for sure if I would end up as a priest but I just felt in the right place. After my senior year in high school the big decision needed to be made: do I want to take the step to the major seminary (Novitiate)? Since the Legion of Christ is a missionary order we could be sent wherever we have a community house in the world and where there’s a need for us to go. I was sent for my first year of seminary to the Novitiate and College of Humanities in Cheshire, Connecticut. Those miles of the race where beautiful though challenging. A crucial moment in my vocation was when I was making a visit to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and without me planning anything I just felt clearly in my heart that Christ was telling me: “I want you here. This is the place for you”. From this moment on, the roads became more clear to me that this is where Christ wanted me.
After my years of Novitiate and studies of classical humanities and philosophy I got to do three years of pastoral work. I was assigned for 2 year as a dean of the Legion’s high school seminary in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. These years helped me very much to learn how to work with adolescents and with their families, especially as those boys are trying to discern a possible call to the priesthood. For my third year of pastoral work, I was sent to the West Coast, to San Jose, California to support the youth work that the Legionary community had there. In those years I learn a lot and it gave me the experience to have a foretaste of what my life would look like as a future priest in the Legion.
After those 3 years I started my years of theology studies in Rome, Italy. These final three years were very special, just by the fact that I was living in Rome and ordination was just around the corner. These miles went very fast. Amid all the studies, it was so great to know that I was surrounded by a great “band of brothers”. We were in for the same reason and we were all trying to keep our eyes fixed on the same finish line.
On May 4, 2019, I was ordained a priest by the grace of God. The race didn’t finish on that day. It’s just getting better! Being able to be Christ’s hands, feet, eyes, tongue for the world is such an incredible vocation. Of course, I cannot do it on my own, thus my need to go to prayer, the Eucharist, Scripture, sacraments regularly so that I can become the priest that God wants me to be. I have been assigned as the Chaplain of Royalmont Academy for the first 5 years of my priesthood, and it has been a blessing to serve the youth and the families. Christ can do anything through anyone! We just have to keep our eyes fixed on the finish line – Heaven!