Episode Transcript
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So I think one of the ways that I find
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meaning and purpose in my vocation is that
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I know that in the eyes of God and the Church,
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marriage matters.
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It's not just a private arrangement
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between two people, but it's something that
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is made for the community and for the wider world.
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When I love my husband well and when he loves me well,
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the grace of God kind of spills over
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and that really makes a difference.
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I've seen so many other couples
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because of the strength of their marriage.
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They've started ventures and businesses and ministries.
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When I look to people like that and I see that at work in my own marriage,
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that's one of the things that gives me a strong sense of purpose
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in my vocation.
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When I wake up in in the morning, normally
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I wake up 5am, physically I'm ready by doing exercise.
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And after that I would do my morning prayer.
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And then spending time with the people in the parish
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that's where I found my main purpose as a priest.
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I do really enjoy going out to the schools,
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joining the staff for their lunch or their breakfast
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at morning tea.
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And then just asking people how are they going personally.
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That's where I find my purpose.
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As Jesus said in the Gospel of Saint John 15:16,
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you did not choose me, but I chose you.
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My vocation is an initiative of God.
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It is Christ who called me to follow Him.
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Missionaries of Charity our charism
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is to see Jesus in the poorest of the poor.
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In my prayer I am connected to Him,
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in my apostolate too
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I see Him whom I pray to
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and not only in my apostolate but
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in everything that I do in my daily life.
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The discernment process involve God and myself.
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So getting in touch with God and with myself is crucial
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in this discernment process for my vocation.
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God already has a definite plan and a
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specific path for me to walk
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and so getting in touch with God and with myself.
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To ask God whether that is His dream and His desire for me.
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I come to love Him more, to know Him more.
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And I know that this is the life He wanted me to live.
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This is the path He wanted me to walk for all eternity.
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And I feel very much at home.
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I felt much joy and peace.
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And also I felt a deep sense of fulfillment.
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For me, discerning my vocation was pretty easy really
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as I was growing up, I had lots of great examples,
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couples around me whose marriages were filled with purpose
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and passion,
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and my life was really enriched
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by just being around them, and so, I wanted that too.
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I wanted to be a wife and a mum.
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But even then, when Arthur and I got engaged,
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we also did some intentional marriage prep
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so that we could really start our marriage out
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right from the beginning,
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really being intentional and investing in our relationship.
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I started thinking about priesthood
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when I was working as a registered nurse in the Philippines.
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I wasn't really sure,
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like why do I want to become a priest?
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I just start thinking about seriously when I discern
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and even at a seminary like it wasn't really clear to me about
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if I want to become a priest.
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But I just use that time at the seminary to discern.
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It wasn't really easy.
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I just take it one day at a time.
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It's a blessing that God called me despite of my weaknesses
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to share in His priesthood
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and sending me out here to serve His people.
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So the first way I serve God through my vocation is
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first and foremost by loving my husband well.
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And by together building a life of faith
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that's really authentic.
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We serve God together by raising our four amazing kids
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who are disciples in their own right and by being active
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in the community and in the Church.
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Because of my relationship with my husband,
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because of his encouragement
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and because of our life together,
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I've done things as a Christian that
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I never dreamed I would do otherwise.
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And so really for me,
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it has brought me life to the full in Jesus.
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Don't be afraid to take a risk.
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Because in taking a risk there's always a opportunity.
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This is my first year being a parish priest.
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It's a big learning curve
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to be a parish priest, to be the pastor of this community.
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So I think I'm just relying on the people who are here
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to support me in my vocation.
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That's how I live my life as a priest now
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to the fullest
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not because I know everything,
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I'm learning day by day
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on how to serve God's people
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and listening to them and working with them.
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Well, for me, if I am doing God's will,
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then that's serving Him and living my life to the fullest.
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Through my religious consecration
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I know for certain
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that I'm doing His will and that's what
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He wants for me.
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People feel at home here.
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They feel welcome.
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We share a little bit of the word of God with them.
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We do a lot of evangelisation work.
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I was giving a class on prayer to one class
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and one of the questions was,
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who was the first person to teach you how to pray?
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And one child put up their hand and said,
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"You did, Sister."
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And that made me really think,
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how important is the little that we do.
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So for those who are discerning their vocation,
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I just say to them,
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listen in your heart.
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God will speak to you.
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He will give you that peace.
