“We can see and feel the urgency of this call in this present time when many people have left the Church and do not feel the need to be affiliated to any religious institution.”
I’M embarking on another new beginning in my life as a priest. This past week, I started my new assignment as the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
I’m delighted to be back to parish ministry after five years of working at St. John’s Seminary. Pastoral ministry has always been my passion and joy. Leading and building up a community of faith has always been my charism.
I’m happy that I was able to serve the Church in preparing men to become priests. This assignment gave me a broader perspective of Church ministry and a deeper appreciation for the promotion of priestly vocation and seminary formation.
However, my work of fostering priestly vocation will continue in the parish. I will keep seeking those who hear this call. I firmly believe that God never stops calling men to the priesthood. I have witnessed this action of God in the lives of the seminarians I taught and mentored.
I will invite parishioners to foster vocation and to engage actively too in the mission of bringing the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. Through baptism, everyone is called to be a disciple of Christ.
This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 10:1-12) conveys the urgency of calling men to the priesthood and inviting all people to participate in the mission of Jesus.
Jesus said, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
We can see and feel the urgency of this call in this present time when many people have left the Church and do not feel the need to be affiliated to any religious institution. We can see it in people who do not recognize the existence and the power of God anymore.
Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s Gospel are relevant to us. “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” In other words, he tells us that there is no time to dilly-dally because the mission is critical and enormous.
One may feel overwhelmed by this task at hand. This is why we cannot rely on our power alone; we must rely on God’s power. As the First Reading of this Sunday’s Mass (Is 66:10:14) tells us, “The Lord’s power shall be known to his servants.”
To rely on God’s power means that we must be men and women of a deep relationship with Jesus through prayer, Word, and Sacraments. Without our friendship with Jesus, we will find our labors and journeys difficult. That is why St. Paul tells us that God’s grace is enough for us. (2 Cor 12:9)
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us not to worry about what to carry on our mission journey. Again, he wants us to rely solely on his grace. By his power, we will “tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm” us.
Let’s keep praying for vocations. Let’s all be part of the mission of Christ of bringing life and light to the world!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1991-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
