Was it your choice to become Christian? Or rather you were born to the Christian family and were baptized at a young age? Actually, it happened in my case. Since all my family members were Christian, I did not have any other choice. They just introduced me to the Catholic Church.
However, in secondary school I had to decide whether I wanted to follow Jesus totally. I asked Jesus what good deed must I do to possess eternal life. And the Lord answered and called me to work as his minister. As an ordinary young man, I kept commandments but from time to time I made mistakes too. I felt that I needed to do something more for the Church and especially for the needy.
Consequently, I left my beloved ones and joined the Society of Divine Word in order to be a missionary. At that time the Apostle Paul was my hero who wrote very awe-inspiring letters. Following his advice, I chose the name of Paul while receiving the sacrament of confirmation. Later I said goodbye to my parents and followed Jesus.
Was it an easy decision? Obviously not, it wasn't. I had to break the bonds with my family and friends. Was it a good choice? For sure, it was. Eventually, I was ordained as a priest and was sent to Asia as a lecturer. From the perspective of time, I can share that all of us need to choose Jesus every day. Even if we decided to be his disciples, we are to confirm our decision all the time. Our whole life gives proof of whether we are true followers of Jesus or not really. Only if we follow him with the whole heart, we live a joyful and peaceful life.
By Fr. Jozef Trzebuniak, SVD.
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