An Unexpected Path

Being a priest was never in my plans. I had other dreams, other goals. My life was focused on football, on becoming a professional athlete. For years, everything revolved around that goal. But little by little, I began to realize that my plans were not the same as God’s. And understanding that was not easy.

I discovered how difficult it is to try to live the “Option B” when your entire life was focused on “Option A.” That was the moment I got lost. I started doing everything I once considered wrong, things that moved me away from my own dreams. I let myself be carried away by the fleeting, by what filled only for moments. And with that came a void I didn’t know how to fill.

The time came to start university. I was living aimlessly, without purpose, taking refuge in the immediate so as not to think about what I was truly missing. Until one day, unexpectedly, I received an invitation: to go on missions. It wasn’t that I rejected religion, but the idea of sleeping poorly, living with strangers, and talking about God didn’t appeal to me at all. I already had other travel plans, so I accepted the invitation only out of obligation, knowing I wouldn’t go. But, to my surprise, my trip was canceled and, just three days apart, the missions became the only option to leave Veracruz.

Without enthusiasm or expectations, I called and confirmed my attendance. But from the very first moment, everything felt uncomfortable. I got on the bus without knowing anyone, and the first three days were a torment. Sleeping poorly, bathing poorly, eating poorly, surrounded by strangers, trying to talk about a God I believed in but didn’t really know. Everything inside me was screaming for me to leave. And I was about to do it.

But then, my team leader said something that made me stay: “You’re here now, make the most of it.” For some reason, those words made sense to me. I decided to stay.

It was Holy Thursday, April 21st. I can’t explain how or why, but during adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, something changed. I perceived that Someone was there; that Someone was watching me, and that I was looking at Him. For the first time, I truly believed.

That experience marked me. I didn’t think at all about priesthood at that moment, but I did realize that the life I was living was not what I truly wanted. Upon returning from those missions, I tried to continue with my routine, but the things that once gave me pleasure now weighed heavily on me. Not only morally, but deep within my being. I knew that God had created me for something more.

I got to know Regnum Christi, met new people, and also began filling myself with God, with apostolate, with giving to others. And along that path, I decided to spend a year as a collaborator. I felt that what I had experienced needed to be shared.

It was during the collaborator course that, for the first time, I thought about becoming a priest. And it terrified me. It wasn’t what I had planned for my life. But, at the same time, inside me, everything started to make sense. During that year, without realizing it, I was discerning God’s invitation to follow Him in a way I had never imagined.

God gradually confirmed His call through decisions that involved sacrifices, and sacrifices that opened new doors. Until I took the step.

Since then, my life has been a continuous walk toward Him. God does not reveal the whole path from the beginning, because His invitation is always a journey of love, and love always involves trust and surrender, and that has been the case until today.

Today, I look back and give thanks. The adventure continues, the story goes on. And my heart continues to beat with excitement for what God has in store for me.

Being a priest was never in my plans, but over time I discovered that God’s plans were different from mine. Today I can say with certainty that God always goes beyond what we imagine and surprises us in unexpected ways. All it takes is to be willing to let ourselves be surprised.