During the transition period of the Parish Pastoral Council in our parish, I was appointed as the new parish youth ministry coordinator. At first, I was hesitant to accept the position. I knew what the duties and responsibilities of a youth leader were, but I was not sure if I could continue what the previous youth coordinators had done for the ministry. “Why me?” I could not get the question out of my head as I discerned whether I should accept it or not. I had many “what ifs” on my mind. I felt that I was not worthy enough for the position, that I was not the right person to handle the ministry, that I might not be a good model for my fellow youth, and I was in doubt if I could handle the ministry just like how the previous coordinators did. In short, I was afraid of the things that were not yet happening.

My Parish Priest advised me that before making a decision, I must ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we make decisions based on our emotions and especially out of fear, and in the end, we realize that the decision we made was wrong.

In the gospel, Jesus’ comes up with a decision as to whom He must choose to be His apostles. But he first spends the whole night in prayer before his Father. In the same way, the Lord not only wants us to make the right decision, but He desires to guide us as we make it. God knows what is best for us, and His plan is to reveal it to us and show us what we should do.

The Gospel reminds us that if God chooses us to do a certain task or mission, it is because he knows that we can do it and our soul has much to benefit from it. There is no safer place than in the center of God’s will. If it is His will, it will prosper effortlessly. If it is His will, things will go smoothly. At the end of the day, no matter how hard it is, his grace will be sufficient. I need to pray, “Lord, not my will but yours be done.”

By: Sem. Ryan Bernard C. Pablo

Today’s Gospel

Luke 6:12-19

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.