“And going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed. ‘My Father’, he said, ‘if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.” — (Mt 26: 39)
Before ordination, we have the tradition of doing “month long” Spiritual Exercises. During these long days of prayer, I experienced a batch of dryness and it was really difficult to pray. I told Christ, “I am really struggling in my prayer right now. In a year, I will be ordained a priest and I am starting to feel a little anxious…I really need you to be close right now.” Christ told me in a very simple and direct way, “Br. Michael, I know this is hard for you. But I need your help…I want to help many souls through your priesthood. You do not have to continue, but I need your help…” It is hard to explain this moment in a simple email, but it was real and it was intense. I felt the full force of Christ’s love and this gave me all the strength and motivation I needed to push forward. When it gets tough, talk to Christ from the heart and listen to him!!
