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A tribute to the men of the Montfort Missionaries

I once met the missionary priests of the Company of Mary or better known as Montfort Missionaries eight years ago. I met these two priests named Fr. Rey and Fr. Norwyn and I had the privilege to join them on a mission for a short period of time. Little did I know that my encounter with them would change my life forever.

It was joining them as a lay youth volunteer that I would come to know what truly mission means. For most of us MISSION is just a word and nothing else.

I would understand clearly what is SACRIFICE and the word SERVICE would mean different to me since then.

Fr. Rey and Fr. Norwyn went on a mission to our parish, San Roque de Montpellier in Asturias, Cebu. The first time they came I did not know that they were there. I was too busy with doing my ministry, my share as a Christian which is the youth ministry.

I was troubled because I had no idea how to guide the youth. I found it hard enough to let one person follow me. I found it difficult to let the young people understand my words. All I know is I am the leader and they are my follower.

But I was wrong all along! It pains me to see that I forgot Christ. The service that I wanted was just for my own reputation, to build my own name, to lift myself up and to tell the world that I am a good leader. All I want is a good reputation.

I forgot that Christ is the leader and I am only his lowly servant. I forgot that I must follow Christ more than anything else. I forgot how to humble myself. I forgot that it is God who must lead and together with the youth, we must follow Him.

I came to realize along the way as I go deeper into my journey with the Montfort fathers that what was lacking all along is my total submission to the will of God. So I told myself that let God do what He wants through me.

It was then that I understood the meaning of service. Fr. Rey and Father Norwyn showed me what really service is. Early morning I had to wake up and prepare for a day’s labor in the vineyard of the Lord. I would join Fr. Norwyn and Fr. Rey to go and preach the gospel. They would do house visits, talking to the faithful and even bless their respective homes one by one.

We would climb mountains, walk for hours, and bless houses nonstop without eating lunch. What I really loved is that the two priests would offer mass daily. And before the mass they would hear confessions.

That was the time that I can say that I feel light. I could not explain why and how it came to be! It’s got to magic, but wait, no I said to myself it’s got to be miracle! God has showed me what miracle is! I was so happy and I am still happy.

The same routine I did for three months. I was so blessed. I feel like I was really making my Creator happy. And then it hit me, what about the youth in my parish? I found the answer. It’s so simple, follow God and He will provide.

What was lacking in me during the first days of my term as the President of the Parish Youth Coordinating Council God had filled it to the brim. He really is a loving Father and a good provider.

What really is service? Service is when your mother asks you not to go to the meeting and do the chores but you did the chores your mother asked you to do and attended the meeting. Service is when you have no money yet you walked for miles just to reach your destination sweating all over and you are bullied by your friends.

Service is when your girlfriend or your boyfriend asks you not to go to the meeting or else he/she leaves you for good. Service is when you have assignments, research papers, term papers, essays or exams yet you managed to do it and joined the youth activities.

Service is when you are asked to do things and if you fail they blame you but if you succeed they claim the credits. And I can give you more of these examples only to find out that this is not what really service is.

In reality service is not really service without Christ. Service for me is doing something that you don’t normally do for the benefit of others out of love and respect to God.

Sacrifice is also related to service. In what sense you may ask? I can make sacrifice for my own and not for other people. I can sacrifice one meal to buy my favorite video game, a pair of shoes, a new phone, a new shirt, a new dress, new jeans, a new gadget perhaps.

But what really sacrifice is? Sacrifice for me, is losing a part of yourself for the good of the church out of love for God.     

I can go on with my example but all of these are non-sense if we do not let Christ enter into our hearts so that He may live in every one of us. So that in everything we do, we do it for Christ and not for ourselves.

I remember the words of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, “If you don’t take risks for God, you won’t do great things for Him.”

I took the risk and did a small thing. But one thing is different now. I slowly understood that in this world no matter what you do, without God all is useless. Let God instead dictate how you live so that you may live in peace.

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