A LIFE FILLED WITH GRATITUDE
«I no longer call you servants, I call you friends» (Jn 15:15)
When I look back and see the great story of love and predilection to which God has called me, my heart is filled with GRATITUDE. This was the first word that came to my mind when I began to remember and write the story of my vocation.
We might think that all vocational stories of priests are the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. God calls each one in a different way, because for God each priest is unique; as the Scripture affirms when it says: «You are my beloved son, my chosen one» (Mk 1:11).
«Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you» (Jer 1:5)
I was born in a town in eastern Antioquia, Colombia, called El Santuario. A town of great faith and religious tradition. I was fortunate to be born into a rural family, where God and values were our greatest treasures. From that environment of simplicity, I was able to get to know God, who gradually took over my heart.
My best teachers of faith were my parents, Gabriela and Néstor. With their example of love, simplicity, hard work, and honesty, they taught my siblings and me to prioritize God in our lives, and to never give up despite difficulties. I cannot overlook mentioning my four siblings: Patricia, Ferney, Néstor, and María Isabel. Each of them, in their own way, has contributed so much to my life and my vocation. They have made sacrifices for me and have taught me to love in a very special way.
From my childhood, I remember that every Sunday we went down to the town as a family to attend Holy Mass. I liked to sneak away from my parents to go to the presbytery of the church. From there, I observed the priest, how he preached, and how he celebrated the Eucharist. I remember very clearly one in particular. On one occasion, while he was distributing communion, I told my mom, in my innocence: “Mommy, I also want to distribute those little pieces”; as I grew older, I would discover that those ‘little pieces’ were the very body of Christ. My heart is filled with great joy because today the Lord gives me His grace and power to transform those ‘little pieces’ into His true body.
A few years later, I was able to fulfill one of my greatest dreams: to serve at the altar as an altar server. It was at that moment that my vocation for the priestly life began to grow stronger. I remember with great affection my mother, who, knowing of this desire from such an early age, often knelt beside me during the consecration at Mass, whispering in my ear and telling me to ask Jesus to make me a good and holy priest. Today, that prayer still echoes in my heart, and I repeat it every day with the same fervor I did alongside my mother.
Since I can remember, I always wanted to be a priest. One day, my mom met a friend whose son was in the seminary. In their conversation, she told her that I wanted to be a priest. The lady put me in contact with her son’s seminary, and that was when I first met the Legionaries of Christ. The first time I went, I was deeply impacted to see many boys my age who shared the same dream as mine: to become priests. I returned home very excited about everything I had seen and experienced.
And then came the moment to enter the vocational center. My parents, with great effort and sacrifice, gave me the opportunity to attend the introductory course. For them, the most important thing was to do God’s will. I was just a boy, and at only 11 years old, my adventure in following God began. I remember those times as wonderful, where I could share with many priests and classmates. Unfortunately, my happiness did not last long, because two years later I had to leave the seminary because I was very “restless,” and the formators decided to send me back home.
God is the one who always calls, who always seeks, and who personally takes care of each of us
It was not easy for me to make this decision. I remember that in my rebellion, I wanted nothing to do with the seminary. The ‘puberty age’ had begun for me. I returned to El Santuario and continued my studies and my normal life. It didn’t matter if it was cold or raining; every day I had to get up early and ride several kilometers on my bike to go to school. I didn’t realize it then, but God would use these three years outside the seminary to help me mature in my life and vocation, and to teach me to fight for what is worth it.
I was growing up and getting closer to finishing my high school. I was doing very well in my studies, and I even earned a university scholarship, which was a great first achievement. In that last year, due to life’s ‘coincidences,’ I met a Legionary priest who had known me in the minor seminary, and during a conversation, he asked me a question that would change all my plans: “Would you like to try again?”” For me, those words were like a direct arrow to the heart.
The vocational restlessness returned with great force. I began a process of discernment, joined the Regnum Christi in Medellín, and was able to participate in evangelization missions. I decided to return to the seminary after completing my high school. I didn’t care about losing the scholarship; I just wanted to get rid of the itch for the vocation. This time, I did it with greater maturity and with a clear goal: to discern if God was calling me to be a priest.
After this second experience, I felt in my heart that this was my path and that God was calling me to be His priest. I returned to my town, but this time not to stay, but to say goodbye to my family and friends. I still remember my dad’s face, tears in his eyes, telling me: “Yuvan, if you are going to be a priest, you cannot be just any priest; you have to be a saintly priest”. For me, the most powerful moment was seeing him cry, because he had never done so in front of me.
From that moment, I became a missionary. God had won the battle, and above all, He had won my heart. I began my formation in the Medellín novitiate, and after a year, I was transferred to Mexico, which, without knowing it, would become my second home years later. After two years of novitiate, I made my first religious profession. After that, I was sent to Salamanca, Spain, to study classical humanities. Upon completing my studies in Salamanca, my superiors sent me to study philosophy in New York, USA. Every training center I passed through left a deep mark on my life.
God forms us through others.
When I finished my philosophy studies, I began my apostolic practices. In Venezuela, I collaborated for a semester in vocations promotion. Later, I was assigned a new mission in Mexico. I worked in vocations promotion in San Luis Potosí and the Bajío for a year and a half, and then as a Formation Instructor at the Alpes Cumbres in Guadalajara for two years.
During this period of my life, the Legion of Christ went through the crisis we all know. These were very tough moments for the legion, but also for me. I never doubted my priestly vocation. The only thing I was clear about was that God had called me to be His priest, and if He wanted me to be in the Legion, my answer was to Him.
I remember this period of pastoral work in Mexico very fondly because I was able to meet wonderful people whom God placed in my path, who helped me and welcomed me as a son. It would be impossible to list all their names, but God knows how much I thank them for everything they have done for me. When I finished my apostolic internship, the great moment arrived to study in Rome. I had learned many things, but I can summarize it in one phrase: The priest is a gift of Christ to others.
My closeness to the priesthood grew stronger. My life in Rome was not an easy time, but I learned to value and fight for my vocation. I was able to reconnect with old friends from the seminary, with whom I shared the joy of the vocation. God has been very indulgent with me throughout my life, but in Rome, He always showed His hand and His affection, and above all, His presence by my side.
After two years of theology, I went on a second period of apostolic practices. It was a moment when my vocation was fully consolidated. On this occasion, I was again assigned to Mexico, specifically to the city of Mérida, Yucatán. There, I also met wonderful people who taught me to grow in my faith, to mature my vocation, and above all, to always trust in God. A year later, I returned to Rome to complete my final year of theology. God had great things prepared for me in Rome, such as greeting the Pope on some occasions and, most importantly, my diaconal ordination, which I received in my beloved Colombia alongside my greatest treasure: my family.
«In all things give thanks to God» (1Thess 5:18)
There are many things I have to thank for, and this space would not be enough to do so. Only God knows the gratitude I hold for Him and for many people who have always been in my life. I do not want to end these lines without first especially thanking my sponsors, Orlando and Disney, who have always supported me in every aspect since I entered the seminary, and of course, the Legion of Christ, which has believed in me and today welcomes me as its priest.
Being a priest is a very great gift; it is not a personal gift but for all humanity. It is a treasure I carry in fragile hands and share with my family, my friends, and all those who, in some way, have become instruments of God to grow and cultivate this great treasure. God has called me to be His instrument, and despite my misery, He has trusted in me. God does not leave me alone; He accompanies me in each of you.
The vocation to be a priest is the vocation to be another Christ, to be His friend. That is why I began this story by writing the words of Saint John’s Gospel «I no longer call you servants, I call you friends» (Jn 15:15), because we have been personally called by Christ to make a difference in the world, to impact the lives of others with His message, and above all, to make His word credible through our life testimony. «Many will read no other gospel than your own life» (Saint Francis of Assisi).
Born on May 29, 1986, in El Santuario, Antioquia, Colombia. He is the second of five children. He joined Regnum Christi in 2002. In 2003, he entered the Legion of Christ, doing his first year of novitiate in Medellín, Colombia, and his second year in Monterrey, Mexico, where he took his first religious profession. From 2005 to 2007, he studied classical humanities in Salamanca, Spain, and then completed his high school in philosophy in Thornwood, USA. In 2008, he began collaborating in vocations promotion in the Táchira state, Venezuela, and later in San Luis Potosí and the Bajío, Mexico. From 2011, he was an instructor of formation at the Alpes Cumbres Institute in Guadalajara, Mexico. He made his perpetual profession on February 23, 2013. He completed the first two years of theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. In 2015, he worked as a formation instructor at the Cumbres Institute in Mérida, Mexico, and a year later, he returned to Rome to complete his theological studies. He received the diaconal ordination on August 18, 2018, in Bogotá, Colombia. He is currently studying for a degree in moral theology in Rome.
