Fourteen years ago, Eduardo González heard a talk about vocation at his school given by a Legionary of Christ. He recounts that the testimony of joy and service from the priest strongly influenced him and that God used this to plant a curiosity in his heart that grew over three years before entering the Novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ.
After a journey of spiritual, intellectual, and apostolic formation, Eduardo arrived at the altar of the Minor Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in his hometown of Durango, to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders from Archbishop Mons. Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez.
On this path to answer the call that Christ made to him, he has encountered moments of trial, but also moments of great grace. Father Eduardo shares how letting go of his eldest son became a test of generosity for his family and how they found in him a testimony of faith by supporting him, even if they didn’t fully understand what this vocation entailed.
When asked why become a Legionary of Christ? The young priest speaks frankly about the recent years in which it was legitimate to question remaining in the Congregation, but also demonstrates confidently that his entry into the Legion was not because it was a perfect place, since he also describes it as imperfect:
“I am a Legionary of Christ because before God I am sure that this is the place where our Lord called me to serve God and His Church. It is the place where He wants me to put my best.”
And finally, the awaited date came, so long awaited by him and his family.
Mons. Armendáriz, pastor of the Archdiocese of Durango, delivered his message recalling the words of the Gospel of Saint Mark: “Jesus called them to be with Him and send them out to preach”.
Mons. Armendáriz, reminded the mission to which all members of Regnum Christi are called:
“To make present the mystery of Christ who goes out to meet people, reveals the love of His heart, gathers and forms them as apostles, Christian leaders, sends them out and accompanies them so they collaborate in evangelizing men and society” (EFRC, 8).
He emphasized the essential qualities that manifest the glory of God to the world and the sacerdotal life in which Father Eduardo has been constituted:
Humility and obedience, to have the disposition of soul that seeks the will of the one who sends. Celibacy, the perfect and perpetual continence for the Kingdom of Heaven, recommended by our Lord, accepted gladly and observed commendably over the centuries and even today by many faithful Christians. And finally, poverty, to achieve the correct posture before the goods of the Earth.
“Our world today does not want us to only speak of poverty, obedience, and celibacy; it wants to see it in us, it wants to see our testimony, it wants us to reflect what Christ did and who we are: Alter Christus”.
Father Eduardo González, LC, was accompanied by his family, friends, and his fellow Legionaries of Christ, who traveled from different parts of the country.
All the attendees in the temple and the viewers who followed the broadcast on Facebook and YouTube were united in prayer from Mexico, the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, and Italy; they made this vocation story their own.
