Dear Family of the Incarnate Word, dear brother priests and seminarians,
After I had sent Fr. Carlos Walker some photos of recent baptisms, he suggested that I should write a chronicle. Actually, it’s been a few months and I had not yet written anything; but the 25th anniversary of my priesthood is approaching, and I should write something. However, I could not come up with anything to write in the form of chronicle, and so I decided to write down some thoughts. I am not going to say anything new, but these thoughts could serve as a thanksgiving to God for the 25, even 33 years, in which He has clearly called me to follow Him.
I thought about the importance of always saying yes to God’s will, which also made possible the Incarnation of the Word and the redemption of mankind. The Immaculate Virgin Mary said ‘yes’ to the will of God the Father and our Lord said ‘yes’ to Heavenly Father, unto the furthest consequences. All that bursts forth in the triumph of the resurrection. So also, the ‘yes’ of men to God has built up the Church and made the Saints; ; the ‘yes’ of each one is united to the ‘yes’ of the One and Eternal Priest, Jesus Christ, and that is why such magnificent fruits are produced
The ‘yes’ of Fr. Buela has enabled the existence of our two congregations, male and female, and so also the history of our missions is intertwined with several ‘yes’, which have been kept steadfastly, and which are continuously producing fruits, some a hundredfold, others 60 other 30, but all, absolutely all bear fruit, and the principal benefit is to the missionary himself, who grows in the understanding of who he himself is, who God is, what the cross is, the cross that sanctifies everything it touches, because it was first sanctified by Our Redeemer.
Thus have been the 25 years and especially the last 20 years of this priest who is writing these. It seems to be yesterday when I came to the mission, yesterday when I was ordained a priest, but it is not so, it has been a long time: I have celebrated Mass every day, absolved many penitents, , accompanied many dying, baptized numerous people and I have suffered continuous birth pangs in engendering and caring for the children of God, especially for myself, because we are and what we have is not ours; what is our own is nothing but sin, while what is produced by our ‘yes’ to God is His work. It is His work that brings us to where He had planned, to where He knows and where He wants. Many times I’ve fallen on the ground, and many times I got up again, thanks to the ‘yes’ of Our Lord and of many priests who continue to say ‘yes’ and teach us to always say ‘yes’: Move forward, A great joy awaits you!
The mission in the lands of the East and on the island of Taiwan is really exciting and it is even more exciting to see that there is still much, very much, absolutely a lot to be done, but the laborers are few, but they could be great saints. They are the best fruits that we can ask for as a gift on our present birthday.
I greet everyone with a big hug, thanking God first, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints who have brought us until here. I must especially thank Fr. Buela, who was been our father and role model in this adventure, our superiors who have allowed us and allow us to continue in this mission, and to all who pray for us, and to my parents, whom God chose to give me life. I ask you to pray especially for me, for Fr. Carlos Sack, Fr. Ricardo Noriega and Fr. Carlos Peteira who were ordained priests together on this December 9, for Fr. Eduardo Coll who was ordained a few months before but who belonged to the same group and for all priests, especially those of us in the mission
In Christ and Mary,
Fr. Lucio Flores, IVE
