THOUGHTS

"The Call I Did Not Immediately Notice"
(Shared during mass on July 7, 2026)

There was a time when I thought the strongest person in our family was my father. He worked abroad in Guam, sacrificed so much, and carried the responsibility of providing for us. But everything changed when my mother suffered a stroke. My father came home, my eldest sister stopped studying to care for our mother, and my aunt welcomed me and my younger sister into her home so we could continue our studies.

At first, I thought this story was about loss—dreams put on hold, plans interrupted, and our family forced to live apart. But one day, I realized I had been looking at the wrong story. The real story was not about what we lost. It was about who stayed. My father stayed. My sister stayed. My aunt stayed. And above all, God stayed. That realization struck me when I reflected on today's Gospel. Jesus looked at the crowds with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said, "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.

Growing up, I thought a laborer was only someone who preached, celebrated Mass, or servedin the Church. But now I realize that the first laborers I ever met were not inside the Church, theywere inside our home. My father became a laborer when he chose family over work abroad. My sister became a laborer when she gave up her education to care for our mother. My aunt became a laborer when she became our second mother. They preached the Gospel without a microphone. They evangelized through sacrifice.

That is the twist God revealed to me. Today's readings challenge me as a seminarian. One day, I hope to become a priest, but my vocation does not begin on the day of ordination. It begins now, by learning to love, to stay, and to sacrifice, just as my family did. Maybe the first harvest God wants me to cultivate is not somewhere far away. Maybe it begins with the people who have quietly taught me what faithful love looks like my Family.