REFLECTION

My Life as a Catechist to a Seminarian

I have been involved in the ministry of catechesis for quite a long time. I started volunteering as a summer catechist when I was in Grade 5 and later served as a public-school catechist during my high school years. Throughout those years, I poured much love, effort, and dedication into this ministry. Many people, especially my teachers and fellow catechists, recognized my commitment and often praised me for it. While their encouragement inspired me to continue serving, I slowly allowed those praises to feed my ego and make me think highly of myself.

When I entered the seminary, I was given the opportunity to teach catechesis as part of our senior high school immersion program. Because of my previous experiences, I thought teaching would be easy. I was confident that I already knew what to do. However, when I finally stood before the students, I realized how mistaken I was. The children were much more difficult to handle than those I had taught before. The classroom often felt like a public market, students were talking loudly, moving from one place to another, and sometimes even fighting. Seeing all these challenges shattered my confidence. I began to doubt myself, but at the same time, I experienced a profound sense of humility.

Through that experience, God taught me an important lesson: humility. I learned not to see myself as better or more capable than others simply because of my past achievements. I realized that there is always something new to learn and that wisdom can come from different people and experiences. More importantly, I learned not to rely solely on my own abilities but to place my trust in God.

Above all, this experience called me to embrace a spirit of total surrender to the Father. Only by listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and allowing God to lead me was I able to face the challenges before me. What I once saw as a difficult and humbling experience became a moment of growth and deeper faith. Indeed, God's grace is often found in the very situations that remind us of our limitations and teach us to depend entirely on Him. Like the example of the Seraphic doctor Bonaventure, I am called to learn, to learn with humility. For only throughout humility can I learn things. He is one of the greatest minds of the Church, yet he doesn’t brag about himself. He remained open and humble. Amen.