Lublin Cathedral, Poland It can be believed that vocation to the priesthood or the religious life is like the moment of conversion St. Paul had on the way to Damascus when he saw tue Lord Jesus and fell of the horse. A few days later he was baptized and was ready to preach the Gospel. I have no doubts that God can touch a person so powerfully that the touch can change the whole person straight away. Even if I wanted to have such an experience the story of my vocation is really plain and ordinary in its development. However I still believe that God has touched me powerfully though it was spread over a number of years when I was maturing to embrace God's call to the priesthood as an Oblate of Mary Immaculate. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned my pilgrimage to the hometown of JP2 and his growing up under the watchful eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Shrine and in his parish church where he prayed like his classmates before the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor. In my case there was also a similar situation. When I reflect on my vocation it is hard to point out a particular moment that influenced me, rather I need to highlight a long period of time that was marked by various questions about what I would like to do in the future, about asking God about the idea of becoming a priest that kept coming to my mind, but mainly that period was the time of prayer. Like JP2 I also had my shrine. It was our local cathedral where the image of Our Lady is venerated. It is a copy of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. The image is known for the tears that appeared on it on July 3, 1949. It was the time when Poland was recovering from the wounds of WW2 but the Russian communism was taking over the country. The incident contributed to faith's growth in people who kept flowing to the cathedral not only to see the tears but to pray and to make confessions. Every time I visit the Lublin Cathedral I recall how Mary was filling my heart and mind with her love and passion for Jesus. For me these inspirations were like the tears that so many saw years ago. The tears that changed hears of so many. I love praying in this cathedral that is "my shrine", here I spent most of the mornings when I had to wait for classes when I was a high school student. How many 7am Masses I attended here! Today I am most grateful that my schedule was so hopeless that every morning I had nearly 2 hours before classes started. Most of my classmates felt sorry for me but I am sure now that it was of God's making. God knew that I needed those hours with Our Lady. She was "my private tutor" in the ways of The Lord. Probably I wouldn't be an Oblate priest today if I hadn't prayed with her to her Son Jesus Christ
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