God is love, and we are all God’s children. God is never willing that any of us should be lost.

Hence the Parable of the Lost Sheep in which the shepherd left ninety-nine sheep on the hills and went looking for the one that wandered off.

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

I had forty classmates the year I entered the Holy Spirit Seminary. Eventually, those who became priests numbered no more than ten. Some classmates left because they discovered they had no true calling to the priesthood, while others departed as they could not have given up their family or career.

It is understandable that there could be changes on our vocational path. However, the path to the kingdom of heaven must be trod with perseverance to the end, otherwise we risk dire consequence.

There is no better way to gain perseverance in faith than to continuously renew ourselves and to treasure each and every opportunity of reconciliation.