This is Our Vocation

Juan and Sofia were born into Catholic families in Colombia, South America. They met on Juan’s Patron Saint Feast Day, Saint John Bosco, January 31st and recently got married on the 31st of July. Both have encountered Jesus in their lives and decided to follow him with great commitment.
Juan is a Political Scientist and also a great golfer. He works in the Wine and Spirits Industry.
Sofia is a commercial real estate lawyer and works at her family-owned business. They currently live in Cali, Colombia.
Juan and Sofia are increasingly passionate about the apostolic mission with the youth and young professionals. They are committed to showing the love of God and his mysteries through the beauty of the sacrament of marriage and friendship. Both have lived their conversion through different spiritualities within the Church, such as the charismatic renewal, parish groups (Emaus and Effeta), Mana (a self-founded apostolic group) and Opus Dei. This last one is currently where both congregate and receive all their spiritual formation and guidance. Although they have much to learn, they are eager to share their testimony with all the readers.
Have you asked yourself, at any moment in your life, what your vocation is? We have done it, yes. What answer have we arrived at? Our vocation is marriage. In fact, we just got married this past July 31st and it’s one of the best decisions we have made with God.
To discover a vocation and to live it are two very different things; that’s why we need to ask ourselves a second question: What do I need to live my vocation? My wife and I think that there is no incorrect answer. In our short experience, we feel that God has shown us his answer: charity and faith. Charity stems from God alone, who died for us as proof of his love. It’s God in the person of Jesus Christ who gives us the love which enables us to love each other as spouses and carry out our vocation. Faith, too comes from God, the one who believed with fidelity in both the Word made flesh and in Mary, our mother. On a daily basis, through the praying of the holy rosary, we ask to have the faith of Mary, a faith to believe and continue to be loyal to God’s plan for us.
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Mexico on our honeymoon. Today, we want to share a little part of the life story of two heroes we had the opportunity to meet.
To the first one (we will call him “Martin” in honor of St Martin de Porres) we bumped into a couple of times and noticed that his eyes were full of happiness and love. One day, very early, while he was bringing breakfast to our room, he greeted us with happiness. When he found out we were newlyweds, he talked to us briefly about his family. In a few seconds, he pulled out his wallet to show us the picture of his one-year-old daughter. We understood that the love that sprung from his eyes came from the happiness of feeling loved by his wife and daughter. With that same love he did his job. Despite how early it was and how laborious it is to be a waiter, Martin’s eyes danced with happiness and his gaze was full of hope and thankfulness. “Martin” was full of energy and his happiness was in its maximal expression.
The second one we’ll call “Cristobal” in honor of St. Christopher. Cristobal took us to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. My wife’s facial expression was one of an astonished little girl. It was as if I had just taken her to an amusement park. Cristobal was very kind to us and left us at the entrance of the Basilica. Later on, we met him again and asked him if he wanted to accompany us to Mass. He kindly accepted. To share this time with him (a day and a half) was a great lesson for us as newlyweds. Cristobal, a family man, works as a driver to earn his bread and feed his family. He is a man who reflects perseverance. He was very patient with us…always wearing a smile. He took us to wherever we indicated we wanted to go. He was an excellent tour guide!
In a special way, we invite you to feel the love of God for all of us. It’s a supernatural experience, and we know it because we’ve lived it. Let’s fall in love together with our vocation! Let’s be bold and let’s dream God’s dreams! With love and faith we’ll live a saintly life. The examples of “Martin” and “Cristobal” serve as testimonies that we can do everything for love, even the smallest things. If our vocation is something so important in our lives, why can’t we do all the little things it encompasses, with love? That’s where our daily encounter with Jesus, the one who loved us first, lies. Let’s put ourselves in the hands of his mother, who is also our mother, and pray to her that she grants us the faith she always had. This is our vocation: to love each other passionately in everything, especially in the small things.