A Gift From God

Initiation Year student, Elvost Lunchi, shares …

This vocation is a gift from God – a very wonderful gift, and one that is full of mystery. The beauty of this call, which comes from God, can never be exactly described in words. The desire and sense of being in formation, which I believe is a journey guided by God Himself, continues to blossom and flourish as time passes.

God calls whosoever He chooses and whensoever He wants. His call is a life-changing experience which can never be replaced by anything else. He reveals things in His own time, and this is what I want to share in this little sharing of my journey.

On Jan 28, 2013, I entered St Peter’s College (Initiation Year) in Kota Kinabalu. Initiation Year (IY) is a spiritual year … a one-year formation that focuses more on our spiritual growth and on developing our relationship with God by putting God at the centre of our lives.

New subjects such as the Gospel of Mark, Systematic Study of CCC, Psycho-Sprituality, Human Sexuality, Prayer Life, Salvation History, Priesthood, Catechetics and many more are introduced and taught in IY. All these interesting subjects help me to grow in knowledge and wisdom, giving me a better understanding of my faith and the Church. It is very important to realize the importance of these subjects in helping me to cultivate my relationship with God.

Another aspect which I find very interesting, is the community life in IY. Coming from various backgrounds and places, and also with a wide range in age, we are gathered together in IY to live as a community. Each and every one of us has his own struggles but what binds us together is our faith in Christ Jesus. In moments of difficulty, we seek understanding, forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance, humility and most of all, the love from God. We grow together in God’s love, and I truly thank God that we manage to support one another, despite our differences.

Reflecting upon myself, there is much room for improvement and growth. All the experiences that I gain in IY teach me to put trust in God’s providence, to be open to correction by Him, to purify my intention and therefore to grow and become more mature, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All these developments are only possible through our participation in the daily Eucharistic Celebration, Liturgy of the Hour, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Rosary, meditation, spiritual direction, and participation in other spiritual activities.

I glorify and thank God for this vocation. Special thanks to IY’s formator, Fr Michael Modoit for his encouragement, guidance, patience and understanding in helping me to grow spiritually in IY. I also wish to express my appreciation to all, particularly to my family members, formators, teachers and fellow seminarians for all their support and prayers.