When I attended college, I met a wonderful priest who taught me the importance of a personal prayer life. I slowly began to discover the depths of God’s love and care for me, and was transformed by it. The thought of being a priest began to live persistently in the back of my mind.

In prayer, I asked the Lord whether or not this was something I actually had to do. After sitting in both mental and physical silence for a half-hour, the following thought came to mind: “Peter, do you love me?” I knew that verse was from Scripture, but couldn’t remember where. Looking it up, I found that verse if from the Gospel of John, when Our Lord entrusts the Church to Peter…and that this verse is a part of the readings for a priestly ordination! The symbolism was obvious to me. I had received my answer: if the Lord is inviting me to fully serve at His altar for the rest of my life, my response can only be a joyful YES!