My Vocation - Fr. Rob Galea

i didn't always want to be a priest in fact when i had a conversion experience after a life of of addiction a life running away from from god and running away from family i had this encounter with god and i i knew after experiencing this incredible love of god that i wanted to tell the world about this love and i used to pray god i'll do whatever you want i'll go i'll sing i'll dance whatever you want jesus i want to tell people about the things that you have done in my life i had an encounter with the resurrected christ and i needed to tell the world i couldn't keep it to myself and i started to tell people about what jesus had done in my life and at school and people thought i was crazy but i couldn't stop because i wanted people to know but i used to pray i used to finish off that prayer with a little prayer at the end i used to pray god i'll do whatever you want but please don't let me become a priest because i used to see the priest so cut off from the reality that i knew for me the priesthood was just a person who used to celebrate mass and i didn't used to see them smile and i didn't want i didn't have a lot of good role models growing up seeing priests on the altar i have respected them i admired them but i didn't want to be one of them and but deep down inside i knew that the reason why i prayed that was because i maybe had the inclination that god might be calling me to that it was a deep down feeling that maybe i could but i didn't want to but i and later on as i i continued to walk with the lord i still you continue to pray that prayer lord i don't want to be a priest but then i added another peace at the end to that prayer you say god i don't want to be a priest but if you want me to be a priest then you give me the desire for it i didn't want to go against the the the desire of my heart and i don't believe that god forces anyone into priesthood one of the ways god works even through a vocation is that he gives us the desire to serve him in a particular way and i started touring i started preaching i started going around the world giving concerts and one day i was giving a concert in italy and i was playing music now at this time i had a girlfriend and for those of you who don't know priests don't get married we we live a celibate life and i had a girlfriend and i planned to get married i planned to take over a business i i had a i read for a degree in commerce and i have a degree in commerce and so i started to work towards that but i also started touring evangelizing and one day i was giving this concert in in sicily and as i was playing this concert there were hundreds of people in this concert and as i was playing in the middle of this concert i see this priest walk in now he was surrounded by young people now i look at this priest and i continue to sing this song but i look at him and i think whoa this guy is so cool he was he was dressed so in such a cool way his hair was gelled and he was young and he was surrounded by young people and the young people wanted to be around him he was so full of joy and happiness and i looked at him and i thought wow and i remember having this thought in my head thinking god i still don't want to be a priest but if i will be anything like this guy i'll consider it and slowly this this was a a a foot in the door for god to begin working in my heart to reach out to my heart with the desire for the priesthood eventually myself and padre giovanni this priest became friends and we started talking and slowly as i got to know him more but the desire for the priesthood started to to be realized and i started to desire i started to think maybe i could be a priest but i had a girlfriend and i i had this degree that i wanted to to to put into action i wanted to run a business i wanted to do so many things and i i wanted to play music as well professionally and i thought no i'm not ready to give this up but you know this desire for the priesthood started to grow and grow and i started to think wow imagine i could give people jesus through the eucharist imagine i could give people jesus through through reconciliation and and give jesus through preaching the word of god and i wanted this i wanted this but i had to give up a few things you know and one thing i did was i i remember sitting down with my girlfriend and saying listen i think i'm gonna have to to to end this relationship because i need to think whether this vocation is for me and she cried and i cried and it was it was a difficult moment now mind you fast forward to the day we're still very good friends but slowly i started to think about the priesthood more seriously and eventually i did enter into the seminary and i started to discern the priesthood and you know this desire started to grow and grow and grow and the desire to serve god through the priesthood began to grow and but i felt so unworthy i felt i wasn't good enough and i had to give up my my music i had to give up all the things and it was really hard i would give them up for a while but then doubt whether i should have eventually i laid it all down and i pursued the seminary and i i i started to work towards the priesthood funnily enough in my first year in the seminary i got offered a record deal music and the director gave me permission to pursue that and then i started getting sort of invitations even as a seminarian to speak all around the world when i was in my third year in the seminary i got invited to sing for the holy father and sing in front of half a million people and but it was never never about the music it was about me proclaiming the word of god through music for me the most important thing first is that i'm i'm a child of god that is the most important thing then i'm a priest i get to serve jesus through the priesthood and then musician preacher and evangelist all of that is to fulfill the vocation in my life to proclaim jesus in word and sacrament i love being a priest i was ordained the priest and and that was one of if not the most joyful day of my life but i'd be a fool to tell you that the priesthood is easy it's not it's difficult it's hard and at times you do want to run away but you see it's all about daily surrender it's all about daily discernment it's all about daily choosing to serve god as marriage is you know that i know those of you who are married want to run away at times but you keep on going because of your commitment you keep on going because of love it's the same with the priesthood

Channel: Fr Rob Galea

Views: 8,220

Keywords: Catholic, priesthood, Vocation, story, Catholic Education, Singing Priest, Worship, Mike Schmitz, Prayer, Jesus, Malta, Australia, Maltese Priest, Australian priest, Catholicism, Bishop Barron, Baron, Pope Francis, Generosity

Id: Pw2nWRESQFs

Length: 7min 40sec (460 seconds)

Published: Sun May 02 2021