I was 25 years old when I entered the Vincentian college seminary in New York in 2013. At that time, I had real lack of knowledge about Jesus, the evangelizer of the poor. In fact, I had never really thought about Jesus in that way. I thought about Jesus and God, as Divine beings, difficult to see and grasp. I thought that “seeking the kingdom of a God,” meant looking to the skies. I felt God could only be approached through sacrifices such as fasting, kneeling in prayer for several hours, and looking up at the sky in wonder and awe.

While these are ways to seek God in truth, yet I had never thought of Jesus Christ as human. Thus through my years of formation as a Vincentian Seminarian, my perspective has changed. Now, I believe that God is both truly divine and truly human in Jesus, and that through the Holy Spirit is present in every creature. Through his grace, God is present in me, in every person I meet and serve, and in all my surroundings. This is why St. Vincent said to “seek the kingdom of God” and that “God’s Glory is in paradise and his kingdom is in souls” (Vol XII, P. 116).

I now believe that when we serve the poor, we serve God. We are imitating Jesus’ Gospel to be among the poor, loving and serving one another by seeking divine justice and glory in following the charism of St. Vincent in the way of Jesus.

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