Why not you?

Three years ago this morning I was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful to the Lord for calling me to his service, frail and weak as I am. When I hold his Body in my hands, I am fully aware of how unworthy I am for such service. Yet, nonetheless, he has chosen me.

Why did the Lord choose me to serve him in this way? I do not know. There is nothing extraordinary about me, nothing so unique. I am a man who prefers the quiet of a library to the bustle of large groups of people. Being an introvert I seem a strange choice for such an extroverted ministry. Yet the Lord chose me.

My life differs from that of others only in that it has been marked with much suffering. Yet even in this I am not alone. Who of us does not suffer in some way? A suffering that is bearable for one is completely unbearable for another. There is nothing too different about me; I am a man like all others. Why should the Lord chose me?

I remember very clearly a conversation I had with a Sister while I was in college. We were discussing my vocation; I had already discerned a call to the priesthood and I accepted it, but still I wondered why the Lord chose me. She simply responded, "Why not you?" And I had no answer.

And so I ask you young men who may be reading this post: Why not you? Why should the Lord not want to use you as his humble instrument? The Lord has great skill at making use of fragile instruments. Won't you let him use you?