God listens to our prayers
In the minor seminary I attended, almost any mistake resulted in suspension and sometimes dismissal.
Now something happened that I will never forget: I had a friend, my classmate, and friend, I mean a good friend, we were so close and moved together almost everywhere, in class we sat together, in chapel, and in sports we did the same games, that is, badmiton and soccer and sometimes basketball.
In the hallways we played cards, board games and draft. I forgot to tell you that in the dining hall we still sat at the same table. He really was my best friend.
In the minor seminary, some seminarians were now assigned tasks, and my friend was given the task of running the student television. He had to take it from the staff's office to the students' hall.
One evening my friend came to me and said, Matthias, am I your friend? And I said, Yes, John, you know you are my friend, and he said, Matthias, do you really like me, and I said, John, we have been good friends for some time, you know I like you and value you as my friend, whereupon John said, Matthias, since you are my good friend, I have a request: Matthias, will you help me as my best friend? Whereupon I said, "John, there is nothing I cannot do for you, especially when I have the opportunity.
John then said, "Matthias, are you sure you will help me?" In response, I said, "Of course, John, I will help you. John said, "Matthias, I broke the TV, and since you, Matthias, have never been caught in many cases, please help me and go to the rector and tell him that you broke the TV, look Matthias, if I go to the rector myself and tell him that I broke the TV, he will suspend or dismiss me immediately without asking.
I said to John, "Look, I am your good friend, but these things are different, they could cost me my vocation, please John, I can't help you. John then said, "Matthias, do you want to betray our friendship? I was about 15 years old when John asked me like that, and I said, "Yes, you are my dear friend, I will do what you ask.
To see the rector, we always waited after dinner. The next day I went to rector's office around 8 p.m. and he saw me immediately, greeted me and said: Matthias, how are the lessons going, is everything alright? I then replied, "Yes, Father, the lessons are good, but I have something to tell you. Then the rector said, "Matthias, you are welcome in my office. I entered his office and the rector suspected I was not at peace. He started telling me some nice things about myself to calm me down. I remember him saying, "Matthias, thank you for being well behaved and quiet, thank you for always coming to all activities on time, thank you for being active in chapel, and thank you for reading nicely in the church.
I then ventured to tell him what had brought me to his office, but before I could finish speaking, his face changed and he said, "Matthias, you have started with the breaking the TV, and by the time you are done with school, you will have broken many things on our campus. You have been behaving well, but if you start misbehaving, my dear, we will not tolerate it, the staff needs to know, you deserve a suspension, and I will leave the decision to the staff, so come back to my office this time tomorrow. I left his office crying because I knew I could be suspended at any time. I went to John and told him what the rector had said, and John said, "Matthias, don't worry, the staff knows you've been behaving well, they can't suspend you.
I told the young man that you are just joking, the rector was angry. John, now you are causing me trouble. When I realized that John had no solution, I went into the chapel in front of the tabernacle, threw myself on the bare floor of the church and cried to Jesus and Mother Mary. I prayed and prayed and then gave myself to Jesus. I said to him, "Jesus, your will be done. You know my heart and how much I love my vocation, please save my vocation which is in danger. I went to sleep, but I would be lying to you if I told you that I slept that day, I did not sleep.
To make a long story short, the evening came, it was 8 p.m., I went to see the rector in his office, what reassured me was his face, he seemed happy. He greeted me and said, "My son Matthias, thank God, the whole staff loves you and says you can't go home. But then be careful next time. "I tried to convince the staff that if Matthias broke the TV today, he could also break sacred things in the chapel, to which the staff staff replied and said it was just an accident and accidents happen" said the rector.
In my heart I said thank you Mary and thank you Jesus. I went to John and he said, I knew Matthias, they couldn't suspend you, and thank you my friend for filling in for me, I will return the favor.
Don't forget that at that time we were in a minor seminary, let's call it high school, we were in the senior three. Our education and formation continued and reached senior fourth.
In the senior five we were the leaders and I was elected as the leader of the infirmary.
My job was to take care of sick seminarians, treat them where possible, and make sure they received special food from the staff dining room.
Every day I was to get special food from the dining hall to serve to the sick brothers. One day something happened that I will never forget: I went to get the special food from the dining hall and accidentally knocked over father's/ priests'/ staff's flask, which broke. I said, 'What am I going to do?' Now I remembered my brother John, who had once promised me to return the favor.
I went to John and asked him, "John, are you my friend?" John said, "Matthias, why are you asking me such a question, you know you are my best friend." I asked him again, "John, are you really my friend?" John replied, "Matthias, I really like that you are my best friend." I said to John, "I have a request, John. Yesterday I went to the dining room to get a special food for the sick and I accidentally broke the flask, John. John I implore to stand in for me and talk to the rector. John replied, "Matthias, I can't do that, but you promised me you would return the favor," to which John said, "Yes, I promised, but look Matthias, these things are different first of all, the other one was a TV, but this one is a flask that people use every day with their tea, imagine if they came every day and didn't have milk tea.
As always, I went to the chapel, prayed and asked for the intercession of Mother Mary, went before the Blessed Sacrament and asked Jesus to come to my aid.
The next day at 8 p.m. I went to see the rector, and as always he was happy to see me, made jokes, and at that time I was of age, I think I was about 18 years old, I also made jokes with him, and finally the story changed and I told him my case, I said: "Father Rector, he knew that I was good in the class because I was always first or sometimes second, and don't forget that sometimes the Dean of Studies asked me to help him grade our report cards, but those are stories that will be told another time. Well, I told the rector that I've been on run lately, and yesterday I went to get food for the sick and accidentally knocked over your flask, which broke as a result.
The rector said, "Matthias, you saved us a long time ago we asked Father Bursar to buy us a good and new flask and he hesitated, you saved us. Go to class and read your books.
I said, awe, thank you Jesus. I went to meet John and he told me I prayed for you, but I knew that was just a little problem.
Friends, don't trust in men, they betray, but trust in Jesus who is faithful to his promises. Pray, and I say pray, because God listens to our prayers.
Psalm 119:133 Guide my steps according to your word; let no sin have dominion over me.
Lugendo Matthias
Now something happened that I will never forget: I had a friend, my classmate, and friend, I mean a good friend, we were so close and moved together almost everywhere, in class we sat together, in chapel, and in sports we did the same games, that is, badmiton and soccer and sometimes basketball.
In the hallways we played cards, board games and draft. I forgot to tell you that in the dining hall we still sat at the same table. He really was my best friend.
In the minor seminary, some seminarians were now assigned tasks, and my friend was given the task of running the student television. He had to take it from the staff's office to the students' hall.
One evening my friend came to me and said, Matthias, am I your friend? And I said, Yes, John, you know you are my friend, and he said, Matthias, do you really like me, and I said, John, we have been good friends for some time, you know I like you and value you as my friend, whereupon John said, Matthias, since you are my good friend, I have a request: Matthias, will you help me as my best friend? Whereupon I said, "John, there is nothing I cannot do for you, especially when I have the opportunity.
John then said, "Matthias, are you sure you will help me?" In response, I said, "Of course, John, I will help you. John said, "Matthias, I broke the TV, and since you, Matthias, have never been caught in many cases, please help me and go to the rector and tell him that you broke the TV, look Matthias, if I go to the rector myself and tell him that I broke the TV, he will suspend or dismiss me immediately without asking.
I said to John, "Look, I am your good friend, but these things are different, they could cost me my vocation, please John, I can't help you. John then said, "Matthias, do you want to betray our friendship? I was about 15 years old when John asked me like that, and I said, "Yes, you are my dear friend, I will do what you ask.
To see the rector, we always waited after dinner. The next day I went to rector's office around 8 p.m. and he saw me immediately, greeted me and said: Matthias, how are the lessons going, is everything alright? I then replied, "Yes, Father, the lessons are good, but I have something to tell you. Then the rector said, "Matthias, you are welcome in my office. I entered his office and the rector suspected I was not at peace. He started telling me some nice things about myself to calm me down. I remember him saying, "Matthias, thank you for being well behaved and quiet, thank you for always coming to all activities on time, thank you for being active in chapel, and thank you for reading nicely in the church.
I then ventured to tell him what had brought me to his office, but before I could finish speaking, his face changed and he said, "Matthias, you have started with the breaking the TV, and by the time you are done with school, you will have broken many things on our campus. You have been behaving well, but if you start misbehaving, my dear, we will not tolerate it, the staff needs to know, you deserve a suspension, and I will leave the decision to the staff, so come back to my office this time tomorrow. I left his office crying because I knew I could be suspended at any time. I went to John and told him what the rector had said, and John said, "Matthias, don't worry, the staff knows you've been behaving well, they can't suspend you.
I told the young man that you are just joking, the rector was angry. John, now you are causing me trouble. When I realized that John had no solution, I went into the chapel in front of the tabernacle, threw myself on the bare floor of the church and cried to Jesus and Mother Mary. I prayed and prayed and then gave myself to Jesus. I said to him, "Jesus, your will be done. You know my heart and how much I love my vocation, please save my vocation which is in danger. I went to sleep, but I would be lying to you if I told you that I slept that day, I did not sleep.
To make a long story short, the evening came, it was 8 p.m., I went to see the rector in his office, what reassured me was his face, he seemed happy. He greeted me and said, "My son Matthias, thank God, the whole staff loves you and says you can't go home. But then be careful next time. "I tried to convince the staff that if Matthias broke the TV today, he could also break sacred things in the chapel, to which the staff staff replied and said it was just an accident and accidents happen" said the rector.
In my heart I said thank you Mary and thank you Jesus. I went to John and he said, I knew Matthias, they couldn't suspend you, and thank you my friend for filling in for me, I will return the favor.
Don't forget that at that time we were in a minor seminary, let's call it high school, we were in the senior three. Our education and formation continued and reached senior fourth.
In the senior five we were the leaders and I was elected as the leader of the infirmary.
My job was to take care of sick seminarians, treat them where possible, and make sure they received special food from the staff dining room.
Every day I was to get special food from the dining hall to serve to the sick brothers. One day something happened that I will never forget: I went to get the special food from the dining hall and accidentally knocked over father's/ priests'/ staff's flask, which broke. I said, 'What am I going to do?' Now I remembered my brother John, who had once promised me to return the favor.
I went to John and asked him, "John, are you my friend?" John said, "Matthias, why are you asking me such a question, you know you are my best friend." I asked him again, "John, are you really my friend?" John replied, "Matthias, I really like that you are my best friend." I said to John, "I have a request, John. Yesterday I went to the dining room to get a special food for the sick and I accidentally broke the flask, John. John I implore to stand in for me and talk to the rector. John replied, "Matthias, I can't do that, but you promised me you would return the favor," to which John said, "Yes, I promised, but look Matthias, these things are different first of all, the other one was a TV, but this one is a flask that people use every day with their tea, imagine if they came every day and didn't have milk tea.
As always, I went to the chapel, prayed and asked for the intercession of Mother Mary, went before the Blessed Sacrament and asked Jesus to come to my aid.
The next day at 8 p.m. I went to see the rector, and as always he was happy to see me, made jokes, and at that time I was of age, I think I was about 18 years old, I also made jokes with him, and finally the story changed and I told him my case, I said: "Father Rector, he knew that I was good in the class because I was always first or sometimes second, and don't forget that sometimes the Dean of Studies asked me to help him grade our report cards, but those are stories that will be told another time. Well, I told the rector that I've been on run lately, and yesterday I went to get food for the sick and accidentally knocked over your flask, which broke as a result.
The rector said, "Matthias, you saved us a long time ago we asked Father Bursar to buy us a good and new flask and he hesitated, you saved us. Go to class and read your books.
I said, awe, thank you Jesus. I went to meet John and he told me I prayed for you, but I knew that was just a little problem.
Friends, don't trust in men, they betray, but trust in Jesus who is faithful to his promises. Pray, and I say pray, because God listens to our prayers.
Psalm 119:133 Guide my steps according to your word; let no sin have dominion over me.
Lugendo Matthias
