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Br.
Michael James Rivera, OP
Our Blessed Mother has always been a part of my
life. Even when my faith wasn’t that important to me, she was there,
praying that I would come to know her son.
I grew up in Union
City, California (about 45 minutes from San Francisco), and I guess
the only time the Church hasn’t been a part of my life was during
high school. I went to Mass, but only on holidays and Sunday
mornings when my dad forced me to get up. I didn’t care that I was
Catholic; it was just how I had been raised.
That all changed when
I went to Saint Mary’s College of California. Towards the end of my
freshman year I went on a retreat called “Encountering the Risen
Christ.” After one of the sessions I was thinking about my own
encounters with the Lord, and I realized that although I had been
taught a lot about God, I didn’t truly know him. In was in this
moment in which I finally began to look up to God, that he gave me
the gift of faith. It was the beginning of a real relationship with
Christ. This relationship is why I am here today. It’s why I started
going to Mass every Sunday, celebrated the Sacrament of
Confirmation, and changed my major from Communication to Religious
Studies.
During my senior year
I began to hear a calling to the priesthood, but I didn’t think I
was ready to discern what that meant, so after graduating I decided
to move away from the Bay Area to get a new perspective on life. The
Lasallian Volunteer program sent me to DeLaSalle High School in
Minneapolis. It was there that I began to realize how much I loved
teaching others about our faith.
After 10 months in
Minnesota it was time to come home. When I returned I was hired on
as the Youth Minister at Holy Rosary, our parish in Antioch, CA.
During my second year there, with the help of Fr. James Moore,
OP—who was then a student brother on residency—I began to discern my
vocation. Eventually he talked me into attending a “Come and See”
weekend with the Dominicans. Visiting St. Albert’s, experiencing the
common life of prayer and study, the Brothers’ sense of humor, and
their zeal for preaching was like coming home after a long trip and
being welcomed by your family.
Still I was unsure if
I was called to life as a Dominican or the diocesan priesthood, so I
decided to attend a discernment retreat with my local diocese. To
start off the weekend we were taken through a guided meditation on
John 1:35-42. We were invited to reflect on the same question Jesus
asks of the disciples, “What are you looking for?” My response was
mercy. It was only later that I remembered this is what the
Dominicans ask for when we receive our habit and profess our vows.
By the end of the weekend I knew where I would be applying.
In 2005 my friend
invited me to join her on pilgrimage to Germany for World Youth Day.
It was an amazing experience and I will never forget the words of
Pope Benedict XVI at the closing Mass. He said, “Anyone who has
discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be
kept to oneself. It has to be passed on.” His words remind me of one
of the Dominican mottos: Contemplare, et contemplata aliis tradere.
Contemplate and pass on the fruits of that contemplation to others.
Although I do not know
exactly what God has in store for me, I trust that as I continue to
contemplate his will, he will show me his purpose for my life. And
if ever I begin to stray, I know the Blessed Virgin Mary will be
there, interceding for me, and leading me back to her son.
Last updated: October 2008
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