Once a parishioner asked me, “why you do always celebrate mass together?”. “Have you not seen this before”, “Not here in this parish” was the reply. She continued that we see you both morning prayer with us, also in adoration, coming to bless our houses and dinner with us! Why always together?”
We belong to a religious congregation: the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and live together in a community.
Looking back all these years as a religious priest made me to reflect why do we things together. Is it just because we belong to a community, we choose to be like this or we are called to do this? My life as a priest I feel that I do it together because it gives me joy and be my source of ministry.
When people say:
‘thank you for your service’;
‘happy to see you sitting with us’;
‘glad that you join our party’;
‘sharing your joy as a grace for us’;
when our oldest parishioner (100 years) say:
‘I tend to forget all but you my priest I cannot’;
when in an emergency ward all relative with tears in their eye say ‘thanks for the grace of anointing’;
when a stressed person come and say,
‘I am alright now, your prayers helped me’;
I receive more vigour and grace to go on being on this priestly service as a brother of Sacred Hearts.
Raja Sebastian sscc
01/08/2026