Upon seeing a post announcing our diaconate ordination, a good and long-time friend exclaimed, “Wow, I only now realised that it takes almost two decades to form a Jesuit!” To which I but reluctantly replied, “Yes, but I am one of the exceptions who spent a much longer time than usual. You see, I am a slow learner!”
I would be betraying myself if I said it did not bother me at all. The happy and congratulatory exclamations struck home to stir some mixed emotions within me. Accompanying the overwhelming sense of gratitude, accomplishment, and contentment was a sense of humility and underachievement tainted with a vague self-depreciation. By the grace of God, I have come thus far in my Jesuit vocation and formation (almost two decades and counting!) yet the real journey of servanthood has yet to commence.
Indeed, what an experience it has been. The story of my vocation started with my good parents who lived their marriage vows before God, their Creator, to the truest and fullest sense until death did them part (May the soul of my late father find eternal repose in the bosom of his Creator). I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents who imparted the faith and nurtured it to grow. They were my primary formators of faith and even of my vocation. I recall with vivid and fond memories my father’s bedtime stories. He would usually take stories from the Old Testament and read them to us in bed on holidays. They were simply my favourites. Without me realising it, my father’s bedtime stories had instilled in my young and tender heart the simplest and most beautiful theology: God loves those who have an upright heart, listens to their prayers, and comes to their rescue in times of danger and delivers them.
My mother, on the other hand, is a down-to-earth woman. She lives her faith and every obligation that comes with it. Until today I still cannot quite figure out how my mother almost never fails to find the time for rosary novena gatherings and charitable works after making sure that each one of her seven children had been given proper motherly care. It was my mother who taught me to attend Sunday Masses regularly, to say prayers, and to be kind and charitable in words and actions. The fundamentals of faith and their practical applications in life I learned from my parents. What early years in life I had growing up under the formative love and care of nurturing parents and ever understanding siblings.
I first came to know “the Jesuits” from long acquainted friends from my hilltop hometown. I had lost contact with them for a few years. When I met them unexpectedly and rather fatefully one Sunday, they had become Jesuit novices (three of them) and were out on factory trials. They invited me to their temporary lodging to catch up over lunch. In the course of our conversation I felt something like a restless gentle stirring, a bright spark, a constant tug deep within my heart. Looking back now, I believe the Spirit must have been at work in and through them. I remembered how I felt disturbed right away because the thought of trying the Jesuit vocation felt increasingly right. It disturbed me because all I wanted then was to lead a life like most people do – finish college, make money, and marry the lady of my dreams. I was doing my distance college studies while being employed full-time. And, excuse me, I had yet to confess my love to a lady! This new stirring within did not fit into any dreams and aspirations I had in life. Besides, I did not know who the Jesuits were except for the flamboyant-with-a-bow-on-top presentation of the Jesuits from my friends. What’s more, the Jesuits stationed their missions more than 600 kilometres away from where I was. But, lo and behold, within a few months since that fateful reunion with my friends, the Jesuits moved their candidacy programme closer to me. I decided to put the stirring within to the test thinking perhaps it would eventually go away, leaving me in peace. The stirring did give me peace after I contacted the Jesuit candidacy programme and the peace has stayed with me to this day.
I spent two years as a Jesuit candidate before I was admitted to the Jesuit Novitiate in 2006. I went through the usual two years of Novitiate, and then spent two more years in the Juniorate programme before proceeding to four years of philosophy studies. After philosophy, I did two years of Regency. I am currently finishing my theological studies, for which I spent a year in Rome before coming to the Philippines three years ago.
Yes, I have taken decades to reach this point, but with the long road to my vocation and formation came blessings and encounters I would not have even dared to dream. In this journey, I have had wise and understanding superiors, caring formators, holy spiritual directors, learned professors, wonderful fellow Jesuit companions, classmates, co-teachers, students, and friends from all over the world. I have been given a chance to travel and meet people across the globe, forge and build friendships with people from all walks of life. I have had the privilege of meeting with and learning from cutting-edge academicians of our time to sharpen, deepen, and broaden my mind. I have had the honour and grace of finding generous people who dig deep into their pockets to pay for my long years of formation. From all of these encounters, I have learned the meaning of faith, hope, love, and service. All of these grace-filled encounters and learnings were made possible only because the Society of Jesus dared to trust in my call and accompany me through the years with super abundant love, patience, and trust.
Still, the invitation to my diaconate ordination came as a surprise. I felt the same gentle stirring within that has guided me towards grace-filled encounters, fraternal bonds, and service. May God who sees all my weaknesses, failures, shortcomings, and brokenness never cease the stirring within me and ever inflame the spark. Amen.
Lawrence Khaw Gei Khui Shing SJ from Myanmar was one of 11 Jesuits ordained to the diaconate on 24 October in the Church of the Gesú, Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines.