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“O God come to my assistance.”
One of the things I have realized while discerning the call to the priesthood is that every time a group of young men who are interested in the priesthood gather together, there is a unique experience that everyone shares. For me, Quo Vadis [in English, this means “Where are you going?”] was by no means an exception to that realization. It was a week that combined prayer, discernment, and recreation into an experience that had a profound affect on my vocation.
Each day we gathered in the morning, evening, and just before we went to bed each night to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer prayed by all priests and religious brothers and sisters in the world every single day. While each of the different hours is unique, they all share a common opening invocation: “O God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me.” While Quo Vadis was not the first time I had prayed this invocation, it was the first time it really stuck with me. We took that verse and included it in our daily activities. For example, whenever someone was on a high ropes course and seemed a little nervous, someone would yell out “O God come to my assistance.” And the person on the ropes would respond “Lord make haste to help me” before continuing along the rope. Some people also used it before beginning the swimming races we had, or engaging in other activities.
Now that Quo Vadis is over, I still carry that verse with me. I use it before I begin a test, or when I’m about to take on something that seems impossible, or when things just do not seem to be going my way and I feel I need God. I also use it every day when I pray the Liturgy of the Hours, something I would not have started doing had it not been for Quo Vadis. On Quo Vadis, the Liturgy of the Hours marked the beginning and the end of every day. I think everyone got used to praying the breviary (Liturgy of the Hours). I got so comfortable with it that I went out and bought my own breviary and now I begin and end my day praying it.
Quo Vadis is about more than just praying. It is about learning where God is calling us to go in life. That is why there were talks about the priesthood and about being a father, just as St. Joseph is. We had the opportunity to hang out with five seminarians studying for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as well as numerous priests who stopped by to visit us and hear confessions and to tell their vocation stories. Most importantly, we had the chance to spend time with other young men who were also thinking about becoming priests, a unique opportunity you do not come across every day.
Quo Vadis Days is an experience that not only helped me grow spiritually, but it helped me grow as a man. I believe that it is truly an experience that every young man should have if they have a true desire to deepen their relationship with God. Do you know where you’re going?
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