The following story involves two priests from the Diocese of Raleigh: Father Bob Kus and Father Rafael Leon. Father Bob was ordained with me, and he is now retired because he was ordained in his fifties. He moved to Honduras after retirement. Father Rafael Leon is Pastor in Henderson NC. Father Bob has been a good friend of mine since our time as seminarians. As priests we hung out at meetings, and priests would always see us together.

The story has to do with the picture that Father Bob used on the cover of one of his many Journal books. The cover shows Father Bob and a donkey by his side. Here is the picture:

Several years ago, at a priest meeting I had Father Bob’s Journal book in my hands and when Father Rafael saw the cover, he said to me, “Oh, I see, there is Bob with Arturo”.

It is hard to believe that it has been twenty-five years since my ordination. Looking back at these twenty-five years of blessings, today I raise my hands in thanksgiving to almighty God for the gift of the priesthood and the opportunity to minister to the people of God in the Diocese of Raleigh. The actual date of my ordination is June 27. June 24 was the closest Saturday this year to hold the Anniversary, and it providentially coincided with the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.

As I reflected on the life of Saint John the Baptist as part of the Silver Anniversary Mass, his example of humility kept appearing in my prayers and reflections. It was as if I needed to see my life through the lenses of Saint John the Baptist. The most repeated words of Saint John the Baptist are, “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals” (Mark 1, 7). When people told Saint John the Baptist that everyone was going to the Lord instead of him, he told them, “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3, 30).

I see in the coincidence of my Anniversary Mass and today’s solemnity the way almighty God invites me to grow in humility as I move forward answering to his calling. And here is where the story of Father Rafael and Father Bob and the donkey came in. As I reflected on the virtue of humility these past weeks, the comparison of me with the donkey also kept appearing in my mind. And it is perfect.

The donkey reminds me of the donkey in the gospel which had the honor of carrying on his back our Lord in his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The donkey never dared to think that the crowd’s praise was for him. We priest also understand that all the praise is the Lord’s and not ours. Saint Paul tells the Corinthians, “We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4, 5). And this is my prayer to the Lord today, that he may grant me the grace of becoming a humble minister of his and I may continue carrying him so that many people may offer him the honor and praise that is his due. 

Saint Paul, who was a very humble man, was very much aware of his weakness and fragility. He writes, “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4, 7). The gift of a priestly vocation is very delicate. Strength belongs to and comes from the Lord, and he grants it to those he loves. I would like to invite you to join me in prayer today humbly asking the Lord to grant me the wisdom to always remember both my human weakness and the Lord’s power.

In Spanish:

Once, an uncle of mine, Pacífico, saw a priest he knew, Father Baracaldo. My uncle was then about sixty years old. Father Baracaldo was much older than my uncle. When Father Baracaldo sees my uncle, he tells him, "Pacífico, you really have aged!” To which my uncle replies, “Of course, Father Baracaldo; but let me remind you that you were the priest who baptized me”.

The passing of the years surprises us all. The time that goes by for other people also goes by for us.

When I left Colombia in 1994 at the age of 25, North Carolina was not in my plans. I first came to the diocese of El Paso, Texas. I came to know about the diocese of Raleigh through the telephone conversation of two seminarians, one who was in El Paso and the other who was in Raleigh. There was, then, a great need for Hispanic priests in the Diocese of Raleigh. I moved to Raleigh and three years later became the first Hispanic ordained priest for the Diocese. Today we have a good number of Hispanic priests.

Serving the Hispanic community has been a great blessing to my priesthood. The Hispanic community has enriched me with its culture and traditions. This Silver Anniversary has also been an opportunity to see you again. For this I also thank Almighty God.

I would like to thank you so much for having made the sacrifice of coming to accompany me on this special date for me. I promise you a special place in my heart and prayers. I would like to ask you not to stop praying for me, so that I may become the priest that our Lord wants me to be.