Fr. Luis Madrazo Mayorga , LC

The discovery of my vocation was an adventure full of signs that God little by little was setting on my path. Several times in my life I felt the soft yet constant call of God. I will mention here only the most important ones.

I am the fifth out of a family of six children. I have three sisters and two brothers. They say “a small family lives better,” but this is not my experience. My parents educated us in the Catholic faith, not only by their words but also by their example.

Hunting and fishing were my hobbies. On the weekend I played sports with my dad, my siblings, and my friends.

Maybe God wants you to be a priest

I made my First Communion when I was eleven, in the convent chapel of the nuns of the Heart of Jesus in León, Guanajuato. On one occasion I asked one of the nuns with simplicity, “Why can’t we know God completely?”

She answered me, “Because he is too big.” To want to know him would be similar to try to pour all the water of the ocean into a flower pot. And she added, to my surprise, “Maybe God wants you to be a priest.” I thought for a moment but did not answer her. Even after my First Communion, this phrase had a certain resonance inside of me and through it God was questioning me. I see this as the first sign of my call.

Who will celebrate Mass?

I felt the strongest sign of my call to the priesthood during a homily. I was around fifteen. It was here I found that God wanted me to be a priest.

The priest began the homily by remembering that a priest from the diocese of León had passed away the night before. He said that sixty per cent of the diocese’s priests were over sixty. He also said that there were just a few men in the diocese’s seminary. These facts had a profound impact in me. He asked, “What is going to happen in twenty years? Who will celebrate Mass? Who will hear confessions?” And he concluded by saying, “Young people, if God is calling you, be generous!”

I left the church that day with the call ringing in my soul. God used those simple questions asked by the priest to help me see his will. I tried not to pay attention, but I could not forget it.

Have you ever thought of becoming a priest?

In my school, the “Instituto Lux” we were given a test to see which degree we were going to pursue. One of the questions was: Have you ever thought of becoming a priest? It baffled me in the same way the priest’s questions had before. I quickly answered no, afraid someone would discover my desire to become a priest. Running away from God’s call, I excused myself interiorly by saying, “God can’t call me because there are other people with more qualities.”

Lord, ask me what you want but give me what you ask

I began to study accounting at the Iberioamericana College of León. I studying for the degree and I finished the year with good grades. But my soul was empty; there was great anxiety in my soul because I was not doing what God wanted me to do. Then I started to pray. The most frequent prayer was, “Lord, ask me whatever You want, but give me that which You ask.”

God heard my prayer. By his providence, a good friend of mine, Roel Osorio, who I had not seen for a while, told me that he was going to Monterrey for a summer program of vocational discernment with the Legionaries of Christ. He told me, “I want to know if God is calling me to be a priest.” (He is also a Legionary). I spoke with Father Santiago Pérez Santana, a Legionary priest, in order to see if I could participate in the summer program and he said it was fine. In Monterrey I met for the first time the Legionary charism, their formation, and the apostolatic works they carry out. God helped me see with clarity that he indeed was calling me to be his priest in the ranks of this religious congregation.

Father Luis Madrazo Mayorga was born on August 9, 1977 in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. He studied at the “Instituto Lux” with the Jesuits. He studied accounting for one at the Iberoamericana College in Plantel Leon. On Septemer 15, 1997 he entered the novitiate of the Legion of Christ in Salamanca, Spain. He studied classical humanities in Cheshire, Connecticut and a Bachelor’s in Philosophy in Thornwood, New York. He worked in the formation of Catholic youth through youth clubs in Brazil. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, where currently he is working towards a licentiate in Theology.

 

Translation of the vocation story published in the book "Vivir para Cristo"