Elisa Prieto

I believe that it is never easy for someone to explain how she fell in love with someone, and this is the case of every vocation. In my own it all developed as a human love: knowing him, loving him and committing myself to him.

Knowing him: All of my life in my family I have been immensely happy, in every area. I adored my parents and my brothers and sisters, and we loved to be together. I enjoyed my friends and my plans. I loved my studies, weekend trips, going to the country, etc. I had everything necessary to fill my heart and my life. I enjoyed everything and had many dreams for my life. Since I was little I was conscious of this and felt myself very loved, even “spoiled” by God. For the same reason, I was also very sensitive to suffering, loneliness, sickness, and the emptiness I saw in other people. This brought me to think about the essential questions. Why has God given me so much? Why are there people to which he has given nothing? Why is there suffering? What is the meaning of these peoples’ lives? How come no one does anything about it? Why doesn’t God do something? Why has he given me life? And finally I asked: What can I do? What do you want me to do? Nevertheless, I didn’t consider the possibility of giving my life to God.

At this time, I got to know the Regnum Christi Movement and discovered Christ. Although I had had a very good religious formation, I didn’t know him as a person, as a love that could fill me and give meaning to my life. It was years of knowing him as he is that led me to think about him, want him, and really allow him to enter my life.

Loving him: Later I decided to give two years of service to the Church in order to do something for Christ, for my faith, for others and to correspond with my actions to all that I had received. It was very hard for me to let go of my life and my things, but I saw the need to help. These years helped me a lot to experience the happiness of those that dedicate themselves to helping others. Humanly speaking I enjoyed being in another place and experiencing another culture, doing things that I had never done before. I felt powerful doing great things for others, that my life meant something. I felt the power of helping those in need. I threw myself into social action and giving God to everyone: missions, catechesis, poor children, youth like myself... and I felt happy. To see up close such needs of every kind and the urgency for someone to help hurt me and changed my life. I was in love with God and wanted to help him with his things.

Commiting myself to him: Up until now, everything was normal, but when this love and this mission began to commit my life and I thought of a possible vocation, I was afraid. On one hand I had my own plans clear: live near my family, get married, have a lot of kids, have a great career that I loved and in this situation do all I could to help others. On the other hand I thought that I really was only giving to God what was left over. It was true that I couldn’t get rid of all the evil in the world, but if I helped one person encounter true happiness it would be worth it.

In spite of this reality, I didn’t want to talk about it with God, because I was afraid of what he might say. I didn’t want to see my egotism either, because I already knew what I wanted. I had not taken account of how many ties attached me to the world, to my plans and my desires that hindered me in navigating the sea that God set me on, the infinte sea of love without limits.

I had two years of this interior division, sadness, not wanting to choose. It didn’t prove easy for me to decide to unfasten the moorings once and for all and say yes to God, that I would consecrate myself to Him, that I would be his. It seemed to me that to unfasten these ties would leave me without securities. I was afraid to let go of everything that made me so happy. I was afraid to feel alone in this style of life. I lacked the confidence to see that Christ already had committed himself to me and that he would be faithful. He would make me fully happy and give fulfillment to my life of self-giving to others. He knew me and was my love, my consolation and my strength.

Little by little I began to open myself to him, to hope that he spoke clearly and would tell me what he was hoping from me. There wasn’t a doubt that he wanted me to be consecrated, that he needed me to bring the happiness to others that I had so long enjoyed. I unfastened the moorings that tied me to the port of my life, my plans, my desires, and he entered my boat to stay with me.

These have been years of happiness far beyond what I once hoped for. He has been everything for me. Each time that I have helped a young person to believe, to discover that Christ loves her, to find her path in life, to reach the happiness that never ends, I think that my life has been worthwhile.