Falling in Love with Faith

By Emmanuel Arenas, SJ

This Jesuit vocation, which has undoubtedly been “a pathway to God,” has been a grace-filled and humbling journey.¹ I grew up in a devout Mexican Catholic family in Park Ridge, Ill., where my mother taught me the importance of prayer and the sacramental life at a young age. The way she lived the Catholic faith and the number of challenges she was able to overcome with God’s grace was nothing short of a miracle.

After graduating in 2015 from Marquette University, where I first met the Jesuits, I worked as a fixed income institutional sales assistant for Baird in Milwaukee. It was during those years that I fell deeply in love with my faith. The doctrine and the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church rung true in my heart, the prayers from family and friends brought healing and grace into my life, and the lives of the saints inspired me to live unreservedly for Christ and his Church. More than any other saint, St. Ignatius of Loyola and his relatable life lured me to consider a priestly vocation in the Society of Jesus. His zealous desire to live according to the Christian ideals was a desire I too shared. Following a long period of discernment, I felt certain that the Holy Spirit was inviting me to “serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the cross” as a Jesuit.²

Since entering the Society of Jesus in 2018, I have been blessed with countless opportunities to preach the Gospel and serve the Church in a variety of ways. Serving the homeless, assisting immigrants and refugees on the United States-Mexican border, sharing the Gospel with inmates, teaching catechism, serving as a chaplain for the Saint Louis University baseball team, and undergoing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola are just a few experiences that have shaped me throughout my formation.

Recently I was missioned to work as a religion teacher and campus minister at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. Although my time here has been relatively short, the graces and miracles have already been abundant. The students are eager to learn about the Catholic faith and to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus. As a teacher, I am privileged to see up close God’s tender grace working in my students.

The hunger for meaning and hope that bellows throughout the world is ultimately a desire to know our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am filled with hope and gratitude because the “harvest is plentiful.”³ As a member of the Society of Jesus, I have never found a shortage of opportunities to preach the Gospel. The spiritual and academic formation I have received as a Jesuit has well equipped me to spiritually accompany God’s people with humility and to share our Catholic faith with joy. It has been a blessing to serve the Church in this way, and I am excited to see how God will continue to nourish the seeds being planted today.