Vocation Story - Jason Makos '05
	Take the Risk The Greek orthodox environment in which I grew up was heavily influenced by religion. I can still remember vividly our priest chanting in Greek during Mass and incensing the altar behind an icon screen. During my childhood I was fascinated by the mysterious nature of the Divine Liturgy and the priesthood. As I grew older and more rebellious, however, I stopped going to church and fell away from religion completely. In the summer of 1995, a good friend invited me on a pilgrimage to Canada to visit the shrines of Saint Anne de Beaupre and Saint Joseph's Oratory. I agreed to go with him - on the grounds that I would not attend any services or Masses. "I just want to see the countryside of Canada," I told him. Looking back, I can see that my heart was hard and the Lord was setting me up for a hard fall. It is impossible to miss the two immense steeples of Saint Anne's Basilica that overpower the skyline of Quebec. After arriving and admiring this aesthetic wonder from the outside, I felt compelled to go inside and marvel at its beauty. As I entered the church, however, I was overwhelmed not by the beauty of marble or wood, but by the loving gaze of Christ. The warmth I felt can only be described as a sense of "coming home" after a long time away. From that moment I could never deny this divine presence, which I had tried to do for so long. On the Easter Vigil in 1996, I was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. My fascination with the priesthood grew as I attended daily Mass. Despite my admiration for the priesthood, though, it never crossed my mind that God might be calling me to a vocation. Then one day my pastor asked me, "Have you ever thought about being a priest?" This small but profound question planted a seed within my heart. After taking it to prayer, I found myself torn between marriage and the priesthood. My indecision grew, so I decided to enroll at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, to study pre-med in the hopes of entering medical school. I believed that if I kept busy with studies, the question of priestly vocation would eventually fade away. In spite of my stubbornness, however, the Lord knocked even harder at my door, and I knew I could not ignore it any more. One day after classes I went to Saint Anthony's shrine in the heart of Boston, a spot I had frequently visited because it was close to the university. As I was sitting there after Mass the idea ran through my head to "take the risk." I realized that the reason I was holding back was because I was afraid to take the risk to follow God's call and enter the seminary. I had not put my trust in the Lord, and He let me know it with a loud knock! Saint Louis Marie de Montfort says very beautifully, "If we do not risk anything for God we will never do anything great for Him." Placing my trust in God, then, I took the plunge and applied to Saint John's Seminary for the Archdiocese of Boston. With the many prayers and support of friends and family, I found the courage to answer God's call - and have never looked back. by Jason Makos Archdiocese of Boston Class of 2005