There are moments when everything seems in place, and I lift it up in a prayer of thanksgiving, but then things fall apart. Or there are times when I have complete faith that God will work things out, but nothing happens.

Simplicity, a virtue St. Vincent upheld, calls for transparency and truthfulness, focusing on pleasing God rather than others. It echoes the Jesuit motto ‘Ad majorem Dei gloriem’, which translates to ‘For the greater glory of God’.

Various situations and circumstances had led me to this moment, and looking back now, it remains the most regretful moment of my life.

In fact, many times I have gone before the Blessed Sacrament and prayed to God, “please show me a sign that you exist or give me some symbol to prove that you are there.”

How I wish to wipe my father’s tears, And hear his laughter roar across the seas.