Like me, my past brought me to where I am now. I remember when I was in the third Grade I became an altar server. It was because of my mother who asked me to respond to the invitation when she heard the announcement that our parish was in need of altar servers. That was the beginning of my journey as an altar server and I enjoyed being one. In fact, being an altar server was one of my cherished moments of my existence as a young boy. Every moment of my life was a new learning experience and discovering good things about God and the Church. That was also the beginning when I dreamed to become a priest someday. Now, I am a seminarian.
When I was in the fourth Grade, I joined the children’s choir for the first time and remained a member until I graduated elementary. Being a choir member was also a cherished moment of my life. It did not just develop the gift God has given me but also taught me to share it with others by joining different competitions. Because of that, I became a music band member when I was in high school. It helped me earn some money through singing and also became a means of gaining acquaintances through our public performances. Now, I am the one who is teaching the children’s choir in our seminary. Being with the children is like having a glimpse of my childhood. It reminds me of what I was and who I was when I was young. Aside from that, being with the children serves as a constant reminder for me of what I always should be and that is to be like them. As Jesus said, no one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless you become like a child (Matthew 18:13). This is how my past brought me to where I am now. I became what I was doing and it gave me a deeper perception of what I could be in the future.
Each in every one of us has different past experiences in life. It could be good or it could be bad. Because of our past, we sometimes run away from the truth of who we are and lose sight of what we can be in the future. Because of this, we are trapped in a cage of our own idealized self and dwell in the facades of self- pretentions.
Past is like a shadow behind our back. We cannot escape from its reality. But whatever our past is, it does not define our future. Our past is part of who we are and of what we can be in the future.