As a spiritual shepherd, my mission is to serve Christ through my sisters and brothers in this world. I am called to be true to my vocation, to Christ himself. My priesthood reflects that biblical leadership of shepherding. It belongs not exclusively to the clergy but to the whole people of God. Christ the Lord, High Priest taken from among men (Heb. 5:1-5) made a kingdom and priests to God his Father (Rev.1:6-8) out of their new people. By the same token, it reminds me of what Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, \"What we have learned from others becomes our own reflection.\" In the course of time, I have come to terms with people of all backgrounds and cultures. They have taught me how to shape that sense of vision and hope in me that has been significant in responding to their needs with sensitivity to the presence of God in cultures and other religious traditions. They have provided me with inspiration that, on my part, has generated reflections and even multiple mental pictures of what I mean by theology and ministry in the grassroots. | My Priestly Ministry by Mark Escobar, Paperback | Indigo Chapters