MIRACLES ON MY ROAD TO PRIESTHOOD | KAIROS GLOBAL | AUGUST 2023

Author: Fr Jitto Kunnath SDB

Intro: Fr Jitto Kunnath SDB writes about a miracle that took place in his family that spurred his desire for priesthood.

‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ These words of Jesus mark the beginning of a history that enabled the transformation of humankind. And I am so happy to be a part of that history. Every child who chooses to serve at the altar of the Lord desires that one day, it would be possible to raise the sacred Body and Blood of Jesus at that holy altar! Having realised that desire, I walked into the vocation camp conducted by the diocese of Thrissur in Kerala (India), even though my loving father was not keen to allow his eldest son, who was supposed to be the strength and support of the family, to the priestly ministry. 

On the second day of the camp, something happened at home that I do not wish to keep in my memory. My mother had a fall and sustained a severe head injury and lost her memory. Nobody informed me, and I continued the camp completely oblivious to what had happened. The news was waiting for me when I finally reached home filled with the joy of being selected. As I reached the room where my mother was lying, I was bursting with joy to tell her that I would be becoming a priest. When I held out the certificate to my mother with great anticipation, her question came as a stinging slap, ‘Who are you, my son?’ When my father came and hugged me from behind, explaining my mother’s condition, my heart was full of pain that a tenth grader could not bear. I still remember standing in front of the crucifix with tears rolling down and tearing up that certificate. Even though we took her to different hospitals, it did not bring any desired result. The only resort was to submit to the Lord in humble prayer. 

In the book of Jeremiah, we read, ‘I have a plan for you, not for your destruction but for your welfare’. After seven months of fervent prayers by my father and the entire family, one day, she showed positive signs of recalling past events. Gradually began the road to regaining her memory completely. Praise be Jesus! The cause and the beginning of my transformation is this: if the simple prayers of a normal family are heard by the Lord, how much more would he listen to the prayers of a priest who daily raises the Body and Blood of Jesus at the holy altar? And thus, after my higher secondary studies, I entered the Salesian seminary as an aspirant. The book of Sirach tells us, ‘My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing’. It was not an easy task to go through seminary training. However, even in the midst of troubles and temptations, the reassuring presence of the Lord was very much felt. Today, I see those days as preparation for the process of being converted from water into wine (John 2), a process that I still undergo.

Everyone has moments in their life that motivate them to follow a path or to focus on something. It was during my college period that Ajna George, who I am sure you know from social media, came into our lives as an inspiration to go deeper in our devotion to the Holy Eucharist. When we gathered for Jesus Youth prayer meetings, Ajna taught us to experience Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to share the Lord with others; a young saint, who never failed to bring the joy of the Lord to whomever she met. The most painful cancer could never stop her from receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament nor wipe away the cheerfulness from her face, even in insufferable pain. The inspiration from Ajna was manifested in all of us to experience Jesus deeply in our heart. Therefore, my intensive preparation for priestly ordination was filled with the insistence that I should personally experience the Lord before he allowed me to raise his Body and Blood at the holy altar. 

Then came the day of ordination. It was an indescribable experience in my life, and the beginning of many other encounters. I remember walking towards the altar and fixing my eyes on the crucifix. There I felt the reassuring presence of the Lord, with a voice whispering, ‘I am there for you’. And when the bishop laid his hands on my head, I could not hold back my tears as an unworthy heart was enveloped in the perfect love of the Lord. ‘To begin to say Mass is to begin to suffer,’ says Don Bosco. Yes, I must learn to suffer for the salvation of souls. I must learn to take them to the Eucharistic Lord. Because today, he has anointed me as his own. How much more does he listen to the prayers of his anointed one! Yes, in the days that followed, I felt it becoming a reality in my life. There was always an answer from the Lord for each petition that was offered at the altar.

After my ordination, I was appointed assistant parish priest at Kanakamala St Thomas Mount, a pilgrim centre in Kerala. One day, a friend of mine came, asking me to pray for him and his spouse. Not too many months after their marriage, they were unable to handle their situation and were intent on a divorce. But before resorting to that, my friend needed an answer. I said that I could only assure him of my prayers during the Holy Eucharist. After a week, one day during the Eucharistic celebration in the chapel on the Mount, while praying for them during the consecration, tears started flowing from my eyes. I was sure of an answer that day. Coming down from the Mount and reaching my room, I saw a missed call notification from him. When I called back, I heard that they had decided to live together. They now have a child, whom I have been happy and fortunate to baptise. 

Any petition brought to the altar during the Holy Eucharist, will never go unheard, because ‘This is the bread that comes down from heaven’. Let each Eucharistic celebration be a meaningful banquet of love where we experience the steadfast mercy of the Lord. He assumed our human nature, restored us from our fallen state, and brought us from death to eternal life. Forgiving our debts, he sanctified us sinners, enlightened our minds, defeated our enemies, and glorified our frail nature through his immense grace by giving his Body and Blood. 

Thank you, Lord, for this indescribable gift.

Fr Jitto Kunnath SDB currently serves as the Asst. Director of BREADS, the social service department of the Salesian province of Bangalore, India.