21 years ago, on the eve of Christ the King, I promised my life to the Lord in the Society of Jesus, taking my first vows as a religious. I was a fresh faced 23 year old.

21 years on, I’m surely older, perhaps wiser … at least, less naïve about myself, about the world around me, about the Church and the Society of Jesus. This year, I’m called to my final vows as a Jesuit (yes, it’s complicated!). Despite the many ways in which my journey has meandered, roads that I never planned on taking, and situations that I could not have foreseen, I don’t think I would want it any other way. Had I taken any other road, I wouldn’t have been where I am now.

Oh, and to celebrate, I decided to go for (another) 21k run. Can someone explain to that fresh faced 23 year old that his 44 year old self will actually enjoy running?

[First published on Instagram & Facebook on 23 November 2023]