They’re not the stereotype many people have in mind. They’re not stuck in the past, nor are they oblivious to the concerns of any young person today. Javi and Pablo, 27 and 29 years old, are priests, but they’re also passionate about football, Real Madrid, and the kind of guys you could pass on the street without noticing anything unusual… until you see their cassocks.

In a candid conversation for  Rebeldes Podcast , they both demystify what it means to give your life to God in a society focused on money and immediacy.

Is one born a priest or does one become one?

Far from falling from the sky, Javi and Pablo’s path is a story of human development. Javi, the third of five brothers, admits that his vocation was a “little seed” planted since his First Communion, which matured amidst football matches and a Christian life lived with complete naturalness. “I’ve never so perfectly aligned my desire with my freedom,” he confesses about his entry into the seminary.

For his part, Pablo, born in Mexico, had a vocational awakening that could well be a modern movie script:  it all started with a YouTube video.  “Come and follow me,” were the words that, like a thunderbolt, resonated within him at age 14 during a school retreat. “At first I was very scared; I thought: ‘What a drag, I have to call someone else!'” he recalls, laughing.

The courage to quit

The most sensitive point of the conversation comes when they talk about celibacy and life plans. Both acknowledge, with complete transparency, that they liked girls. “Of course I’ve liked girls, not just one, but many,” Javi admits.

The big question that hangs over the interview is how to manage leaving behind the possibility of having one’s own family. For both of them, the answer isn’t repression, but rather the pursuit of a greater love. Pablo is emphatic:  “What comes from God gives you peace .” That peace, he clarifies, isn’t the absence of struggle or fear in the face of renunciation, but the profound certainty of having chosen the path that fills the heart.

A necessary rebellion

Ultimately, the story of these young priests is an invitation to nonconformity. In a world that promotes an easy life, true “rebellion” seems to be selflessness. Their testimonies—which even include anecdotes of fathers who made secret vows before their children were born—are a reminder that, even in 2026, the extraordinary continues to happen in the everyday lives of those who dare to respond:  “Here I am . “