The Holy Family with dog (1645-1650), Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Last weekend (I am posting this entry extremely late. I’ve been editing this for almost a month now haha.) I attended my first Singles For Christ True North Conference in Winnipeg, MB. I was a little bit nervous about going because the workshop titles and descriptions led me to believe that the entire event was going to be about love, but not the type of love that I was used to hearing about in CFC-Youth. And so, I felt oddly disarmed, travelling to a gathering with this “expected” theme of marriage and courtship because I didn’t know much about either. The only things I knew about either were from observing my parents’ or CCs’ marriages, reading a few blog posts here, watching a few videos there, reading about it in the CCC, attending an SFC GA Q&A about the subject, and from personal conversations with the Lord.
Even though I admit I don’t know much about it, over the past few years I’ve come to believe that God is calling me to marriage. For now, the details of this are things I wish to keep in my own heart, but although there is this growing desire for marriage, I’ve never felt it was right for me to boldly claim this on my own. I still believe that God is continuing to unfold the deeper layers of my heart. As He reveals to me the beauty of being married and having a family, I still find myself, from time to time, imagining the glow of religious life and a life of single-blessedness, none of which would ever be too far fetch for God to will for any person.
Anyway, in relation to this conference, I really don’t believe that I thought that this conference was going to force me to confidently know that marriage was the vocation God was calling me to. I think, overall, my main concern was protecting the desires God had instilled in my heart. I wanted to ensure that when I chose a vocation that I was sincerely doing God’s will. I’ve always been afraid of making the mistake of jumping the gun and going with what is the traditional, societal expectation of women — you know, grow up and get married and that’s it. I’ve always dreamt about doing God’s will and only that.
Although I had my concerns about attending this conference, I’m very eager to share that I am extremely blessed that I went. Whatever concerns that I had regarding my vocation in the future, God has reminded me once again about living in the present and serving as a vessel of His love now. It’s funny but rarely anything I heard at conference was specific to marriage or any vocation. Even the workshop I attended was a panel of sharers from different vocations. This conference really helped me focus on the vocation that I’m currently called to — I am a single person called to love my family and one of the ways I can do that is by continuing to be active in this community of Couples For Christ.
For all those who attended this conference, I think the vast majority of us can agree that it was exactly what we needed. Everything we experienced was exactly what our hearts were longing to absorb. This conference was exactly where we needed to be at this specific point in our lives. Session after session, share after share, we journeyed together in seeing the sad reality that God’s plan for the family is being so attacked, sometimes to the extent that we have become incredibly desensitized to it. But God, the ultimate Physician, the Healer of every hurt that hits our families, has blessed the family with the community of Couples For Christ, whereby all or just one member of the family is a part of it.
For those of us who sat amongst the crowd, we witnessed, heard, and cried many tears alongside our brothers and sisters who courageously shared their stories. God’s goodness and providence shined through all of the tears like the sun after a heavy rain storm. And I think it’s important that I mustn’t forget that all of these men and women who shared their lives are members of this community. In their experience, they all have had the support of the household, the prayers of the community, and are given talks and teachings that are aligned with the Catechism of the Catholic Church in regards to family, life, marriage, sacraments, and service. These are just a few of the things that are a part of this community’s culture and the Holy Spirit is in all of it, spreading through it like wildfire. As a result families are being healed, changed, and transformed. Couples For Christ and all of its family ministries are blessed and I personally feel this greater call to share it.
I’ve had fears about inviting people to join the SFC CLP because I was scared that my friends would think weirdly of it because it is out of the “regular norm” to be part of a Catholic charismatic community. I was afraid that they didn’t want to be associated with so many Filipinos haha, and many other things, but all those fears are nonsense because none of them matter. What matters most is that people honour, serve, and love God with their own free will despite all the things that tempt them to say no to His call. My fears don’t amount to how God can really transform a person’s life, their families, the societies that they live in, the world. If I truly love those around me, then I shouldn’t withhold these people from encountering and experiencing Christ. Likewise, I must continue to pray for my own family to come back to this community or at least have service to God as a way of life.
And so I pray:
For myself and all of the CFC-Youth and SFCs in the True North, and all the members of the Couples For Christ family ministries, that we may all be a source of unity in our families and that we may boldly invite more people to be a part of this Spirit-led community. Amen.
Holy Family, pray for us.
St. Theresa, Blessed Louie Martin, Zelie Martin, pray for us.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam. God bless. <3
