It is almost a year now since our first 3-day backpacking and camping trip to Yoho National Park. We were so excited planning and preparing as it was our first time doing it. We readied our hiker bags, tent, water bags, hiking poles, sleeping bags, food and drinks – you name it! We tried to pack all the necessary things that we will need in our 3 days journey.

There were 4 of us who went. We were all geared up with our appropriate hiking wear and tools. We had our hiking poles with us giving us a push when going up a steep climb and giving us support walking down the slope especially with the heavy loads we have on our back. We relied on map and signs on the trail to lead us to our destination. We had stops for snacks and water, bowel and bladder break, or quickly catch a breath from the steep hike. It was tiring but more so fun especially with the company that we had. The stories, insights about life, and just silly/non-sense conversations kept us going in our journey. When one of us is having difficulty with the load we carry, we took turns in helping out carry the heavy load or we all just rest for a moment. And we enjoyed, ate, played games, shared stories, and rested in preparation for the following day’s hike.

I thought I was all prepared. It turned out I forgot to bring multivitamins and some fruits that will help replenish potassium that I was losing from the hike but most especially because I was also taking a pill that is supposed to make me urinate a lot. On our 2nd day of hike with still about an hour to the peak, I was giving up. I was feeling very weak. I felt numb to my extremities. I knew something was wrong and I was not feeling very well. I stopped and literally just dropped my body to the ground and rested for a while. All that I needed in that moment was a miracle or I would have died. I prayed for strength to be able to make it to the next camp site. I prayed that hopefully we’ll meet hikers along the way who could help us. I prayed that when we reach the next destination our neighboring campers would have fruits or multivitamins that they could spare some to me. I was praying for a miracle.

My friends continued to encourage me to walk. They helped me carry some of my load. So I stood up and continued walking to the peak. The boost from my friends helped a lot for me to reach the peak. And behold, at the peak, was the site of a piece of banana on top of a stone pillar. We were all jumping for joy! It was a miracle! Along with our jumping and rejoicing was the snow falling from the skies. It reminded us of the scene from Exodus when the Israelites rejoiced when manna fell down from the heavens to satisfy their hunger! The banana was my manna from heaven. I slowly ate the banana and appreciated how precious that fruit was. I felt the difference in my body right away. I knew the potassium in my body got replenished. I was able to push till the end of our journey. I have experienced a miracle!

Every time I look back on that backpacking at Yoho, I am reminded of Session 10 of the Christian Life Program of CFC Singles for Christ, which is the talk about “Growing in the Holy Spirit.” I am reminded of the 5 spokes of the wheel, which are the tools to help us truly live a Spirit-filled Christian life.

Prayer. Scripture. Sacraments. Fellowship. Service.

Prayers are hiking poles giving us a push when things are getting difficult and giving us support when we feel pressed by the heavy loads we carry. Scripture is the map and signs on the trail that gives us the right direction in our journey towards life with Christ. Fellowship is the presence of our friends, brothers and sisters, family and the community that support us and journey with us. Service is when we help our brothers and sisters carry their loads when times get overwhelming. Sacraments are the food for our soul. The Holy Eucharist is the living body and blood of Christ that will sustain us as we journey towards life eternal in heaven.

To me personally, the miracle of the banana from heaven will be a constant reminder to partake of my most essential need – The Holy Eucharist.

“Tantum Ergo”

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! oe’r ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who reigns on high
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen.

R. Thou hast given them bread from heaven.
V. Having within it all sweetness.

Let us pray: O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament left us a memorial of Thy Passion: grant, we implore Thee, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, as always to be conscious of the fruit of Thy Redemption. Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever.

Amen.

This month marks my 7th year in Singles for Christ. I attended my Christian Life Program in the Spring of 2010 and had my Dedication on May 2010.

Last Saturday at the Christian Life Program while giving Talk 9: Receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to somehow look back on the journey that I had with the Lord through Singles for Christ and how He used His gifts, in my case the gift of singing, to bring me closer to Him.

Before there was SFC, I have already been serving in the Church through singing in the choir. The Lord has gifted me talent in singing and that has been my passion. I remember during my university years, I would never skip a practice on both Church choir and College choir even when I am busy in my Nursing studies. The choir was my safe haven. It was also my avenue where I tried to give back to the Lord the best that I can in gratitude to all His countless blessings.

Back when I used to live in Manila during my University years, my neighbor who was a member of Singles for Christ has been inviting me to join the Christian Life Program, which I had refused to go to due to my busy schedule and wrong perception of SFC as a non-Catholic religion. We have another neighbor just across our apartment, who would let his Born Again church mates use his garage for their Sunday worship. They would sing songs, raise or clap their hands, cry out loud or some times utter loud meaningless sounds. And I hated it. I said to myself that I would never do such crazy things.

Then came February 2010. Our family had to migrate to Canada as planned by our parents after my Mom was able to get her permanent resident status. The first month was exciting. Being in a new place, experiencing snow for the first time, and reuniting with mom somehow eased the sadness of leaving the Philippines. After a month, the home-sickness came in. I missed the place where 21 years of my life was spent. I missed my Grand mom and Auntie who took care of me from when I was a baby till I became a man. I missed my friends. I missed the things I used to do and enjoy. One of which was singing in the choir.

One Sunday after attending the Mass, I approached a member of the Choir to inquire about joining. She gladly welcomed me and introduced me to the rest of the Choir and told me that there was actually a Christian Life Program that has just started 2 weeks ago and invited me to come to it first then I can join the choir after I finish the program. The person that I approached was a member of Singles for Christ. How funny it was when the invitation that I had always refused came into realization here in Canada! I joined the CLP and became a member of Singles for Christ. The crazy things that I told myself I will never do are the things that I am not anymore ashamed to do. I became crazy in love with the Lord!

The Lord has used my passion, the gift of singing, to bring me to Singles for Christ. He has brought me into a personal relationship with Him. What I thought was a non-Catholic religion was actually one that enriched my Catholic faith even more. I have embraced the Catholic faith more than I have ever embraced it before!

I served in the Music Ministry as one of the vocalists. Every worship or praise was a life-giving experience.

It was not all perfect life in SFC. I had my challenges and struggles too. There was one point when I felt so desolate, spiritually dry and so far from the Lord. And it was the gift of singing that the Lord has used to bring me back to Him. It happened when I was asked on the spot to help with music in the CLP as no guitarist was available to play music. As I was teaching and playing the song, I had to encourage and give the participants some pointers on how to worship. Knowing that I was spiritually dry that time and yet speaking those words of encouragement to worship our Lord and surrender, it all hit me. Those words were all meant for me. From then on I knew what has kept me in Singles for Christ. It is the encounter with the Lord in every worship, in every song we sing.

Our Lord is ever-generous! He freely gives us gifts. In fact he has given us His only Son for our salvation. He continues to give us gifts through the Holy Spirit. These gifts are going to bring us closer to God. Let us wholeheartedly accept them!

My hope is built in You Lord

There is nothing more I want

And I find my joy in Your grace

I desire to remain in Your arms

We were driving on our way back home from our recent mission from Fort McMurray. With 2 hours more to drive at around 10:30 at night, the gas gauge showed only 3 bars left of our gasoline. I was pushing and trying to stay positive that our gas will last us to Red Deer, which is 30 minutes away.

I was rushing. I was trying to stay cool and calm but deep within me I was worried. I knew I was running out of fuel. I kept pushing. Then suddenly, a deer appeared trying to cross the road. It was a near miss. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest! Praise God, we were safe!

We continued driving and very timely, when the gauge flashed only a bar left of our gas, there was a gasoline station 5 minutes away. It was on the exit just right after where we nearly collided with a deer. We proceeded and filled up our tank. It was such a relief! We prayed the Holy Rosary as we headed our way back to Calgary.

“That was a God moment!,” the two of us agreed. The deer that we almost hit was a sign of God telling: “Slow down. There is a station near. Go and fill up your tank. Relax. I am taking care of everything.”

In our busy lives, we tend to always rush and try to accomplish things in such a short span of time. We are always on the go. We always push ourselves to keep up with time – this world’s time.

We push ourselves to the limits, at times to an extreme that we have nothing really left to give. We have emptied our tanks.

In our pursuit of Christ, there are pit stops where we can stop for a while and re-fuel ourselves.

There is a lot of work to do for God, that is a reality. But the ultimate truth is that: there is God that does pretty much everything of this work that was entrusted to us!

So relax, take time, and savor every encounter of God while we pursue Him. We have to remind ourselves again that before we even started pursuing Him, He has pursued us first and He will keep pursuing us.

God created us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows everything! He knows that we get tired too. That is why He keeps providing us with a resting place to return to whenever we are tired and weary. That resting place is in His loving arms!

Whenever we run out of fuel, let us return to Him, who is our unlimited source of strength. He is the Living Water that will quench our deepest thirst. He is the Living Bread that will forever satisfy our hunger.

He is God.

Here is an inspiring song from Himig Heswita entitled: “How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place.”

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord mighty God, Lord of all

___

Even the lowly sparrow finds a home for her brood

And the swallow a nest for herself

Where she may lay here young

In your altars my king and my God

___

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord mighty God, Lord of all

___

Blessed are they whose dwelling Is Your own Lord of peace

Blest are they refreshed by springs and by rain

When dryness daunts and scathes

Behold my shield My king and my God!

___

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord mighty God, Lord of all

___

I would forsake a thousand other days anywhere

If I could spend one day in Your courts

Belong to you alone

My strength are You alone

My glory, my king and my God!

___

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord mighty God, Lord of all

Lately, have you filled up your tank?

I have recently visited one of my lower household in my unit. They had the household topic of “When Helplessness Means Blessedness.”

There is the reality that each of us has a cross to carry.

It was a moment of re-affirmation and reassurance for all of us. We were reminded again of the reality and significance of the cross in our lives especially in our Christian faith. There is the reality that each of us has a cross to carry. It could be temporary or will last a lifetime until we reach our ultimate goal, which is heaven. There is the lesson that Jesus is continually teaching us: to embrace our cross for it will lead us to our salvation.

We have our brothers and sisters, also carrying their cross, walking with us and striving to reach the same destination.

It gives comfort knowing that I am not alone. It is not that I am happy to know that my brothers have crosses, sufferings or problems too. I hope and pray that they are always okay and unburdened. But the cross is a reality of life and it gives so much hope and reassurance to all of us that we are not journeying alone in this life, this path to heaven. We have our brothers and sisters, also carrying their cross, walking with us and striving to reach the same destination.

Jesus, in His way to purchase our salvation, has shown us the perfect example of embracing the cross.

Jesus, in His way to purchase our salvation, has shown us the perfect example of embracing the cross. Human as we are, we feel the pain and burden. With the hedonistic culture of the world, we have focused so much in search of what can make us feel happy, what can make us always feel good. Worst of it all, we settle to temporary escape from our crosses. Jesus endured the way of the cross until the end to save us. The Lord had fallen three times to the ground and still rose up. We are to face our crosses. We are to embrace them. We will fall. Yes, many times we will fall but we have to stand up.

God humbled himself by accepting help from others. We have to ask for the grace of true humility.

Also, we have to remind ourselves that it is okay to ask or receive help. Most of the times, we tend to just keep our struggles to ourselves as we don’t want to burden others of our load and worse is feeding our pride telling ourselves we don’t need other’s help. Jesus, in the way of the cross, accepted the help of Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross and let Veronica wipe His face. God humbled himself by accepting help from others. We have to ask for the grace of true humility. We can not journey in this earthly life alone. We are to help one another. We are made for communion.

As true Christians following Jesus’ example, we should embrace the cross.

Most of the times when we pray, we thank the Lord for all the good things he has done for us. We too have to be thankful for the crosses that we have. As true Christians following Jesus’ example, we should embrace the cross. Let us regard every challenges, struggles or problems as a blessing from the Lord. Let us face and embrace them and take that difficult and dark moment as our share to our Lord’s suffering in the cross.

“We adore Thee, O Christ, and bless Thee.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.”

Amen.