Author: Alejandro Beltran

Whether you call it the kingdom of God, paradise, heaven, whatever you call it, the most name it could possibly have is “home”.

The seemed to be the idea that God has me stumbling over lately. It is mainly because of an idea I heard through a homily this week. The idea was derived from the statement that the kingdom of God is revealed through the small things.

I thought more about the small things in my life. How I never do the laundry at my house, or how I will never have to worry about food because there is always something to eat. The small things that I can safely find at home. It’s quite remarkable how my home is a glimpse of what heaven is like. I can see now why the CFC community is so driven to build the church of the home, because if our homes are heaven on earth, then it is a brilliant movement to grow it.

I can also see why my mom is always so concerned with maintaining the house in such an orderly manner. Our home, our family, it is heaven to her. She put everything into turning a mere building of brick and wood, into a place where I can feel safe, secure, loved; she made it into a place where I belong.

It breaks my heart knowing that I take her effort for granted. That all of the small things she does is not something I used to consider as an action of love. I realize this today: that pride has allowed me to turn a blind eye to the kingdom of God, allowing me to think that I deserve better than the grace God has given me.

To bring someone to Christ is the core of being a missionary.

These are the words that rang out to me today as I attended Mass. It was the entire message of Father’s homily, and I couldn’t have been more fortunate to be there with my fellow brothers in my household.

Today, I was reminded of the disciples of Jesus, and what their mission was. As a modern day disciple of Christ, my mission is no different than theirs. So many people around me, even in the community of CFC, still need to find a way back to Christ. Even I lose sight of Christ’s light as I go through life on a day to day basis.

An example of my struggle on the path to Christ today is just simply attending the Mass. A brother from the community invited me to go to Mass with them, and my head filled itself with reason to not go. I was astonished that I could tell myself not to go to Mass. Praise God for sending those brothers from the community that invited me to go because if it wasn’t for them, I probably would not have gone. By them going, I found myself feeling the responsibility of being a good example again and fueled my desire to go to Mass. I felt God tugging at the strings of my heart through these brothers, and it is that invitation that reminded me that I was exactly just like Peter today fishing on my boat and minding my own business, then I get personally invited by Jesus (through my brothers in Christ) to come and follow Him. Even to this day, it’s an invitation and not a demand that gets me to go to Mass.

With that said, I am curious on as to how God can use me to the same effect. I ask myself on as to how can I let God work through me to invite people back to Him. At the end of my though, I’m really asking God “How may I be of service?” I personally believe that is the question that I should be asking myself not just everyday , but through every interaction I go through in my day.

Called by name. What a statement it is to think about. Growing up in the community, I heard that quite a bit. Being called by name definitely gives it a personal touch, and the calling itself is something extraordinary.

It is simply astonishing how the act of God calling is a gathering force that unites us as children of God. Every single time Jesus preached. Thousands would gather in one place to hear what He had to say. It is no wonder that when 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, that He would be present among them. The call from God is a call to gather. A call to dwell in the presence of the loving Father whom longs for His children.

I was reminded of this as I went to Mass on Good Friday. I recall myself saying hello to so many people. My best friends, previous class mates, people in my community, all are gathered to witness the great love of God. I realized that everything God does is to unite us. Even in His death, we are called to gather to be loved.

Alejandro Beltran

I am extremely fond of movies, and I’m willing to bet that quite a lot of you are as well. The thing is, when I’m asked what my favorite movie is, I found myself rattling my brain for an answer. I think to myself “oooh, Avengers was the best action movie of all time! but I really liked Finding Nemo.” As it turns out, I have a favorite movie for pretty much every genre.

I pondered on my love of movies a bit more and asked myself as to why I like them so much. It comes down to one thing. I love good story telling. I wanted my imagination entertained. I wanted to experience what it’s like to be a super hero, or a fish father finding his son. I realized that watching, listening, experiencing stories is attached to my fundamental need to how to relate to life better.

Story telling is an amazing tool that Jesus used to help us relate to life better too! Jesus told parables, also known as basic story telling. Each and every single one of those stories helped me relate to every aspect of my life. An example is the Prodigal Son. Every time I hear that story, I play a little movie in my head where I’m the son that left the father. I feel the shame of returning empty handed, and I feel the love that my father has when I return.

Every story that I get to experience has a personal effect on me. Every story Jesus told, and even His life story, helped me personalize God’s love a bit more, and I hope it does for you guys too! I implore you guys to find your favorite parable Jesus told, and put yourself as the main character. More importantly, what is God trying to tell you through that story.

May God be Praised!
Alejandro Beltran
CFC-Youth Mission Volunteer