Author: Anton Brosas

I have been affirmed in my journey that every person matters. Every relationship matters. The brotherhood matters. The sisterhood matters. Relationships make the community what it is. We experience Christ personally through our relationships. When we make ourselves vulnerable and open to each other, we are inviting Christ to love us through each other’s words and deeds. When we share our hardships, we allow God to comfort us with words of affirmation. When we share our weaknesses, we allow God to correct us and show us a better way.

Praise God for all the people I have encountered thus far in my journey. Without you, I would not have a fruitful and meaningful relationship with the Lord. Without you, I would not know Christ’s love personally.

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. – Philippians 1:3-5

 

I thank God for the opportunity to move forward with Christ alongside these brothers and sisters.  I am affirmed of the anointing that this ministry has but also the anointing of these brothers and sisters as God’s musicians! Praise God for Emanuel Aquino, Keana Barrios, Jason Diala, Peter Byun, Nathan Guevara, Jeff Dejos, Rudolf Cagalawan and my awesome counterpart, Ellish Talacca!

I had the opportunity to reflect on the Psalm of the day to prepare my heart for NALS. Each day, I felt like God was taking my hand and leading me to discover the depths of His love for me. This wasn’t defined by how long my reflections were or how intricate they were. Instead, my reflections became more simple and filled with truth, that is, God is love and we were created to experience His love.

God’s love is simple, wholesome and everlasting. When we acknowledge God in our journey, it is easier to see His hand in our every day life. If we can do that, then everyday is an opportunity for us to move forward in our relationship with Him. His Love becomes more personal and more real.

Thank you to the Music Min of NALS for allowing me to experience a fraction of God’s deep love for me. The Daily Reflections we did affirmed His love for me and opened my heart to receiving more of Him!

What decision will make God #1?

I’ve been reflecting on a lot on how I can make God #1 in my life. After all, I am called to love, honour and serve Him above all else. What everyday decisions am I faced with that will allow me to make Him first in my life?

It’s important for me to recognize that God is calling me to do little things with great love Great Love. Being and bringing Christ is not limited to selling all my possessions and following Him. It encompasses being selfless in every act. Opening the door for someone, paying for someone’s coffee, picking up garbage… it’s just about following in the footsteps of Mother Theresa and St. Therese of Lisieux.

When I do little things with Great Love I am placing Jesus at the forefront of my actions. I am literally bringing Him in whatever I do. I believe that this is how all of us are being called to make Him #1.

 

I had Thanksgiving dinner with my family yesterday. With most of my cousins out of town, it was a small immediate family dinner. We shared a lot of laughs, caught up on each others lives and enjoyed each others presence.

My dad was coming home from a Benedictine Oblates retreat in the States. Dinner was ready by 7:00pm and we were expecting him to arrive shortly after. He didn’t arrive for a while so we ended up playing Scrabble and just talking amongst each other. I was reminded of my childhood and how my dad’s work required him to travel to the states regularly. He wouldn’t come home until 9pm sometimes but no matter what, we would wait for him before we had dinner.

Sometimes I’m not home to have dinner with my parents anymore. When waiting for my dad to come home last night, it reminded me of how important it is to be with family. A meal is best shared with the people you love. I know that a Thanksgiving meal would not be the same without my Dad present. In the same way, any meal is not the same if not all members are present.

I belong to a different parish than my parents. We actively serve our parish but in hindsight, I think this separation may be limiting us from experiencing the fruits of participating in The Feast together. I believe God is calling me to make more of an effort to be present with my family during day-to-day meals and Sunday Banquets.

Thank You, God for revealing to me the importance of family and each member’s presence. May I never forget this and may you give me the grace to follow through without delay.

 

Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church…

St. Thomas Aquinas says that in order for the merits of the Passion of Christ to be applied to us, we need to bear the trials that God sends us, so we can become like Christ. The CCC teaches that every offense we make entails a duty of reparation, even if the sin has been forgiven. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past and need to restore the balance disturbed by these mistakes.

It first starts with a conversion of heart. If I am not truly sorry for my sins, then what is stopping me from doing it again? Very often I can be tied down by habitual sin (known as vices). However, once my heart truly repents and humbly admits the mistake made, avoids it with a sincere heart and conviction, only then is my search for forgiveness authentic.

Seeking forgiveness comes naturally after a conversion of heart. I ask forgiveness from the Lord and the people I have offended. And because of my conversion of heart, my sorrow is genuine.

Through God’s mercy, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I am forgiven. God’s love is limitless and faithful. When a person I have offended can forgive me the way God forgives me, no matter the magnitude of hurt done, I feel very unworthy but blessed to know that I am forgiven. In fact, this forgiveness propels me, in my already converted heart, to avoid that sin.

However, it doesn’t end there. The imbalance that was created due to my mistakes needs to be restored. And this is where patience, humility and agape love need to be at the forefront. These outward and concrete signs of God’s love need to be present in every interaction with the people I have offended. It is through a consistent out pour of God’s love that His Holy Spirit can heal the brokenness caused by my mistakes. It may take days, weeks, months, or years to make reparations for what I have done, but because of my conversion of heart, I am willing to do whatever it takes.

When I apply these principles in my life, I can begin to see a glimpse of how God feels when we offend Him. I can only imagine how many nails I have hammered to His hands and feet. Every time we hurt our brothers and sisters, we offend God as well. We often think that our reparation for sins only comes in purgatory or through an Act of Penance but I believe that there is no time like the present to make conscious acts to rebuild what was broken and to restore the wounds.

Thank God for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Praise God for His forgiveness, love and fountain of grace. It is through His example that I can forgive and persevere in making reparations for my sins. A true sign of heartfelt and earnest sorrow is an unwavering conviction of making what was wrong right.

Today is October 1. I’ve almost reached 2 years of employment with work. I thank God for the experiences, lessons and professional development I’ve obtained through my position. Despite only 6 employees within the company, it is large enough that I’m guaranteed 40 hours a week and have very fair compensation but small enough that I have a diverse set of work and am rarely disengaged. I am extremely grateful for the flexibility in my work schedule and for an understanding boss, who gave me time off to go to Hawaii (10 days), ILC (21 days), and WTNC (9 days) within a span of 8 months.

Today is the Memorial of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. I’m thankful for her example and child-like attitude in being holy. She reminds me that “holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be.” For me, that’s just it. My attitude has changed from doing my own thing to doing God’s will. I think it’s not just my attitude but my posture and more importantly, my heart. It’s easier said than done but I know for sure that I’m more open to doing God’s will than I ever was before.

Today marks the month of deliberations for Mission Volunteers. This entire year has been a roller coaster. But one thing is for sure – the Mission Volunteer program has helped me in every aspect of my life. It has helped me grow in love with the community, learn how to better love my family and loved ones, how to be a better witness at my workplace and most importantly, has helped me deepen my relationship with the Lord.

Every bit of me is anxious of the outcome of this month for the MVs. But if I can recognize God’s hand in my life every day, I have nothing to worry about. Today was a huge blessing. Tomorrow will be too.

Lately, I have been lacking a sense of sincerity and vulnerability in my prayers. I say my daily prayers and offer myself and my day to the Lord, but I do it out of habit or because I know I ought to do it.

Then I am reminded of Hosea 6:6:

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burn offerings.”

I feel like God is reminding me that I need to love Him with all my heart, soul, strength and mind. Any sacrifices, big or small, that I make mean nothing unless I do them out of love. It’s very easy for me to convince myself that it’s okay to hold back in prayer or to only do it when it’s convenient because I make service (an output) be a way of loving God. As true as this sounds, I think God wants more than just our deeds. He wants us. He wants our hearts.

I thank God for reminding me that service is always an outpouring of love, a response to being loved. I can only give what I receive.  And I can only receive when I empty myself.

Lord, I empty myself because I want to be filled with your love. I want to experience your love personally. Help me to serve others because I am in love with You.