Author: Genny Boquiren

We met in the school year of 2000. I was a little girl who enjoyed playing with my friends during lunch break. One day, she joined my group of friends because she had a fight with her own group of friends. It was crazy because I had never known her or seen her before that, but little did I know that that day would mark the start of a beautiful friendship. What originally was a group of 6, came down to only the two of us as the years went by. We were in grade 4 at that time and up until we graduated high school, we were inseparable.

She stuck with me, I stuck with her even though we were complete opposites. I hated most of the things she liked, she almost always disapproved things I liked. People kept saying I was the nicer one but little do they know how much she’s taught me. She taught me a lot of things that I bring to this day.

The joy of the life giving friendship we have, I carry up to this day. Even though the last time I saw her was two years ago, or the last time I talked to her, I can’t even remember. But she has created such a great impact in my life. The Lord was really taking care of me through her. I valued friendships because she helped me see how fruitful they can be when you take care of people. I learned to accept myself because she showed me that I don’t have to change for us to be able to relate to each other. Even when she was struggling, she remained selfless and suffered silently. I learned a lot about patience because I saw how patient she was with me.

Indeed I am truly blessed for He has given me friendships that have given me life. Indeed I am truly blessed for He continues to give me friendships that give me life.

Lord, I adore You for You love me so greatly. Open my heart, help me to love like You.

Believe it or not, this whole reflection happened because I owed my friend $25.

There have been so many times when I felt really loved by the Lord because I felt Him provide for me. The absence of a firm relationship with God led me to my unbelief in providence but I didn’t believe in coincidences as well. Everything was just too good to pass up to chance but I couldn’t accept that Someone was in control of everything that’s happening. I was a mere passerby, grateful for what I’m receiving but not accepting that He is the one to thank.

As I grew deeper in my relationship with God, everything that I have, all that I had and all that I am, I know it’s all because of Him. All that I have and will receive is because of His love for me.

So I owed my friend $25. I was sad because it resulted to me having to take it from my monthly budget allotted for food. I was contemplating on whether I’d just account the $25 as an added expense and just withdraw another $25. I ended up just accepting that I’d have to spend less on food. The next day, after a work meeting, my boss said that she has a gift for all of us for all our hard work so far. Long story short, I received a $25 gift card from Tim Horton’s! How can I not believe that the Lord provides? He gave me no more, no less. I had Timmy’s food for a week and a half but I cherished every white choco macadamia cookie, yogurt with berries, bacon and egg muffin, and every sip of my green tea.

I started thinking of all the little things that reminded me of the Lord’s providence. As I dug deep through my memories, I couldn’t help but smile and thank the Lord all over again. Here are some of the things I remembered:

1. I was going to commute all the way from Delta to Burnaby for the RYC Victory Party. My co-worker and I shared about our plans after work then I found out she’s going to Burnaby two blocks away from Central Park! So I got a free ride YEY!
2. One time I left my earphones at home. I was so sad because at my old job, I’d get so sleepy when I start working on my projects. Then my boss randomly came up to me and gave me brand new earphones that he just got that day. YEY!
3. I was on the way home from work. I was very smart to base the weather on what the previous day’s weather was. But living in Vancouver, I should have known better. It was pouring and I battled the rain with flats on, no jacket and no umbrella. As I was impatiently waiting for the bus, a sister from my home chapter came up to me and shared her umbrella with me. Share an umbrella, win a friend. YEY!

Oh man, the Lord is so good to me. He knows my every need and provides for me all the time. His goodness will never be unknown to me anymore.

Lord, I steady my heart on the ground of Your goodness. You are the source of my joy. Amen.

I only long to glorify You. I only long to serve You. All that You have given me I give back to You. The crosses I have to bear, I gladly carry because I love You. The joy You give me, I gladly share as an expression of my gratitude to You. I wake up in the morning looking forward to lifting up my day to You. I lay at night, resting my head on You. Oh keeper of my heart, refuge of my soul. Allow me to rest and find peace and strength in You.

A little boy, maybe around the age of four, sat next to me. We both sat still as we adored Jesus Christ in His tiny house of gold.

A little while, another boy that looked like he was 6, entered the room. He put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, gestured for him to stand and move forward. The older one said, “We are going to pray, okay?” Obediently, the little one nodded as they both knelt. There I was, with a smile on my face and hope in my heart, praised the Lord in all His wonder and glory.

Two little girls, with flowery dresses and braided hair, ran past me. They stopped as they reached the end of the pews where the stoup was. The older girl dipped her fingers and did the sign of the cross. She then turned to her little sister and said, “It’s your turn.” Obediently, the little one did the same. There I was, with a smile on my face and hope in my heart, praised the Lord in all His wonder and glory.

“And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7

It made me smile because my heart rejoiced in the beauty that I witnessed. The simplicity and innocence of little children, evangelizing to their younger siblings, is a characteristic that I must have. It made me smile because it reminded me of the people I have in my life who live lives of prayer and who evangelize simply by living in the truth, goodness and beauty of God.

It filled my heart with hope for the future and hope in my mission. God’s love is forever, God’s love cannot be unknown. Even little children kneel down before Him. I am called to continue the mission He gave the apostles. The Lord has loved me so much and I wish to share my life only to draw people to the One who moves me. Whatever vocation the Lord calls me to, I am called to live in such a way that is pleasing to Him.

Mother Mary, I ask for your prayers to be made worthy of the promises of Christ.  Amen.

My schedule for the month of May is packed. It’s awesome to see my Google Calendar so colourful lol. Praise God for He fills my days with so many ways that I can glorify Him.

Unexpectedly, last Thursday freed up. And with the amount of things on my plate, I tried to move things around so I can get some of my tasks done. But none worked out. I started to feel uneasy because it was unusual for me to have a free day.

On the way home, I bumped into a sister from my home chapter. We ended up hanging out. It was very humbling to get to know someone I only met a few months ago, someone 10 years younger than I am, and someone so passionate to grow in her faith. Then when I got home, I talked to another sister on Facebook chat. We had good times, started to confide in each other and just talked about how we’re both doing. And to top off the evening, I ended up talking to my two younger sisters.

It’s sad how I can get so caught up with the many things I have to do that I tend to forget the things that matter the most. I love the moments when my sisters would come to my room, sit on my bed, munch on my snacks, make fun of each other, and just be silly together. But I especially love the moments when we would talk about how we’re doing, what’s happening in our lives, be the support the other needs, and just simply get to know each other more.

I felt like the Lord was telling me to find time for things that matter. And when I wasn’t able to do that, He Himself cleared everything for me. It’s funny how I tried to fill my day and tried to make things work but I’m glad He remained firm because it truly brought me joy.

Dear Lord, you truly know what I need. Thank You for reminding me in times when I forget or in times when I can get so caught up with things I have to do. Thank You for the love You’ve allowed me to feel through the sisters in this community. Most especially, thank You for my best friends. Virgin most prudent, I ask for your prayers. Amen.

Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.’ – John 6:26

I have only found meaning and purpose in my life when I started loving Jesus back. He was always the one that took the backseat in my life. I was scared to disappoint the world because the world can be unforgiving. I know that Jesus would love me no matter what.

But love isn’t one-sided.

He shouldn’t be the only one hurting. I should be aching, longing, thirsting, yearning, and ceaselessly reaching for Him. It’s so easy to take the Lord for granted. It’s so easy for my frailty to take advantage of His strength. And what’s unbelievable is that He allows me to. He gave me the freedom to choose Him or not, to follow Him or not. He is so willing to get hurt by allowing me to make mistakes so that I may realize that truly a life without Him is an empty life. He puts Himself on the line. He gambles so much, while I stay on the safe side, governed by comfort.

Yet everyday He renews me.

He takes my heart, cleanses it and gives it back to me saying, “Go Genny, go out into the world and love Me. The world will taint your heart and you will allow it but nothing will ever stop Me from waiting for you. I made you for Myself and you will always come to Me. Don’t get tired of coming home. Allow Me to fill you again.”

My life has drastically changed. Not too long ago, praying wasn’t something I thought of doing when I was caught in a rut, when I was extremely happy, every morning and every night. If I ask someone for advice and they don’t give me any except, “I’ll pray for you”, chances are, I never asked that person again.

For the longest time, I didn’t know I was missing my now greatest treasure on earth.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  – Matthew 6:21

I find that prayer not only brings me closer to God, it also brings me closer to the people He’s given me. When I got hired at my new job, the first thing I wanted to do was go to Adoration. So later that night, I went. It was such a blessing because my mom came with me. On the way home, we talked about how thankful I was for the many blessings I have received. The whole job application process was such a joy despite the anxiety because a lot of the people I really treasure kept following up with me and telling me that they’re praying for me. My heart was overflowing with love! Then she told me a story.

My parents were chain smokers when they had me. That resulted to me being in the hospital diagnosed with asthma when I was a baby. I spent a long time confined because I wasn’t getting better. My parents, being in the community already at that time, asked their household and a bunch of other people to pray for me. After that, I was released from the hospital and my parents never smoked again. The power of prayer!

It made me realize that people have been praying for me even when I didn’t know what prayer was. It made me realize how much people love me that they would go to the Father and ask Him to send graces upon me. Everyday, I know that I am able to go through whatever comes my way because I believe that I am loved. I believe that the blessings I have are not of my own effort, but by the Grace of God that the people I love so willingly ask for for me.

My Father, grant me the grace to have a heart for prayer. Help me treasure only the things that will bring me to Heaven. Mother Mary, most prayerful, bestow upon me the graces entrusted to you. Amen.