Author: Lara Silla

With summer nearly over, I’d like to share with you one of my simple (yet ironically complicated) joys:

Construction

Yes I know, I’m probably crazy but seeing and being involved in construction, whether it’s road or structures, brings me a lot of joy. This simple joy came about after being put in the middle of road construction for a majority of my university co-op terms. The knowledge, insight, and awesome (not) farmer’s tan that I took away from the experiences are things I’ve come to value.

Before my co-op terms, I could say I took construction for granted. It wasn’t until my work terms that I learned that there are sewer (sanitary and storm) and water pipes installed under the road. With the exception of the water main, the pipes are gravity-driven and have to be sloped at a specific percentage in order for the fluid (whether it’s storm water or wastewater) to flow properly to its final destination, either a stormwater management facility (aka pond) or a wastewater treatment plant. If you think about it, there are so many kilometers of pipe under our roads that all have a design and destination. Even with roads and sidewalks, they have to be sloped a certain way to ensure the water flows to the catch basins and doesn’t create unnecessary puddles.

Now that I’m given the opportunity to design these pipes and roads as a project engineer, I realize that every little thing has to be thought of prior to construction; everything has to be given a specific purpose and design. Things aren’t left up to chance and workers and designers don’t just “wing it” for the sake of the public’s safety.

What amazes me and brings me joy is that construction reminds me of God. Everything that we can touch, everything that we see has the indelible mark of God on it. Just like how bricks are laid one by one by the hand of the worker, every single atom that exists has been designed, touched, and carefully placed by our Creator.

“All creatures that exist are in the hands of God. The action of the creature can only be perceived by the senses, but faith sees in all things the action of the Creator. It believes that in Jesus Christ all things live, and that his divine operation continues to the end of time, embracing the passing moment and the smallest created atom in its hidden life and mysterious action. The action of the creature is a veil which covers the profound mysteries of the divine operation.” – Jean-Pierre de Causs

A lot of the time, however, things don’t always go as planned. More often times than not, it is because of miscommunication. People interpret things differently and if confusion is not cleared up, roads, for example, could be constructed too wide or with insufficient slope. With our faith life, I am constantly reminded of the importance of communication with the Ultimate Engineer.

During my confession a few weeks ago, Father reminded me of something very important, something I always seem to forget: What God desires from our prayer is not success, but faithfulness. The first fruit of prayer is charity, because it is with that virtue that we will be able to see God in all things and love unceasingly. 

Only through constant communication with our Creator will we be able to truly abide by His Will, where we will be able to properly construct His masterpiece of our lives and appreciate His presence in all things.

Lord, I thank you for being present in all that I see and all that I do. I continue to pray for the will to be consistent in my communication with you so that I may never fail to see you in everything and everyone, and that I may live out the plans You have for me.

“We should love our family with a love that is beyond ourselves” – Kuya John Acosta

Over the past few months, I have been blessed to experience a wedding, an engagement, a funeral, and multiple viewings. In all of these events, what struck me the most was the amount of love I felt from the families. No matter what the situation, whether happy or sad, through the smiles and tears, everyone acted out of love.

It seemed so fitting that the theme of this year’s SFC TNC was about God’s Masterpiece in our lives, something that every single person on this earth can relate to in some way: our families. I was so grateful to be given the opportunity to reflect on the Lord’s goodness in my life and how he has blessed me with every member of my family.

I admit, there have been many times I’ve taken my family for granted, and I’ve also hurt them many times. What kept going through my head that weekend and kept bringing tears to my eyes (other than the fact that all the talks and sharings were so touching) was the knowledge that my parents are so forgiving. Though I’ve hurt them, they continue to love me unconditionally. Their forgiveness and unceasing love continues to inspire me to do the same with others and ultimately reminds me of the kind of love that The Lord has for us: a love that goes beyond anything we can ever imagine and embraces despite the hurts.

My family is by no means perfect. We each have our own flaws but what makes this building block of society so beautiful is that with every imperfection and crack, the Lord continues to shine through. His love and mercy is what binds the cracks together to make us whole.

“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, for love covers a multitude of sins” – 1 Peter 4:8

Alma, buscarte has en mí  – St. Teresa of Avila

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Soul, you must seek yourself in me
And in yourself must seek for me.

Such is the power of love’s impress,
O soul, to engrave you on my heart,
That any craftsman must confess
He never could have the same success,
However superlative his art.

It was by love that you were made
Lovely and beautiful to be;
So, if by chance you should have strayed,
Upon my heart you are portrayed.
Soul, you must seek yourself in me.

For well I know that you will see
Yourself engraved upon my breast—
An image vividly impressed—
And then you will rejoice to be
So safely lodged, so highly blest.

And if by chance you do not know
Where to go in quest of me,
Do not go far my face to see,
Searching everywhere high and low,
But in yourself must seek for me.

For, soul, in you I am confined,
You are my dwelling and my home;
And if one day I chance to find
Fast-closed the portals of your mind
I ask for entrance when I come.

Oh, do not seek me far away,
For, if you would attain to me,
You only need my name to say
And I’ll be there without delay.
Look in yourself to seek for me.

“When God wants you to grow, He makes you uncomfortable.”

It was so funny seeing this quote on Instagram yesterday because I can definitely attest to this. Over the past few weeks, and especially during RYC, I was placed in an uncomfortable situation, a situation that called for me to take an incredible leap out of my comfort zone and I was terrified. This situation required me to dig up a hurt that I had buried so deep in my heart, a hurt that I thought had healed. The Lord is never outdone in goodness though, because He knows exactly what I need, when I need it, and how I should receive what I need. In this case, fully receiving healing from my hurt was by sharing it with everyone at RYC.

After the share (with tears included), and following the session, we were given the opportunity to spend time with Jesus face-to-face in adoration. Now that I had a weight lifted off my chest, I was free to just be me; free to face Christ in total adoration and awe, without any baggage holding me back. I will never get over the sense of overwhelment in knowing how much Christ loves, and without restraint. No matter how many times I doubt Him and even hurt Him, He still loves just the same and is willing to hold me until I am quiet in His arms.

So with that, I leave with you one of my favorite songs – a song that sings of the longing of our hearts, to be the child that the Father cradles in His arms.

April 24-26, 2015 marked Red Deer & Ponoka’s second camp, Camp Rise. The Lord was so gracious and allowed us to reach out to 30+ youth; even some old members came to give their support. Praise God for such a fruitful weekend!

It’s been a few years since I was the assistant team leader for a camp. With everything going on at the same time (service in CFC-Youth and SFC, different volunteering areas, family, work), the few weeks leading up to the camp were pretty overwhelming. It was also a bit nerve wracking because this was my first time serving for a major event in a mission area. Arvin and I also found it challenging to meet with the service team since they were all from Red Deer, an hour and a half from Edmonton. Busy schedules with exams and extra-curricular activities resulted in incomplete service team meetings, but again, the Lord is so good! Despite these challenges, the camp was incredibly successful. Each member of the service team surprised me with how much they stepped out of their comfort zones to glorify God. Even the quietest one was able to give a talk. The thing that had the biggest impact on me was at the end, when the service team was sharing their experiences. One sister mentioned something about being a “fool for God”. I’ve heard this phrase so many times growing up in this community, and I don’t think I ever fully realized what this meant.

Being a “fool for God” means stepping out of my comfort zone, not just to the edge before actually crossing the line. I think, for a long time, I haven’t been able to fully step beyond the little line I drew for myself. With new opportunities calling me to actually take a step outside, I begin to feel my heart beat a little bit faster and the tears start to well up, more out of nervousness and fear than anything. How do I be a fool for God? How do I release the insecurities that are embedded deep to fully allow God to be glorified?  I don’t want to step out… but I know that every step outside my familiar shelter is an increase in trust in God and a chance to grow.

This quote from St. Augustine has been something that I’ve been reminding myself of in these recent overwhelming moments:

“When your heart is stirred up don’t allow yourself to be swamped by the waves. If, nevertheless, the wind blows us over – for we are only human – and if it stirs up the bad feelings in our hearts, let us not despair. Let us wake up Christ so as to continue our journey on a peaceful sea.” – St. Augustine

 

 

“Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.

Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

I find that the beauty of our faith is the fact that there are so many mysteries to be discovered. As I continue my faith journey through the Church, this community and even through teaching Catechism, I find myself learning more and being amazed at the richness of our faith. One such example is the prayer (above) that we say prior to receiving the Eucharist. I never stopped to think about the origin of these words until I was preparing a lesson for Catechism class on the miracles of Jesus.

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.

– Matthew 8:5-13

The Roman centurion had so much faith and trust in Jesus that he didn’t need to see his servant healed in order to believe. It is the centurion’s incredible trust in Jesus’ power to heal that we remember everytime we are about to receive the Eucharist.

I always feel so moved reciting this prayer because I know there are times when I am definitely not worthy to receive Christ and it’s through these words I realize how much I’ve fallen away, yet He still allows Himself to be available to me. Now I know that it’s up to me to have faith and believe in Christ’s healing power like the centurion. By saying these words, I am allowing His Divine Mercy to wash over my soul.

Jesus, Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, I trust in You.

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Last week I was very blessed to be able to attend the Good Friday Liturgy at Westminster Abbey in Mission, BC. Right before the Liturgy started, I was suddenly very hungry and thirsty. I had only drinken a small glass of water prior and after getting accustomed to a regime of eating every few hours, fasting was something I was definitely not used to. This hunger and thirst made me feel so tired but I couldn’t sit down because the church was full. I started praying that I would be able to ignore the pangs and focus on the Liturgy when I realized that this is how Jesus must have felt. Of course I can hardly compare my small pain and thirst to His great one, but I got a minuscule taste of what he felt when He said: “I thirst.”

I first came across these words while I was going through 33 Days to Morning Glory. These 2 words, though simple, have so much meaning.

Why does Jesus say “I Thirst”? What does it mean? . . . If you remember anything from Mother’s letter, remember this—‘I Thirst’ is something much deeper than just Jesus saying ‘I love you.’ Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you—you can’t begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him

At this most difficult time He proclaimed, ‘I thirst.’ And people thought He was thirsty in an ordinary way and they gave Him vinegar straight away; but it was not for that thirst; it was for our love, our affection, that intimate attachment to Him, and that sharing of His passion. He used, ‘I thirst,’ instead of ‘Give Me your love’… ‘I thirst.’ Let us hear Him saying it to me and saying it to you.

(excerpt from Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire by Joseph Langford)

Imagine how many billion people are on Earth right now and how many don’t know God or have ignored the fact that the reason we celebrate Easter is because our Savior has conquered sin and death. Even after knowing that, imagine how many of us, who are on our journey with Christ, turn away from our personal relationship with Him time and time again; it’s no wonder Jesus thirsts. Despite that, He never fails to love us unconditionally, and He reminds us of that every time Easter rolls around.

With this new Easter season, may we allow Jesus’ death and resurrection to remind us that we are loved immensely, that He constantly craves our love, and that we (and everyone around us) will forever need His love.

Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me to experience even just a fraction of your hunger and thirst. Please use me so that I may be able to help satiate your thirst and the thirst of those who long to know you. Amen.