Author: Mark Mirano

God doesn’t rule primarily by judging and condemning but by watering us.

After TNC I went for a short hike with my SFC brother and sister. We decided to take the Johnston Canyon trail, it was nice and  I learned a lot from my hiking buddies.

While walking and talking to my friends I cant removed my eyes on the flowing water and be amazed on it. Then I remember one of my favorite tagalog song entitled “Awit ng Paghahangad” this is the first stanza:

O Diyos Ikaw ang laging hanap,

Loob ko’y Ikaw ang tanging hangad.

Nauuhaw akong parang tigang na lupa

Sa tubig ng ‘Yong pag-aaruga.

I always reflect on this song every time I am down and I feel that I am dry and longing for something. I am the dry soil who need his love and presence. Because of busy schedule in my social, personal and community life I feel so drain and I wanna give up, so seeing the water flowing I was reminded of Gods flowing stream of water of life and He rules in us by watering us and giving us to drink. It is his flowing LOVE that makes me going and removed the feeling of being a drought. But the feeling of being dry and down means that I know someone is always there ready to water me and make me a healthy soil that other can grow in me (like a plant growing on a healthy soil).

Heavenly Father,

What a mighty flowing out You are. You flow throughout the ages! You flow in many stages and in many ways to reach me. O, Lord, keep me drinking on You. Keep me in the divine stream of your LOVE.Supply me the water I need every time I feel dry and make me a healthy and fertilized soil so other can grown on me. Lord, praise You for the divine stream in which I drink.

AMEN

 

Mark Mirano

Walk in LOVE, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.-Ephesians 5:2

Its a well spent week for me because of SHouT. Theres a lot of learning about myself and my discernment, the things I really wanna hear and discover about my self and my journey. But during the whole week, theres one activity in shout that really open my eyes and give me realization, the R.A.K (Random Act of Kindness). Our full time worker send us to a place where we can do some act ok kindness, its in South Gate Mall. Me and my partner talk about doing it outside the mall so we ended going to train station but we came up to an idea of giving some heart figure with words about how God love us. We went to dollar store to pick up some items that we can use in our plan, then we start writing and walk around the mall and outside the mall.

The words on the heart and stars is a reminder of Gods love, how He never leaves us and some bible verse still about Love. The idea is to remind every body that even though we are so busy and pre occupied with lots of things in this world we still have God who never leave us and continue loving us no matter what.

I thought that its going to be easy but its not. Its not easy because people ignore me most of the time saying they have lots of things already to carry.So my realization is that in life even though its already Jesus going close to us we still sometimes ignore Him,  that to realized that He is not going to be an extra baggage but someone who can help us carry those burden we have.

 

The challenge to myself is to spread the Love that I received from God and share it to my brothers and sisters. I should see Christ in every people I encounter everyday . Its not gonna be an easy task, but a fulfilling one, reminding people that no matter what happen in life , theres someone who will always be there loving us and want us to be close to Him.

 

Heavenly Father, in a world that you build in Love, give us the courage to spread and show this Love to our brothers and sisters. May we always act in love and use us to remind not only ourself but everybody that its you who first love us.Thank you for the unconditional love, that you died on the cross to save us. We continue to surrender ourselves to you as we seek you more and more.AMEN

 

LOVE,

Mark

 

 

“Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament and He will fill you with His strength and His power.”- Saint Teresa

It’s been a while since my last visit in Adoration Chapel. If I’m not mistaken its already more than two weeks, its because I got so busy this past few weeks, school exams, vacation, work and some other activity. And I feel so bad because I get so comfortable within those weeks that I didn’t visit him and talk to Him alone in adoration. I usually visit adoration once a week or as much as I can,we talked about my day, if I’m happy, my stress, my problems, usually everything but the saying is true if were so happy or so pre-occupied with lots of things we forgot to talk to him.

When I enter the adoration chapel the feeling is so light, it feels like I’m home. I realized that I have so many story already for Him, yes for sure He knows everything what happen to me but still talking to Him like were siting together and having our personal conversation makes me realized that I should do it frequently like before no matter how busy my schedule. If no one can understand you, for sure He will, with all my question in life and sometimes complaint, He listen to me and never get annoyed with all of it. Its my intimate time with him,but I forgot to do because of prioritizing other stuff. Its a small white host sitting on the the table in front of us but its Jesus Christ who loves us unconditionally and always waiting for us to visit Him and talk to Him. For me I missed Him,I miss being with him and I miss talking to Him.Saint Teresa of Calcutta once quoted,

“To be alone with Jesus in adoration and intimate union with Him is the Greatest Gift of Love-the tender love of Our Father in Heaven.”  

 Heavenly Father, give me the strength and courage to spend more time visiting and talking to you. I want to be more intimate with you, because I know you love me and I want to give back this greatest love.Help me to always moved my feet towards your home and sit with you, because I desire to be with forever and ever.Amen

 

Praying,

Mark

 

 

 

“The secret of changes is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on BUILDING the NEW.”-Socrates

I went for a holiday last week,and while on vacation we had our monthly meeting as MVA and teaching about our discernment “One Desire”.

Where I am right now on my discernment?How do I pray and pursue my relationship with my God?

Sometimes in my life I still have lots of question about my spiritual journey,I have fears, yes as human I have fears what will happen in the future, is it going to be okay, or is this the decision the Lord wants for me. Sometimes I get weak too in my faith, I feel spiritual dryness too, but I fight it with prayer and seeking him more. During Evony’s talk she said that “He calls us to come to him, not to run away from Him, if I need to crawl going to Him then crawl. I have the tendency to run but because I am New now I would rather crawl, slowly but I’m sure its the way to be closer to Him. One of my friend said during the time when I hit the rock bottom of my life.” Mark you are already here, you cannot go back to the Old you.This is your new journey and He will not bring you to this point if your just going to the Old you.” Yes its true everything happens because its his plan,this is me now discerning for what the Lords wants for me and answering what calling I have. For wherever direction I will go, for sure He will lead me because I already allow him to handle the wheel of my life. So where I am right now, I’m still on my way ,trying , doing my best to be more closer to him, to listen to Him, trusting and surrendering everything. Because I know I can’t do anything without Him.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13 

This is a new me, one of  the Mission Volunteer Applicant, praying,discerning and surrendering to my Creator and Saviour.Serving to the community and to my fellow brothers and sister.He brings me here so I will embrace all his plans for me because i don’t have plan to travel going back to the old me.

“Yet not what I want,but what you want.”Matthew 26:39

 

Let Jesus lead the way, and let Him be more in your life.

Surrendering,

Mark

 

 

 

Jesus saw many people. He went up on the mountain and sat down. His followers came to Him.He began to teach them, saying,” Those who know there is nothing good in themselves are happy, because the holy nation of heaven is theirs. Those have sorrow are happy, because they will be comforted. Those who have no pride in their pride in their heart, because the earth will be given to them.Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy,because they will be filled.Those who show loving-kindness are happy, because they will have loving kindness shown to them.- Matthew 5:1-7

Jesus loves to preach and pray on the mountain. Some story in the bible happens in the mountain. Last week I went hiking with my SFC brothers, my first hike this year. I was trouble this past few weeks, lots of challenges on my journey, so for sure hiking will help me to divert my attention. On my way to the mountain I didn’t realized that some of the question on my mind will be answered. Sometimes I am so impatient,frustrated for things that I want to happen. We start the hike with only water and Banana on our bag, climbing a mountain is hard,challenging and we need to use lots of energy.

It’s only 1/4 of the trail I think when I say “I gave up”, Im tired, I will wait for you guys here just continue your hike,the my SFC brother said No we can do it, nobody will left behind. Upon hearing those word I realized that life is like hiking,climbing a mountain. In our life its either personal or spiritual journey we have our own Mountains, that sometimes on our way we easily give up even though we just started. Challenges, feeling of being tired, disappointment, destructions, and sometimes laziness. We can encounter those things while climbing the mountain, and we entertain them thats why we fail sometimes and we cannot reach the Peak, the place we can see the reward , the beauty of his creation. In life we also encounter those things, but its part of our journey thats what makes us more strong and effective. If were going to stop in the middle because we are tired or because were disappointed or just lazy, we lost the chance of the greater reward on the finish line. If tired and disappointed He promise to give us rest.

“Come to me all of you who are tired and burdened, and I will give you rest.”-Matthew 11:28 

No one left behind, in this community we journey together, we help each other. during those times that I wanna give up my brothers are there to remind me that I have people around me whose gonna help me and never leave me alone. Like Jesus he is always there to help us and pick us up so literally were not alone on this journey.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”- Deuteronomy 31:6

When I reached the Peak of the mountain the first word on my mind is Praise God, what a wonderful creation. Theres obstacle or challenges along the way but the reward is always on the finish line. While looking on the mountain that I hiked I realized that in life we focus on the whole picture or the whole view but the truth is theres a lot of stories and learning within this whole mountain.

Never give up, always aim to reach the Peak, the rewards after your struggle and hardship.We are not alone in this journey, just call on His name because He is always at our side whatever journey or mountain we want to climb. And to have this Mountain Top Experience.

Have you ever had a mountain-top experience with God? Are you ready to climb your own mountain?

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.”- Henry Martin

Last weekend we went for a mission in Fort McMurray to help them in their Knights Tale/Princess Diaries Retreat. This is our first mission (MV Applicants Alberta) and honestly we are so excited to do this mission. We drove from Calgary to Fort McMurray, but its a travel of a lifetime. Lots of memories and story to share.

During the whole weekend its a spirit filled experience, how we spend time with our SFC Brothers in Fort Mc, our new Sir Knights. We meet them only that day but it feels like we are already brothers for a long time. Its nice to see that theres lots of brothers who wants to be the knights of God, a Knights who is willing to fight for what he believed and for his King. A knights who have this Desire to Love, Desire for Adventure and Desire to Battle, desire’s that He wants for us so we can live a life in His likeness.

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS.”- Rev 19:16 

As modern knights we should not forget who is our king, the one who we serve, and the one who we fight for. Are we ready to pick up our sword and fight for Him, to be sent in the battle for our faith? But sometimes the hardest battle is within us, ourselves.

Sunday during that weekend we attend the Ordination of Deacon Jestoni and attended the mass at the same time. God is full of surprises he really wants me to go to Fort McMurray to witness this kind of event. I wanna cry that time, I don’t know why its hard to explain but I know I wanna cry not because Im sad but because of joy. Joy because Im happy for Deacon Jestoni even though I don’t know him. During his Thank You speech this are the words that struck me the most, stays in my mind until now and digging into my heart:

 I am no longer belong to myself, I am no longer belongs to my family…Now I am yours, I am belong to the people of God, I am officially yours…..-Deacon Jestoni.

Its an eye opener for me and a challenge because we are called to serve the Lord,we are here on earth to serve others and not only for ourself. When I commit myself as Household Head, I am also no longer belongs to myself nor to my own family but I am now belong to my brothers and sister in the community, to the people around me and most especially to my household member. And by offering your self to others is a sign of submitting your life to the Lord.  Yes its a sacrifice but a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Deacon Jestoni is an inspiration to me how he surrender everything and he offered himself, accepting the calling and going for the mission the Lord wants for him.

Heavenly Father in the world that is full of happiness, give us the heart that is willing to listen to you. Give us the courage to accept you in our heart and surrender everything. Make us like you who suffer and died because of your Love on us. Grant us the heart that is ready to serve not only ourselves but also for your people.Amen

Are we capable of giving ourself for others? Or we still thinking about our own comfort. Are we ready to say I AM OFFICIALLY YOURS?

To worry does no good at all

But does a lot of harm;

It puts lines upon your face

And dissipates your charm.

 

Whatever is to be,will be

That worry cannot change;

It only serves to dim your joy

And all your friends estrange.

 

`Tis lack of confidence in self

That causes wrong’s fight;

A lack of faith in God’s design

Your happiness will be blight.

 

Then cast aside these gloomy thoughts

And bid your dark fears flee;

Live in the light of FAITH and LOVE,

JOYFUL and WORRY-FREE.

 

Worry is part of our life. Challenges come on our way specially on our spiritual journey. But it defends to us how we can deal with it and to live a life worry free. This past few weeks is a challenging one for me, lots of things to do in my personal life, family life, community service and peoples around me, so it is really a worry week for me. I am this kind of person whose going to deal others problem or easy to say problem absorber. But He promise:

 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than cloths? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away barn, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they?-Matthew 6:25-26

Heavenly Father promise us so many thing, so why should I worry. But I am consumed but this human feeling this past few weeks, to the point that my community life and personal life is affected. But to summarized the lesson I learned is I cannot do it by myself, carrying cross is part of our life but Jesus is always there to help us,I am just a human I can’t carry all of it so I need to lift it up and surrender. Because if I’m going to deal with all of the problems, obstacles and challenges that I will encounter on my journey, for sure I’m not gonna win the battle, but with Him who strengthen me I can claim victory and I can live a life which is WORRY-FREE. And knowing the struggles of other people is not for me to carry but for me to lift up to Him, my duties is to help them pray and guide them so they will feel they are not alone.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”- Proverbs 3:5-6

 

It’s the word TRUST and SURRENDER for we have a Great God bigger that anything else in this world, and always there to help us carrying our cross.