Author: MJ Ramos

(July 25, 2016).

The Lord meets us wherever we are.

When you feel unworthy and distant, when you no longer feel the Lord around you, all you’ve got to do is stop.

I keep running and running, looking for the Lord in places and in people and trying to fill my heart with “God moments” but really all I’m doing is running in circles. When I finally got tired, my heart was pulling me towards confession.

Lo and behold, the Lord knows my heart more than I do. He just wanted me to stop running and looking for Him because He was always there. He was there in the first place. He never left me.

“Salvation is home in your heart”, Father Charles said.
“Jesus wanted you to come to Him today, and you met him today in the sacrament of reconciliation.”

He knows. He knew I was looking for Him, and I found Him.Or He found me.

Lord, I’m not worthy, but you died for me 
Sinful as I am, You’ve forgiven me
Here I am embraced by your love

Lord, thank you for being so gracious.

AMDG

(July 10, 2016).

Today I attended this month’s SFC general assembly and the topic for the month was about being joyful in our workplace.

I am blessed to be working with young children who naturally bring joy to those who are around them. Everyday I am surrounded by children who are so eager to discover the world and everything it has to offer. From acquiring new skills, to overcoming their little fears, they are a blessing and as their educator, I feel like I learn more from them than they do from me.

Every work day, I am reminded to trust and to have the faith of a child. I am reminded that it’s ok not to know what’s ahead and to focus on what is happening in the now. I am reminded to slow down and enjoy each moment that God has blessed me with. #ilovemyjob

Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for the work you have given me. Thank you Lord for using me to be with you children and for allowing me to experience you through them. I pray that you continue to mold me into the teacher I am meant to be, and to continue to use me for your great glory. Amen. 

AMDG

(June 6, 2016)

#whentreeBECAMEone 

This weekend I was blessed to witness two amazing people become husband and wife. Jesse and Hannah are two role models for myself and for many other people in the community. This was the first time I attended a wedding and I was even blessed to be part of the preparations for the wedding ceremony. It honestly felt like a conference but it was totally worth it. Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

The next day, we went to mass at St-Patrick’s Basilica and the homily was all about celebrating the love of God though the Eucharist. Fr. Janil reminded us that the eucharist is a meeting place. The altar is where Jesus comes to meet us and desires to be with us. As I was hearing this, I was reminded of how much (kuya) Jesse and (ate) Hannah desired to meet Christ and desired for other people to meet Him as well. They invited everyone they knew and perhaps didn’t know to their wedding ceremony. They wanted everyone to join them as they meet Christ and each other at the altar. This is very much who they are. It was a beautiful reminder that as christians, we are not meant to experience Christ for ourselves. HE is meant to be shared and I thank the newlyweds for sharing Christ to me through their relationship and through their marriage.

However, what happens when we leave the meeting place? What happens when we walk through the doors of the church and step outside? After meeting Christ at the altar, am I bringing him wherever I am so that others may meet him as well? We’re supposed to feel different. We’re supposed to be different because Christ is with us. Are we taking love, joy and compassion with us as we leave our meeting place? The Lord patiently continues to wait for us at our meeting place and I pray that we are always reminded of that. May we never forget that His mercy never fails.

Lord God, I pray that I may reflect you in all of my actions. That I may never get tired of meeting you at the altar, just as you never cease to get tired of waiting for me. I pray that my heart never remains the same because you are continually transforming it. Finally, I pray Lord that you may bless Kuya Jesse and Ate Hannah as they continue to meet you at the altar and that they may be bearers of your love, joy and compassion to everyone they encounter. Amen 

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

AMDG 

See you again soon, same place, same time.

You receive without payment; give without payment – Matthew 10:8

If you know me or if you get to know me at all, then you will know that I love being around people. I love people and I see God through the people around me. I love meeting new people (although I am very shy) because I think that everyone has an interesting story to share. I can always learn something new from each person I get to encounter.

I enjoy doing things for other people or caring for them in any way that I can. I guess it’s the motherly instinct in me – making sure that everyone is okay, pleasing everyone. I really believe that time is the best gift you can give in a relationship, with anyone.

With that being said, there are times when I expect the same effort I put into building and maintaining my relationships be reciprocated to me. I feel like it should work both ways, especially for the close family and friends. If I give you so much of myself, I would think that it is only appropriate to put in the same effort towards me.

Wrong. If you feel love an receive love then your natural response is to love. If i am able to see God in all of the people around me, then I should be able to naturally love them with no strings attached. If God is within me and if I truly believe it, then I should let myself be used as an instrument of Love.

Sometimes we forget that our heart is not really our own, but belonging to the Lord. Sometimes we forget of our own capacity to love others. May we never forget that, just like the Father, we are capable of loving more.

Lord Jesus, begin a new work of love within me. Instill in me a greater love and respect for your commandments. Gove me a burning desire to live a life of holiness and righteousness. Purify my thoughts, desires, and intentions that I may only desire what is pleasing to you and in accordance with your will. Amen

(June 13, 2016).

On Thursday (May 19th), we celebrated my dad’s 51st birthday. He passed away almost ten years ago, but I still make it a point to buy him cake so I can sing him ‘happy birthday’ and blow out his candles. This year was no different.

I do not have many pictures of my dad and I, but when I was going through the little amount we had together, I stumbled upon my baptism photos. On the back it said May 19th 1990, dad’s birthday.

Looking back on my dad’s life, he was very generous with his time and gave to others everything he had. He was very loud and wasn’t afraid to let other people know how he felt. I thought he was also very strict but I guess that’s how he showed me his love. I remember one day, he told me to stay in my room and I couldn’t get out until I learned the Apostle’s Creed and the Our Father. I think I was 9 or 10 at the time and I totally thought he was being too hard. Later on I learned to appreciate those things.

As I reflect on my life right now, I am truly grateful for my parents. They both made the decision to baptize me in the Catholic Church. At 5 months old, I obviously couldn’t make that decision on my own and my parents wanted that for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that very important decision, made 26 years ago. Although I didn’t really grow up with my dad, I know that he passed down his faith to me and I’m sure he is looking down on me from Heaven and interceding for me. It makes it a little more special that it was done on his birthday because I think that we both celebrated a birthday that day.

Happy birthday, to us!

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen. 

 Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.  

In Loving Memory of Robert S. Ramos (1965-2006)

(June 21, 2016). The recent tragedies happening in the States and in Kenya got me a little worried and scared for what is happening to the world. Hurting people because they are different, they don’t look like you, they don’t believe in the same things as you, or they don’t think like you. It’s pretty scary to know that there is so much hate and anger dwelling in a person’s heart, enough to make them harm those around them.

Talking about this with two sisters over a casual lunch the other day got me thinking of how I can possibly make a change or contribute to helping make this world a little brighter. A sister asked me how I felt about the shootings in the U.S. and in Kenya and I couldn’t help but think about the families of the victims and the families of the individuals who harmed them.

In the years that I’ve been working in early childhood, I came to understand that the role of the families, and most specially the parents, play a huge and important part of the child. Parent involvement is crucial in order for the child to develop emotionally, cognitively and socially. The family is where basic foundation happens and where the child experiences and learns about love, respect and acceptance. We experience God’s love in our families.

My discernment in this program has really brought me to further understand the meaning of Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth. It has become so personal to me as to why I believe and live out the mission and vision of Couples for Christ. Although my family isn’t the nuclear one, I know that God has placed me here to experience the fullness of His love through my own family and the families I get to live and serve alongside with. He is calling each one of us in the community to be the bearers of light in the darkness of our world. He is asking us to see Him and to be open in feeling His presence and His love within our homes.

Wherever God takes me at the end of this program, I know with certainty that He has called me to mission. Whether within my family, the family I will create with my future husband (if that’s the case) or the families I will encounter along the way, my mission is to love and bring Love where it is first experienced, in hopes to renew the face of the earth.