“Simplicity is nothing but an act of charity pure and simple, which has but one sole end—-that of gaining the love of God. Our soul is then truly simple, when we have no aim at all but this, in all we do.” – St. Francis de Sales
Nothing says it better than a true saint reminding me how simple the love of our Lord is. I am thankful for all that happened for the past couple of months and really value the friends I have come to know. St. Francis de Sales pray for us.
I was reading an article published on EWTN about Pope Francis’ message for June 1 2014. Pope Francis expresses that our Lord is close to all and every mankind.
“Pope Francis explained that even though Jesus ascended to “the heights of Heaven to show us that the goal of our journey is the Father,” he “remains present and working in the events of human history with the power and the gifts of his Spirit.”
“Jesus is close to each one of us – even if we don’t see him with our eyes, He is here!”
The “risen Jesus is close to Christians who are persecuted and discriminated against; he is close to every man and woman who suffers. He is close to all of us. Even today he is here with us in the square. The Lord is with us. Do you believe this?” he queried the crowds.”
“It is not through human efforts that the Church can fulfill her mission, however. “Alone, without Jesus, we cannot do anything!” underscored the Pope. “In apostolic activity our strength, our resources, our structures, are not enough, even though they are necessary.”
“Without the presence of the Lord and the power of the Spirit, our work, even if well organized, turns out to be ineffective.”
What perfect timing this article was! I was really feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed with a lot of things happening in my life lately.. worries with service in SFC… MV and my family…plus the planning for my wedding has officially started. I needed some kind of “punch” to the face to wake me up from this uneasy feeling of worry. Then this article came and it was something that my heart really needed. A whisper came to me… “Do you believe in me?” and I knew it was the Lord telling me not to worry. I cannot thank the Lord for telling me not to worry.
What struck me the most was that I have heard this many times over and over but even for the umpteenth time it was again the Lord reminding me that God needed to be my reason and that he has absolutely got my back.
Thank you Lord for being with me and for not giving up on me.
Monday, April 7 I woke up with massive shooting pain on my left foot/leg. It was so painful that I could not even move my left foot/leg area. A lot of things came to my head… It might be a broken bone, gout, a pinched nerve or a sprain. Worry and pain was really eating me and all I could think about was I wanted the pain gone! I decided to head to the ER and see what this was all about. While waiting for the doctor I was so worried about how this might affect my work, service and up-coming events that I needed to finish in the next few weeks. Not able to walk or limp would place me in a very difficult situation and a casted foot is what I really do not need right now. I was praying “Please Lord, I hope nothing serious” and after 3+ hours of waiting, X-ray and some assessment by the ER doctor – I was sent home. Thank God, it was only a bad sprain and the shooting pain was caused of a lower back pain.
As I was lying on my bed and really contemplating about the whole event – I felt so ashamed. It was so natural for me to worry about what was inconvenient and difficult that I didn’t realize that this was nothing to what the Lord felt during his agonizing time and his crucifixion. Lent was reminding me once more of Jesus’ mystery. I felt that God was testing me on how much do I really depend on my own will and not His? God’s plans and not mine, Our Lord first above anything and everything! Offer everything to the Lord!
I ended up sobbing not because of the pain on my foot but how I have acted in this situation. It was though God was showing me His heart and it was pure and forgiving. I realized that I needed to be more aware of God in all the things that comes to me – May it be a tough day or a good day. After really letting the Lord reveal Himself in this situation I know that I have much to improve on and that I will try to be a better and even more faithful daughter.
I am thankful that it is not a serious injury but more grateful that I was able to see the Lord in this and that I am given a chance to make things better.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
I have been reading Pope Benedict XVI book “Meditation for Every Day” as my daily Lenten guide this year and yesterday’s reflection was about how our Lord thirst for our faith. He allows and gives us many instances to encounter Him.
As I think back to all the days that my life seems to be so busy with work, service, family and relationship. I keep asking myself – have I fully encountered Christ in my daily life? Have I allowed the Lord to be part of my daily decision makings? And did I even encounter Jesus today? I came to the realization that I still have a long way to go and that encountering the Lord in my life means allowing time with Jesus and to let Christ reveal his great mystery everyday and be sensitive to his presence. By reaching out to him and opening the doors of faith in me and to never tire to give the Lord my all.
Dear Lord, help me to recognize you and encounter you every day. – Love, Vanessa
March 20 was the day I left for my first mission as a Mission Volunteer. First mission area was Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (Maritimes). I didn’t know what to expect but a verse kept repeating and as I got on the plane it was -“Be strong and courageous”, I really didn’t know at that time what the Lord was trying to say and as nervousness and excitement sets in I knew that this was going to be an amazing trip. Little did I know that coming to PEI and Nova Scotia will be an experience I will never forget.
The first mission area was to conduct a Christian Life Program (CLP) in Slemon, PE. (YUP! Sound like LEMON but with the S-before). We started the CLP on Friday evening and finished the 12 talks within almost three days. The final talk was done on Sunday and dedicated 1 SFC, 3 HOLD and 1 CFC. Filled with the love and faith in our Lord our new brother and sisters are true testimonies that the Holy Spirit was present in PEI!
But, the Lord did not stop our mission there. We heard mass at 12nn with our host family together with some of our new members- then after mass we were able to talk to some Filipinos and one of the girls suggested for us to contact an area in O’Leary that host 2 houses (blue and yellow house) full of Filipino OFWs and that maybe we can deliver the CLP program to them. Little did I know that thru that small conversation the Lord called us to reach out to other brothers and sisters in O’Leary which was about 45 minutes away from Slemon. Together with the team and two new CLP graduates we set off to O’Leary.
Once again with anticipation, nervousness and excitement the verse once more came to mind “Be strong and courageous”. This verse was more affirming once we set foot in the venue – I knew that we needed to be prepared, ready and even more prayerful and that we needed to bring the Lord in this place. I never cried during CLPs but this time my tears couldn’t stop falling. I was so humbled in what the sisters were sharing and telling us of their struggles and life experience, and what they’ve been thru just to get here. I felt that my issues in life was nothing compared to what they have seen and done. Since we started the CLP in their home they shared whatever food they have, toilet paper to use and also their welcome faces and smiles. Knowing that these portions and items was ratio coming from what they will use during the week or month.
By Tuesday, the CLP went really well and we now have about 9 Handmaids of the Lord in O’Leary who have accepted our Lord in their life and have committed themselves to the CFC Handmaids of the Lord. Yey!
I am deeply humbled and appreciative of what our Missionaries goes thru as they go and bring Christ to these remote places. As an MV my first mission will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) “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.”
Thank you Lord!