“What does Michael Jackson & St. Francis have in common?”

MJ-wallpapers-michael-jackson-31128130-1600-1200Saint_Francis_of_Assisi_by_Jusepe_de_Ribera
Saturday, November 16, 2013
5 years ago at my Apple group interview I was asked the question,
“Who inspires you?”
To that I replied in a serious but half-jokingly tone,
“My mom. Because she introduced me to Michael Jackson…she told me that ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white’ and that I should ‘Heal the world, make it a better place’…”
The room was silent.
I heard some chuckles and saw some smiles from the people in the interview. I meant it.
I didn’t realize that my mom’s dream for me wasn’t that far fetched…
Today marked the 25th year of my mom’s profession as part of the Third Oder Franciscans.
The Third Order Franciscans is a community of Catholic men and women in the world who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world.
Growing up I would always wait for the first Sundays of the month because I knew that we were going to Franciscan Friary for Mass. I can recall being surrounded by tall, brown robed priests who celebrated mass,  sang with us, and taught us what it meant to see the moon as our sister!
When I was younger, I was curious as to why my mom was so passionate about the Franciscan way. I remember asking her ,
“Mommy…so what does it mean to be a Franciscan?”
And she sang me the Prayer of St. Francis.
When I was younger I would always hear this song. Back then the value of this song didn’t mean much to me.
At that same time in my childhood…I grew up exposed to Michael Jackson and his music. My mom introduced me to Michael Jackson…I fell in love! I would constantly be singing his songs…I would cut out pictures of him and his family from magazines and put it in my scrapbook. Two of my favourite songs were “Black & White” and “Heal the World”.
A few years later…I also asked my mom,
“Mommy…so…what’s so special about St. Francis?”
To that she replied,
“He believed that EVERYONE, EVERY ANIMAL, and  EVERYTHING was his sister or brother”
I gave my mom a funny look and asked,
“Even the trees?!??” 
She smiled and said,
“Especially the trees!”
This year is my mom’s 25th year as a Third Order Franciscan.
This year also marks my 25th year of life.
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As I stood amongst the Franciscan priests and brothers…I was brought back into time when I was growing up. At the end of the Anniversary Mass…they sang the Prayer of Saint Francis once again.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your
love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in
you.
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring
hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal
life.
As I listened to the song…I was overwhelmed because I realized that my deep love for nature stemmed from my moms devotion to St. Francis.
How this song was a prayer being lifted up for me by my mom for the past 25 years.
I realized that when I was born…my mom dedicated the rest of her life to live a life like St. Francis. Which encompasses my entire life at this present moment.
As I listened to the
Prayer of St. Francis
I realized that this song was the answer to
Michael Jackson’s
“Black & White” and ” Heal the World”.
5 years later on my M.V. blog…I ask myself once again…
“Who inspires me?”
To that I reply,
“My mom. Because she dedicated her life to love God as St. Francis did. She told me to be a ‘Channel of Peace’!”
photo 1-1
So…
“What does Michael Jackson & St. Francis have in common?” 
“A longing for
PEACE!”
St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals & Ecology, bearer of Peace,
Pray for Us!
Amen 🙂

Lord, Please Let Me See

He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me!”
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?”
He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”

This is from today’s Gospel (Luke 18:35-43). In a nutshell, it’s about a blind man crying out to Jesus for His attention, and upon receiving it, begging that he may be cured of his blindness in order to see. Jesus grants his petition by the man’s faith. There are two things about this Gospel that stick out to me: how the man prays and what he asks for.

The blind man persistently prays. I feel that sometimes my prayers are unheard, regardless of how many times or how sincere my prayers are. Or maybe I’m not praying ‘the right way’, which is why my prayers aren’t answered. Anytime I feel that way I know that I’m lacking faith in God and His loving faithfulness. Every prayer, every plea, every word and every thought is heard by our Lord. In times of doubt, I often read Matthew 7:8-11 and Romans 8:28 for encouragement. However, at the end of the day, praying isn’t just about getting what I want or God answering my prayers but it’s about reminding myself that Jesus knows what’s best for me. When I pray for a specific outcome and it doesn’t happen, it is very easy to be disappointed or angry with God. However, I’ve realized that attitude implies that I know better than God, which means I am putting myself above God. And so, my prayers should be less about what I want and more about uniting my wants with His wants. This doesn’t mean that I will stop asking the Lord to grant my hearts desires but instead that I need to humbly accept how and when He answers me. A good practice that I’ve found is just reflecting on the ‘Our Father’ and how it is said. It acknowledges God the Father and adores Him, asks that His will be done in our lives, for what we NEED (daily bread) and forgiveness for our sins. That’s how I ought to pray!

In this Gospel, the blind man asks for the Lord to see. It’s easy for me to associate the man’s physical blindness with his desire to see. I think any blind man would want to see. But looking at it from a different angle, we can associate the man’s physical blindness with our spiritual blindness. We are spiritually blind to God’s hand in our lives. When we pray and our prayers aren’t answered, we automatically think that God doesn’t love us, God is mad at us, or we did something wrong for Him not to answer us. But it’s the complete opposite. We need to ask for eyes of faith so that we can see how God is answering our prayers and how He is working in our lives at this very moment. Our God loves us so much that He is always inviting us to something better but fear and pride keep us away from that. 

I want to see how God is working in my life because I know He is, despite ‘unanswered’ prayers. I’m alive because He breathes life into me for a purpose. His purpose. My prayers lately have been for an increase of faith and courage so that I may come to know how He is working in my life and have the courage follow through with what He’s asking me to do.

Believe

I just arrived from a  parish mission teaching entitled “How Faith Allows us to See” by Fr. Ben St. Croix CC from the Companions of the Cross. I didn’t expect to attend the first session, but Ellen-Maigue offered to come with me after our one-on-one. So, away we went. 

“Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love (…) faith, received from God as a supernatural gift, becomes a light for our way, guiding our journey through time.”
– Lumen Fidei

The teaching made me look back to my experiences last year. My own faith was reborn from the many encounters I had with God, moments where He so clearly revealed Himself to me. But what made me decide to go back to the community was the realization that my experiences needed an output- a response and Yes of sorts.

 As faith evangelizers we are called to proclaim the message then allow those people to respond. Evangelization is allowing others to realize that God’s love doesn’t stop at the invitation. Rather it begins with the journey we begin to take as a result of hearing His call. Faith is giving God the chance to unravel His personal adventure for us and trusting that He will continue to surprise us along the way.

As Young people being and bringing Christ wherever we are, my life should then serve as both an invitation to Christ and the vehicle that takes others to His eternal banquet.

Simple

Ever since becoming an MV, there has always been a sense of, I guess change, in my personality. Not in a sense where it dampens how I am, but I definitely feel more inclined to give up more and more.

I was catching up with an awesome friend from across the nation, and we both came to the conclusion that this is what is part of the mission life. God calls us to give up a lot more of our valuable time, for His service AND as all this is going, we are tempted and tested each day to the fullest capacity.

SO…again, what’s the point of all this dibber dabber?

I wouldn’t have expected anything less. I really affirm those who have already answered the full time calling. As I continue to immerse myself everyday in the culture and lifestyle that not just of a missionary, but a Catholic missionary, it is evident that the this part of the molding process is when God’s hands are really working, pushing, trying to keep things in place.

I just love this community. Simply put. It has tested me so much, to the point of tears, stress etc etc, but always has it never ever let me fail to realize how beautiful it is, to sacrifice whatever it is you’ve given up, for whoever to know who Jesus Christ is and how much He longs for all of us.

Deo Gloria.

Brown Combat Boots

Before I left Vancouver going to Winnipeg for the SFC NLS, I had fitted a brown combat boots but decided not to buy it since I don’t need it. While I was in Winnipeg, it was colder there that I really had to wear my boots. Right after NLS I unpacked my clothes for the weekend and repacked my whole luggage to bring with me to Calgary since I came with the Fourniers driving back. After 30hours (we slept over at Regina) we got to Calgary. I unpacked and then I found out that I left my boots in Winnipeg.

I was worried since it was snowing in Calgary and colder and that’s the only appropriate shoes that I have. Since then I decided to by a pair of boots. Then I remember the brown combat boots that I fitted in Vancouver, that’s what I want to get.

I did not find it in Calgary and now that I am here in Edmonton we’ve been to the biggest mall in Canada and other smaller malls but it is either they only have size 10 and I am just size 5½ – 6 or they only have the black one. After a lot of reasoning and I even prayed about it, I decided to raise my budget and get whatever is the most appropriate to the weather and the closest similarity in terms of design of the brown combat boots. (I did not know that the shop where I saw it in Vancouver was a generic shop and not really branded, so all their stuff are relatively cheaper).

So I prepared myself that I will not find the same design. We went to Southgate and went to the shoe store there. Then in this one particular shoe store, they have the exact design but it is more expensive. Since I was ready to buy it, I got it after 2 hours.

I was happy and I feel contented and told myself no shoes for me for the rest of the year anymore.

With the whole process there are things I realized.

  • When there is something that we like, it will take a while for us to forget about it
  • When we know that we really need something, we do everything to get it to the point of going beyond our comfort zone
  • At the point that we accept that some things cannot and are not for us, the Lord will give us something similar but so much better we just have to let go of it and wait.

 

Discernment

“I beg you… to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without ever noticing it, live your way into the answer.

I was so moved by the truth in this as I came across it on the internet. Often times, when we ask, we expect an answer right away, or soon. BUT, if we live so much in hearing the answer, we might not allow room for God to show us exactly how to live it out. Although the author wasn’t writing this specifically about discernment at all, I – personally – believe Rainier Maria Rilke couldn’t have said it better:

“I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

Come Holy Spirit, fill us as You will…

Zion.

I just came from Hillsong United’s Zion concert, and it had a very profound effect on me. It was something unexpected for sure. Having been listening to Hillsong for most of my YFC life, it’s hard not to dream that one day you’ll worship with the band who actually made the songs. And they did not disappoint, the lights were on point, the songs sounded like they came off a CD played on loud speakers, they sang some of their old songs and of course their new songs. If I was in the same concert 5 years ago, I would’ve easily said that this was the best experience of my life. But tonight, everything about it was off.

I understand that Hillsong is a different church altogether, that I had to do the sign of the cross myself when they started and ended. I knew that, and I was okay with that. In one of their first few songs however, I found myself crying, not because of the song being sung – which was musically beautiful by the way – but because there was a real longing and realization of the truth.

I cried not because it was a song I would play when I wanted to be in prayer, but because today was a Tuesday. Tuesday is the one day of the week that I go to Adoration, Confession, and Mass aside from my Sunday obligation. I cried because I thought I made the better decision in spending my Tuesday night in Hamilton with thousands to “worship” The Lord, only to realize I left The Lord at the altar waiting for me for our weekly date. You see, I realized that though worship is beautiful and should be done, it fails in comparison to the actual presence of God in the blessed Sacrament. To actually behold Him in adoration, to be reunited with Him in confession, and to be offered Him in the Eucharist. No amount of jumping up and down can compare to being with the real presence of Jesus in the blessed Sacrament.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. – CCC 1324

The mountain upon which the City of God is built is called Zion. But its source and summit will always be the Eucharist.

And I say this with complete confidence because I say this in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

And let all the people say, Amen.

This blog is originally hosted on my personal blog at http://www.kevinmuico.com/2013/11/13/zion/