True North Missionaries Journal

In the past few days, I couldn’t help but notice that the last few readings have been all about prayer. Reading about the way Jesus prayed and how it relates to how we are called to pray (in almsgiving, praise, supplications, etc), I couldn’t help but begin to reflect: We are all called to pray, and yes, there are many ways to pray, but how does it all connect? The way we use our gifts and all our prayers in the end, should be for the edification of the Church. So, how do our prayers do this?

“Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy”
– St. Therese of Lisieux

The way we pray,
the things we pray for,
the people we pray for,
the saints we pray with,
the devotions we have,
the verbal language we pray in…
NONE ARE THE SAME!

The only thing I know I can relate to with everyone who prays is that when I pray, I pray wholeheartedly out of love. IF PRAYER IS A SURGE OF THE HEART, and AN OUTPOUR OF THE HEART then the language of prayer must be love. Then if the language of prayer is love, that must be how we are all connected, and that must be why it edifies the Church. It is a constant and changing growth, that although so different, our prayers can bring unity through love.

However, I had a feeling in my heart that there was more that the Lord wanted to reveal to me. As I continued to reflect, I began to see it… prayer is built on love, BUT love builds relationships. Therefore, I can say that prayer not only edifies our Church, but also our relationship with the Lord, as well as our relationships with those in our lives. It’s like dating…

The more we more I talk and spend time with Him, the more intimate our relationship becomes.

And out of this intimacy, grows an acceptance and an inexplicable understanding that only my heart can utter and only God can comprehend. Whether I say it or not, He knows the deepest desires of my heart. And I know He is taking care of them all so intimately… And once again, just like dating, having a the “perfect” boyfriend, He will always find ways to affirm me and grant me my desires in the most intimate ways.

*HEART EXPOSURE*

One of my greatest prayers is that God will bring a deeper unity within my family. Yes, we have movie nights, board game nights, or just “chill” nights, but I wanted more. I greatly desired to one day bring my intimate love with God into the family through mission. And slowly, He began to grant them…

My family worshipped together after my Mom’s 50th Birthday…
We pray the Rosary together…
My sister and I pray the Angelus and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together whenever we’re both home…
I am no longer the only person in the family keeping a prayer journal…
And yesterday, our version of late-night “fun” turned into an hour in Adoration together…

And all this has only happened within the past 2 months! Bit by bit, He is turning my family from water into wine… And each time these things happened, I never expected it. I think that’s what prayer is… it is love that becomes the core of the relationship between myself and God that no one else can comprehend… It is the core of a relationship that holds no expectations, and gives so selflessly to one another with no conditions or limitations. It builds a relationship full of love and full of trust, even when it doesn’t make sense. Prayer allows me to take that “leap of faith”, day after day even when it isn’t always comfortable.

Prayer allows me to journey with others and pray with them for the mission that He has set for me… to bring His love to others so that they may also have the courage to take that leap of faith, only to fall right into His arms. Prayer… in its only comprehensible language throughout the world, is love.

HOUSEHOLD LOVE

A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed to be invited to attend one of the sisters’ household in the East Chapter here in our lovely Area of Montréal 🙂
As I made my way to household, it felt so refreshing and simply, I was moved.
I was moved as I took every step to household.
In my head I thought, “the other sisters are also on their way…these sisters are letting God take care of their lives and lead their lives… He is leading our lives. I’m so excited!!!” 🙂
That Friday evening, we had a date with God 🙂

As we prayed the Rosary together to start the household, I started to be a little teary, I held my tears, took a deep breath, and my heart felt joy, a simple joy yet felt so true.
I felt love in the presence of my sisters…I felt HIS LOVE.
This is what it is all about.

As our date with our God continued, we shared some great laughs, some tears, good food (of course :P), personal stories, reflections, God’s victories in our lives, His love, our journey.
We shared 🙂
This is what it is all about.

Then it was my turn to share. I cried. I was humbled. What I had were tears of joy because I was simply moved by the sharings of my sisters in Christ. Through our community, we have been helped multiple times and transformed each time. Through this community, we have been led to be closer to Him. But ultimately, it is truly our Lord God who wonderfully transforms us. These wonderful sisters have reminded me of what our community is all about.
A community of God’s people. A community of love. A community of God.
This is what it is all about.

The sharings of these truly wonderful sisters have greatly moved me. Their sharings about their lives being transformed, their very being being moved by the Lord, the joy that they feel and the hope that they enthuse…they have truly inspired me.
It reminded me of the simple calling of our community, to love.
In our ministry, Being and bringing Christ where ever we are,
and they brought Christ to the household.
They bring Christ in their schools, to their families, to their friends, to their homes, everywhere. They reminded me of the greatness of the Lord and His wonderful mercy.
This is what it is all about.

To Dhanyqa, Grace, Lica, Janine, Dana and Tita Karla. Thank you so much for allowing to be part of your household. Thank you for the food, the smiles, the laughs, the sharings, the prayers, the hugs, the sisterhood, the love. Thank you for sharing your stories and God’s love. My beautiful sisters, you continue to inspire me. I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful household. I love you so much and I continue to pray for each and everyone of you.
Keep smiling 🙂

May our Great and Awesome Father continue to bless each and everyone of us.
Have a wonderful day brothers and sisters 🙂

Peace and Love,
Apple
🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Paul’s exhorts as in his letter to the Ephesians 4:1-6, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

“To live in a manner worthy of the call.” Such a strong challenge to a weak soul like mine. By Your grace O Lord, help me to live in a manner worthy of the call that I have received from you. May I do justice to the gifts that you have given me and use it for good. Amen.

It’s so easy to get distracted now a days. The evil one is very good at making things seems like they are worth giving “attention” so that you think you invest time, but really you waste time. He does a very good job at causing your heart to feel uneasy, bothered, anxious, and not at peace. But at the same time, he is also good at deceiving your heart making it think its at peace, but really its not. Really, your heart is not one with Christ.

How do we stay focused on the Lord? We pray. We discern. We consult others and seek for advice… BUT not everyone is fit to help and give advice. You must pray and discern about that too.

Bottom line, we need to continue to have that personal relationship with Christ and continue seeking Him for advice to move forward and be one with the Spirit so that we may be at peace, the right PEACE.

As Saint Augustine States: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our Heart is restless until it rests in you.”

 

On October 1st I made one of the best decisions in my life. I promised that I would commit myself to a deeper prayer life. I might be a Mission Volunteer for almost a year and I may have clocked in twelve years in CFC-Youth, but I can honestly admit (now) that my relationship with God was quite shallow. It was like a string of dates that never quite evolved. It was like getting to know someone over and over and over again. Like sitting at a coffee shop everyday beside the same person for 2 years but never getting past the how-are-yous and how’s-the-weather-todays.

October first was the perfect time to start! Not only was it my patron Saint’s Feast day (St. Therese of Lisieux, holla!) it was also the beginning of the month of the Holy Rosary. Some part of me was crying for a new beginning of sorts.

What I discovered after seven days was astounding.

EVERY SINGLE DAY I received a gift. Literal gifts. Tangible gifts.
Seven days, seven dates with the Lord “chaperoned” by Mama Mary, seven affirmations.

The Seventh day, October 7, was also the feast day of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. She was the one being celebrated, yet I was the one who was given a reason to celebrate.

I’ve been unemployed for just over two months now with a bank balance of literally $0. My monthly pre-authorized payments for Student Loans slowly ate up whatever I had saved. But guess what? In less than 36h I will be on a plane to Vancouver, BC to attend and serve at the North American Leaders’ Summit. How? Because of a choice I made to have a sincere and genuine commitment to prayer. With the intercession of Our Lady, guidance from St. Therese, and motivation from St. Rita (patronness of impossible cases x the rosary I prayed with) I will be going with a fellow leader from my Sector.

The best part about this isn’t my trip to Vancouver. The most significant take away from this is my renewed prayer life. God spoke straight to my heart in the ways that He knew would make me speechless, in ways that He knew I couldn’t argue or reason my way out of.

St. Therese of Lisieux once said that for her, “prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

I understand what that means now. It is complete and utter submission to Christ. It’s bearing our whole self to Him and never breaking that look or stare at Him on the cross- it’s sharing in His crucifixion AND His resurrection. It’s giving Him permission to enter the walls of our hearts without restraint or fear.

Prayer is coming out of our hiding places; it’s stepping out of the crowd of onlookers during the walk towards Calvary and being Simon for that brief moment. It’s looking at Him in the eye and committing to take the weight for five steps, ten steps, fifteen steps. It’s letting him embrace your soul, especially the darkest parts, the broken parts, the hidden parts.

Most especially it’s allowing Christ to tell you, “I love you. You are worth this much. I am proud of you” without interruption. Prayer is choosing to let Christ save you.

—-

HEART OF JESUS, I adore Thee.
HEART OF MARY, I implore thee.
HEART OF JOSEPH, meek and just,
In these three Hearts I place my trust.
Amen.
– Act of Confidence.

I had Thanksgiving dinner with my family yesterday. With most of my cousins out of town, it was a small immediate family dinner. We shared a lot of laughs, caught up on each others lives and enjoyed each others presence.

My dad was coming home from a Benedictine Oblates retreat in the States. Dinner was ready by 7:00pm and we were expecting him to arrive shortly after. He didn’t arrive for a while so we ended up playing Scrabble and just talking amongst each other. I was reminded of my childhood and how my dad’s work required him to travel to the states regularly. He wouldn’t come home until 9pm sometimes but no matter what, we would wait for him before we had dinner.

Sometimes I’m not home to have dinner with my parents anymore. When waiting for my dad to come home last night, it reminded me of how important it is to be with family. A meal is best shared with the people you love. I know that a Thanksgiving meal would not be the same without my Dad present. In the same way, any meal is not the same if not all members are present.

I belong to a different parish than my parents. We actively serve our parish but in hindsight, I think this separation may be limiting us from experiencing the fruits of participating in The Feast together. I believe God is calling me to make more of an effort to be present with my family during day-to-day meals and Sunday Banquets.

Thank You, God for revealing to me the importance of family and each member’s presence. May I never forget this and may you give me the grace to follow through without delay.