The Seed

Last Saturday, we attended a send off party for one of our youth leaders who was moving out of Calgary to pursue her university degree.  We’ve known this youth for a couple of years now and seen her grow; she has been a good sister to my kids and the rest of the youth.  It was a moment of mixed feelings for me, as much I will miss her a lot, I was happy that she was going to pursue her dreams.

It made me reflect on how many youths have been a part of our lives as Couple Coordinators; we treated them like our own kids.  We laughed with them, we cried with them, and we corrected them with the same love, sometimes tough love, that we show our own kids.  The faces of those youth are still in my heart and mind, some of them I don’t see anymore and I wonder what has happened to them.

On the other hand, quite of a number I still see and are very visible in the community.  The most affirming sight is seeing them now serve with us, as members of Couples for Christ and some are even serving as Couple Coordinators for CFC-Youth.

The bottom line is, we can only plant the seeds in them and hope that these seeds are cultivated and their faith continues to grow as they build their lives and their future families.  My most dreaded moment is when I have to send off my own kids to build their own lives and their families; I know that day will come.  I can only hope and pray that they one day appreciate why we “forced” them to go to mass on Sundays (and even First Fridays and some Saturday mornings), why we “forced” them to pray the rosary as a family, and why try as much as possible to have dinner together and do things together.

What a blessing it is to be called by the Lord to help in building the future families in Christ, I know one day, these families will truly be “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth”.  I know that I may not be alive to see that day (although I hope and pray I do), but getting a glimpse of it now is a beautiful sight to see.

AMDG.

Peanut Butter

When I was younger, my older sister, my older brother and myself were allergic to peanut butter, so my dad always kept it hidden and out of reach. My brother and I were both stubborn kids, so we’d sometimes climb the countertop, open up the cabinet and treat ourselves to a nice serving of peanut butter fingers (that’s where you scoop up peanut butter with your fingers and eat it). We knew it was wrong and that it would be bad for us, but we willingly accepted the consequences.

As I grew up, and coincidentally when I was tall enough to reach the peanut butter without climbing the counter, my allergy seemed to have left me. I was free to eat peanut butter, but for the sake of my brother and sister, my dad still kept it tucked away. Eventually, my brothers allergy to peanut butter seemed to fade, and so, it was only my older sister who suffered the allergy.

Earlier this year, my sister moved out into a place of her own, and so I thought that my dad would take the peanut butter and place it in its rightful place in the pantry, but he never did.

—

Last night I ate a peanut butter sandwich, and just as I’ve been doing for my entire life, I had to go to the lonely corner of my kitchen, open up the cabinet and reach to the highest shelf to get what I wanted.

In my fathers house, the way he cares for one, is how he cares for us all.

– Jesse R.
“I Am, and We are Missionaries”

To Be Like You

I think I can hopefully speak for all of us when we say, it has definitely been a blessed summer. The Lord has been so great, and after reading upon all the other fellow MV’s reflections, I didn’t want to do anything else but get this going. So here goes:

“Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7

I’ve always had the question lingering into the mind, “Whose really there for you?” This isn’t something that just sits, it digs. I can recall as far back as the beginning of high school even. This question, that turned to selfish action, hardened my heart, and created someone different. I can admit, I’m loud. I act out on whatever and do it around whoever and I did it because I felt empty, lonely even. You can say it built more insecurities as I struggled to just find people I can call MY friends. Bouncing around, doing what I can to fill that void of loneliness. Even up to today.

That’s changed. And after reflecting on this summer, I really owe it up to the Lord, to the MV program, to the community, to my family, to the people that were and are there for me.

I’ve been blessed to go to ILC, meet my God sister for the first time EVER in the Philippines at ILC, travel to cook, prioritize my family again, lead praisefest at our RYC, serve at Conference, meet great people, come back to a family trip….

When on this journey was I ever alone? Though there were times where I’ve spent days alone…did God ever really leave me with no one there? No, because He was there. Like Johnathan was there for David, Ruth was there with Naomi, etc etc…God really showed His existence and His being through ever person and every blessing I was able to witness in the past, present.

One of the best parts about being an MV, or even just being in the community, I can pass this reflection/realization in the way I live, act, and love to whoever needs it. Think about it. Think about the past summer, years, days, even few seconds…look around you…even if there is no one there…There’s stories/experiences even in the laptop you are using to read this…someone made that for your enjoyment. Or even that picture in the living room, those people have been there all your life.

There is much to do. There are a lot of things to patch up. But God has planned something greater. This summer helped me realize how much more I want to be like Him, and how much more I want to share Him. Thank You, Lord. There is much to do.

“Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”– Hebrews 13:5

Lord, may I be able to love like You. To think like You. To be like You in any way You want me to be. Thank You for never leaving me, or leaving the people in my house, in the community, or even taking Your eyes off all of Your creations. We need You.

Desiderio Domini

What Should I Do?

There are times in my life when I feel lost and I really don’t know what to do. As a FTPW my future is very uncertain because I’m going on the anointing of the Lord. I will stop only when He says stop but to be honest I am anxious sometimes at the thought I have no idea what’s going to happen. I guess the Lord is calling me to pray for more faith.

I have realized that the Lord makes it perfectly clear what I need to do and the internal battle is not knowing what it is but accepting it. As a disciple of Jesus, I am called most of the time to deny myself and take up my cross if I want to follow Him. I struggle with the decision because dying to self is always the harder thing to do, though it is what I ought to do.

God has given me free will, though He makes it perfectly clear how He’d like for me to use it.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” —Galatians 5:13–14

In making decisions as Christians, we must ask ourselves: will I, through love, be a servant of another? If I were the other person, how would I like to be treated and shown love?

The answer will always be a call to die to self, thus it will most likely lead to inconveniencing ourselves. This is what it means to be a true disciple. This is what it means to love.

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” –Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

You know what is best for me

Prayer by Blessed John Henry Newman

O my God, you alone are all-wise and all-knowing! I believe that you know just what is best for me. I believe that you love me better than I love myself, that you are all-wise in your Providence and are all-powerful in your protections.

I thank you, with all my heart, that you have taken me out of my own keeping, and have bidden me to put myself in your hands. I can ask nothing better than this, to be in your care –not my own. O my Lord, through your grace I will follow you wherever you go, and will not lead the way.

I will wait for you for your guidance, and on obtaining it, I will act in simplicity and without fear. And I promise that I will not be impatient, if at any time I am kept by you in darkness and perplexity; nor will I complain or fret if I come into any misfortune or anxiety. In all, I will trust in Jesus, the Lord, and my saviour.

Amen.

Keep Going

“Keep going. The world needs more God-fearing men”

These were the words the priest shared with me as I left the confessional. It was affirmation of what St. Paul said to the Philippians,

Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead

The Lord asks for faithfulness, not perfection. While discerning for full-time pastoral work, one thing is certain – the world needs God-fearing men. Wherever I am called to be, I pray that I may be a true man of God.

Which one

Today Immaculate Heart of Mary as Our Lady of Fatima was a pilgrim in my home.  It was brought by the Heralds of the Gospel. Not only I thought that it was cool, it is also my mom’s birthday.  So what a way for her to celebrate her day to the person she looks up to the most.

As we began, we first started with the background of Our Lady of Fatima and about conversion stories and how we have to look deeper beyond what we see in front of us.  The first message spoken was about how going to mass has or is becoming just cultural meaning do people know why they go to mass.  He pointed out that we as practicing Catholics go to mass because we are faithful to the Lord and seek to celebrate/witness/be healed.  If that isn’t a reason to go then what is? If we don’t know why we go to mass then its so easy to just stop going. You stop doing things because there is no reason to go.  Well if that’s the case then let’s put reason into our thoughts and understand why we go.  There are many souls who need conversion and how fitting of Our Lady (of whatever place she appeared) is our biggest help.

@itsmetimmm