We are all Human.

This journey of faith that we are called to live by is very challenging and requires a heart filled with the Spirit and to strive to be one with Jesus. In this journey we will be faced with “slap in the face” realizations, difficult moments where we are hurt, humiliated, humbled and broken down. These hardships make it exciting and so much more meaningful, Why? … because it strongly encourages and helps us to embrace God even more.

The Lord is so loving that even when we experience “bad” things, God HAS HIS PLAN AND WILL ALWAYS find a way to produce a good result from it. The question is, do we believe in HIS greater result? HIS greater plan? This past month has been a month of as the BOYBAND N’SYNC would sing, “It’s tearing up my heart when I’m with you… and when we are apart I feel it too…”. This song just made me realize two things: 1) As you OBEY the Lord, you sometimes WITNESS the “tearing apart” side of it so that you can fully ask and let God to put you back together. 2) When you find yourself apart from the Lord, you feel the tearing apart even more without anyone but you trying to put yourself back together.

Wow, the Lord is so GOOD, so GREAT!

But lets be real for a second, we are all humans and as human beings if we experience hardships, we will be sad, upset, angry, and lonely at times. We feel these things. The difference is how fast we turn to God so that we can renew us through these hardships.

It all goes back to how much we realize that God loves us and how much faith we have in Him. As Pope John Paul the II says, “To die for faith is a gift to some; but live by faith is a call to all”.

May God be Praised.

 

 

Like A Child


In all my years, living, the one thing I had strived to become is the very thing I am now trying to run away from. Independent. Growing up, I always thought I had to make sure I would be strong. Make sure I would be successful in my career and in society. Make sure I’d be able to take care of myself. But over the years, what I had learned to become is what the world wanted, and not what God, the Father, wanted from me.

Recently, I have realized that what He wants is for me to be DEPENDENT. He wants me to be dependent on Him. Yes, He wants me to be strong, successful, and everything else…but in Him. i had focused so much on being independent that I was beginning to lose time with the Lord. I was getting caught up in my successes that I sometimes forgot to give praise to the Lord, for His plans and His will is what made it all happen for me. His love is what paved the path for me. I began to get so caught up that my reason was beginning to fall into the background, and the result… my career… my successes was beginning to pull forth as the reason…

It has been more than a year since I had decided to pull myself away from the obsessions the world portrayed of “self”. Self worth. Self success… its idea of “independence“. Why? Because what the Lord wants is far more simple than the world’s expectations. What He wants is my DEPENDENCE on Him. 

As a child, growing up, getting cuts, scrapes, bruises and all other troubles a child might have had, I immediately came to my father. Papa. Daddy. Dad. And all the many, many, many other names I had for him.Children are the treasures of heaven because they live with an innocent and pure desire to always seek the Father.

“‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of  heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'”
– Matthew 18: 3

http://www.fathersloveletter.com/video.html

God wants me to do the complete opposite of what I thought I had to do all these years. I have to turn away from this idea of independence and become dependent on the Lord. He still needs me to fall and get hurt for it is the only way to get back up and come back stronger, but in order to heal and know where to go and grow. He doesn’t want me to hide and burrow in my sorrows and my world, but to run to Him right away and be enveloped in His love. He wants me to BECOME A CHILD, once more. 

March 4, 2013

Witnessing naturally follows obedience, just as charity naturally follows faith. The obedience of faith leads to the witnessing of charity. To be obedient in faith is to put ourself in the position to be found, to be entered into, to be pursued, to be embraced, to be encountered and loved by Jesus Christ. To be obedient to God is to allow His Holy Spirit to dwell, transform, and animate us. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect example of this. Through her obedience, Jesus Christ was conceived in her by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus literally came to her. Mary truly loves us because of how present the Lord is in her.

—

In a very real and mystical way, when we are obedient to God, Jesus comes to us and the Holy Spirit dwells, transforms, and animates us. We become more like Him. We can only pray that we may love our neighbour with Christ in us, just as Mary does.

—

True obedience is the dying to one’s self (Phil. 2:8). This is why it’s the hardest thing for me to do. The more I reflect on obedience, the more I realize how disobedient I actually am because of my refusal to die to self. I am very selfish and of little faith and in many areas of my life I am blind and ignorant.

Maybe I am blind and ignorant because a part of me wants to stay this way. Maybe a part of me is scared of the light because it would reveal the true darkness in my life. This journey towards holiness is very illuminating. I mean, this journey has definitely illuminated by mind and my knowledge has increased about the faith, but more so, it has made clearer to me my sinfulness.

—

Lord, I am a sinner. My sins are as numerous as the stars. Daily, I sin because of my thoughts and words, in what I’ve done, and what I’ve failed to do. Lord, have mercy!

As I continue my lenten journey, oh Lord, please be gracious and merciful to me. Please give me the grace to have true sorrow for my sins and the resolve to sin no more. Increase my faith in You oh God, help me to be obedient so that You can simply do Your will through me. Help me to let go and to lose my life for Your sake. Come to me, Jesus, make haste to help me. Amen.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

Becoming legal

Last weekend, my wife, Evelyn and I were talking to one of the youth leaders who just turned 18 recently. This youth shared with us that she has never been to a bar. This both surprised and delighted me. Most youths who turn 18 look forward to being legal and one of the first things on their list is going to a bar.

It’s another affirmation that the ministry of CFC-Youth transforms our young people and allows them to journey faithfully with Christ.

May God be praised!

Tito Gee

My Only Love

My Only Love- Matt Maher

The first time I heard this song I was so taken aback by how much the artist, Matt Maher, understood love. Listen to the words. That love, that relationship he sings about, is everything that anyone could ever want. The love that he sings about is true love.

Anyone who knows me that I can show love, but it’s very hard for me to accept love. I get uncomfortable with it. Sometimes I push it away. But I still want to be loved. We all thirst for a lasting, comfortable, filling love. And we all want someone who will be there for us forever. And this song, it knows. Matt Maher sings with the desire of my heart.

If you didn’t know, this song is a love song from God. It’s about how much He loves us. It’s about His undying, never-failing, constant and true love.

And when you hear it, you can’t help but be in awe of His love. His deep commitment to love each and every one of us, as if there were only one of us to love. We may fail each other a million times. And we may fail our God a million times more than that. But He, our good and righteous God, our loving, redeeming, wonderful Saving Grace, He will never fail us. He will never leave us. He will always, always, always, always, love us. Each and every one of us is His one. His only love.

I still want you
Yes, I need you
To have and to hold you,
After all of these years

I will listen to your problems,
Won’t try to fix them,
Just wipe away your tears

And if you need me in the middle of the night my dear
I’ll stay awake ’til morning light, and chase away your fears

So come closer, right here forever, 
Deep in my heart beat.
Together as one
My only love

And if you need me in the middle of the night, my dear
I’ll stay awake ’til morning light, and chase away your fears

So come closer, right here forever, 
Deep in my heartbeat,
Together as one
My only love

This is My Cry, My One Desire

Canadian Great Adventure Tour 2009

My recent prayer time has been a bit different lately.  Instead of the usual petitions, my prayers have lead me strangely down the paths of memory lane.  It’s funny how certain songs tend to go hand in hand with certain memories.  The song “One Desire” comes to mind every time I reflect on my trip to the Philippines in 2009.

It’s been almost 4 years since I went on my GAT trip, and to think about how much life has changed since then is almost unbelievable.  I’ve gone from a Chapterhead, to a Clusterhead, to a 100% Free Head to a YCOM Head and to a Mission Volunteer.  I’ve seen my fellow pilgrims get married, have children, and even go full-time.  I’ve seen some of them grow in to young professionals, and for others, I’ve seen them follow their dreams and pursue their passions.  Though we all live unique and somewhat separate lives now, it brings me great joy every time I pray for them because I know that in whatever they’re doing, they’re doing so because their love for the Lord has lead them there.

I thank my God every time I remember you

Philippians 1:3

It’s quite funny how life-changing this event was for me.  We often witness in the community to never cascade on the spiritual highs and lows of the events, but I think I can honestly say that this experience for me was one of those pinnacle experiences that have stood the test of time.  Whenever I feel like my human weakness fails and I forget the beauty of Agape Love, still images of the villages we visited, the people we met and the shear brotherhood shared at the GAT come flooding back to my mind as if I just left yesterday.

The Lord revealed to me many things on this excursion, but the message that I’ll always treasure is very sweet and simple:  love others selflessly.  I remember going in to the trip so narrow minded and thinking “I really want to do this because I love to help others”.  How naive!  Albeit there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to help others, to think the less fortunate are poor because they have less material things – that was my mistake.  Those in the Philippines, in particular the ones who resided in the Ancop villages, taught me that they don’t thrive off the same things western society has taught us has worth.  They just simply want to be talked to, noticed.  When they are deprived of this, they suffer, just as we would.  They find the same utter joy in sharing in company and welcoming us in their home then we do immersing in the village life.  All people yearn to experience unconditional love:  both to love and to be loved.

I live within you, deep in your heart Oh God, I live within you, rest now in me.

It’s so exciting to know that I get to travel there again in less than a month to once again experience the joys of unconditional love through the witness of His servants.  What brings me greater joy is the idea that for those going for the first time, a new world of wonder will be revealed just as it did to myself 4 years ago.  The Holy Spirit moves at a disturbingly unpredictable pace, and I know that for many of the delegates, they’ll return to their respective homes with a fierce zeal and intensity to serve.  May those who seek peace find what they are meant to find.

 

Vive Christus Rex

Pater Noster.  Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

cpm

 

One

“Although the God within, appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as one.”

“For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father , the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and there three are one.”

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one.”

 This idea that God is one has been resonating in my spiritual life, academic life, and my personal life in the past 2-3 years. The notion that God is one can seem so simple but yet so complex. The notion that God is one can seem so obvious but yet so abstract. The notion that God is one can seem so Monotheistic but yet so Polytheistic.

 

God is One.

I was compelled simply by the word “One”.

Say it, on its own.

 “One”

 This word, for some reason, is so FULL, so DRAMATIC, so WHOLESOME! I would lay on my bed and repeat “One” as I thought of God. Just saying the word on its own stirs up so much thought, so much emotion, and so much feeling. How can something so small can appear so big? How can something that is singular can be felt infinitely. This idea then compelled me to define the word “One” in order to encompass the essence of what this word entails. According to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “one” was defined as:

  1. being a single unit or thing
  2. being the same in kind or quality
  3. constituting a unified entity of two or more components
  4. being in agreement or union

As I reflected on these definitions, I realized that, being a single unit or of being the same kind or quality needs to be first constituted of many things in order for it to be in union or in agreement. Basically, in order for something to be “One” it must first consist of something or of many things. The idea of “One” would not exist if the idea of “Many” was not established. How would we be able to distinguish “One” from the others if “Many” did not exist? How would we be able to value the Greatness of God, if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did not exist? How would we be able to appreciate the union of a family, if the father, mother, brother, or sister did not exist? How would we be able to acknowledge the whole beauty of creation, if the land, the water, the birds, the trees, the flowers, and the bees did not exist? How would we be able to worship God if

Christianity,

 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father , the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and there three are ONE.” 1 John 5:7

Judaism,

 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is ONE.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

or

Hinduism,

“Although the God within, appears to be divided, He is never divided. He is situated as ONE.” Bhagavad Gita chap. 13, verse 17

 did not exist?

 How would we be able to experience God’s ONENESS if His INFINITY did not exist?

God is One.

God is Infinite.

 Let His Oneness resonate within us infinitely.

 Amen.