“Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you”. Proverbs 1:24-33
Our Lord is love, patient, merciful and so much more but He can also be disciplinary. When we are called, we are blessed so much by the Lord because He truly and deeply loves us and wants the absolute best from us. But, He too wants the best from us. When we are called, we need to strive to protect our anointing in every way for He has the power to take it away. Prayer time up, purity to the fullest and love never ending.
What a wonderful quote from Mother Teresa. Often times, when we prepare for activities and events we are like Martha, busy taking care of logistics and forgetting the most important part , our spiritual preparation and focus.
Many times we are discouraged because of failures, obstacles trials but in these circumstances the Lord will not focus on how well we did but on how we continue to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”.
Lord, continue to remind us on how to be faithful, just as you were faithful to your mission.
The life of a CFC Youth leader is certainly one of the most fulfilling vocations a young person can live at this stage of their life. It is without a doubt, accompanied with many heartaches, many trials, many tests; but even greater than these are the rewards that our God gives through His graces and countless blessings. This imperfect life that we choose to live is nothing short of beautiful! Why? Because a life that reflects the life of Christ is a life that illuminates. When we embody Christ, we act as a living lantern to the radiance of Christ’s light.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Mark 5:15-16, NRSV
How can we, as young missionaries, ensure that Christ’s light does not go dim? Well, the answer is in the our conditioning. As Catholics, sons of man and children of God, we are conditioned to love unconditionally. Our love is to transcend human nature. In fact, the love we are truly called to partake in is of divine nature: Agape. But because we are designed as flawed creatures, we tend to fail. We fail him when we forget to call our households. We fail him when we miss our meetings. We fail him when we are not being as excellent and as loving as we possibly could be.
In my many years in the community, I have made a lot of mistakes. And unfortunately, I will likely make more. Because we are a people that needs conditioning in order to improve, we, too, need nourishing. Within my recent prayer time, God has revealed to me this wonderful source of nourishment: The Joyful mysteries. I firmly believe that these particular mysteries were given to us to have a much deeper understanding to live a life as Christ’s servant
The Annunciation: A life devoted to serving the Lord is truly wonderful. I tend to picture being in the exact situation Mary was in. I ask myself if I would have respond in the same Godly way Mary did: “Be it done unto me according to Thy Word”. Our “yes” must also be as resonatingand submissive as Mother Mary’s. When God calls us, we must respond in full surrender! It’s never too late. Even in the midst of our journey, our posture of surrender turns in to a posture of doubt and unrest. The beauty is in his eternal embrace – we can always come back to him. In fact, he wants us to lay in his arms forever.
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you”
St. Augustine
The Visitation: Recently I’ve come to terms with this wonderful truth: Christ’s people are a joyful people. As my brother so eloquently put it, “We are the Easter people, not the Lenten people!”. So very profound. Sometimes we focus so much on the Passion of our Lord that we forget the joy of his Resurrection! If we live our lives according to the faith that believes He will come again, then there is no room for sadness, but only room for immense happiness!
The Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ: Hope – the virtue that people tend to forget behind faith, and of course, love. But what if I were to tell you that our service, without hope, is without meaning. The reason we do what we do is not simply because we are obligated by faith and love, but because we have the hope that this world will one day prostrate, like the Magi, to the coming of the Lord. Hope came to this world in an infant born in a manger. Though Christ did not yet start His ministry at the time, nor did He rise from the dead, it was in this very moment that this world was introduced to the hope that we would all be saved.
Presentation of Christ at the Temple: In Jewish tradition, newly born sons are presented at the temple as an offering of their life to God. The presentation at the temple teaches us that serving the Lord requires great alms giving and sacrifice. We must recognize that the sacrifice of our time, treasure, and talents fulfills our obligation to live self-giving lives like Jesus Christ. When we give a part of ourselves to another person, we also give to Him. Because He sacrificed his only son, there is an indelible mark within our hearts to love our God and love one another. It is the ultimate exchange – our covenant with the Lord.
Finding of Jesus in Temple:
Personally, this is likely one of my most favorite stories in the New Testament. Here we are, Jesus Christ as a young person like you or me, preaching with such conviction and zeal leaving the scribes in such awe with his wisdom. This story is so telling because of it’s simple message to us young people that we, too, even out our young age, can inspire in the way he did if we let our lives be modeled after Christ and moved by the Holy Spirit. However, we, too, in our passion and conviction, must first and foremost recognize the anointing of our authority figures. Even though Christ was, in fact, the God-man and it was so evident that what he preaching was of divine nature, what completed his divinity was the his obedience to Joseph and Mary. It was because he learned to be obedient to them in his adolescence that in his adulthood he obeyed to God the Father to suffer and die for our sins.
“A person who has [joy] often reaches high summits. He or she is like a sun in a community.”
Blessed Mother Teresa
May we be a beacon of Christ’s light and may we find refuge and unending joy in the coming of the Lord.
Heavenly Hosts, Lamb of God, Almighty King and Father. Our lives are Yours. Allow us to love like you. Allow us the ability to find joy in these works. Allow us to be edified by this wonderful gift you gave us in the joyful mysteries. Father, may your wisdom guide us in all of our actions. May our footsteps intertwine with the steps you have already laid out for our lives. May your light continue to shine even in our suffering.
Praise God for this year of faith! It gives us a good reason to learn our faith and dive deeper than ever before. However, we must be careful that, as we gain knowledge about the faith, we don’t become arrogant about it. When one gains more knowledge about a subject, it’s easy to think one ‘knows better’ and begins to see him/herself better than others. I believe that the more we learn about the faith, actually, the more loving we should be. The more humble we should be. The more we should decrease so that others may increase. I think of it to be an odd thing to learn about the faith and to be less loving. It’s strange because the faith is all about Jesus Christ who is the meek and humble servant of all. How could we not be influenced to be like Him the more we learn about Him?
As we learn about the faith, let us not so much strive to increase in knowledge, but more so strive to increase in charity. Let us learn for the sake of love. If we are not becoming more loving individuals the more we learn about the faith, we need to simply go back to Jesus in all humility and let the journey be all about Him once again.
On the cross, He died so that we may be pardoned for our sins and He lived again so that we may be brought salvation. The greatest sacrifice for the greatest love… The sacrifice of One for the salvation of sinners…
How often do we go by each day feeling hurt, feeling angry, frustrated, upset, stressed, and all other things that are just plain negative? In the midst of the busy-ness of the world, I found myself using my mere existence, as a human being, the excuse to why I felt the way I did. That it is “only natural” for me to be this way. Although I am not perfect (in fact, far from it), I now know this:
Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus God became human so that humans might become God
He became human so that we would become witnesses. Witnesses to the living example of HOW we can become living testimonies to this very phrase. God became human. He felt what we felt, and lived how we lived. He saw what we saw and heard what we heard. But most of all, he became human. The very act of becoming human was an ultimate act of humility, living our ways. He wanted to show us how we could live; HOW our Father wants us to live. And He did it all living exactly like us.
Keeping this in mind, is it really good enough to say “It’s okay because we’re human”? It is, if we don’t know what is wrong. But the very moment we realize what we’re doing or feeling isn’t right, that is our moment of salvation. That is the “God-moment” where He speaks and shows us that this is not the way. And that is the very moment He gives us to act. Jesus did not live a life that was good just because He was the Son of God, but also because He always opened his heart to HEAR Him. Jesus is our example, not just because of the things he did, but because of HOW he lived.
God wants the same salvation for us. Suffering comes to bring us Salvation. And in the times we suffer – in the small and big ways – we are called to see Him and hear Him so that He may lead us to GOOD in those sufferings. So that we may be led to Him in His ways because His ways are good.
Jesus dying on the cross was not just an act that brought us our salvation, but also the very example of how we should live our lives. That no matter how painful and how hard it is, and no matter how much it does not seem realistic or something possible to do, with love and trust in the Lord, it is in those moments that He is bringing us closer and closer to our Salvation.
Just like Jesus, we are called to submit our lives wholeheartedly… every emotion, every word, every touch, and everything else that is human. We are called to lift it all up to him so that “humans might become God”.
Lord, with complete trust in You, I lift up my life. I lift up my human-ness to You so that I may let go of WHAT I hold onto, and grab hold of only You. For You have hold of my heart. You know the beautiful plans that you have set for me, whether they may hurt or bring happiness. But I know that despite of everything that may come my way, Your greatest plan is to bring me to You and your Salvation. And with complete trust, I pray that I will always be able to LET GO and let YOU in. In You, I trust.
Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. After 25 years of crawling, stumbling, walking, running, and whatever action I had to do in order to go through life – today is when it all makes sense. I know where I came from, what I did right, and what I did wrong. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Or what life has in store for me in the coming years. I have no clue, no idea, of what will happen to my life – to my family. But I am where I am supposed to be today. Right here, right now – a plane on the way to Manila.
After being in the community for 15 years (2 in KFC and 13 in CFC-Youth), most of the people I know would say that this has been a long time coming; that I should’ve taken the plunge to Full Time Pastoral Work for CFC-Youth after graduating in College. But having served mostly in Davao, more than a year in Manila, and a few months in Canada – each chapter – brought something new to the table. Allowed me to learn the things I needed to learn with respect to the mission, to those I work with and for, to me, and to my God. Reflecting on the moments, situations, and experiences that have brought me here on a seat on this plane – puts everything into God’s perspective. There is no such thing as a coincidence, but a beautiful plan that has been put into motion since time began. A victory etched in eternity, and I am but a speck inching my way to bring others to that victory.
Time has come for me to take the plunge. There is no going back. There is no need to go back. To drown in His love, a sea of blessings, an ocean of infinite goodness is something I’ve waited for all my life.
Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. This is where I want to be.
Kevin Muico (Calgary), along with Evony Evangelista (Winnipeg) and Kyle Beley (Hamilton) are Mission Volunteers on their way to Manila, Philippines to train as Full Time Pastoral Workers for CFC-Youth in the next three months. Let us keep them in our prayers that they may abound in God’s love and greatness. To come back to the True North with a greater passion and love of God that will bring forth a tsunami of God’s love in their new mission areas.
It may come in any point of your time where you might feel like you’ve got a heavy cross. What does that mean? It could mean that you’ve taken on a lot of responsibilities, you also might have heard the term “spreading yourself too thin” or “burdened.” Well in any of these cases I will share to you some points of how we can continue walking with our cross just Jesus did himself. The biggest thing I want to share with you is do not be afraid to fall. There’s been quite a few changes going with my service the last few months and let me tell you this change is starting to hit me good. Taking on a new responsibility and continuing the ones I have on top of being a part time student with a career does sound like a handful but for now manageable. I have been slowly learning the secrets from my mentor about how to use my time effectively because he is telling me that our time in this service is short.
Here are some tips I found effective to keep up with my service and life. First I’ve come to learn that a heavy cross probably means His will for you is being done (that’s right we constantly pray for that.) He’s working through you.
Understand the trial you are facing, learn to love what you’re in and be the BEST
Pray. And don’t stop find your perfect time, yes I said perfect… in the morning after I wake up works for me. Also read the daily Gospel, see what He is trying to tell you each day.
Pray to the saints. In whatever situation you feel stressed in there is a patron saint for your specific needs. Use them, they help because they want you to also join them in Heaven one day.
Last, go to confession (its one of our national directions.) Going to regular confession (monthly/weekly) will help you feel God’s love and purify all your intentions
Ask for help. From your counterpart, MCG, potential leaders
And there you go, this is my daily grind. Though my cross may be heavy I know that whatever I bare will be in His hands and His victory.
