Close to You

How do we grow closer to God? Some may say it is by participating more in the sacraments (i.e. Reconciliation/ Confessions, attending Mass, participating in Adoration, etc). Others might say it is by simply increasing our prayer time. Some might even say it is through Random Acts of Kindness. While I listened to others as they shared about how they grow closer to Christ, I began to think. Is it possible to find just one answer to this? Then it dawned on me…

The first step in growing closer to someone is to know more of who they are. The second step in growing in closeness is to grow in love for them. The next step is to allow God to strengthen the relationship by bringing prayer into this relationship (whether it is through intercession, or by directly praying together, or being the vessels of the Presence of Christ in their lives). Therefore, to come closer to God, it begins by allowing ourselves to understand Who He is in our lives. Then it further breaks down to this…

(“God is Good, all the time! And ALL THE TIME, God is Good!”)

To grow closer to God is to know God…

(“God is where? EVERYWHERE! And everywhere, GOD IS THERE!”)

Knowing God, is knowing Him in everyone and in everything, for His Presence is in everything around us…

Therefore, to grow closer to God is to grow closer to everyone around us because His Presence lives in everyone and everything around us.

It is everything everyone mentioned; not just one or the other. It is growing in the sacraments, making conscious efforts to be more kind towards one another, increasing our prayer time, praying for and with one another, learning to love those who are difficult to love, serving one another in ways that might not be common or maybe even foreign to us, or taking the time to get to know those around us, no matter how excluded or uncomfortable we might feel. It is finding all the little ways to simply love literally everyone and everything around us before ourselves. It might even be being able to be thankful for having a house, room, or place to sleep in every night (despite not having specific living conditions we want), or eating whatever food is available so that it doesn’t waste or rot instead of looking for the things we want at that moment, or even doing acts of service for others despite of how good/ bad we might be in doing so. It is living, speaking, and thinking of love for others before ourselves that we learn to grow CLOSE.

By growing in this love and appreciation for them and/ or for the circumstances around us, we grow in love and appreciation for God, and ultimately… we grow closer to Him. 

Lord, may we always have a willing and ready heart to accept our YES’s every day, and to allow ourselves to be led by Your guiding hands in the new and old ways of doing so. In everything we do or say, may we always be led closer to You. 

Most Holy Family, pray for us!

TOTUS TUUS.

Sublime

Infinite

Intentional

Intimate

It is when we realize that the heart and mind are no longer separate
But led by the same Spirit

It is when we are no longer led by our own emotions
But led by His love

We will no longer feel chained but free
Free to be who we really are in His Presence

It is our confidence in the Lord
That exudes perfect surrender

It is when the mind and heart align
When the soul is able to experience true freedom

True joy in recognizing
That we are created for greatness

Because we are no longer a reflection of ourselves
But a reflection of Love Itself

Selfless

Sure

Sublime

Angel of God, My Guardian Dear

angel_statue_stock_05_by_malleni_stock-d4kiziy

There have been numerous times in my life when I was affirmed that my angel was with me. I’ve gotten into close calls on the road where either I would stop at the very last second, or somehow I reacted quickly enough to avoid a potentially fatal accident. One time I was driving with a friend on the highway, going 120 kmph on the fast lane in Toronto. Suddenly, my engine spewed out a cloud of smoke so thick that I couldn’t see ahead, then it locked itself, followed by my steering wheel. I could have panicked because of all the cars honking at me but instead a sense of peace came over my whole body. Some how my car graciously pulled over to the shoulder and came to a smooth stop. My friend, Mitch, and I looked at each other, speechless. All I was able to say at that moment was, “that was my angel, bro.” And he just nodded with fear and amazement.

It’s amazing to know that God has given each of us an angel who guards and protects us, and who lights our path. We are given one because because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit—the very presence of God. In the Old Testament, angels protected the Holy Temple which contained the tabernacle, which contained the Holy of Holies. In a way, our very bodies are now that temple, thus we have angels by our side. This is not fiction and something merely imaginary, but a reality. We literally have an angel always with us but how much we experience the power of that angel depends on our humility.

Just like in today’s first reading, to each of us the Lord says,

“I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.”

“But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. My angel will go in front of you.”

(Exodus 23)

The Lord calls us to be attentive to our angel and to listen to his voice. If we do this with humility, then the Lord can truly protect us with His angels. In the Gospel reading today, the disciples asked Jesus “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Mt. 18). Then Jesus explained to them that only those who are as humble as a child can be called great in His kingdom.

I’ve always imagined angels to be two things: a fiery protector, armed with heavenly armour and weapons, and a little baby. As a protector, our angels defend us against the demons who seek our ruin. As a baby or little child, he speaks the words of the Lord in a still small voice. We have to be careful that we “do not despise one of these little ones” (Mt. 18) for they constantly behold His face in Heaven. Jesus also said “whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me.” (Mt. 18). Let us not be afraid to welcome with open arms, the angel God has given to us.

We need humility to be able to hear the voice of the Lord through His messengers. They are truly here to light our path, guard our way, rule our lives, and guide us ever closer to the fullness of life in Jesus Christ.

So let us pray,

Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Amen.

Mthw.

Over the past few months, I knew what exactly He was calling me to do – to forgive and to let go.

I suppose He wouldn’t call me to do so if He knew I couldn’t. However, even though the call was a constant one I chose to ignore it. I not only let stubbornness get in the way but I also let pride take over. I rationalized it by saying that if I forgave easily, even I would question just how sincere it was because deep down, I knew if it would mean nothing. I justified my actions by telling myself that for forgiveness to mean something and for it to be genuine, time had to take its course. I convinced myself I would eventually get to that point of being able to forgive without actually doing anything concrete to reach  that state.

Instead of trying to attain that sense of peace that comes with forgiving someone, I held on. Holding on to anger allowed me to run away from the very thing I was being called to do and it gave me great comfort because it was the easier route to take. I became so used to the feeling and it became so familiar that even though I knew for a fact that there was still a need to forgive, it didn’t bother me that I still haven’t. 

But the more I held on to anger, the more I hurt myself. My pride led me to relive everything I disliked about the events that happened and I let it dictate how I acted and reacted to situations around me. I was only thinking about how I felt and so I failed to see how much the other person desired to make things right. Only now have I come to realize that some parts of my heart have become hardened and stone like; leading me to close myself off from a lot of things.

When the hurt you’ve experienced leaves too deep of a wound, forgiving is not the easiest thing to do in the world. But when I look at the cross and every time I go to confession, I’m reminded that Jesus did that for us. And still does every time we err and sin. It may have taken a year but now that  I have forgiven, I’m now able to make room for the things He has in store for me because I have finally let go of stuff that has been weighing me down. The parts of my heart that have become hardened are slowly becoming like flesh again and I know it will allow me to focus on Him and the people He will entrust to me especially as I enter a new service role next year; one that would ask me to understand and love much more than I ever have.

Very few people could be emptied and hollowed out and still choose to sincerely forgive. I didn’t think I could but His grace and His constant reminders allowed me to.

Be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as in Christ, God forgave you – Ephesians 4:32

Divine Sidekick

Have you ever done something that you did not want to admit to?

I think it’s safe to say that all of us have been there in different degrees, depending our how our conscience has been formed.

In times of regret and shame, I for one tend to isolate myself. Not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. I always end up just praying to God by my spiritual self. Don’t get me wrong I love spending one on one time with the Lord because that’s how I journey with the Lord, but I always forget of that one buddy that is always with me.

My guardian angel.

“On their hands they [angels] will bear you up,/ so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:12)

I always forget that I have a guardian angel that is here to protect me. In times when I am far from God and in times when I’m so close and personal with God.  I have a guardian angel that helping me in my personal missions and journeys with the Lord.

“It is consoling to know that this angel prays without ceasing for us; he offers to God all our good actions, thoughts, desires, if they are pure.” – St. Padre Pio

I remember this one time when I had a friend ask me to pray that she can organize her schedule to go to mass. I sent my guardian angel to this friend. Later that evening my friend told me that she was able to go to mass because her prior commitments fell through.

I’d like to believe that my guardian angel had some sort of hand in this in helping her get to mass that day.

We all have a guardian angel. They exist to help us in our lives. They are “always ready to listen to us, and even more console us,” as St. Padre Pio states. If you have a friend in need, send your guardian angel to help that person out. If you are in the midst of temptation, ask your guardian angel to help you fight against it.

As you continue on with the life God has given you, let us not forget this faithful companion or “divine sidekick” when he picks us up when we fall.

And with that, may God be forever praised!

Courage and Consolation

At the last SFC Household we had, the topic was courage. Oftentimes, the defining thing about courage for me had been being able to do something beyond the fears I carried. But upon learning that the gift of courage goes much deeper than that, I’ve personally taken the time this week to pray for guidance on going beyond the surface of this gift. “Be careful what you pray for…”

This week has personally hard for me, which I’m starting to think is going to continue for the rest of my life. But it is in this understanding that I rejoice because in understanding this reality, I also understand that my life is meant to answer this specific prayer… TO CONSTANTLY GROW IN COURAGE.

Courage goes beyond the physical. It is A GIFT that is as much internal as it is external.

Emotions…
Spiritual learnings/ experiences…
Personal encounters…
Callings of service…
Facing all sorts of fears (and then acting beyond them)…

I have been so heavily challenged in these in the past few weeks and there have been points where I’ve had to sit back for a few seconds and just process these things in the moment. But it is in these times that our actions determine our courageousness. Praise the Lord for being the Guiding Hand and my greatest Provider in the mission, for it is through Him I have found the greatest Consolation. And NO, the consolation is NOT A SOLUTION. It is in True Courage.

I am learning that COURAGE GROWS IN OUR HEARTS WITH GOD. COURAGE GROWS IN LOVE. It is being able to pray for serenity to accept the things I can’t change (whether it is the way people are or a specific event or task), the fortitude to change the things I can, and praying for the wisdom to know the difference. It is being able to allow God to work through my own self-awareness, conscience, imagination, and agreeing to act with my own independent will. It is being able to accept my emotions (in whichever way they come), but not allowing them to define my actions; it is prudence of heart and of mind to acknowledge them and act solely upon the will and call of the Lord. Courage is serving with faith, hope and charity, and acknowledging with prayer that I will always be called to grow deeper in all of this.

True Courage is the willingness to freely sacrifice with the sole purpose of growing in the faith, hope and charity in the Lord.

When I was walking back to the bus stop to head home after the morning Mass, I began take note of how many Franciscan crosses and symbols I have seen in the past few weeks. It’s funny because in the past month and a bit that I’ve been here in Israel, I’ve never really noticed how prominent the Franciscans are here… until now. And it is now, through this, that I realize that this whole time, God has been my Consolation and has been calling me to let Him be the source of Courage in my life. I chuckled a little and breathed out a sigh of relief as I began to recall the infamous song and prayer of St. Francis… Courage had been written all over it, and in courage, I find peace…

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.

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.

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.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

 

In this reminder, Lord, I pray that You continue to not only affirm me in my YES, but to remind me of all the things that come along with it – ultimately, the true privilege to serve with true peace, love, and joy. May You continue to graciously lead me to grow in virtue and to live every moment with a grateful heart. May You stand as the example of true mission – to allow myself to be used to exemplify Your love and service in a constant journey of conversion (in my life as much as theirs)… Lord, please protect the call for mission in my life, and to wherever else it may be leading me.

St. Joseph, pray for us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Amen.
TOTUS TUUS.

Encounters with Jesus

Being part of a Catholic community is such a blessing because we have lots of opportunities to connect with Jesus:
Every household meeting is an encounter with Jesus

Every Assembly is an encounter with Jesus

Every Conference is an encounter with Jesus

If we miss any of these, then we miss an encounter with Jesus….

God bless us all!