Tag: Faith

Facing Fears; Facing the World

Often times, we find ourselves being judged by others. Whether it is family, friends, peers, co-workers, and even ourselves, we find that our every day is covered with judgements. And because of this, we begin to start changing our lives and the way we are so that we can free ourselves from the world’s judgements.

Today, I realized that knowing God is my greatest blessing. Why? Because at times that my thoughts begin to falter, like the way I have mentioned above (fearing judgement) the Lord always finds a way to snap me back into reality and take away all my fears. As I attended a Confirmation Mass in Windsor, standing as a sponsor, God spoke through the priest by talking about the truth to our faith. That despite of all the judgement we might hold against ourselves and from others; despite of how unworthy we feel, God is the only person that can look at you, smile, and despite of all the imperfections, can look at you and say “My child, come to me.” I laughed because it is true. How often do I look at myself and doubt what I am doing for God? How often do I penalize myself for things that I have no control over? It is not enough to simply overcome this SOMETIMES.

At mass, God reminded me that in every moment, in every second, and in every breath, the one thing that remains and always will is His love for me. If He isn’t judging me; if He is standing there, loving me through it all, then there is no reason to  doubt my worth. For as long as I am loved by the Lord, I must trust that my life and everything I hold dear is in His hands. And through my faith and through its works, I should have no fear for I am serving the Lord. As long as I live for His greater glory in His love, I will have no other fear than fear of the Lord.face my fears with all my strength, and face the world that may be judging me, and bring that same love – His love – into the world.

Trust in God

“My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of adversity. Cling to him, do not leave him, that you may prosper in your last days. Accept whatever happens to you; in periods of humiliation be patient. For in fire gold is tested, and the chosen, in the crucible of humiliation. Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in him. You that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, do not stray lest you fall. You that fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be lost. You that fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.” – Sirach 2:1-9
Our Lord never ceases to fail us. Through the challenges we may face within the mission, God never fails. He calls each and everyone of us to listen and have an open heart to whatever He has planned. We need to trust in Him and trust that within this battle we face we can only conquer the victory with Christ Himself, for the battle is not ours to be won but God’s. Sometimes we get easily distracted by what we want in our own lives. Over-thinking, overanalyzing, and simply being ignorant of our surroundings. In this year of faith, may God provide us with the strength and humility to be witnesses to His plan and willingly obey His command.
Deo Gratias.

Coming Home

The Lord has surrounded me with many blessings.
These blessings include the people I encounter on a day-to-day basis at school.
Yesterday, one of my classmates at school had the courage to ask me if I was Catholic. I told her that I am and so I asked her the same question. She told me that she is a Catholic as well, and because of pressure from her parents she attended a Catholic elementary and high school and was also “forced” to attend church and practice the faith regularly. But now that she’s living far from home, she told me that she hasn’t gone to mass or confession in a really long time. She also mentioned how she’s been looking around for a church nearby for her to attend regular Sunday masses. I told her that St. Jude’s Parish was just a 5-minute walk up the street and as I kept talking to her, I could tell by her eyes and the way she spoke that she wanted to cry. She told me how she misses going to church and feels like something is missing in her life. It turns out that the last time she went to confession was in high school. I advised her to go as soon as possible, and she agreed with me. She felt as if she really needed to go. I told her that I would love to join her in mass one day. I shared how I love going to weekday masses because of the peace I feel. The sincerity of her question really opened the doors for her and allowed her to open up about her faith and how she’s been struggling. Her story was humbling to hear and a great witness to God’s plan in her life.

After reflecting on our conversation I was able to see how amazing God’s love and mercy works. He yearns for our hearts and He yearns for us to come back Home to Him. With the conversation I had with my classmate it allowed me to see God’s light within her, yearning for something Greater rather than the temporary pleasures of the world. This year of faith we are all called to evangelize, save souls, and bring them Home. My heart is humbled and her story made me realized the beauty within God’s forgiving and faithful love.

“Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him” – 2 Corinthians 2:8

Deo Gratias.

The Vine

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:5

The community is not the one true source of the grace of God. The only one true source is Jesus through Mary, and we receive that grace in abundance through the Church and her Sacraments that Jesus instituted Himself. The common misconception for the youth in our community is that they might think that Jesus is only found in the community and once one leaves the community, he/she leaves Jesus. We definitely experience the presence of Jesus in each other in a community in our brothers and sisters, but one cannot bank one’s entire faith in the community alone. We must be rooted in the Church first and foremost.

Community life is an extension of the life in the Church. It is an extension of the life and love in our families. A community can only truly thrive if its members are thriving in the Eucharist. A community will only truly grow if its members are growing in their interior life with God.

As a community, let us pray that we always encourage one another to thrive in the Sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation. Let us inspire one another to abide in Him so that we can all truly bear fruit—fruit that will last.

Truly we can do nothing apart from Him, so let’s remain and abide in Him, The Vine, always.

May God grant us the grace to make a daily resolve to abide in Him. Amen.