Tag: grace

Abundantly Blessed

Each and every single day the Lord blesses us from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep. Reflecting on the Sunday Gospels these past couple of weeks there was a similar view in them — the Vineyard Parables. Where we see Jesus teaching about how what we give here on earth, we will be blessed in Heaven.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven” — Matthew 5:12

Giving is not only a matter of donating money, clothes, food. It’s also a matter of giving of our time, talent and treasure. The Lord has blessed us with so much and is giving us so much more each and every single day! Only through the Lord’s grace are we able to give and share our blessings which are meant to be shared amongst others. So if I were to sum it all up in one sentence — each and every single one of us are abundantly blessed to abundantly give so that others can do the same.

Lord, we praise You and thank You for all the blessings you have given to us. Let us not take it for granted in any way, shape or form but instead, let us share our blessings to others so that they too, can feel your abundant Love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Christian Medeiros

Joyful Mystery

From the Annunciation to the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. There is a lot of uncertainties within this series of decades in the Holy Rosary. It makes you wonder, why is it called the Joyful Mystery? The title of each decade is very exciting and it holds a beautiful story, but when we look deeper into each story what does it really say.

I was very inspired to write this reflection based off of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s video on “Having Joy in the Uncertainties”, which made me then realize the joy in the midst of this life of suffering. Momma Mary, in the Annunciation was approached by the angel Gabriel and was told that she would bare the Son of God. In response she said “Let it be done unto me according to thy word”, I never realized this until I watch the video with Fr. Mike, was that the very next sentence was “then the angel departed from her”. Can you imagine being in that moment, being told that you are going to have within you the Son of God and that was literally it? No context or anything. Like where do you go from there? No one told Mary and Joseph that they would have to go to Bethlehem and give birth to Christ in a manger. No one mentioned that they would have to flee to Egypt to save their Son from being killed. No one told Mary that she would have to witness her Son be tortured, spat on and crucified. There was so much uncertainty that the only thing that was certain was and still is the past. Yet, Momma Mary was still joyful. The Apostles were still joyful, they spread the Good News throughout the world. Through their suffering came out a lot of joy.

It is very humbling to know that in this life of suffering, there is joy that will follow. Yet, we do not know when or where that will come but we remain hopeful. I know for myself in this pandemic, at the beginning of the year, everything was set in stone, I was ready… then the NBA got cancelled, that’s when I knew things were going to change. It was so humbling for me to realize that everything can just be taken away in the snap of a finger. There was so much that was unexpected at that point in time that I had no choice but to rely on God and entrust myself to His will. It was hard to remain hopeful but after households, after one to ones I felt the joy and the hope that the Lord was wanting me to feel. To understand that I was being called to love in the uncertainty, to be joyful in the midst of the suffering. There is so much that I do not know and I can only pray the Lord, for you and I both, gives us the heart to overcome the world. To love beyond our capacities. There is joy and hope because God is with us.

Lord God, help us to entrust our lives to You in the midst of these times. There is so much uncertainty but with You we find hope and joy. Give us the strength to carry on. This we ask through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

Christian

Fries

Crispy, salty, yummy, oily, fatty, carbohydrate-filled, cannot-stop-yourself-from-eating-it fries. Whether it be shared or eaten alone, we all suddenly get the craving to get these fries.

This.

Why? Not because of the potatoes for sure, though it helps. We get potatoes in different varieties, but there is something with McDonald’s Fries. Well to cut the story short, it’s  the  right amount of SALT.

You are like salt for the whole human race. – Matthew 5:13

We should be like SALT.

Savoury

Have you ever tried any kind of food without or lacking in salt? You wanna spit it out as soon as you can right? Too much of it and you’ll stop eating.

Our faith, if lived out, makes others crave for more. It is not bland nor does it shoo people away.

Are we boring that no one dares to try it? Or too strong that people are put off by it?

You know you want more

Amor

My best memories of hanging out at Mickey Dee’s were always with friends surrounding a pile of french fries and devouring them. It was not only a cheap way of feeding everybody but it was an experience rich in love. And that is what Amor is, love in Italian.

What is God’s love if not shared?

Sharing is caring.

Life Giving

Salt gives life to your boring potatoes. Our lives should give hope to everyone we meet. We are beacons of hope in a world full of pain, suffering and at times monotony.

Are we a source of hope or despair? Is our testimony uplifting or scaring the heck out of everyone?

Because life is full of twists and turns.

Thirst

Salt makes us thirsty, that’s why your large cup of pop doesn’t really cut it after consuming a bag of fries. If we live our lives filled with faith, hope, and love, it causes people to seek the One who gives us true life – Jesus. Our saltiness doesn’t highlight us, but the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Do our lives point to Jesus or to us?

Not enough.

Faith, Hope, and Love makes our lives truly salty and it makes others thirst for Christ.

Stay salty my friends.

May we be the salt of the earth. Amen.

PS. I am not endorsing the Golden Arches, but if they want to sponsor me – that’s okay too.

PPS. This reflection was inspired by the homily of my parish priest at Merciful Redeemer, Fr. Robert, last Sunday on Matthew 5:13-16.

This blog is also hosted on my personal blog http://www.kevinmuico.com/2014/02/10/fries/

Flappybird

Yeah, that pixelated bird that can’t even flap properly.

This.

Initially I thought it would be about getting the bird into the pipes, you know like Mario. Well because the pipes look exactly like Mario. Only to find out that the point of the game was to get the bird across without hitting the pipes.  Lo and behold, you’ve got one of the most addicting games ever.

While playing the game (or gamessssszzzzsssss based on the unfortunate reality that you’ll have to play it several times before you top your previous score) I had this epiphany of sorts.

Flappybird is like our relationship with God!

Yep it is.

Here are my reasons:

1. Only through God’s grace are we able to fly. If not, we drop.

Nosedive

2. His timing is perfect.  Perfectly timed taps of grace that allows us to go through the obstacles of life called pipes. Which explains why at times we need to fall in order for us to rise.

Even when it seems impossible

3.  During the times we cease to open our wings to God’s much needed grace and we crash into a pipe, the Lord still chooses to play the game again not out of an addiction – but out of pure love that He wants to see us through.

You know He’s gonna hit the play button again.

While the analogy is lacking, the Lord loves in a crazier, bigger, unconditional way. He keeps on loving, even when it doesn’t make sense anymore. I thank God that He is God and not me,  because I would’ve quit a long time ago.

Lord, I know I don’t see the bigger picture but I trust that You are always there to raise me or allow me to fall when needed. Give me faith to trust when I can’t see past the obstacles before me. Give me hope that everything will be alright. Amen.

PS. My latest top score is 35. I don’t know how you guys get a 100.

PPS. This blog is also posted on my personal blog at  http://www.kevinmuico.com/2014/02/07/flappybird/

Screenshot_2014-02-07-12-21-07

Upward Spiral

Two years ago when I started FTPW, I couldn’t imagine the year ahead. I had a feeling it would be an adventure filled with relationships and mystery. When that year ended, I was astounded with the journey the Lord took me on. I felt like I experienced more than the average person would in a lifetime. I couldn’t even fathom how the Lord could top it, but He did the following year. I was reminded that when it comes to journeying with God, there will always be mystery, but in that mystery there is unending beauty and love. This journey has been for me, an upward spiral and ups and downs but drawing nearer to God.

I’m very excited for this year in terms of the mission and my relationship with the Lord. He has been faithful in the last two years and never ceased to amaze me. The Lord reminds me though, that this journey in the community is but the fruit of my journey in the Church. Just as our community has seasons, we follow the seasons of the Church. No wonder why the journey is so fruitful in the community—it’s because of the fruitfulness we share as His church, growing ever more as a living organism saturated with His graces.

We had just journeyed in Advent, then Christmas, and soon, we will enter ordinary time. I think ordinary time is a time to experience what real love is, that it is in the ordinary, non extravagant things, like a steady stream of water. It’s in our ordinary days and ordinary acts. It is God Who makes things great and extraordinary.

Heavenly Father, I praise You! May this year in mission and in the Church bring me closer to You. Give me eyes of faith and help me to see You in everyone and in every circumstance. I look forward to another year of adventure with You. Amen!

On Track

Whenever I feel like I’m deviating from the person God wants me to be, I reflect on the beatitudes and virtues to help guide me to be on the right track again.

The beatitudes beautifully describe the character of Jesus. Striving to embody the beatitudes is a practical way of becoming more like Jesus Christ. You can find the list of beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12.

Meditating on the virtues is important for me as well. They are the benchmarks of living a holy life. It’s good to reflect on the theological (faith, hope, charity) and cardinal (temperance, prudence, justice, fortitude) virtues. I always ask myself “where am I in terms of the virtues? Have I made progress? Where do I lack? How is God helping me to grow in them?” I have found that thinking about the virtues often helps me to advance in them daily.

My hope at the end of ever year is to able to think back at the start of the year and be able to say I’m not the same person. Not because of where I live, or the new responsibilities I have, but because I have grown in the beatitudes and virtues. I have grown to be more like Christ.

I must add, that reflecting on the beatitudes and virtues is a good way to get back on track. However, the best and surest way, and the first place to start is always Confession. For me, availing of this Sacrament is essential because I am a sinner, and I sin every day. Confession reconciles us back to God. We must always start with our relationship with Him and rely fully on His graces. Without His grace we can do nothing. It’s His grace that helps us grow in the virtues and forms us in the beatitudes—and essentially—into the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, in Mary our Mother.

Grace! Mercy! Love! Mercy keeps the door open to the fullness of God’s love and graces to be superabundantly poured into our hearts. Let us be merciful so that God will show the same mercy.

Start with God. Make sure there is nothing in the way of your relationship with Him. Let His merciful Love embrace and make everything new. Love Him first and the rest will follow 🙂 We don’t need to wait for the new year or even for an extravagant event to happen in our lives. He is waiting for us in Confession to forgive us of those sins that have been hindering our relationship with Him. He is thirsting for us in the Eucharist to give us Himself,  and to sanctify our lives!

To be on track is not about “doing me” but about “being me,” and I can only be myself if I look to the One who knew me even before I was born and Who knit me in my mother’s womb. Who knows when I sit and when I stand and Who has prepared a place for me in Heaven.

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.

P.S. A good indicator that we are growing in the beatitudes and virtues is if our lives are bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Trinity Run

Winter is fast approaching, and I can already feel my body starting to switch over to hibernation mode. Soon enough it’ll be too hard to get up out of bed, nearly impossible to escape out of those double duvets. Tis the season for excusing our way out of health habits.

I used to run regularly to maintain some sort of physical activity but that died down since who knows when. Spring is always difficult to face after long winters because of the three month break. I personally loathe treadmills and will refuse to get on one. I’d rather wait. I much rather prefer the great outdoors, but Toronto winter weather does very little to help with that. Daylight savings mean shorter days and longer nights. It takes approximately two weeks to adjust. My body is definitely losing on this front.

Our spiritual health suffers from the same changes. We have cycles where we’re going  strong- we’ve found some sort of groove with our prayer time and involvement with the sacraments. At these moments, our relationship with Christ is toned and trimmed. Excess weight cut off. The closer we get to Christ the less baggage we carry- our material and worldly desires no longer necessary. We are tied down to less.

But then, at some point, we face an itch of sorts. An itch that just needs to be scratched. A craving that just needs to be satisfied. A thirst that needs to be quenched. But instead of reaching for the healthy & obvious choice of water we go for the Coke. Pepsi. Ginger Ale. Root Beer.  And just like that, our impenetrable fortress comes crashing down. Why? Because we foolishly ignored that cracked wooden frame that started to break- little by little. It was easier to feign ignorance to something that needed fixing. It’s easier to give in and let our human needs win.

“I’m only doing it once.” I still exercise anyway. Cheating won’t hurt.” 

That’s what I realize happened to me. And for some reason or another, I kept making excuses and reasoned my way out of a very fruitful, beautiful prayer habit. It only took one small “set back”. I cut down my prayer time, my weekday church dates, and adoration drop ins so that I could bulk up on old habits which I knew were only going to get me in worse (spiritual) shape.

Negative thoughts filled my head. I became impatient, moody, and lethargic. Two weeks passed since my last confession, and although I knew I needed it PRONTO …my body would magically (temporarily) shake off the anxiety. It made me think I could keep going. Nyeh, it can wait.

Nope.

Confession is our detox. Our body needs to get rid of built up toxins the same way our soul needs to get rid of impurities. Getting through it is tough, but we always come out healthier afterwards. Praise God, for God because I finally went for that detox round. He knew I needed it. And I knew I needed it. The hardest step is always the first, the hardest run is always the most dreadful.

Our prayer life can be a long outstretched summer. However if we trip and fall into the darkness of winter, we shouldn’t despair. We don’t have to endure three months of waiting. We can choose to fast forward to spring.  My winter lasted 8 days too long, but today’s TRINITY RUN (adoration, confession and Holy Eucharist) allowed me to see the Son rise gloriously. Thankfully, our salvation and redemption is not bound by time, because we are loved by a God whose love is endless and timeless. 

 “A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from His love.”
-Blessed Teresa of Calcutta