Tag: Joy

Joy in the Lord

  • Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22
  • Joy is of God.
  • Joy is founded on love.
  • We have to be loved and loving to experience joy. We cannot experience joy if we don’t have love.
  • We are a joyful community (we have joy not because we have no problems but because we have a great God and hopeful that God will journey with us and will fight for us!)
  • We find joy in small and big things. (because for God there is no small and big thing, everything matters to Him. Everything that matters to me matters to God)
  • Joy can be expressed in tears or in laughter.
  • Joy can be simple or extravagant
  • Joy is having everything or having nothing
  • Joy is in us because God is in us.
  • How can we be joyful? We go the source of joy – God.
  • We look into our relationship with the Lord, we look at our prayer time so we will always be joyful

 

“Lord more than desiring to be joyful, may I desire You above all else.”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29

Heart of Joy – Day 1

Camp Heart, CFC-Youth Surrey 1 Chapter Youth Camp circa 2008

It seems just like yesterday.  The first major decision of my adult life as a Catholic was the choice of my parish – the place where my spiritual journey would be cultivated and nurtured.  The place where I would learn to love the sacraments so whole-heartedly.  The place I would spend hours upon hours crying, praying and laughing with our Lord in simple and sweet adoration.  The place I would be taught to be a man by our Blessed Virgin Mary.  At the time, I was still very fresh-faced in regards to my knowledge of the faith (God knows on paper that it didn’t seem like a perfect match), but for some reason the Spirit lead me to make a choice – and that I did.  Needless to say, after experiencing missions upon missions, assignments upon assignments, the Lord knows that whatever I have given will always be firmly rooted in where I have first received.  Yes, I have laid to rest my head in this humble parish by seeking comfort in it, but more prevailingly they have taught me to rest my heart in the very same way.

If the saying goes, “home is where the heart is”, then you will find pieces of it scattered through the confessionals, scattered throughout the Adoration chapel, spread out throughout the pews, throughout the vastness of the youth centre, distributed to the pastors and priests and religious, with the parish workers and laity, to the kids I would see during daily morning mass, and to all of those who I’ve had the  pleasure of greeting, meeting, or serving with.

Surrey 1 Chapter, home of the Salesians of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, not only will I cherish thee for blessing me the opportunity to experience fullness of faith, but I will also always cherish every one of you for allowing me to, for the first time in my life ever, experience true joy.  The truest joy that I know I will be taking with me wherever I go from hereon out in my journey and pilgrimage with and to the Lord.

I still have a lot of my heart to give.  Lord, send me.

Even when many years have past and I may no longer recognize your faces (which, truth be told, is starting to seem like now) know that I am praying for all of you very deeply by name and that the peace, happiness, and conviction you feel belonging and serving in that chapter is akin to that which I once felt and am still feeling and will always feel – the joy of the Lord and a heart overwhelmed.

With that, I leave you with the words of a wise man named St. John Bosco:

“Love the Church, revere the Holy Father, receive the sacraments often, frequently visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be very devout to the Blessed Virgin, offer Her your heart, and you will be able to overcome all battles and allurements. When it is a question of doing good and rejecting or combating error, trust in Jesus and Mary, and you will be ready to tread human respect underfoot and even suffer martyrdom.”

St. John Bosco, Pray for Us

 

Reminded.

Today ends my 5 day trip to New York City. Time well spent with family. It’s been years, eight to be exact, since I last saw my aunt’s family who lives in New York City. This was planned way before I actually went for Full TIme Pastoral Work, that my family already booked their work off since last year.

Right before the trip, I already had doubts concerning its timing considering its right in the middle of the True North Conference season preparation. But now as I travel back to GTA and catch up with all the things that have been happening since I left, I am reminded of that this trip was the reason why I am in the mission in the first place.

I am called to be a missionary – a family evangelizer – through the community of Couples for a serving in its youth ministry, CFC-Youth. God called me to answering the call of the vision of CFC of families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth and take a very active part in it. While my calling takes me far away from my own family who lives in Calgary, and I am based in the Greater Toronto Area. I must never lose sight that the mission of building the Church of the home always starts and ends in my own home. It is through them that God called me to mission work, it is through them that I draw strength in mission, it is through them that my own intentions are purified, it is through them that my inspiration is placed upon. It is through them that my missionary zeal and passion is tested. It is through them that my faith, hope, and joy is tested; and more importantly affirmed.

As I go back to Canada, which is a few hours away, I take away with me a renewed conviction and affirmation that I am in the right path. When I said YES to the Lord, I did not only say yes to the renewal of families I will be serving – but more importantly, I also said to the renewal of my own family.

Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth. Come Holy Spirit.

Happy 32nd Anniversary Couples For Christ!

Extremely Favoured

Thirty minutes after my shift ended today, I walked into my director’s office with a heavy cloud looming over me, and no it wasn’t the one outside that’s been causing all this crazy rain here in the GTA. Approximately 23 days from today I will be hopping on a plane (again) but this time with my family.

I was sure that I’d be coming home with bad news today- that our upcoming family trip would cost me my job. We will be gone all of July which means that I’ll be missing out on my service for the Eastern True North Conference. Since I didn’t feel too comfortable with that, I started a novena for the Western True North Conference in Calgary that’s happening Mid-Aug. I’d be back just in time for that. I don’t know how it would be possible financially, but God has provided for me under worse conditions before. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

To put things in perspective, I was just granted a two month leave (MAR-MAY) even though I only started in September of last year. I’m only five weeks back in my classroom and here I was expecting my director to approve another sudden leave of absence. How was I going to explain to her that I needed 2 months….again?

———

I knew I had to call on Mama Mary so I did the rosary during my lunch break hoping that she’d send an extra serving of peace. She gave me that and a spoonful extra. Knowing how I am, I knew I’d find every excuse not to ask permission today. So I walked into the staff room, had a quick convo with God and He reassured me that no matter what the outcome would be, there was already a victory. Even if I was to lose my job, I would still have my family vacation.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths || Proverbs 3:6

Brothers & sisters, I walked out of that room not with storm clouds, but with sunshine and a double rainbow. I am extremely and irrevocably favoured by God. Not only did my director tell me that my leave would be approved, she made it very clear to me that she would ignore any talk of resignation. My classroom is secured. AGAIN. My job as a preschool teacher is on reserve.

That’s not all.

I will be receiving paid vacation time, which means that there’s an extra paycheque coming in while I’m gone. That amount is enough for a round trip ticket to Calgary.

“It’s never about whether or not YOU can provide for yourself. Faith is knowing that you have a God who can do wonders for you. Faith is knowing that He is of divine providence. It was never about you to begin with! So the next time you consider whether or not you can go, take your question to God first, and don’t let it just die with you. That’s the beauty about our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we don’t even do anything yet he still showers us with abundant blessings. He still wants to keep capturing our hearts. He still wants to reach out to us. But first you have to allow yourself to see the ways in which he tries to reach out to you. All he needs is your Yes.” (July 19, 2012)

The Lord hasn’t stopped showing me how extremely favoured and extremely loved I am. He affirmed me just now by allowing me to reread that old blog post. Little did I know that the “yes” I gave 500 days ago would lead me here, walking on a path made wonderfully and beautifully paved straight for me. 

The Shore

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.“It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them:
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
– Matthew 14:25-33

Like Peter, the first time we answer to His calling for us in our life we usually doubt a lot and we experience many difficulties in our attempt to pursue the Lord. Our focus quickly loses it’s purpose and we become self indulged and our vision becomes narrow. Also, similar to Peter, we lack faith despite the numerous times the Lord has proven Himself to us. Countless times has the Lord proved Himself to me, even when He didn’t need to, and still my pride would get the best of me. Today, the Lord showed me, through Peter, a place where I want my faith to be.

“Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.”
– John 21:7

Upon realization, Peter was quick to jump out of the boat and go to Jesus, despite what happened last time he decided to go after Jesus across the water. I yearn to have as strong a will as Peter, when he decided to abandon the boat. In that moment, nothing else mattered to Peter except Jesus Christ. Nothing would get in the way of Peter getting to Jesus, not even the water that once caused him to sink. There was no doubt, no fear, no worry, only joy. How I long for that true joy because of Christ’s presence in my life.

A Salesian sister, Sr. Pat, shared with the leaders of the GTA the meaning of true joy today. She said that we are all living in the ocean, where the waves of our trials crash. The shore is the only thing that is able to bring peace to these waves, when they settle as they graze the grains of the sand. We are Peter, travelling across the heavy waters as we look to Jesus on the shore.

Heavenly Father, guide us in our pursuit of Your love and joy. May we never stray too far from the shore. Allow us to one day experience the peace that comes from being with You on the sands. May our lives never lose focus and may Your Name reign in our lives forever. Amen.

Called to Love

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”    – John 15:11-13

I used to believe that love was always being on a person’s side. To stand by them and support them in all that they did. I thought you were supposed to protect that person from getting hurt, from any pain or sorrow.

But the more I grow in my faith the more I realize that my previous definition of love wasn’t love. I was babying the people I was called to love. I was treating them like infants. When you raise a child you can’t constantly treat them as if they can’t take care of themselves. You have to teach them. You have to guide them in the right direction. You have to lovingly correct their wrongdoings. You have to make known their faults so that they can become better. Love is more than protection. Love is wanting the betterment of others. And in our faith, love is doing whatever you can to get that person into heaven.

And in my quest and calling to love, I’ve come to realize that it is not easy. People fight back. People get angry and upset. People make you feel like you’re wrong, like you’re stupid. But I’ve come to know that I must suffer if I am to do the Lord’s work. To build up the fire inside someone, I’ll have to get burned. But it hurts. And it is discouraging. But it strengthens my faith. And when it gets tough, when my heart is failing, I can hear my God speaking to me:

“If the world hates you, realize it hated me first.”    – John 15:18