Tag: Love

Always Finding Treasure

When I first experienced deep personal conversion in my faith, it was a time of great excitement. It really felt like I found treasure and I just wanted everyone to know about it. I read so many books and wrote so many poems and blogs because it was too beautiful not to share. I also slowly stopped listening to secular music and listened to more Christian songs. I realized that all things were made by God and for God including music. I wanted to listen to music that would lift my heart and mind to God and found that only Christian songs did that. I started to appreciate Mass songs more as well. Mass songs are actually the most beautiful. During this conversion, I lost many friends but gained brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord has truly pruned me and continues to do so (despite my stubbornness).

I need to explore more. I need to empty myself more and pray to God that I may always keep what is true, good, and beautiful in my heart. I want to always be like a child that found the greatest treasure in the world and spend the rest of my life finding and sharing that treasure.

Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, may I never lose enthusiasm and zeal for the faith …for You. Humble me, Lord, and teach me how to pray. Teach me how to love. May everything I learn and experience bring me closer to You. Help me to love you above all things and to follow Your example of love. Forgive me for all my sins, that I may always have Your peace and presence in my heart. May You be glorified always. Amen.

Ready & Willing

“While being on mission, it’s such a blessing to hear mass in different parishes, said by different priests.  There’s beauty in variety yet amidst the many differences, the message hits home the same way. ” — myself

Yesterday our gospel was about the Prodigal Son; a fan favourite parable!  It talks of mercy, of forgiveness, of being lost, of going ‘home’, of love and of acceptance. As the priest recounted the message behind the gospel and reminded us of our Lord’s extreme love for us… it brought to mind the words ready & willing.

Both the father and the son exemplified the meanings for both of those words during both the pre- and post-departure.  Pre-departure: The son seemed to have made up his mind and was ready to ask for half of his share.  Most people wouldn’t dare ask such a lofty question, yet he was willing enough to bring his concern before his father.  Upon hearing the son’s request, and I’m sure against his better judgement, the father was ready to hand over the son’s share of the land & earnings and willingly did so.  I say willingly because there was no catch, there was no bargain, there was no stipulation.  Post-departure: After he gambled and spent everything that was given to him, the son came to a point where he realized he didn’t have to live that life because his father was wealthy and had more than enough provisions.  At some point, we can assume that the son had to struggle with setting his pride aside to even think of going back to the father he turned away from.  In that process he became ready & willing to seek out his father and admit his faults.  The father, I like to believe, was always ready and willing for his son’s return.  When his son came home he was more than ready and willing to love him, accept him, and forgive him.

Both men showed their readiness and willingness to one another.  Both seemed secure enough in their relationship to be able act in readiness and willingness with whatever they set their hearts to.  This is what makes this parable so beautiful and so highly applicable to our everyday lives.

If we were to put ourselves in this parable, God will always play the role of the Father.  Always ready and willing to love us, accept us, forgive us and embrace us.  He will always celebrate our return to him.  He will always forget all transgressions we’ve committed against Him.  He will always be ready and willing to love us through both our best and worst.  That’s how much worth he places on each of us.  We, on the other hand, quickly relate to the character of the son.  We get caught up with what the world deems as necessary, we take our claims to our Father and demand something, as though we’re entitled.  Instead of handling things with care, we waste them on cheap flings and temporary highs only to find ourselves exhausted, used up and unfulfilled.  But like the son, we need to acknowledge our own weaknesses and be willing to turn back to our Father, our Lord.

It isn’t always about How God is ready and willing to love us, that’s a given!  It’s more about how ready and willing we are to go back to him, to ask for forgiveness, to plead for mercy.  How ready and willing are we to die to ourselves and seek the life that our Father in Heaven wants to adorn us with?  How ready and willing are we to pick up our crosses and walk with Him?  How ready and willing are we to fully trust that whatever He has in store for us is exactly what we need; more than we could have ever dreamed to ask or hope for?

Like the Father in the parable, our God is slow to anger and quick to love.  He has more than enough provisions to ensure us a life of fulfillment and true happiness in Him.  He will always toil in preparation for our return to Him, and when we do return, not only will we be welcomed with open arms but a celebration will be thrown, for one of His children, one of His lost sheep has found it’s way back home.

Father, May we listen to your still small voice and be guided back to your side.  Mama Mary, please pray for our souls and for the souls whom have no one to pray for them.

 

Realistically

I met a brother during my recent trip to LA last month. I gave a talk for CFC-Youth San Diego and I was introduced to this joyful brother named Jayson Adams. Jayson is your typical CFC-Youth, happily spending his summer hanging out with his friends and serving the Lord through CFC-Youth. However, one thing that Jayson experiences that we don’t is that he has two rare forms of cancer. Not one, but two.

Now, I’m known to be critical (at times hyper-critical) of the things I do see and experience whether it be something positive or negative. I would still see something negative from something that is really positive. But the way Jayson lives his life is something that really slaps me in the face – yes a slap (or two, three, and then some) in the face of a missionary.

From a blog by his family of his journey – http://walkwithjayson.blogspot.com.au/ – Jayson shares from a recent Youth Camp a question that we might and most probably ask if we were in his situation.

He asked the question why.

But he asks something more. He asks why was he surviving?

Now when I face problems whether it be the big problems in life or the #firstworldproblems, that should never be a problem in the first place, I would usually make a big deal out of it and act as if the world would end if it wasn’t resolved quickly. At times be quick to announce that indeed #thestruggleisreal.

However, Jayson faces a real life-threatening problem, and asks for the source, of him still being able to enjoy the graces and blessings in his life. He focuses on God’s love. As I reflect on this, his point of view is not optimism but rather a realistic point of view. Allow me to explain.

A quick search of optimism on google yields this definition “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.” It based on a possibility of something positive in the future. Totally not the case for Jayson.

To be Christian is to believe, to experience, and to be transformed by the Love of God that is constantly and unconditionally at work in our lives. Jayson sees this perfectly in his own “struggle”. His is grounded, raised and is in fact very much living in the reality of God, Who is Love.

If I am then to be a Christian – the root of my missionary call – then I should be realistically looking and living in His love. His love gives meaning and purpose to my life. Ergo, I should see grace and blessings abound even amidst the trials and tribulations.

Yes, easier said than done. But at least knowing this, is a step in the right direction.

The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue. Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in Him I put my hope. – Lamentations 3:19-24

Lord, allow me to see everything for what it is – a product of your Love.

St. Jude Thaddeus, pray for Jayson Adams. Amen.

**This reflection is also posted on my personal blog at kevinmuico.com

Third

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Daily reminder: Never forget His love. Although days can be busy we should never forget the Lords love and most importantly to never stop loving the Lord and His people.

God first, others second, I am third.

 

To Be Like You

I think I can hopefully speak for all of us when we say, it has definitely been a blessed summer. The Lord has been so great, and after reading upon all the other fellow MV’s reflections, I didn’t want to do anything else but get this going. So here goes:

“Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.” – 1 Peter 5:7

I’ve always had the question lingering into the mind, “Whose really there for you?” This isn’t something that just sits, it digs. I can recall as far back as the beginning of high school even. This question, that turned to selfish action, hardened my heart, and created someone different. I can admit, I’m loud. I act out on whatever and do it around whoever and I did it because I felt empty, lonely even. You can say it built more insecurities as I struggled to just find people I can call MY friends. Bouncing around, doing what I can to fill that void of loneliness. Even up to today.

That’s changed. And after reflecting on this summer, I really owe it up to the Lord, to the MV program, to the community, to my family, to the people that were and are there for me.

I’ve been blessed to go to ILC, meet my God sister for the first time EVER in the Philippines at ILC, travel to cook, prioritize my family again, lead praisefest at our RYC, serve at Conference, meet great people, come back to a family trip….

When on this journey was I ever alone? Though there were times where I’ve spent days alone…did God ever really leave me with no one there? No, because He was there. Like Johnathan was there for David, Ruth was there with Naomi, etc etc…God really showed His existence and His being through ever person and every blessing I was able to witness in the past, present.

One of the best parts about being an MV, or even just being in the community, I can pass this reflection/realization in the way I live, act, and love to whoever needs it. Think about it. Think about the past summer, years, days, even few seconds…look around you…even if there is no one there…There’s stories/experiences even in the laptop you are using to read this…someone made that for your enjoyment. Or even that picture in the living room, those people have been there all your life.

There is much to do. There are a lot of things to patch up. But God has planned something greater. This summer helped me realize how much more I want to be like Him, and how much more I want to share Him. Thank You, Lord. There is much to do.

“Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”– Hebrews 13:5

Lord, may I be able to love like You. To think like You. To be like You in any way You want me to be. Thank You for never leaving me, or leaving the people in my house, in the community, or even taking Your eyes off all of Your creations. We need You.

Desiderio Domini

What Should I Do?

There are times in my life when I feel lost and I really don’t know what to do. As a FTPW my future is very uncertain because I’m going on the anointing of the Lord. I will stop only when He says stop but to be honest I am anxious sometimes at the thought I have no idea what’s going to happen. I guess the Lord is calling me to pray for more faith.

I have realized that the Lord makes it perfectly clear what I need to do and the internal battle is not knowing what it is but accepting it. As a disciple of Jesus, I am called most of the time to deny myself and take up my cross if I want to follow Him. I struggle with the decision because dying to self is always the harder thing to do, though it is what I ought to do.

God has given me free will, though He makes it perfectly clear how He’d like for me to use it.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” —Galatians 5:13–14

In making decisions as Christians, we must ask ourselves: will I, through love, be a servant of another? If I were the other person, how would I like to be treated and shown love?

The answer will always be a call to die to self, thus it will most likely lead to inconveniencing ourselves. This is what it means to be a true disciple. This is what it means to love.

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” –Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

Only This I Want

The other day, someone asked me this mind-numbing question, “What is it exactly do you want out of life?”.  I admit, I was quite taken aback by this question.  It seems like such an easy question to answer but for some reason I couldn’t find the exact words and I was left speechless.  Maybe it was because I was overthinking the question.  Perhaps I couldn’t find the right words to say just exactly was in my heart..

The Lord knew exactly what was stirring in my heart.  Later that day I went to mass for the second time (Feast of St. Augustine deserves double Jesus) and the Lord answered for me.  The offeratory hymn was a song that is quite common and is well known to any avid church-goer.  It goes a little something like this:

Only this I want:
but to know the Lord,
and to bear his cross,
so to wear the crown he wore.

All but this is loss,
worthless refuse to me,
for to gain the Lord
is to gain all I need.

I will run the race;
I will fight the good fight,
so to win the prize
of the kingdom of my Lord.

Let your heart be glad,
always glad in the Lord,
so to shine like stars
in the darkness of the night.

Even when I was left without words to express, He knew exactly what was in my heart and he gave me an oppurtunity to serenade him with this beautiful hymn. 

Lord, thank you for knowing me so intimately, and may my life be solely yours to behold – only You shall I want.

Amen