Tag: Mission

An Invitation

The world is literally crumbling right now. It’s amazing how just one virus can bring the world to its knees. A lot of people are suffering and dying because of it. It brings us to the question, how could God allow something like this to happen? What is the good in all that is happening around the world right now? Where is God?

It’s funny because before everything happened I wasn’t really taking Lent seriously, it was more so as a routine for me. Actually I didn’t even realize it was Lent or take it in until I was at the Ash Wednesday mass. I went about this Lent just thinking that it is just another year where I have to get through these 40 days that nothing was going to come out of this. Man, was I ever wrong. Once COVID-19 started to get worse as the days went on, I began to realize what I was missing. It was hard not being able to go to mass, realizing that I was not able to be with Christ physically. With everything going on it is making me realize of how much I am missing and how much of my life is not centred around Christ. Here I am, at the beginning of Lent thinking it’ll be okay because I will continue to serve and that will be pleasing to the Lord. I’m not saying that serving Him is not pleasing, but when not putting Him at the centre of my life, I realized that my service becomes routine as well and just “another thing to do”. Now that I am not able to be with Him physically, I felt like it was all over. I realized that I relied so much on Christ being there physically present so much that I forgot that He is literally everywhere and in everyone we encounter.

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal

With everything that is going on and with a lot of reflection, I am realizing the aspects of my life that Christ is asking me to put Him at the centre. That with all that this world throws at us, God gives us the opportunities to be closer with Him. Suffering is an invitation to be closer with God. We are given a sliver of Christ’s cross to carry. Nothing that we are feeling – the pain, anger, tiredness, sadness, it is nothing compared to what Christ went through, bearing the whole world’s sins on His cross that He carried. The mere fact that Christ walked this earth shows just how much God wants to be present with us and a part of our lives. So I pray, continue to let Him into your hearts. Pray for me as well that I do the same. Make Jesus the centre of your life – in all aspects.

Lord, thank You for blessing us with this life, with the opportunities to encounter You. Lord, protect us from all that is happening right now in this world. So many are suffering but in the same way we know that You are hurt as well seeing us in pain. Protect those on the frontlines Lord – the nurses, doctors, janitors and all those who are putting themselves at risk with everything. Through this suffering Lord, allow us to seize those opportunities where we are able to bring you to the centre of our lives, but to also be a beacon of hope for those around us that aren’t seeing or experiencing Your love.

Amen.

Christian Medeiros

How Much Do You Love?

How much do you love? Do we love like Christ? Do we try to love like Christ? I leave that to your discretion on how to determine those questions. I remember being asked by a brother one time about how much I love. I told him, a lot. So he asked me, “Christian, if it were to be 3AM and it is a blizzard outside and it’s freezing. You’re in your bed fast asleep and this friend of yours calls you because for some reason they just finished work and they ask you, ‘bro, can you drive me home? I can’t get a hold of my parents and I have no other way home’, will you be willing to bring them home?”

I remember I was left there pondering what I would do in that situation. When it came down to it, I said yes, I would. Why? At the time I never fully grasped why, I just knew that I was willing. Looking back at it actually, yes, that is the most extreme inconvenience if ever faced with that. But then again, I ask… how much do you love?

Love is a choice not a feeling. Love is something that was never meant to be convenient although it can be sometimes. Love is something that is meant to push us to see Christ in others. It is something that makes us a better version of ourselves. It allows us to see our weaknesses and allows us to conquer our dreams. Love allows us to do spontaneous things for those we choose to love.

Sound familiar? God does the same. God is Love and Love is God. In those situations of doubt and fear, anger or frustration… ask yourself, what would Christ do? The answer will always be love.

Lord, allow us to love just as You do. Give us the strength in times of anger or frustration, doubt or worry to just remember to love. Amen.

Christian

 

 

Familiaris Consortio

One thing that I struggle with is actually finding a topic to reflect on, but it’s funny because I am just taking this in as I write this. It is not more so finding a topic but just listening to what God wants you to write.

I guess it all starts from Saturday, I was asked to give a talk called “In the Midst of the Storm” at a General Assembly in the Scarborough-Markham Chapter here in Toronto. Which is a talk about the family and through the hardships you go through, the family is always there with God protecting it. If we fast forward to today, I attended my SFC CLP and todays first session was one The Christian Family. I couldn’t help but wonder, in the midst of wondering what I was going to write about today, it was right in front of me. The family, and more to it, my family.

So I grew up in a Catholic Family of four- my dad, my mom and my sister (she is one year younger than me). Praise the Lord for blessing me with a loving family, but just like any other family, we are not perfect. I remember growing up, every Sunday we would go to church as a family and I would actually dread going to mass. I just wanted to sleep in. I never really knew why my parents, most especially my mother, would want us to go every week together. Yet I never questioned it. It wasn’t until I actually started serving the Brampton Chapter as Chapter Head that I never really took in the importance of us going as a family. It’s been a couple of years now since my sister has stopped going to church, for reasons I have yet to get an answer but it really showed me how important it really is to go as a family, not only for my mom, but for all four of us. To keep it simple, we’re a really busy family- my dad works Monday to Friday and goes wherever my mom does, my mom works part time but if not she is always at home and she is just recently very active with the Sisters For Life, my sister is in school and actually lives now in St. Catherines because of her school and co-op, as for me, I am working right now Monday to Friday and on top of all that I serve the youth. Being so busy, it really is hard for us to come together and spend some time with each other. It wasn’t until I realized this that I noticed the reason why my mom always wants us all to come together for mass on Sundays. It literally is the only time that we would have together.

It’s funny too because the question that was brought up, “Are we fulfilling God’s plan within our families?”

Simply put, my answer to that was I don’t know. God works in many ways and in His timing. So because I am just realizing this now, it is definitely going to be a primary focus for me. One thing is for sure though, I strive for my family to be just like the Holy Family. To be like them meaning to surrender ourselves to God and to continue to say yes to His plan. Whatever His plan is, is our plan as well. My current prayer for my family is for us to go to Sunday masses together again, so please pray for us!

– Christian Medeiros

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”– Joshua 24:15

Bohol, Philippines 2012

Counting Costs.

On selflessness.

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The moment we start seeing our service just as a source of many costs (goals in life, time with family, excellence in school, hours of sleep, relationships, etc.) rather than a gift with many blessings (personal ones, not just fruits or victories in service), we are in trouble. For God always seeks to bless us and not harm us.  (Insp. Jeremiah 29:11)

When Christ agonized about his mission in the garden of Gethsemane, he did not spend his time there counting the costs of it. Rather, completely vulnerable and honest before the Father, He lifted the entirety of his weakened will to Him. Abba,[a] Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” – Mark 14:36

When I start to feel the weight of many costs, my response is an immediate submission of my one will. What a blessing it is to have moments of ‘agony’ that allow me to become fully aware of the weight of my mission. Yes, it stirs me, it bothers me and it does hurt some times. But I find myself no longer complacent or ‘lukewarm’. Reinvigorated, I re-offer my “Yes” to Him, and engage in it, commit to it wholeheartedly once again. Luke 1:38- Lord, may it be done to me according to your word… Not mine.

The consequence of Jesus completing His mission is the gift of salvation for all. The fruits of His mission were never meant for Himself, but for us. He freely accepted death, so that we may be the ones that would have new life in Him and with Him.

One of the most rewarding things about mission is counting the many personal encounters with the Lord I am able to recognize, especially when all I see around me are costs. In my prayer time, I see parts of Jesus’ agony to have also included the counting of costs for us- of every single person of the world, had his weakened will kept him from carrying out his mission. But gratefully, this lead him to be even more resigned to carry through.

Lord, out of love for us, you have always been single-minded for us. Grant us the grace to live solely for you by striving to be always forever mindful of your people in all that we do.

 

From Your Beloved,

@ Cinderellish

On the Life of a Missionary

The life of a missionary is not strewn with roses, in fact more with thorns; but with it all, it is a life full of happiness and joy when she thinks that she is doing the same work which Jesus was doing when He was on earth, and that she is fulfilling Jesus’ commandment: ‘Go and teach all nations!’

–Mother Teresa

Much Given, Much Expected

Yesterday officially marked three years for me as a Full-time Pastoral Worker for Couples for Christ. I’m so glad that the Lord called me at the beginning of the blossoming of True North. Ever since day one, I’ve witnessed the growth of our community like never before and I just feel very privileged to have been part of the Wind of revival that is sweeping across Canada. It’s truly the Holy Spirit and because of Him, the community has been growing ever more fruitful.

I feel that it’s no coincidence that all of this fruitfulness, growth, and sanctity has been occurring in tandem with our Marian themes. Our Blessed Mother has been teaching us how to pray, to love, and has truly been bringing us closer to the heart of her Son.

Through the hands of Mother Mary, the Lord has been blessing us with much and it’s bearing fruit that will last. The past three years have been an affirmation that we are doing the work of the Lord because of the blessings coming from it and the amount of work the Lord has been entrusting to us.

At the same time, I have never felt so stretched. Every year the Lord has never ceased to remind me that “every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48).

The Lord has given much to us as a community because He’s finding us ever closer to Our Blessed Lady, to whom was filled with His grace. The Holy Spirit has been awakening and stirring the hearts of many because He’s finding more souls embedded in the soil of Mary’s heart. We are seeing more answering their vocation because our Holy Mother has been pointing hearts ever more to the gaze of Her Son, and helping us to hear Him say and answer to those two transformative words: “follow Me.”

Much has been given to us, and much is expected; but let us never forget what we can expect from our Heavenly Father,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Hang in there, brothers and sisters. When times get really tough and when we feel that He’s giving too much to carry and too many things to do, let’s cast our heavy hearts on Him and simply ask for more faith, more hope, and more love.

Amen.

You’re Doing Good

Building the Church of the Home and Building the Church of the Poor. This is the mission and pillars of Couples for Christ. It is through the family and poor that we truly experience the Love of God and I’m so happy to be part of a community that recognizes and prioritizes this.

God has revealed Himself throughout the Bible using familial terms (Father, Son, Daughter, Children, Bride, Groom, Spouse, etc.) He Himself is a family (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). This tells us how important the concept of family is to Him and how much He wants to reveal himself to us and wants to bless the world through the domestic church.

He has also shown His love for the poor by being born in a manger and raised in the little town of Bethlehem. He spent His whole life with the most destitute in body, mind, and soul, and cared for them throughout His ministry by healing their ailments in every way.

It is obvious that what’s important to God is family and the poor, and throughout salvation history He has tried instilling these values in us through His covenants and teachings.

It is no wonder we truly experience the love of our Blessed Lord in this community where its mission is founded on what God Himself loves. We are blessed to be following in the anointing of this community because we can rest assured that we are pleasing the Lord by taking to heart what’s so much in His heart—the family and the poor.

So let us continue building the Church of the Home and building the Church of the Poor simply because we know it pleases our Lord and it consoles His Sacred Heart.

“Couples for Christ, you’re doing good… you’re doing good.” –Benedict XVI

Amen.