“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (CCC 261) Jesus Christ revealed this immense mystery to us just before he ascended to Heaven when He commanded us to: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.” (Mt 28:19)
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Last weekend, May 22-24, eighteen young adults said YES to a weekend with God at Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. They could have been somewhere else doing their usuals, but God handpicked each one of them and brought them together for Singles Encounter #34 weekend. It was facilitated by Paolo Nolasco, Molly Brilliantes, Patrick McGrail, and Jennifer Ompod with Deacon Serge Bernatchez as the spiritual director. The SE34 is likewise blessed with the guidance of their class shepherds, Tito Lito and Tita Elaine Fernando.
“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age... and eternal life in the age to come.” (Mk.10:29-30)
What is the best investment you can make with your life? Mark’s gospel presents us with a paradox. We lose what we keep and gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for Christ, we gain a priceless treasure and an inheritance which lasts forever. Whatever we give to God comes back a hundredfold. There was this story about a young boy of 4 and his father. Quite often, this little boy and the Father would come to stroll in the park. He loved to reach up and reach his father’s hand while walking.
One day, the father was carrying his son around on his shoulders. They met a friend who had seen the little boy just the week before. The friend looked up at the little boy riding on his father’s shoulders and with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, said to him, “my goodness, look at you! At how much you’ve grown since I last saw you. The little boy replied, Not all of this is me.” A youth prepares for college and is given the opportunity to speak about herself, reflect upon her life, and to share her thoughts and her faith...
I walk into my small and modest bedroom, and each day during the fall, I either shudder due to its accumulated coldness or sigh in relief towards the rush of warmth that hits my body. The room's climate always surprises me because I rarely spend my wakeful hours within it. There are no luxuries of a stereo system, television, or telephone, which would tempt me to stay inside my room, and although I have occasionally pointed this out to my parents in complaint, now, I believe that its barrenness is beneficial. As a result, the contents of my room signify the deeper side of me. Located towards the front of the house, my one wall consists almost entirely of tow windows, giving light to read my Bible and check my calendar. A window, a Bible, and a calendar are three objects, which symbolize the characteristics I possess. When we were called to be the Shepherds of an ME class, we did a lot of soul searching because we almost embarked on a threefold denial of our love for Jesus by giving these reasons for not accepting His call: (1) We did not want to leave the ministry we were in because of the relationships we had established; (2) we thought it was too soon to leave the programs we have started in our ministry (3) we did not want to leave our comfort zone and felt we were not ready to shepherd the spiritual growth of many couples.
Imagine this scene in Acts 1:9-11. “… as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight”… ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?’”
What does this scene remind you of? It is the airport departure scene. For many of us, immigrants to the United States, or who have family and friends who have migrated to and worked in some foreign country, this scene is very familiar to us. It is the poignant picture of a family member sadly left behind, while Mom, Dad, brother, sister or relative leaves for a foreign country to work. Another successful Community Teaching Seminar was held at Connell Hall, last Saturday, May 9th, 2015. Father Paul Lehman lectured on “Contemplative Praying” and Patrick McGrail from the Singles Ministry, presented an overview of the “Cloud of Unknowing,” an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in the latter half of the 14th century. This text from the Middle Ages is considered as the spiritual guide on contemplative prayer.
When our Lord Jesus’ time here on earth was coming to an end, He told His disciples in John 15:12, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” He wanted His disciples to remain united and determined to spread the Gospel. This command is the reason why they became one family, then grew into a community of believers, and now have become His church which reaches to the far corners of the world.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
As I reflect on this verse, I find great comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit has promised us His Peace. I am in the midst of recovering from an illness. The physical pain seems so unbearable at times. My head hurts from a migraine headache. My body feels week from the effects of the flu. My back hurts. I feel chills all over my body. And while suffering through this physical pain, I also have to care for my young children. They are still so dependent on me for most of their needs. |
To nurture and promote the love of the Gospel of Christ.
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