The Heart of it

It is always a privilege to be tapped for service. I always think of it as an opportunity to give back to the community – to have a sense of purpose and live not just for yourself but for others as well.

 

In our last SFC activity – our Covenant Orientation Weekend, I was tapped to be part of the food committee tasked to prepare physical sustenance for the confirmed 41 participants and 20 service team members. The one day and a half activity required us to prepare 2 set of snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

I was honestly overwhelmed by the task. The number of attendees and the amount of food we are to prepare in such short window of time (as we all have work) gave me the nerves. The wheels in my mind began turning – thinking of possible suggestions at how we can tweak the menu a bit to make the cooking easier without sacrificing taste and quality and shorten the preparation process to fit into our timeframe so that we can assist on other tasks and have time to listen to the talks as well.

 

When D-day came I was frazzled. I was anxious and asked my teammates what I could do to have the preparations be well underway - they just told me to relax and take the tasks one step at a time. It made me relax and snap out of my anxiety. It was what I needed to remind me of what service was all about and as I watched the tilapia fry with a sianse on hand – I am reminded of the joy I feel whenever I cook and serve food for my family and friends.

 

Often times we get too focused on service that we forget that it is not an opportunity to show off but to humbly make use of our talents to help others…

 

… that it is a way for people to see Christ is us…

 

… that it is a chance for us to share His blessings and spread the goodness of our Lord…

 

… a chance to show and tell people how we are transformed by His love…

 

We focus too much on delivering and exceeding people’s expectations that we forget the very core – the very essence of service which is to give back the glory and praises to God…

 

The experience was quite humbling and I am thankful for the opportunity and with this I pray that I may never be lost in the frenzy of it all, I pray constant reminders and for purity of heart focused not on the act but on the core of service.

... and for all of this May God be Praised!!!

Changes

“repent and believe in the Gospel” – Mark 1:15

The most important ingredient for change is the desire to change.

The word of God bears more fruit in people who are more open to change.

The word ‘repentance’ that was used in this passage came from the Greek word ‘metanoia’, which literally means a change of mind.

Once the mind is changed, the entire life follows.

Whether it’s a change of mind, heart or life, Jesus calls us to change for the better.

Reflection: What is God asking you to change in your life today?

 

Prayer: Change how I think, Lord, that I may be like You.

 

Today’s reading is very timely as our SFC Chapter had just concluded our Covenant Orientation Weekend.

A year over after I attended my first COW what did it mean for me?

The Covenant Orientation Weekend reminds us of our calling to make changes in our life – to make good our promise to God, to leave our old negative habits behind and make room for Christ to move and manifest Himself in our lives.

Change does not happen overnight – It is not easy to be a part of the SFC community but by making small changes in our prayer habits, in the way we deal with people around us, in our outlook in life, these small adjustments has become our way of life J

I started making changes in my life because it was ‘required’ - we are always lovingly reminded of our prayer time, to pray not just for ourselves but to intercede for other people as well, to look at the positive side of every situation and understand the message that God wants us to receive, to learn how to be good stewards of God’s blessings, to participate in community service, to live simply, to always give thanks in even the smallest things, to tame our tongue and spread goodness instead of gossip…

And in the long run these ‘requirements’ became an integral part of us – over time we aren’t doing it because we are told to do so by the community but because we ourselves hunger for it. Without realizing it, we have imbibed and made these ‘routines’ a part of our daily lives – a part of us.

Now, our day isn’t complete if we were not able to stop for our prayer time – that now our prayers are of a different tone – when before we only pray for ourselves and just ask ask and ask, now we have learned to pray and intercede for others and have learned to give thanks more than we ask.

Now if we feel stressed and worn out – instead of bursting out in anger, we have learned to calm ourselves. If we are going through some problems – we now know to run first to God, ask for his help and ‘lean not on our own understanding’ but ask for Him to reveal his message and help us understand it.

We still are nowhere close to being angels, human as we are we still have lapses and still make errors in judgement – and in times like these we just always have to remind ourselves of our covenant – to never forget that desire that we have in our hearts to be better Christians and be follower of Christ and pray for strength to overcome the challenges and temptations that present themselves in our daily lives.

and for all of this May God Be Praised!!!

Pray and Believe

 

"He offered supplication with loud cries and tears… and he was heard…"  - Hebrews 5:7

 

God hears us wherever we are, He knows what we need long before we ask. It is His will that we pray and He promised to hear our prayers. Big or small, He said it shall be ours.

 

Mark 11:24 says “therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive at and it shall be yours”

 

John 14:13-14 also says “and whatever you ask for in my name, I will do…”

 

What are you praying for? What do you want God to do for you today? Are you asking Him for the impossible?

Don’t be afraid to ask.

 

Reflection: When was the last time God answered your prayers? Do you really believe  that God will answer your prayers?

 

Prayer: Dear Lord, please hear my prayers today. Let me stand on Your promises, Give me faith to believe every word You said and make me ready to receive all that I have prayed for, In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

When was the last time God answered your prayers? Just yesterday I prayed for enough time to finish all my chores before going to church, and indeed I was able to go home early from work, finish my cooking and cleaning duties at home and was able to catch a cab immediately after I crossed the street to the taxi stand and reached church in time.

 

I was amazed at the simple chain of events that allowed me to fulfill my role as an employee, a sister and a daughter of God yearning to spend time with Him and listen to His words, and for this I am truly grateful

 

I also remembered a letter of petitions that I wrote that sis Sharon brought to Italy when she went for the canonization of Pope John Paul II – all of my prayers were answered.  I was granted the opportunity to travel with friends; my brother and I were able to finance and spend Christmas and New Year in the Philippines; we were provided the funds that we needed to finish the work being done to our house and I was also blessed with the gift of relationship.

 

 

Rightly so, we should never be afraid to ask our Father for it is Him who have put these desires in our heart in the first place – thus He knows even before we ask…

 

Let us pray for God to teach us more how to open our hearts to Him, let the desires He have placed in our hearts grow as he directs us from where we are to where He wants us to be and as such whatever we ask in His name he will give it to us – pray, have faith and believe...  

...May God Be Praised!!!

Thank you and goodbye 2014, Hello and welcome 2015!!!

It's 3 hours and 17 minutes into 2015...

The sky has been lit with magical displays of light; our ears rang with joyous sounds of trumpets and drums; Media noche has been served, shared and enjoyed: the noise has mellowed down except for the occasional blast of a firecracker at a distance somewhere and all is sleeping except for me...

As I give thanks and glory to God for all of 2014 I suddenly remembered the 'love-letter' I wrote to God that was hand carried all the way to Vatican by an SFC sister who will be traveling to Italy for the Canonization of Pope John Paul II.

God has indeed been gracious and has answered not only my own prayer petitions but the fervent prayers of my friends as well. It is such an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness to have been granted our heart's desires that all you could do is silently pray with thanksgiving and yearn to give back all praise and Glory to God thru humble and faithful service.

... so thank you and goodbye 2014, hello and welcome 2015 - may I serve God's purpose every which way... may I seize the chance and use the following 365 days to be a better version of myself in all areas of my life...

... and for the power of faithful prayer May God be Praised!!!