Taking the Entrance Exam to be a Disciple

Jesus doesn't want leaders or more involvement and activities. He wants disciples. He never said "Go into the world and make committees..." He said "make disciples." Perhaps part of the heresy of activism or involvement is to misunderstand this key aspect of Christianity. Doing things at church does not make you automatically holy or good. Being involved can be a great way to get to know other Christians, but it won't necessarily lead you to a better faith life and connection to Christ. Sometimes we get so caught up in making sure people are involved that we never ask if their personal relationship with Jesus is growing. We, especially Catholics, just assume that our faith in Him must be growing if we are spending more time doing things at church. But not necessarily. 

What Jesus needs is disciples. People who are completely surrendered to Him. Those who really get to know him, love him, and serve him. In that order. Don't give me more leaders. I want disciples. 

Reading through the Gospel of today (Luke 51-68) we get a depiction of some would-be followers of Jesus. Some are not ready to follow him right now. Some have other pretexts and are tied down by family obligations. Others are attached to money, jobs, commitments, worldly honors, or even church honors. Some are not ready to be surrendered to letting Jesus take over their whole life. And these are not fit yet for the kingdom. 

I've translated a copy of the Entrance Exam to be accepted into the School of the Disciples of Jesus. It's originally from José Prado Flores, a great New Evangelist from Guadalajara, México. The Prezi program in Spanish is an excellent rendition of his 4 points of what it takes to be a disciple as well. You can see it here: Exam de Admisión

And remember, this is not the course of discipleship. This is merely the entrance exam. The life and teachings of Jesus come after we are admitted...

School of the Disciples of Jesus

______________________________________________________________________

ADMISSION EXAM

Circle your response

1. Have I decided to accept Jesus as my only Master, 

renouncing the advantages and any other thing 

against his teachings? 

YES     NO

1. Am I ready to follow Him immediately and for my whole life? 

YES     NO

1. Do I renounce every thing structure, privilege, 

or person that separates me from Him?

YES     NO

1. Have I taken up my cross of service as a plan for life? 

YES     NO

_______________     _____________________________

        Date          Signature

______________________________________________________________________

SELF-CHECK:

0 YES and 4 NO:    You are not accepted into the School of Discipleship

1 YES and 3 NO:    You are not accepted into the School of Discipleship

2 YES and 2 NO:    You are not accepted into the School of Discipleship

3 YES and 1 NO:   You are not accepted into the School of Discipleship

4 YES and 0 NO:    The only way to be admitted to the School of Discipleship

Y por supesto, en español tambien:

ESCUELA 

DISCIPULOS DE JESUS

______________________________________________________________________

EXAMEN DE ADMISION

Encierra en un círculo tu respuesta:

1. ¿Decido a aceptar a Jesús como mi único Mastero, 

renunciado a las ventajas de cualquier otro 

que contradiga sus enseñanzas?      

SI     NO

1. ¿Estoy dispuesto a seguirlo inmediatamente y para toda la vida?

SI     NO

1. ¿Renuncio a cualquier cosa, estructura, privilegio 

o persona que me aparte de él?

SI     NO

1. ¿Tomo la cruz de servicio como plan de vida? SI     NO

_______________     _____________________________

        Fecha          Firma

______________________________________________________________________

Autoevaluación:

0 SI y 4 NO:   No aceptado en la Escuela del Discipulado

1 SI y 3 NO:   No aceptado en la Escuela del Discipulado

2 SI y 2 NO:   No aceptado en la Escuela del Discipulado

3 SI y 1 NO:   No aceptado en la Escuela del Discipulado

4 SI y 0 NO:   Unica manera de ser admitido a la Escuela del Discipulado

A True Friend

We all have a friend, a special someone to whom we trust and expect the same out of them. Maybe you have a best friend. What makes a best friend? Trustworthy, honest, loyal...the list is endless. We also have had people in our lives that were once considered a friend, but something happened that caused disappointment and the friendship ended. Yes! we all have to admit that we have been hurt some how by someone in our past or maybe till this day you feel the need of a true friend. Where am I getting here? First of all, Everyone needs a friend. After all, friends are what makes our lives more meaningful and interesting.The truth is, friendships come and go, but Jesus never fails. He is waiting for you to recognize him as your friend. Open up your heart for Jesus; he is knocking the door of your heart. He desires to have a personal relationship with you.

I used to think I had a close relationship with Jesus just because I go to church, volunteer at church, and try to be a "good girl." Sadly, that was my case, until I decided to open up my heart to him and trust in him. I noticed that even before I received him in my heart, he was already there.

Every time I needed him, he was there. 

When I had doubts, he helped me...

When I felt lonely, he was by my side...

When my plans and hopes failed, he had other things prepared for me...

When I felt desperate, and my cross was becoming heavier, he gave me strength...

Despite who I was before, he never stopped calling me. To be honest, I still struggle, but I have faith and a great friend that never fails. Get to know Jesus; he's the only true friend you could ever have. There is no greater love than Jesus dying on the cross for you and me.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to join millions of youth with the same faith, meeting new friends, and be part of this great celebration, especially participating in the holy mass with Pope Francis. Jesus makes everything possible. Please keep the group in your prayers.

 John 15: 13-15

Plans

Just recently I had to dig through the grit and grime of my home to repair water damage and remove potentially deadly mold from the walls, all the while talking about growing up with my fellow handywoman, my aunt. Before that was an Evangelical Catholic Training Camp(/retreat). Before that not one year ago I was informed of World Youth Day by Father James and signed up without deliberation. Before that was a spiritually tumultuous freshmen year of college. And before all this was an eighteen year old boy pondering/panicking over whether to enter the seminary or go to college. Thankfully, God said to give a year of college a try. (Look where that suggestion landed me.)

No doubt God guides me everyday, just as He guides us everyday even without us being aware. All our lives are a marvelous progression. To where and what, God gives us a choice, though He does have an ideal, given to us when we are ready. I've never had a clue where I am going--what? Me, a guy who has never traveled no farther than Memphis, Tennessee and not even west or south of Little Rock is going to a whole  new country? To meet the Pope and the global Catholic youth with ten Southern belles, a priest, and another dude who has his head on his shoulders? All planned!
The recent riots, ten-inch spiders, and alien 'n' exotic wildlife? All accounted for!

I don't know why people bother planning, God's ideas are far more surprising and always interesting!

Need I say more? Yes.
We--the million Catholic youth--will all come out changed and irrevocably different, from our inmost being to perhaps our outermost appearance.
Whether we bring along "baggage" or not God will give us something different to take home to our daily lives, homes, offices, and duties.

Still, while this all sounds very serious I have a gut feeling that God will prove yet again He has a sense of humor--and His jokes are hilariously life-chaning.

WYD '13RAZIL

Opportunities He gives me

    I don't know what to expect of this trip but i'm verryyyy excited! God is giving me and a group of 12 other college students the opportunity to attend a trip to Rio de Janiero in Brazil! Time is passing by very quickly and we are now under a month away from leaving for our trip to WYD Brazil 2k13! I never knew I would have the opportunity to attend the world's largest gathering where all the youth of the world meet for one special purpose, God. We will do mission work our first week in Sao Paulo and continue the next week doing several activities that include catechesis, stations of the cross, and of course, the closing mass given by Pope Francis in Rio de Janiero!
    Although the trip is set and all we are waiting for is the day of our flight, it hasn't been easy these couple of months. There has been deadlines the group had to stress about, worries about what to take and use in our trip, and other personal problems that have made the road a little bumpy for us all. But in the end, all these obstacles are sacrifices for Him like He did for us. Personally, I'm glad we had to go through all this. If it wasn't for all these sacrifices we face, I would have never met all the friendships God is blessing my life with. All the time spent together has made these new friendships like family.
    I feel so blessed for the opportunity God is giving me to attend such an important event like this. The desire for me to deepen my faith and fall in love with the church is being fulfilled. It's almost overwhelming all God is doing for me! I thank him everyday for all he is doing in my life! 
    But, He had it all planned for me and I had no idea. Turns out He is giving me a trip with a group full great people in "The Year of Faith".  

The Holy Spirit: Best Actor in Our Life

The more I read the homilies and talks from Pope Francis, the more I am aware of how much he relies on the Holy Spirit. Just today in his weekly Wednesday Audience, he told the crowd at St. Peter's Basilica: 

"The Holy Spirit, in the variety of his gifts, unites us and enables us to contribute to the building up of the Church in holiness."


Many times I find it hard to define holiness. And most of the time I think there is a misunderstanding of the term. Holiness does not mean outward compliance with laws, or commandments. It is not just an outward display of perfection. That might be gracefulness. But holiness is first and last an inner disposition, a fidelity to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In the end, holiness is not so much what I do, but what God does in me. 

Throughout the day, the Holy Spirit is giving me inspirations and graces. The more I can acknowledge, accept, respond (git r done) and thank God for these inspirations, the more he will send me. And by committing myself to these impulses, and less of my own, I hope the Holy Spirit will be seen as the main actor in my life's story. I let go of my leading role and cast him. Perhaps He will be awarded Best Actor, Best Director in my life's movie. After all, it's his movie anyway. I'll let him have it all. 

This Could Sting a Little

Have you ever been called by someone who had the wrong number? For most of us this is a regular occurrence and we do not think too much of it. What if you were busy caring for a loved one, say a son or daughter, or a mom or dad, and someone kept calling you away? Sounds like a frustrating situation right? Now let's say that it is someone you know calling you and then not saying anything. They know you are busy taking care of your family or loved one, but still they call you over and over never uttering a word. I know this doesn't seem like a real situation. You are wrong!

But wait who would do something like this? It seems so childish and even cruel.

WE are the ones on the cell phone not saying anything! Every single time you utter the Almighty's name He comes rushing to your aid.

We talked about how we serve a Jealous God. He would DIE for a relationship with us, to talk to us! How do we repay Him for this yearning for our presence in His Kingdom? We call Him up and then never say a word to Him. He loves us so much and is jealous for us because He knows that in order to spend eternity with Him we must first come to know Him through our personal relationship with Jesus. What kind of relationship will we have if we prank call him and never say anything?

"Oh My God! I love this song!
First of all, no you do not "love" this song, and second of all, before Jesus came and forgave us, this statement was a one way ticket straight to the fiery pit for all ETERNITY! In the third commandment God tells us through Moses to not ever take the Lord's name in vain. Let's not forget that God knows all things. You do not have to tell Him if you like something or if you are uncomfortable. And because he is all-knowing do you think we can fool Him by saying, "Oh My Gosh!"? He knows that we almost called Him into our lives, if for only an instant. But instead tainted His Holy Name with a cheap substitute. Before you said, "Oh My,"he was rushing to the phone to listen to what you had to tell Him.

How do we fix this?
I have been blessed greatly, in that I have a companion who is trying to stop using our Lord's name in vain as well. It has worked well for us, so partner up and pray for one another that you will both remain  vigilant over the most powerful muscle in our body. The muscle that can call down the heavenly host and even the King of the universe. (your tongue)

He Loves you. YAHWEH is caring for you and leaving only one set of footprints in the sand. So next time you think you need to call out His name let it end in a prayer. A short conversation. Or even just a, "Oh My God....I Love You!"

Desiring to do God's Will

"For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work," Philippians 2:13

         It is fitting that the theme for World Youth Day is “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), because God has been calling me to do so this summer. If you had asked me a year ago what I thought I would be doing today, I would have said probably preparing for medical school or a graduate program. Although I still have a chance to start medical school this fall (I am on the alternate list for a school in TN), I never would have guessed that God wanted me to devote this summer to international missions instead.
We started preparing for WYD early this past September. I was ecstatic about the prospects of experiencing the universality of the Catholic Church, but doubtful that we would raise the over $36,000 cost for our group of thirteen. It was during the early stages of fundraising for WYD that I first felt desires and nudges from God to do international mission work as a part of my calling in life. I was interested in joining Christ the King parish in Little Rock on their annual medical mission to Honduras. I believed that it would be a good opportunity to serve others and prepare for medical school. However, I knew that between the financial strains of applying for medical school and paying for WYD I could not afford a second trip this summer. I pushed my desires aside and continued to fundraise for WYD. At the end of February those desires grew stronger and I even wrote in my prayer journal that international mission work may be one of my biggest callings in life. By this point, we had raised most of the cost for WYD and were about to send in our final payments. A few days later, I also learned that St. Joseph’s in Conway was paying for a handful of missionaries to join Christ the King on their Honduras mission. I knew then that God was providing me ways to live out what he was calling me to do. Little did I know that he still had more in store for me! Catholic Campus Ministry was gathering their group for their third annual mission to Belize. I had the privilege of going on the first two missions with them and was joking with my friends that were still in college that if I was asked to go again I would. After Mass a couple of weeks later, I was approached by Andrea Papini asking me if I was interested in going to Belize again to help with organizing the mission!
I have recently returned from the missions to Belize and Honduras and I am confident that God did a lot of good work through me on those missions. The past year has really helped me to grow in my trust in God’s provision and that he longs to give us the desires of our heart in unexpected ways. He wants us to be happy and at peace so that we can spread the joy found in Christ to others.
     We are just a few weeks away from WYD. I am excited to learn more about making disciples of all nations at WYD and hope that God continues to send me to do his work throughout the world!

A Prayer of Humble Trust

A Prayer of Humble Trust

Psalm 131        Lord, I have given up my pride

                           and turned away from my

                                    arrogance.

            I am not concerned with great matters

                 or with subjects too difficult for me.

            Instead, I am content and at peace.

            As a child lies quietly in its mother’s

                        arms,

                 so my heart is quiet within me.

            Israel, trust in the Lord

                now and forever!              Catholic Rainbow Study Bible

Wow! How this Psalm speaks to me! My heart melts when I image myself being always content and at peace. This is what I long for; what I strive for!

How many times have I been worried, stressed, and sad about matters that are out of my control? I have worried about the future, my appearance, even about going on this trip to WYD. For some reason, many steps we have had to take to prepare for this trip have been very hard for me. I believe that the devil is trying to have his way with me. He wants to keep me from growing in my faith and my relationships with other college students who are seeking the Lord.

I have been fighting a battle within myself. It started at the beginning of this year when I began to lose my good health. I had mono but I did not know for a while. I was struggling to pay attention in class. I did not have energy to be social. I was exhausted and the devil saw this as a good time to strike. Thankfully, because of the foundation I had already built to keep me practicing my Catholic faith in college and because of the Catholic friends in my life I pulled through this hard time (I am still going through this battle but I am getting stronger). Looking back and as I still process everything I have been able to pick out good that came from this time. As I was changing parts of my life, the devil began to up his game and tried hard to keep me from changing. However, I was able to recognize his voice in my head. The support of others like my Catholic roommates and other strong Catholic friends, my Catholic boyfriend, and the missionaries at Evangelical Catholic kept me going. I am purposefully pointing out that these people were all Catholic because 1) I love the Catholic faith and 2) having a network of other Catholics in your life who are also striving to live a life that will bring them closer to Christ and the kingdom of God is a beautiful thing! I love you all dearly.

So, going back to this psalm. This psalm was pointed out to me last week at ETC (Evangelical Training Camp). I immediately fell in love with it. I tend to over think everything. I do this sometimes when I am thinking about God. But with this psalm I realize that a sweet humble trust in God will bring me closer to the Lord than any amount of contemplating I do on matters that are too great for me at this time.

How might I obtain a heart that is quiet within me? Through personal, private time with our Lord. Jesus is always there, waiting and longing for us to come to him. He is our best friend and we must foster our relationship with Him by spending time with our Lord every day.

            “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says The Lord, plans for you welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says The Lord, and I will change your lot.”

Divine Personal Protection

Divine Personal Protection

[for long version read bracketed text]

        Later this year I will be turning 23 years old, and I must admit that it seems like I just turned 20. As a not-so-former-teenager I feel that I can still relate closely with those who are still in the most confusing years of their lives. Teenagers. I have a younger sister who is 15 and this next piece of advice is for her and every other young person who suffers from the heart ache so often found in our relationships today.

         I have been blessed through out my life to only ever have suffered minimal heart ache. Here I am with the secret. I have a Personal Guard for my Heart. I have asked Jesus to guard my heart for Him alone countless times. He has never abandoned me and will never leave me wanting. He is a jealous God after all. So if I love Him more than any of His flock I will never have my heart broken.

        [When with our friends and our potential more-than-just-friends we always find a way to share what we look for in a relationship. We usually outline only some of the good characteristics we require, but we find time to list every trait we consider to be “deal-breakers”. As many of us already know, that list can be quite long. So instead of listing them all, I am going to only mention one, Jealousy.

         We long for commitment to another person but then require absolute freedom to do as we please as soon as we enter that commitment. We don’t want to change any of our habits for that person in order to compromise with what they might want. And just as soon as they question something we have done we assume the worst and lash out at them. It’s not like they are some stranger calling us out for something we may have done wrong. This is someone who is supposed to care for us and us for them.

          Let’s give this a little perspective. We reject the accountability for our actions due to the conviction we often feel because of that same accountability. Perhaps that person only wants the best for us. They do care about us after all. So this jealousy trait we have come to give a universally bad connotation could have a loving nature behind it? Have we not been told that we serve a jealous God? But what does that mean? Is God going to come read all my text messages and quiz me about who I was hanging out with all day? No, our God is a very different kind of jealous and is jealous for a very different reason than we are.

           We are jealous for ourselves. We want more of someone’s time, more of everyone’s stuff, and more of the world’s power. However, The Almighty is not jealous for Himself, He is jealous for us! He wants us to be satisfied, but not just for the next few days or minutes. He longs for our eternal satisfaction on His streets of gold! He isn't the jealousy that gets upset when we go out with our friends and forget to call and talk to Him. He is the jealousy that is sad we didn't tell Him goodnight, but then forgets all about it and leaps for joy when we tell Him good morning. (We will discuss prank calls in our next lesson)  For it is through our relationship with him we are eternally satisfied; and our Lord wants what is best for us.]

            I encourage you to read John 17. Listen to the possessiveness Jesus places on His Disciples! They belonged to Him! They were not and we are not of this world because they gave themselves to Him in the same way we are called to give ourselves to Jesus!  So yes jealousy as we know it is ugly. But my God is jealous for me because He knows it is up to me to climb the staircase and I can only do so though my time spent with Him. He placed that first commandment there for each of us. For He is Jealous for me, and by my obedience to Him, He has granted my redemption.

Brazil 101

  Brazil is a very large and diverse country so it is difficult to characterize, but here are some fast facts about the country hosting WYD!

• Official name: Republica Federative do Brasil; the name Brazil is thought to come from the
  brazilwood, a tree that once grew along the coast
• World's 5th largest country by area and population
• Population: 193 million people
• Official language: Portuguese
• Was a colony of Portugal until 1822
• Motto: Order and Progress
• Capital: Brasilia
• Largest city: Sao Paulo
• Currency: the Real (R$)
• Current President: Dilma Rousseff
• National dish: feijoada- a stew of pork and black beans with white rice, collard greens, and oranges
• Religion: approximately 75% Roman Catholic

The Only Cure for the Ache in our Hearts

            As I look ahead to World Youth Day, God's calling me to look back to where I have been with Him. He doesn't want me to forget the many blessings and graces that He's given me. My freshman year of college was a time of such crazy spiritual growth. I was in a small group Bible  study, going to daily Mass often, and was going to Charismatic at St. Joseph. It was during this time that I finally learned how to listen to God. For me, He likes to speak through images. If it weren't for all of the wonderful people around me helping me to develop my faith, I would still probably not know how to hear Him. Now that I could hear Him, He was so distracting! (in a good way, of course) At a time when I was supposed to be so driven about school, all I wanted to do was grow closer to God and do as much as I could in my campus ministry. I was so hungry for Him and could feel His love so strongly. I was experiencing God like I never had before and falling more in love with the Catholic Church. He was revealing so much beauty to me through His presence in the Eucharist, through His saints, and through my friends who were growing in faith with me. He was filling me up so much and I just wanted to serve Him. I didn't have the strongest trust in where He would take me, but when I was trusting, He never let me down. It was beautiful how He was teaching me to trust Him and helping me to believe that His will is what will make me the happiest. Through the graces He gave me in the sacraments, I developed a stronger prayer life than I'd ever had. I truly appreciated and enjoyed reading scripture because I knew He was speaking to me through it. Having a strong prayer life was not something I had before I came to college, and after everything I experienced in just one semester, I couldn't imagine ever letting myself become spiritually lazy again.

           

            Fast forward to right now, the summer before my junior year of college. Where do you think I am now? If you guessed that I have become a lazy bum in my prayer life, then you get a golden star for being correct. As you can imagine, school got a lot more difficult when I moved out of the gen ed classes that I now miss. I had plenty of unwanted stress and distractions that I let get in the way of my relationship with God. I stopped making time for God and my prayer life got pretty inconsistent along the way. I felt like I was letting Him down after all He's done for me which made me not want to pray even more. Thankfully, through this spiritual low time for me, God has continued to tug at my heart. I know that He changed my heart in the time that I grew so close to Him because otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. Because of what He's done for me, I know what I'm missing out on when I don't take the opportunities I have to pray and serve. I'm coming to realize that even though this time has felt dark and lonely, He's using it to help me grow. Lately, I've been asking God to help me to desire Him again. And as He always does, He has answered my prayer. I don't really know how to describe it, but I know He's putting that desire back into my heart. If you're in a spiritual slump like I've been, try to find the beauty in what He's doing with your heart. In times of desolation it is easy to feel discouraged, but eventually we remember that He is the only cure for the ache in our hearts. Desolation is not fun, but it has allowed me to see how much God has blessed me, and it has reminded me of who I want to be.

"Listen, it has been difficult for me. It has not been easy. But there are also beautiful times. Jesus helps you and gives you joy. But there are also those dark inner moments, there are difficulties, but it's beautiful to follow Jesus and His path. It's a balance that allows you to go forward and that's when the beautiful moments come."

--Pope Francis

  

El Padre que Toca la Puerta

Eso es un poema de Hermana Margaret Halaska, traducido por mi, llamado "The God who Knocks". Lo usé por mi homelía ayer. Abrir sus vidas a El que quiere entregarte todo.

El Padre tocó la puerta mia, buscando hogar por su hijo:
Rentar es barrato, le digo
No quiero rentar. Quiero comprar, me dice Dios
No estoy seguro que quiero vender,
Pero pases y veas la casa.
Okay, me dice Dios.
Quizás te dé un cuarto o dos.
Me gustan, me dice Dios. Quiero ambos,
Tal vez un día me entreges otro,
Puedo esperar, me dice Dios.
Me gustaría darte mas,
Pero es difícil. Se ocupa espacio por mi mismo.
Yo sé, me dice Dios, pero te esperaré. Me gusta lo que veo.
Me encantaría regalarte la casa entera,
Pero tengo dudas-
Piénsalo, me dice Dios. No voy a echarte a fuera.
Tu casa sería la mia, y mi hijo viviría allí.
Tendría más espacio que nunca.
No entiendo para nada.
Yo sé, me dice Dios, pero no te puedo explicar eso.
Tienes que descubrirlo tú.
Este sucede solo cuando le entreges toda la casa a El.
¡Que riesgo¡ le digo.
Si, me dice Dios, pero inténtalo.

No estoy seguro. Te lo dejo saber.

Yo puedo esperar. Me gusta lo que veo...

¡Pon tu confianza en Dios y te sorprenderá!

Una de las pasiones que está en mi lista de acontecimientos personales a futuro es viajar.  El simple hecho de pensar en conocer culturas diferentes, conocer gente, tradiciones, lugares, bueno la lista puede ser interminable,  hasta con la idea de sentirme la “rara”, en cualquier lugar remoto, me emociona.  Pero, a veces la “cruel realidad”, lo hace difícil o casi imposible.   La falta de dinero, el trabajo, no tener tiempo disponible, los pagos al fin de mes, hacen que ese deseo lo pongamos al final de nuestra lista de prioridades aunque sea algo que deseamos con toda nuestras fuerzas. 

Dios es grande e infinitamente misericordioso, y él lo único que quiere es que nosotros seamos felices.  A veces, nos sumergimos tanto en nuestras preocupaciones, las cosas que ocurren en nuestro alrededor que acabamos gritando ¡cuando no es una cosa, es otra! 

A lo que voy es a lo siguiente…  Si han seguido este blog, se habrán dado cuenta que mi sacerdote,  mis compañeros y yo tendremos la oportunidad de viajar a Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.  Vamos a vivir una experiencia única  de esas que marca la vida por siempre, asistiremos a la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud. En esta ocasión, hablare de mi lado personal, yo sinceramente  me siento tan afortunada de poder vivir esta experiencia que aun estoy en shock, ¡No lo puedo creer!  Voy a poder cumplir uno de mis sueños (viajar) y todo porque tome la decisión de confiar en ÉL.  Si, en mi caso así fue.  Dios siempre nos demuestra con detalles cuanto nos ama, pero a veces nos segamos a ver las cosas hermosas que están en nuestro alrededor.  Hay una cita hermosa que me encanta de Albert Einstein que dice lo siguiente, “Hay dos maneras de vivir una vida: La primera es pensar que nada es un milagro. La segunda es pensar que todo es un milagro. De lo que estoy seguro  es que Dios existe.” Esta cita explica exactamente lo anterior.  Dios me mostro con este gesto cuanto me quiere y que ¡soy su consentida!

Es difícil la edad de la juventud, especialmente cuando llegas a un punto en tu vida en el que se te acabaron las opciones en la vida y te preguntas, ¿Y ahora a donde le doy?   Allí es donde Dios nos está hablando, donde nos invita a tener fe de lo que te tiene preparado para ti.  Seguir el camino aunque se vea incierto y aunque parezca que vamos con los ojos cerrados, porque sinceramente, quien mejor que Él para confiarle nuestra vida.  Eso me demostró con este viaje.  Si, el sabia de mis gustos y pasiones, y miren me puse en sus manos y que tan grande oportunidad me puso en mi camino, asistir a JMJ.   Voy a ser honesta, al principio fui muy pesimista cuando recibí la invitación para asistir a JMJ.  Lo veía tan lejano, fuera de mis posibilidades, pero Dios ya tenía ese “regalazo“ planeado para mí.  Aun viendo las dificultades que se me presentaban tome la decisión de aceptar la invitación y dije, “¡Que Dios me agarre confesada!”  No quiero mentirles, el proceso fue difícil, incierto, y en ocasiones tuve miedo.   Pero no permití que esos pensamientos invadieran mi confianza, aunque fue difícil continúe.    Hoy en día puedo gritar, ¡Voy a estar en JMJ en BRASIL y tengo la certeza que en este viaje fui guiada por ÉL!

Si nos ponemos a pensar, nos damos cuenta de que Dios y todo en su entorno es bello.  Qué gran dicha  de cumplir mi gran anhelo (viajar) y a su misma vez asistir a la congregación católica más grande de jóvenes como es JMJ. Dios mediante conoceré al Papa Francisco y podre decir que yo estuve allí.  En si la moraleja de mi historia es que Dios te quiere dar todo lo que tú anhelas, solo tienes que confiar en Él con tus sueños y deseos.  Deja de preocuparte y ponlo todo en sus manos,  el te guiara a donde debes estar.  Dile todo lo que quieres, pero recuerda: Él te dará lo que es para ti y lo que necesitas, no lo que tú crees que sea necesario para ti.  ¡Confía en el! Mira mi experiencia, Yo viajare a un lugar de ensueño y a su misma vez estaré allí por Él. 

Take a Vacation with God

Make some time to relax in God's presence this Summer!

You Can Do What I Can Do!

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 2:41-51- 06/08/2013

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were ASTOUNDED
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!

     We have all heard this story many many times. As far as I can remember I have always heard this story used by church leaders as an example of Jesus following His parents and being obedient. While this is a very important lesson, I feel that there is an equally important lesson to be learned in this story. A lesson that will have implications in almost every other New Testament and Gospel reading. 

     Before we go any further lets discuss who Jesus was as a 12 year old boy. In His time, education was structured much differently from our own. In fact their grade school's one and only focus was the Word of God as it was presented Moses. As children of this time period, they would all study the first five books of the bible or the Torah until about age ten. This first studying of the Torah was called Beit Sefer (Bait Se-fair), and at its completion the children would have memorized the first five books in the bible. They would know the words of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy by heart! Once they had each finished Beit Sefer, 90% of the children would go on to become apprentices in the family trade or business. Only the very best of these would go on the continue their study of the Torah in what was called Beit Talmud (Bait Tal-mood). 

     In this second tier of the education system, the children would finish memorizing the Torah. So that by the time they were about 14-15 years old they would have all of the books from Genesis-Malachi memorized. They would also learn the different traditions and applications of the Torah. The young teens would then learn the interpretations of the word of God. 
     
     I realize that in all of this talk of the education system of Jesus' time I have yet to mention the teachers. The ones teaching the children of the Torah were in fact Rabbi, and in as much were the very pinnacle of Jewish society. No one was as revered as a Rabbi, one who knew the word of God and how to teach it to the people.

     Now lets look at who this young 12 year old Jesus was. He was in among those who would be His teachers if He had been a child of the city of Jerusalem. These guys were the Harvard professors, and here is this pre-teen from some tiny working town talking with them. And not just asking question after question as you might expect, He was giving them answers. Not just regular old answers straight out of your text book. Jesus gave them answers and they were ASTOUNDED! They didn't dismiss some annoying young kid, they sat and listened to Him! For me, the lesson to be learned here is that my Jesus was the best of the best. He was in the 99th percentile. So what happened next?

     It's true we know very little about our King's childhood. We do know, however, about what those who completed Beit Talmud did. Most of them went home. In fact even the best of these didn't always move on. Only those who were truly put on this Earth to be Rabbi went on to the next stage of education. This was called Beit Midrash (Bait Mid-rash). And in this final stage of the education process, the 14-15 year old kids went and petitioned a Rabbi. They went and told the Rabbi, "I want to learn to do as you do." Immediately the Rabbi would grill the student on their knowledge of the Torah, of the prophets, on the oral traditions, and many other things. Once this test was over the Rabbi usually told the youngster, "It is clear that you know the Torah very well, and that you love God. Go now and ply your family's trade." What a let down, right? Sometimes, however, The Rabbi was impressed with the students knowledge, astounded even. It was at these times, when the Rabbi thought the pupil had what it took to do what the Rabbi himself did, that the Rabbi would say, "Come,follow me." The Rabbi wasn't just saying lets go on a walk and I'll teach you a few things. He was telling this pupil, "Come be my disciple, for I believe you can do what I can do." Let's put this in perspective. Here is this wise Rabbi, respected above every other person in the community, telling this 14-15 year old boy, "You have what it takes to be at the pinnacle of society, let me show you how." How could you not follow him?! 

    Once a student had become the disciple of a Rabbi he left his entire life behind. The teen would have left his town, his synagogue, and even his family. He followed the Rabbi everywhere, yearning to become what his teacher was. He would usually spend the next decade and a half learning to be a teacher of the Word of God to the Jewish people. Then at about age 30 the disciple would go out and begin their ministry. Coincidentally this is the same time that Luke tells us that Jesus began his ministry. (LUKE 3:23)

     I'm almost done, I just want to tie-in what we have learned, to put it in perspective. Lets start from the top, Peter and Andrew are off in their boat, just fishing like they would any other day. Then they here some guy call from the beach. They recognize him as a Rabbi. What does Jesus tell them? Come, follow me! Come you lowly fishermen for I believe you can do what I can do! Matthew tells us they dropped their nets and left immediately. Of course they did! Here was this guy who has all the knowledge of one of the premiere members of their society, telling them that they can do all that he can do. Of course Peter stepped out onto the raging water! Jesus said I can do what he can do, and by Him I'm going to walk on that water. When Peter sinks, Jesus asked why did you doubt? Peter wasn't doubting Jesus. Jesus wasn't the one sinking. Peter doubted himself and that he could do as Jesus did.

     We have been told thousands of times that Jesus calls each one of us to,"Come, follow Him." I hope you hear now what I hear when someone tells me those three little words. Jesus is telling me that I can do what He can do. I can pick up my cross, cast down Satan and all my shame, and carry that cross all the way to gates of the Kingdom of Heaven where I will be the child He is so infinitely proud of and will wrap in His Eternal Embrace. Oh how He loves me. 

Unforeseen Moments

At this time in my life as a college student, still technically undeclared as a junior, I am completely confused as to where God is leading me and where my future lies. I would like to be able to say that I know all the answers, but of course that is not the case. I've learned the hard way that God doesn't like long-term plans. So that leaves me constantly trying to have faith and trust in Him and His plan for me. It is in unforeseen moments where I have found God working the most.

Last year right before Lent, my friend Holly and I were approached and asked if we would be willing to take up an adoration hour on Friday nights at 8. As a young college student you can imagine my initial thought of heck no! But it didn't take long before I decided that it was only an hour a week. What better way to sacrifice than to give up my precious free time on a Friday night when I would rather be hanging out with friends? Plus it was only a temporary commitment for Lent, then Holly and I could decide whether we wanted to continue. Lent went by quickly and I looked forward to having that quiet time to sit, reflect, and pray with Jesus. Needless to say we continued to keep our hour. Consequently, my faith has grown exponentially, and I am able to see the impact God has had in my life. Flash forward a year later and now I am reflecting on how generous and glorious Our God is that He would have given me such a life changing opportunity that would help me to become a more committed Catholic. I never would have thought that I would have such a desire to know God, to love Him, and to learn about my Catholic faith back in high school. I was a "good" Catholic, but I still didn't grasp what being Catholic meant, until now.

It is events such as this one that has transformed my faith life in remarkable ways. I still struggle to maintain my relationship with God on a daily basis, but I know that daily Mass and adoration are constant reminders of why God has put me on this Earth. We are all here for a purpose. I just hope when its all said and done that I can say my purpose was to grow close to God so that I can bring others to Him. He has blessed me beyond words. Having this opportunity to participate in WYD with millions of other Catholics with the same struggles who also have the same purpose sets me on fire. We are all united under Him. It is our duty as Christians to bring others to Him, and to do that, we must love. St. Augustine once wrote, "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." My purpose is to love. What is yours?

Passenger

I’m a college Junior. I’m unsure about my major, my vocation, my plans for life, even my plans for next semester. And I’m a planner. Not having a plan makes me pretty anxious. So the assumption that I think and pray a lot about what God want’s me to do, is very true. I go through stages of trusting in Him, thinking I have it all figured out, and being extremely confused. At certain points in my life I have focused too much on what God wants from me in the future instead of focusing on Him. This can be very distracting. 

The other day I was driving home from adoration and OneRepublic’s song, Passenger, came on. I’ve heard the song a hundred times before, but this time a particular line of the lyrics really caught my attention. It said, “All that you want is standing right in front of you. All that you need is love.” I was reminded, after listening to that line, that I’m constantly searching. I’m searching for what my future will be, what God wants it to be, what I want it to be. But I can’t do or be who God wants me to be if I’m constantly looking ahead instead of living in the moment and focusing on what He wants from me NOW. If I truly want to be who God wants me to be, I need to realize that God has plans for me now, today, at this very moment, and that I need to be working on following those instructions instead of focusing my time and attention on what is to come. 

“All that you want is standing right in front of you. All that you need is love.” If God is love, all that I need is God. 1 John 4:18 says, “perfect love casts out fear,” I don’t have to worry about what I need to be doing if I am following God and listing to what He wants from me at the moment. If I’m with him, loving Him and allowing Him to love me, He will take away my fear. If I’m following him, how can I get lost? It’s when I get impatient that I try to take the wheel that I end up getting lost and confused. I know many people my age, like myself, struggle with letting God be in control and them be in the passenger seat. But thank God for the little reminders He gives us throughout the day like the OneRepublic song. And thank God for His grace that opens our ears and eyes to hear and see what is right in front of us when our eyes are looking so far ahead.

Lately I’ve been looking to Mary as a role model. The trust that she showed in saying “yes” to God is beautiful, and it is the kind of faith I pray to have. Yesterday I read a quote by Pope Francis that really goes along with being patient and letting God be in control. He said, “Mary is not in a hurry… She does not get carried away by events, but when it’s clear what God asks of her she does it quickly.” I pray that I can have the faith, trust, and patience that Mary has always had. And I pray that I let God be the driver, while I stay in the passenger seat.