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.”