Yes Lord I will

Saul thought he had a plausible resume

Said he was a good Jew who kept the law

Called himself a pious pharisaic Jew

Saul refused to eat or drink until all Christian were put to death

Letter at hand, off he went far and wide

In the north, south, east and west he slayed and crushed believers

Then God arose from his throne but not in anger

God descended upon Saul but not with a hammer

In his blindness Saul received the sight of radical Faith 

Then Paul rewrote his resume, 
forfeiting his name, his fame and his belief

Accepting baptism he embraced a new life 
and discovered a new passion

Only with his cooperation 
did Paul find his way back to his original call.
For now he lives not for himself

The Lord is longing to rewrite your resume
For none knows the Lord the way he deserves
At the door of your heart He patiently stands
Longing, knocking, calling and waiting
He wants to do something new
Are you going to respond?

I Fling My Life

Gladly do I give my life to Thee,

Not solemnly, not grudgingly,

But I will l take my life and fling

It at thy feet and sing and sing

Happy to bring you this small thing

Mary Dixon Thayer

Faith and Relationship

We are in an era of so many distractions. Every day we are bombarded with all kinds of alerts from emails, cell phones, Facebook, twitter and other social networks. Our jobs, families, friends, social and religious commitments also compete or demand our attention such that there are days or weeks we feel completely exhausted and or disgruntled. Consequently, one may decide take a break from social media and watch something relaxing on television. Within minutes, you are bombarded with more commercials than you have time for. How do we deal with all of these? The challenge for me lies in learning the art of balance. According to Cornell University's Steven Strogatz, social media sites can make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world, and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. By focusing so much of our time and psychic energy on these less meaningful relationships, our most important connections, he fears, will weaken.

Life is all about relationships. Beginning from the time we learned to interact with our parents and siblings while growing up, to how we formed relationships with friends, classmates, colleagues and co-workers over time. Our modern understanding of relationship has become more inclusive. Nowadays talk about relationships also includes the way we treat animals and the environment. This is why, in 1987, the United Nations World Commission of Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and the institutional change are in harmony and enhance both current and future generations to meet their needs." Relationship is unique and dynamic but regardless of who or what we are relating with, there is a profound peace which comes from living a balanced life. A balanced individual understands the difference between doing and being, being abstract and concrete, and being active or passive.

As a woman in initial religious formation, I have been thinking a lot about how my relationship with God is connected with how I relate with others and all of creation. I have come to realize that it is important for me to set healthy boundaries that will continue to help me maintain a close relationship with God.  I have no desire to be caught up in the distraction and consumerism imposed by information and technology. It is not that I dislike social media, it has undoubtedly brought about many good things. On the other hand, research has shown social networking has many pitfalls. Apart from the fact that social media has contributed in making relationships more abstract than concrete, research has shown that people are becoming more isolated and youth are developing related health conditions among others.

We are balanced by listening, respecting the dignity of others, and expressing our feelings constructively. A balanced lifestyle does not come without effort. As a Christian, I will continue to strive to model all my relationships after the example of Jesus whose relationship with others was grounded in deep care, compassion and forgiveness. My relationship with God and others is deepened when I am attentive to my thoughts, feelings and actions. Relying on God’s providence, I will focus on the things that make me happy, demonstrate respect and care for the earth and which bring Glory to God

I know why it is called "Good"

 Today is Good Friday, but what makes this Friday that “good?” Does it make all other Fridays of the year not as good? As a child this was one of the things I often wondered about. It was never really explained to me. But as I grew older and my faith deepened, I realized that my childlike trusting  belief in the truths of the church passed down by those I still hold in high esteem cannot be false. So, rather than spending much energy in asking “why? “I spent more time obeying what I was taught. In those days, Good Fridays were days of silence, sorrow, mourning, penance, fasting and prayer.

Today is the commemoration of the solemnity of another Good Friday, and the meaning has not changed for me. It remains the day we remember that our Lord Jesus was betrayed, rejected and crucified on the cross by those who were threatened by the goodness, holiness and benevolence of God through Jesus whom they called a trouble maker, a rebel, and one who incited others to disobey the law on Sabbath days. Yet, if Good Friday is associated with pain, sorrow and death, why does the church still call it “good?”

I think today should rightly be called “good” because it is the sum and summit of our Christian faith. Good Friday is not an end, but a continuum culminating to the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. Perhaps this was the connection I did not understand clearly as a child. I failed to realize that the crown of thorns was replaced with a scepter of heavenly diadem which confirmed Jesus as God’s one, true and only begotten son. This means that by his resurrection, Jesus effectively conquered death forever and so has fortified us against eternal death. “O death where is your victory” asked the prophet Isaiah (15:55). In addition to destroying death forever, Jesus also procured the permanent forgiveness of all our sins. Now he lives to bring us back to God, which was why he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.  

Easter has many messages for us, I will reflect on just two. The first is that all those who believe in the resurrected Christ now have direct access to him. In John 14:20 Jesus assured his disciples that he will rise and, when that happens, they will know that He is in the Father, just as they are in him and He in them. Since Jesus is in us, I suppose that everything associated with pain, sorrow, betrayal and rejection and death are extinct forever. This means that our burdens in life are not ours unless we choose not to open the door for Jesus. “ I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me” (Rev. 3:20). Secondly, Jesus was glorified through suffering and so suffering is part and parcel of our journey today.

As an adult, I no longer ask what makes Good Friday special because I know that Good Fridays are not annual events but daily journeys which help me to continue to encounter the resurrected Christ even in good and bad times. For I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28)

Behold the Great Man of God!

Blessed John Martin Moye was born in Cuttinga, Lorraine in the year 1730. He was the sixth of the thirteen children of John Moye 
and Catherine Demange. His older brother, a seminarian, taught him the first rudiments of Latin, and he completed his classical studies at the College of Pont-à-Mousson. He then studied Philosophy at the Jesuit College of Strasburg , and entered the the theological Seminary of St-Simon, Metz, in the fall of 1751. Ordained a priest of the diocese of Metz 9 March, 1754, and was later appointed vicar in the episcopal city the same month. His great zeal for souls attracted attention; many pius ladies placed themselves under his firm and wise direction. This enabled him to find some select souls for the establishment of schools for country children whose education he had much at heart. He began the work in 1763; in 1767 in spite of the ill-will of many and the persecutions of a few, the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence was founded. That same year he was appointed superior of the little seminarthe Congregation of Providence at home, devoting themselves to the care of the sick and to the Christian Instruction of Pagan Chinese women and children in their own homes. After a hundred years of success, they are still active in the Chinese mission. Exhausted by labors and sickness, Father Moye returned to France in 1784. He resumed the direction of the Sisters of Divine Providence and evangelized Lorraine and Alsace by preaching mission. The Revolution of 1791 drove him into exile, and with his sisters he retired to Trier. After the capture of the city by French troops, typhoid fever broke out and, helped by his sisters, he devoted himself to hospital works. He contracted the virulent disease and died, a martyr of Christian charity, in 1793. Leo X111 declared John Martin Venerable and authorized the introduction of the cause of his beatification 14^th January 1891. He was later beatified by pope Pius X11 on November 21, 1954

After experiencing many storms during the revolution, the Congregation of Providence survived, and has since revived and “multiplied” according to the supreme vow of our Founder. Some circumstances, recognized as providential, have brought about the external separation of some branches, but that has not weakened the vitality of the tree rooted in Christ. Today, Daughters of Blessed Jean Martin Moye exist in different parts of the world, have different names or costumes and most importantly have continued to remain faithful to the spirit of the Founder who represents for them the unshakable trunk.y of St. Dié. Leaving the care of his sisterhood to two friends, Father Moye now determined to act upon his long delayed desire to become a missionary. In 1769 he joined the Séminaire des Missions Etrangères at Paris, and in 1773 he was at work in Oriental Su-tchuen, China. Nine years of hard labor, frequently interrupted by Persecution and imprisonment, made him realize the necessity of native help. In 1782 he founded the "Christian Virgins", religious women following the rules of 

Blessed be the Lord for the gift of Blessed John Martin Moye to the world.
Holy Man Of God, Pray for us

Faith and Fitness

Health and wholeness are connected. For a long time, I have been postponing incorporating physical activity into my daily busy schedule. I am grateful that it finally happened few months ago. Looking back, I think that the timing was providential because it has helped me realize that health and wellness are part of God’s Divine Plan for me and us since God wants us to take care of our bodies.

As a woman, I am often offended by the different subtle ways the media objectifies the female body. Sadly this has created huge dissatisfaction in many women. Research has shown that a staggering 80 to 90 percent of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. To compensate, such women spend hours trying to look beautiful by wearing expository ???clothes or endure expensive plastic surgeries.

Personally, I think that no woman should allow the media or anybody to control how she looks, what she wears or worse still, how she feels about herself. A person’s true worth comes first and foremost from recognizing that God unconditionally and unapologetically created her beautiful. You are whom God says that you are. We rather be concerned about the fact that God is pleased with us the way we are for he created us. In other words, knowing and loving God is the key to developing a positive sense of well being. This ultimately helps us to recognize our gifts and work on our limitations with his help.

I decided to begin working out regularly when I realized that I have not been paying much attention to my health and wellness. Consequently, over the years, I gained more pounds and started experiencing pain in my left knee. Since I started exercising a few months ago, I feel healthier and active and most importantly, most of my knee pain is gone. In addition to improved health, I feel more in control and my self-esteem has shot up. However, it is also clear to me that my improved sense of self-worth is not influenced or deterred by the media.

Our true worth comes from within us. We have to cultivate the habit of taking time to listen to that inner voice within us. My faith in God has helped me to develop confidence, acceptance, humility, and the ability to let go. This helps me feel like I am more in charge of my life. Taking charge or being in control of one’s life has little to do with measuring up with what the society wants, wearing heavy make-up or undergoing plastic surgery. I have realized that I am “in charge” to the extent that I am able to withdraw and listen to God in prayer. This makes me stronger. I am stronger because I have learned to accept who I am, including my strengths and limitations. This has made me wiser. I am wiser because I have learned to turn to God and rely on him when things do not turn out the way I am want them to. This has increased my self-awareness. I have also grown in self-knowledge when I discovered that I need to pay more attention to my health and well-being.

  

 In conclusion, I am encouraging everybody, especially women, to begin to love themselves the way God loves them. It is useless to entrust ones happiness to others or the media. They have enough on their plates to worry about making you happy. If you have to change your lifestyle, let it be because it will help to make you feel better about yourself and dispose you to more effectively be of service to God and others.    

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Actions of Providence

“I have decided to follow Jesus”

“I have decided to follow Jesus”

“I have decided to follow Jesus”

“No turning back, no turning back”

This is one of my favorite songs.

At some point in our lives we just have to make some radical decisions. I am humming my decision to follow Jesus because of my conviction that God is truly in control. At this point of my life, all I desire is to let God continue to be God as he has always been. I declare my all for God because it is up to me to continue to invite him as well as surrender myself to him again and again. This way, I believe that my relationship with God will be constantly renewed, for his mercy is constantly new.   

Every day, from the time I open my eyes at dawn to the time they are closed in sleep at night, and all through the day, I always want to remind myself that I am still here because of God’s benevolence. I may not understand all of it, but I am not worried. Like St. Paul, I believe that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28.

While God is at work in us, there are things that depend on us. Just as we rely on God to continue to accomplish his purpose in our lives, God is counting on us to be instruments of his Providence. Everyone one of us, without exception, has something to offer another person out there. It could be a smile, a cheerful greeting, a comforting touch, a listening ear, a compassionate heart, making monetary donation, offering our time in volunteer services, impacting knowledge, fervent prayer, lending voices for just causes or visiting the lonely or neglected.

As we enter the third week of lent, let us endeavor to remind ourselves that God is for and with us in the same measure we exert ourselves for others. Whenever we neglect an opportunity to act in love, we are stifling God’s Providential actions in the world. I pray that our daily deliberate efforts to carry out little acts of love may indeed please God who has commissioned us to be his hands, feet, and voices.