Youth of Today

It’s sad to note that many of our youths, upon reaching a certain age or once they start college/university, slowly begin to distance themselves from the Church and church-related activities. And just like how the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep and goes after that one lost sheep, we too need to draw our young people back to the Church and make them a part of the Church.

If we separate them from the Church or leave them abandoned or alienated, then we may find it hard to build a Church of young people. Parents, elders and adults should not keep a distance or create boundaries between them. Our young people today are growing up very fast in terms of maturity and world-knowledge especially with so many types if technology easily available at hand – the internet, Facebook, Twitter and so many other IT and phone applications, and at times, we the older people seek their help when we are baffled by all these new technologies.

At the same time, let’s not forget that our young people are very much in need of spiritual support and guidance. We should minister to them so that can stay focused on their walk with God and spend more quality time with their families. The Church needs the young people. At the end of day, the leaders in the various ministries of the Church should direct them according to teaching of the Church and in accordance to God’s Word. His word will direct them and help them stay on the right path and to not go astray.

I am committed to carry out my mission no matter how difficult it will be and no matter how many obstacles I will have to face and for this I ask for all your continuous prayers and support.

  

"Vocations as a Sign of Hope Founded in Faith"

During the Second Vatican Council in 1963 Pope Paul VI designated Good Shepherd Sunday as “World Day of Prayer for Vocations”. This important annual event in the life of the Church was instituted as a means of inviting Catholics throughout the world to pray for vocations to priesthood and religious life.

The 50th annual world day of prayer for vocations takes place on this Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 21st, 2013). During the Year of Faith, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has written a message to coincide with the day of prayer this year. The theme of his message is "Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith." It reminds us that God continues to call people to work in the vineyard and that we must continue to pray and trust in our ultimate hope which is God himself.

The Pope said that the vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life are born out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ, out of sincere and confident dialogue with Him, so as to enter into His will. It is necessary, therefore, to grow in the experience of faith, understood as a profound relationship with Jesus, as inner attentiveness to his voice which is heard deep within us. This process, which enables us to respond positively to God’s call, is possible in Christian communities where the faith is lived intensely, where generous witness is given of adherence to the Gospel, where there is a strong sense of mission which leads people to make the total gift of self for the Kingdom of God, nourished by recourse to the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and by a fervent life of prayer.

The World Day of Prayer for Vocations is a day that Christians are invited to reflect on the meaning of God’s call and to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. To help us reflect on the meaning of the priestly vocation, the church presents to us in today’s gospel the figure of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Last Sunday we saw Our Lord three times giving Peter the charge to “feed my sheep.” In that way Jesus made Peter a shepherd, a pastor. Our Lord continued his work of shepherding his people through Peter and his co-workers: the apostles and disciples, and through their successors: the Pope, the bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, and committed lay people.

We pray that our young people may respond with open and generous hearts. Lord, give them the gift of understanding to discern their service in the Church, the priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life and for the gift of courage to follow Your call and the Christian parents will happily accept the possibility that God may call one of their children to priesthood or consecrated life.

The Eucharistic Celebration: The Most Perfect Form of Prayer"

The Holy Eucharist is "the source and summit of Christian life." It is the central celebration of the Church. Pope Paul VI refers to the Eucharistic celebration “the most perfect form of prayer!“ Do you think God sits with an attendance sheet checking off the faithful who attend and taking note of the non-attendees. Irregardless of whether He does or not, we need to realise that Mass attendance and participation is not meant for God, but for us. Attending Mass and actively participating during it nourishes our spiritual growth. In order to for us to maximise the spiritual benefits, we need to attend Mass in a reverent manner. 

The celebration of the Eucharist is the Jesus-instituted, powerful way of healing the broken world that we live in. Attending Mass reverently, frequently and participating constantly increases our spiritual benefits by bringing us closer to Jesus. Commit yourself to attend and participate fully in the Mass and you will not be disappointed. Pray for those who do not realise the value of the Eucharistic celebration and that they too may join in the celebration. Rejoice! For God is good and loves you! Jesus died for you to live and rose to live with you. BELIEVE... CELEBRATE... LIVE the Eucharist.

4 Bad Church Habits:

i) Arriving Late and Leaving Early:

When we arrive late or leave early, we treat the Holy celebration of the Mass like it’s nothing special. As far as leaving early, there was only one apostle who left the first Mass (Last Supper) early and we don’t want to end up like him.

ii) Inappropriate Dress-Code: Dressing inappropriately is very distracting. God has blessed your finances, so praise Him in decent clothing, especially at Sunday Mass. Jerseys and Pjs also fall under inappropriate dressing for Sunday Mass. We would never wear them to a wedding banquet, etc. If we did, we would be lowering the importance of the event. The same goes for Mass. If you have appropriate clothes, wear them!

iii) Non Participation: Mass is a celebration of our salvation and faith; when we don’t participate, we’re not getting the most of out the celebration. When your team wins you fist pump, when you get engaged, you dance with joy. Rejoice at Mass! Christ has won for you salvation! Pray with open hands, sing for joy! “He who sings, prays twice” (St. Augustine of Hippo).

iv) Littering: If you ever get a chance, be the last person to leave your church after Mass and before you exit, walk through the pews and examine the amount of trash left behind by the parishioners. I’ve had the opportunity to do this and it’s nasty! There’s half eaten cookies, used tissues, candy wrappers, torn envelopes, gum under the pews, etc. We need to do a better job with maintaining the sanctity of our church space.

St. Teresa of Avila was overwhelmed with God’s Goodness and asked Him: “How can I thank You, Lord?” Our Lord replied, “ATTEND ONE MASS.”

Dealing With Distractions

It’s been a few weeks since I've written or posted anything on my blog. I have not dedicated and disciplined my needed time to reading and writing due to many other commitments. I need FOCUSED time to do reading and writing. It is easy for us to get distracted and to procrastinate on our tasks. We have so much great work to do every day. In fact, the external forces will place many hindrances and distractions in our way. Some of the distractions may even be a good thing. Let Nehemiah’s words be our words when distractions and hindrances pull us away from our daily responsibilities and commitments. “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6: 2-4 – Dealing with distractions).

 

 

 The most basic content, the book of Nehemiah is an account of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God in the Old Testament and the center of life for Israel. Nehemiah is a man who desired to know the plans of the Lord and act upon them; proving himself faithful even during the most trying of times. He teaches us that as individual followers of Christ and as the church collectively, if we keep our hearts and minds fixed on God and yielded to His will, we will experience success with God and will develop a strong and steady faith even amid constant opposition.