For Love of the Poor

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. -Mother Teresa 


I spent last week in New York, chaperoning 15 high school students on a mission trip. It was an amazing trip that I know will continue to impact, and to transform my life, and the way I choose to live, to love, to serve, and to work. 

The past few days I have been asking myself - how did this trip impact my life? How and what do I want to change? Where did I experience God?

I can tell you that I experienced God all over the place the week I spent in New York - in the students, in the poor we were serving, in the brothers hosting us, and more. But I started to think more so - how was I struggling prior to the trip, and after some reflection I was struggling to see God in my day to day tasks - in my work, in my house and sisters, in my day to day norm I was failing to see God. 

While in New York, the last night a postulate at the friary, Augusto, shared a part of his testimony that struck me - and I later had a more in depth conversation with him about it as well - and this is where I encountered God, and where my faith needed renewed. 

In Augusto's testimony, he shared about how he used to work in construction, so it was really comfortable for him to go into people's houses and he was on a mission trip in Kentucky, and was struggling to see God on this trip. The man they were working with was named Jerry. Jerry was bed ridden, and not fully with it mentally - but he remembered this man's name. Later that night, during reflection - Jerry became Jesus. So what he did was while reflecting on the day Jerry's name was replaced with Jesus. Jesus called me by name. Jesus thanked me today. Jesus hugged me today. Jesus held my hand. And so it came to be that Jerry was Jesus on this trip - after he shared this part of his story I was greatly impacted - I am often impacted by other people's experiences. 

One of our projects on the trip was to help a lunch program they run. When Brother Michael introduced us to the program and explained it to us he told us they set it up restaurant style rather than buffet style because they want the people to feel like people - to show them their worth, their dignity. One day, one of the students was serving a table, as how it normally works, and as the people we were serving were leaving, one of the women at her table came up and thanked each of us, but she hugged the student who was at her table. This student shared how this encounter touched her heart - and in the moment I realized how Jesus' love was being exchanged in this relationship. The woman we were providing with food felt Christ's love through the student, in her service. But the student experienced Christ's love through the woman who hugged her. That woman was Christ hugging her.  

I started reflecting on these experiences and my own life - and thinking about where I was too comfortable. I came to the conclusion that I was too comfortable in my work - in serving people. At my job in the hospital I'm what you call a safety care associate, or a patient sitter. My job is to keep patient's calm, a lot of times I sit with fall risk patients, or suicide patients, and there are other patients as well. However, I sometimes do jobs outside of my requirements, like wiping them after going to the bathroom, or feeding someone lunch, or helping them take a shower, get dressed, get into bed, etc. I was getting too comfortable serving people. It was the norm for me to take care of people. And in the weeks leading up to the mission trip I found myself getting frustrated with patients at work when they were hard, or annoying for whatever reason - because they were hard, and asked more of me than I wished to do that day. 

Today I went back to work, and I looked for God in my day. One patient told me I had beautiful hair, and another told me I had beautiful eyes, and a third asked me if she could do my hair for me. And at the end of the day I realized that these patients were Jesus loving me, but I was also being Jesus to them by loving them and caring for them. It was actually an absolutely beautiful day and experience - so renewing and refreshing to see Christ in the day to day, mundane tasks of life. 

I chose the title for love of the poor - because I worked with the poor - but financial physical poverty isn't the only form of poverty - lack of love and patience and gentleness is a greater poverty, and my work is to care for patients - to care for people at their low. Praise the Lord for his goodness, for his call for us to love the poor! 

A Little Prayer Goes a Long Way

"A little prayer goes a long way" 


I'd say this is a phrase I've learned to ring true throughout my few years as a Christian, and Catholic. This July I'll be heading to NYC for a mission trip as an adult chaperon with around 15 youth. I am beyond excited for this experience. But the reason I post today is to share a prayer with you. While prepping for this mission trip we were concerned with not having enough students sign up, but with a little faith and a little prayer the Lord has provided abundantly. For the next 6 weeks, the adult team is going to pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart that I included below. We chose this prayer because Mother Teresa frequently used to pray this prayer - and she also worked with the poor and the ill. So following the model of this saintly woman we will be praying for our time of service with this prayer. And I simply wanted to encourage all to pray everyday, even just a little. It will go a long way if we just have a little faith. 


NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART

O Divine Jesus, who has said: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; behold us prostrate at Your feet. Animated with a lively faith and confidence in these promises, dictated by Your Sacred Heart and pronounced by Your adorable lips, we come to ask
(here mention the request.)

From whom shall we ask, O sweet Jesus, if not from You, whose Heart is an inexhaustible source of all graces and merits? Where shall we seek, if not in the Treasure which contains all the riches of your clemency and bounty? Where shall we knock, if it be not at the door of your Sacred Heart through which God Himself comes to us and through which we go to God? To You then, O Heart of Jesus, we have recourse.In You we find consolation when afflicted, protection when persecuted, strength when overwhelmed with trials, and light in doubt and darkness.

We firmly believe thatYou can bestow upon us the grace we implore, even though it should require a miracle. We confess we are most unworthy of Your favors, O Jesus, but this is not a reason for us to be discouraged. You are the God of Mercies and You will not refuse a contrite and humble heart.Cast upon us a look of pity, we beg of You and Your compassionate Heart will find in our miseries and weakness a
pressing motive for granting our petitions. But, O Sacred Heart, whatever may be Your decision with regard to our request, we will never cease to adore, love, praise, and serve You. Deign, Lord Jesus, to accept this, our act of perfect submission to the decrees of your adorable Heart, which we sincerely
desire may be fulfilled in and by us and all your creatures for ever and ever. Amen.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come!

(To be prayed every day of the novena)

Be Satisfied with Me

A friend gave this to me this morning and I wanted to share it with you all! 

BE SATISFIED WITH ME

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says,
"No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled and content
With being loved by Me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me,
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship
That I have planned for you.
You will never be united with another until you are united
With Me alone,
Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.

I want you to stop planning,
Stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing,
One that you cannot imagine.
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I Am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.
Don't be anxious.
Don't worry.

-Anonymous

Monday Memo on Tuesday...

"Love for the Cross has always been the distinctive sign of chosen souls." St. Padre Pio

Consecrated to the Father

"Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." Jn 17:17-19

In this Gospel reading Jesus is asking the Father to remain with us - with those of us who will be his followers here on this earth. He gives himself, he consecrates himself to the Father for our sake. He wants us to know truth. He wants us to know Love.

Jesus wants us to be one with the Holy Trinity. He consecrated himself to the Father, and in that he consecrates us to the Father as well. We must choose to consecrate ourselves - to give ourselves, our lives to the Father, and allow Jesus to work and move in our lives. When we give our lives to Christ, when we choose to be set apart because of our faith - we are then blessed to live in the glory of God's Love.

I was reflecting on this the other day, and was convicted to consecrate myself, once again to God, in my heart, in my quiet personal prayer, to proclaim Jesus as Lord of my life. I have done the Marian Consecration three or four times now, but for the first time since making that consecration - I felt convicted on my own accord, in my own timing to truly give myself to God. It was a really neat experience to simply be convicted to give my life to Christ again - so that I may be able to carry him into my daily tasks, in the work place, in the home, and wherever I may go.

Here's the little prayer I wrote during this time of prayer and reflection:

 Father, I consecrate myself to you. I give myself to you. Do with me what you will. I am yours. Make me a humble servant of your love. Amen.

I want to encourage you to continue to seek God each day, in some seek him so that he may flood your heart with his peace, fill it with his joy, and overflow with his love. In his time, he will convict you to give yourself entirely to him, but we must simply continue to seek him each day, and know that even in all our imperfections and flaws, he loves us still!

A Reflection on Communion

For the last four months I have been to attend mass daily, except for Saturdays (mainly because I was too lazy to get up...) and this has been such a beautiful blessing - to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord and Savior every day. I saw a transformation in myself, in my love, in my joy, and much needed healing. However, life has now picked up again, and last week I wasn't able to make it mass everyday. I actually went 4 full days without receiving the Eucharist. Come Sunday morning mass, I was so excited to receive Jesus. And upon receiving the Eucharist, I was so filled with joy. I could truly say my heart was exalting in the love of the Lord, in which I had been immersed. 

It is so important to receive the Lord as often as possible, which I knew. But now I have experienced the effects, and felt a difference in my heart - a true, deeper longing for Christ when not able to receive him. Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to seek Christ as much as you can in the Eucharist. Seek his love, his mercy, his kindness, gentleness, and healing power. He is the end all, be all, he is everything. Make him your everything. Allow yourself to fall so in love with the Lord, you cannot go a day without seeking him. 

Monday Memo: Mama T

"We may spend time in chapel- but have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus- not from books but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you? Ask for the grace; He is longing to give it. Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will never be able to hear Him saying "I thirst" in the hearts of the poor."
-Mother Teresa