Sunday, March 28, 2010

hi guys, i hope you all have peacefully settled back into your families.

first, retreat was awesome. the Trinity had once again filled my cup to the brim!
i must admit, i really miss retreat now. why? lets me, my mum didnt actually allow me to go and she didnt really actually not allow me to go. so you know its like yes and no and when you say you are going she will say, did i permit you? well, i went in the end and i didnt regret it. i think, the experience i received will be dear to me.

second, the highlight is; this is my first ever retreat in sfx with all the youth communities. it was an eye-opener and it also aided me as part of my vocation discernment. i feel that though we are call to different communities, we are all many part that contributed into one body! remember father bosco activity? not only we take in the pain, we also became one! we worked with each other to ease the pain on ourselves and to help our neighbor. i was the 3rd to enter the room and slowly the load increased. being at the bottom, it was the foundation and the amount of hardship i had to bare. i was in pain then. but there was ease. i related to the sufferings of Jesus. He was tortured, made to carry a heavy cross, abused when on the way to death, despised, rejected and then nailed to the cross. finally, hung under the scorching sun for 3 hours! the pain that i received pales so much in comparison to His. that gave me the energy to call on that cross. it also made me reflect on the cross i shoulder in life and the struggles in my vocation discernment. but, i was really glad that i had Simeon and Soo beside me. it made me realized that even in our struggles, even our familiars are going though struggles too.

third, my journey with zhane. i think, this is really awesome also. why? because i have never ever did spoke to anyone who is learning about the catholic faith! and throughout the days, i seems very sweet to see things from a new life and then making a final judgment for myself and to help others around. it was all good.

forth, the '94 babies. i have never ever mixed with ppl more than 14 months my junior. i dont know why but i usually clicked better with older people. but, within my community; LOG, i think we are united. that night, alex, greg, maryanne, andrew, nigel and me prayed for His grace to bring back a friend safely. that worry, that care, that love comes from who? God's powerful impact on us and our community. this reminds me of last week, i was away and missed Sim's session. he went like, KENNETH! WHERE WERE YOU? ): YOU MISSED MY SESSION! those 8 words were like WOW. it just makes me really feel that everyone is being loved and cherish in a specially unspoken way. journeying with LOG and the other youths since 2nd Sunday of advent and now entering holy week, i realized that that birth into sfx and log is significant in my life and others. coming good friday, it reminds me of my dying to myself and rising again into new life to be an instrument of God!

fifth, my group. bessie, nick, von, claudia, celestine.
it is funny that i only know 2 people! but as sharing went on, slowly i see things a larger perspective. bessie besides her tiredness held the group together. nick returned to God. von made me relate that i am not alone in many aspect of my life.
claudia cheerfulness infected me now, i have broke down the wall to be more cheerful.
celestine made me realized that in God's time, He makes all things beautiful. its a pity that the retreat was short and we didnt have much time to spent as a group. but i think from the short time we spent, it magnified me.

sixth, terence and james. i think that night, if i didnt reconcile with God, i will be a total nut. i kind of expected the ministering to be people praying for you and i concluded that it will be something else that i am quite sensitive to. but, when the thing started proper, i went for confession and i place my trust in God, i decided to be prayer for and i desired to be God's instrument. the words that flowed though terence and james resides deep within me. it seems to have found his home. it made me remember this pslam. 'like the deer that yearns; for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you my God'. after which, i went straight to the San Damiano Cross. that Cross holds a special meaning to me because was Francis of Assisi was before the Cross, he ask the Lord, ' Lord, what do you want me to do? ' like wise, i did the same thing. i am aspiring to be a franciscan friar and drawn my the Lord and the life of francis. this us my 3rd years journeying though and i have a long way more. this holy week will be one where i will be with the friar. i think God planned it all perfectly. this week, i am with the parish youth and next with the friars on my vocation journey. it all fits in nicely. though my heart desire to be you guys at sfx but, i know God want me to strike a balance in both my community life, vocation discernment life and schooling life. and i think, he picked the holy week to be the theme of my journey of discernment this year.

there is so much more to say but, i will leave it for next week.
till then, see you all.

have a great start as your embark on holy week.
posted by Kenneth Emmanuel on 10:35 PM

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