VESSEL OF YOUR LOVE
A Prayer of Consecration
Love within, oh Love Divine,
Lead me where You will
I am Yours completely
Use me as You please.
My only desire is to be ONE with You
I entrust to You my whole being -
Every single thought that passes through my head
Every word that comes from my mouth
Every action that I do
Every feeling that I feel
Every single cell of my body
Every last drop of my blood…
These I offer up to You.
May they only and always be
According toYour Will
And may everything that I do
Be done with love for You.
I love you Lord, from the very depths of my being!
I asked dear Sr. F how should a lay person who is desirous of paralleling the vows of a religious go about it. And she gave a very insightful response. She said that as a lay person, one could live out the essence of poverty, chastity and obedience in the following way: POVERTY - Using the resources He gave us FOR His purposes, and in the way that HE wantsCHASTITY -
Practicing the fullness of lovingOBEDIENCE -
Constant discernment of His will. Unlike the religious, whose obedience is through their superior, for a lay person, obedience is directly to God. However, this requires the faithful practice of discernment and daily examen.Wow! What she said gives us so much to reflect and pray over. Call me weird, but I find this very exciting! It implies striving for generosity, openness, commitment, all of which are definitely easier said than done. But it also promises a richer, more loving and more meaningful life.
Last December 12 was the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was also a special day for the little parish called Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, located way out in the beautiful mountains of Bukidnon, in a simple place called Cabanglasan. Here is our prayer for them:
Nuestra Senora, We pray that you continue to extend your watchful care Over everyone living in this community in CabanglasanAs well as over the different neighboring tribal communities of lumads.
May they be blessed with plentiful food and good health care
Access to learning opportunities as well as continued growth in Christian values
And may respect for their culture and heritage always be preserved.
May the Lord's light continue to shine also on the "shepherds" of the place
Keep the fire of their dedication to their mission burning in their hearts
So that they may continue to lead everyone to even greater love for you and your Son.
Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe,
We honor you and we thank you for your watchful care over this place.
Happy Feast Day!
This image was used more than once in the support sessions for unwed mothers in a shelter home, where together with the song written by Rolando Tinio, "Buksan ang Aming Puso", the girls one by one shared with each other their story of their painful past and current difficult situation.
A genuine Sacred Presence was often felt during the sessions. The image of their heart being opened, the rawness of the wounds being laid bare and touched, healing coming in the form of glimpses into their inner goodness, in skills for self-care, in sparks of acceptance and forgiveness of self, in stirrings of desire and resolve to make positive changes in their life... a prayer comes to mind:
"Lord, lead us to see through the many layers within our heart
That we may discover Your Sacred Presence at its very core;
Your heart in ours, filling up the hole once occupied by raw and painful wounds
Our heart in Yours, resting securely on reassurances of Your steadfast love;
Your heart bleeding from its own raw and painful wounds, which You entrust to us
To give us the courage to face our own shame, anger, hurt, helplessness, confusion
And finally to hold us and keep us together in the palm of Your hand forever."
Last Wednesday we closed the series of sessions, and by Christmas, most of the girls in this group would already have had to move on and out of the home.
Please pray for them - that they will continue to hold the image and the song below within their heart and continue to know how intertwined His heart is with their own. May that give them strength as they face the outside world again and carve out a new beginning for themselves.
BUKSAN ANG AMING PUSO
Buksan ang aming puso
Turuan Mong mag-alab
Sa bawat pagkukuro
Lahat ay makayakap
Buksan ang aming isip
Sikatan ng liwanag
Nang kusang matangkilik
Tungkuling mabanaag
Buksan ang aming palad
Sarili'y maialay
Tulungan Mong ihanap
Kami ng bagong malay.
Those of us who are "older" in years will readily recognize how apt this photo is for the Advent season...
May it speak to us in our quiet moments as Christmas approaches...
(photo by f.chow)
