Lay Witness Talk

On the weekend of August 18/19, 2007 lay witnesses spoke during the homily of every Mass on how answering God’s call through stewardship of time and talent has changed  their lives.  Below are transcripts of their talks.

• 5:00 PM - Fran Patterson

• 8:30 AM - Jennifer Greenlee

• 10:00 AM - Elizabeth McCarthy

• 11:30 AM - Valentine Vijay

• 1:00 PM - Alberto y María Lara

• 6:00 PM - Leahlyn Reed

Fran Patterson

As I pondered what life changing words I could say this weekend that would move people to get more involved in parish life, this saying, my mantra if you will, kept coming to me – “Let go, Let God.”  I tend to fall back on these words in all areas of my life these days and with them I find a peace about the challenges that I face.

My husband, Gregg, and I have 4 children who will be in 3 different schools this year.  Gregg travels weekly, and I have my own photography business.  All four children participate in extra curricular activities (just one at a time usually) and we actively participate in many programs and organizations here at St. Francis.  I give you all of this information to let you know that while you may feel your time is limited, it is possible, and more importantly, necessary, to be a contributing member of our Parish. I say necessary because I see the difference it makes in my children when they see me volunteering my time here.  Don’t get me wrong, they grumble about coming to Faith Formation or Youth Group, but they know that it is not something I am just “dropping” them off at but rather participating in with them.  I see a growing compassion in them for helping others; I see them going out of their way to be kind to someone in need and developing a tolerance for all people. I see them learning how important it is not to judge others.  They learn some of this at home but it is reiterated from being with their church family – the people who take time out of their busy lives to be here and give freely of themselves.  I bet if we all take the time to stop saying “I can’t” and try to figure out a way to say “I will try” we will be able to do more.  It is amazing what can be done when your heart is willing to answer God’s call.  I am personally involved with several ministries and still feel like I should do more.  Not out of guilt, but out of desire.  When I read of a need in the bulletin and realize I have a gift or talent that could be utilized I want to share it.  Recently, it was announced that we would be starting a Faith Formation class for kids with Special Needs.  Being a former Special Education Teacher, I felt God’s call and decided to answer.  I will be teaching this class with several other people who have similar backgrounds and also answered the call.  I realized later though that if one of us who is trained in working with these wonderful kids had not come forward, that the church may not have been able to provide this program.

I know you have heard it all before, but there is something that each of us can and should do.  Initially, it may be because you feel a push, but if you come with an open mind, eventually you will realize that it was a call – a call from God that brought you. 

Next weekend many of our parish organizations will be represented in the Narthex with their volunteers.  Hopefully you will feel the first call to stop by and do some fact finding.  There is such a variety of organizations and programs that I am sure each of you can find some way to use your God given talents.  There are spots for weed pullers, RCIA sponsors, Nursery Workers and more. The time commitments are both large and small.  There is something to fit not only your talents but also your time.  The choices are many and in a growing parish of our size, the needs are endless.   

So, I guess my challenge for you is to adopt my mantra – “Let go, let God”.  In doing so you will discover gifts you never knew you had, time that you did not think you could spare, and readiness to share them both with all of us at St. Francis.

Jennifer Greenlee

Good Morning Everyone.

My name is Jennifer Greenlee and currently I coordinate the AIDS Supper Club here at St. Francis.  I started out as a volunteer cook and server with the supper club in December of 2004. But, my work with people with HIV and AIDS started much earlier in my life.

During the late 1980’s through mid 90’s I worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida.  At that time Florida was ranked number 3 in the US in cases of HIV and AIDS, falling just behind NY, and California.  My work brought me in contact with many different people living with this disease, gay, straight, single, married with children, teens, and retired people.  It taught me that this disease did not discriminate against anyone.  I saw people just like you and me.  But, once many of them got that diagnosis it changed them.  They had a secret that they couldn’t share with anyone for fear of being ostracized from their friends and even worse their families. And from where I stood I watched most of them fade away quickly from diseases that someone without HIV could have fought against.

By the time 1999 rolled around I had made a career change or so I thought.  I decided to work in the Allied Health Field and became a massage therapist.  It was shortly after graduation while I was waiting for my license to work that my good friend Marsha from massage school asked me if I would be interested in volunteering at a retreat for F.A.C.T.     F.A.C.T. which stands for: For AIDS Care Today is a non-profit group that provides assistance for people living with HIV and AIDS that are still able to live on their own. Once a year they host a weekend retreat for the clients and their families and caregivers. At the retreat they provide one on one counseling, group therapy, and non-traditional health care such as Chiropractors, Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Reiki Practitioners, and Massage Therapists all free of charge.  Marsha knew I had worked in the Health Care Field previously and figured I wouldn’t be afraid to work on these people.  Since I was able to work only as a volunteer until I got my license I said sure.

The experience I had that day was a great one.  I saw how people that had the support of friends and family did so much better than those with no one.  The evening of the first day all of the volunteers were invited to stay to have dinner with the people we had worked on.  While we were seated at our huge tables overlooking the beach waiting for dinner, we were all asked to share something about ourselves with the group.  When it was my friend Marsha’s turn, She started out by introducing herself  saying, “ My name is Marsha,” then she turned to me quietly and whispered, “I am sorry I didn’t tell you this sooner”, she turned back towards the group and finished by saying, “I have been HIV positive for 14 years.”  When she was done sharing her story, she turned back to me to see my reaction.  For once I wasn’t a medical assistant trained to not let it get personal.  This was my friend who was scared to death that once I found out about her status; I wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore. It was at that moment for me that HIV had a face and I finally realized what the patients that I had previously known were really going through, not just from the medical side from the personal side and it changed me.

So, now here we are at St. Francis.  I have been working as the AIDS Supper Club Coordinator for almost 2 years and in that time we have grown from 30 volunteers to over 120. In the beginning there were months that we barely had enough food for the 25 residents at The Ewing Center. Now on the first Sunday of every month we serve meals to no less than 60 people every month at Ewing Center , Revlon House, and on occasion Spencer Gardens. We as a group, are able to bring them not only food on our night, but grooming supplies and non-perishable items, which provides food for residents on the nights that there is no one bringing them dinner.  But most importantly we bring our friendship.  We are there for them as they share with us stories about their lives and families.  They talk to us about their struggles, their hopes for their futures their dreams. And sometimes we just sit with them as they say nothing at all.

So, when I was asked to speak as a lay witness other than sharing how I began working with people with HIV and AIDS, I had no idea what to say. I finally asked my friend Anna for advice and she asked me, “What do you get from serving in this Ministry?” And I was stunned because the thought had never even crossed my mind.  She said, “You couldn’t keep doing something like this if you didn’t get anything out of it.”  So after much thought and prayer… I still had nothing.

I finally had an epiphany one day on the way home from the gym of all places.

I realized that what I get from this Ministry is; I get to see God at work, in the mundane act of eating and being with friends and it is this act that gives me hope. Hope that there is still goodness in the world. And that there are still people out there who care about people that they may never know or meet. Don’t get me wrong, I know that people care in times of tragedy and disaster that has always been the case.  But, it’s in the quiet times that it can be at its most powerful. The people of St. Francis care enough that once a month they take the time to think of others when they are shopping for their own family meals. Many of my volunteers are on tight budgets but every month when the call comes they ask, “What do they need?” I have even had people who aren’t regular volunteers come up to me in the Narthex or walk into the kitchen and hand me money or food. Some have said to me, “ I can’t help as much as I want to, but will this help them? “

And it is amazing to see how everyone giving a little bit makes a huge difference in the lives of these residents.

That is why I do what I was called to do and even though this Ministry can be emotionally challenging and even heartbreaking at times, I only have to say the Prayer of St. Francis to remind me why I serve. For it is truly in giving that I receive the peace and hope that I never even realized I was looking for.

Thank you for listening.

Elizabeth McCarthy

Good Morning. I want to thank the ACTS committee and David Utsler for allowing me to represent the Community Life Commission by sharing my faith journey this morning. My name is Elizabeth McCarthy and I am currently serving as the President of the Ladies Auxiliary, an organization that was formed to support the activities of the Knights of Columbus and has grown into so much more than that.

It was with a mixture of fear and humility that I accepted the call for a speaker to represent our commission this morning and when I told my children that I was going to do this, at first they thought I was joking and then they both asked if I was going to talk about them. I answered that I was going to talk mostly about myself and they immediately went back to thinking I was joking.

So in need of some support, I emailed the Ladies Auxiliary list with the date and time for today and ask them to pray for me. Within a couple of days of sending that out my box was full of notes of support and words of encouragement. But that is the end of my story; to explain how I arrived at this point I must go back a little.

I’m not Catholic by birth, I came to it by choice, but the decision took some time. You see a number of years ago a nice Lutheran girl and a good Catholic boy met at Baylor Baptist University. Doesn’t the Lord work in mysterious ways? 

My parents have always been very active in the Lutheran church. My Dad served as a youth director, Sunday School teacher, and an elder. My mother would play the organ if the regular organist was out and she also acted as the financial secretary for our church for a number of years. The example they set was one of active participation in a faith community. I grew up attending church regularly and with a strong sense of spirituality in our home. And then I met this nice Catholic boy in college. He was cute too. Well, we dated all through college and then set a date to get married after we graduated. We were going to live in Garland and Sean was attending Good Shepherd there. I was a member at Zion Lutheran in Dallas. My family had been members there when I was a child and I even went to school there. In fact, my earliest memory of what I like to call a spiritual moment occurred there when I was a young child.

To me, I think of a spiritual moment as a time when you are for whatever reason, particularly open to Holy Spirit and you experience some learning or gain some knowledge of your Lord or your faith that you didn’t have before. Maybe it is just a moment when you feel particularly close to God. In our lives today, we are so busy and maybe we come to Mass every week, but are we really opening ourselves up to let the Holy Spirit move and guide us? It takes some vulnerability; it takes faith and trust. One Christmas Eve when I was a child, we were at the candlelight service and all during the sermon I had been staring at this beautiful Christmas tree that was to the right of the alter. The ornaments were all covered in rhinestones and sparkled in the soft light. You are probably thinking, oh yeah, little girls and jewels, no wonder they caught her eye! But one ornament in particular held my attention. It was a crown. There were several of them all over the tree… round, bright, glittering crowns. And I wanted one. I was developed this mental image of myself kneeling before the throne of God and having him place the crown on my head.  Of course, as I child, I connected the image to a reward, getting the crown. But even then, I knew it would not be given carelessly away. I would have to earn it. As an adult, I know that earning a crown is more about faith. I believe Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered and died and rose again after three days. That is the cornerstone of my conviction that some day I will be with Jesus in heaven. But I still use that image from childhood as a reminder to myself, would this action be worthy of a crown?

So knowing that I had a deep connection to Zion Lutheran, Sean agreed that we could be married there. However, we attended a Catholic pre-marital class together. In the class they asked us about how we were going to handle two different religions in our marriage and I found that while I had no problem agreeing to raise our children Catholic, I wasn’t ready to make the change myself.

That worked fine for a while. We would mostly go to Mass at Good Shepherd, and then go to Zion once or twice a year. We moved to Plano and Ian was born while we lived there and baptized at Prince if Peace, but by the time he was old enough for faith formation, we were living in Frisco.

A friend of mine who also attended Saint Francis was organizing a neighborhood group to teach their kids faith formation in weekly classes in our homes and she invited us to join. I was kind of nervous at first, but looking back I realize that agreeing to help became my first steps on my journey to becoming Catholic. I was helping to teach our children about the Catholic faith, and learning about it myself at the same time.

So again, this worked fine for a while. But then a number of things happened about the same time. I have a sister that is diabetic and because of that, I have always been involved with the JDRF walk. In the past, I worked on the steering committee to plan the Plano Walk. Part of that commitment was going to businesses and talking about Diabetes and encouraging them to participate in the walk. My speech centered around a time that my sister and I were on vacation together and as an experiment, I tested my blood whenever she did. Mine would always be within one or two points of normal and Holly’s varied up and down sometimes 50 to 100 points or more away from normal. In my speech, I talked about how being a diabetic is like walking a tightrope, and you are always trying to achieve balance, lean to far one way or another and a coma can follow, or even death.

Well, while talking so much about Holly’s struggle to stay in balance just to live, I realized that my spiritual life was out of balance. I was attending Mass with my family, but still going to Zion Lutheran once or twice a year to take communion.

I started to pray about the imbalance, but it took more than one event to make me see the path laid out before my eyes. During Lent, Ian’s faith formation group went to the church at 3rd and Elm to go through the Stations of the Cross for the kids. I had no idea what that was, so again, while trying to learn and teach, I agreed to read them to the children. For those of you who were brought up Catholic, I have to say that experiencing the Stations of the Cross for the first time as an adult can be an amazing road to connecting with your faith. I read about Jesus being condemned to die, about receiving the Cross and then falling for the first time. Then when we arrived at the fourth station were Jesus meets his mother. The version that I was reading wrote this section from Mary’s point of view. I read this as the mother of a young son, while looking at my own child who I love so much and experiencing Mary’s anguish over knowing she was losing hers. I found that I couldn’t finish it. I was crying and couldn’t read. That day, I had another spiritual moment, I found that the Stations of the Cross led me to experience Lent in a completely different way. It was suddenly personal and I had a deeper connection to my faith then ever before.

But there was still one thing missing, the final piece to make me ready to become Catholic – feeling like a part of the community. And right about that time, Sean was invited to join the Knights of Columbus. Not long after that, a group of wives of the Knights decided to form a Ladies Auxiliary and I was invited. I was exited but hesitant, because I wasn’t certain if I could be a part of the group since I wasn’t Catholic. However, I should have trusted that the Lord would lead me to the right place, because while you must be Catholic to become a Knight, the Ladies do not have that restriction and in fact I was made an officer our first year and served as Treasurer.

The end of the year for the Knights is in June, and at that time, the Ladies and the Knights have a dinner to install the officers for the next year and celebrate the successes of the past year. At the dinner, I remember listening to the Knights talk about the prior year and realizing that while they were a fairly new council, they were already accomplishing a good deal. They were volunteering in the community and serving the parish in large and small ways and growing their organization. I realized that night that these were good people who were doing good things and they were excited about their future and the future of the Parish. And I wanted to be a part of that. For the first time, I wanted to be Catholic.

I need to pause for a moment and tell you how fortunate I am to have Sean for a husband. You see it took me more than ten years to get to the point where I was ready to convert. And all that time, Sean was strong and steadfast in his own faith, yet never once tried to push me or convince me to convert. If he had tried to pressure me into converting I would have resisted. I am proud of my Lutheran background. I grew up with ministers that could speak Greek and read Hebrew, they valued learning and taught me to value that too. Perhaps that is why I like Father Timothy so much, he is a teacher and a shepherd.

Although my heart was willing to accept the Catholic faith, in my mind I still had to reconcile myself to the differences between Catholic and Lutheran traditions. The core is the same, belief in Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection is no different. But there are differences. So in RCIA, I’m afraid I was a rather difficult student. I questioned everything from why the Catholic bible has more books in it than the protestant bible to  understanding the concept of praying through the saints. I had to find out why that didn’t conflict with the first commandment, Thou shall have no other Gods before me. I think my questions frustrated one of the teachers so much that he said to me in exasperation, “Why are you giving up your Lutheran faith, if it means so much to you?” And in that moment of being pushed, when I could have quit at that point, I found the answer that reconciled head and heart. You see the answer is that in becoming Catholic, I wasn’t giving anything up. I can’t let go of my background; it’s part of who I am. The decision to convert wasn’t rejecting my past or my family, it’s simply embracing a new tradition. It was the action I felt necessary to fully be a part of the spiritual life of my husband, children and to be an active participant of this parish. The RCIA process reconciled past and present within myself so that I could move forward. 

I can’t tell you how much of a difference I felt in myself in regards to my place in the parish after RCIA. There were little understandings like knowing the meaning of the blessings before the gospel and larger insights like a new understanding of the Eucharist and how participating in that sacrament with an open heart and a belief in the body and blood of our Lord present in the sacrament can bring an appreciation of the sacrifice made for us. How precious we must be in God’s eyes to deserve that.

I also learned there were many methods of communicating with God. Instead of email, voice mail or regular mail, there are different forms of prayer. There is the “I really need something” prayer. It usually starts with Oh God and involves some sort of trade. Oh God, if you will just help me through this meeting…test…speech, then I will never have Starbucks again. But of course, I’ve never prayed that, especially not even ten minutes ago. I would offer something other than Starbucks.

 In all seriousness, prayer can be like a casual conversation. I have a huge fear of storms, it comes from having a front row seat to an F5 tornado when I was a child. I find that I talk to God a lot during bad weather. Lord, there’s a warning not too far away and I’m scared. It’s comforting to be able to admit a weakness to God and lay it in his hands.

In the Catholic church, there are also many formal prayers like the Our Father and the Hail Mary, which I discovered wasn’t just a last ditch effort to win a football game. In fact it was the first few words of that prayer that helped me overcome my inner conflict with the concept of praying through the saints. Hail Mary, Mother of God, the Lord is with the, Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the fruit if thy womb, Jesus. Those words are recognizing her place as the mother of God and what a truly exalted position that is. And the rest of the prayer isn’t asking her to do anything but intercede on our behalf. We are not asking Mary take action in our lives. It is because of her position as the mother of Jesus that we ask her to help us to come closer to God.

I’ve shared with you the spiritual enrichment I have experienced. I’ve also developed some special relationships with the people around me. When I decided to go through RCIA, Angela Hernandez, a fellow member of the Ladies Auxiliary, stepped up immediately and agreed to be my sponsor. I wasn’t the first candidate she sponsored, nor was I the last. The friends I have made through participating in the Ladies Auxiliary are not just acquaintances that I see once a month at the meetings. We hang out together all the time. More than that, we support each other; help each other through the daily tasks of life.  We baby-sit for each other, pack for moves, cook when there is a need, and offer support in whatever way we can. In June, my father had triple by-pass surgery in Tyler. A couple of days after the surgery, my Dad experienced some serious complications. I was back home and at work, and my sister called me terrified because the doctors weren’t offering her or my mother any explanation or assurances. I was able to call my friend Pam Frye, who is a cardiac nurse and a fellow member of the Ladies Auxiliary. She was able to offer me several explanations about the complications and I was able to immediately call my sister and mother and offer them the reassurance that Pam had given me. I have also made new friends during the last two years, when I served as the Ladies representative for the Community Life Commission. Going to those meetings allowed me to meet people from several other Parish organizations and I was able to listen to reports first hand of what they were doing and see how we may have many different organizations with in the Parish, but the Commission structure unites us and keeps our focus on goals of the Parish, not just the goals of individual organization.

I volunteered to speak today, not to hold myself apart and say look what I’ve done but to illustrate that anyone can do it. It’s a universal truth these days; we are all busy. I work full time, my husband travels and both my kids are active in sports and school. Recently, one of the Ladies was telling me that she would like to participate more, but because she had several young children, it was difficult to find time away from home. I told her that it is my belief that there are always going to be times in your life when you have more time to share outside the home than others. It is important to start somewhere though, and to show your children through the things that you participate in what is important to you. I told Nicole that she came to almost every meeting, and that was a great start, because we benefit from her ideas and opinions and that she should just be open to opportunities to help when she could. At the very next meeting, during the Community Life Commission Report, it was discussed that all Parish organizations had been asked to donate snacks for late night munchies at Monte Carlo. Nicole volunteered to contact the Monte Carlo representative and communicate to the group about the details of how we could help out. She found a way to help that fit what she could give.

The Ladies Auxiliary was organized to provide support for the Knights, and while that is still our primary focus, we have grown into much more than that. We are graciously allowed to use our current building for our primary fundraiser, an annual bazaar and tree auction. The funds we collect from that and from other fundraisers are put into action supporting the parish and the Frisco Community. We support the Youth’s mission trip to Mexico each year, Father’s outreach activities, the Mexican dinner, RCIA, the white rose center, the boy scouts, Frisco family services and many other parish and community organizations. This year we are establishing a scholarship fund for Catholic girls and we recently started setting aside funds for a spiritual element for the new church. We volunteer with the Knights on their outreach projects and we help them with the annual Breakfast with Saint Nicholas and the Easter Egg hunt. We come together socially as couples and as just the Ladies. We pray together and throughout the year, participate in corporate communion with the Knights. We are mothers, grandmothers, working women and homemakers. Our organization is open to wives, daughters, sisters and mothers and widows of Knights of Columbus members.

I know that seems like a specialized membership and it is. If you fit the requirements, we would love to have you join. But I could have given similar accounts of the activities of the Women of St Francis or other parish organizations and I know they are just as welcoming.

Let me offer another thought about volunteering, it comes from an organization that raises money for women’s scholarships. “The benefit you derive will be reflex, as you give, so shall you receive.”  When I was volunteering through my office, I got a good feeling from it. You know you are working for betterment of people around you. But when I volunteer at the church, not only do I get that good feeling, I also get the benefit of knowing that without saying a single word, I am witnessing. I am showing others that through my actions that I am doing these things because my belief in God leads me to act this way.  That’s the heart of the ACTS message. We are all called to share. Father’s message last week talked about how as Christians, we should live differently and be the example for others to follow. What better way to show him that we were listening than by a huge response next week? There will be representatives from each Commission and many individual organizations, and I challenge you to look at them not as trying to take your time away, but from the perspective of how you can help them. Ask yourself what you can do to make this parish better. Spend this week in prayer, asking for guidance. Maybe you have a passion for helping those less fortunate than you. Try the brown bag Sunday group or the aids supper club. Maybe you only have certain times of the year when you can help. Volunteer for Monte Carlo night or the Angel tree. There are over 90 parish organizations. Some are mostly social; some are strictly outreach. Some, like the Women of Saint Francis or the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies Auxiliary are a combination of social, spiritual and outreach. Maybe it’s all you can do to get to Mass every week. We always need ushers, Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. What better way to commit yourself to keep coming to Mass every week – volunteer to be a part of it! The point is that there is something for everyone and we need each and every one of you to share yourself with the rest of us, because we will all grow and be stronger for it.

No matter what group you end up with, you can build relationships and do good works and grow together spiritually and still feel connected to the parish as a whole through the commission structure.

There are two things I want to share with you in closing, the first is a line from a hymn that I sung as a child and still sing today. Next week when the call goes out for you to share your time and talent, step forward and answer with, “Here I am lord, send me, send me.”

And finally, my friend Valerie shared a prayer with the Ladies Auxiliary at our last meeting, and it fits perfectly with what I have been trying to share about myself and how we can approach the opportunity to share with others. It’s the Prayer of Saint Ignatius Loyola.

Teach us good Lord

To Serve as thou deservest;

To give and not count the cost;

To fight and not heed the wounds;

To Labor and not ask for any reward,

Save that of knowing that we do thy will.

Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen

Valentine Vijay

Good Morning!

To whom more is given, more is expected.

For a brief introduction of myself - my name is Valentine Vijay.  I was born and brought up in southern India. 

I am a cradle catholic, and the reason this is worth mentioning is because my father is a non-Christian and my mother is a Catholic.  According to the culture and tradition prevailing in India at that time, the children had to follow the father’s religion.  My mother being a strong catholic was able to convince my father to bring me up as a Catholic.  She did have to face a lot of issues with her in-laws, but she was very persistent about it.  That is one of the biggest and most important decisions she could have ever made for me.  That was the first conversion that took place in my life.  I also have a younger brother who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. 

School and college years went by smoothly in a catholic school and a catholic college.  In my 20’s (seems like eons back!) there were some hurdles to cross, and again it was my mother’s persistence on religion that helped me cross them.  I had an arranged marriage – and again, Catholicism was a very important factor in choosing a bride for me.  That was the second biggest and important decision my mother made for me.

My wife Lorraine Christopher – she was born and brought up in southern India as well – was the best thing that could happen to me.  Her priorities in life are husband, daughter and self.  She being a devout catholic herself, we could easily make Jesus Christ as the head of our family.  She likes to stay at home and thereby concentrate on our daughter.  The last 7 years of my life with her has helped shape my life, my mind, way of thinking, acting – for that matter everything about me – in a positive way. 

My daughter, Vanessa Christopher, now 4.5 years old, is the jewel of our crown. She is a beautiful, smart and talented young girl.

We have our 2nd baby on the way – either a Christmas or a new year gift.

Conversion does not only have to be from a non-Christian to a Christian or from a protestant to a catholic.  You can be a catholic and still undergo conversion.  A small difference of opinion between my wife and myself, a request for help from a friend, an opportunity to help a homeless person while waiting for a green light, an opportunity to attend mass, visit the blessed sacrament – all these are incidents I face regularly.  And by tuning my will to that of the one above, and making right decisions, I undergo conversion.

A major conversion occurred when I, along with my family, attended a one-week retreat in Kerala, southern India.  It was a Divine Mercy retreat center.  I heard about the Divine Mercy chaplet, the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When I look at my check list of things to get, buy, own, acquire, have – I have almost all checked.  I have a good job that pays well, we own a beautiful home (of course, I still have to pay the mortgage), we are saving for our children’s education, and planning for retirement.  I can safely say that we very happy and things are going very smoothly for us.

What next? I have just reached the midpoint in my life span.  What can I get, buy, own, acquire, have for the next 33 years to come?  Or do I have to get, buy, own, acquire have anymore?  Is life stagnant from here on?  Or maybe it is payback time?

To whom more is given, more is expected.

It is one thing when my wife, friends and family tell me something, and it is a totally different ball game when Jesus tells me something through the bible.  There is a small parable in the bible, which I would like to repeat here.  (Mat 25: 14-30)

Once there was a man who was about to go on a journey; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property.  He gave to each one according to his ability; to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand.  Then he left on his journey.  The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand.  In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand.  But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.  The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand.  ‘You gave me five thousand coins, sir,’  he said.  ‘Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned.’  ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master.  ‘You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts.  Come on in and share my happiness!’ The servant who received two thousand gold coins did the same.

Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not sow, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed.  I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground.  Look! Here is what belongs to you.’

‘You bad and lazy servant!’ his master said, ‘You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not sow, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned.  Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.  For to every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.  As for this useless servant – throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and grind his teeth.

When I look back at my past 33 years, all I see is blessings, miracles, conversions, hurdles to make me stronger in faith etc., Surely God has given me more!  Which means, more is expected from me.

I am in a foreign country.  The main aim of coming to this country is to earn money and take it back to my home country.  But wait, do I know if I will be going back to my home country?  Will I be living to see how I spend my money in my country?  For that matter, I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me.  I don’t want to be like the servant who hid the one thousand gold coins in the ground.  I would like to be like the servant how made use of the gold coins that were given to him. 

I want to manage or ‘steward’ what God has given me, what God owns and for God’s sake. 

Where do I start? Something for sure was missing in me.  All the conditions for a good steward were developing in me.  But, for some reason nothing was happening.

Before moving to Frisco, I belonged to another parish, which was also a stewardship parish.  But other than the weekly envelopes, I did not do anything.  Being in a foreign country, I do not have the courage to come forward and be a steward among the locals.  That was a big block for me.

Then we bought a home in Frisco and joined St. Francis of Assisi.  It was Lenten season.  My family was in India and I was alone.  It was the first Friday of lent and I did not know anyone in this parish.  I attended the way of the cross.  After that I rushed to stand first in the line for the meager meal.  As usual I was sitting by myself in the corner of the room enjoying my meal.  A lady walked up to me and invited me to join her at her table.  I was shy at first, but then accepted the invitation.  To my shock, there were 5 to 6 other people at that table.  Man, now I have to introduce my self to everyone and then remember their names also! 

For some reason, my name is very easy to remember for others!

We started talking. Then, for some reason, I expressed my liking to be a lector.  Wham! I became a lector and a mass commentator.  The lady who invited me was the lector coordinator.  Then I said, it must be great to be an EM.  Wham! I became an EM and a crucifer.  The EM coordinator was at that table.  I then remembered what my wife tells my daughter – do not talk while eating.  When I went home that night, I knew I was in trouble, but what I did not know was that the seed of stewardship was sowed in my heart that night.  I figured out that, that was what was missing in me – someone had to sow the seed of stewardship in me.  The actions and witnesses of the parishioners that evening filled in the gap for me.

I still remember all the details from that Friday.  It brought about another big conversion in me – this time it was an “outward conversion” – the want to give to others for the sake of our Lord.  I started looking forward for every Sunday – to either be a lector or an EM.  It gave me immense joy to know that I am finally using my time, talents and treasure for God, for the church, for the community.  Then the capital campaign started.  For a person whose main aim in life is to save money for the unknown future, it was difficult to open up and commit any amount.  Fr. Timothy’s reception brought about another conversion in me. I committed myself to help in the campaign.

If listening to the word of God is a great thing, imagine how great it must be to proclaim that word of God as a lector.  If receiving the precious body and blood of Christ is the ultimate grace we can receive, imagine how much joy it is to administer it as an EM.  I want to tell my daughter when she grows up that, I paid for that wall – no wait, well, maybe not the whole wall, but a few bricks that was used to build the new church and that I was part of the group that made it possible.  All other material acquisitions started becoming secondary for me. 

When you become a lector, you need to come at least 15 min before mass starts.  Previously, I used to come just when father gives the initial blessing.  Now, I have 15 min to prepare myself for mass.  During our liturgy re-commissioning meeting I understood the various parts of the mass much better and can now part-take meaningfully in the mass.  Before I knew it, I could see changes in my life.  I have taken my religion more seriously.  You will not believe where all I can be a steward of Christ – at work, helping others understand certain things, at home – my daughter was more than happy to donate all her 4th birthday gifts to charity, and for that matter even when driving on the road.  I have begun to use God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given objectives. 

Stewardship begins and ends with the understanding of God’s ownership of all:  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

St. Francis has 5 commissions comprising of around 80 ministries.  I am a lector, an EM and a Knight of Columbus.  There is something for everyone, any age, male or female at St. Francis.  With the blessing of our dearest shepherd, Fr. Timothy, St. Francis now has an ACTS committee – All Called To Share.  It is a fresh implementation of our parish vision of stewardship of time, talent and treasure.  I am on the ACTS team as well – representing the liturgy commission.

Next Sunday is ACTS Sunday.  You will be able to get more information about all our ministries, and the opportunity to sign up for those that allow you to use your time, talent and treasure for God.  I am sure there are many of you here today, who are all set to be good stewards of God.  But, there is still a small gap that needs to be filled.  By way of my witness today, I am called to sow that seed stewardship in your hearts.  Allow it to grow and be fruitful.

Stewardship has changed my life forever.  Allow it to change yours as well, if it has not already.

Thank you and God bless you.

Alberto y María Lara

Buenas tardes a todos:

Alberto: Nosotros somos Alberto y María Lara. Tenemos 6 años asistiendo a esta iglesia y 2 como miembros activos de esta parroquia.

María: Hoy estamos aquí para dar testimonio de las cosas tan maravillosas que a hecho Dios nuestro Señor en nuestras vidas. Durante muchos años vivimos una vida de mucho sufrimiento. De niña me tocó vivir una vida donde la violencia doméstica era algo casi de todos los días, cuando conocí a mi esposo creí que había encontrado en él la felicidad finalmente, pero al poco tiempo los problemas llegaron y el sufrimiento llegaba nuevamente pero esta vez a mi vida conyugal.

Mi esposo tenía problemas con el alcohol, y como el alcoholismo es una enfermedad progresiva, los problemas eran cada vez más fuertes entre nosotros y así vivimos muchos años, hasta que los problemas eran ya insoportables. Mi esposo comenzaba a abandonarnos poco a poco, me destrozaba el corazón, ver llorar a mi hija la menor colgándose de sus ropas suplicándole que no se fuera, que se quedara con nosotros. Pero parecía que a él  no le importaba el sufrimiento de nuestra hija y otras veces encontré a mi hija la medianita encerrada en el closet abrazando su camisa y cuando se iba a dormir se llevaba la camisa para dormir abrazándola y de esa manera en su inocencia imaginaba que estaba ahí, en cambio mi hija la mayor me preocupaba mucho porque en ella se empezaba a desarrollar un temor en contra de él, era algo que se me comenzaba a salir de las manos, pero Dios con su infinito amor tuvo compasión de nosotros y todo eso cambió, pues el tenía preparado algo mejor para nosotros, algo que convertiría aquel sufrimiento en agradecimiento hacia él.

Alberto: Después de haber vivido una infancia muy difícil en la que el amor de mis padres y sus esfuerzos dentro de sus capacidades, no fueron suficientes para impedir que alrededor de los 12 o 13 años de edad yo comenzara a hundirme lentamente en el alcohol y otras serias adicciones, las cuales de manera natural, después me traerían serias consecuencias en mi vida conyugal.

La violencia doméstica, física y verbal. La desatención total a mi familia. Todo esto como resultado de mis adicciones, casi me lleva a perder lo más sagrado que Dios me dio, después de mis padres; a mi esposa y mis hijas. Un día, después de ya varios días de vagar por las calles sin carro, sin dinero, con mi ropa sucia y con mucha hambre y sed. Le pedí a Dios con todo mi corazón que si no podía cambiar, que por favor me recogiera.

Dios escucho mis súplicas, días después me dio la fuerza de voluntad suficiente para ingresar en una clínica de rehabilitación. Gracias a Dios el 28 de Agosto cumplo 4 años de haber comenzado una nueva vida. De esos 4 años los 2 primeros fueron años tibios, mejor dicho casi vacíos.

Hasta que gracias al padre Antonio, por medio de él, conocimos al matrimonio del Sr. Carlos y Alciony Gonzalez. Ellos nos invitaron a ir al fin de semana de Encuentro Matrimonial, el cual nos ayudó muchísimo como pareja, de ellos aprendimos a trabajar muy duro, con mucho amor y respeto hacia las cosas de Dios Nuestro Señor.

El año pasado mi esposa fue catequista, yo serví como ujier y nuestras 3 hijas entraron al coro, las 2 mayores hoy sirven como ujieres, cuando el coro descansa, y nos llena de alegría ver como nuestro hijo de tan sólo 4 años de edad hace sus oraciones antes de irse a dormir y todos con mucha alegría esperamos la llegada de nuestro próximo bebé.

Mi esposa y yo servimos como ministros de eucaristía y somos coordinadores de M.F.C.C. de FRISCO. Trabajando de esta manera le hemos abierto las puertas de nuestro corazón y de nuestra familia a Cristo Jesús y por medio de él a Dios nuestro Señor. Él nos ha enseñado que somos seres humanos con más defectos que virtudes y cuando cometemos un error si en nosotros está  corregirlo con mucho gusto lo hacemos y si no de ese error aprendemos, para no volverlo a cometer.

Dios está aquí, ábranle la puerta de su corazón con amor, sinceridad y humildad y él se encargará de hacer maravillas en sus vidas, como lo ha hecho con nosotros.

Amemos a Cristo con Trabajo y Servicio.

Gracias, que Dios los bendiga.

***

Del Director, Señor David Rodríguez:

Hermanos, todos estamos aquí porque Dios nos ha creado y nos ama. Nos ama tanto que todo lo que yo tengo, es porque Dios me lo ha dado. Mi salud, mi trabajo, mis niños y esposa, mi ropa, comida, y dinero, hasta la capacidad de hablar, de respirar – todo viene de Dios. Tengo que estar convencido de tal verdad si voy a vivir una vida de fe. Dios nos ama tanto que su único Hijo se hizo hombre y murió por nosotros para salvarnos y abrir las puertas del cielo. Hermanos, esto sí es el amor verdadero. Y el amor siempre pide una respuesta un retorno: que sea recibido y sea regresado como amor.

Dios esta llamando a cada uno de ustedes a Amar a Cristo con Trabajo y Servicio. Por eso, llamamos este fin de semana “ACToS”. No conozco a cada persona individualmente, por eso no se a cual ministerio Dios lo esta llamando, pero si le puedo jurar con 100% certeza, que Dios lo esta llamando a usted. A cada uno de nosotros a involucrarnos en la Iglesia. Pues hay muchos ministerios o formas de servicio, dependiendo de sus talentos, dones, y disposiciones.

Por ejemplo, los Guadalupanos se juntan para rezar el rosario en los hogares, tener Misa de unción de enfermos, hacen la comida mensual que vamos a tener hoy, danzan para la Virgen, y dirigen la celebración del 12 de diciembre. Otros grupos, como GMMD y Salsa Social, se encargan de promover nuestra cultura y música y unir a toda nuestra comunidad de habla inglesa y habla en español. Los grupos que hemos mencionado como Movimiento Familiar Cristiano y el Encuentro Matrimonial se enfocan en la renovación de la familia y el matrimonio dentro del amor de Cristo. Hay Formación de Fe para los niños, los jóvenes, y los adultos – todos debemos de crecer en nuestro conocimiento de la bellísima fe Católica. Necesitamos voluntarios que organicen y promuevan las grandes celebraciones de la fe, pro ejemplo las posadas, la navidad, el vía crucis, la pascua, procesiones, obras, y fiestas que celebran la fe, las devociones y los santos (así como se hace en muchos de nuestros países). Se ofrecen clases gratis para aprender inglés y queremos apoyar a todos los que se encuentran en alguna necesidad – pero necesitamos los recursos y voluntarios para lograrlo. Siempre necesitamos adultos que cuiden a los niños en la guardería para que los padres puedan asistir a los talleres y reuniones. Y naturalmente, hay muchos ministerios que se dedican a la celebración de los sacramentos, por ejemplo preparación para el Bautismo o el Matrimonio, y muchos grupos que colaboran en la Misa, por ejemplo lectores, monaguillos, ministros extraordinarios de comunión, el coro, y los ujieres. No hemos podido mencionar todo lo que la Iglesia hace y los ministerios en inglés (que son más de 80), pero ojalá cada uno se de cuenta que hay mucho trabajo y necesitamos que todos colaboren.

Como el Señor dijo: “La cosecha es abundante, pero los obreros son pocos.” Queremos transformar nuestra comunidad y nuestro mundo, que todos reconozcan que Dios es Señor de la Vida y Rey de Reyes. Dios mismo nos va a dar la gracia para lograr tal meta, pero sí es esencial la participación activa de todos nosotros, de cada uno de nosotros. Pues, él nos ha dado todo y nos ama infinitamente, ¿cómo no vamos a Amar a Cristo con Trabajo y Servicio?

Lea Lynn Reed