Held last May 12, 2017 the 16th SFC UAE National Conference in Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Ras Al Khaimah was the very first national conference that I attended as an SFC. It was a great and amazing experience, it is also the first time that I was tapped to serve (as bus coordinator) and saying “Yes” is always a great opportunity to serve in the SFC community. It is worth to wake up early and travel for almost 250 kilometer from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah. I have learned a lot from the sessions and sharing during the conference, and all this I put in my heart and mind as my guide as I grow in my faith in God.
Our day started with the Holy Mass which set the tone for the conference theme "ALL OUT" with the Gospel taken from John 14:6 (“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.") and the priest' homily explaining that our lives should be guided by The Way, The Truth and The Life which means to say that we should live in unity, in love and for one another despite our individual uniqueness.
The conference started with a praise fest that amped our spirits into receiving the messages for the day's sessions.
“Be on guard, stand firm in the faith; be courageous and strong; your every act should be done in love.”
- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
The first session titled At All Times was given by Tito JQ Quimpang was about being on guard at all times. They are three things that we need to guard: first we have to guard our being. We are sons and daughters of God and we are made in His likeness. HE KNOWS US and invites us to have a deeper relationship with Him and with this Tito JQ sang "Take my hand, we'll walk a while, we'll talk a while, feel my love, always there beside you. Be the one, I know you'll tell me everything, You are the one I cherish more than anything". I have never heard this song as God's invitation for us before and I am amazed with my thoughts about the song changing from just thinking of it as a song for lovers into thinking of it as a song of invitation from God.
Tito JQ continued to discuss how we can guard ourselves?By doing the righteous things, by changing our life and ways of living by imitating Jesus. When I join the SFC, I cannot say that I am perfect but with the help of the community especially Chapter B1 of SFC Abu Dhabi, I can say that I am a work in progress. Before I used to drink daily and there are no weekends that I don’t drink but SFC changed my lifestyle. With the help of my household, I changed my habit in drinking. We have to protect our being by doing good things.We have to deepen our relationship with God by praying, reading scriptures, going to Church weekly and attend the mass. With the temptation that the word presents it will be a challenge yes but we must remember that redeption is offered to us everyday if we wholeheartedly repent and ask for forgiveness and as Tito JQ sang a few lines from a famous boyband song which goes "I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me" I realized even more so how God pursues us in every which way - we are just at times to blinded by our want for wordly things to see it.
Second, we have to guard our family, in everything we do we have to prioritized our family; we have to evangelize them by teaching what we learned from SFC. Encourage them always to go to church every Sunday. I admit that I don’t have a perfect picture of a family, my father passed away two years ago. We are not perfect but I love my family, I always guard them by supporting them financially and spiritually. In some ways we face struggles but we surely support each other to solve the problem. I guard my family by always communicating with them especially that we are a thousand miles away; I always guard my nephew and niece to be a good children, to respect their elders and to be God fearing, I teach them to pray always. Sometimes we face challenges in life but God is always with us, thru prayers I know my family is guarded.
And third, we have to guard our community, according to Lumen Fidel quoting St. Leo the great; “If faith is not one, it is not faith.” I am a pure catholic and I belong to a community who help me grow in my faith which is SFC. I am one of the single man who experienced Christ.
The second session: Keeping the Faith discussed by Bro. Joven Inosanto talked about the importance of ur faith and posed the question "How important is your faith to you?" Being faithful is to stand firm in the faith 24 hours a day, there is no limit, thus we have to put into heart the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice , Fortitude and Temperance which will build our characters and morals and help us in our decisions and actions as we go about our daily lives with our work, service and lifestyle bringing glory and leading us even more closer to God. We are blessed because being catholic we have The Eucharist, The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sacraments.
The third session: Into the Light by Tito Calvin Paquibot cautioned us not to dwell into the darkness of our sins, shortcomings, weakness and insecurities but to always come into the light of God's love. When we dwell into the darkness of our being we become accustomed to it and begin to find it comfortable that coming into the light becomes painful and blinding but if we are with God - the light is rewarding.
The fourth session: All Out by Bro. Jojerry Mercado invites us to go ALL OUT for Christ in our thoughts, speech and deed - allowing God's love to change us as we in turn witnesses for Him by expressing His love for us and sharing it to other people.
NATCON for me is a great experience as the whole SFC UAE worshiped together; we listened to all speakers as they teach different value to make us a better person, to hear the different stories and experiences from all the sharers that somehow helped us experience the same and there are even some moments that we cried because they touched our hearts.
There is joy as we dance together as the music ministry sings the new song for the natcon which is “All Out” and to participate in dancing while creative ministry taught us the step.
To witness the gathering of almost 1000 SFC member from all over the UAE is an experience that affirms how God has blessed us as a community that inspire us. WE are all united as one in glorifying our God. From the venue to the presence of each person is a blessing for we are able to celebrate God in a Catholic Church here in the Middle East.
And all this we do and can do because of Love. We became Singles For Christ because of love, we are here because of love and all the reasons of our change and transformation is because of love. Because God is love.
For all of this may God be praised!
Comments
Post a Comment