The feast of the Nativity of Our Lady; A Special day for me!

                   I was simply going to wish you Happy Feast, but the Holy Spirit's been convicting me much this morning to share a bit more with you... 

   You see 8 years , on Sep 2, 2006, before the Blessed Sacrament at St Anthony Adoration Chapel in Calgary, I was asked to step up my vows of Chastity. Say what? I thought to myself. See when you're single (not legal status), but I mean perfectly single and our Lord bestows such call on you; you all cool with that. BUT! When you in a relationship, that just doesn't fly. So what you going to do? Act deaf and do you? 

or Surrender and do Him?  Long story short, I went from 'my imagination is playing tricks on me' mindset to how on earth will I tell my beau about this?  Yep, today it is clear that the path I was on was an illusion, a carbon copy of the path that He, my Lord, has set for me that I am yet to discover. So to make a long story short, our Lady convicted me first that night through a series of events.  I did not sleep much. Then the heavenly court prepared the way for the conversation, which eventually occured.

    It seemed alright at first, then the spiritual battle started;  I was hearing biblical verses being used the wrong. What was hidden; the Lord began to shine. Mama Mia! God's been good to me. It was clear we were not on the same page. I still remember praying for courage to trust in the Lord and my Beloved sister he gave me, Cheryl S., kneeling in that battlefield with me...That spiritual battle lasted a week. On Sept 7, 2006, while visiting with one another after the vigil, he asked: 'What if one day you realize that it was never 

GOD who asked such thing of you? what will you do?' Yeah, that is a really good question I thought, but what have I got to lose? So after a moment of silence, I said: 'Well, I would be glad that just like Abraham who was asked to sacrifice His Son, and then was mercifully spared, I obeyed...' Whatever was left of resistance at that moment was broken. My response surprised not just him, but me too...

           The next day, my beloved sister in Christ, who stood by me that week in prayer, in support, as an encourager, came for our weekly morning sisters date mass, and ... on Sept 8, 2006 ...  Eight (8) years ago, my beloved sister in Christ Cheryl and I, sitted side by side, she confident that I had done the right thing no matter what the consequences were to be...women of God, we can be nuts in the Word!  Me emotionally tired and apologetic to our Lady for not bringing her flowers or a gift. Instead of guilt, I was in peace. When mass started. We got to the homily and the priest to speak these words gently but firmly:

            'When someone celebrates their birthday, we give them a gift. 

         Today, the best gift we can give our Lady is - our purity. Let us ask 

             our lady to grant us the grace to give her the gift of purity...' 

and he goes on about how we all need that gift. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. Cheryl was just looking at me with this smile of victory that spelled 'You see! you see! ...' I am sure people wondered that morning how a simple mass can get someone crying so bad. It was bad. Yes, I saw... I saw that it was our Lady's way of saying: Well Done, Child! You already gave me a gift!  Now, I was truly ready to say:'My body is a temple of God, because my head is also included in my body...'

Today, 8 years later, I am overjoyed... "My cup brims over"-Ps.23:5 . Today, eight years later, I reminisce over my life, and It is incredible to see how though I grew up with that constant desire of being a virtuous Lady like our Heavenly mother. As much as I attempted to focus, it was through people that I trusted that I began to drift to the immoral life that the world shines. But our Lady never left me, but slowly brought me back because she knew and still knows that she had to keep rescuing me from myself so that I walk the WAY. As soon I began to walk comfortably the path of chastity, she skyrocketed the goals... So much happened over these eight years which will be for another day's testimonies, but again...It is the only way for God's Will to be done...

Today! Eight years later, it is great to say that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Today, eight years later, as I am still led in my journey; those vows of Extreme Chastity have rescued me from myself again and again until I learned next to be patient with myself (another testimony for another day). Eight years later, I am not done coming across, hearing, connecting with single women in my city and across the nation  including celebrities such as Mandisa, who no matter where they've been in life are daily striving to be virtuous women. For me, I can only praise the Lord for the gift of His mother in my life. To further hear testimonies of couples in my own city, on twitter and of Christian celebrities such as Janette...ikz and her soon To-Be-husband, I am grateful to have answered in obedience like Abraham  to put on Extreme Chastity:-)... Eight later, I reminisce on testimonies heard in my community, on EWTN, read on sites such as The Catholic Gentleman of males who are not just walking the path of purity, but who are even striving in patience to be complete in the Lord, are serving him such as Eduardo Verastegui, and have clothed themselves with the attire 'No Kissing Till Marriage ...' rule. For all this today, I say ... Praise be to God!!!

The journey is not done; it's been a rocky but beautiful road of striving toward holiness and faithfulness, but I look back and I can only be thankful of how far she led me in the Lord. Every day, I put on my dress of Extreme Chastity :-), so that our Lady may continue to teach to come worthily before the presence of my Lord. Every day, I put on my Royal Attire of Purity so that not just my body but my thoughts, words, and actions spell ---Purity. I know there is only one side of sexuality that is talked about in our society, and it is all 'Feed me now or never', but some of us are  still on the other striving on the path of 'Wait for now. Be blessed later'. 

I wish you and I a Blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lady, and wherever you at in your life, what gift is our lady asking of you today: "what gift will you give your Heavenly mother today?"

Ping Pong, the Lord's Affairs #1

                 Growing up, I was exposed to many sports; badminton, volleyball, Fuzzball, ping pong, swimming, etc... yet three became my favorites: Tennis, Basketball, and soccer, and one - Ping Pong - remained an intriguing sport to me, and one I failed to be good at. Having played tennis for many years, I often felt uncomfortable with Ping Pong; the ball was so light and I believe to be introduced to Tennis first made me approach the game with unrealistic expectations. Therefore, not having the patience to lean it, I soon gave up playing it.

Years later, as I reminisce at how often I struggled with God's call in different areas of my life, I see that at times it seemed easy. Other times, the process of surrender to His will was often after a series of emotional ping pongs: him calling was a whisper just as the ping pong ball was very light. Times when the call seemed strange to me, or out of the ordinary, or uncommon, unfamiliar, out of my comfort zone, I would be tempted to default to 'the other option' or else 'what seemed familiar territory'. Yet, our good Lord in His infinite mercy would find a way to keep me still. I can tell you these were not fun moments; I would be restless until peace found me. In instances, I actually gave in to the other option, it was not long before the Holy Spirit exposes me to myself. Then Peace would fill me slowly but surely until I accept to walk on water like Peter by His power.  Even in such times, when I would begin walking on water, and be swept away by the winds of Doubt, our Lord would and still finds a way to get me to keep my gaze on Him rather than the winds of discouragement or comfort. Today as I look back throughout our faith heritage, it might have seemed easy whenever God called, but it was actually never easy.
When God called Abraham, it was not easy but he responded; today in our generation a typical response will go like this 'Heavenly Father, I am growing old, and I am just looking to die in peace. I do not need people calling me crazy in my old age'. When God called Moses, it was not easy but he also responded. When God chose Esther to deliver her people, it was not easy but she responded. She prayed and fasted for three days before coming to the King. When God called Mary, it was not easy at all. She even to the Angel Gabriel, 'but how can this be?', yet she surrendered with these words: 'Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word' (Lk 1:38). mmm... the Call! God's Call! When God called Joseph, it was not easy! But again, he responded. When Jesus called the twelve, it was not easy but they carried on their mission till the ends of the earth. When Jesus called Peter to walk on water, it was not just easy, it was surreal, but he answered, and our good Lord Jesus was with him. A wise man once told: 'Child, remember that God will always take you out of your comfort zone, but He will never put you to shame.' 

What is it that God is calling you to? Truth is when God calls us, it is never easy, and it will never be easy. We tend to come up with many excuses. Or we say Yes, and we are ready to run in other directions. We want to take our legs, and borrow our family members legs, and we speed like lightning; yet who can hide from God? We shake like Shakespeare! Now, I like you am reminding us that whether we children or adults, He calls. Whether we working in a career or working from home or at home, He calls. Whether married, religious or single; He calls. There is no where, we can hide from Him. Wrestle if you must like Jonah. Pray and fast if you must.Cry out. Shed tears. Pace back and forth: He will confirm it, affirm it or infirm it. At times, you may stand alone like Mother Teresa, simply believe like her that He who calls will provide. Yet avoid eternal ping pong series, and surrender at last. Time is of essence. We are wanted to live out loud our baptism call, thus let us go with His words tattooed on our soul:
"Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception; acknowledge him in every course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth" - (NJB Prov 3:5-6).
Let us therefore go in confidence encouraged by one another that Our Heavenly Father will never fail us because He who created us has already outline His Divine Plan for us (Jer 29:11). No matter how hard it gets, let us walk in prayer, and trusting that He gave us His Word (Ps.12:6).

           -Fanny Magnificat, the Lord's Affairs #1 

116 Days - 131 poems - 17 Posts (Poem 69)

Dear Readers,

today's poem is inspired by a conversation that rose on immigrants.
It is almost as if at times we expect so much from them. They must
adapt, but we on the other hand maybe find it hard to adjust.It left me
a little bit perplexed.

Then if we who call ourselves disciples of Christ cannot get out of
our comfort zones to reach out to the immigrant, who will?

Do we forget that Abraham was an immigrant? that Mary and Joseph
were immigrants? What about the Apostles?

Countdown: 116 - 131- 17

F.M.