Prayer of Augustine - A Reflection

Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, in the Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, Florida

Came across this praise-filled cover by Dan Purkapile while reflecting on St. Augustine's life and love for the Lord on his feast day today.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVaXeZVtjhg

"Prayer of Augustine" by Ed Conlin

Verse 1:
O Beauty ancient, O Beauty so new
Late have I loved Thee and feebly yet do.
Though you were with me, I was not with You.

Then You shone Your face and I was blind no more

Chorus:
My heart searches restlessly and finds no rest 'till it rests in Thee.
O Seeker You sought for me, Your love has found me;
I am taken by thee.

Verse 2:
I sought this world and chased its finer things,
Yet were these not in You, they would not have been.
My ceaseless longing hid the deeper truth,
In all my desirings, I was desiring You.

Verse 3:
Lord, in my deafness You cried out to me.
I drew my breath and now Your fragrance I breathe
O Fount of Life, You are forever the same;
O Fire of Love, come set me aflame.

We find ourselves living our lives perhaps not knowing where we are going. We try to find comfort in the things of this world. Yet, just like St. Augustine, we realize that there is a void in our hearts that only the Lord can filled - a God - shaped figure to make our hearts (and souls) complete. That is when we seek the Lord and desire to have Him at the center of our lives, inspiring and motivating us to love and serve Him and His people. Yet, surprisingly for us, He has also been seeking us and knocking on the door of our hearts, patiently waiting for the day when we will let Him in. That's how much He loves us - He will never force down the door of our hearts but when we do open that door, His love encompasses us and, like St. Augustine, all we can say is "O Seeker You sought for me, Your love has found me; I am taken by Thee."

 

I am truly grateful that that the Lord sought for me and that His love has found me! :-D

Men of Ligaya - 1

As this blessing - filled weekend comes to an end, I just want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to be guided and directed through His Word in the Ligaya Men's Conference and for the opportunity to experience the Men of Ligaya committing themselves to protect one another as we face the Enemy in our daily lives.

I'd just like to share this prayer that I came across and, as we fight side by side in Christ, let's us continue to pray for and encourage one another:

(John 14:14) Father, we come to You in Jesus' Name.
(Eph.3:16) We ask you to strengthen us with might by Your Spirit in our inner man,
(Zech.4:6) for it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts.
(Ex.12:21-23) We ask You to cover us with the blood of Jesus,
(Job 1:10) and make a hedge about us, for protection from Satan's attacks.
(Eph.6:11-12) We put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Eph.6:14-17) We stand therefore, having my loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And we take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,
(Is.58:8) and the glory of the Lord is my reward.
(Is 54:17) No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against us in judgement shall be condemned.
(2Chr.20:12,15,17) We have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know what to do: but our eyes are upon you. We shall not be afraid nor dismayed, for the battle is not ours, but Yours. We set ourselves, we stand still, and see Your deliverance.
(Jer.15:20-21) Make us as a fenced brazen wall, so that though Satan's hosts shall fight against us, they shall not prevail against us, for You are with us to deliver us out of the hand of the wicked one and redeem us out of the hand of the terrible.
(1Cor.15:57) Thanks be to You, O God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

On a lighter note, let us remember the words of one of the songs shared by the Blue Team:
We are Men of Ligaya who are ready to fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rivals
With our last ounce of courage we will do what is right
And our God will be pleased with the Men of Ligaya.

“Never lose hope, though everything's bleak, though you feel so weak. Never shrink back, never look back, especially when you know that you're fighting for the right reasons, for the right people.” ― Jawe Querimit

Let us remember that we are men who love, serve and follow a victorious God! :-D

Blessed Moments - 2

This second helping of stories of blessed moments focuses on my encounter with a book that strengthened my resolve to continue my teaching journey. At that time, I didn't even know the book was already popular and that the author was gaining wide recognition as a result. I was casually going through the bookshelves at National Bookstore Katipunan one afternoon a good number of years ago. Picking up a book here, scanning through another book there, not really putting too much emphasis on what I was actually doing. Until I came across the book.

I had never even heard of the author, Mitch Albom. What intrigued me was the title and the subtitle of the book. And so I decided to browse through it. And I realized that this was a book about the author rediscovering his mentor Morrie Schwartz from his college days and the experiences and circumstances surrounding that encounter that made it very special. That was enough to convince me to buy the book. And I guess that was one of the blessed moments the Lord wanted me to have that day. Because when I got home and started reading the book, I was hooked! I finished the book in one sitting, though at times I felt it was hard to go on because I was actually crying. Crying because of the impact on my life of the Tuesday sessions with Morrie as shared by Mitch and because of the sadness of losing a very special person who made a significant difference in Mitch's life.

And that made me reflect on both my teaching journey and my journey in my walk with the Lord. One very strong realization I had that day is "My life may be filled with uncertainties, difficult decisions, setbacks and defeats but, one thing is sure, I have Someone who will be there with me ever step of the way." Another strong realization was "Teaching is my passion; making a positive difference in the lives of my students is what gets me through the day, whether these days are filled with joy or sadness." One quote from the book sums up what I gained out of that blessed moment when I shared Mitch's Tuesday sessions with his mentor-friend Morrie as I read the book.

I came to realize that I had found where the Lord wanted me to be in terms of my career because teaching gave me the opportunity to devote myself to creating something that gives me purpose and meaning. This was a venue for me to encounter and make an impact on young minds, eager to learn not just the lessons in the classroom but, more importantly, the lessons in life.

One aspiration I have as a teacher and mentor is to be a "Morrie" to my students, not just dealing with feeding their minds but also nurturing their hearts and souls. And that means not just being there for them in the classroom but even outside the four walls - when they need someone to talk to, to share with, to cry with, to smile and laugh with. This aspiration spills over to my being adviser to my younger brothers and sisters in Christ in Christ's Youth in Action - UP Diliman. I just don't want to be an adviser who signs request letters or who coordinates schedules and meeting with them but I want to be their "Kuya Manny" - when they need someone to talk to, to share with, to cry with, to smile and laugh with.

That is why I desire to have the time to devote myself to loving others and devoting myself to the community around me. And those countless blessed moments that I have had in being a "Morrie" or "Kuya Manny" have encouraged and motivated me to continue this journey of ups and downs. This is where the Lord has planted me and where He has given me avenues to grow throughout the different seasons of life. I am a sojourner and this is my journey - a journey of discovering more blessed moments!