The Woman to Woman Ministry had our first outreach yesterday at Our Lady Queen of Peace and it was successful in touching the hearts of those who came. From a technical standpoint, there were many potential areas for failure to the point it was like a biblical literary device, the use of hyperbole to showcase the awesomeness of God.
We were pretty much an unseasoned team who ran a retreat programme that was overly ambitious for an audience of untold variation. There were young and old, cradle Catholics to recent converts; people from such different walks of life and on diverse points of their spiritual journey that it shouldn't have worked, but it did. There was something for everyone. Every activity was tailor-made for our audience who came with expectant or hungry hearts, and went home fed. As D told me two weeks ago, when I was balking at cantoring for the very first time (I know the limitations of my voice and I was reluctant to expose myself to criticism for I always wince at less than perfect voices): God does not choose the qualified but he qualifies the chosen.
From Moses, to Jacob, to David, from Sarah, to Rahab, to Mother Mary, each one of these people was chosen to play a role in God's salvation history. Let's not forget the apostles: from among them were unschooled and simple fishermen, sinners, murderers, cowards, and so on, but these past weeks of Easter readings speak of miracles and conversions of epic proportions.
There is only one requirement for each of us to continue the story of God's salvific love and mercy, and it begins with a fiat, a simple yes. A yes that speaks of commitment, obedience and a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit who opened the hearts and minds of the participants so that they were willing to receive. It was the Spirit who put the right words into our mouths and spoke nourishing truths. It was the Spirit that bonded strangers and made them feel immediately at ease with each other. And it is the Spirit that brings us to Jesus and His Father.
What have I learned this weekend past? The success of every outreach doesn't require good marketing, a perfect programme or a team of experienced service team members. Certainly all the logistics do need to be taken care of, but more important is the disposition of heart of every service team member, and the effort spent in prayer and fasting.
We began praying for the outreach weeks before as we came up with the programme, and in recent weeks, we fasted and prayed. I also went for weekday mass and spent time in the adoration room whenever possible. The potency of prayer and fasting is unparalleled and it was proven yesterday. I am deeply humbled and I continue to include all the participants in prayer, that they will be inspired to go forth and spread the Good News with fresh passion.
We were pretty much an unseasoned team who ran a retreat programme that was overly ambitious for an audience of untold variation. There were young and old, cradle Catholics to recent converts; people from such different walks of life and on diverse points of their spiritual journey that it shouldn't have worked, but it did. There was something for everyone. Every activity was tailor-made for our audience who came with expectant or hungry hearts, and went home fed. As D told me two weeks ago, when I was balking at cantoring for the very first time (I know the limitations of my voice and I was reluctant to expose myself to criticism for I always wince at less than perfect voices): God does not choose the qualified but he qualifies the chosen.
From Moses, to Jacob, to David, from Sarah, to Rahab, to Mother Mary, each one of these people was chosen to play a role in God's salvation history. Let's not forget the apostles: from among them were unschooled and simple fishermen, sinners, murderers, cowards, and so on, but these past weeks of Easter readings speak of miracles and conversions of epic proportions.
There is only one requirement for each of us to continue the story of God's salvific love and mercy, and it begins with a fiat, a simple yes. A yes that speaks of commitment, obedience and a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit who opened the hearts and minds of the participants so that they were willing to receive. It was the Spirit who put the right words into our mouths and spoke nourishing truths. It was the Spirit that bonded strangers and made them feel immediately at ease with each other. And it is the Spirit that brings us to Jesus and His Father.
What have I learned this weekend past? The success of every outreach doesn't require good marketing, a perfect programme or a team of experienced service team members. Certainly all the logistics do need to be taken care of, but more important is the disposition of heart of every service team member, and the effort spent in prayer and fasting.
We began praying for the outreach weeks before as we came up with the programme, and in recent weeks, we fasted and prayed. I also went for weekday mass and spent time in the adoration room whenever possible. The potency of prayer and fasting is unparalleled and it was proven yesterday. I am deeply humbled and I continue to include all the participants in prayer, that they will be inspired to go forth and spread the Good News with fresh passion.
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