Birthday Weekend. #getouttayourmind #shots #notforme

I'm going to turn 21-years-old in less than 24hrs.


The wait is over. It's here, I'm excited.
But for what? To drink?

Well of course to drink! 

^As exciting how most people may be. I am not that excited.

My family has a history of alcoholism.
Five members of my family have died from cyrosis of the liver. So, I'm skeptical.

Yes, I have participated in underage drinking, and yes I've gotten "a little" drunk.
 I'm not the saintliest of people.

Now, let's get this straight:
Drinking [alcohol] isn't a "sin."

Jesus drank. Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-11); Last Supper (Luke 22)

So if He drank, it must be okay.

However, it becomes a "sin" when one engages in drunkenness.
 (Romans 13:13)

One may be wondering though --> Isn't that the fun part? To get drunk?

Let's define fun.

To get wasted, not knowing what your conscious mind is up to that night at the party, and to only wake up the next day with an excruciating headache and an uncomfortable stomach? This is fun?

Sounds like a nightmare that I don't want to sleep through.

Unfortunately, the worst case (to some people) scenarios happen when engaging in drunkenness (i.e. unprotected sex (leading to pregnancy), violence, drunk driving, and murder.

This is what I don't want to engage in. Not because the Bible says it's wrong; but because I want to wake up the next morning knowing what I did the night before thus having control of my senses to not engage in something I would later regret and all this without horrible pains.

Grant it, I will have a few drinks.
 But, I vouch not to get drunk.

Have a safe, upcoming weekend. 
Stay thirsty my friends (not too thirsty).

† Being St. Francis of Assisi †

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi was a prayerful man of God. The life and legacy of this medieval Italian man is known to the world over for his life of holiness and peaceful life he lived. He left us this beautiful prayer that has been made known to us, nearly 800 years after his death.


... But he was also the patron saint of animals and all living beasts. Cool right?


So check it... on Sunday afternoon I strolled up to the church youth room where I was greeted by a teen from the parish along with a newborn kitten right beside him on the ground. The teen found it there... just there. I paid not much attention to the kitten as other teens were starting to crowd around it. We all were wondering what to do. So the teens decided to put it back in the bush next to where they were. They said the mother cat would come for it. This is when I decided that I was super tired from an early shift at work and decided to the upstairs youth room and take a nap before Mass.

About 10 minutes into my nap... I heard this shrill cry...

And it kept going for the next 10 minutes as I tried to fall asleep.


If you have ever hear the shrill cry of a newborn, baby kitten crying to it's mother for food... It's pretty intense. 


I crawled out of the comfortable couch from upstairs and stomped my way downstairs to the bush where the teens placed the kitten.

After a deep sigh, I called two teens to come help me find the kitten in the bush. The puzzlement of their faces were hilarious. They thought I was either going to take it home or place it somewhere else.

Even though both ideas sounded great, I didn't do either of them.

First, my grandparents wouldn't like the shrill cry of this kitten if I took it home, and second placing the kitten somewhere else would upset other people who were trying to take naps.

So, after much contemplation, I took the kitten to the animal shelter.

To most of us, this would be the obvious decision. But most of us don't think how much good were doing by doing this random act. I could go on from here stating how much animal shelters take good care of lost and endangered animals but I believe most of us know this. So we're saving the lives of animals. We're modeling the life of St. Francis of Assisi come to think of it. And if we're modeling the life of this man, who modeled God, then... we're also modeling God!


Think about this: 
Just by taking care of our pets, whether it would be dogs, cats, turtles, birds, snakes (you crazy people), or even tarantulas (you crazier people)... we are modeling the life of a great man in St. Francis of Assisi, who ultimately modeled God!
 

It's pretty awesome so I had to restate it twice.

Continue to be examples and followers for God, even in the little ways...

Missing the Good Life.

I miss it. Boy... do I miss it.

I had the privilege and honor of serving as a Catholic Missionary this summer in Prescott, Arizona and it was awesome.

From waking up every morning at 6:30am to preparing meals, to talking with over 100+ teens!

I fell in love with the very act of serving that I once hated.

I grew up as an "only-child." You know those children that have everything given to them? They're super spoiled and selfish? Yeah, I was one of those children. I never had a servant's heart. I hated serving others before I experienced "missionary life."

On June 16 I left for Camp Tepeyac. A Catholic camp in Prescott, Arizona. At first I didn't want no part of becoming a missionary. Even if becoming that missionary was only six weeks. I wanted no part of it.

I was convinced by two of my closest friends to take part in it. And so I did.

Biggest life changer ever.

Third day at camp, I really didn't want to be there. Why? I was on "Service Crew." Which meant that I was to take care of the restrooms, the poop house, the kitchen, the cleaning, etc. ALL THE BACKGROUND WORK. I did not want that!

I wanted to run the show. I wanted to be the show. Just as an "only child" loves. I broke out of this... I became a missionary for life, and enjoyed service.I don't know how I did it. Only by the grace of God.

"Rejoice always." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16