Blest Are They- David Haas

This will be one of the songs my students will be singing at the 11 AM mass on January 30, 2011.

Servants of the Lord

Yesterday I was particularly touched by the homily I've heard in mass. One question the priest asked was, "How do we identify ourselves?" We may identify ourselves as daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, students, educated professionals, etc--but above all, we are to identify ourselves as servants of the Lord.

A lot of young adults like myself often ask, "What is my purpose on this earth?" I can often relate to those who are in their mid-twenties (aka the Quarter Life Crisis to a lot of young adults). In the last few years, I've been through a lot of changes and challenges. One particular challenge was when I was laid off and faced months of unemployment. Working in the entertainment business, it wasn't the first time I was ever laid off. However, I still felt a little uneasy as I was entering another period of uncertainty. What was to become of me? At least my indefinite hiatus from work allowed me to go to daily mass and to pray for God's will. Months went by and I was still unemployed. The more I prayed, the more I felt God telling me not to give up hope. "Lord," I continued to pray, "Here I am. Please tell me how can I serve you?"

It turned out that my parish school had an open art teacher position and that I was highly recommended to the principal by one of the school board members because of the artwork I've done for the church. That September, I've began my first year teaching. God calls us to use our gifts and talents that he has blessed us with. God has given me the gift of the arts, and I am to to serve the Lord by teaching his children. Teaching is not easy, but it is truly rewarding. I never thought I would become a teacher, but I feel it is what God is calling me to do for now. He might call me to do something else down the line, but now, I am to teach and help shape the lives of the younger generation.

God answers prayers in the most unpredictable and surprising ways. He answers prayers in his time, not ours. He will answer our prayers when he knows we're ready and he will never give us anything that we cannot handle. We are all called to serve God in ways we may least expect. Whether it is teaching, joining a ministry, becoming a missionary, or just talking to a homeless person on the street--we are all called to serve the Lord with the love and the holy spirit in our hearts. What can YOU do to fix the brokeness of the world?