“I will be strong in suffering and have hope in Jesus. I should reach out to the poor.”
These are my personal declarations after hearing the powerful talks at “Lift Jesus Higher Rally” last March 2, 2019 at Metro Convention Centre, Toronto. It is an annual rally of Catholic Charismatic movement that aims to help Catholics rekindle their faith and deepen their relationship with God.
ANCOP Advocate
As an advocate of ANCOP, the event inspired me to love the poor like Jesus. The powerful talks and the homily of Cardinal Collins at mass renewed my spirit. The speakers challenged us that if want to follow Christ, we have to embrace suffering just how Jesus embraced His suffering at the cross. But we should suffer with Christ, it is only through Him that we can be truly victorious in the midst of our suffering. It was also emphasized that our sufferings are never wasted because through our sufferings, we will grow to be more compassionate towards others especially those who are in the peripheries.
ANCOP Canada have been invited to not just attend the event but also, to participate in the exhibit. It was a great opportunity for us to promote ANCOP in a more personal level, we shared to them what we do in our work for the poor and why we are doing it. The ANCOP booth allowed us to not just talk about ANCOP but it connects us to more people. I am hoping that by sharing to them what ANCOP is, I was able to inspire others to be more involved in helping the poor.
“Our battle belongs to God, there is always HOPE”.
This is one of the many takeaways I have from that event. There is always hope in our lives, as long as we remain in Christ and share our suffering with Him. There is always hope in this world as long as we continue to reach out to those who are in need and share Christ to them – the Source of our hope.
I left the event thinking of the poor, they who have nothing to eat and no roof on their heads. Then I looked at my own life and acknowledged what I have. I am privileged with having more than what I need. I am blessed to have the time, talent and treasure to share to others. I have the means to give hope so others will continue believing that there is something to hope for in their lives.
No man is an island, no man can stand alone. Let’s give others a chance to live with hope. Let us share God’s blessings to them.
