Kalled to Koinonia

The word Koinonia is Greek for Community.

Once a semester the St.Lawrence Center puts on a Koinonia Retreat. I was a retreatant on Koinonia 11, on music team for Koinonia 12 and this semester (Koinonia 13) I'm the music team coordinator! Each retreat has it's own theme and it's own patron saint chosen by the Lay Director. SLK 13:
Theme:  Home Is Where The Heart Is
     (This holds a particularly special place in my heart! HOME is the name of my hometown!)

Home is where your heart is.
So where is your heart?
Is your heart with God?
Is your heart with another person?
Is your heart with your family?
Is your heart in the right place?
Is your heart in the wrong place?
Where do you want to call Home when this life is over?
Is your heart in heaven?If you're like me in this, which I hope you are, you're going to want to call HEAVEN home.
My conclusion: If your heart is with God than your home will be in heaven.

For me being on SLK 13 is a great way for my heart to grow closer to Christ. We commit to adding a new aspect to our existing prayer life. After looking into what I've been doing I've noticed void in the area of praying for other people. Not that I never do it, but I don't do it as regularly as I'd like. 

I've decided that my commitment will be to pray for every music team member by name every day. This will be in addition to the two team members that I was responsible for praying for since I got my assignment as music team coordinator at the beginning of the semester. 

Patron Saint: Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman
     He's the patron of Catholic campus center's just like the St.Lawrence center!

Before I knew that Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman was going to be the patron of SLK 13 I knew very little about him. I still don't know a lot but I am VERY willing to learn.

At the first team meeting all of the members get to find out what their role will be for SLK 13. To find out we head over to the chapel that the Sister Apostles of the Interior Life have in their house.  In adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament we are called to our role on SLK 13.

Our answer to this call, to Jesus Christ, was taken straight from a prayer from Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman. "I shall do good. I shall do your work." I'm so grateful that today this prayer was revealed to me, God has fantastic timing!

A Meditation

by Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman

God has created me
to do him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission -
I may never know it in this life,
but I shall be told of it in the next.

I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught,
I shall do good,
I shall do his work.
I shall be an angel of peace,
a preacher of truth
in my own place
while not intending it -
if I do but keep
His Commandments.

Therefore, I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness,
my sickness may serve Him;
in perplexity,
my perplexity may serve Him;
if I am in sorry,
my sorrow may serve Him.
He does nothing in vain.
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink,
hide my future from me -
still He knows
what He is about.