This site came to be a site when one day I was praying trying to tell God in my prayer that I need to stop singing in a language that I have no idea of what I am singing but yet, I sang the best in that language. For more than 20 years now, I have been singing in Spanish. I felt the presence of the Lord when I sing in Spanish, more so than in English. Quite interesting. My Spanish friends and people in the congregation would be so shocked and surprised that I do not speak Spanish. People would come up to me and talk to me in Spanish. And I have to apologize to them that I don’t speak Spanish. They would reply, not believing me, “But you are singing in Spanish!?!” And I sang beautifully too.
Some of the guys who were singing next to me would ask me a few times, “You sure you don’t speak Spanish?” What a compliment.
What a gift. It is an amazing gift. I am not making it up here. Even I sometimes am surprised after I’m done singing at the Spanish mass, for the past 23 years, that I feel some different. I actually feel the presence of the Lord and full of confidence too while I’m singing.
So, I thought it was my ego that I kept on singing the Spanish mass. So, many times in my prayer, I would try to convince myself and convince God through my prayers, that I am singing the Spanish mass because of my ego and not because of the Lord.
And one day, while I was praying and trying to convince God that I need to quit singing the Spanish mass on Sunday because I don’t want to be a laughing stock. And while I was praying and complaining about it in my prayer, this quietest voice came to my heart and said, “Tend My Sheeps.”
What? Tend Your sheeps?!? What sheeps? No answer. It was silent. I finished the rest of my rosary and stopped complaining about me singing in Spanish. Thought that was from me. Thought that my ego was speaking again to try to get me to stay singing in a language that I don’t speak and continue to be a laughing stock.
Later that day, my son came home and handed me a shiny reflective poster, size 11″ by 17″ on a hard board. And on it, I was shocked. It was an art of a shepherd standing in the midst of His sheeps.
My son went on explaining to me that he was standing in line for the register to pay for his shopping. Someone came up to him, handed this poster to him and said, “You want to buy it?”
My son said he looked at it and said, ”Yes.” and he bought it for me.
So, this is how this site has started. I don’t know how I would tend His sheeps with this site, but it surely would keep me reminded that God has His plans for us. We might not know His plan, but when He lets you know over and over again that He has a plan, we are to follow.
Someday, I will know why God kept me singing in the Spanish mass for Him every week since Lent 1999. But for now, I will need to stay focused and do a better job singing every week for the Lord.