What causes do we support?

It has been a long while since I made an entry here. It has been a busy time at work and at home that it's rare to find time to pen down my thoughts and reflections. Tonight is one of those rare moments...

We celebrated Pentecost Sunday 2 week's back and Father's sermon is still fresh in my mind. I'm not sure if you are aware of the recent objections in Australia to the export of cattle to Indonesia. I hear it on the news every now and then. Apparently, it was the cruel way that cattle were slaughtered in Indonesia that brought about this. It was a big thing since it made its way to Parliament and was the talking point for a long time. 

Father brought up the irony of how people can be so against this but can be easy with abortions that are common sight everywhere. It brings us to question the causes that we support.  Are we seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this matter? I think what causes we support form a huge part of us and we need to allow the Holy Spirit to form us into the person God has made us to be. As I ponder about the causes that I support, the person that I am and have become, I realise that I need more of the Holy Spirit more and more every day. I have come to understand that the more we allow the Spirit to work within us, the better we get at discerning what is the right thing to do, to channel our efforts and time towards.

Keep me always in your sight Lord, and may your Spirit be ever present in my life and in my being. May we all make the right decision to follow the promptings of the Spirit in all that we do.

Put Love first in all things

It has taken me quite awhile to share this, and somehow this Sunday morning I managed to find a good 10 minutes to put pen to paper, or rather keyboard to computer. This phrase:"Put Love first in all things" was shared with me by one of the priests during reconcilliation the night prior to Maundy Thursday. It places alot of things in perspective for me. In the readings that night, St john says to put God first in everything that we do. This is something that I have been guilty of not doing. I have allowed the busyness of everyday to rule my life and have been a slave to life.


Father shared that God is Love, and so to put God first in all things is really asking us to put Love first. It will be a challenge for me since I have trouble placing God as the master of my life, though I sincerely and wholeheartedly have that desire to, but I find myself being drawn into the worries and concerns of this world ever too often, and losing that focus on God, on Love.


Since that healing and enlightening session that night, I have set out to put Love first in all things. It has been a trying journey though, since I have no control over the actions and words of others. Also, as I look back at these times, I realised that I may not have responded in the most loving manner. It is in these moments that I feel I need to focus more on "Put Love first in all things". This has been my personal motto during this Easter time and I pray that as the matters of this world overwhelms me, calling for my attention, I will still be able to include Love in my dealings with people and in situations, no matter how impossible it may seem.


May God be our strength and may His grace sustains us always, that we may put Him first in all things, with the assurance that He will make all things right in His Time.

Keep the faith throughout your struggles

Last Sunday was the beautification of Pope John Paul II. As I strolled into church, I noticed a portrait of our late pope occupying the area beside the seat of the celebrant. It brought back fond memories of my blessed time at the WYD in Toronto. The mysterious thing is that, looking at the portrait brought a sense of calm and tranquility to me. It is something that has eluded me in the busyness of daily life.


I pondered about how our late pope would start any day, any task or work with prayer and I envisioned myself doing the same, picturing this same experience of tranquility as I work through the week. This would be the reminder I needed to be aware that God is in charge of every day of my life. Beyond the struggles, the difficulties, He is in control and I need to work with Him to get through anything.


Mass began and Father shared about how we need to perservere in our faith throughout the daily struggles that we face. Struggles will continue to be a part of our lives and we need to keep the faith, for only in doing so will we experience growth. I think most of us are afraid of growth, because it takes us out of our comfort zone. I myself face that inertia all the time and I would rather keep the status quo than to act on something that would be the right and necessary thing to do. 


Everyday brings with it challenges that surprise us all the time but I realised that to keep the faith throughout our struggles would be impossible without including God in our lives. Somehow, all things work out well when we cooperate with Him. It is with this conviction that I set out to always include Him in my daily tasks this week, to seek Him first in all my plans and decisions.


Lord, help me to grow as I struggle through the challenges of life. Pray for us dear Papal father that we will strengthen our faith and draw people towards God as plough through what life throws at us.

Change our attitudes, not our diet

Lent has begun and I still remember vividly what Father said the other day at mass. He mentioned that it is not our aim to lose weight through our lenten observences but rather to have a change of attitudes.


I never really thought much about this since the longest time I have only focused on what yummy food to give up during Lent. 


This Lent, we have decided to do our reflections daily and allow God to shape our hearts and our ways. Though it has been tough keeping to it, it is going to be an even greater challenge to allow our attitudes to be changed. I have to admit that we have since forgotten to do our reflections for a couple of days now...


Well, as we tread ahead, may God be our strength and help us growth spiritually and as a person, that we may be better people in this world. May this Lenten season be a time to plough our hearts for the harvest that is to come with Easter.

We must be the bridge builders

Last Sunday, Father mentioned about Robert Moore, a young boy who was shot in the bridge of his nose by a soldier and survived. He lost his sight but despite this, still forgave the soldier. 


Father shared this story to bring across the message that we need to love our enemies. This story brought to mind the assasination attempt on our late Pope John Paul II, who forgave his attacker and even visited him in prison.


I admire both our late Pope and Robert Moore for having the courage to forgive their attacker. Suffice to say that such  an event would ever happen to us, the daily grinding of events can stir up similar emotions of hatred. In these situations, I find it too tough to dig deep within myself, the courage to forgive my so called enemies. However, we must be the one to take the first step towards reconcilliation, to be the bridge builders. It does not matter what response we get for the very act in itself is the extension of peace.


Today, an earthquake struck Christchurch in New Zealand and suddenly I realised that there is so much more to life than holding on to these feelings of hatred. I am sadden by this event and my prayers go out to all those who died, those injured and those who are still missing. May God be with them.


It will be a new day tomorrow and I pray that with it comes new hope for all of us and may the past be left behind as we begin to look ahead for what is in store for us, God's promise for us.

We are the Light and Salt of the earth

This was the theme of last weekend's Gospel. "We are the Light and Salt of the earth." It reminded me of the World Youth Day message of 2002, which I had the privilege of being a part of. I had many fond memories of the time spent there and I still remember that encounter with our late Pope, in his pope mobile zipping through the crowds...


Anyway, this message was re-iterated by Father at mass. We have been commissioned and have Christ's authority to spread His word to the ends of the earth. Father mentioned that salt was such a hardly sought after commodity that the Romans accepted them as a form of payment. The reason being it was the only way of preserving food, as such their importance.


I thought long and hard about how we can be the Light and Salt of the earth. Finally, it dawned upon me that most of us have responsibility over certain things. It may be people we manage at work, our children, our superiors, our aged parents, etc. 


The list is never ending... I realise that to a certain extent, we have some sort of authority to exercise and it is in the rightfull exercise of this authority and power, can we reflect the image of Chirst in this world. In doing so, we become the Light and Salt of the earth within our capacity.


As I struggle to handle this authority given to me, in terms of my responsibilities at work and at home, I pray that I may draw on the strength of God to guide me and walk me through every single step of the way.


May God be with you all in your struggles and also in the savouring of the precious and joyous moments in life's journey.  

Be a missionary through our gesture of love

Last Sunday was Mission Sunday. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Church. There was a huge turnout in Church, which was the exception rather than the norm. Soon, we realised that there was a baptism prior to mass and many guests came to celebrate with the newly baptised.

This would be a timely reminder of our baptism and our call to be missionaries for Christ in this world. Father started his homily by placing himself in our shoes, saying that we have so many concerns to deal with, our bills, our work, our family, out mortgages, etc. How do we find the time and energy to spread the message of Christ to others. However, unlike Father, we can be a missionary at our workplaces, at our homes, on our travels commuting from place to place. He mentioned that it is not such a difficult task, we only need to bring the love within to others we meet. This is precisely how the disciples were drawn to Jesus, through the love Christ showered upon them and those that He met. The challenge I say would be to act with love towards those who are difficult and unkind. I always remind myself that the sun rises and shines on everyone, irregardless of our differences. In the same way, God treats us all equally. Therefore we should treat everyone with love and nothing less.


As I sat there in Church, I pondered about the past month or so, and I realised that this is very challenging for me. I have reacted so easily to those who were unkind in their words and attitudes towards me. I pray that God will be my guide in future such instances and that I will be aware of His presence and help in such situations.

May God be our strength in dealing with the difficult people we encounter in our lives and may we change the world each act at a time.


United in prayer with you always and remembering you all in my prayers.