You belong to me

Father mentioned in his homily last weekend about us belonging to God, to His Church. This statement resonated within me.

I looked back on the days when I was travelling, traversing on foreign land, not knowing what to expect, hanging on the every words of travel guides and travelers' reviews on forums. The only familiar place I find is when I enter into a church. Attending mass brings to me everything that is familiar, and gives me a sense of belonging. Every part of the liturgy is the same throughout the whole. That is why I feel so at home when participating in the celebration of the Holy Mass.

The church is also a place of refuge for me, to find peace and safety. I know that I belong to God and He has His eye on me, and watching my back.

Thank you Lord for looking out for me, and giving me this sense of belonging. I know that I am safe in your presence, in your Holy temple, the church.

Dwell in Me

Father gave a very intriguing homily over the weekend. He shared that our brain stems are constantly pointing out to us the negative signs around us. It is really our innate survival instinct. That is why when negative things happen to us, it can cause us much anxiety and stress.

It is during these times that we tend to retreat to a quiet spot and contemplate our course of action. Father suggests that coming to the Eucharist would be the most appropriate. We need to allow God to dwell in us, such that He moves from being in our head to being in our heart. We will be strengthen by the positive power of God to help us tackle life's problems. We all have our individual problems and we need God to help us deal with them.

When we have experienced this encounter with God, we can then recreate this encounter in our minds whenever we are in a situation of anxiety and stress. This will help remind us that God is with us in our hearts. Father extended this to our relationship with people. When we receive negative statements from others, we need only recreate the positive encounters with that person and we can avoid giving a negative response to that person. I find that this helps me control my emotions better and I pray that God will help me to respond appropriately in such situations.

Our true colours

We attended mass at the Cathedral last weekend. It was a good time to pray and reflect after a long and tiring day out enjoying the Chinese New Year festivities in Chinatown.

Father shared about the 40 days of Lent, how we are to pray, fast and give alms. We often show our true colours when we undergo tough times. It could be voluntary or involuntary. Most times, our true colours show the bad side of us. It is during these times that we need to stay connected to God through prayer. Only God, who knows us through and through can help us get through these times, with love and kindness. Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and during that time, He was tempted by the Devil. He did not give in though He was clearly affected by the fasting. His constant connection to God through prayer kept Him going.

Help us Lord, to stay close to you and be more loving and kind to others during this Lenten season.

God never tires of forgiving us

Father mentioned at mass during the weekend, that though we might tire of asking God for forgiveness, He never tires of forgiving us.

The question beckons can we be like God who never tires of forgiving? I recalled an incident that happened recently, two young kids playing and out of the blue, one starts to cry. Daddy comforts the crying child and finds out that he was upset by what was said to him. Daddy asks his child to forgive the other when an apology was given. However, his child replies with,"Why must I, when he will do it again..."

This reminds me much of myself. You might find it very familiar as well. We seem to constantly fall back into sin, and God continually forgives us, knowing that we will turn from Him again. Help us be more like you Lord, to find it within ourselves to forgive others repeatedly. I am so thankful to have a God who never tires of forgiving us.

Oh, in the end, all was forgiven and forgotten, and the two kids were playing together again very quickly.

God recognises our efforts of love

We were all waiting in anticipation for mass to begin but Father was nowhere in sight. After about 10 minutes into the mass timing, Father came, and we all heaved a sigh of relief.

The reason for Father being late was because he was feeling under the weather. Although he was not well, he came and celebrated mass with us. He really is quite an incredible man. Though I was a little disappointed that mass was short, without the usual homily, I came to realise that it is the love that Father has for God that brought him to come celebrate mass despite being unwell.

I was reading one of the sharings from a lay missionary, who told us that God recognises our efforts of love. He went for mass with his 5 year old son, but was not able to take in anything that was said during mass. It was during his quiet prayer later that God revealed to him that God sees the love that brought him to mass with his son, Although he might have gotten nothing out of it, he was there for God, because he loves God.

Thank you for recognising the love we have for you Lord, may we continue to love you in all that we do.

Expect the unexpected

Father shared with us during the weekend mass that we should expect the unexpected. Jonah who felt unable to preach to the people of Nineveh, was unexpectedly brought to them after he was swallowed by a whale at sea and spit out onto Nineveh.

We have all had that unexpected blessing that rained upon us at certain points in our lives, and I truly believe that that blessing came at the most appropriate time. Question is are we prepared to receive it? Many a time I have been too oblivious to the blessings that God gives to me, and I fail to give thanks.

Dear Lord, prepare me to receive your blessings that will be given to me in the coming days and weeks. Help me expect the unexpected from you. May I be ever thankful and appreciative of your great workings in my life.

God's will for me

Once again, I am faced with the question of God's will for me in my life. The prophet Samuel twice mistaken the voice of God to be that of the priest Eli, until being advised by Eli that it is the Lord that is calling out to him.

"Speak Lord, your servant is listening." was what Samuel said when the Lord called out to him. Father reminded us that we very often say,"Listen Lord, your servant is speaking." How very true indeed. Many times I pray that the Lord grant me my petitions instead of asking Him to speak to me, and reveal to me His will for me in my life.

Help me Lord to always listen to what you have to say to me, and may I discern for the right things to ask of you in prayer. Teach me your ways oh Lord...