To share our life, to show us how to live

It's the day after Christmas. Is there anything left aside from discarded wrapping papers, leftover food, and a hangover for some?
December 26th is also the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Isn't it an irony that a day after Christmas we already celebrate martyrdom?
I think today we are reminded of the real meaning of God "coming down" and becoming man in Jesus: to share our life, to show us how to live.

Free to worship God without fear

Today's Gospel is on the Benedictus, Zechariah's prayer after the birth of his son John. We sing it every morning at Lauds. One of the lines says, "free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight, all the days of our life".
I am a Christian, and I consider it one of the biggest blessings of my life to be so.
But I am thinking, is the worship of God (any god for that matter), something natural to a human being, as natural as breathing?
I think it is.
Let me put it this way, all our decisions are based on some criteria. I think that the criterion that tops the rest is, sort of, what we consider "god" in our life.
As a Christian, I am called to more and more pattern my choices after that of Christ. No Christian perfectly embodies Christ's mind and heart. We are all on a journey of becoming better.
I think people misunderstand when they say they don't want to be enslaved by believing in God. We are already "enslaved" by something, call it God or something else. Even when we don't make decisions because we want to keep our options open, we are sort of enslaved by something; call it fear, uncertainty, a past experience.
The question is, "is this 'God' worth our loyalty?"

If Mary and Joseph didn't say yes

If Mary and Joseph didn't say yes, we wouldn't have Christmas as we know it now. Of course, God could have done it another way, but Mary and Joseph would have missed their chance to enter into this amazing story.
Surely Mary and Joseph didn't know how their decision would have huge consequences. Yes, really huge. Talk about a decision that cuts across generations and assumes global consequences.
That is also true with us. We will never know how our "yes" or our "no" affects people and history itself.
History isn't something that happens outside of us. We are all contributors to it, for better or for worse, In fact, I think it should be called "our story".

Asking questions

"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with this question: "Are you the one?"
John must have been confused. His idea of messiah was somebody who would purify and eliminate what was impure and hypocritical. John was a preacher of God's wrath, so he must have felt unsure about the style of Jesus.
It is good to ask questions. Our life is a continuing journey of searching, and wise indeed is the person who doesn't think he/she has all the answers. Of course, we don't talk here of smart-alecky questions, but of persons who are sincerely in search and are willing to give up their ideas, positions, plans, even their life, once they have found the right answer.

The heart of the matter

Today is an important day in the Salesian world. We celebrate the 175th anniversary of the first meeting of Don Bosco and Bartholomew Garelli. We consider it the birth of the Salesian mission.
Yes, the Salesian mission did not start as a structure. It started as an encounter, a meeting of hearts: a young boy in search of welcome and a priest who saw a friend in that boy.
I guess it is an invitation to us all Salesians. The renewal that we need is to go back to what is essential: we are sent by God to be His heart for the young.

A letter to my former students who are now young ladies

Today is International Day of the Girl Child. Please remember that you were once girls, too. I am privileged to have been a part of that time in your life.
Wherever you are, and in whatever state of life you may be, please be proud of being women. Do not sell yourself short by allowing yourself to become objects and agreeing that it is okay to disrespect and to treat girls and women as second-class citizens.
Learn to respect yourself and remember that you are valuable for who you are because you are created by God in God's own image and likeness.
Your worth  doesn't depend on people, so do not disrespect yourself by giving up your values and principles just to be accepted and popular. Beauty, riches and popularity fade. People will come and go in your life, even the ones closest to you. In the end, the only person that will stay with you is yourself, so be sure that when you look at yourself in the mirror you can do that with peace in your heart.
Know that I always care and pray for you. Please keep me in your prayers, too.

From a distance

Only with distance can we have a better perspective.

Holy Ground

Every person that we meet is holy ground, where we meet the Divine.

Wings

To look up is to recognize that there is a higher power, God.
People of faith are people of hope, because they know that this present moment is not all that there is to life.
Trust God. He will give you wings, not to escape life but to discover new paths that lead to seeing life's meaning.

Because you believed!

You didn't seek fame or greatness, but now every generation calls you blessed.
You said yes even if it was not easy for you to imagine how it could be possible, and your faith was strengthened to the point of saying to others "Do whatever he tells you!"
You gave up your only son to be about his Father's business, and now you are invoked as "Mother" of people from all races, from generation to generation.
What was your dream, o Mary, when you were a little girl? I bet it wasn't like how your life turned out to be. God, indeed, is infinitely more creative than us. God has done great things in your life. Blessed are you who believed!

Is it lawful? Is it kind?

In today's Gospel, we hear the same question we often ask ourselves when we are in a dilemma: "Is it lawful?".
Personally, I realize that I ask this question when something within me, an intuition, an inner voice, makes me doubt the course of action I am about to take. It is as if an affirmative response to the question would appease my doubt or the nagging feeling I have.
So much has been said against deciding on the basis of our feelings; that maturity means being able to make a logical decision. But I believe that it is important to listen to our feelings.
There is something raw, something sincere about our initial feelings. To listen to them is important in enabling us to own responsibility for our choices. Then we will not hide behind and take comfort in legalism or in being right.
The voice that comes from the core of our being is not self-centered or egoistic, because what is at the core of our being is something that unites us with the rest of humankind. And the only question that remains to be asked is, "Is it kind?"

To gather the pieces and form the puzzle

Prayer is a necessary ingredient, like air, itself, to life. Without prayer, life is a collection of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle without any hope of discovering the picture that they form

Come down and let me in!

For the concluding Mass of the World Youth Day in Krakow, the Gospel passage of Zaccheus' encounter with Jesus was chosen. As always Pope Francis gave a very interesting homily and he invited the young people to see in Zaccheus a journey of conversion that is very similar to our own journey of conversion. 

Zaccheus had to overcome three obstacles:

First, his short stature, which was why Zaccheus climbed a tree to have a better look of Jesus. Shortness of stature is not only physical. It is actually our feeling of inadequacy, almost incredulity that leads us to believe that we are not loveable, that even God cannot love us.

Second, the paralysis of shame. What would people say? It is the tendency to follow what the crowd does and says. Often we live paralyzed lives because of fear to make a mistake, to cut a bad figure, to be bullied and humiliated.

Third, the grumbling crowd, the voices around us that tell us that there is no way out or it is not worth the fight. These are the voices that lead us to always choose what is safe instead of opening a trail.

In the end, what will make us overcome these obstacles is what Pope Francis says towards the end of his homily: Jesus calls us by name. He wants to stay with us. He wants to be a part of our life. Only in this way can we overcome the voices of inadequacy, shame, and mediocrity.

God's patience

One of the Gospel passages that clearly express God's patience is: "No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them" (Mt 13:24).
Faced with the world's current situation, a lot of people favor drastic solutions. I remember what one Sister shared with us a few days ago, that there is no such thing as a "just war". War is always violence and always begets further violence. To respond to violence with violence is to knowingly enter into the spiral of violence.
So what do we do?
I think the call for me is to willingly pay the price so that the chain of violence stops in me. This is not something that I do once and for all. An action in this direction is made possible by a journey of purifying myself from everything that is selfish that leads me to horde and to accumulate, to defend myself and to look at people as threats, to use and to exploit, to humiliate and to discard. All of these cause violence.
Yes, in my own body I need to pay the price. It may even cost me my life, but this is the only way. In fact, this is the way of Jesus.

Vox populi

Today, as I was browsing over the news on the internet, I was amazed at how there was not even one article on the ongoing World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. I am not thinking of conspiracy. I am just a little sad that a gathering of people from the whole world, with a number that is not indifferent, we speak of more than two million, is not considered newsworthy.
I am sad that a gathering that shows people from different countries and walks of life, filling the streets and plazas with their joyful and enthusiastic spirit, isn't given a space.
I am sad that an experience that will surely revive joy and hope for the whole world is just disregarded.
Then I don't wonder why we find it difficult to be people of hospitality. If all we ever see and our minds are fed with are fighting, violence, aggression, and threats, then, of course, the only reaction is defense and prejudice.
Thank God for social networks. Otherwise, with the way traditional news outlets are doing their reporting now, we wouldn't even hear anything about the World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow.

God has the greater picture

I have been looking forward to participate at the World Youth Day in Krakow. Due to reasons beyond my control, I cannot. I am saddened by this sudden turn of events, but deep in my heart, I believe that there is a greater good behind this. At the moment, I do not know what it is. I might know it in the future, or I might not. But I believe that when we have done all that we can, we leave everything in God's hands. He has the greater picture, after all.

Bargaining with God

Why, O Abraham, did you stop bargaining with God when you arrived at ten righteous people? Sodom and Gomorrah could have been spared even if there was not even one righteous person. You see, God's mercy has no limits!
But then, of course, you belonged to the Old Testament. You didn't know the wonderful truth about God: His mercy is everlasting.
When we look at Jesus on the cross, we realize that no one and nothing can be outside God's mercy.

Called

Mary of Magdala went early morning to the tomb of Jesus. She must have really been desolate and totally in grief that she chose to start her day at the tomb, a place of death, certainly not the best place to perk you up.
But this place of death was Mary's only contact with the one person who loved her most. She wanted to keep that contact, to maintain it. In the coldness of the tomb she found consolation, the presence of Jesus, albeit silent and lifeless.
But Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He said this, himself. And suddenly, with the sound of Jesus' voice calling Mary by name, the cold tomb is transformed into a place of true encounter, with the living Jesus. Wow, just one word "Mary" and everything radically changes.
Jesus wants to transform the dead parts of my life into shining shafts of light. But a lot of times I prefer to wallow in the dark. It's as if I am finding therein a masochistic comfort.
Jesus, however, wants me to be fully alive, to rise above the shackles of death's tyranny, to be at a place I am not familiar with, trusting only in His fidelity and love.
Jesus, call me by name! With your voice, rouse me from my deep slumber and lead me to the path of true life.

Of the forest

A very dear Sister of my Congregation just died.
I know, and a lot of people knew, too, that I had a very special place in sr. Silvia's heart. I think it is because she saw me growing up as a girl. She was a very dear friend of our family, especially of my nanay. Of course, they were both Ilongas, too.
Sr. Silvia was my first music teacher. I remember that when she as teaching me to play the piano, she knew when I was being lazy and just playing the notes by memory and without reading the music sheet. She would say, "read the notes".
She gave life to the rondalla group of the Girls' Center in Tondo. We had a professional teacher who came once a week and we practiced for three hours every Sunday. That helped me to develop discipline and camaraderie. Of course we were also motivated by the merenda that awaited us, courtesy of sr. Silvia, after every rondalla practice or after playing for the Masses on Sundays.
Sr. Silvia was among the Sisters who brought my brothers and sister to visit the Sisters' chapel (inside the cloister) when they were attending the Sisters' kindergarten. I think that also sowed the seed of religious vocation in my siblings.
Sr. Silvia was very faithful in sending me birthday and Christmas greetings especially when I came to Rome. She used to write the cards herself, but later on, when she found it difficult, if not impossible, to write, she asked the Sisters to write for her.
Sr. Silvia was not an easy person to live with. I know that, but she always loved our Institute. Her comments that came in different ways and forms, had a seed of truth, though.
I thank the Philippine Province for taking care of sr. Silvia and for giving her the chance to prepare herself for the final and definitive meetingwith the God whom she has tried to serve in fidelity.
I am sure that now, free from pain and other limitations, sr. Silvia is now having a great conversation with my mother and all the people who have been a part of her life.
So, why the title of this blogpost? It turns out that "Silvia" means, "of the forest". What a Providential coincidence. Sr. Silvia belonged to Don Bosco's congregation. "Bosco" means "forest".

Compassion

I have a blog. I've had it for a few years now and its title is "Everyday Compassion".
Compassion is an attitude that has always fascinated me. It is one of the most moving traits of Jesus.
Compassion indicates an abundance of goodness in one's heart,and this cannot be but a gift of God. If I only rely on my own natural traits, they get drained and exhausted. I can only give so much, if I rely on my own.
Hence, I am called to be humble; to realize how much my everyday life is filled with God's goodness, with God's compassion. If God forgets me for an instant, I come to nothing. And the thing is, God just does it as pure grace, out of the abundance of His mercy,
Yes, indeed, I am called to show compassion everyday. We have a lot of hurting people; we have a lot of fragile situations.
The beginning and end of my mission is compassion.
The end of my mission is to be moved and to act with compassion in the face of a hurting world.
The beginning is God, my everyday compassion.

Maria's message

And one of them, a doctor of the law, questioned him, to test him: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him: "You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with allyour mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. But the second is similar to it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the entire law depends, and also the prophets." (Mt 22:35-40)

Today we celebrate the holiness of Maria Goretti, an Italian girl who, at twelve years of age, chose to die rather than to compromise her purity. Perhaps in our present context this doesn't make sense to a lot of people. She could have just allowed "it", so she could save her life. Some people might even resort to ridiculing her choice, saying that she was such a prude.
For me it goes beyond protecting something that was a part of her. Maria defended, upholded a choice, the choice of her life. Her martyrdom was an expression that her choice for God was non-negotiable. It was the most significant choice of her life and she was not willing to compromise, even if it meant losing her life. Indeed, hers was the beatitude of the single-hearted. That is what purity means. Jesus said that the pure of heart will see God.
But what makes Maria Goretti's life more incredible was that she died forgiving the person who did her harm.
Yes, she really put Jesus' words into practice.
To love God is not something that is only between God and me. Loving God is verified by our love of neighbor. The more difficult it is to do that, the more we need the help of God. And when we are able to do so, we are truly daughters and sons of God.

Who do you say that I am?

It is a question that Jesus asked his disciples once.
It is a question that I have to answer throughout my life, not once, not twice...
It is a question that is ultimately not only about Jesus but about me as well.
The question, though asked in plural form, is addressed to me in person. I cannot hide behind others.
Jesus first asks who others say He is as if to prepare the ground for a more direct question. I think it is reasonable; after all, my faith is a heritage, something that I did not invent. My faith and its many expressions have been passed on to me.
But this faith has to grow and become personal. However, it doesn't cease to be a faith of the community. In fact, the community dimension is what gives faith a stable foundation, a solid rock, so that it doesn't depend on my whims and feelings.
My knowledge of Jesus is a relationship with Him. It is dynamic and alive and permeates my entire life. It has its ebbs and flows, as does my life. It is necessary to go away, to leave the hustle and bustle, so that in the silence of my heart, Jesus' question may be heard, "who am I to you?"

When God doesn't send fire

When I was a kid, one of my favorite Bible stories is that of the Prophet Elijah, especially about that duel with the prophets of Baal. The plot fascinated me, and my Bible illustrations made it even more compelling: one single prophet against the high and might Jezebel, King Ahab and the many prophets of Baal. The true God was the one who sent fire the burn the offering. Of course, Elijah won this round.
It doesn't always happen that way in life. God doesn't always send fire or manifest Himself in the way we want Him to.
It is time to go back to who we really are: We are creatures dependent on God's mercy and love. We don't need any grandstanding miracle to prove to ourselves that God exists. Every day I am already in touch with at least one miracle: MYSELF.

Be the one

When we feel short-changed by people, it is easier to wallow in self-pity or to complain just how unfair people can be.
But that is not the only option we have.
When others are not there for you, be the one.
Be the one to make the first step.
Be the one to see another person's need.
Be the one.
This was Jesus' answer to the question "who is my neighbor".
Be another one's neighbor.
Be the one.

Indifference

A big news in Rome these days is the death of a young lady burned by her ex-boyfriend. She asked at least two motorists for help but no one stopped, and this tragedy happened.
Indifference kills. In this instance, it killed a very young lady full of life and hopes for a future. It also killed what is human in each one of us, the natural instinct to reach out and be of help.
Certainly, there are many facets and aspects to the story. There are reasons for the choices of each of the persons involved in this event.
We pray that the young lady may enjoy eternal peace in heaven. We pray for us, that we may wake up and see that we, too, are accountable for a lot of things that are happening in the world, directly or indirectly.
Indifference kills.

More than a memory

The Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus. It is not a symbol; not a representation.
The Eucharist is truly Jesus who gives Himself as food for our journey. So that we won't feel alone.
Ronald Rolheiser speaks of the Eucharist as "God's embrace". Yes, when we partake of the Eucharist, Jesus becomes a part of us: God's embrace, assuring us that we are not alone.
The Eucharist is a very special gift. God knows that love is not a theory to be understood. Love is an experience that needs to touch our senses, human as we are. So Jesus allows Himself to come to us in the form of bread.
The Eucharist is a mystery we can never fully grasp. We can only bow our heads in humble gratitude.

Forgive

To forgive is to close the door to violence.

Blessed

We live in very frightening times. Everybody longs for and begs for peace. There are entire generations who have never known a time of peace. There are people who are forever haunted by violence, threat, and abuse. We are so helpless and so desperate we "buy" the first promise of "peace and order".
The thing is, all that the world offers is a promise of "fragile peace". It is fragile because most often it is bought by violence, by fear, by ignorance. That is not true peace.
The peace that God wants for His children is a "peace that surpasses all understanding". Perhaps that is why we don't buy it. We want peace that is translated as: order in the streets; well-being and prosperity; doing what I want without being accountable to anybody.
You see, our formula for peace is WRONG. It is so egocentric and without any reference to the common good, to what is best for others even if it means sacrifice on my part. The kind of peace that we like is violence-in-the-making. When we are at the center of the world, the world doesn't have any secure and constant point of reference. We see every day how we are prone to wanting one thing today and the exact opposite tomorrow. How then can we make ourselves the point of reference?
We live in very frightening times. But I am a Christian. My faith helps me to look at life with realism, hope and courage. Jesus Christ came to give us life, life to the full. This he did, not by making everything "perfect" according to our human schemes.
Jesus said and showed in  His life that the one who loses his life for the Kingdom (and all the values it represents) will find his life a hundredfold. This is what it means to have life to the full.
We may have a long life but it isn't a guarantee that we have found life's meaning.
The saints, yes, those considered fools by worldly standards, found the secret to life's meaning. It was the pearl of great price for which they have renounced everything.
That is why they are called BLESSED.

Praising God

It is fitting to praise God.
It is right and just to begin and end the day singing God's praises.
I awake because of God's goodness.
I owe to God both the breath that I take and the beating of my heart.
The desire to do good is an inspiration that God put in my heart. Praise God!
The benevolent gaze towards others, it is not my own doing, but God working in me. To God be praise.
God is my redeemer today and at all times.
The story of my life is a story of salvation.
Hail to my Savior and my God!

Taking my life seriously

To fully live life is to decide to go through the painstaking process called growth. Growth requires patience and perseverance. Nothing that is valuable is ever achieved the easy way. Unfortunately, we look at waiting as a waste of time. We want to reach the top without any effort at all, using magical and instant solutions. Perhaps that is why we have no depth. That is why we run from one thrill to another, and another, and we are never satiated. That is why long-standing and permanent commitments are considered taboo. Fidelity is scoffed at as a sign of some personality disorder. Respect and decency are considered cowardice.
It is time to take our life seriously, after all, it is the only life we have. Let us not let the mob rule it. is this the life that I truly want? When I turn 80, will there be no regrets in the way I have lived my life? Will I be proud to say that, of course, my life is not perfect! I do have my share of failures and setbacks, but I tried to listen to the voice of my heart and live a life that is worth being called human.

God-centered

Today's Gospel was the Conversion of Saint Paul. The priest very wisely reminded us that conversion is first of all interior, allowing God to be the Lord of my life. What is seen on the outside is a natural consequence of the change within.
Perhaps the reason why my many resolutions fail within a day or two is that I focus more on the right thing to do, the right thng to say, the right thing to feel. Instead, I should be more focused on who is really the "hinge" that moves me.
What happened to Saint Paul is what happens to us when we allow God to take hold of our heart. There is no room for volunteerism, only for waiting, for opening ourselves to receive God as pure gift. Our weaknesses, our relapses will not frighten us, because we give up our agenda, we renounce the desire to have control.
And when we are no longer focused on "being" good and in "doing" good, but just on God, that is conversion. It is when we really start to be good and to do good.

Full circle

Today I talked on the phone with the person who has hurt me most.
I had to undergo a long journey of healing and forgiveness after this person has hurt me and treated me like trash.
This is not the first time that we have talked after years of not talking to each other. The previous ones were sincere on my part, I guess, on her part, too.
But I guess all wounds take time to heal until you don't feel any pain anymore, and the scar just reminds you of the battle that you have won.

Easter people

In a world often paralyzed by fear and despair, we Christians have reason to hope. The road is not easy; the struggle is real. But we will rise.
The Resurrection of Jesus assures us that evil doesn't have the last word.
Saint Augustine said that we are Easter people and alleluia is our song.
Joy is an act of courage. Joy is an act of faith. Joy is God's gift.

Easter

There are moments in my life when I meet somebody from the past, and as I look at this person I spontaneously say, "God, I must have done something good in my life". That was how I felt when I met a former student at Don Bosco School, Sta. Mesa (Philippines), after 16 years.
It was like an early Easter experience, to see how I, in my own simple way as her teacher, was a part of her becoming such a wonderful person.
It is one of those experiences that certainly feed my soul.
I love being an educator!
Special thanks to all my former students and the other young people who have been a part of my journey. You, too, are a part of my Easter.

Nanay

Remembering my nanay today. She would have turned 79. I know that in heaven she continues to watch over us, loving us more and just rooting for us to be happy, truly happy.
I miss you, Nanay.

Sisterhood

When we meet another person in flesh and blood, we realize that we cannot categorize anything or anyone as purely white and purely black. There is much more to a person that her or his present state.
We are all struggling, trying to be the best persons that we can be.
Let us be kind to one another.

From Palm to Passion to Pasch

I attended a Palm Sunday Mass at a small parish. At the homily the priest talked about the Holy Week as a celebration from Palm to Passion to Pasch. It was Jesus' journey. It is our journey as well.
The journey doesn't happen once in a lifetime. It is a process that is repeating until we are moulded into the creation that God originally created us to be: His image and likeness.
It is very normal as we go through life, we would want to be recognized, to be acclaimed, to shine, even for a brief moment. That is our Palm Sunday.
But then, since restlessness is something that is inherent in our creaturehood, this shining moment loses its fascination and leaves us to craving for something more. When something we thought would make us feel fulfilled fails to do so, we become disillusioned. It makes us question a lot, from the most trivial to the most profound. In a sense, this is our Passion because those that have given security to our life suddenly come falling apart. It is those moments in life when, like Jesus on the cross, we shout out "Father, why have you forsaken me?".
But as in Jesus' life, we know that it doesn't end in death and defeat. The seeming defeat is the necessary way to the resurrection, to gaining a deeper understanding of life.
There are no shortcuts to life. We must go through the palm to the passion to rise again.

Happy women's day!

To every girl and woman I know, remember that you are God's gift to the world. May your struggle to find your place in the world not distract you from being happy for the person that you are. 

May every woman in the world find the deepest foundation on which to build her worth: God. Everything in life passes: career, beauty, family, friends, money, they all pass. Though they are important, they are not ultimately the strong foundation that will support the "house" that is our life. Only God is.

Different

Different is not a synonym of bad.

God answers our prayers

Sometimes God answers our prayers, not in the way that we are expecting. We just have to trust that God knows best. The way may be long and narrow, but it always leads to peace.

May God bless you

This is one of those days when I wake up tired and would just love to go back to bed and let whatever it is that is bothering me pass.
But life has to go on. I have tasks to do and meetings to attend, so I try to be as positive as possible.
I guess this is an experience that I share with the rest of humankind.
We don't always feel upbeat, but we have to get up.
We don't always feel inspired, but we have to perspire to get things done.
So for all of you out there who are dragging yourself from one point to another, I bless you. May God give you whatever you need to live this day in peace. Amen.

Radiating God's light

We pray for all Consecrated women and men.
May the problems of the world not overwhelm us and turn us into angry reformists or complacent conformists.
May Jesus Christ be the Light from whom we draw the small and flickering lights that we carry to the world, offering joy and hope.
May love for God and neighbor be the only reason that motivates us and gives us the courage to sow seeds even when we do not see results, knowing that it is God who makes things grow in His own time.

Sacraments of God's love

Today is the feast of Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian Family whose mission is to be signs and bearers of God's love for young people.
May Don Bosco's life and example inspire us to believe in the "goodness" of each young person.
Our priest this morning mentioned that through us, God wants to reach the young. Yes, our humanity, despite its limitations, is a privileged channel through which God wants to express to young people His love and care. So nothing is small, nothing is insignificant. We are sacraments of God's love for the young.

Sowers

To sow seeds: this is what God asks of me.
To live my faith in my thoughts, words and deeds: this is how I sow seeds.
It is not my business when, where or how the seeds grow: that is God's.

Come as we are

To pray is to come to the Lord as we are; better yet, to pray is to realize that we  are always immersed in God's infinite ocean of mercy, that we don't need to be worried about cutting a good figure. What we need is a humble and trusting heart.
Humble, in accepting the awesome and breathtaking truth that we are loved by God as we are.
Trusting, in believing that God wants us to be happy.

God's will

It is God's will that I be happy!
This is a truth that I believe in.
All life is a journey to believe that God is on my side, cheering me on, wanting me to be happy.
My whole view about life and about the way I live it will radically change if this fundamental truth becomes part of me.
The thing is, I need to change the way I look at what makes me happy. What will give me joy?
What will truly make me happy is not something ephemeral.
Don't get me wrong. It doesn't mean that little things cannot make me happy; for, the transitoriness of something doesn't depend on its size or cost. True happiness touches the soul. It is not for sale. I have seen it in the eyes of the most impoverished children, or in the gentle hands of a mother as she comforts her crying baby after a long day's work.
What makes me truly happy is what gives meaning to my life, something that gives me the reason to wake up every morning, to brave the routine of everyday life, to stay faithful even if it doesn't give me an emotional high.
God's will is for me to be happy, a joy that no one can take away from me. Is this possible? I think it is, and we see it every day in the most selfless acts of kindness, generosity and forgiveness. For it is when we are making others happy that happiness springs from the deepest part of our being. It is a gift. It is God that gives that kind of happiness to me.

God is not in the palace

One thing struck me about yesterday's Feast of the Epiphany. God is not in the palace. Jesus was not born in a palace.
The wise men from the orient, those men who were attentive to "signs", knew that a great man was born. The wise men saw the sign, a great star, and as they consulted and enquired, they confirmed that, indeed, an infant king was born.
Naturally they went to Herod's palace, the most normal place for a king to be born in. Of course, they did not find what they were looking for in that place.
As the wise men continued their journey, the star they were following reappeared once they left Herod's place, and the star led them to the place where the Christ-child was.
God is beyond our control. His ways and His choices are infinitely surprising. We need to continue to search and to be ready to be surprised, to meet God is the most unusual places. After all, Jesus was not born in a palace.

Seeking God

Those who sincerely seek God will find Him; the desire to seek God is already a glimpse of God's face.

Totally yours

At the start of this new year, I renew my choice to be totally God's. There is a great temptation in me not to say this, knowing how many times I've made two steps forward and three steps backward.
But I will do this renewal because I feel that it is the Spirit urging me to do so.
Lord, you don't need me, but I need You.
You don't deserve me, and neither do I deserve you.
Everything about You is totally gift, and I am blessed by the very fact that my life is immersed in Your immense ocean of mercy.

Hope

The beginning of the year gives us hope that we can always start anew.
As I retire my old calendar and hang a new one, it is as if God is giving me the gift of a fresh start. It is not really a back-to-zero thing, because I believe that everything that happens to us, especially our most significant experiences, will always be a part of us. Just as the resurrection did not erase the marks of the Passion, our wounds will always be a part of us; but so do our joys and triumphs.
A new beginning is a call to forgive, to give thanks, to dance to life's melody.