The present moment is a gift, that is why it is called "present"

The best defense against change is to accept that it happens.
Acceptance leads to letting go.
Letting go leads to wisdom.
Wisdom leads to seeing the gift that is present in each moment.

What is mercy?

Mercy is to be given a recognition that is totally undeserved.
It is not being "looked down", rather, it is being "lifted up".

Be good news

When the Good News that we have received becomes truly welcomed in our life, it becomes part of who we are; nay, we become part of it, because we become good news to others.

God remembers

It is almost Christmas; just three more days.
Today, Mary accompanies us on our journey to the stable in Bethlehem by Mary, the woman of the Magnificat. In the midst of all the bad news that we hear, we are tempted to ask, "where are you, Lord?".
Mary reminds us that God hasn't left us alone. Just as winter doesn't cancel out life, rather, keeps it pulsating within until it bursts out in full force at springtime, God "remembers His promise of mercy".

"Your prayer has been heard"

More than a passive waiting for God to do something, prayer has an active dimension; that of transforming our hearts, so that the object of prayer becomes the passion of our hearts. It is what is in our hearts that move us to action.

Not by force, never by force

I like what our Constitutions say about our style of education-evangelization: by persuasion.
By tapping on a person's interior resources, we create conditions that would allow the person to make a free choice.
Jesus never forces Himself on anyone, even when rejecting Him ultimately makes us sad. He just tries and tries again, knocking on our heart and hoping that we would open the door to Him.
We should do the same.

Holy and Blameless

Yesterday's feast of the Immaculate Conception gives us a picture of what we are all called to be: holy and blameless.
Holy, because God, our Father is holy. It's about having a life that is holistic, that is integrated in all its different aspects.
Blameless, because we are saved by the love of God poured out on us in Jesus Christ.

An invitation to joy

How can we have joy in a world filled with violence, injustice, and poverty? We must have a bigger perspective: History is not only today; life is not only the here and now.
When we recognize that we are just a small part of a bigger reality called life, then we bow our head, not out of resignation, but in adoration of the One who was, who is, and who is to come. God holds everything in His loving hands, and His plan for us is joy and fullness of life!

Feel it, savor it

We run from one experience to another; we look for different adventures because we never stop to just savor what we have, the present moment.
Time is not only chronos, that is, a sequence; time is also kairos, a deep immersion in order to discover the various layers of the same experience.
This is what Advent offers us - a deeper immersion into whatever it is we are experiencing at the moment, and discover the Faithful Presence that gently leads us.