Lord, grant us peace

 

Be not afraid

 

I am going through a life-changing experience. Only a few people know about it, but I know that, soon, I have to face it. Facing it means talking about it. 

I have always been very open, so why is it hard to talk about it? I have a feeling that once I talk openly about it, it becomes very real. Perhaps that is what makes me afraid. 

Yesterday's Gospel is a message from God, precisely in this frightening time of my life: BE NOT AFRAID. JESUS IS WITH YOU ON YOUR BOAT. This is a very personal journey, but I am not alone. 

"Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come, follow me, and I will give you rest."

Being yourself

 

To be yourself is to know when to say something and when to say nothing.

You don't always have to say something about everything.

To be yourself is to be a person capable of thoughtful judgment.

Memories

 

Memories ... good memories. They are like an extra inch when we feel that we are at the end of our rope.

Where do you fix your eyes?

At the beginning of this year, it would be helpful to remember that how we live our lives depends on where we fix our eyes. 

Christianity

 

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else" (C.S. Lewis)

What does believing in Jesus mean to me? It is an adherence of my whole being to Jesus Christ. Saying that I am a Christian means that I believe in Jesus' message, accept Jesus' covenant of love with me, and follow Jesus' teaching and example.

So many people use religion as an excuse to do things that shouldn't even be allowed by a modicum of good manners. It really is so sad. 

Jesus who, more than two thousand years ago had to escape tyranny as a newborn child, continues to be in exile even in so-called Christian and educated/developed countries, perhaps an exile also in churches and communities that shout out His name and follow Him.

"No one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother" (1 Jn 3:10).

This coming year, may our contribution to the healing of our world be our seriously living what we profess as Christians.

Never alone

 

On this last day of 2023, I pray that we may be grateful for its joys, humble for the victories, forgiving for the missed opportunities, and trusting that we are never alone as we face the coming year. God is with us. We are in God's hands. God shows his presence in different ways. It could be through persons, events, a sudden inspiration, or just a quiet presence in our heart that enables us to live one day at a time until we slowly discover that there is something, albeit small, to be joyful about.

Good things are meant to last

 

I feel disturbed when people say "Good things never last". It seems like a very skeptical way of looking at life. That is what I love about faith. It tells us that there is something beyond us, something that surpasses our way of looking at and understanding things.

If a thing is truly good, it will last. It may not be in the form that we have always known, but it will last. The challenge for us is to know when a thing is truly good. Following our criteria may not be a wise choice, because our criteria could be subjective as they follow our moods, our feelings, and our emotions. 

Look for a north star, a guiding light other than yourself. My faith tells me to look up to God. 

As we look up to that Guiding light, it will tell us what is truly good. And as we go through life, in its ups and downs, we will see that good things may change in forms and shapes, but they always last.r

Embraced by mystery

 

It is Christmas. We welcome the Word-made flesh among us, as the greatest manifestation of God's love. Our life has meaning. The incompleteness, the never-ending journey of living life's questions and paradoxes without desiring to have all the answers, is sustained by our experience of God's tender love. He is the dawn from on high that slowly illumines the darkness. Yes, slowly, almost in a hidden way. And if we are willing to wait, God gives us a glimpse of the mystery.

Shield

 

What shields us from pain might also shield us from growth.

Miracles surround us

I was stopped by a lady this morning. She excitedly told me "Sister, I received a miracle". Then she went on to say that she is diabetic and she was able to find a good hospital where she is being treated. My first reaction was, so what is the miracle there? She is still diabetic. But on second thought, Vittoria was right. 

When we think of miracles we think of instantaneous cures or the complete resolution of a problem. But miracles abound every day. They surround us. We need the pure eyes of a child who can see wonder in the most ordinary things. We need a grateful heart that doesn't demand anything nor take anything for granted.

Thank you Vittoria. Lord, grant that I may see.

Live in the present moment

 I went to St. Peter's very early last Saturday. What an experience. I basked in the silence and in the possibility of just walking and enjoying the views and buildings I have passed several times, without taking time to appreciate their beauty and timelessness. 

I felt grateful to have this opportunity to live in the present moment, fully immersed in the moment, because that is the only one we have in our hands

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Thank you

 

What better way to end the year than to say, "Thank you". Everything is grace. To God who is the source of everything, thank you.

Making a list is always risky because there is always a big chance to forget something. But I make this list because it helps me to recognize God's expressions of love.

For the people I have met along my life's journey, thank you.

For the experiences that made me who I am and that continue to mold me to be a good and decent person, thank you.

For the unexpected circumstances, both happy and sad, that get me in touch with the core of who I am, thank you.

For the gift of life, for every breath I take, thank you.

For all of you, my friends, thank you. Be assured that I remember you in my prayers. Let us allow God to be the center of our lives, our families, our societies. We cannot do it by ourselves. We need a greater Power. 

Why is it difficult to say that we believe in God and we trust Him? That is not infantile. That is speaking the truth.

Joy

 

Joy is not a prize, nor a quest, nor a destination.

Joy is the spirit within us, accompanying us in our journey.

It is like a dancing and totally dynamic flicker of light that warms our heart, sustains our resolve, pushes us to move ahead, and allows us to see the good and the beauty that surrounds us.

Temple

 

The temple is like a point of convergence

   between God and man

   between heaven and earth

   between the sacred and the profane

   between past, present, and future.

Come to think of it, when I really pause and just sit still, each object in the temple seems to tell a story of people who have passed those very halls. And when I close my eyes I may even hear their voices.

Whatever offering I bring will always be small and insignificant. Generations have preceded me and generations will follow me.

What is important is that I come, with something, with my everything.

Deaths

 

Today we remember our dearly departed. Our faith helps us to believe that death is not the end of life. Rather, it is like a fork in the road. Turn, we must, and it leads to something we haven't even imagined, and the journey continues.

Each one of us experiences death in many ways, every day: broken dreams, betrayed trusts, failed endeavors, an unexpected illness, loss of self. Grieve, we must, but each dawn is a promise of resurrection. When we believe.

As you want me

Four years ago, the communion song during our silver anniversary Mass was "Come Tu mi vuoi" (as you want me). As the years pass, may this be the prayer in my heart; a prayer not bereft of tears, but is always a source of deep joy. Yes, to be who God wants me to be. Yes, to go where God wants me to go.

Accompanied by Mary, the road may not be easy, but it is never lonely.

Darkness

 

Today we remember one of the greatest tragedies of all time. The mob asked for blood and they got it.

There is a saying that goes "There is strength in numbers". Democracy is considered as vox populi. Sure, being in a crowd, being a part of a crowd hides our identity, but it also hides our vulnerability. The loud voices are the ones that dictate the crowd's direction until it comes to a point that there is no more direction.

How many more people continue to die and be punished because of this.

When something bad happens we always look for someone to blame. And rarely do we find ourselves worthy of blame. It is always someone else - the scapegoat. 

It was indeed a dark day. No light emerged because the mob silenced reason, the mob stifled the light.

But it is not over.

Gems from Laura's life

 

Today is the feast of Blessed Laura Vicuña, an amazing adolescent who, at such a tender age, had understood the meaning of true love. To remember Laura is a reminder for us FMAs:

1. to create educational environments where young people feel that they are truly loved and accompanied to undertake a journey to holiness;

2. to not be afraid of proposing high ideals to young people because they have a great heart capable of aiming high;

3. to appreciate the simple elements of our Salesian spirituality: joy and service in everyday life; friendship with Jesus, nourished by His Word and by the Eucharist; the sacrament of Reconciliation; the living presence of Mother Mary;

4. to believe in the young. With them, we are called to be missionaries of hope and of joy.

Grateful

 

How do I want to conclude this year? With gratitude.

Saint Paul exhorts us to "give thanks at all times" (1 Thes 5:18). I give thanks not only when things turn out favorable or according to my plans. I give thanks because, come to think of it, in anything that happens something good is always born. It may not be what I expect, but hey, who am I give the final word since I don't know the whole story. If I were to know the total and bigger picture, as only God knows, I will be surprised at the amount of good that a seemingly negative thing has put into motion.

Gratitude is an expression of faith. There is a Higher Force, a Greater Being, a loving God who is in charge. For this, I give thanks.