A visit to the Crib....
Yesterday, I remained for sometime after Mass to visit the Nativity Scene and or the Crib in the Church and had an overwhelming experience which I want to share to inspire us all. Of all the characters present, my mind dwelt more on the donkey......... a domestic animal misused in carrying loads........ no wonder termed doing  'donkey' work....? not as strong and valued in comparison to the horse....... yet very useful. The Lord Jesus will ride on a colt to enter Jerusalem on Passion Sunday........Then my mind recalled the desert scene when the seer Balaam was knocked down 3 times from his donkey on his way to pronounce curses on Israel on invitation of Barak, king of Moab. In this episode, Balaam's donkey was seeing an Angel of the Lord with a drawn sword blocking his way (Num. 22: 22-36) and wondered what the donkey in this scene was seeing? .........Host of Angels adoring the Baby Jesus?..... If it could talk, what will it narrate to us.....? I looked at Mary and Joseph, wondered  what was going on in their hearts and minds? ... Scripture only stated Mary pondered these things in her heart.........can we enter into this heart treasured with many mysteries........? Joseph, a righteous man as Scripture called him (Mat. 1:11-25).....where will all these lead him.......? dreams that are slowly unfolding before his very eyes .......? What about the shepherds, who have been sent by the host of Angels........did the little lamb they brought recognize the Baby Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God.........?   My mind was racing fast.......... it's too much for one visit........ it has to sink in slowly............so I need to come back, again and again, if necessary ....... I intentionally left out the Magi because on the first day of Christmas, they were not there yet. This first week or the Octave of Christmas can be  a period to travel with them on their journey following the star........ to join them to present our gifts to Baby Jesus on the Feast of Epiphany. As I need to go back it will be worthwhile if others can make some visits in the coming days....... to spend some time.........actively entering the scene and allowing the character(s) to speak to our hearts........smell, taste and feel what is going on ...... no need to rush.....can remain with one character as long as necessary to really be touched .......as this may lead us to discover personally the principal character lying in the center of the crib - the Baby Jesus.

Identity with the weakness of a Baby
In our Churches and homes during this time, the Nativity scene will find a prominent place of display. Some very elaborate and some very simple. In the center of the scene is the crib with the Baby Jesus laying on straw, surrounded by his parents, the shepherds, the 3 wise men and some animals. It will be good to spend some time with  the scene and try to identify self with each of the main characters... placing yourself in the role of each and note what is moving within you........
Look at Baby Jesus......touch his tiny hands and fingers.....his body wrapped in swaddling clothes...... look at his face.....his sparkling eyes........open arms......waiting for your embrace...... and see the weakness of the Baby Jesus.........who has to depend totally on his parents for everything necessary for growth: food, love, warmth, clothes, shelter, protection ....... etc.
In the weakness of a child..... we come to realize the Saving Mercy of God. This weak, helpless child expresses the Divine Love of God for humanity. .....God willingly chose to take on flesh to be born as a helpless, weak baby as an expression of his great love ....... to identity with the weakness and helplessness of each person.
Divine Love is the Christmas Message..... God became man to live among us....... Emmanuel...... God with us......God decided to manifest himself in the helplessness and weakness of a child.......It is as if God can no longer contain his love so this ocean of love and mercy  burst forth to cover us all.......
Examine the realism of our Christian Faith....... God so loved the world, you/me/us, that he chose to become a helpless weak baby to reveal His Divine Mercy.........As we journey through life, in search of  self identity.......we forget how much God has loved and showed us abundant mercy. Keep the Nativity scene in mind as long as you can and return to it many times during this Season to keep company with the Baby Jesus.... Mary and Joseph. ......What can you tell Him .... and what can you bring to him as a gift?.....After all Jesus is the Reason for the Season so let the Baby Jesus be the center of all our thoughts, actions and Celebrations! Have a Blessed Christmas!

This is what we believe.....
Each time we pray the Nicene Creed, we profess our confession of faith in this great mystery of the Incarnation: ........'For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, and by the power of the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man'....... Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's promises..... He is the sign...... the sign of favour......... the perfect gift given to humanity. .....For God so loved the world.... (Rose, John, Abla etc....) that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.......Through Mary the promise of Redemption was accomplished. Mary's prompt response of "Yes " to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was willing and eager to do God's will even  when it seemed difficult. God gives us graces and he expects us to respond with the same willingness and total trust as Mary did. Do we believe in God's promises and do we yield to the graces that accompany them ? .....When God asks something, he also gives the necessary help, strength and the means to carry it out. What is God asking us that seems infeasible? ......We can either yield to his grace or reject and go our own way, doing our own thing(s)
The whole of our Christian life journey is an Advent..... period of grace........ and of favour.  God has already given the sign.........and what do we have to give in return especially at this Christmas?   The only suitable birthday present that is worth giving,  is the gift of our lives. ... The Lord owns everything but with the gift of our free will we can choose or refuse to belong to Him.
This Christmas,  Jesus wants us to present ourselves totally to Him, not in fanciful wraps, but just as we are.....His Precious Blood will wash away the stains or wrinkles....so that our bodies become a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him.... May we be grace-filled as Mary did by accepting his will and plan for our lives. May we all experience a very Blessed Christmas.......our hearts filled with gratefulness to God for the great things He has done for us......Let us echo Mary in the Magnificat.... let our soul magnify the Lord and out spirit rejoice in God our Saviour........With the power of the Holy Spirit and Mary let us enter and experience the Mystery of the Incarnation which is Christmas........'Mary' Christmas

'Are we all not beggars?'....
 We are all in need of  something and have to ask the other one for it as no one is self sufficient. Even though the degree of need may vary yet we are all in need of something. Who to ask is another issue, friends..... strangers...... family........and if all fail ...... a higher power........ God? So at the end of the day, in one way or the other,  we all turn to someone and or God in our moments of need. I had a conversation with a 'beggar' on the street who asked me  a question which set me thinking. He has been prohibited from entering a Chapel, where he begs for alms and that is forbidden in the Chapel. Not happy with this 'unfair' decision, he posed me the  question.......  'is there anyone who does not ask for something from someone? ' ......His question was thought-provoking and I came to realize that we are all beggars but the greatest beggar is God Himself.
It is God who is calling out to us to come to him, ....his heart is yearning for humanity - his creation - to know ...love ......serve and return to him. He cries out to those who are thirsty,  to quench at the source of the Living  Water.....He invites the weary and the heavily burdened to come and find rest in him....He reveals the depth of his love through his open-pierced Sacred Heart from the cross........ see the Heart that  loved men so much........ God is begging for love.......the lover searching out for his beloved........He never stop seeking out the lost....as the Good Shepherd going after the lost sheep........for  we have all gone astray... busy being busy.....   Scripture after Scripture is literally calling us to repent,..... change our ways,  come back to the Lord our God so as not to end in hell .....but to spend eternity with Him in heaven.....When  you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me..... It's God who allows us to find Him even though we may think we are searching for Him. ..... For our sake, He is waiting in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, in the Tabernacle as a prisoner of  Love .......for our  visit to spend just some moments with Him....... He is standing at the door of each heart... knocking....and waiting to come in, if only we will open and welcome him into our hearts/lives........ At his first coming, his parents knocked on so many doors but there was no room....... no space in any Inn for Him to be born....... He is still knocking and waiting to be allowed in to hearts that will accept Him. His greatest gift that he came to give is life, .....eternal life. As Christmas draws near.. .. will He find room/space in our hearts to come and be made flesh........ dwell among us?   By welcoming him .....we can unknowingly welcome the other beggar(s) we chose not to see living all around  us.

Join the Angelic Salutation
- The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary....... And She was conceived by the Holy Spirit
(Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus;   Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen)
- Behold the handmaid of the Lord,........ Be it done unto me according to thy word.
(Hail Mary...........)
- And the Word was made flesh............ And He dwelt among us 
(Hail Mary..........) etc.
   You may recall praying the 'Angelus' in the past at 06.00a.m., 12.00 noon or 6,00 p.m. This Catholic tradition, that has become less popular in our days can become alive during this Advent as I recently experienced the beauty and richness of this simple traditional prayer of the Church.
    The dialogue that is being recalled in this prayer is from the Holy Scriptures, That event brought the 1st Advent into fulfillment. The virgin did have a child as Isaiah prophesied. We are now in the Advent season and we can enter into the spirit of the Angelus.  As we pray those same words they can become alive in our hearts as we discover God's faithfulness, fulfilling his promise to save humanity. Praying it, is like joining the Angel Gabriel, who was sent by God to the Virgin Mary,...... greet her with the words of the Angel Gabriel: 'Hail full of grace....... the Lord is with you......... follow Mary as she entered the house of Elizabeth, who under the power of the Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said 'Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb - Jesus. And how does this happen  to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?......... Blessed are you who believed  that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled......(Lk. 1: 26-45).... Join the Church praying: 'Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour our death, Amen!
   If for whatever reason you have stopped praying this beautiful prayer or have never prayed it, you can experience it anew especially in this season of Advent and thereafter everyday at 06.00 a.m., 12.00 noon and or 6.00 p.m. Join the angelic salutation and experience the joyful heart of Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit........ Enter into the mystery of the Annunciation...... and experience Advent in a new way....... let the joy of Advent ring in your heart.......Have a blessed Advent!

Expectation with a presence.
This weekend we begin the season of Advent, 4 weeks to Christmas but what is it all about?  An expectant mother during pregnancy feels the presence of the baby she is carrying in her womb. She is very aware of it, feels the movement and hears the heartbeat even though the child is not yet born. The period of gestation is not only eating well, rest, exercise, etc. ...  but also period of excitement and wonder as she awaits the coming to birth of the child she is nurturing in her womb. The period of Advent is also like that..... we become pregnant with the Word, becoming more aware of the presence of God in our lives, in the lives around us and in the world where we live. The first Advent heralded the coming of the Messiah and many missed Him because He did not meet their expectations. Since then we are living in the end times when we expect Him to come again, any time. Every Advent is therefore an opportunity to become more aware of His presence so that should He come today we will not be caught off-guard. Like the expectant mother prepares for the coming  to birth of her child, we need also to prepare for the return of the Lord, who is here yet to come again.
Christmas will remind us of the first coming and His coming again. It's a period of grace to wake up from sleep because our salvation is closer than we think. We cannot continue business as usual, ....Jesus, though here is coming in a special way to us at Christmas not in the  physical body but in a very real way. If we are not awake and open  to His coming this Christmas what will make us think that we will be prepared for His final coming? We need to be prepared in the same way for the son of Man is coming at a time you least expect (Mat 24:44). It's time to prepare diligently and open up to Jesus. It's time to meet Jesus as the Saviour now before we meet Him as the Judge.Our entire life is a period of Advent....going about our ordinary job but waiting in expectation with a presence. He who is here is coming again and we need to be busy with the preparation.
Take time each day this Advent  and enter the mystery of the Living Word, ..... Emmanuel...... God with us...............Maranatha...... Come Lord Jesus!

Which Cross?
This earthly life is not without a cross... each person is called to carry his/her own cross..... but which cross are you carrying? your own or that of others?....... what can be the reason(s) that  can make us unknowingly carry the cross of others...... If the other person is not 'responsible' for his/her mistakes in life, if they are not accountable for their shortcomings  then it's someone else fault..... and that someone else can be you. You have heard  the story of the man who complained to God about how heavy his cross is until God agreed that he can change it. So the man went into the room where there were various crosses in height, weight and size. Having looked at all, he ended up taking back his own which he complained about. Therefore there must more than carrying your own cross. How big is the cross that you carry and under which circumstances would you ask for a different cross? At the end of the day each person has to carry his /her cross; the one who called us to take up the cross and follow Him, if we want to be his disciples also invites us to come to him if we are heavily burdened and He will give us rest. He invites us to learn from Him, for His yoke is easy and burden light. We need to remember this invitation when the burden becomes too heavy.... Anxieties, fears and guilty feelings of  mistakes from the past can be some of the underlying reasons for trying to carry the cross of our loved ones in addition to our own and that can make your own cross heavy. The Lord Jesus is the only person who carried the heaviest Cross ever, our individual ones are just a splinter of his. Therefore we can not carry the cross of the other.... each is called to carry his/her cross .......we can support each other in prayer for strength to be able to persevere through the ups/downs till the end.....Uniting your tiny cross to that of Jesus is a way of finding meaning, which can make your burden sweet..

Mistakes of God?
Does God makes mistakes?.........when terrible things happen to good people?..... when innocent babies are born with incurable disease?...... when a natural disaster struck suddenly?........a loved one loosing the battle to cancer? ......when overwhelmed with the un-explainable, what crosses your mind? Where is God you may ask or blame...... But does God makes mistakes?  In Scripture, (Lk. 6:12ff) we read that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer and then chose his closest friends or his Apostles. The list was not impressive by human standards.... not the highly educated, sinners, doubters, unstable, irrational, etc. etc. Did Jesus made a mistake in praying and choosing Judas Iscariot as one of his closest friends? God loves all and wishes all to be saved. He chooses both good and bad and offers them equal chance to make a free choice. Nathaniel was without any guile but he also has to accept Jesus' invitation just like unstable Peter. If God makes mistakes, then we should not be alive today, but we are because of His unending love allowing the good and bad to live so that in the end all might be saved. Take a look back at your life.....are you surprised that God did not strike you down in anger?... is that a mistake? No that is how much God loves the sinner and not the sin......Everyday is an opportunity to be reconciled,...... total conversion ......before it's too late. Our Lord Jesus took a risk when he taught us to call God: 'Our Father', for doing so he automatically made us heirs to the kingdom of God. We became adopted children and that is not a mistake! See how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!......... ( 1 Jn 3: 1-3) is that a mistake? God chooses the weak to shame the strong and the poor to shame the rich...... and that is no mistake for it's not by might and it's not by power but by the Spirit. Therefore let the weak say:  I'm strong, let the poor say I'm rich because of what the Lord has done...... sing praise.......for God does not make mistakes. If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.........the cruel death of Jesus on the cross was not a mistake. Can anything then separate us from the love of Christ? trouble or hardship or death of  a loved one? illness of a loved one? persecution or famine or danger or sword............?  No!..... no,  in all these things and under any circumstance, we are and can be more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Let us be convinced like Paul, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will (and or can) separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! The unconditional love of God is not a mistake!

The Love Prayer
How do you know you are loved unless the lover cease not to remind the beloved as often as it takes.Even if repeated ten thousand times, each one is different, each time it means something different. There is no repetition in " I love you ", because they are spoken in a new moment of time, another point in space, for the words do not mean the same as they did at another time or in another space. Love is never monotonous  in the uniformity of its expression
This is what we do when we say the Rosary. We are saying to God, to the Trinity. to the Incarnate Saviour and to the Blessed Mother Mary: " I love you. I love you. I love you. " Each time it means something different because at each decade, our mind is moving to a new demonstration of our Saviour's love: for example, from the mystery of his love which willed to become one of us in the Incarnation, to the other mystery of love when he suffered for us.. and to the other mystery of where he intercedes for us before the heavenly Father.
The Rosary is mistakenly regarded as a passive form of prayer since we are able to speak to people while our minds are thinking of something else. But in the Rosary, we not only say the prayers, we think them: Nazareth where it all started in the Annunciation...to the hill country of Judea in the Visitation... to Bethlehem ...Galilee... Jerusalem. Golgotha,.... Calvary.... Mount Olives..... heaven. All these move before our mind's eye as we pray. The Rosary invites our fingers, our lips, and our heart in one vast symphony of prayer and for that reason it is the greatest prayer ever composed. it's God's Love Song given to us and is the best therapy for distraught, unhappy, fearful and frustrated souls.
The month of October is dedicated to praying the Rosary, it's a month of special grace.... each Hail Mary is like a Rose being offered  to the Blessed Mother. Therefore let's offer Her a garland of Roses as we lovingly pray:
 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; 
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen!

The God of the Impossible
What may seem impossible in your eyes right now will be restored for nothing is impossible to God . Recall the most impossible situation(s) in your life at the moment: terminal illness of loved ones....... family breakdown...... threatening ailments of old age........ etc, etc? what man considers impossible, the Lord sees and uses as opportunities to manifest his almighty power.... only trust and wait ...
Our God will do more than we can ever dare to ask or imagine. He does the impossible as our hope in Him will not leave us disappointed. The situation you are going through can get better or bitter. One way that you can get better rather than bitter is to develop a thankful heart. .... learning to be grateful to the Lord in all things...... counting your blessings along the way will surprised you what the Lord has done.
' O thou who has given me so much, I pray that you give me yet one more thing - a grateful heart and faith to believe that You are the God of the Impossible' Amen!

The story behind the faces...
Look around you look at the faces that you see..... the smiles..... the lines, the  pain..... each carries a story that goes beyond time and place..... Take the little chubby lad at the playground, who never joins the others to play..... what could be on the mind of such a young child?........the mother who all of a sudden begins to cry...makes you to wonder if you had said anything wrong to trigger a hidden pain....
We all carry stories behind the smiles....... the child who does not know his father because he disappeared before he was born......... the child who finds it hard to understand why the father chose for his job above the family....... or the father who spends more time out with 'friends' than with the family........ or the mother who is stuck with guilt from the past........the wife married yet not loved...... the un/documented migrant who is lost in the system......... the young man with lost dreams.......the wandering homeless .... the caregiver hanging on the thin thread of hope.......lonely is the one who sees.......those who carry the pain for the injustice around them.......the chase for fame that leaves one empty and restless.........the once active mind now imprisoned in a paralyzed body. The list is unending as you take a peep behind the faces around you. What is the story behind your face?.....rejection..... betrayal........ disgrace... . despair ..... fear .?

Look at the gentle face of Jesus......... can you read the story behind his face? ......look at his piercing eyes inviting you to sit at his feet and learn from him ...... he was also despised, .......rejected,........ betrayed,.. mocked ...denied........ the lover yet unloved........ the beggar knocking at hearts........the prisoner of love waiting for your visit........ the provider yet denied.......the creator who allowed to be mistreated by his creation .......see him hanging on the Cross........hear his cry for thirst for your soul....... so that his death will not be in vain........see his face disfigured by pain.........a man of sorrows......upon him was the chastisement that made us whole ...... by his stripes we are healed! No one suffers alone even if you feel alone right now. now....no story is new....... they are only understood in the light of His story....... we may be granted glimpses but full understanding is to be totally immersed in Him then it will no longer be you who lives but Christ in and through you; for you can do all things because of Him who strengthens you.
What is there that Jesus could have done that He did not do? ..... how much more pain must He have borne  for you to understand His love for you? There is no pain on earth that He has not felt ...... If you hang onto Him and not give up,  then you will find meaning in your story in the light of His...... we are all bleeding from infested wounds..... and He the Wounded Healer desires to make us whole in body, mind and soul.......

What makes today special?
Today is not just another day in your life, it is a unique day, the only day you have that has been given to you as a gift. It is the one day that is  present - a gift - today. So how do I fully use this day? Thanking God for eyes to see the world around and within.. appreciate the minute things that are usually taken for granted..... the sky.. the clouds...... the birds...... flowers........ trees......the sun...... feel the wind... the cool or hot breeze on your face...the smell of rain and the rain drops.....the weather is not only good or bad..or nice but  a reflection of all that is happening and affecting your moods and feelings at the soul level. Lift up your eyes and just look at the clouds..... the formation and movement of the clouds ....and from your last trip recall your thoughts as you gazed through the window as the plane flew above the clouds ......
What about the people you meet today?...... look at their faces.... the smile, the joy, the pain......the silence... do you really see through them to identify with their feelings?...... they are no strangers but only friends that you have not met....
Whatever you are able to achieve today, however little or great is a gift..... so ask yourself , why have I been given this day and for what purpose......what did you do to earn this precious gift.......? If  gifts are not earned otherwise they would not be gifts then they become blessings. What should be the response to a blessing?..... thankfulness leading to grateful hearts....If you can recognize that every thing about today is a blessing then you will fully appreciate today. Do not take the many blessings today for granted.... depending on where you live.....a cold or hot shower for example........ transportation system that works..... bringing fresh produce from distant countries to your local market at prices that make you wonder how much did the farmer actually earned for his toil............imagine the chain of workers that made this possible.........
Is your heart bursting with: 'Thank you Lord'? ... Let the gratefulness in your heart overflow to blessings to the people you meet and touch today. ...Freely you receive... freely you give.... If you accept today not only as a gift but as the first or the last day of your life..... then you will have spent this special day very well. .....The more you are given the more will be required of you.....

How much time is remaining? ....
What will you do differently if you know that you have began the count down? In fact each new day brings us closer to the big day that we will meet the Lord. "......I go to prepare a place for you and when I finished I will come and take you so that where I am you may also be,,,,, (Jh. 14::2-3)  This is a promise and He who has promised is faithful.

We are all workers in the Lord's vineyard. ( Mat 20:1-16) some has worked for the whole day but many of us have only worked for few hours, We may have wasted greater part of life doing our own thing until by His mercy,  accepted/responded to his call. The Lord is generous so even the latecomers will also receive the same  just wage, like those who have toiled the whole day, their entire life. God is merciful in opening the doors of his kingdom to all who will enter, both those who have laboured a life-time for him and those of us who have just come at the last hour. While the reward is the same the motive for one's labour can make a difference. Do you work only for the reward or you work for the joy and the opportunity to work and serve others?.....performing your task with cheerfulness and diligence for the sake of the Lord?......

Even though it might have taken you so long to begin purposeful living,  the Lord in his goodness will repay for the years which the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25), that is those wasted years of life.  The Lord in his mercy has saved the 'Best' for the last as in Cana; ( Jh 2:10) therefore we need only to leave all behind, pushing on ahead to what is yet to come. The Lord died to atone for our past so  we need to move on to find our purpose in life, thanking Him for the privilege of living for Him in the present -  today. Therefore if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts......if today is the last day what will be the new approach?  ..remember the best is yet to come as eyes have not sees and ears have not heard what the Lord has in store for those he has called.

We need to recognize the urgency of the hour,  to start immediately as so much time has been wasted  on frivolous things. Therefore for the remaining of this hour,.... this day......, this week........, this month....., this year........ - the rest of my life......, try to serve the Lord with all my heart and my strength and my soul. It's possible not by own might but in close walk with Him for He gives the necessary grace for the task.

Motive ... fear or love?
Have you ever wondered why you go to Church and keep going?  Earlier this week as I entered the Church to attend the Holy Mass, I had this thought: why do you keep coming ..... fear or love?
Yes coming to think of it,  why do we often go to Church and as Catholics daily if possible and as I reflect a  common Hymn came to mind:-
              My God, I love you though there were
              No heaven for me to win
              No hell to punish those who dare
              Against your love to sin..........
Therefore do we go to Church because of gaining something out of it - heaven? or do we go out of fear to prevent going to hell?  By the way,'Heaven is Real and so is Hell', is Vassula's latest book (visit tlig.org)
Fear may not be a good reason for going to Church yet it could be a beginning point. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.... God is love and merciful, but He is also a Judge. His love and justice should go hand in hand. If He will take note of our sins, who will dare stand before Him? We can be tempted to become too familiar with God's love/mercy that we forget He is also a righteous Judge. Therefore holy fear of God will keep us on our toes to be conscious of our nothingness before Him. He is a Holy and Loving Father, but He is not our equal. It's only through the sacrificial love of Jesus on the Cross that has given us access to come into His presence.
                Upon the Cross your wide embrace
                Made me, dear Lord your own;
                The nails, the spear, the long disgrace
                For me should all atone...........
However, the fear of hell below or hope of heaven above are not enough reasons for going to Church. Rather, love should be the key........the underlying motive for going to  Church. The holy fear of God may  bring us to repentance and restoration to a loving God who has been waiting for our coming back home. Like the Prodigal son, we tend to wander away from home and we need to return again and again.......
As we listen to the Word of God, our hearts are filled with hope and assurance. Each part of the Holy Eucharistic Celebration leads to restoration. Unlike the woman with the issue of blood who got healed because she touched the Hem of His garment, we are totally immersed in Him... we become divinized  as He came to share in our humanity so that we can share in His Divinity. We love or must love Him because He first love us. Each time we attempt to love Him we experience abundant love being poured into our hearts. We cannot therefore 'surpass' God in giving or loving. He is the giver without measure and the great Lover without compare.
Like Peter, where can we go to find such tangible love? to whom shall we go? where can we find food that last? food that nourishes? where can the thirsty quench their thirst? where can the soul find rest?
Whether fear or love may drive us to seek the Lord, it's all by His own Grace... His own doing....it is His Love that draws us to seek Him and He allows us to find Him, He opens His Heart that we may enter and listen to His heart-beat, and He nourishes us with His own Self.... Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity .... His total  Self. ......the Holy Eucharist is an invention of Love, for as we commune with Him we are embraced in His Love.
Is there any answer to the question? may be only partially, because nothing remains the same..... my feeble thoughts may change/grow  in the degree I continue to respond to the grace being given. My insight is still blurred..as we see only through darkened glass, ...... knowledge is imperfect.... .that is why we need to go often, daily if possible to recharge our empty batteries, to remain connected to the Vine as apart from Him we cannot bear any fruit,..... fruits that will last. Being part of the Body we  need to be connected to the source of life. The weak being carried by the strong, all drawing nourishment from the True Vine.......
Is it therefore too much to keep going to Church? nothing we do is or can be too much in comparison to what He lovingly suffered on the Cross......... It is an open invitation to all and who will not lovingly  accept such a generous offer from the one who tenderly invites?.....

Heart Aflame
In Paray-le-Monial, the Lord Jesus revealed His Heart aflame with the words: "See the Heart that loves so much, but all I get in return is ingratitude........"  The mind thinks but it's the heart that rules; the heart is the seat of all human  emotions: abandonment, betrayal, anxiety, fear, hate, guilt, shame, passion, love,  peace,  joy.....etc.; no wonder it is the heart that gives life or death.
 Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is very appropriate because it connects us to the humanity of Jesus who is both Human and Divine. Like the Burning  Bush  on Mt. Horeb (Ex.3:2-5) where Moses was surprised to see the bush on fire yet not burning, so is the Heart of Jesus on fire but not consumed. Unlike the Burning Bush when Moses was asked not to draw near and to remove his shoes because he was on Holy ground, the Heart of Jesus invites and allows  us to draw near  even to put our hand in His Opened-Side. Even though Holy yet He is on fire with love for sinners to come and find forgiveness,... the weary to find rest,... the thirsty soul to drink from the fountain of love,..... the anxious to find solace,...the rejected to find acceptance, the wounded to find healing,.... the lost  - home and the dead to find  real life, Eternal Life  in Him.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ocean of love, whose breadth, height and depth cannot be fathomed. There is no pain on earth that this Heart did not experience for the sake of love for fallen humanity.
 What is the condition of your heart?.... aching with pain, ....confused with emotions,.... yearning for something you don't know...... anxious....... weak/sick..........heavy...... broken........ ?
Come to me all ye who are wearied, you who labour  and heavily burdened,  come to me and I will give you rest. (Mat. 11:28 ff). A hiding place, a shield, a refuge and enabled to listen to His passionate yet gentle heart beat to calm the restless soul. Therefore let us dare approach with confidence, the  Heart that is Aflame with  Unconditional Love for each one of us.
St Augustine puts it beautifully: "Our hearts are restless until they come to rest in You"  
 

The Essence of Love..
The nature of God is love..... God loves each one of us perfectly and infinitely...,,unconditionally...He loves us even if we decide never to love Him.... or do not know Him, acknowledge Him....and that is only one side of the equation. The other side is what is the essence of loving God in return?... Do we or can we love Him in the degree He loves us?.....Are our hearts burning to love Him?.... Are we yearning to be with Him?..... talk with Him?...... listen to Him?.......(all the things lovers do for each other?).....Loving Him despite whatever happens in life and death?....even when He does not seem to answer any of your prayers?....love Him even if you never felt His presence?  love Him through thick and thin?
The essence of loving God is not mainly to get answers to our prayers..... to be become rich...... or healed of an illness....etc. but when we move from what is tangible or visible to our senses...... we can find meaning in loving God for who He is. We can try to love Him because he loved us first..... in loving Him we can develop trust in Him, we can be drawn into Him ..... stay close to Him......depend on Him..... allow Him to lead us.
Love was the purchased price..... His Precious Blood shed on the Cross..... for each one........ We can find meaning in loving Him if we understand  what it cost Him to love us even to the Cross to set us free and restore us to God's friendship
Scripture puts it clearly: "The love of Christ impels us who have reached the conviction that since One died for all, all died. He died for all so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him who for their sakes died and was raised up"

The Eternal Silence..........
Sitting in a park admiring the flowers in bloom,... listening to the birds chattering ..... and or watching passers by ......just enjoying the moment .....can lead one to be caught up in the silence..... the time standing still....the wind blowing gently in the branches......bringing to mind a Scripture verse: ' the wind blows, we hear it and feel it but we don't know where it is coming from and where it is going...'
What about life?..... the mind wanders.......from the point of birth.. no one can envisage how it will unfold......the ups/down.... the joys/pain..... the memories/regrets...... travels across continents ......... carrier/family......retirement........ a lot must have happened in a span of this short life..........suddenly a clock in the distance wakes one up from the drowse into the the reality. ..... becoming aware of the transistory of things..... only God is eternal...in the midst of all things God's ever presence has always been present. One only needs to take time to ponder to get in touch.....and in an awkward place like the park in Spring..... one can be caught up in the eternal silence of God.............

Transfiguration/Transformation
Walking along the bank of the canal, in the middle of Spring, one will notice the thousands of wild flowers in full bloom - yellow, white, pink, blue. .... Last week on one such sunny blue-sky day, I made a meditation walk to the park.  Meditating on the Transfiguration of Jesus before his chosen Apostles on Mt. Tabor, it came to me in a flash that the Transfiguration power of Jesus does not only transfigure our stony hearts to hearts of flesh, from darkness to light, the barren land into fertile land .... etc. but the transfiguration is right before my eyes. The whole countryside is awake from the cold winter and now alive with new life - the thousand wildflowers which just sprung from the ground - send forth your spirit and thou shall renew the face of the earth. My heart shouted ' O Lord your presence is all around us... these flowers which you called forth from the earth for us to enjoy, reveal your glory and your presence'!.... Each flower however tiny has a purpose........yes if these flowers also have a purpose what about me/us. I recalled the Scripture... ' Look at the birds in the sky they do not sow or reap...... learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.....If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today.........will he not much more provide for you?..... (Mat. 6:25 - 34) As I continued my walk and pondering on the Word of God, I felt as tiny as the flowers surrounding me -  God is very mindful of me/us;  therefore I/we need not worry but to totally  trust God, allow Him to transfigure me/us more and more so that His purpose will be realized in us  so as to reveal His glory and presence in the world where He has placed us. What a walk - .......
truly God is present in this place..........!

Why Pray....?
Prayer is a lifeline like breathing; when we stop breathing we die  physically, likewise if we stop praying we can unknowingly experience spiritual death.
Prayer gives hope to hang in there and not give up. It gives the chance to totally trust God, for knowing that God loves me no matter what or the circumstance(s) gives me hope. Praying is maintaining a relationship with God who loves me unconditionally. Praying is not optional only when one is in need. To only seek his face when in pain means that when the pain is over then praying is no more necessary. We often treat people as such, if there is nothing to be gained then the relationship is over - for a season or reason -  and so tend to treat God in the same manner

C.S. Lewis puts it this way: 'I pray  because I can't help myself. I pray because I am helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. Prayer doesn't change God, it changes me'

The key to why we pray is the realization that I am desperately in need of God, that I am helpless without Him. I can only do all things because of Him who strengthens me. Therefore remain connected to God through praying in season and out of season, in pain and joy, in health and sickness, in life and in death - which is only a gateway into eternity where our praying will take a different dimension - not be asking for anything but loving, adoring, and worshiping Him for we shall really know Him as He is

It's only a question of time......
Walking away from a doctor's consult may bring you the realization that it's only a question of time.....one more day, a month, a year, or even a decade or two will quickly pass...  so how much time can we buy? for  if with the Lord a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years  can we  really buy time and why would we want to buy time..........? If the 'wasted' years will come back how will you spend them differently? But since that is not possible, what is the way forward? trying to live each day fully as if it's the last ...? .what can be done differently need to be done now, as tomorrow may be late.... things that need to be said in love should be said now as the 'loved one' may not be there for ever...... unfinished businesses should be attended to... otherwise...... unforgiveness and broken relationships need to be restored now; with self, others and the Lord. Just as the doctor's verdict may come as a surprise... the Lord's coming like a thief in the night need not be a bigger surprise. There is need to attend to priorities, to keep in balance the physical/spiritual, the transient/eternal for we are reminded: 'what does it profit man to gain the whole world at the expense of his soul?'  Nothing lasts forever and nothing remains the same so it's good to keep watch and stay awake for it's only a question time........

School of Discipleship
The 'disciple' is not higher than the 'Master' and enrolling in this school can mean any or all of the following:-
-  following in the footsteps of the master;
-  rendering total service to the master;
-  love and adoration  of the master;
-  sit at his feet and learn to listen to his teaching;
-  allowing him to be the guide...........; 
-  falling and getting up is normal......
-  total trust... total surrender....no turning back....
The life of the Christian is a school of discipleship, where enrollment is for life. No one graduates as there are always new things to learn. The more you learn the little you seem to know. If you don't understand immediately, you will  later mostly from hindsight. You need not give up as there is no competitiion but building up each other as all are on a journey following the Master who calls and enables  each to learn from Him for He is meek and humble in heart... His yoke is easy and burden light. And only in Him can the soul find rest.............
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He is Alive!!!!!!!
....The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. he has risen, He is not here'..........(.Mk. 16: 6) ......Looking for the living among the dead! Jesus is risen, he is alive, alive in each heart that believes in Him, ...He is alive, forever he is alive. Death has no power over Him, he broke the power of death and sin.
The doors were closed in the room where the disciples were  for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them.. (Jn 20:19)... the elements can't constrain Him, He has power over all..... O death where is your sting? ...... Do not be afraid, it is I, the First and the Last... I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold keys of death and of the underworld........
If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our failth would be meaningless........There is no shade of doubt in the  Scriptures regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead  but how true is this in real life today. on this Easter morning?
Do I believe this? what does the ressurection of Jesus means? How alive is Jesus in my heart, my life, in my family, in my marriage, in my family, in my work place, in my neighbourhood and in my Church community?
Is Jesus Lord of my life? do I have a personal relationship with the Risen Lord? Do I love Him and yearn for His coming again?
Faith is not a myth..... the faith of  the Christian is a relation to a person - Jesus who loves us so much that he was obedient to give up his life to save the sinner, to suffer a shameful death, death on a Cross. For this act of selfless act, God raised Him up  to be Lord of both the living and dead, He is the Resurrection and all those who believe in Him even though they die shall live and whoever lives and believes in Him will never die. Wait a minute so where are my loved ones who have believed and died in Him? They are alive in Him ....... and those still living, are we hopeful to meet/live with  Him soon when we die? .......Do you believe this?
The Lord is truly risen . The resurrection of Christ was the laughter of god at the defeat of death and sin. The holy Mother Church cannot contain her joy today. So She breaks into the Exsultet. She does so even calling the sin of Adam a "happy fault"and "necessary sin ", for  it "" gained for us so great a Redeemer!"Let us laugh our hearts out and rejoice! .. ...... He is alive .... become  a witness and share your faith with others that
 He is Alive !!!!!!

The Cross  (Written in 1982 concerning the Dream I had some years earlier)
I woke up and realised it was a dream; and no ordinary dream it was.
A 'Huge Cross' stood reaching into the heavens, around it a huge crowd, each person  carrying  a tiny cross.
A light shone from the heavens, and a I heard a voice: "Lift up your tiny cross to the Huge Cross".
No one in the crowd stirred, everyone stood still, each deep in thought.
With a smile and a giggle, I try to lift up my tiny cross and saw that it was heavy and made of silver.
For years I pondered about the dream that is much alive in my heart....As the Lord gives  me insight, layers of fear are being dealt with. But now it suffices to know that:
The 'Huge Cross' is the cross of Christ on Calvary,
It was there that the Lamb paid the Price; .....a heavy Price by a Perfect Sacrifice.
But it was not an easy ordeal; ....He suffered shame and humiliation;....He was mocked and scourged..........
Pain, horror, anguish which cannot be described by ordinary words. ..The more I think of it, the more I feel His pain;
In anguish, He cried to His Father.... It was not a cry of defeat........
Rather, it was a cry of Victory! ...His cry rings out into the Heavens!...... it rings down into the earth below....
Graves opened, and death was conquered..... Victory!....Victory!....Victory!  There is life beyond the Cross!
As I stand beneath the Cross......God's love is real; I have been saved only through the Cross of Jesus;
For God so loved humanity /me, that He gave His Son to give me life through His death on the Cross
Hail ! All Hail the Risen Christ !; Hail Him who has overcome death !, Hail Him in His New Glorified Body!
Glory to the Father, who is faithful in all His promises,..... even to raising His Son Jesus from Death !
Glory and Honour to the Healing cross !

After 45 years,  the dream is still alive in my heart. I relive it often especially at this time of the Liturgical Season - Lent, ...Holy Week....... and today - Holy Saturday -  being the last day of Lent, it's good to spend some time  meditaing on the Cross by which we have been redeemed.  How central is the Cross in my life? Am I able to unite my tiny cross to that of Jesus?......try it.... It can be a daily struggle, each time you do this .... But this is the Master's call: :  Come to me, come just as you are, come and learn from Me...... humillity is not a sign of defeat.. for Jesus was humbler yet........dying on the Cross.... for you and me.......

Meaningless Death?
The event of today, 'Good Friday' is about Death. Not any ordinary death, but the death of Son of God, Jesus. A seemingly useless, unnecessary death that could have been avoided if only he had been careful, more prudent, more tolerant, had compromised a little! A seemingly wasted life and a wasted death. But is it so? Seemingly  wasted life indeed, but the final words of Jesus reveal something very precious.  
Ït is accomplished"!!!!!!
So, his seemingly meaningless death was an accomplishment.... What is accomplished through his death? His Mission... the purpose for which he was born.... Reconciliation of sinful humanity with God.... Our redemption.
Can one death mean so much? Yes His death does. There was a Death, certainly, but it was also a 'birthing'.
On this 'Good Friday'. let us reflect what Jesus did for us on the Cross......With sorrow and gratitude, let us  look on him whom we have pierced. For his death has birthed us into new life. For Death could not constrain or overcome Him. All death can best be seen in His death.......The pain and suffering he endured, paid the price for our sins that we may have eternal life.
His death is not meaningless ... hold on, the best is yet to come for it will lead to a Glorious..............

If today is all you have, there is one thing you cannot postpone.
Do we live as we should if today is all that we have?  we may have been able to get away by postponing  many decisions for 'tomorrow' for some years but we can't continue to do this in our walk with God because we do not know the the hourof His coming to take us to be with Him................
In the Banana Republic, the older one goes first but in reality each one of us  from the time of birth are on the count-down. And if this short life (even one hundred +) compared to eternity, is for preparation to return to our Maker then we cannot affort to spend it on trivials. Thus our relationship with God cannot be postponed any further; we need to get reconciled with him and each other as God lives in each person.
In the story of the Prodigal Son, when he realised how far he had wandered away from his loving father he took a decision to go back 'home' and followed it . And the father, seeing him a long way off ran to meet him.........and called for a celebration!. For this son was lost/dead but found/alive....................
God, our 'Prodigal' Father. as he loves us beyond compare, is waiting for the return of each of his prodigal sons/daughters.. ......to rejoice over us, embrace us and restore us to our rightful  relationship as sons/daughters.
This week is a special period of grace as God's  unconditional, overflowing love for us, is revealed in the sufferings and death  ........of Jesus for our redemption and restoration.
Behold, I stand at the door and knocked, if you will open to me, I shall come in and dine with you.....
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts................
Today you shall be with me in paradise.................
Today I will dine with you...........
God is compassionate but he is also just..........get reconciled today, listen to his call: Come back to me  with all your heart, long have i waited for your coming home....... Jesus is the 'easy-jet' to the  Father through His suffering and death on the Cross, because of His great love for you and me.......give it some thought and take a decision today before it's late, if not too late. .......
                    You have been bought at a price - by the Precious Blood of Jesus.

He Thought of us/you/me:
'Consider how Jesus, in making this journey with the Cross on his shoulders, thought of us and offered for us to the Father the death he was about to undergo' ( Jesus Receives the Cross - 2nd meditation of the Stations of the Cross).
Take a moment and spend some time on this revelation - before you and me came to exist, God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to redeem us, and Jesus on his way to death, thought of  us/you/me and offered for us to the Father the death he was about to undergo. What did we do to deserve this? nothing whatsoever, God just love us without compare! Unconditional love, O love that will not let me go! The sinless one, hates sin, yet died for the sinner - me.
As we enter Holy Week, it will be good to spend some time meditating on the sufferings of Jesus while carrying the Cross on the way to Calvary.......relive some of the events. See yourself in the scenes and remain with the Station{s} that touched you most.: who are you in this Station? one who pushed Jesus, mocked him, spat in his face, reluctantly helped him with the cross, or a Veronica who despite any repecursion dared to wipe the face of Jesus?  Where do you stand under the Cross? with the sorrowful Blessed Mother Mary and John. . . ? or a spectator in the crowd mocking him to come down from the cross if He is the Son of God? May be like the soldier who pierced him in His side, you may also come to confess  'truly, this was the Son of God?'
Then what next? how has this confession changed or will change your life?...may the events of this coming week lead us to a new awakening to return or seek the Lord in a new/deeper relationship. He thought of us  even before we came into existence. Without any good deeds on our part He loves you/me/us into folly, but do I know this and love Him in as much as He loves me? .......Have a very blessed Holy Week.........
 

God's Will.
Jesus promised : Whatever we ask according to his will, he will grant us, but how do we know what we ask is according to God's will? Many times it's hard to discern but Merton's Prayer (Thoughts in Solitude) may help us.
"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going; I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire, And I know that if I do this you will  lead me by the right road, though I may  know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust  you always  though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone." 
Jesus gave us the example in seeking God's will at all times, when He thought us how to pray:  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...... , Seeking and remaining in God's will enabled him to drink the bitter cup of death, death on a cross. The season of Lent is a period of seeking/discovering and doing God's will,
Happy and blessed Lenten journey.

Life
Life is both  a call and a response. Nothing in life is to be taken for granted. Everything in life is a gift that need to be received gratefully and faithfully. Even Jesus didn't take up the mission of being the high priest for humanity on his own; it was given to him by the Father. In living our vocation that has been given to us there are several seasons and phases. In some phases it involves suffering and purification; in other phases it involves celebration.In some seasons we are called to fast, in some seasons we are called upon to feast. One phase prepares us for the other. It is therefore  important to know that the reason for the season is always rhe one who.has lovingly called each of us by name. Our seasons are not conditioned by some predetermined laws. But are triggered by the presence and action of the one who is the beloved of our soul. He who love you/me/us beyond compare that he will never leave us alone.

"I am already promised to the Lord of the universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars and he has said he will never leave me" St Agnes of Rome.