A good start

This relative of mine was considered as the black sheep in her family. She was even rejected by her own biological family. The reason was that she did not want to work and was lazy. She turned to gambling in the hope of quick money. However, the result was her accumulating addiction which led to her mental problems. So she caused a lot of problems in her family. She even has her young daughter. She had tried committing suicide a few times before but she survived. I did not have any ill intention for her but had sympathy and pity on her because she did not know what she was doing. So I prayed for her persistently. A suprise greeted me when I saw her working as the assistant in the shop a few nights ago. It was a really miracle. My prayer has been answered. It is a good start for her as she has started working. I hope she will continue mending her way in her life.

Reflection: Amazing grace

Last weekend, I was involved in the international charismatic rally. I felt blessed as the Korean friar prayed over me. Not just that but I also saw the dancing girl. During the time we expressed ourselves in the language of Holy Spirit, that girl began to dance like the ballet dance gradually. She was dancing like the angel and even looked like one. It was really beautiful and amazing grace. Suddenly, I told myself that I wanted to stay deaf so that I could keep offering my prayers to God all the time.

"The Saints rejoiced at injuries and persecutions, because in forgiving them they had something to present to God when they prayed to Him." - St Teresa of Avila

Recently, if I remembered correctly, I had a dream that I received the communion. It tasted sweet even though in fact it is only bread. At this moment, I thought it meant the blessing and grace be given to me because I remembered I always asked my guardian angel to receive the communion in place of me and obtain the blessing for me when I was in the church. In addition, I remembered the Old Testament where Moses led the people of Israel to the promised land. The manna fell from the Heaven in order to feed the people. It was said that it tasted sweet like the honey cake. I realized that God is leading me to the promised land! Like Israel, I was filled with the hope and followed God in order to find the joy in Him. But what is my promised land? - That is my baptism and confirmation to become Catholic! All those three years of journey, I had complained and felt disappointed like people of Israel despite the hope I have in God and graces I received in my life. God is still good to me and loves me all those years. After this reflection, my resolve to seek God with all my heart, mind and strength, found an increase in its strength. Now, I felt more open to God's calling for me. I will just go wherever He wants me to go.

A gentle message to all

"Alas, what about you poor children! Being your spiritual father, I give you this advice: When you see your parents, who miss religious services, who work on Sunfay, who eat meat on forbidden days, who do not go to the Sacraments anymore, who do not improve their minds on religious matters - do the very opposite before them, so that your good example may save them, and if you are wise and good enough to do this, you will have gained everything. That is what I most desire for you."

St John Vianney

Footprints of impression

No one Knows the Day and Hour (Matthew 24:37-44) - Please read the bible before you read on.

"The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah.... they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away." (v.37, 39) "Watch out, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come." (v.42) "... you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting Him." (v.44)

Gospel of the first week of Advent has a high impact on me. During the class, the lecturer asked what we would do in order to prepare for our important events? I responded, "I always pray whenever I prepare for the special events of my life. I also examine my conscience and reflect before and after the events like school, work, birthday, celebrations and so on, in order to keep track of my spirituality life. To me, spirituality life is very important. That is why I always pray to prepare for the temptations and obstrucles. Do you remember the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion? He saw His disciples sleep and scolded them to get up and pray that they would not be tested. In my idea, waking up means my faith must stay awake and alive. It cannot sleep. It means that I must continue harvesting my Catholic faith like prayer, bible and catechism. In the phrase, 'we do not know when', for me, it means we do not know when we will die. Because when you die with sleeping faith, you will receive the judgment for what you have done in your life and have difficulties going to Heaven."

In the Advent Reflection booklet, I came across the question, "Have you ever had a 'sudden' experience that made you wish you have 'done things differently'? What a powerful question! At that moment, a lot of memories brought up the emotions of my heart. I could feel the rejuvenating strength of my resolve to follow Lord Jesus. I am really glad to experience the real meaning of Advent and Christmas. I hope that I will leave good impressions and examples of Christ as Catholic neophyte after Easter day. And I hope I will do something before they are gone for good.

A real hero of the babies!

I really admire this Vietnam man, Tong Phuoc Phuc because he adopted more than 50 babies to save them from abortion! He is a true Catholic Christian and worthy disciple of Christ. We should learn from his examples and imitate them. Please pray for him that he may have unlimited strength, courage and perseverance to look after all the babies all the way. God bless him!

Running

Finally, I had done second jogging route to East Coast Park all the way from home. My memory could tell me vividly that my record marked six hours when I completed my first route two years ago. But this time, I only jogged for nearly four hours due to sudden rain. It was not satisfying but at least I managed to reach the destination and ran some distance before heading back to home.

On the way, I experienced a little fear as I made the journeythrough the dark paths. But my fear disappeared soon as I reminded myself of God and prayed the rosary. My mind was reciting this verse; "Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord for You are with me." (Psalm 23:4) At least my body sores made me feel satisfied and happy. I will try again next time.

My heart

Finally, I come and understand how to reach my heart. This way, I can communicate with God directly. Thank you, God for the gift of wisdom.

What is my calling from God?

During the three days of retreat in the seminary, I learnt how to discern what I really want to do and what my calling from God is. It is really very meaningful as I was there to learn. Not to enjoy myself. I was really glad to believe that God sent me there because I learnt how to define what my realistic goals were. In my medition, I was thinking of exact picture like the one above.
I remember what the priest said like this:

Instructor: Okay, we are ready. Tell me what you see?

Archer: I see the trees and beautiful landscape.

Instructor: Put down your bow. No shooting today.

(Second day) Instructor: Tell me what you see?

Archer: I see an archery target.

Instructor: Okay. get ready and aim.

I hope I will be able to see and define my goals in the future. What matters is that I am doing everything to please God with all my heart. Everyone told me that they felt inspired and aspired. I agreed with them because I too felt inspired and aspired!

Size does not matter

5 years old Shinnosuke Nohara

Suddenly, an acquaintance of mine posted the statement in her shoutout box in the Facebook. It stated, "My boyfriend may not be tall but he is a spiritual giant!" Wow, what a powerful statement. In the past, I wanted to be tall and big like the giant. Perhaps like Andrea the Giant or Big Show. Not for impressing people but rather I wanted to use the height advantage for useful purpose like transporting the heavy bulk, reaching the ceiling for painting or changing bulb. But I am changing my mind now. I guess it is not bad at all because I thought I may be a short dwarf but my heart is as enormous as the giant. Dear God, thank you for making me short so that I do not have to worry about the girls and marriage! I really mean it. I certainly do not need a girlfriend because I rather have You, my God in my life than seeking a girl in my life. I do not mind if I have to shrink further even to the size of 5 years old child as long as I can have a big heart as spiritual giant's heart. I am already strong enough in physical aspects that I am able to lift the heavy objects triple my weight despite my small size. Perhaps I can train myself to be like Samson. I thank You. I praise You. I love You through Jesus' Name. Amen.

Intense Prayer Life

"Jesus said to the disciples, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation.'

Then He went off from them about the distance of a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed.

'Father,' He said, 'if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.'

An angel from Heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.

In great anguish He prayed even more fervently; His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Rising from His prayer, He went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief.

He said to them. 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.' "

(Luke 22:40-45)

This time, this paragraph attracted my attention because for myself, it always has been proved true that "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41) Maybe I need to quiet down my requests for my own desires and ask God to do unto me whatever He wants. I just let God have His own desires activated in me. It is the best choice because God is always faithful and good. "In great anguish He prayed even more fervently; His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44) seemed to be like an intense prayer to me. I think it is good idea to achieve the intense prayer daily as long as it is in proper order and good for the spirituality. I even thought that Jesus encouraged it as He said, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation." (Luke 22:45) That is my own conclusion. But it is quite a challenge because the flesh is weak. For example, there are times I feel fatigued and sleepy whenever I need to pray. Maybe I can try to take one step at one time like fitness training. So if you are reading this post, why not start praying straight away? I think it is the best to ask God to use us whatever He wanted and willed to do. Not forgetting to ask for strength, courage and perseverance. Ok, it is decided that the intense prayer life is going to be my lifetime goal.

Happy Feast Day of our Most Beloved Guardian Angels

Dear Angel of God my guardian dear,

Happy Feast Day to you. Thank you for being there with me all my life since my birth. And thank you for teaching me about the love of God and revealing to me that Lord Jesus is true God and my Saviour. Thank you for protecting me all the way from the dangers and evil. O Holy Angel, I love you and wish to love you always. Please continue to pray for me that I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ and help me to get closer to Lord Jesus and Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mother of God every day of my life. Amen.

Yours sincerely,

~Michael Gabriel R. G.

Happy Feast Day of St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael

My favourite day has arrived! I guess this week is a special week for the angels. Happy Feast Day to St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael. I am so glad to have those three angels accompanying me throughout my life and to Heaven! Oh, praise the Lord!

Tomorrow!

Tuesday has just begun. Oh, I cannot wait for the next day to arrive! Oh my soul, be patient. It is going to be great because it is my special day I have been looking forward.

Friendship

Who is exactly my friend? A list of more than 1000 friends in the facebook? To me, a real friend leaves the impressive prints in my heart. Not the people who walk in and out of your life. Who can do it? God can do it. Why not open your heart and let Him come into your life?

Oh what a glorious night!

It was the night the day before when I was announced as a winner of the France + Singapore New Generation Artists exhibition. Yes, my heart was filled with overwhelming excitement and joy. It was not because I won the only one prize. But rather I was happy with what God blessed me. But it was a pity that I forgot to thank Him during my speech. It does not matter now because I believe that He knows. I always believe that He is always near. That is why I wanted to thank Him profusely. God is good all the time. So I must remember to mention Him in my speech during the next exhibition. Hallelujah!

My speaking skill

Finally, I found the problems in my speaking skills after those 21 years without feed backs and assistance. I missed out the most important part of the pronunciation - "S" sound. All those years, I always pronounced "Sh" sound which was supposed to be "S" sound. I was really surprised in the large degree when I learnt how to pronounced the words related to "s" sound from my two friends who were patient enough to assist me. It was really tough but I managed to overcome it. So after some practice, I might be able to speak! Praise the Lord. Alleluia. Amen.

During the RCIA class tonight, I had the duty to read out the First Reading of 26th Sunday mass reading in front of the class. At first, it went well. But in the halfway, I suddenly got nervous. Eventually, I managed to finish reading it. The Lord is really awesome!

Dear entertainments, you are fired.

Okay, the time of luxury relaxation has come to an end as I declare. No more anime. No more games. No more television and video. Because I am already tugging a war with the challenges of the reality in my life. I wonder where I am going. But I am sure the Catholic faith is the main goal I may pursue through my whole life. Yes, I have total confidence in the Blessed Trinity of God. Of course, I am armed with the help of Blessed Virgin Mary, our Holy Mother, all the angels and saints.

Seed of faith

A few days ago, suddenly, an idea struck my head. Once you put a seed in the soil, it will grow everyday till it reaches the adult growth. By then, the plant is very tough to pull out of the soil. Why? According to the common sense, it has the roots in the soil. Either the soil has to be dug out or the plant is to be chopped off.

Likewise, our faith is like the plant. Once you believe and continue to believe it everyday, your faith is very difficult to pull out unless a lot of strength or some intelligent is used to pull it out.

So I have my own plant in the Catholic faith. To water it everyday is to pray always. To nourish it everyday is to read the Scripture daily. Catholic faith is the soil which I believe to be the remarkably best among all kinds of soils. The fruits I bear are my consequences of my actions, thoughts and words. The strength and size of the plant depends on the convincing power of what you believe. I believe my plant will be like enormous Oak tree which is impossible to remove.

September

Finally, my favourite month, September has arrived. For some reasons, I am so happy.

Convocation

As soon as I reached the registration counter, my eyes caught the first person. It was a classmate of mine whom I did not expect to see and wanted to see. It was a pleasant surprise. Naturally, I felt delightful. Anyway, what I looked forward was the diploma I received this day. I was hoping that I could find a job after this. After the ceremony, I sensed the electricifying joy in the atmosphere in the foyer as we gathered together with the guests. It was an inspiration to see the happy faces. Indeed, I met friends whom I knew all those three years. It brought back the nostalgia feelings. I look forward to bringing a smile to my parents one day when I pursue and achieve the degree or higher studies successfully. Of course, I did not forget my two invisible companions. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Listen to God

"Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the hearts."
Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Morning walk

Praise the Lord forever more! For He made a good day today. I suffered the sleepless night due to the habit of mine for reading and surfing net. But I managed to go to my parish church for a morning mass with a spirit of perseverance. Nothing delights me more than this Eucharistic mass as I had not been going for morning masses for a long time. The nostalgia feeling came back as I was taking a stroll to home. A beautiful morning sky pleased my eyes so enthrallingly. Adding to the pleasure, a scent of lavender danced around my nose as it brought back my childhood memory. It was so vivid that I could remember. Back then, I was a little child hanging out at the playground in the far west city. I always smelt the familiar scent of lavender when I was going to old Catholic junior school where it was up the hill. I was so grateful for today. Praise the Lord! Amen.

Desire to great knowledge

Today, I noticed something new in myself. I have become a bookworm! Perhaps my desire to know God more intimately and deeply is a main suspect as my research consists of 100% religion books. Little wonder, my mind formed an ambition to conquer a whole library and read all the religious books. It is not that I want to become clever and aristocratic. Rather, I desire to deepen my faith. "Faith seeks understanding" - St Ansem, Proslogion proemium. So the more I deepen my faith in God, the more I become wiser and understanding. Importantly, the rising of temperature of my spirituality is encouraged by the inspiration. Wow, I am even stupefied myself as I used to hate the books before when I was little kid. And even I frequently burn the midnight oil, reading with the support of the caffeine drinks.

"To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord." (Proverbs 1:7)

Magnificat

Thank You, Holy Spirit

Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by Him. - CCC

Faith is a supernatural gift from God. In order to believe, man needs the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. - CCC

Dear Holy Spirit,

I'm so grateful for Your help. Without Your help, I would never come to know my God intimately. Thank You, Holy Spirit. You also help me to confirm my faith in Catholicism. For You know within my heart, You interceded on my behalf when I was praying. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Once again, thank You. Amen.

Yours sincerely,
Michael

Let God come into my life

I just realized that God wanted me to spend more time with Him instead of giving me the job immediately. During last night's conversation regarding the jobs, a cousin of mine told me it was better than getting a wrong job and suffering more. So I sense that I need more patience as it is excellent virtue especially while practising humility. Actually, I find myself more comfortable submerging myself into the Catholic faith. I should grab a chance to develop it further. Now, Divine Office book has successfully taken up the duty of my morning cup of coffee. Okay, I shall go to the church every morning from next week onwards.

Blessed Sacrament

Taken by my brother, fonzjosemaria.

Nothing except this Blessed Sacrament can delight me to the large extend. I could feel the joy in my heart as I was spending the Holy Hour in the chapel in the night four days ago. Spending Holy Hour has been important part of my daily life. I cannot wait for my baptism time to receive my God in me and I in Him.

My path as the Will of God

What is my path? Only God knows. And He directs it. I have two choices: either to follow it or to go my own way in opposite. My mind formed such a picture above. A signpost is my guide. But what is my signpost? It is none other than a bible, my important guide. Without it, how can I know and follow what God wants me to go? Then, I moved on and approached the plants with the notices describing them. The signpost never mentions about them but the plants are there. Fortunately, the notices help me to understand what kinds of plants they are. Without them, it is possible that my curiosity will accumulate itself and encourage me to touch the plants. Either I pluck it and feels satisfied or my hands will get hurt from its noxious thorns. So those notices are like the church interpreting what is going on beyond the bible. I look up and notice the sensation of heat. Whoa, the weather is so hot. I want to go home, shower and sleep in the comfort zone. This is my own want yet there is greater desire - to seek God. So I continue. But I stop in the track and look ahead of the path; the forest greets my sight. I cannot tell what is ahead and may feel diffident and fearful. But God already makes the path ahead and makes it seems that I must continue. Fortunately, I have the things in my bag I carry. They are able to support me in my journey. What are they? Faith, prayer and confidence in God. I believe I will, and want to meet God after I pass through the forest. Finally, the path looks tough and long. Yes, I have my support. But I need something else. What is it? My energy battery. Without it, how can I move? But where does it come from? Perseverance and enthusiasm.

"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth: and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth - in a word, to know himself - so that by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves." - Pope John Paul II, Fides at Ratio

"What does it avail to know that there is a God, which you not only believe by Faith, but also know by reason: what does it avail that you know Him if you think little of Him?" - St Thomas More

Approaching this weekend, my schedule introduced a discernment vocation camp into my life. I sensed my heart obviously being enthralled by the accumulating excitement as I was walking towards a seminary with a good friend of mine. My mind made up an anticipation to learn something new. I could not help but felt the joy and ardency as I got to know all the brothers greeting me. I also met a few priests and even Archbishop himself. Nevertheless, I did all my best to pay attention to what this journey offered for me. Indeed, my learning process was very satisfiable and significant. But I looked forward to learning more. When it was over, despite our large degree of fatigue, another friend of mine and I headed for the certain church for the Novena service as usual. This time, it was on my head to lead the prayers and songs in the form of sign language with my friend. It was my very first time yet I could not find any nervousness to head me off as I was making my sign hands in the process. Thankfully I made my little prayer beforehand. With feedback and comments, I was aspired to practise more and do well next time. In my perspective, I really was glad that I made the visit to the seminary. But it was significant that I learnt to obey the will of God. Where He wants me to go and I will go. If He wants to go left, I go left. And if He determines right, I go right. I hope that I will draw ever closer to God through Catholic faith every moment of my life.

"If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I would ask that He grant me this one miracle: that by His grace He would make of me a good man." - St Ansgar

Ave Maria

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.

"She [Mary] stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of salvation is established." - Lumen Gentium

"Let Mary never be far from your lips and heart. And to obtain the fruit of her prayers, do not forget the example of her life. With her support, you will never fall. Beneath her protection, you will never fear. Under her guidance, you will never tire. And with her help, you will reach your heavenly goal." - St Bernard

"Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary." - Pope Pius IX

A sweet soul of the destiny

As a new tea bag was allowed to sink and submerge in a cup of hot water, a scent of steaming smoke rose and filled my whole bedroom. It was so sweet and pleasant to my nose. The cup was brought to my mouth and my tongue tasted a bitter sensation of the forest fruit tea for a first time. Nevertheless, my love for tea never faded. Suddenly, a reminder appeared in my mind and brought up a story of Saint Therese, the Little Flower whom I recently read.

"Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature. I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wildflowers." - St Therese, the Little Flower

"And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His Will, in being what He wills us to be." - St Therese, the Little Flower

At this moment, I was inspired and aspired to the large extend to seek God with all my heart, mind, strength and soul as I read some examples of the famous saints. A friend of mine recently wrote a new blog post regarding our destiny to be what God intended us to be. Yes, I agreed with her statement that in the logical sense God could actually manipulate us like the Sims games. But contrary to that, God has a plan but we have a choice. God said, "My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore." (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all my heart, and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)

I remembered what my friend told me the other times. At first, he described the bamboo and its flower blooming. He had seen the flower and claimed that it was certainly beautiful. It was a rare sight because the bamboo usually stood many years before it bloomed the flower and withered soon after. So he wanted his life to be like that. And he wanted his own flower to give off the sweet scent before his life ended. What a meaningful story. Maybe I can make my life like the forest fruit tea. It might taste bitter without sugar yet it smelt so sweet like perfume. What I meant is that I must deny myself, take up the cross and follow Jesus so as to bear much fruit in Him. Jesus said, "Whoever remains in Me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit for you can do nothing without Me." (John 15:5) "My Father's glory is shown by your bearing much fruit; and in this way you become my disciple." (John 15:8) Saints had suffered a lot during their times on Earth for the sake of Christ. I am sure their souls are most pleasuring sweet to God as they managed to convert thousands of sinners to much joy among the angels in Heaven. So we can do the same in pleasing God if we follow Him. So I guess I have to discern what God wants me to be.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"How happy is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud or to the followers of lies." (Psalm 40:4)

Comfort Zone

Ever since the last day of my school, my mind sang a hymn, "Finally, the storm is over." My body began to act on the desires according to my mind. I saw my body participate itself in comfortable and moderate activities and it was doing well although I trained it strictly and without mercy. Until a few days ago, I visited my school as I needed to settle some matters. The lecturer and technician remarked that I looked bigger and blessed as if I was enjoying the life. I giggled with a response, "Hallelujah!" Anyway, I thought I really spent too much time on the comfort zone as I realized that I played too much, leaving little room for reading and praying. But it was only temporary since I had not found a proper job yet. Meanwhile, I found a lot of pleasure in the commitments to the church. Well, August already begins. I am so aspired to be much more diligent from now onwards.

"The person with fortitude is the one who perseveres in doing what his conscience tells him ought to do. He does not measure the value of a task exclusively by the benefit he derives from it, but rather by the service he renders to others." - St Josemaria Escriva

"To be perfect in our vocation is nothing else than to fulfill the duties which our state of life obliges us to perform, and to accomplish them well, and only for the honor and love of God." - St Francis de Sales

Discipline

Wow... I have thought of extreme discipline like pushing myself hard in the training. But not like this military discipline.

Perhaps it is the result of spending a long time in the adoration room the day before. I think I learnt a lesson today. It is very old one. I have encountered it many times. Yet I never learnt how to deal it seriously. It is laziness. Yes, I have learnt how to discipline myself. But I sometimes find myself in the path of sloth. I have met many lazy people too. But it is bizarre and mystifying as I found myself more diligent outside than at my home. Suddenly, I remembered that I worked hard in serving others like church commitments. I recognise this gift of mine in serving when I took the spiritual gift test the other times. Perhaps the problems lie in myself and alluring entertainment in my laptop. On my perspective, the less I pray, the more I find myself tempted to play, play, play. Some people are lucky as they have works to occupy their attention while I face the boredom everyday. Well, I guess that I have to discipline myself more in the prayer. It shall be my tactic to fight off the laziness! I hope it works! It is time for me to go out and draw.

"The soul of the lazy person has strong desires but gets nothing, but the soul of the one who does his best gets more than needs." (Proverbs 13:4)

"This is what I have seen to be good and right: to eat and to drink and be happy in all the work one does under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him. For this is his pay. As for every man to whom God has given riches and many good things, He has also given him the power to eat from them, receive his pay and be happy in his work. This is the gift of God." (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19)

"Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity, and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by. Of what use is it to lean upon that which cannot give support?" - St Gerard Majella

Experience of Ordination Mass

Four days ago, it was in the afternoon when I met the deaf community at the usual place. I could remember that it was a good weather on the day. We set off a journey to Malaysia. It was really a good experience. Perhaps it was because a van provided a comfortable and cool journey. As soon as we reached the country, the nostalgia feeling returned and stirred up the excitement in my heart. As we reached there unexpectedly early, we decided to stop by and settle down nearby for a while. In the evening, we headed to a destination - the Catholic church. It was my first time over there. Although it did not look anything special, I felt something I could not describe. Unexpectedly, I bumped into an acquaintance I had not seen for a while. Yes, I was really surprised to see him.

Anyway, my group exchanged the greeting with another deaf community from Malaysia. They knew each other well. Anyway, my heart delighted with joy because we had more people by then. As soon as the mass started, my curiosity increased and my heart was pumping up the adrenaline. I caught the glimpse of three new ordained priests. The deaf communities knew one of them. I could not wait to meet him. During the mass, there was suddenly a blackout. The darkness totally silenced us. But I knew the mass still continued as I could hear faintly weak sounds. Fortunately, there were lighting backups. As soon as the cup of wine placed on the altar table after offering, the lights suddenly returned and brightened the whole church. The fans began working hard to cool the warm atmosphere. After mass, the deaf communities were talking about the electrical circuit event. Suddenly, it hit on me. God is God of darkness and silence. Perhaps He wanted the whole church to have total reverence for Himself because there was a bunch of photographers kept flashing their cameras.

"Be still and know I am God." (Proverbs 46:10)

There was some priests I found familiar. Perhaps they were the ones I saw in my hometown. Adding to my surprise, I met another acquaintance. Eventually, I met the new priest known by the deaf communities. Afterwards, I was going back to home with my group. The excitement and fatigue exhausted my time for the reflection. I pinned my hope and trust in God.

Little Superman

I am having another sleepless night. I had lost the count. It is supposed to be time for the serious action but I am still unemployed for days. Only God knows when I can start working.

Anyway, it was four days ago when I was having the normal yet pleasant dream. I recalled finding myself in the restaurant and having a meal with a group of strangers, including my friend. Then, I went out and saw a line of shops. For some reasons, I stopped in my track and retreated back to where I was beforehand. Anyhow, I wandered aimlessly and eventually arrived at the aquarium shop. My eyes were focusing on the two tanks close to each other. On the left side, it was goldfish with black and white spots. On the other hand, it looked like normal goldfish. But they seemed to be huge in size. Then, I found myself entering into the shop and saw a light brown kitten. It looked stiffed yet relaxed as if it was sleeping. The shadows were dancing at the corner of my eyes. I felt tempted and obliged to look at the left side. There was a kid feeding another kitten. My focus fixed on that kitten as it was chewing on the cookie. It really looked cute. Then, I moved on till I saw a toddler. He was walking towards the tanks and looked as if he was attempting to touch the water. It seemed that my reflexes controlled me to reach out and stop him. Despite his featherlight weight according to his small size, I felt that he was so heavy and strong. I found that I was underestimating his size and felt strange. As my hands gently grabbed his hands, he turned around to face me. I could not tell whether he was surprised or curious. But suddenly, he became furious and bashed the nearby wall. I could feel his power at the moment he hit the wall. I tried to carry him but he was able to resist me with his enormous strength. That is all I can remember.

Patience

Christian brothers, be willing to wait for the Lord to come again. Learn from the farmer. He waits for the good fruit of the earth until the early and late rains come. You must be willing to wait also. Be strong in your hearts because the Lord is coming again soon. (James 5:7-8)

You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what He promised you. (Hebrews 10:36)

Do not let yourselves get tired of doing good. If we do not give up, we will get what is coming to us at right time. (Galatians 6:9)

"When we come to the sign of the Lord in the sacrament of baptism we are freed of these chains and liberated by the blood of Christ and by His name. Therefore, beloved, we are washed clean but once; we are freed only once; we are received into the immortal kingdom once and for all. Once and for all are they happy whose sins are forgiven and whose stains are blotted out. Hold fast to what you have received; preserve it joyfully; sin no more. Keep yourselves as children cleansed by that sacrament and made spotless for the day of the Lord." - Saint Pacian

A sunny day

It was my favourite weather today - sunny day. Despite the oven-like heat, I enjoyed the sensation in my skin with much delight as the sun rays pierced through my bare skin. After morning mass, I had a lunch with my church gang at the cafe which was new to me. This time, I was treating myself well as I feasted on luxurious meal. Afterwards, I headed towards home to have a quick shower before I made a move to the east side where it was well known for its longest park. I had so much fun in the adventure as we went to hunt for the treasure. I really considered going on the adventure in the foreign country. In the soft evening, we had the barbecue. I believed that I had eaten a lot of meat as if I were the hungry meat monster. In the night, while the whole group was focusing on the new game they played, I found myself retreating to the beach nearby. As I relaxed before the waves of the sea, I found myself in the state of meditation and deep thoughts. The sight of sea inspired me to reflect on what God wanted to tell me. My mind replayed the story of Jesus walking on water and calming the storm. So my problems were like the raging waves of the sea and storm. But if I relied on Jesus, I would not have my problems "calmed" but instead I received the strength and courage from the faith to walk on the raging sea and through the storm. If I do not have faith, I will sink into the sea easily like Peter who became afraid and began to sink when he was going towards Jesus on water. By the time I find Jesus, He will calm the sea and storm. This was what my own thoughts implied. Anyway, I want to thank God for what He had planned for me today. Hallelujah!

"Nothing restrains anger, curbs pride, heals the wound of malice, bridles self-indulgence, quenches the passions, checks avarice and puts unclean thoughts to flight, as does the name of Jesus." - St Bernard

Jesus' Answer

As usual weekly routine, I attended the Novena service with a deaf community in the famous church the day before. Unexpected, I found myself praying to Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. This time, my prayer was intense which I suspected my temperature of spirituality was rising sharply. I wished that this temperature would keep rising forever as if there was not limit restriction. Anyway, I had a good time with the deaf community in the food court nearby. I enjoyed that time to the large extend as we shared the stories and jokes. It had been a while since my last enjoyable laugh. In the soft evening, we got separated before I headed towards my parish church for youth ministry group's weekly activity. I put myself in the state of meditation in the adoration room as soon as I reached there. Suddenly, my mind pictured a bright yellow light in my mind's eyes. This phenomenon had been going on for long time. Maybe a few months. But this time, I noticed it for first time. Strangely, I felt something I could not describe. After half an hour, I made a move to another room where I met youth ministry group. After prayer session, my church friends told me that I needed to be patient and waited for God to heal me. I did not feel anxious nor saddened. Rather, I was feeling calmness in my heart but overjoyed because I sensed that it was Jesus who told me to be patient. Even now, my heart is dancing with joy as I think about it. Hallelujah!
"He who praises, prays twice." - St Augustine

Far distance interview

In the morning, I found myself in the rare occasion, wearing formal clothes all over and the shiny polish office shoes as well. It was for neither a wedding nor a date. Rather, I was going to have interview in a well known company which was in the far distance from my home. At the same time, I figured out what kind of feelings I was harbouring in my heart. I expected the tingling excitement but it was not there. Perhaps it was nervousness as I was breathing heavily. Or the accumulating pressure of stress as my mum was nagging all the way in the car. Still, I enjoyed the sights of environment as we passed by. Anyway, the interview went smoothly but there seemed to be some problems. I assumed that they were discussing about them today. But I was still pinning hope on God for He knows everything. Afterwards, I sent my hearing aid for repairs and bought a new spectacles.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5)

My first weapon

With bloated stomach stuffed with extremely heavy meal and seductively sweet desert, I arrived home at the stroke of midnight. But my heart was contemplating the new items I recently bought. One was a door gym bar for performing chin ups or pull ups. Another one was a wooden sword imitating samurai sword. It was for neither destruction nor decoration. Rather, I wanted to learn martial arts, Kendo and Aikido as a serious desire for increased strength and fitness. Perhaps it was more than practising sword fighting like the samurai in the movies and video games. So I shall declare it as my first sword.

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34 NIV)

Unity

The night before, the topic was discussing on the meaning of the unity and disunity during the youth activity in the church. While they were sharing their retrospects, I found myself enthralled intently by my deep thoughts about my family because my family are still in disarray due to the past irrational conflicts. I wished that I would not be confined and affected by their delusions when I was young. But I reaffirm that I believe that they will come to understand the love, truth and joy of God in their hearts one day.
I excused myself and headed for home while my church friends were going to catch the world cup match in one friend's home. As my habit, I had a meal, watched television and played online games on my laptop at the same time. The television displayed the midnight Chinese movie, Money Not Enough 2. Although I was usually nonchalant at a plot of that movie, this time, I contemplated its whole story. It is about three brothers showing filial piety to their mother during good times. But suddenly, they were plunged into the bad financial situations altogether. During their bad times, they treated their mother callous and frivolous while receiving the financial assistance from her. As the result, the mother was grieved and fell sick, admitting into the hospital twice. This time, she was in the critical condition. Meanwhile, one brother's sister had an accident and was in grave danger. So she needed the blood transplant. The mother seemed to empathise the situation and decided to sacrifice her life in order to give her granddaughter blood transplant.
When I saw her lying on the bed with the tubes all around her face, suddenly it struck my heart hard, forcing the memory replay. In my mind, I saw my late grandmother lying on the bed with the tubes piercing her body. I could recall resisting hard against the tears till they overwhelmed my strength and started flowing down my cheeks as I felt a warm feeling sensation of blood rush on my face. I wished that I could return to the past, learnt Chinese language and spent more time with her. But at least, God is showing me what love is as I understand it now. Love does not need a reason nor a word. I can remember vividly the time when my eyes met her eyes, I saw a tear in her eyes. No word had exchanged.

"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop." - St Augustine of Hippo

A visit to the past

The day before, I was visiting my primary school with a new friend of mine, G. She also studied there when she was young but in older school in the West before it was moved to East where we were visiting. It brought back the nostalgia memories. I found my mind took the delightful pleasure in replaying my past as we went past the noisy and restless mass of girls in the school connecting to our school. I really felt the overwhelming energy at the scene of the activity which suggested that they were rehearsing for the significant day. Indeed, it brought a lot of memories. I did not even realize how time flew by. As we took the staircase to second floor, I was hoping to see a certain Catholic nun whom I knew and had not seen for years. Instead, the principal and English lady greeted us warmly at the window of the room where I felt a whim to enter. Suddenly, I recognized that English lady whom I knew yet did not know her name for long time. My heart was filled with a disappointment when my ears received the news that Sister was not available as she was in oversea. Instead, they astounded me with another news that two teachers G and I knew well, were still around. We were so enthralled with the excitement as we met them. They still looked the same after all those years. Yes, we were catching up with the past in our brief conservation. I was looking forward to working with them in the future.

G and I went to the nearby church. It had transformed into the new and different church. I vividly recalled that it was very old and rundown. The feeling was different and the incense scent and beautiful decorations greeted us as we entered. Afterwards, we had great time, catching movie, playing arcade games, window shopping and chatting. I really feel inspired to the great extend as I am writing this post. And my aspiration to faith has improved as well. I hope that this feeling will never end.

A crucial thought

Whoa... My belly has expanded bigger than before. It must be the enormous free meals I had the day before. Yes, it was like the heavenly food in the paradise. I was wondering if we would eat till our stomach burst everyday in Heaven. Anyway, it was irrelevant to the post I am writing.

For now, I am officially unemployed or perhaps an artist. Yes, I am looking for art teaching post in the school where I had been hoping to work. At least, I am wisely consuming my free time to improve myself, especially my average English. On hindsight, my language is not up to standard because there are so many advanced words I do not know while the others seem to know them easily. In my perspective of adulthood, one should acquire higher level of his/her specific language in the relevant country because there seems to be unspoken rule which gave out a powerful command: Adults are taking up the responsibilities to influence and lead the younger people and children.

"To be perfect in our vocation is nothing else than to fulfill the duties which our state of life obliges us to perform, and to accomplish them well, and only for the honor and love of God." - St Francis de Sales

Oven

Finally, my mum bought the oven. How long have I been waiting for it, I wonder? It was really long time. After I put the cheese in the oven, my heart was tingling with excitement as my eyes saw the cheese melt and spread around the plate. It was really heavenly delicious as it melt in my mouth. Thanks be to God. Amen.

You are the Light of the world

"You are like light for the whole world. Your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven." (Matthew 5:14, 16)

"The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be!" (Matthew 6:22)

What does it mean here? How can you make your eyes sound? How do you make your body full of light? My answer is: Read the bible and follow Jesus' teachings! Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness." (John 8:12) If you do not follow His teachings, you are walking in the darkness. For He said, "They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in Me; they are wrong about what is right because I am going to the Father and you will not see Me anymore; and they are wrong about the judgment, because the ruler of this world has already been judged." (John 16:9-11)

So now you know Jesus and God the Father as Jesus said, "If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." (John 8:19) Since you know Him, why not acting as His instrument of His light? Because you are like the light of the world. You should go around and tell people about Jesus and spread the gospel. "Though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has the authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully." (Romans 12:5-8) So why not starting today? Read the bible as the first step before you can light the others, the whole body of Christ. Do not forget to consult God with your prayers frequently or as much as your desires.

"A lamp is not lighted by itself, so the human soul does not give light to itself but calls out to God. 'You indeed, O Lord, give light to my lamp.' " - St Augustine

"Words that do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness." - Mother Teresa

Riches in Heaven

"Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in Heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are." (Matthew 6:19-23)

It is often hard to let go of materialistic possessions because they never fail to satisfy and please our five senses. Indeed, they sometimes benefit our bodies. But they have problems like collecting dust, rust, insects. They also can destroy us. Listening to heavy metal music too much can damage our ears and overeating can give our bodies many health problems and so on. No one has ever thought of pleasing their souls and relationship with God. I may be exaggerated but it is better to let them go and focus on working for God like spreading the gospel. It is okay to indulge in the pleasures of materialistic possessions in moderate level. For me, I think spending time with God is the best treasure I ever have had on the earth and Heaven.

"Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity, and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by. Of what use is it to lean upon that which cannot give support." - St Gerard Majella

"God wishes us not to rest upon anything but His infinite Goodness. Do not let us expect anything but from Him, and let us put our trust and confidence in Him alone." - St Charles Borromeo

Prayer

"Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8)

"Ask, and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you for everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks." (Matthew 7:7-8)

So have you prayed today?

"Whoever is wakeful and prayerful in the night, in this visible darkness he is surrounded by an invisible light." - St Ephraem of Syria

"Feel often during the day the need for prayer and pray. Prayer opens the heart, till it is capable of containing God Himself. Ask and seek and your heart will be big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your Own." - Mother Teresa

Love of God

"God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

This well known verse among Catholics and Christian alikes, kept coming to my head after I myself attended the three days youth retreat last weekend. It was awesome feeling that I felt my heart dancing with joy and inspiration because I felt that God was calling me to be His child. Yes, I was so happy by then.

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." (1 John 3:1)

I really felt inspired that I prayed so much as if there was no tomorrow. Yes, we have the power to pray.

"Whoever is wakeful and prayerful in the night, in this visible darkness he is surrounded by an invisible light." - St Ephraem of Syria

If you are reading this post, then I gently invite and encourage you to read the love letter from God. Please click here: Love Letter from God

First A grade

My eyes were anxiously looking for the result in the school website. When I finally came across it, suddenly it refused to respond to my request. I started all over and tried again. It had been going on at least three times. "Oh man, I guess I have to wait for the mail of the results." read my thought. But anxiety and urge to know the result, combined together and pressured my brain to look for a solution. Fortunately, my common sense helped me to solve this problem and led me to the result.

To my surprise, I scored A grade for my final year project! I was expecting B grade. Wow, God had heard my prayer and blessed me! It was a first time that I had ever had deserved A grade in my life. Thanks be to God!

"Everyday I will thank you; I will praise you forever and ever." (Psalms 145:2)

"When you begin to study, look up to Him and think: 'O Lord, how worthless this knowledge would be, if it were not for the enlightening of my mind for your service, or for making me more useful to my fellow men.' " - St Elizabeth Ann Seton

The Last Supper - The institution of Eucharist

"He took some bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me'. He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, 'This cup is the new convenant in my blood which will be poured out for you." - Luke 22:19-20 Jerusalem bible

"There is nothing so great, my children, as the Eucharist. If you were to put all the good actions in the world against a Communion well made, it would be like a grain of dust against a mountain. - St John Vianny

Deny thyself, take up the cross and follow Jesus.

I understand everyone has their own cross to carry and follow Jesus. But no one ever has thought of the cross in the priesthood. Perhaps they thought it would be too heavy for them because there are much hardship and sufferings in the way of the priesthood. For me, I really want to sacrifice for God and gather His people for Him. I am not sure whether it is my calling but I want to study in priesthood.

"An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord's work, because he is trying to please the Lord." (1 Cor 7:32)

For Jesus said,

"I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd." (John 10:14 - 16)

Those verses captured my heart and haunted my mind. I had the rite of acceptance the day before. I received the crucifix and bible. I was so happy because I finally got accepted into the Christ after the period of waiting for 3 years. I remembered that my hands and legs kept shaking while I was receiving the bible from the priest at the altar because of overwhelming excitement filling my whole body. Afterwards, I headed towards another church to meet the deaf community. After some times, I followed four hearing people after the group being dispersed for home. Just outside the food court, we were engaging in the conversation. Out of blue, a tanned man in his 30s, greeted me, signing the hands in the air. A complete stranger. As we found out, he was half hearing and half deaf. But he seemed to be like professional in the sign language. He had joined the deaf Christian group for some times but left because he was not invited to join them in their activities like watching movie, shopping etc. He had been waiting for long time in vain. So he decided to leave. He and I were in the same situation. We introduced him to our deaf community. Suddenly, it hit on my mind. God was giving me a chance to evangelize him since he was the lost sheep. There are many sheep out there waiting for the Lord. So I must work hard on my faith to gather the deaf people for the Lord.

Deaf community

It was in the late afternoon the day before when my feet made their way to the renowned church. And my eyes were greeting the strangers who greeted me back with their eyes as our mutual friend introduced us with one another. As the Novena prayer service began, the two interpreters from our group were moving their hands in the air to make the hand signs while the audience from the same group responded with the same gestures. They were praying and singing hymn in the form of sign language. My heart was filled with joy and gladness because I had found my brothers and sisters who are living in the same world as mine. I have found someone whom I can talk freely to.

Our group made the way to the nearby shopping centre to have the tea break. I found myself feasting on the meal for early dinner while we were having the chat. No one never knows how happy I was feeling.

In the soft evening, I went to the famous eating place with two friends to meet their classmates and have the dinner. Again, new faces were added to my social circle. What was most memorable was the frog porridge for the dinner. Naturally, I found it heavenly delicious as the frogs were my favourite preys. We found ourselves in the lan (known as Local Area Network) place to play the popular game after the food desert. We had so much fun that we had to go home at the stroke of the midnight.

Miracle

The day before, it was the last day of the event I was volunteering. My heart was filled with the delight because I had fulfilled the mission to serve others. In the evening, my mum finally took me to see the doctor to treat my acnes on my face. I had been waiting for long long time just to see the doctor and get the cream and medicine for the allergy. I thanked God for it. Before I realized it, I consumed one tablet before I headed to the church to help out the decoration for this night's event. By the time I reached there, the effects of the medicine already took place and my eyes were overwhelmed by the heaviness and my head felt as if I was in high spirit. But I managed to endure through the night despite the drowsiness. Those quotes were teasing my brain when my hands picked up a book from the shelf and flipped the first page and showed it to my eyes.

"Coincidence is God's way of performing miracles anonymously." - Anon

"Miracles have nothing to do with reason. Miracles contradict reason, overturn reason, make game of reason, they strike clean across mere human deserts, and deliver and save where they will. If they made sense, they would not be miracles. - Ellis Peters, A Morbid Taste for Bones, Macmillan, London, 1977

Another reflection

In the soft evening two days ago, I was on the way to the church after helping out at the organisation. On the road populated by the Indians, my eyes caught the sight of three elder motorcyclists as I was waiting for the green traffic light in the car. They were two Indian men and one Chinese man in between. One Indian man called out to another while the Chinese man thought he was called and greeted him. When the Chinese man found out that the Indian man was talking to another one, he looked embarrassed and moved forward so that the two men could have better conservation. Suddenly, I noticed invisible triangle shape between three men. But I did not pay much attention to it. So I went ahead and spent time in the church. When I returned home and hit the shower, the young three sprouts standing like the tree in the hole of the water tub, caught my eyes. How could they survive without the soil over there?

This morning, I was invited by the photographer to have the bubble tea because he did not have the breakfast. So my schoolmate and I went with him. Peppermint green tea tasted heavenly and refreshing. I thanked God because it helped me to kick the coffee out of my life successfully. Yes, coffee is my official enemy now.
In the afternoon, I was asked by the sculpture assistant to accompany him as he was going to shop for the facial things. So I went with him and the same schoolmate. When the school bus passed by, the students inside were waving hands furiously at us. As expected, they were greeting the sculpture assistant because he was well known as the extra in the local drama shows.
In the night, after viewing the exhibitions, I was having a dinner with the two friends. As I was walking home from the train station, it suddenly flashed in my mind. Number three! Three men, three sprouts, three of us. I did not know what I was thinking but I was thinking of God. And the verses answered me.

"Remain united to Me, and I will remain united to you. You cannor bear fruit unless you remain in Me."

(John 15:4)

"Whoever remains in Me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit for you can do nothing without me."

(John 15:5)

I was recalling that I was having a chat with the priest and new acquaintance last night. The priest remarked that I was very brave because I was deaf yet dared to pursue my desire. Again, the verses reminded me.

"Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves."

(Luke 10:3)

"You are like salt for all mankind. You are like light for the whole world. Your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven."

(Matthew 5:13,14,16)

Spirit Song

I often listen to this song because I am able to hear the music and voice. It moves my heart to the large extend. To my surprise, it was sang during the holy communion at the mass today. I thanked God for letting me witness the beautiful church and introducing two new acquaintances to my social circle today. I feel blessed totally because as I approached the priest, he had prayed over my ears and blessed me with the oil which my friend described it as the healing balm.

As they sang, my heart was moving. "Oh Jesus, come and fill your lambs. Oh Jesus, come and fill your lambs."

When I randomly searched for the verse to match with my birthday, I came across this verse.

"May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

A strength in Jesus

Even after the assessments, I found myself still being a busy bee working hard. I was supposed to be very free. But it was not true. How ironic is it! I am renovating my house now. It has been three days and it is still incomplete. It was because I was occupied in other activities too. Those are the charismatic sessions in the church and volunteering the sculpture carnival. It is very tiring but I have plenty of energy in my batteries. It comes from Lord Jesus! Praise the Lord. Amen. There are more other activities in my plans too. I am sure I can finish them all because I have the strength in Lord Jesus whom I trust with all my heart. Yes!

"I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me." (Philippians 4:13 Good News)

A companion

I am sure most of Catholics know the meaning of the sponsors in the spiritual journey. Usually, they are much older and of same sex of the inquirers. But this time, a pretty girl of same age became my sponsor. Some of the classmates congratulated me with a big smile flashing from ear to ear, on their faces. I was hoping that they were not entertaining some wrong ideas. My old friend teased me that we could fall in love one day. It struck me seriously because we will have to spend a lot of time together on the spiritual things as the sponsor-inquirer relationship to maintain the better relationship with God. And I was yearning for the companion.

Surprisingly, we came from the different schools which connected to each other, not mentioning we are neighbours! Little wonder, I find it a bit easier to communicate with her. I am not sure whether I had encountered her in my young days. She has most of what I looked for in my partner. But fortunately my heart is still stubborn despite its weak spots. I hope we will become more like brother and sister in the future. Lord, please do not let me be distracted in seeking You with all my heart. Amen.