Death

Jacob's Ladder
 Jacob saw that the angels were ascending and descending on the ladder in his dream.

Lord Jesus also affirmed this: 

"I tell you most solemnly, you will see Heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending." - Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:51)

What saddened me is that I failed to attend the funeral of the respected priest, due to my work commitment. Nevertheless, I offered up my prayers for the repose of his soul. I had never met this wonderful priest but I had heard good stories about him. However, it is not tragic event though the Holy Church might lose one shepherd. Rather it is joyful story, because he is not dying, but entering into the eternal life, which he had been working hard for. We have been promised the divine mercy by Christ Himself, so we ought to be confident that he has already received the citizenship of Heaven - sainthood.

This evening suddenly dawned upon me a reminder - a decision which I made years ago. Even in my teenage period, I already perceived that the death is inevitable for everyone. Rich or poor, everyone shares the same soil under the grass. I remembered one fateful night when I saw an important Person in my dream. The moment I woke up, I dropped everything and decided to follow my gut feeling to find this Man. Eventually, I came to the Holy Catholic Church which He established two thousands years ago and got to know Him as my Saviour and my God. His Name is Jesus Christ. I also got to know His Mother, Blessed Virgin Mary whom He loved so much.

Today, on the two hours journey to home, I looked back and pondered on my reflections which stirred up the mixed emotions. Yet there is no regret. I was overjoyed that I came to the decision to give up all my past dreams which I now find useless, and pin all my hopes in God and Mama Mary. Indeed, all the achievements such as trophies, highest degrees after the names, and financial power can only last on the earth but not forever. When we reach the door of death, everything crumbles into the dust. But there is only one goal that can reward the eternal prize: the sainthood - the crown of eternal life. God will certainly remember all the virtues we displayed to others, and surprisedly has very bad memory of our past sins when we reach the Heaven. So when I die (Oh no, I mean entering into eternal life), I want to  offer up something to God pleasing Him as my gratitude though I am nothing out of nothing.

“Where most men work for degrees after their names, we work for one before our names: 'Saint'. It's a much more difficult degree to attain. It takes a lifetime, and you don't get your diploma until you're dead.” 

- Mother Angelica

Eccentrically, I found myself happy for having stubborn faith in God despite all my sufferings and hardships. I do not even have deep knowledge of divine and lofty matters. The faith is just there. Maybe it was my instincts which insisted on the truism of God, whom I chose to obey. Or was it our mutual love which prompted me to take advantages of all opportunities to please Him?

"I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe." 

- Saint Augustine of Hippo

Perhaps I should be happy as I sacrificed my own will and took in as my own the mind of the Holy Catholic Church. Through the Church, I studied Lord Jesus' teachings and learnt how to become a saint from Him. For long time, I never forget the Proverbs 1:7 - "To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord God." 

What are your thoughts? Have you thought of the death yet? Are you ready to face God anytime? 

It is time for me to get lost into the Catholic spirituality.

Humility

Today, I read the wisdom of Saint Therese of Lisieux.

"There is no need for me to grow up. In fact, just the opposite: I must become less and less." - Saint Therese of Lisieux

I was also reminded of Saint John the Baptist as he preached that Christ must increase while he must go down. Perhaps God was reminding me of the importance of humility. I did not know whether to smile or cry. I do not mind being nagged for my mistakes, and having my voice being ignored, as the elders always have the final say and can say anything they want. But I cannot tolerant the irreverence I always witnessed in the Church, where our Abba Father's house resides all the time.

Again, I read Saint Peter's quote:

"Do what the elders tell you, and all wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and He will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to Him, since He is looking after you."(1 Peter 5: 5-7)

Fine, I do not need to waste time on senseless matters that take forever to solve. It is best to focus on the consolations of the Lord who always desire to come to us despite our unworthiness to receive Him. Saint Augustine was right. It is totally pointless to explain to those who do not understand, and it is not necessary to explain to those who truly understand.

I am glad to have timely consolations from the aforementioned saints through the graces of God. Praise Him for His Divine Providence.

Self-examination

Mirror, mirror, is it me, right?

Recently, my friend posted this quote on facebook: "We gain strength from temptations we resist."

While nodding my head, I somehow was reminded of Saint Paul's statement:

"All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither. That is how i run, intent on winning; that is how I fight, not beating the air. I treat my body hard and make it obey me, for, having been an announcer myself, I should not want to be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

 Clearly, something was suggesting the importance of the self-examination. This is very important for the Sacrament of reconciliation, where the powerful graces are manifested of God's Divine Mercy and His Love. No wonder it is more powerful than the exorcism, that is attested by the exorcist priests' experiences.

Today, I came across two quotes in the book.

"[Wisdom] is the reflection of the everlasting light and a spotless mirror of the power of God." (Wisdom 7:26)

"Every day, look into the spotless mirror that is Jesus Christ, and study well your reflection. In that way, you may adorn yourself, mind and body, with every virtue." - Saint Clare of Assisi 

I think I should be grateful for every temptation permitted by God into my life. Without having fought them, I would never know the precious gift of humility. As if it was yesterday, I still remembered reading the warning letter from the devil in my dream prior to my baptism. From then onwards, I strived  to master every Christian virtue. Even today, I am still learning how to be good Catholic child of God.

"Go, ask God to stir up warfare so that you may regain the affliction and humility that you used to have. For it is by warfare that the soul makes progress. Lord, give me strength for the fight." - Saint John the Dwarf

God's Supreme Love

Do you believe that the priests' hands are really Jesus' Hands? I do.

Today, I witnessed my friend's ordination to the Order of Melchizedek. I could sense the great joy not only from the congregation but also from the Heaven as this new priest responded generously to his calling given by God. I was also blessed to see many familiar faces. Seeing their faces was more than enough to fill up my joys.

Today's second reading in Mass for his ordination was quoted from Saint Paul in Romans which sent a powerful message to my mind.

"Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do. Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying. If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special care." (Romans 12: 2, 9-13)

I was amazed as God spoke to me over there. A perfect timing for my journey. Fatigue decayed my alertness of the body and spirit. Naturally, I went back home immediately after lunch for the rest. But my faith remained rooted in God and Blessed Mother. Today's reading brought me a sweet consolation. Deo Gratias!

My reflection enlightened me of God's supreme love as He let my friend possessed Jesus' Hands, the power to carry out the priestly duties to care for thousands of souls. I was also reminded of Saint Anthony of Pauda: "Christ's love for us so bound Him to us, that it motivated Him to descend down to our own wretchedness, as if He could not have lived in Heaven without us." It was almost as if I was challenged to think how much I really love the Lord God. Today's special day attested God's promise to us that He is always there with us. Even if we feel lost sometimes, God is always there, consoling us. It is just that we fail to notice that when we get affected by our own desolations. We also forget that we are the temple of Holy Spirit, meaning that God is there within our hearts all the time. I am really grateful for the gift of Catholic faith where I can find the real presence of Christ. All praise be to Jesus and Mary!

"Who can be more blessed or happier than the one in whom God has set up His dwelling place? What else can you need or what else can possibly make you richer? You have everything when you have within you the One who made all things, the only One who can satisfy the longings of your spirit, without whom whatever exists is as nothing." 

- Saint Anthony of Pauda

Bread of Life

Today's Gospel enlightened me to the new meaning of "Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie" in Pater Noster, Our Lord's Prayer. Today, Our Lord reminded us, "It is my Father who gives you the Bread from Heaven, the true Bread; for the Bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world... I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry; he who believes in Me will never thirst." (John 6:32-33,35)

Our Lord gives Himself to us through the Eucharist everyday! Now, I have reached the new level of appreciation for the Holy Mass. Deo Gratias for the aspiring consolation today!

Recently, a friend of mine shared with me that his community mate started to kneel receiving Our Lord on the tongue every time as he wished to reserve the reverence for the Lord. What a delightful joy to hear that! However, it is not enough for just the reverence. It should be high reverence for our Eternal King who was willing to lower Himself to our hearts as His Eternal Throne, as He is our God, the Most High who transcends over everything. This is our supernatural reverence for Him! 

"What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered on His Own Lips?" - Saint John Chrysostom