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

Happy blessed feast day of Saint Maria Goretti

Virgin Martyr, Saint Maria Goretti

Her story is magnificent. She fought hard with her assaulter, Fra Alessandro Sereneli not because she was being attacked, but because she did not want him to commit a grave mortal sin that could result him a place in the hell. Interestedly, after her death, Alessandro repented and joined the Order of Minor Friars, Capuchin as a laybrother. But the most important part is that both Saint Maria and her mother had forgiven him. 

"Eating and drinking don't make friendship - such friendship even robbers and murderers have. But if we are friends, if we truly care for one another, let's help one another spirituality... Let's hinder those things that lead our friends away to hell." - Saint John Chrysostom

I always see her story as a great lesson of forgiveness and a great hope of Divine Mercy of God that prompts the conversion of the most hardened sinners. If God can forgive us despite the facts that we have hurt Him so much, why cannot we forgive the others whose inflicting pains are much less painful than what we had done to our God, the Most High and our Blessed Mother Mary? I am very confident that Fra Alessandro Sereneli had found his place in Heaven and became an official citizen of Heaven and a Saint!

"There will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance." - Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 15:7)

O Blessed Maria Goretti, ardent defender of virtue of chastity, pray for us! O Blessed Fra Alessandro Sereneli, repentant sinner, pray for us, and the conversion of most hardened sinners! 

Lord Jesus is always a first Superhero in my heart that no one can replace Him.

Let us praise our Lord Jesus Christ for His great Divine Mercy! He is my Superhero because He can save or rather has saved thousands (millions, billions and trillions!) souls from the wickedness and snares of the devil. This is something that no other hero can do in the lifetime. Deo Gratias! 

Fragrance of a little prayer

I remembered that after one particular Mass, there was a bee chasing after me despite crowd and many flowers nearby. Don't tell me it's because of my body scent. But hey, don't try sniffing at me. Haha!

This reminds me of Saint John Vianney's quote: "The pure soul is a beautiful rose, and the Three Divine Persons descend from Heaven to inhale its fragrance." Little wonder, I often smell the fragrance at the holy place where the highest form of prayer is being celebrated. Not from the ladies' perfumes, but rather from the prayers of Heavenly Queen who is our dearest Mother, all the Angels and Saints whom I always see over there, as the representative of Christ miraculously brings His Body and Blood unto the altar table for our sacrificial worship to Most High. This is really the most powerful prayer as it consists of the universal prayers of even Our Lord Himself, Only One True Catholic Church, Blessed Mother, all Angels and Saints in Heaven. Lord Jesus said, "If two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by My Father in Heaven. For where two or three meet in My Name, I shall be there with them." (Matthew 18:19-20). It is as if we are witnessing the Heaven over there but it is a very real experience as we sing the Greater Doxology, Lord's prayer and Sanctus on the equalities with the Seraphim, Cherubim, and all Angels.

"When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer think that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of Angels and Archangels standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven and earth. Therefore, when you are in the church, be there in silence, fear, and veneration." 

- Saint John Chrysostom

Everyday, Our Lord humbles Himself to our even lowest states despite our unworthiness, and lands on our tongue before departing into our hearts where we can communicate with Him in a state of grace. What a wonderful privilege! My mind never fails to recall that I am an unworthy sinner yet found and called to His love. All the time, my unworthy hands clasp together tightly that they cannot be separated themselves, but my knees bend themselves, acknowledging His Majesticness, as my eyes are seeing  My Eternal King lowers Himself until He lands upon my tongue, and departs into my heart. 

There is another powerful prayer: the Most Holy Rosary of our Blessed Mother. When you say one Pater Noster, you make one red rose. When you say one Ave Maria, you make one white rose. When you say the rosary, you make one crown of roses for our Mother. Saint Francis of Assisi was seen spitting out roses from his mouth during his rosary prayers, whereas his two guardian angels took them, made the crowns and delivered them to the Holy Queen of the Rosary. It is even magnificent when mediating upon the Life, Death, and Passion of Our Lord Jesus together with the Holy Rosary. For recitation the Holy Rosary is the body of this prayer, and mediation upon Lord Jesus is the soul of that same prayer. Saint John Vianney quoted, "When our hands have touched spices, they give fragrance to all they handle. Let us make our prayers pass through the hands of the Blessed Virgin. She will make them fragrant."

"When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer." 

- Saint Louis de Montfort

But why does prayer become the perfume to our soul and a fragrance that pleases God? It is because it grows love within our souls, for God and others. Saint Augustine said, Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." Love just keeps growing and growing, that hate and envy cannot find place in the heart. No wonder love is the greatest among three virtues (love, hope and faith) for hope gives way to vision of our belief, and faith gives way to eternal life. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton said, "The closer a soul is to God, the more it grows in love for all the creatures made by Him, and especially for those with whom we are so much in love."

Feel inspired after reading this post? Then, take an opportunity to attend Holy Mass, make one hour adoration (if cannot, taking a moment will do), and pray rosary everyday, whenever you can. This is an encouragement inspired by the Holy Spirit for the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament has been desiring for you.

"Take great care to go to Holy Mass, even on weekdays; and for such a cause be willing to put up with some inconvience. Thereby you will obtain every kind of blessing from the Lord." 

- Saint John Bosco

"You will gain more from one single Mass than you would from distributing all your goods to the poor or making pilgrimages to all the most holy shrines in Christendom." 

- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux