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| (Photo credit: CNS photo/Paul Haring) |
Ave, ave, verum corpus
natum de Maria Virgine, Vere passum immolatum
in Cruce pro homine,
Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxitet sanguine, Esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine. |
Hail,true
body
born of the Virgin Mary, Who truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for man, Whose pierced side overflowed with water and blood, Be for us a foretaste In the test of death. |
I was attending a talk by Fr JJ Fenelon last Saturday on liturgy, and something he said strike me:
At the final blessing, we are sent forth "to glorify the Lord" by our lives. Which is why even if we offer a smile or a greeting to people we meet, we are in fact passing on Christ to others.
Wow! Have you ever thought about that?
So I did an experiment: on Sunday, when I was doing my hike training, I tried smiling and greeting people whom I came across along the way. Most people either avoid eye contact or look away, but there are those who returned a smile and a greeting. I remembered in particular an old uncle whom I first came across at the Tanjong Rhu park connector, and later again at the Marina Bay area (he was cycling). He recognised me and said "hi" again the second time around.
I think many people are shy or surprised when a stranger greet them or smile at them, because it's not that common here in our country. It's kinda sad, don't you think? We should be happy to pass on a greeting - and Christ - to people we meet, be it a stranger or a schoolmate or workplace colleague whom we don't know very well.
Maybe you can start your own little "daily experiment" and share your results with us.
I just saw this drawing about vocation and went "wow, God you are amazing! Another blessing to us this week??".
He is so generous, isn't He? =)
Some of you may know I am looking for a job now, and searching in my heart the kind of job I want to do next that allows me to make a difference in the world. And this drawing speaks volumes to me.
Even if you are still studying in school, this one is for you. Whatever course you choose, and whatever subject you study, look towards those that speak to your heart. Because that is probably what God intends for you. Because He would have put that in your DNA when He made you.
I never did very well in my studies but I really started taking greater interest in studying when I went to the university and took courses I liked in the Arts & Social Sciences faculty. I also enjoyed my junior college years, when I did Art and Literature. That was when I knew I had a flair in arts related subjects and that was where my heart sings.
It has been like this in the past 15 years at work: doing work that I enjoy, using my gifts (I hope) for His glory. And God has blessed me with wonderful work experiences.
I am near to getting a new job - something that speaks to me - and I ask you to pray for me, for discernment and for a sign that this is the correct direction to head in my next adventure.
If you have any prayer request, feel free to leave it in the comments section.
Let's pray for each other!
P/S: image courtesy of musician Jackie Francois' Facebook. Drawn by Bill Donaghy
Wow. It keeps coming, doesn't it?
My last entry was about being under-appreciated and today a friend of mine came to me with the same problem that I had on Tuesday.
God doesn't give you a problem for nothing. I truly believe in "God-incidence" - coincidences that happen to you, which is actually part of God's plan to bless someone else.
And so I shared with her about focusing on what is important in her life, instead of which areas in her life that she feels under-appreciated.
And then I saw today's first reading from 1st letter of St. Peter. It's quite apt really, and a timely reminder that we must first submit to God in humility, so He can raise us up at the appropriate time.
So here is part of the reading.
I hope this blesses you.
"Beloved:
Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.
So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen."
Hi all, it's Tuesday and soon the "mid-week valley" - as I like to call Wednesday - would be here.
I was feeling kinda down just now because of a short argument, and it made me feel under-appreciated.
Then I recalled last Sunday's session with Sr Kim and Sr Wendy from the Daughters of St Paul Society about gratitude with what God has given you, and using them to the greatest purpose. And I remembered what Angele had put on her FB wall after the session:
"If you have to choose: to be angry at what you don't have or grateful for what you have, what would be your choice?"
Indeed, when I look at my list, I know I am blessed with far more than what I deserve.
So, a tip to share with you: in your prayer time tonight make a list of what you are grateful for in your life today (or if you already have that list from Sunday's session, whip it out and look again). Put it in your wallet. When you hit a situation like what I had today, take it or and remind yourself that you can focus on what God had blessed you with and use them for His glory.
Have a blessed rest of the day!
I am sitting in front of our Lady's statue at the grotto and noticed this little creature nibbling at the leaves of a shrub. And it reminded me of this verse in the psalm:
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. " - Psalm 150:6
Yes, even this caterpillar is praising God, trying to grow outta itself so it becomes a beautiful butterfly!
As long as we are living the vocation God is pointing us to, we are praising God.
Grace and Rationalization: Closely Linked
By Dr. Jeff Mirus November 17, 2011 8:28 PM
In studying the Catholic doctrine on grace, a fascinating connection emerges between rationalization and grace—or rather resistance to grace. I believe this explains quite a bit of what we instinctively sense about those who live and foster immoral lifestyles. It explains why those who are sensitive to these things always wonder what people are running away from when they come up with the usual inadequate reasons for their behavior.
The Catholic doctrine of grace holds first that grace is offered to all men, second that we are incapable of doing any good thing in a meritorious way without it, and third that we are nonetheless fully responsible if we do evil instead. Here’s how it works:
God gives us a grace which causes the intellect to recognize some good and the will to take an initial complacency in that good.
Recognizing this, we either initially resist the grace through the free exercise of our will, or we do not resist it but instead initially simply do nothing at all.
If we do nothing at all, the grace moves us toward the good and, utilizing the power of grace, our own wills freely choose the completion of the necessary good action in cooperation with the grace.
But if we initially resist, the grace that has been given fails in its effect, and we choose to sin. We are capable of doing this under our own power because sin is a deficiency, and man is capable of deficiency unaided by grace.
Now note what resistance to grace consists of. It consists of a turning of the will away from the good God has brought to our attention through grace. And part of this turning occurs when the will commands the intellect to cease to recognize the goodness it has apprehended.
Then the intellect serves the will either by a simple darkening or, more likely, by the exercise of its natural ability but in such a way as to satisfy the will’s command that what was momentarily apprehended as good is really not good at all, or at least not a necessary good. This, of course, is the beginning of rationalization.
If we are habitually properly responsive to grace, we learn to recognize this sort of rationalization in ourselves, either looking back on earlier situations, or in present moments of weakness. Those who are habitually responsive to grace also perceive it very clearly in those who are not. But it remains very difficult to convince people that they are rationalizing, for the whole point is that the will refuses to permit the intellect to admit the truth because the will has rebelled against this particular good.
I suspect our readers will see this, now that I’ve pointed it out: Rationalization is what the intellect does when the will commands it to turn away from some good that grace has enabled it to apprehend.Love, angele
