HOPE

HOPE is the thing with feathers 
that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words

and never stops at all!

-Emily Dickenson- 

May we never lose hope 
despite the pains, difficulties and struggles
that we might encountered in our lives!
Let us always trust in our abiding stronghold,
in our God-Who-Is-Always-With-Us...

GOD'S SEEMING ABSENCE AS GOD'S PROFOUND PRESENCE

"Dark Night of the Soul" is a profound feeling of God's seeming silence
and distance to everything that craves for deeper union with God

I have experienced the "Absence of God" so  profoundly

and that this "negation" has gradually became 
God's New Presence in my Life! 
May God be Praised!

EVER PRESENT GOD, 
THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME 
THAT YOU ARE THE GOD OF DARKNESS AS WELL.
EVEN IN MY DARKEST MOMENTS, YOU ARE THERE,
SEIZING ME AND LOVING ME.
I PRAY THAT I MAY ALWAYS FIND YOU
IN THOSE MOMENTS 
WHEN I AM UNMOVED TOTHE BEAUTY OF CREATION, WHEN I AM FROZEN TO THE LOVE OF COMMUNITY, WHEN I AM OBLIVIOUS OF YOUR ABIDING PRESENCE. AMEN.

You made the night your cloak,
you covered yourself in a canopy of storm clouds.
Psalm 18:11

GOD'S GRACE DURING OUR DEEPEST NEEDS

GOD'S GRACE IN TIME OF OUR DEEPEST NEED

"There are so many ways that we feel God's tender touch in our lives,

but it is in time of loss that we discover the deepest meaning

of His tenderness" - Roy Lessin

In whatever difficult circumstances we may have found ourselves on our life's journey, it is my prayer that we may always find our own meaningful consolations and that we may come out in deeper hope and trust in God!

One of the greatest marvels in life is the 

RESILIENCY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

There must be a vital and inextinguishable spark 

of HAPPINESS 

deep in every human heart.

-Agnes Sligh Turnbull- 

CARRYING OUR CROSS
by Joyce Rupp

RESPONSE:  JESUS, GRANT US STRENGTH TO CARRY  YOUR CROSS

• On those days when life seems too demanding with all its cares, burdens and concerns...
•   When we experience great loneliness deep inside and the pain of separation fills our spirits...
• When we feel the pain of our world and unite in compassion with the Earth's suffering people...
• When we struggle with decision-making and the time comes to make good choices about our lives...
• When we are with others in their physical pain or when we vigil with one who has terminal illness...
• When we are asked to go the extra mile, to be generous with our time and our presence...
• When we feel weary and worn out, when it seems like all of our energy has been drained away...
• When we are challenged to risk our security and to accept new growth in our relationship with you...
• When we experience the effects of aging or extended illness on our bodies or our minds...
• When we feel discouraged, desolate, depressed and want to withdraw from others...
• When worries and concerns choke our peacefulness and leave us with anxieties and fear...
• When we harbor old wounds and are called to offer or to receive forgiveness...

TOGETHER: 

Crucified Jesus, help us to take up our cross day by day.  Through these crosses we can grow closer to you. Help us to lean on you and to learn from you. May we not give in to self-pity or self-doubt. Rather, let us trust in your presence which strengthens us. Encourage us on our tomb-like days. Remind us of your Resurrection. Help us to keep our vision focused on life and growth. Amen.

What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?

I think it is the hope of loving and being loved.

I heard a fable once about the sun going on a journey

to find its source, and how the moon wept without her lover's warm grace.

We weep when light does not reach our hearts.

We wither like fields if someone close does not rain their kindness upon us."

Meister Eckhart, from LOVE POEMS FROM GOD, 
translated by Daniel  Ladinsky. 109

"And so we pray:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy 
answers, half truths, and superficial
relationships so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice,
oppression, and using people on earth
so that you will work for justice, equity and peace.

May God bless you with weeping and desolation, 
so that you may grow compassion 
for those who suffer because of others,
and may you reach out to them.

And May God bless you with foolishness
to think that you can make a difference
where you are, in this world, in this ministry,
in your surroundings, 
and that you can do the things
which others say cannot be done.

We pray this, God, in your Name. Amen."

-Original author of prayer unknown, adapted by Alexis Navarro

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD...

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water 

that brings forth its fruit in due season;

his leaf shall not wither;

and whatever he does shall prosper!

PSALM 1: 1-5

Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow;

the same everlasting Father, who cares for you today,

will take care of you tomorrow and everyday.

Either He will shield you from your suffering 

or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace, then,

and put aside anxious thoughts and imaginations!

St. Francis de Sales 

To pray is to enter into a relationship with God
and to have that relationship
make a difference in my life."
Kenneth Leech

Though the mountains may fall and the hills turn to dust,
yet the Love of the Lord will stand:
And the Shelter for All who will Call on God's name
"Sing The Praise and The Glory of God!"

Could the Lord ever leave you,
Could the Lord for get His Love?
Though a mother forsake her child,
God will not abandon you!

Ministry Appropriating Issues on Responses to Life and Vocations: Fall Reflections

Ministry Appropriating Issues on Responses to Life and Vocations: Fall Reflections

Living on a Prayer

Living on a Prayer - A powerful write up of Aron Ralston's life recaptured by "Inspiration by God." This article showed how his tragic yet courageous experience in Utah can spark hope in us all, particularly to those who are experiencing dark nights in our lives. While "canyoning" in the rockies of Utah, Aron was trapped and pinned down for four days, by a boulder of rock that fell on him. For five days and five nights, he was alone, helpless and almost desperate and was crying out for help. Until, a sudden surge of spirit dawned upon him that made him do the unthinkable - to cut his arm so that he can free himself and live. He claimed that it was God who spoke to him and sustained him but it was the combination of his faith and free will that saved him. Amazing life story. Aron's strong character and his refusal to be in despair, I believe, arose from his being grounded on God in his sufferings. 

Aron's remarkable testimony reminds me of Dawana Markova's inspirational poem, which has become my "mantra" during my own trying times.  -  

  "I Will Not Die An Unlived Life"

        "I will not live an unlived life, I will not live in fear, of falling or catching fire.

         I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open to me,

         to make me less afraid, more accessible;

         to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.

         I choose to risk my significance to live 

so that which came to me as a seed,

         goes to the next as blossom,

         and that which come to me as blossom, 

goes on as a fruit."

May we, in our personal lives, not only befriend our own pains, trials and tribulations and like Aron, may we come out stronger and blessed in the process of embracing them. May we also, in return, continue to be a source of grace and blessings to others, especially to those around us.