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- 

"Nothing is more important than finding God, 

that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute and final way!

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, 
will affect everything.

 It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, 

what yo do with your evenings, 
how you spend your week-ends, 
what you read, 
who you know, 
what breaks your heart, 
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. 

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." 

Quote attributed to Fr. Arrupe, SJ

LOVE  is founded on our desire for completion

"to be whole, to be in harmony, to be connected, to be free."

What is it that completes us?

 It does not have to be a person,

it could be work, an experience in nature,

a hobby or something else...

MAY WE ALWAYS BE IN LOVE, 

that is, may we be always in touch with and be grounded on

 what it is that completes us!

"A heart that is full of love always has something to give."
Pope John XXIII


"This is the MIRACLE that happens every time to those who love:
the more they give, the more they possess."  
  Rainier Maria Rilkie


JOY IS THE MOST INFALLIBLE SIGN OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

Ministry Appropriating Issues on Responses to Life and Vocations

Seeing the Beauty and God's Grace in all of our Life endeavors! Ministry Appropriating Issues on Responses to Life and Vocations

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

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

What is Love?

What is Love?

Love is not a "once and for all" heaven sent situation.
Rather, LOVE is more of an intentional and 
dynamic spiritual exercise of 
opening oneself up to the OTHER
who HAS LOVED us first.
This journey involves 
a lifelong process of deepening our capability
 to exhaust the endless ways of expressing LOVE, 
most especially when we are challenged and are already spent.

Love is a practice of "holding someone in the light"

by visualizing someone 

in the circle of God's love and presence 

defending your life. 

 Quakers

LIFE IS A JOURNEY

A corollary water imagery came alive to my mind as I watched this thought provoking video. I remembered admiring a beautiful snapshot of flashy sailboats anchored safely in a harbor of calm and undisturbed waters.  In the background were expensive rest houses and gorgeous hillsides. The water was surreal.  The sailboats were shining in the sun. The words on the poster read, "Ships in a harbor are safe. But that's not what ships are for!"

" Life is not a destination; it is a journey," we are reminded by those who hve fathomed the depths of life. Sometimes, when we have docked our lives into a safe harbor, it is so easy to forget our life's journey and to just be content to rest at anchor. Just like the disciples who saw the transfiguration of Jesus, every time we had a "retreat experience" it is so tempting to just stay close to the clouds and not go down from the mountain.  We tend to stay where we are comfortable and safe.

Let us remember and pray for those who are moving forward in their life's journey, including our loved ones, our friends, even ourselves.  That as we move from our comfort zones and transition into major life changes, may we be encouraged and empowered by these journey wisdom.

May we rely on our ever-deepening faith in our Pilgrim God to propel us to risk the open seas, to continue sailing into unknown waters and to encounter wrath of storms and winds once again. Let us hold each other close in our hearts and speak our prayers with hope and joy!

A Prayer

by Francis Drake (1577)

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves

When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,

When we arrived safely, because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst for the Waters of Life;

Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity

And in our efforts to build a new earth,

We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery:

Where losing sight of land,we shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes;

And to push us in the future

in strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ.

Graced Margins of our Lives begin when we dare to leave behind our comfort zones!

"Twenty years from now, you will be disappointed
by the things that you did not do
than by the things that you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. 
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore!
Dream!
Discover!"
-Mark Twain-

Click to See Other Ship Snapshot!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/exequiel_mapa/6782993537/in/photostream/