Every Problem Has A Solution.

Trust that nothing is permanent, and that every trial has an end.

You Get What You Believe.

So believe even in the impossible. Make your dreams enormous. Reach out for the stars.

Because the universe is always listening. And it obeys.

I Won't Be Blinded By Appearances.

Don't show me the cross necklace that you wear around your neck. 

Don't tell me how many times you kneel in front of the altar everyday. 

And don't shout your prayers for me to hear.

I want to see the kind of life you live when you're outside the church.

I want to know how you treat people who are different from you. 

And I want to hear the words that come out of your mouth when you're angry or annoyed.

Memorized Prayers Do Not Go To Waste.

People attack the Catholic church for many reasons - for patronizing saints, for using images, for the rosary, and for many other of its practices. One common Catholic practice that some people question is its use of written prayers - such as The Creed, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary. People say these are not effective because they are merely recited from memory, not from the heart, and thus they don't have meaning. In the past, I could, in some way, understand the point that these people are raising - that memorized prayers often lose their essence when recited.

Today, though, I already understand the role that these forms of prayer play in the life of people who have the faith.

Prayer is also a way of life, a form of communication with God. But, like all other forms of communication, there are times when prayer also fails. There have been instances in my life when I find it very difficult to talk to God. I would prepare myself for prayer, only to find my mind wandering somewhere else - and prayer fails. I would try to talk to God, only to find myself at a loss for words - and prayer fails. I would search myself for all the things I want to tell God, only to find emptiness - and prayer fails. 

There are certain instances in my life when talking to God becomes a huge challenge because of several reasons. Sometimes, I get distracted and my mind gets occupied by a jumble of thoughts. And then recently, I've been having a hard time praying because I feel I'm not worthy to come to God because of sin - that feeling which comes with the knowledge that I am living a life of sin, and talking to Him becomes very difficult because I am overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and unworthiness. During instances like this, prayer becomes a big challenge. And even when I attempt a conversation, I usually end up feeling like all the words I utter are hollow and meaningless.

Just this morning, a solution presented itself just before I fully woke up - memorized prayers. I recalled the lines of the Our Father and recited them in my mind, allowing myself to extract meaning from the words and to feel God's presence in the written lines. It was not an instant success, but I felt something there - some emotion, some connection, some stirring in the soul. 

I know that God understands this dark phase in my prayer life and in my relationship with Him, and I know He sees what's inside me - He can hear the voice of my heart even as my mind and my tongue fail to find the words. I trust that He will work His miracles to pick me up and lead me forward until I get through this. For the meantime, memorized prayers shall be my guide.

I Am Complete In God.

Complete

by Parachute Band

Here I am, Oh God

I bring this sacrifice

My open heart

I offer up my life

I look to You, Lord

Your love that never ends

Restores me again

Chorus:

So I lift my eyes to You Lord

In Your strength will I break through Lord

Touch me now

Let Your love fall down on me

I know Your love dispels all my fears

And I will be complete in You

Here I am, Oh God

I bring this sacrifice

My open heart

I offer up my life

I look to You, Lord

Your love that never ends

Restores me again

Chorus:

So I lift my eyes to You Lord

In Your strength will I break through Lord

Touch me now

Let Your love fall down on me

I know Your love dispels all my fears

Through the storm I will hold on Lord

And by faith I will walk on, Lord

Then I'll see

Beyond my Calvary one day

And I will be complete in You

Ending:

I will be complete in

I will be complete in You

Faith Is Most Beautiful When Shared.

Today is Palm Sunday. And no, I am not an avid participant in church traditions like this one. But, this morning while in church, I saw all these people waving their palm leaves during the blessing and I was deeply touched by their exercise of faith. I do not fully understand the significance of events like this (although I know they are done to commemorate significant events in the past) and maybe many of the people in the church are like me - they also do not fully understand church traditions. And yet they still believe. Because that is faith. You know it, feel it, in your heart - and you know it's for real. Yes, everything you believe in is supported by concrete facts - the bible and all the accounts of apostles. Yet more than this, the feeling alone is enough. This morning, amid all those people waving their palm leaves for blessing, I experienced one of the most beautiful faith experiences. I felt unity. I felt camaraderie. I felt love. It felt good to be with people who believe like I do.

And then this afternoon, I joined our caring group in an outreach to a home for the aged. This one is not a church tradition but a product of the church, faith in action. I was with a friend and we had a great time spent with the elderly. We ate with them, played games with them, heard them sing, sang with them, and danced with them. Again, it was a concrete expression of faith shared with people who believe. We came from different backgrounds, and some of us barely knew each other. But when we were there, that did not matter. What mattered was us, the elderly, and the mission we set out to do. And it was successful! It felt great seeing the grandparents enjoy themselves.

Faith is deeply personal, yes; it's a relationship between the person and God. However, sharing it with others is one of the greatest experiences one can have in life.

Just Say Yes.

They say God doesn't call the qualified, but He qualifies the called. 

Sometimes, a task is presented in front of us and we feel like we cannot do it - we don't have the time, the talent, or the treasure to accomplish the job. But, all we really need is to trust God, because it's not us who will be at work - it will be God. All we really have to do is to say yes, and surely we'll be amazed at how things would turn out.

Thank you, Lord, for a successful day. There were glitches, but everything turned out well. And as another call is presented in front of me today, I say yes. I don't know what awaits me in this upcoming journey, but I trust You fully. Guide me. Direct me. Surprise me, Lord. Bring it on!

God Will Never Give Up...

My spiritual journey had been filled with potholes and bumps, and the past years had been especially challenging. I got in a wrong relationship. I lived in sin for many years. I got distracted by a whole lot of worldly pursuits and desires, and I worshiped many gods. I placed my real God on the sideline.

All my sins kept me from turning back to God, and all my efforts to search for Him had been almost in vain. But, He never gives up. In 2011, He opened a door that allowed me to belong to a community that would strengthen my faith. And, He gave me the grace to finally break free from the relationship that I was in. 

And now, after everything that happened, only one challenge remains - reconnecting with God on an intimate level. I used to enjoy a very close relationship with Him before, but that ended when everything that happened... happened. Now I feel I'm starting over, but I'm having a hard time re-establishing a personal relationship with God. The process is a struggle, and I often feel like I'm not worthy, that I'm losing it.

But, truly His grace never ceases. Before 2011 ended, I met with a good friend who reminded me all about the grace and the miracle and the love of God. And I realized then, God has never abandoned me all this time. That He is there all along. That He has not given up on me. Despite feeling for a long time that my efforts to search for Him were in vain, I now know that He remains faithful to me, that His love endures.

And as the year 2012 opens, I am once again filled with hope. I feel so blessed knowing that God is still there, that He will always be there for me, and that He is waiting for me to come back to Him. His grace never ends, and He knows I need to be reminded of this - thus the angel He sent in the form of a friend.

Thank you Lord. I love you. I promise to do better this year.