The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 7

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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The power of the word, whether written or spoken, is simply amazing. It has the unlimited capacity to inspire and to move people to build, or to destroy nations, to convert and to change lives, to provide joy in sorrow and to inflict pain in anger.

I have been blessed to have met and been touched by people who have the gift of words. Some whom I can recall right now are Father Carlos Abesamis, Ed Dela Torre, Bishop Chito Tagle, Doctor Alran Bengzon, Father Jojo Magdia, Stephen Covey.

But the greatest of them all is the Word Himself: “for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.”

God’s Word is create-ive. He said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. In the fullness of time, his Word became flesh. This is the greatest mystery the man will even encounter. There is no way that man  with his finite mind can fully comprehend an infinite God. So, the Word was made flesh so flesh can understand and comprehend.

I am thankful for the Incarnation. In my own life, God had only to utter my name for me to come into existence. Many people, in different places and from different times, have been struggling to prove or to know God. I simply accept Him in the person of Jesus – the Word made man.

I have a first hand experience of the power and creative force of words when I pray. When I pray I give voice to my deepest yearnings within me. The words with which I pray give form and flesh to my deepest feelings and emotions. When I give words to my joys, sufferings, inspirations and anxieties, I get to truly own them. And in owning them, I can transform them. In the process, I become transformed myself. Through prayers and the words I utter in prayer, I share in God’s continuing act of creation.

Like in times primeval, he said: “Let there be light.” and there was light. To the blind man, Jesus said: “Receive your sight.” and the blind man saw the light. In prayer, I say with faith: “Lord, that I may see.” He stays with me and helps me see: sometimes dimly, sometimes brightly.

Thank you for words.
Thank you for prayers.
Thank you for the Word becoming flesh

 

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 6

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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I woke up early this morning, in my own room, in my own bed, snuggling in the warmth of the woman who has loved me unconditionally for more than half a century now. Between coming into full wakefulness and getting up from bed, I relished the moment and whispered “Thank you, Lord.” over and over.

We need such pauses and gaps to make room for gratitude in our lives. Gaps and pauses that allow us to see the beauty of the flower or the sunset, to appreciate the goodness in people, to absorb the truth there is in the world.

Some pauses come naturally, like at night in that state of wakefulness between lying down in bed and finally falling asleep, or in the mornings between the first stirrings and rising from sleep, or in traffic while waiting for the car in front to move on. Others have to be planned for, like that invigorating walk in nature, or the refreshing stroll along the beach, or that moment of daily prayer. Still others come serendipitously, like Aha insight moments, like the thought that being grateful is to recognize the love of God and of other people.

When we are grateful, we affirm the goodness there is in people. We help make goodness a stronger force than evil. We fructify people so that they can be even more generous and giving. And in turn, we learn to be giving and generous persons ourselves.

When we are grateful, we celebrate the beauty there is nature and creation. And in celebrating that beauty, we actually make our world a more beautiful place. What we see in nature blossoms in our minds and what is often in our minds eventually turn into reality, usually even unconsciously.

When we are grateful, we absorb and respect the truth there is in the world. And in respecting the truth, we contribute to that universal consciousness that make us human and that we are indeed born and bound for greater things ahead.

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 5

Posted on November 18, 2018 by Spirit Moments

Continuing my Novena of Gratitude – Fifth Day.

I am thankful for every sign and manifestation of new life. A rose bud blooming into a fresh flower always brings me a smile. It means to me that life will never be denied. Life will always find a way to express itself. And I am thankful then that “God’s in his Heaven, All’s right with the world!” I do not need “the sun to be darkened, and the moon not to give its light, and the stars to be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens to be shaken” to realize that God is in control. Thank you Lord for your continuing work of creation.

There is nothing fresher, nor more innocent, than a newborn baby. Everyday, God delivers a piece of heaven all over the earth through the babies that come to life. Their breathe is a whiff of what it must smell like in heavenly court. Their bright innocent eyes seem to be still lost in wond’ring contemplation of God’s awesome majesty. Their babbling and cooing seems to be the continuation of the heavenly conversations they were having just before they left for earth. And when they break into giggles or even laughter, it sounds that they are part of the heavenly chorus signing praises to God.

For every flower that blooms, thank you. God is in control.
For every baby that is born, thank you. God keeps sending us messengers from heaven.
Fo every baby we are blessed to meet, thank you. God loves me that he sends them my way regularly.
For the innocence, freshness and hope that new life brings into the world, thank you. God constantly speaks to us if we would but stop and listen to notice.

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 4

Posted on November 17, 2018 by Spirit Moments

 

This is the fourth day of my Novena of Gratitude, leading up to Thanksgiving on November 22nd.

I am never alone for there are always family and friends accompanying me on my journey. But there are times I want to be alone. By myself. Or, with God. Often times, I am alone with myself or with God in the silence and solitude of prayer. Sometimes, I seek God or myself in the beauty and serenity of nature.

Today, I am deeply grateful for the gift of nature. In my life, there have been more than 25,000 sunsets. But each one I watch never fail to leave me in awe at the parting of day and night, grateful for the gift of another 24 hours of life. And each sunrise awakens me in gratitude for another day in my life.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir.
Anabelle and I love going on hikes. Nothing is more invigorating than being immersed in the silence of the forest, the freshness of the air, the darting of other living things among the trees. I am grateful and always amazed how the silence and solitude of the forest invigorates my soul as I pray in the cathedral among the trees.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ~ John Muir
Whether it is a stroll along the beach, or just gazing out on a starry night, or marveling at great scenery, there is a stirring in my soul that seems to reverberate with the rest of the universe. There is a certain pulse and rhythm in nature that strikes sympathetic vibrations in my innermost being. And I am simply filled with deep feelings of gratitude. For life and for all its awe and wonder.

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 3

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Spirit Moments

P1550432Today, I thank God for family and friends
and say ‘Thank you’ to those
who have accompanied me in my life’s journey.

I thank them for the happy times,
and these memories are with me forever,
that were made possible because of them,
and sharing these happy times with them
even added to and multiplies the joy and happiness
of the moments.

I thank them for staying with me during the sad moments as well.
They said nothing.
They did nothing.
They simply stayed.
For sorrows shared are sorrows divided and subtracted.

I thank the people and friends through whom God has touched my life.
A touch, a word of advice, a smile, a hug.
They are all what I sometimes need to get me through.
There were the push and the shove and the strong helping hands
that helped me climb a mountain, cross a river, or surmount a big obstacle.

I thank the strangers and and random acquaintances,
who have serendipitously appeared in my life,
just at the right moment,
to deliver aid and offer assistance.

My life has been rich and full
because of all the people whom
I have meet along the way.
Some have moved on and some have stayed.
Others have remained to become fast friends
and others have vanished with me not even knowing their names.

My life has been richly blessed.
And I thank all the people who have joined me in my journey.
I was never alone for there was always someone by my side.

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 2

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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One tip to being happy is to thank God for everything you have. Literally, I count my blessings, writing down the things I have in life that give me happiness. From the smallest, like a kiss, a hug, a smile, a wave. To the biggies, like the joy of having raised three terrific sons, of them gifting me with three, soon to be four, delightful grandchildren. I often begin thanking God for the gift of life and I can come up with an endless list of blessings just because I am alive.

But it is when I find the grace to thank God when I have troubles and during the storms and tempests in my life that I tear up in thanking God. I do not pray for these unpleasant times. Like Christ, I ask the Father to let these cups of sorrows pass. Often, I act like Job, asking Him, “WHY?” or “Are you here?” or “Do you even listen?” or “Do you even exist?”

But in moments of silence and solitude, in moments of light and in the presence of God, I realize that God has done and is doing more for me during these terrible times than during the time of joy and laughter and exhilaration and happiness. Behind the storm clouds are indeed clear silver linings. And out of these distinct silver lining are the streams and rays of God’s grace shining through.

Today, I am thankful for the difficult and troubles times in my life. If I am any kinder or gentler or even just a little bit more patient and forgiving; if I am capable of being even just a little more generous, loving and caring; it was because of the storms and tempests that God has allowed to come into life. It is in those moments just before the dark clouds clear up that I soon realize that God was sleeping in my boat all the while. Ready to save and help me one more time from all my troubles and worries.

 

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The Attitude of Gratitude – Day 1

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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In the great Christian tradition of novenas,
I am starting today a nine-day preparation for Thanksgiving Day.
All major and important holy days in Christianity are celebrated
with a nine-day preparation, culminating with the feast itself.

Gratitude is a deeply spiritual virtue.
In a culture of competitive individualism,
I can easily lose sight of the others in my life.
Gratitude is the awareness and appreciation of the fact that I am not alone.
I can do things for myself but I definitely need others to complete and fulfill me.
Often, what others do for me is unbidden and undeserved
– reminding me that all is gift.
In a world where every man to himself is an acceptable norm of behavior,
gratitude makes me aware of our need for one another.
In being grateful, I am reminded and inspired to do good for and by others.
Gratitude, like love, starts with a deep realization,
made in silence and reflection,
of the goodness and love that others bring into my life.
But gratitude is not complete until it is expressed
and made tangible by a word, a gesture, or a smile.
Very much like love.

Today, I am grateful for the four days Anabelle and I
Have just for ourselves in the paradise island of Boracay.
The past months have been difficult as we made yet another
major move, another uprooting, another new adventure,
as we try to seek together the Lord’s will for us.
We do not have the patience and the energy of our younger days anymore.
But the willingness and the daring to boldly go where we haven’t gone before
are still there, strong and burning.
I am deeply grateful that Anabelle still is willing and eager
to embark on such quixotic but enriching journeys.
I thank God for giving me a partner in her.

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In the Image of the Divine

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Spirit Moments

 

 

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Ang nilikha mong kariktan
Sulyap ng ‘yong kagandahan

 

 

 

It thrills me to know that I am made in the image and likeness of God.
It thrills me even more to realize that I was made uniquely
and that there will never be another one quite like me.
If man is made in God’s image and likeness,
imagine how many billions of us mortals would be needed
to fully express the greatness and goodness of God, who is infinite.
Every human person is a spark of that divine infinite.
That is why each life is a God-moment and each life is filled with God-stories.
There are times and places where I am more acutely aware of the divine
than at any other time or place.
I need to pause, experience silence and solitude
to resonate with this divine who not only created
but is drawing me ever closer to him everyday.
He who made me out of stardust is bringing me
back to the stars where I came from.
He who created me in his image and likeness
is drawing me towards unity with his Trinity of love.

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True Faith Is Always Extraordinary

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Luke 17:5-6

The believer, through Faith, is able to transform
the ordinary into something extraordinary,
the mundane into something magical
and the petty into something pretty.
With Faith, every new day becomes a wonderful present
and every adversity becomes an opportunity to become better and stronger.
In Faith, Christ took on the cross,
the worst penalty for criminals then in the Roman Empire,
and transformed it into an enduring and eternal symbol
of unconditional love and great sacrifice.
Faith marks the signposts that guide us
in this journey we call life.

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Our Greatest Fear

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Spirit Moments

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Our greatest fear is death, that someday we will be gone and be gone for good. That everything we have lived, worked for, will be gone forever. That all the good we have done, all the pains we have gone through, all the efforts we have exerted will all be for naught. And that all the evil we have suffered, all the abuse we endured will go unpunished and will never be righted. What if we were to lose everything indeed when we die?

This deep seated fear in us finds the ultimate refuge in a God who will set everything right in his time:

The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them,
Who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed,
who gives bread to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free;
the LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD protects the resident alien,
comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow,
but thwarts the way of the wicked.
~ Psalm 146

But men often find themselves living out that fear. We cling to everything we have for fear of losing it all. We hang on to dear life, even to the extent to taking or harming it in others for fear of losing our own. We fight one another to be able to keep our place in the sun or our slice of the pie. The bigger, the better.

And the Lord who would set us free and give us sight and raise us up has been teaching us the exact opposite: to receive or to keep something, we have to give it away; to save our lives, we must be willing to give it up; to be raised up, we must keep ourselves lowly. For it is from his fullness that we are filled and it is in his boundless love that we find our true happiness and fulfillment.

“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury. 
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood.”
~ Mark 12: 43-44

 

 

 

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