Remembering. The Lessons. 9/11.

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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Evil is real and is alive in the world.
The malice, hatred and anger behind 9/11 is so smothering and overwhelming,
one begins to wonder if there is a God who cares
and who is supposed to have enveloped his creation with goodness.
But where the evil of the perpetrators of 9/11 is so numbing,
the response of many was so awesomely inspiring.
Stories of courage and heroism abounded.
And in the aftermath, there was a tremendous outpouring of goodness
and caring for the victims and their families.
Indeed, 9/11 is a watershed event that has changed the world forever as we knew it.
I hope and fervently pray that it has been for the better;
that people now realize that love is better and stronger that hatred;
that generosity and sharing is more liberating than greed and selfishness;
that it is better to live in community rather than to lead individual lives;
that partnership make more sense than partisanship;
that we are seeds, already cast,
and that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,
it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

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By Choice. My Choice.

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Spirit Moments

 

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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost

I can choose.
I always have a choice.
The freedom to choose is what defines man and sets him apart from the rest of creation.
Man can choose what he wants and can do.
The rest of creation has simply to go by the laws of nature.
Animals and beasts always go by their instincts.
Man’s greatest achievements as well as his worst follies
often come from his attempts to defy the laws of nature.
Life is difficult but even in the face of all disappointments and anxieties,
I can choose to be happy.
Life is full of pain and suffering but even in the face of all the bitterness and anger,
I can choose to love and care.
Life may sometimes seem to be meaningless
but even in the seeming worthlessness of life and the inevitability of death,
I can choose to be an agent of life and blessings to others.
And in a world so full of fear, anger and hate, I choose to do good.
Yes, I choose life, love, goodness and happiness
for myself and for all the people in my life.

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The Sound Of Silence

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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I love silence and I enjoy spending moments of silence.
Given I choice, I would a quiet nature scene to a noisy and bustling mall.
Sound is as natural to men as breathing.
Life is richer because of music, laughter and conversations.
Sounds add a depth and nuance of beauty into life:
the chirping of the birds,
the murmuring of the brook,
the lapping of the waves on the shore,
and the whistling of the wind.
If we quieted all human sounds, nature would still be singing.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called it the hymn of the universe:
from the explosions of galaxies to the constant and rhythmic beating of quarks.
And men always make a sound to express what they deeply feel inside.
For out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks:
a sigh when we feel bad,
a cry when we are sad,
a song when we are happy,
a scream when we are afraid,
three words when we are in love.
I often that it for granted but
I am thankful for the gift of hearing and the gift of speech.

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Let It Be ~ Mary’s Fiat

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Spirit Moments

“Let It Be” is one among my many favorite Beatles song.
It was reportedly their break-up song.

For me, the song is as much a Marian hymn as it is a hit pop song.
For Mary, it was her Fiat that made up her life.
Fiat. Let it be.
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Let it be done unto me according to your word.

Mary’s Fiat is but an echo of the primordial, creative Fiat.
Fiat lux. Et lux fit.
Let there be light. And there was light.
God’s Word (Logos) was the creative energy that made the world possible.
The Logos, through whom all things were made.
Just as Mary, through her word and Fiat, made our salvation possible.

Today, Mary is our inspiration to express our own Fiat.
God is waiting for us to respond to his call by saying Fiat to his will.
And deep in our hearts, we know what we yearn for intensely is God’s will.
For all of our yearnings and longings, there will be answer.
In the face of all the wars and violence in the world,
we pray,  “Let there be peace! Fiat pax!”
Where we see and feel people suffering from discrimination and hatred,
we pray, “Let there be justice! Fiat iustitiae!”
When we are appalled by all the greed and selfishness there is in the world,
we cry out, “Let there be love! Fiat amor!”

Yes, let it be!
Let your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.

 

 

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Some Random Acts of Kindness

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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Life is not easy.
It is, in fact, difficult.
There are enough heartaches, sorrows and pain in the world
for me to add any more to the sadness and suffering.
While pain and suffering may be an essential ingredient to life,
I can do small things to help alleviate the burden they bring to people’s lives.
If I can but make someone smile, I will.
If I can just make someone sing in happiness, I will.
If I can just help in carrying someone’s burden, even for just a while, I will.
If I can fill the gaps in someone’s life, I will.
If I can bring something to someone
for that person to have a firmer resolve or a brighter disposition, I will.
For this to happen, I need to open my eyes, my ears, my heart and my hands
in love and in service to others.
If I just make an extra effort, there are a number of Random Acts of Kindness
that I can do for other to make their burdens lighter
and make this world a little bit happier.

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Comfort Zones

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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It is so easy for one to become smug and withdraw into one’s comfort zone.
One creates his comfort zone by going after what one believes to be “success”.
In today’s materialistic world, success is often defined
by what we make,
by what we earn,
by what we possess.
Real success, however, should be defined in terms of what we do for others,
by how we make them happy,
how we make a difference in their lives,
how we come to their aid when they need it.
Staying in my comfort zone is remaining in the shallows.
Helping and being a man for others is putting out into the deep waters
and taking the risk of stormy weather, of getting hurt, of getting lost even.
But it is out there that the big catch is waiting.
It is not easy and often unsettling to venture out of my comfort zone.
I pray that I find the courage and grace to venture out into the deep
and find meaningful  deeds I can do for others.
Stripped of what gave me a sense of self-importance,
may I now realize the importance of doing things
and being a man for others.
It is not yet too late.

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God Is In The Nature Of Things

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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It is the nature of the sun to burn and to shine.
In the process, it gives light and energy to everything around it for millions of miles.
It is the nature of the planets to revolve around the sun.
And in the process, they draw sustenance and direction from it.
It is the nature of the earth to be a hospitable home to living things.
And in the process, she gives birth to all kinds of intelligent and feeling life forms.
It is in my nature to love and care.
And in the process, I am able to give of myself, my life and my spirit to others.
It is in my nature to keep connected to a center that keeps me within my orbit,
and gives me a sense of direction.
It is in my nature to nourish and nurture my relationship with every life form
by caring and sharing the one earth we live in.

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Reasons

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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There is always ineffable beauty in nature.
Beauty so moving, there must be a painter who captured all those colors and shades,
Or, a creator who put it all together.
This is not at all some chance happening.
The truth is, there’s got to be a reason, a meaning for all this beauty and goodness.
Often, my prayers and reflections lead me to thinking why I am here.
My yearnings are many and varied.
I do yearn for physical pleasures and material possessions.
But my deepest and most persistent longing is to find out the reason for my life,
the meaning and purpose of why I am here.
There have been many moments when I feel,
with deep joy, humility and gratitude,
that my life is unfolding just as it has been meant to be.
I have often felt that I have been and am still being led
by a caring and loving hand that wants only goodness for me.
My life has not turned out exactly the way I had wanted it to be.
But still in all, it has been more than what I had hopes for and dreamt of.
I could not have written out a better story for my life.
I pray that I will always be sensitive to this unseen hand
leading and guiding me until I finally am able to come home to Him.

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Love in the Time of Catastrophes

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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Heat wave in California.
Massive flooding in Texas.
Relentless wars in many borders.
Terrorist attacks in Europe.
Simmering tensions in Asia.
We are paving our own road to perdition.

But even as the sun sets, there is always hope for a new tomorrow.
The world can use some love and loving.
And yet, we refuse to see the wisdom of that thought.
Much less to live it in our lives.
It is really the only choice that makes sense.

I am reminded of this beautiful quote from Blaise Pascal:

Le cœur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connaît point.
On le sent en mille choses.
C’est le cœur qui sent Dieu, et non la raison.
Voilà ce que c’est que la foi parfaite, Dieu sensible au cœur.
(The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know.
We feel it in a thousand things.
It is the heart which experiences God, and not the reason.
This, then, is faith: God felt by the heart, not by the reason.)

Later, Antoine de Saint-Exupery would paraphrase
this truth in his immortal classic The Little Prince:
“One sees rightly only with the heart; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

With a wedding coming up in our family soon,
I would like to believe that every wedding, every marriage,
is an affirmation of the power and the power of love:
between the couple, among their family and friends.
Love is essentially an act of faith:
belief in each other and in one another,
belief in perfect love despite the imperfections,
belief that giving makes more sense than taking,
belief that life is meant to be spent for the other and others,
belief that in a world gone mad with selfishness and greed.
Love in indeed the only choice that ultimately makes sense.
I hope and pray for more happy and fruitful marriages and families,
for all the couples that have made the decision to believe and commit in love.
Then perhaps, we will see the dawning of a new day and a new world
where people can live in peace, love and harmony.

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Use It or Lose It

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Spirit Moments

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Use it or lose it.
This physical law is as much a principle in the spiritual life.
A given talent, if not used, is taken away.
A talent shared, unlike a physical possession, when given away,
increases and becomes stronger.
A talent not used nor given away is all too often forgotten and lost.
As a teacher, I have always loved to share what I know.
As a manager, I have always made it a point that people who worked with me
would and should always get and become better after our working together.
Selfishness and greed are often the reasons why I refuse to share my talents.
But sometimes it is also fear of succeeding that I hold back.
Success can be a fearsome prospect
for it always leads to bigger responsibilities and greater challenges.

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