For the Journey Ahead...Fully Trust in God...

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..."  (Jeremiah 6:16, NIV)

Its been almost 10 days into the new year, we are always "on the road"; yes, our life is indeed a journey, filled with crossroads.  Many continue to rush into the new year with celebrations, festive mood, enthusiasm and eagerness, excited about the possibilities for personal growth, career advancement, bonus incentives, success, good health and happiness.  Nevertheless, the unknown path must still be journeyed..

This January, the genesis of the new year, provide us with an opportune time to review our own road maps.  We would be wise to reflect on the places and paths, where our hearts have travelled during the past year - recollecting the places which have blessed us, enriched us and enlivened us, places where there have been roadblocks, detours or sometimes, even dead ends which had ambushed us into anger, loss of hope, an unexpected path or various negative thinking patterns.  Similarly, we must also ponder situations that challenged us, discouraged us, tested us or maybe even tried to destroy us from continuing the journey - as happened to the disciples along the road to Emmaus... (Luke 24:13)

How will the rest of this new year turn out?  Would the year ahead be a long and winding one, bumpy and filled with potholes, detours, dark and hopeless?  Would the year be calling you to take a bit of risks?  Would the year be short and maybe the last?  Would the path be chirpy and bright, filled with prosperity, hope and joy?

Under these circumstances, we must immitate the faith of our forefather, Abraham - obedient and placing all trust in the God who love us all and will continue to shepherd each one of us.  Whether we experience the loss of a well-established job, a family, a loved one, a home or just our healthy well-being, He will carry us through if we but just call upon Him and surrender all our burdens to Him.

As we place our trust in God, we will have the courage to take a few more steps into the unknown and confront whatever events that may or may not surprise us along the way. The only thing certain is that God will be with us along this pilgrimage back home. We can be sure that He will heal us and carry us through whatever bitterness and pains; sustaining us with peace throughout the journey.  God will always give His people strength...in His time...in His ways...we just have to place all our trust in Him.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

Take a little time to be simply quiet, to gently take stock, calmly ponder and live more fully in the present moment - refuel and restore your energy for the remaining part of the journey; which is so often distracted by "worldly noise and distractions", sapping us dry - whether at home, at work or with the people we meet.

Here's Psalm 71 for a simple reflection against the backdrop of a very peaceful instrumental...brings back very precious moments for me...a reminder of my late dad...still my faithful companion of peace on this journey...

Psalm 71

In you, LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue and deliver me;

listen to me and save me!

Be my rock and refuge,

my secure stronghold;

for you are my rock and fortress.

My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,

from the clutches of the violent.

You are my hope, Lord;

my trust, GOD, from my youth.

On you I depend since birth;

from my mother's womb you are my strength;

my hope in you never wavers.

I have become a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge!

My mouth shall be filled with your praise,

shall sing your glory every day.

Do not cast me aside in my old age;

as my strength fails,

do not forsake me.

For my enemies speak against me;

they watch and plot against me.

They say, "God has abandoned that one Pursue, seize the wretch!

No one will come to the rescue!"

God, do not stand far from me;

my God, hasten to help me.

Bring to a shameful end those who attack me;

Cover with contempt and scorn those who seek my ruin.

I will always hope in you and add to all your praise.

My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds,

day after day your acts of deliverance,

though I cannot number them all.

I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord;

O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.

God, you have taught me from my youth;

to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

Now that I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, God,

That I may proclaim your might to all generations yet to come,

Your power and justice,

God, to the highest heaven.

You have done great things;

O God, who is your equal?

You have sent me many bitter afflictions,

but once more revive me.

From the watery depths of the earth

once more raise me up.

Restore my honor;

turn and comfort me,

That I may praise you with the lyre for your faithfulness, my God,

And sing to you with the harp,

O Holy One of Israel!

My lips will shout for joy

as I sing your praise;

my soul, too,

which you have redeemed.

Yes, my tongue shall recount your justice day by day.

For those who sought my ruin will have been shamed and disgraced.

As Another New Year Begins...We Remember...Our Mother...

“As the world begins a new year, it is fitting that we invite Mary, the Mother of God, to pray with us and to pray for us.”

(Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at First Vespers, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, December 31, 2006)

Because of Mary's faithfulness to God, she was able to receive the gift of God's Son and accept her role in God's plan for salvation.

Scripture tells us that the Angel Gabriel honors Mary with the greeting “Hail, full of grace” (Luke 1:29). Then, Elizabeth prophesies “blessed are you among women.”

One resolution we ought to make today is to live our life more like Mary. We must remember that nothing is impossible with God and like Mary, we must continue to live in wonder, humility and simple trust; keeping all things and reflecting on them in the quietness of your heart. Ultimately, we must resolve, my fellow travelers, to live in possibility…in hope…in simple FAITH.

This new year, be aware of your soul who knows that God exists and yearns to know more about God.

Mary’s claim to fame was that she simply said yes to God. She believed He could do as He said and would do as He said.

Most of all, Mary surrendered her plan for her own life, and yielded to God’s plan.

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary’s “fiat”, as it is called (Latin for “let it be done”), was a yes to the Unknown as she accepted the impossible message of the angel. Mary's "fiat" echoes that of her Son - "Father, your will be done".

This first day of the year 2011 presents us with an opportunity to begin once more - to cherish more deeply the life we have been gifted and honoring the one God who gave life for our salvation – because of Mary…the Mother of God…our mother also.

"From the cross, Jesus also said to his disciples, “…Behold, your mother."" (John 19: 27)

The symbolic date, "1-1-11" presents us with a unique opportunity to remember, to recall, to appreciate and also to cherish the love of our own mother, the one who brought us into this world.

In the quiet of our heart, we ponder on the words of this simple poem…


"A mother is someone to shelter and guide us,
To love us, whatever we do,

With a warm understanding and infinite patience,
And wonderful gentleness, too.

How often a mother means swift reassurance
In soothing our small, childish fears,

How tenderly mothers watch over their children
And treasure them all through the years!

 The heart of a mother is full of forgiveness
For any mistake, big or small,

And generous always in helping her family
Whose needs she has placed above all.

A mother can utter a word of compassion
And make all our cares fall away,

She can brighten a home with the sound of her laughter
And make life delightful and gay.

A mother possesses incredible wisdom
And wonderful insight and skill –
In each human heart is that one special corner
Which only a mother can fill!"

- Katherine Nelson Davis

In this New Year 2011, may we, as pilgrims on this earth, come to recognized the value of the Mary’s maternal presence and know that we, her children, always have recourse to her for every kind of grace and needs,

With this confidence, we invite Mary, the Mother of God, to pray with us and to pray for us that…

"The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

(Numbers 6: 24-26, NAB)

Hail Mary, full of grace.
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus.
Sancta Maria mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc,
et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen

(Luke 1:28-35, 42-48)

"May God be gracious to us and bless us" in our journey through this life, as we remember and imitate the goodness of our Mother throughout the New Year 2011!

(Psalm 67: 2, NAB)

A New Year 2011...A New Heart...A New Hope...

“...Rise thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten thee.”
– Ephesians 5:14, Douay-Rheims Bible

"Waking up is unpleasant, you know. You are nice and comfortable in bed. It's irritating to be woken up. That's the reason the wise guru will not attempt to wake people up. I hope I'm going to be wise here and make no attempt whatsoever to wake you up if you are asleep. It is really none of my business, even though I say to you at times, "Wake up!" My business is to do my thing, to dance my dance. If you profit from it, fine; if you don't, too bad! As the Arabs say, "The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens."

- Anthony De Mello, SJ

As I take a closer step into the New Year 2011, I am reminded by a Jesuit priest that I must always stay awake of God’s presence in my journey through life. I will choose to constantly cultivate and nurture a heart that knows God and a heart that is alive with love. This realization, I pray, will lead to a more total inner transformation and more hope for the coming year. From the beautiful reflections by the Catholic priest and writer, Father Henri Nouwen, I humbly quote…

“We lived in a world where people don’t know much about hope. We know about wishes. The whole Christmas period is full of wishes. I wish this, or I want that. It’s very concrete: I want a toy or a car or a new job. These are all very specific requests.

But hope is precisely to say, “I don’t know how God is going to fulfil His promises, but I know that He will, and therefore I can live in the presence with the knowledge that He is with me.” I can then know and trust that the deepest desires of my being will be fulfilled. This way keeps the future very open.

Hope has nothing to do with optimism. Many people think that hope is optimism, looking at the positive side of life. But Jesus doesn’t speak like that at all. When Jesus talks about the future or the end of the world, He describes wars, people in anguish, nation rising against nation, and earthquakes.

There’s no place where Jesus says, “One day it will all be wonderful.” He talks about enormous agony, but He says, “You, you (my beloved ones) pray unceasingly that you will keep your heart focused on Me. Stand with your head erect in the presence of the Son of Man. Don’t get distracted by it all. Remain focused.” Don’t think that things will clean up, and finally there won’t be any more pain. Jesus is saying that the world is dark, and will remain dark.

If you live with hope, you can live very much in the present because you can nurture the footprints of God in your heart and life. You already have a sense of what is to come. And the whole of the spiritual life is saying that God is right with us, right now, so that we can wait for His coming, and this waiting is a waiting in hope. But because we wait with hope we know that what we are waiting for is already here. We have to nurture that.

Here and now matters because God is a God of the present. And God is God of the present because He is God of Eternity.

Hope is to open yourself up to let God do His work in you in ways that transcend your imagination. As Jesus said, “When you are young you put your own belt on and went where you wanted to go. But when you grow spiritually old, then you stretch out your hands and let others and God lead you where you rather wouldn’t go.” That’s hope, to let yourself be led to new places.”

“Hope means to keep living

amid desperation

and to keep humming

in the darkness

Hoping is knowing that there is love

it is trust in tomorrow

it is falling asleep

and waking again

when the sun rises.

In the midst of a gale at sea,

it is to discover land.

In the eyes of another

it is to see that you are understood.

As long as there is still hope

There will also be prayer

And God will be holding you

in God’s hands.”

With this assurance, I must wake up as God continues to prompt me in the quietness of my heart to simply place all my trust in Him.

To all fellow pilgrims, I bid you a Blessed New Year 2011 filled with New Consciousness, New Awareness…most of all a New Hope for a New Life.