A Marian "Apparition" or Reminder?...

“It was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that he must reign in the world.” (St Louis de Montfort)

 

 

After being away from blogging for such a long while but never losing sight and reflection of my simple journey, today, I share my reflection of a milestone as we cross over to the cosmopolitan town of Subang Jaya, in Malaysia, where the population of Roman Catholics remain a small minority, what seem like a tiny drop in the vast ocean…nevertheless, without this drop, the ocean would be incomplete.

There has been much talk about a supposedly “apparition” of Mary on the window pane of a private healthcare centre; Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).  Only through the eyes of faith, can one can see the beauty of Our Lady and deep within the heart of faith knows that perhaps the Lord is reminding us and a stern call to the corrupt party of the day to change, or “ubah” as some would be more familiar.  

St Bonaventure asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the way which leads to our Lord…where truth, justice, integrity and humility prevail.

In the holy scriptures, we know that Mary, a young Jewish woman from Nazareth in Galilee, remained hidden during her life, poor and lowly, such that God was pleased to conceal her from nearly every other human creature.  Nevertheless, Mary was chosen by God to become the earthly paradise of Jesus Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sheds more light that what the Catholic faith believes about the all-holy, Blessed Virgin Mary is truly based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary’s divine motherhood, illumines its faith in Christ.  Mary is the Mother of our Saviour, the Mother of God (in Greek, Theo-tokos)…full of grace and enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. 

God had initiated the work of mankind’s redemption on the basis of her cooperation.  By virtue of this, Mary becomes the spiritual mother of every human-being…we, thus, becomes her children.

Echoing the words of St Paul that, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man understood…” the beauty, the grandeur, the excellence of Mary, who is indeed a miracle of miracles of grace, nature and glory.

“Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save.” (St John Damascene)

Amidst much publicity of this “apparition” in an Islamic-majority country, where much of Christian literature, publications and scriptural texts are banned by the ruling party of the day, some still remain positive, brave and hopeful that justice will prevail, whereas others are sceptical and doubtful...easily seduced by money influence.

St. Louis de Montfort also dealt with true and false devotion to Mary.  Speaking of his own era he complained how, “The devil, like a counterfeiter and crafty and experienced deceiver, has already misled and ruined many Christians by means of fraudulent devotions to our Lady.”  Obviously “fraudulent devotions,” also includes the possibility of false apparitions, and if that was true three hundred years ago, then it is even more the case today, especially in the case of Subang Jaya.

 

He then goes on to make an extremely important point, one which clearly indicates that some modern apparitions must be false: “A counterfeiter usually makes coins only of gold and silver, rarely of other methods, because these latter would not be worth the trouble. Similarly, the devil leaves other devotions alone and counterfeits those mostly directed to Jesus and Mary...because these are to other devotions what gold and silver are to other metals.” 

 

Yes, fellow pilgrims, the Roman Catholic church continue to possess much treasures and richness of the apostolic faith, in this case, devotion to the Mother of Christ, which many others, if not all, new Christian denominations have conveniently cast or filtered away.  Now, what disciple of Jesus Christ would cast their own mother aside and then call themselves good Christians?  Jesus, himself loved his mother till the very end; even entrusting her to all of us.  To this end, only the Roman Catholic church has been faithful to this...still praying to Mary, the holy mother of God for her intercession for all our needs and the conversion of sinners.

 

Thus, unless the devil has radically changed his method of operation, which seems unlikely if not impossible, given that his opposition to the divine remains unchanged, then some of the modern alleged apparitions of Mary today may be false.  As is indicated in the section on biblical prophecy and apparitions the devil's usual approach is to copy an authentic prophecy, writing, movement or devotion and: “flood the market” with forgeries, thus sowing confusion and causing problems for the Church.

Thus it is certain that the authentic Marian apparitions have been counterfeited and that in all probability many, if not most, of the modern alleged apparitions are false.  This may seem like an extreme statement, but ultimately, the facts will surely bear it out.

 

To those simple minded people who have simply been touched and strengthened their faith in Christ by virtue of this Marian “apparition”, it can only be by the grace of God that your hearts be moved and your faith increase.

Make no mistake that St Louis de Montfort has always stressed that, “Christ must be the ultimate end of all devotions.  Jesus, our Saviour, true God and true man must be the ultimate end of all our other devotions; otherwise they would be false and misleading.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of everything.

 

“We labour,” says St Paul, “only to make all men perfect in Jesus Christ.”  For in him alone dwell the entire fullness of the divinity and the complete fullness of grace, virtue and perfection. In him alone we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing; he is the only teacher from whom we must learn; the only Lord on whom we should depend; the only Head to whom we should be united and the only model that we should imitate.  He is the only Physician that can heal us; the only Shepherd that can feed us; the only Way that can lead us; the only Truth that we can believe; the only Life that can animate us.

He alone is everything to us and he alone can satisfy all our desires.  We are given no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.  God has laid no other foundation for our salvation, perfection and glory than Jesus.  Every edifice which is not built on that firm rock, is founded upon shifting sands and will certainly fall sooner or later.  Every one of the faithful who is not united to him is like a branch broken from the stem of the vine.  It falls and withers and is fit only to be burnt.

 

If we live in Jesus and Jesus lives in us, we need not fear damnation.  Neither angels in heaven nor men on earth, nor devils in hell, no creature whatever can harm us, for no creature can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  Through him, with him and in him, we can do all things and render all honour and glory to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit; we can make ourselves perfect and be for our neighbour a fragrance of eternal life.”

 

The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished. As true disciples of Jesus Christ, in union with Mary, our Mother, we will crush the head of Satan with our heel, that is, our humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ.

For the community in Subang Jaya, as pilgrims through life on a journey back home, simply feel blessed.  Whether or not this “apparition” is true, only your eyes of faith can reveal the truth known only to you.  As we can only call Jesus Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, so it is with the same Sancte Spiritus that has graciously revealed the same to mere pilgrims in Subang Jaya.

 

Again, St Louis de Montfort reminds us that no other Catholic devotion calls for more sacrifices for God, none empties us more completely of self and self-love, none keep us more firmly in the grace of God and the grace of God in us.  No other devotion unites us more perfectly and more easily to Jesus.  Finally no devotion gives more glory to God, is more sanctifying for ourselves or more helpful to our neighbour…then our simple devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To the pilgrims at Subang Jaya and this blog…just two simple words… Fiat (yes) and Amen (“So be it”…a simple expression of faith that God will hear and act on the prayer)...

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

 

(to the gifted hands that took these phorographs, may the blessings of the Lord be with you)

Shadow of the Cross...at Christmas

“The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last. The scripture describes Him as "the Lamb slain as it were, from the beginning of the world." He was slain in intention by the first sin and rebellion against God. It was not so much that His birth cast a shadow on His life and thus led to His death; it was rather that the Cross was first, and cast its shadow back to His birth. His has been the only life in the world that was ever lived backward. As the flower in the crannied wall tells the poet of nature, and as the atom is the miniature of the solar system, so too, His birth tells the mystery of the gibbet. He went from the known to the known, from the reason of His coming manifested by His name "Jesus" or "Savior" to the fulfillment of His coming, namely, His death on the Cross.”

Fulton J. Sheen, Life of Christ

We hear sweet carols, we see pine trees, silvery decorations and shimmering lights, busy shopping malls and traffic congestions…it’s the festive season, its Christmas…more accurately the “commercialized Xmas” (where CHRIST is, more often than not, removed [replaced with an ‘X’] and conveniently forgotten in this season of merry making)

The unwelcomed Babe of Bethlehem; the harking of heralding angels and the simple poor shepherds watching their flock in the quiet of the night are simply forgotten; true reminders of the birth of Christ and the purpose of His coming.

The words of Bishop Fulton Sheen calls us to pause and reflect on the silhouette of the CROSS overshadowing the manger below the Bethlehem star. Where there is no room in the inn (our hearts), let us make room…

More often than not, the “noise” of the season has caused us to forget that the Savior came to fulfill the will of our Father, not to live but to die, that all mankind everywhere might gain eternal life. This is the true reason for the season. This is why the holy day of Christmas is ranked second to Easter in the Roman calendar. Lent which begins with Ash Wednesday is but a few weeks away, in early March 2011, climaxing with the celebration of Easter; new life, the resurrection, the only HOPE that sustains us in our journey.

During Christmas, we are radically reminded of the preciousness, yet fragility of life. What is life? It is like a vapor, which is dispersed by a breath of wind and is no more. We all know that we must die but many are deceived by picturing to themselves death at such a distance as if it could never come near to us.

We must be still to be aware, to be conscious, to be mindful that the life of all mankind is short. Life is like the life of a blade of grass. Death comes, the grass withers and life ends, and the flower falls of all greatness and all worldly goods and possessions. We suddenly become no more. In every step, in every breath we draw, we approach nearer to our earthly death.

How often we hear of people, while they are busy with worldly pursuits are surprised by death, which cut short of everything else. All the things of this world vanish – the possessions, the power, the title, the rank, the grandeurs, the amusements, the entertainment and most of all, the noise of the world. The most enviable fortune, the most valuable possessions, the biggest stashed away wealth, the most exalted of worldly titles loses their splendor when they are viewed from the bed of death. We will come to know which of this happiness are true and false when we are about to draw our last breath – come too late?

Like Jesus Christ, we must be aware this Christmas season, that we are all born to die. The proper time to prepare for the hour of death is during this life, during this pilgrimage back home. Time is too short so let us act on those things that will truly matter to bring about our eternal life. We must take time to be quiet, be still, to simplify our life.

At the end of the day, we are all pilgrims here on earth so we must help each other by offering our companionship to lighten the burden and brighten the path of each other’s journey back home. That way, our Christmas will become much more meaningful and like Christ, we will rise up on the last day in Paradise.

Indeed, Life is a Pilgrimage...

“I am a stranger upon earth,” (Psalm 118:19)

 While we live in this life, we are so many pilgrims who wander up and down upon the earth, far from our country, which is Heaven, where the Lord awaits us, that we may rejoice forever in His glorious countenance. “While we are in the body,” writes the Apostle, “we are absent from the Lord.” If then we love God, we ought to have a continual desire to leave this place of exile by being separated from the body, that we may go and see Him. It was for this that St. Paul ever sighed as he said, “We are willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Before the common redemption of us, miserable sons of Adam, the way of approach to God was closed up, but Jesus Christ, by His death, has obtained for us the grace of having it in our power to become the sons (and daughters) of God and thus has opened to us the gates by which we can have access, as children, to our Father, Almighty God.

On this account, St. Paul says, “Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints.” (Ephesians 2:19) Thus, so long as we are in the grace of God, we enjoy the citizenship of Paradise and belong to the family of God. St. Augustine says, “Nature, corrupted with sin, produces citizens of an earthly city; but grace, which frees our nature from sin, makes us citizens of a heavenly country and vessels of mercy.”

This fact coerced David to say, “I am a stranger on earth; hide not Thy commandments from me.” (Psalm 118:119) O Lord, I am a pilgrim upon this earth; teach me to keep Thy precepts, which are the road by which I may reach my country in Heaven. It is not wonderful that the wicked should wish to live forever in this world, for they justly fear that they shall pass from the pains of this life to the eternal and infinitely more terrible pains of Hell. But how can he who loves God and has a moral certainty that he is in the state of grace, desire to go on living in this vale of tears, in continual bitterness, in straits of conscience, in peril of perishing? How can he help sighing, to depart at once to unite himself with God in a blessed eternity, where there is no danger of his destroying himself?

Souls which love God cry out with David, “Woe is me, for my banishment is prolonged.” (Psalm 119:5) Therefore it is that the Saints have continually had this prayer upon their lips: “Thy kingdom come: quickly, O Lord, quickly carry us to Thy kingdom!” Let us make speed, then, as the Apostle exhorts us, to enter that kingdom where we shall find perfect peace and contentment: “Let us hasten to enter into that rest.” (Hebrews 4:11) Let us hasten, I say, with desire and not cease to walk onwards till we come to that blessed country which God prepares for them that love Him.

“He that runs,” says St. John Chrysostom, “pays not heed to the spectators, but hasten on his course.” Therefore, the Saint argues, the longer our life has been, the more we should hasten with good works to win the palm. Thus, our one constant prayer for relief from the troubles and trials which we endure in this life ought to be this, “Thy kingdom come,” Lord: may Thy kingdom speedily come, where united eternally to Thee and loving Thee face-to-face with all our powers, we shall no longer know fear or danger of falling away. And when we find ourselves afflicted with the labors or dishonors of the world, let us comfort ourselves with the thought of the great reward which God prepares for those who suffer for the love of Him. “Rejoice in that day and be glad, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” (Luke 6:23)

(meditation extracted from The Day Sanctified, 1873, republished as The Soul Sanctified)

Becoming a Blessing to Others...

I remember my friends, in the rat-race (employment, they call it), who forcibly and painstakingly drag their feet to work each morning. It’s just that the office environment saps all the energy from them, reducing them to a mere piece of instrument, with no emotions, to be constantly exploited and abused by the powers that be; their superiors.

How can life be simple and quiet for them, when daily, these people are being mocked by the so-called “bosses” who professed themselves to be more “superior” than the rest (sadly, some of these bosses often term themselves so-called “religious´; part time, I’d say)? Isn’t this the dilemma many of us face daily? The paradox of life – need the money, must tolerate the cancer of the office.

When we are young sometime ago, we are taught by our parents, “Do good things. Don't do bad things.” We all know what this all means. But as many of us progress upwards in the rat-race world, we forget and get caught in the moment and choose unwisely. Instead of our lives being a blessing to others, we become a persecution to everyone else.

How simple and wonderful life can be if we could just remember this piece advice. Due to such forgetfulness or intent, many lives of our so-called subordinates may have taken a fatal twist, perhaps even families destroyed – simply due to our abusive exercise of powers delegated to us by virtue of the position and rank in office.

One wonders whether “bosses” can sleep well at night amidst their cancerous display of powers behind the camouflage of performance and profits – in the commercial world, they termed this as being “professional”. What is professionalism when we do not choose to see the goodness in others, do not want to be patient enough to bring out the best in others – do not play our part to make this world a little easier for others, a little better, lighten the burden…instead, many choose to play judge and condemn… How often do we keep going, on a daily basis, caught on the treadmill of deadlines without a hint of awareness of what is happening within or around us?

A great Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh (also a good friend of Thomas Merton) once said, "It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be that humankind has created God in the image of humankind." It is sad that humankind’s interpretation of God today has come to constitute the blatant abuse of power, material possessions, money, position, rank, status, injustice…and corruption.

At the end of the day, in all the simplicity and fragility of this short life, God is pure love and present in each one of our fellow human sister and brother. God is always present to us and in us. St Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians verse 13:7, “Love…bears all things…hopes all things, endures all things.”

I recall the words of Mother Teresa, the Blessed Catholic nun…


"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things."

Therefore, whether one is an employee or a “boss” of this world, we are all part of the same human race and we must always remember and ponder in the quietness of our hearts, the simple wisdom, “Do good things. Don't do bad things.” Life then, can become a more meaningful journey and we, in turn, become a blessing to others; our fellow pilgrims.