Choose...Relationship With God...

“God is always waiting to be gracious to you. God comes to show you compassion.”

(Isaiah 30:18)

  As Ash Wednesday continues to creep up on us, and we begin to notice all the ‘purple’ reminders around us, we pause to ponder that love is the most profound emotion known to human beings.


For the people of the world, romantic relationships are the most meaningful element in their lives but for many of us pilgrims, the holy season of Lent also reminds us of the great love of God.  Lent would be a great time to slow down, pause and spend time with God; listening to Him, thanking Him for the specific blessings in your life, including the challenges that you have endured by His grace.


“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:13, Douay-Rheims)

 Is it not a fact that we all come into this world as ‘guests’, as ‘exile’ - constantly striving to find the so-called 'secret' of a successful rapport with everybody and everything we come across, trying to achieve everything with the aim of having a successful life?

In the midst of all these worldly pursuits, we often tend to forget and have no time to ask ourselves, “Do I actually have a personal relationship with my loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?”


The words ‘Jesus is Lord’ may come glibly from our lips in prayer, but to actually live out this confession with commitment in this journey through life, is far more difficult and challenging.


“…And no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.”  (1 Corinthians 12:3, NAB)

The 'sacrifices' we make during Lent, although for God, our Creator…also affect others around us and naturally, ourselves too, in our relationship with God.  The actions we take and the choices we make in our spiritual journey through Lent has a multi-pronged effect…whether we are what we were called to be…whether we love more or less…whether we remember to be humble and mindful?

The world today seems to constantly echo with a disconcerting chorus of voices, noises, the result of frustrated and failed relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, siblings, in-laws, friends, colleagues and communities, even between nations!  As a result, individuals become disillusioned with themselves for not being able to relate successfully to their environment…the world they live in…some rebel, fight back whereas others lose hope, become depressed, abandoned, even suicidal.

Thus, the journey through Lent is a very opportune time for us, to learn to become more prayerful, cultivate more awareness of God’s presence and grow more deeply into His grace; committing, building, nurturing and strengthening our relationship with Him.

“Prayer is our relationship with God.  If we are striving to live, move and act with an awareness of God’s abiding presence at all times, we are praying.  When we are convinced that every heartbeat is a gift from God, that every hair on our head is counted, we are praying.  This awareness and conviction is prayer. …We cannot be constantly addressing our thoughts and words to God in prayer, but our attitudes and mentality can always be prayerfully God oriented.” – Msgr. David E. Rosage


Lent is, most of all, an ideal time to remember that we, in the deepest way, must learn to fully depend on God; to let God come into our lives…to remember who we are…to be vulnerable for Him…to allow God to use us as His humble instrument to reflect His light to a very much darkened world we live in.  To listen to Him daily...


“O, that today you would hear his voice: Harden not your hearts…”  (Psalm 95-7-8)

 God is faithful, He is always waiting…waiting to be gracious to each one of us.  Regardless of how often we have sinned, rejected Him, gave up on Him, God is always waiting to be gracious to each one of us…running to seek us out, to find us, embrace us, forgive us and to bring us back home. On our part, we must learn to be humble and to repent.

“Speak, Lord for your servant is listening”  (1 Samuel 3:9-10)


Our loving God and Father did not create us to be slaves to the secular world, to be bound by its set of worldly man-made rules, as if that is how we should develop a relationship with God.  Through His death on the cross, He has already freed us…saved us.



Hence, as you continue your journey towards Lent, slow down and always choose to balance everything else in your life, with Jesus at the very center…and His Word, His Church and her teachings…balancing the equilibrium.


A committed and self-disciplined journey towards Lent will purify your soul and allow you to simply experience a deeper sense of interior freedom, quiet and solitude.  Lent will then have a more significant meaning and you will surely notice the simple difference on Easter Sunday…simply living life carrying the full hope of the resurrection.

“...thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

(Matthew 16:18, Douay-Rheims)

Can You Spare An Hour?...

"Everything changes, always.  Only God is steady and changeless." - St. Teresa of Avila

Life is indeed a pilgrimage…when we recognize God’s presence – whether we zigzag across the continents visiting great shrines or sacred places or never even cross the state line.  Pilgrimage does not necessarily mean reaching a particular geographical location or destination.  Instead, it refers to us reaching a deeper interior place within our heart.

Every one of us, pilgrims, are all on a journey towards God, whether we know it or not.  We cannot simply rely on ourselves in this journey…we need God as our companion...only He knows the Way, only He shines the Light. 

We are free to decide whether this journey will be about simply surviving the daily challenges of life or becoming a pilgrim on the road to union with our Creator.


“…he went out into a mountain to pray, and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God.” (Luke 6:12, Douay-Rheims)


During His life on earth, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before He selected the twelve who were to become His disciples.  We can be certain that Jesus spent much time praising and thanking His Father.  We must also take time to thank God for all His blessings upon us each day.


“And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, Douay-Rheims)


Furthermore, Jesus needed His Father’s support before He began each new day.  As pilgrims, we too need the same guidance and support from God, on our pilgrimage through life.


“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will…” (Matthew 11:25-26, NAB)

Jesus constantly prays and He understands His Father’s unique ways of doing things.  The prophet Isaiah also assures us that God’s ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.  In prayer, we too must be obedient to God's will, God's timing.

Similarly, Jesus also wanted the prayerful support of His friends when He suffered the agony in the garden of Gethsemani. 

His disappointment at their failure to respond at His hour of need is most evident.

“…What? Could you not watch one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40, Douay-Rheims)


Do you hear that same plea deep within your own heart?  Could you not even stay awake with me for even one hour?

As we journey towards the commencement of Lent, we should make time for prayer and spiritual reflection.  Each day, choose to spend a simple hour in prayer and quietly reading and pondering the Word of God in the holy scriptures.

Abide in God's word (John 15:7), meditate on it (Psalm 1:2) and recite it day and night (Joshua 1:8).

This simple practice can then reach out into our busy lives to help us be a little more calm and mindful of God's presence in everything we do, not do, say, not say and in everyone we encounter…hence, preparing ourselves towards a more meaningful journey towards Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the holy season of Lent.

Today, create some sacred space, take time to talk with God and listen for his voice.  God always hears us when we call.

Pater Noster...

“Imagine that there are two men standing side by side reciting the Lord’s Prayer. One of these men is a fervent Christian; the other is an atheist. Naturally speaking, they are doing exactly the same thing. They are both speaking words in a human voice in the normal human way of speaking. They are both mouthing exactly the same words. This is the natural situation of these two men.

However, supernaturally, the reality is quite different. The Christian prays. He is speaking to his loving Father. The atheist is simply uttering words. The Christian is not involved in anything miraculous, but he is performing a supernatural act – based on a natural one.”

William A Meninger – The Loving Search for God

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Pater noster, qui es in cœlis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
Adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cœlo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo. Amen

As we approach towards the beginning of another God gifted year, let us gently ponder in our hearts today that no matter where we are, who we are, what the language, we all pray to the same Father in Heaven....we are His creation all the same.

The greatest treasure anyone can ever be gifted, by God's merciful grace, in this earthly life is becoming aware of, and being in a relationship with, the God who loves us so much and have our names written on the palms of His hands.

"See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name..."  - (Isaiah 49:16 - New American Bible)

"You shall be my people, and I will be your God." - (Jeremiah 30:22 - NAB)