We are Soldiers of Christ...

There is a common tendency today, as it was for me, over the last couple of months, to become distracted and drowned by the noise around us; not noise, in the physical sense, but rather a kind of “noise” that stirs up the peace, harmony and equilibrium of the Spirit...a type of noise that many in the world have too often failed to feel or even recognize; almost accepting this as a secular way of life.

It is a “noise” that is always there waiting to seduce us, to tempt us and to possess us...to disturb us...until we lose focus of the peace and calm which Jesus taught us.  Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “Anyone who breaks off friendship with Jesus, casting off his “easy yoke”, does not attain liberty, does not become free, but succumbs to other powers.”

The noise of our secular jobs, careers, financial pursuits, desires, wants...the list goes on and on.  As mere human beings, created by a God who loves us, each day becomes a battle against these worldly temptations.  Prophet Isaiah goes further to remind us today...

“Yahweh called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.  ...Whoever walks in darkness, and has no light shining for him, let him trust in the name of Yahweh, let him lean on his God.” (Isaiah 49:1, 50:10, Jerusalem Bible)

I have been “SimplyQuiet” for quite a while and although, I myself continue to often read and reflect on this journal, reminding myself of my own thoughts and epiphanies past.  Yet, I have not found the spiritual discipline to reflect, share and put down into words much of my thoughts; mainly because, I have not made time to pause and to deeply reflect on them.

Breezing through life this way, without taking time to pause and reflect on the journey, I am reminded, has left a kind of empty void deep inside; it is a kind of emptiness and loneliness that is not easy to express in words.  Often, many people will simply brush it off...whilst others will realise that this emptiness results from our original belongingness to our loving Creator, who keeps calling us back.


This, as I have come to realise, is because, we are first loved by Him and to Him we all belong, we are the Lord’s and St Augustine could not have put it better when he shared that, “our hearts are restless, till they rest in God.”  Our hearts continue to have a deep burning love and desire for God, for oneness with Him, no matter how distant we have strayed away...no matter how distracted we have become.

Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that, despite my having remained quiet; this simple blog-journal continues to draw pilgrims, by the grace of God, from all over the world.  It is a humbling experience to know that, even though I have not been blogging so frequently, at least my previously shared reflections continues to reach and touch others in ways which only God can do.  I guess this is what people call passive evangelization; no matter how “inactive” I have become.  Truly God is great to use a sinner like me...to use a blog like this...I am truly humbled.

For me, I continue to remain a mere instrument simply at the Lord’s disposal, quietly reflecting on my journey and simply sharing it on the blogosphere whenever He moves me to, whenever He wills me to.

Earlier this month, I stumbled across an old second-hand book by a legendary author, born in 1380 at Kempen, near Dusseldorf; Thomas a Kempis...yes, “The Imitation of Christ”, this version being a translation by Leo Sherley-Price; an influential writing for over 500 years.

Believe it or not, this is one book which I have screened through time and again since my yesterdays of youth but somehow, never ever managed to complete it cover to cover.  Truly written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the pages or even sentences always overwhelms my being...stirs my soul; reminding me of my mortality, my unworthiness and what a great sinner I have become...allowing myself to be polluted by the noises of the world.

Each page of this simple book glows with the reflected Light from the Holy Scriptures...the Word made flesh.  Writing, journaling or even blogging is so important in order for us to leave a legacy for others.  If not for Thomas obediently writing these down, we would never have been able to savour the beauty and wisdom of ‘The Imitation’.

In fact, Thomas also spent much of his time in the copying of the Scriptures; silence became his good friend, work his companion and prayer his aid.  Of Thomas’ outwardly life, little remains to be told......why today, he would probably have been labelled as an “anti-social”.

Yes, many saints have fallen in love with this book and even more have experienced a sense of nearness to God upon reflection of the spirit-inspired pages within this book; second only to the Bible, as many publishers would testify.

I am hoping that this book will also rejuvenate me spiritually, in ways that will help me better deal and cope with the “noise” of the secular world; to become more aware of my own dependence on God’s love and the empty futility of my journey without the companionship of this one loving God.  In short, to realize, live, love and work as if God is still relevant...in fact, God must be seen to be genuinely relevant in our lives lived...otherwise, dare we call ourselves Christians?

In the days of old, where there did not exist as many technological gadgets like the photocopier machine, electronics like the laptop computer, communication tools like the new Apple iPhone, iPad, Android Tablets, what-have-you kind of instruments...people’s lives were much simpler then.  In the days of past, people read more, became interested in philosophy; essentially the simple love of wisdom (Philo = love, Sophia = wisdom).  Through this simple habit of reading, spirituality blossom, faith deepens, wisdom nurtured, not to mention, more acute awareness and reliance or dependence on God.

I cannot help but be convinced, through many experiences that there is a higher divine reason for each spiritual book that I stumble across and with each book-encounter, is revealed a hidden message that God would like to reveal to me at certain points of my pilgrimage through life; also for me to share with others.

These days, many people have fallen astray, drowned in their busy careers and personal worldly pursuit of so-called success, self-glorification and accumulation of material wealth.

Someone I know, who has been experiencing a steep rise in career, was recently diagnosed with Stage 3, colon cancer.  Time and again, we receive ‘reminders’ like these to steer us back onto the right path, the narrow path...where many will not or dare not, take.  Often, under such circumstances, our inner worldly voice would echo, “Where is God when you need him most?” or the cries of, “Life just isn’t fair!” resounds.

On the flipside, should not we ask and remind ourselves more often, “where is our gratitude to the God, who made us, blessed us, provided for us and continually love us?”

Although Thomas a Kempis returned to the Father a long time ago, back in 1471, the offspring of his thoughts, through the fruit of this book lives on...guiding us...providing us with the road map to being one with the Father.

It has almost been a year since I returned back to corporate employment.  To be precise, August 15 will be my first anniversary.  Throughout this duration, I have endeavoured to put into practice good Christian values and most important of all, surrendering to God all what I cannot handle as a mere human weakling.  So far, God has not let me down and my journey has found more meaning and richness, providing much opportunity for spiritual reflection, by God’s grace and naturally, choosing to reach out and touch lives in the course of my simple journey through life.

Experiencing the Stations of the Cross, the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, we are reminded each Lent, coupled with the strength that we can draw from the Passion of Christ is what makes being a Catholic, extremely privilege, special and exclusive.

Catholicism depicts such sacredness, holiness and richness in its Liturgy, the Mass and the Holy Sacraments; a well of strength we can draw upon each time we feel alone, fallen, isolated, unwanted or distracted by noises.  Whenever we seek quietness, simple guidance for a decision, God is there, God will be there.  Across the ages, Catholicism boasts of great authors, writings from the saints and mystics.

The book, “The Imitation of Christ” appropriately reminds us in these excerpts:

“If you knew the whole Bible by heart, and all the teachings of the philosophers, how would this help you without the grace and love of God?”

“It is vanity to give thought of this present life, and to care nothing for the life to come.  It is vanity to love things that so swiftly pass away, and not to hasten onwards to that place where everlasting joy abides.”

“Strive to withdraw your heart from the love of visible things, and direct your affections to things invisible.”

With such spirit-inspired gems on every other sentence, how can one ever finish a book like this?  But then, our God may not wish for us to just complete this book in one sitting, but rather, to slowly chew on the pages, digesting these whilst we reflectively journey through life; and like a mirror, reflecting his light to many others who are sent towards our path.

Until my next posting, God’s blessings to one and all...hope and pray that this simple blog has and will continue to attract more pilgrims of life and reach out and touch your hearts in any small little way, by the grace of God.  We must always remember that we have all been chosen as Soldiers of Christ...the earth, being our battlefield, where victory is dependent on the simple choices we make each day.

Therefore, just be “SimplyQuiet” amidst the more dominant seductive and corrupted noise and subtle temptations of the world.  St Augustine once shared:

“The devil does not sleep, but works hard to make you lose your soul.  Will you then continue to rest when your eternal salvation is at stake?”

Even Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta added:

“The devil tempts us.  His aim is death, not so much you or I: we are nothing.  It is about God, a hatred of God.”

We Seek...We Search...We Give Praises...

In his much acclaimed book, New Seeds of Contemplation, the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, OCSO (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) writes that when we find our true self, we will find God, and when we find God, we will find our true self.  What a paradox!
 

Joyce Rupp clarifies in her writing, May I Have This Dance, that, "(m)ost of the time we search without really being aware of what is gnawing at us deep inside.  We search for something called happiness.  We long for a gift named peace.  We search for meaning in our lives, for love, for understanding of ourselves and others, for an acceptance of the ups and downs of the human condition.  Beneath all this longing is the desire for someone or something that feels like home.  ...We may not be consciously aware of our seeking.  We may be living our lives day by day.  The wonder is that while this searching goes on within us, there is also One who keeps seeking us out, calling to us, gently desiring that we find the home within.  ...It is the way of the human spirit.  It is the way life happens."
 
Our lives must continually give praises to God, our Creator...and as we continue this search, we sing praises to His Name...
   

 

Seeking and Finding

 

I search for God,

elusive, hidden God,

I long to dwell

in the heart of Mystery.

 

 

  I search for my true self

more of who I already am,

knowing there's so much

yet to be discovered.

 

 

I search for love,

the unconditional love

that enfolds me

and asks to be shared.

 

I search for vision

in the shadows of my soul,

impatiently awaiting

the moment of lighting.

 

I search for a quiet heart

amid life's harried schedule;

my soul cries out,

yearning for solitude.

 

I search for compassion

in a world gone deaf

to the cries of the hurting,

and the pleas of the powerless.

 

 

I search for Home,

always for Home,

unaware, of course,

that I am already there.

 

Joyce Rupp, OSM - Order of Friar Servants of Mary

"...God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..."  (Philippians 2:9-11, NAB)

The Athos of the East...Sungai Lembing...

Sungai Lembing, a timeless, sleepy, yet simply serene town, testimony of the quiet settlement of a bygone area. The name of the town, located amidst the green hills in Pahang, Malaysia, translates, to “sungai” meaning river and “lembing” meaning spear. An ancient legend has it that the village chief envisioned images of spears in the river and decided simply to name the river as Sungai Lembing.  To me, this humble hideaway, reminds me of God's "spear" of endless love and abundant "river" of hope...


In the good ol' forgotten days, this was THE place in the East where material wealth was created and riches made – underground mining of tin ores via many layers of tunnels – the largest, longest and deepest subterranean underground tin mine in the world; so much so, some claimed it to be the El-Dorado of the East. Yet, in the mid-1980s, the world tin prices collapsed and the mines were shut down due to high costs and low returns, people were reminded in a most harsh way, of the fragility and simplicity of life, as it first begun. Truly, God's plan is not our plan.  What remains is now merely a museum building as a lingering memory of all mining history, struggles and artifacts.  Everything else has been stripped away...lives were brought down to earth.

What used to be the richest town in the land, straddling the once famous river, connected by a wobbly suspension bridge, dwarf by the majestic views from the Hill of Panorama, to many, ....has now been reduced, by the sands of time, into a quiet, laid back, forgotten piece of history…where only misty memories linger on…reminded annually, like the days of Noah, by the great floods waters from the eastern monsoon winds.



"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV Bible)

To the more conscious, the simple folks, this place is perceived to be the closest one can get to heaven…a place on earth where all desires, worldly distractions are surrendered and solitude found – where mankind nourishes the precious awareness that they belong to God, where they can find God and carry into the world, a rainbow of hope…no distractions…simply Sungai Lembing – the holy Mount Athos of the East…where deep and genuine spirituality is allowed to flourish and bear fruit...also the humble origin of my being…my quiet paradise...and hopefully, a reminder to all pilgrims that...our journey back home can be a simple and beautiful one...if only we surrender all to God.

 
 



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.

Life's a Symphony

Here’s something I came across from Anthony De Mello, he shares:

“Happiness is enoughness.” The secret is to be content with what comes our way, rejecting nothing and hankering for nothing. The great virtue of contentedness. To take things as they are and to imitate the birds in the sky and the lilies on the field.”

I am reminded of a friend who is down with terminal cancer. A fellow pilgrim who has been blogging (http://upekah.blogspot.com) - sharing the journey with others and perhaps, to keep one’s own hope alive, find daily strength, purpose to go on. When one carries such a dis-ease, which does not discriminate, one must be brave to walk the lonely path, struggling with having to heal oneself and remaining strong for the loved ones. Yes, life can be harsh and unfair… the quiet can be deafening...

Tony goes on to share, “A classical symphony. The perfect experience. A symphony has no purpose, no meaning. There is also no clinging to it and no hastening it. One does not wait till the end to enjoy it, but takes in every note, every chord as it comes and lets it go to welcome the next in uninterrupted flow. Any attempt to stop the performance, any “attachment” to a single note, will ruin the symphony…. The less the attachment, the greater the love.”

Sometimes in life, we fool ourselves to think that we have found the perfect note or keep on pushing ourselves to find that perfect note; not realizing that life, in all its richness offers us a variety of notes, which, at the end of it all, becomes a great symphony. A symphony, only if we drop all attachments, possessions, presuppositions, clinging, unforgiveness. The less the attachments, the more we love, the more we live life to the fullest, the more we live in the present, the more we are healed; savoring just the chord of today - not worrying about tomorrow's note.

We all have to end this life one day but right now, my friend may be the luckier person, by the grace of God, to savor every chord that comes along and hopefully be the symphony that will inspire others to listen so as to be able to play out their own - a symphony that I pray, will last a little while longer, by the merciful grace of God.

Tony goes on to say, "Yield to the currents of life...unencumbered by baggage." We must learn to travel light as this pilgrimage journey can be long and the gate narrow.


"How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!"
- Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Douay-Rheims Bible

Meaning of Life...

Questions such as, “Why am I here?”, “What is the meaning of life?”, “Why is the world such a mess?” are not often considered in our journey along today’s crazy and sometimes mixed-up world. More often than not, these questions will only surface (hopefully) when we experience some significant setbacks, such as the diagnosis of some terminal illness or perhaps the death of a loved one.

Amidst the “busy-ness” of our personal lives, the pursuit of our careers, never-ending “doing” of so many other things and the seduction of endless worldly gadgets, it is challenging to find a little quiet time for spiritual reading; essential for the formation of our own faith and spiritual life.

In our pursuit of “success”, the depths of our human heart continues to echo what St. Augustine said centuries ago, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
This simple but effective book aims to satisfy the desire for your personal spiritual growth and faith enrichment; at your own convenience and pace. At the end of it all, you will surely improve the knowledge of your faith and in the process, radiate more joy from knowing, loving and serving God a little bit more intimately. There is a familiar saying that goes, “transformed people, transform lives”.

This book is very reader-friendly and takes one, regardless of your background, through God’s plan for our lives, reaffirming whether there is a God to be known and leading on to knowing God through the scripture, the sacraments and various moral teachings of the church. There are also straight-talk about issues like abortion, human freedom and social justice. Most impressive of all, the book takes you through, chapter-by-chapter, each of the Ten Commandments, more appropriately called, the laws of love because it originates from the loving heart of God.

The simplicity of this book lies with the clarity in which the author, Father Oscar Lukefahr, shares each topic; inter-twined with his entertaining style. The book also incorporates reflections for study and pondering, including a workbook to help understand and appreciate the main points of each chapter.

Through this book, the reader will understand that to know, love and serve God is never pointless. It leads to a promise of abundant life here and now. It is not enough to know about God. We must know God.

You may not be able to find this book in any of the local bookshop. Best of all, you can request for this good book, absolutely free-of-charge, online from Catholic Home Study Service at http://www.amm.org/chss.htm

Catholic Home Study Service, has been offering a whole series of free courses on the Catholic Faith worldwide for more than seventy years. A simple enrolment is required but that is only to facilitate the dispatch of the free reading materials to you and subsequent optional submission of the completed workbook, whereby you will be awarded with a certificate.

Now, anyone, young or not-so-young, can take the first step, to discover or re-discover the treasures of the catholic faith, scripture and teachings of the Church. In the words of Mother Teresa, “To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it”.

So, make that pit-stop and re-fuel now!

Rushing Through Life...We Must Pause...

In our rush through life, how often have we taken time to look up and take notice of the clouds, patterned in the sky? Appreciate the artistic form of the trees as we drive past; each unique and beautiful as they are.

In our pursuit of the so-called worldly success, we seem to have become immune or worst still, forgotten to live life and appreciate creation.

Our understanding of life is merely confined and limited to keeping ourselves busy...having a job, a house, repaying loans, credit cards, the endless pursuit of material wealth, etc. Is there all there is to life?

Beyond this man-made boundary, we fear to venture out...what could life be like if we take some personal quiet time to reflect on who we are, whay are we here and where we stand before the divine. Do we dare to take this radical step into the unknown so that we will come to understand?

Exploring what life is all about, delighting in the discovery. Living with hope, discovering the divine spark inside us all.

The spark that constantly hungers for union with the divine; the ultimate creator of everything around us...

"When I look at thy heavens,
the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
what is man that thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for him?
Yet thou hast made him little less than God,
and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!"

Psalm 8:3 - 9 (RSV)

Simply 'Being'...Not 'Doing'...

“We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness.”

Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)
Trappist Monk

We need a purpose, something to live for, a goal that will truly fulfill us and bring us happiness...an identity...social status...power

Yet, none of these can completely satisfy. No matter what we have, there is always something else we want. These things cannot give us lasting happiness; for human weakness, tragedy or death can destroy all that we have; in a heart beat. Yet, we continue this aimless pursuit. The world of science and business is continually conditioning us to be constantly getting things done...accomplishing things.


Most of the time, we forget that we are human beings; not human doings.

What is life all about?

Some say life is a journey back home. We need to search within the depths of our beings...simply to listen within the quiet depths of our being.

What Is Life All About?...

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."

St. Augustine (354 - 430)


What is life all about?

Nothing in life can seem to fulfill us and bring us happiness. The human heart is yearning for something more. No matter what we have, there is always something else we want.

Strange moral thinking we seem to have in our culture. It seems anyone can rationalize anything these days.

Yet, we must acknowledge that none of these can completely satisfy our inner longing...a peace that the world cannot give or understand.

In order to L.I.S.T.E.N to the inner voice of our hearts, we need to first be S.I.L.E.N.T...be simply quiet


"We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature — trees, flowers, grass — grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence.... We need silence to be able to touch souls."

Blessed Mother Teresa (Theresa) of Calcutta
A Gift for God (1975)