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.

 
 



Waves of Life...

"As soon as we are alone,...inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, anxieties, fears, bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we have removed our outer distraction, we often find that our inner distraction manifest themselves to us in full force. We often use the outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises. This makes the discipline of solitude all the more important."

— Henri J.M. Nouwen


In the quiet inner silence, we contemplate on the present and the truth of who we are will be revealed in time. This time of silence can either be voluntarily taken amidst all our busy-ness or forced upon us by some terminal disease or even death within the family or loved ones.

When we choose to carry and surf the wave of faith and hope, living life simply in the solitude of our hearts, always pondering on the present, being grateful for what we have, seeing the goodness in others - we will understand who we are in due time, we will know the purpose of our life and find strength to live it to the fullest; living it for God and radiating our light on others; making this world a little bit better - living a life that matters.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, what is it that truly matters to us before we breathe our last? That is what must sustain us, this is what we must be living for in each present moment of our lives.


"Keeping a journal has taught me that there is not so much new in your life as you sometimes think. When you re-read your journal you find out that your latest discovery is something you already found out five years ago. Still, it is true that one penetrates deeper and deeper into the same ideas and the same experiences."

— Thomas Merton