Apple...and the Tree of Life...

“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time.  This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true. ”

― Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O



Earlier this week, I was reminded of a sharing some years back by the CEO of Apple.  Well, cancer somehow finds a way to humble even the giants among us.

However, in his interactions with his people, fellow human beings, the late Steve Jobs was not the world's greatest manager.  In fact, this very God-gifted person, what the world perceived as, a “visionary” who revolutionized multiple industries with his cutting-edge products could have been, if not, one of the world's worst managers; his management style shrouded with darkness...instead of radiating light.

Where he could have reached out and touched many lives, he chose to destroy... constantly demanded excellence from people around him and was known for his blunt delivery of criticism.  God seems to have disappeared from his life.  Rather, his core obsession was with the change in people's lifestyle through his iPhones, iPads, Apple computers, iPods...everything else with the selfish “i”.

This very simple orphan, who once delivered the inspiring message at the Stanford University, seems to have forgotten how all the simple dots of his life...connected back to God...the ultimate tree of life...the ultimate architect...the ultimate provider.

At the end of the day, God will simply hold us all accountable...  Let us then, as simple pilgrims, always remember this throughout our journey through life...we are merely humble instruments of God...sending out tiny ripples to make this world a little better for all...so that others too, whoever they may be, will come to know the loving God...through us.

“...keep me, as the apple of thy eye.  Protect me under the shadow of thy wings.” (Psalm 16:8, Douay-Rheims)

Where on Earth is Heaven?

Last Sunday morning as I was making my way to Church for the Eucharistic Celebration, I came across a Buddhist sticker behind a car windscreen which read, “You can go to Heaven if you do good!”

These nine simple words flung me into a deep reflection.  Is that all there is to life?  Is life truly that simple as many people would think or like to believe?  Just doing good and heaven is there for you?  Is doing good the only thing that will get a person to heaven?  Are all religions the same then, since most teach us to do good?  Why would a Buddhist follower even believe in the existence of Heaven; not reincarnation?  For that matter, isn’t the thought of Heaven generally associated with Christianity?  Where is Heaven?  Can anyone dare claim that their place in Heaven is guaranteed?...

Humans are truly funny creatures, they believe what they want to believe, they start a new christian sect whenever they do not agree with certain teachings.  They twist and turn things to their own favor.  Most humans do not even know what they themselves believe in!  In the case of this Buddhist with the car sticker pronouncing Heaven...what do you call this...fusion Buddhism??

My reflective thoughts just came streaming through my mind.  Perhaps I too have been a little too pre-occupied with my new job...trying my best to settle in...to deliver a professional level of work...it’s been exactly two months...the opportunity cost? ...neglecting my favorite reflective times...times which I so cherished, spending with the Lord when I was on my Sabbatical for slightly more than a year.  Now I tend to speak to Him in a rush, rush mode.  Here I am now trying to get that balance back...that equilibrium to be able to share more of my thoughts in this little “SimplyQuiet” corner.

Perhaps that car sticker was God's simple way of reminding me...are my actions these days, my priorities...sending the message that if I do good, I will go to Heaven??  Whatever happened to my life and actions being for the glory of God?

Coming back to the sticker...for me, I know that my life is about being constantly in a loving relationship with God, with Jesus Christ...trusting...believing...carrying that hope...the same hope and obedience carried by the Prophets throughout the Old Testament and having this hope come to fulfillment in the New Testament.  Life is about surrendering our journey to Jesus and allowing Him to walk with us as our best companion.  Truly, the beautiful religion of Christianity...especially Catholic Christianity is such a beautiful gift from God...sharing His Real Presence with us in the transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into His Body and Blood...

One cannot know Heaven if one does not know Jesus...and if one does not know Jesus, how can one know God...know Heaven?

If only many others are humble enough to open their hearts...to realize that it was God that chose them and created them...made them to love Him, to serve Him...if only people today take up the gift of Jesus Christ...if only we humans take time to know how Jesus gave up His Divinity to die the most humiliating of death on the Cross for us...that we may come back to Him with all our heart...with all our sinfulness.  Sadly, human beings have drifted away into many other world religions, new age beliefs, no beliefs, self beliefs, obsession with the gods of Facebook, Twitter, what have you...

At the end of the day, only if one knows Jesus and is willing to share this life with Him...allowing Him to enter...to purify us...to cleanse us.  Only when we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior... Only when we bend our knees...get rid of our ego...recognise our own sinfulness...only then will Heaven beacons...only then will the land filled with milk and honey become a reality.  Only then will our Spirit become one with God.

You can go to Heaven if you do good?  Perhaps not entirely true, if you have no relationship with Jesus.  ...One of the privilege of Christianity is that you can live and experience the same Heaven on earth at this present moment if only you repent and open the door of your heart to let Jesus in.  You can go to Heaven only if you recognize Jesus around you...today and everyday...touching lives...making this world a little better...

The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven was given to Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church...therein within the universality of the Church and its Sacraments, coupled with the intercession of Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and all the Holy Saints and Angels, with the power of the Holy Spirit lies the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Come one, come all...seek and you shall find...ask...and it shall be given to you...open the door and let Jesus in today....don’t just go through life like a car sticker...stuck on the surface with no depth on the knowledge of God behind a car.  Instead, allow Jesus to be the lens through which you view and live the world today...I am sure, in that way, you will begin to get a glimpse and experience the richness and peace of Heaven on earth now.

“That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11, Douay Rheims)

Getting Intimate with a Jesuit...

 

Part 1:

http://youtu.be/MVqMH5jNqE8

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/VbZkiDiarIk

The goal of our life is to live with God forever.
God who loves us, gave us life.

Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into

us without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts of God,

presented to us so that we can know God more easily

and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all of these gifts of God

insofar as they help us develop as loving persons.

But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives,

they displace God

and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance

before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice

and are not bound by some obligation.

We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,

wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.

For everything has the potential of calling forth in us

a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this:

I want and I choose what better

leads to the deepening of God's life in me.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, from the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises

The World...Always Losing Heart...

Once upon a time, just a couple of years back, not so long ago, huge mega financial companies, such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and AIG came tumbling down, and government officials were scrambling to prevent a global financial meltdown.  These people cooked up bailouts and pushed weak companies to merge with stronger ones.  The government has “fooled” the people into believing that investors were reassured and that order was restored in the financial system.

However, these bitter lessons were never ever learnt and the consequences are still being felt today in the USA...Europe...Asia...all over the world.  Tough and difficult times continue for humanity, the world over. Certain powers and hidden forces that be and self proclaimed economists, bankers, officials at the top seem to have done it again in their quest to feed their insatiable egoistic pursuit; at the expense of the people, their lives, their families, friends....

Whilst the US National Debt clock keeps ticking and its ratings downgraded, more than 300 million Americans indirectly have a vested “share” of this debt!  Americans feel the painful effects.  Mr. President, where is the basic risk management skills and early warning system of your so-called “esteemed” government?

Across the globe, bearish international investors have also coined a new term for the countries that they believe are the weak links of the Euro Zone, facing debt crisis: PIIGS — which basically stands for Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Greece, the home the peaceful monastery in Mount Athos, barely avoided a major bankruptcy in June 2011, looks set to default the October deadline...Greece is sinking...imminent default in sight!...many predict that Greece will go into depression!...the rest of Europe into a recession.

Will the US become like Greece?  Will this event be another Black Swan event?  Are the world super powers going to be red-faced again?  Has not the bitter events of 9/11 taught some humility and responsibility to the US government??  Whilst healing have taken place slowly and painfully amongst the loved ones of the departed, the US government, the Central Bankers, the Federal Reserve have all turn a deaf ear to the future of the American people.  Ah, politicians will forever be selfish politicians...so was it Osama or Bush or Obama’s conspiracy???

In Asia, stock markets becomes volatile and are crashing in response to these adverse developments...many innocent investors and companies are caught...capital positions of many companies, heavily invested in equities are threatened by negative unrealized losses in the financial statements.

The reason why so many people have lost heart today is that they feel both confused and powerless...helpless to see their future...to choose their own lives.  Everything that had seemed so important – stock options, investments, affluent lifestyles – suddenly begins to fade, yet again.  The world is facing a crisis of meaning yet again...life becoming more complex these days.  Where is Jesus in America?  Where is Jesus in Europe?  Where is Jesus in the world?  Most of all, where is Jesus in our lives?

Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr, shared that, “Belief hinged on what could be proven by a certain paradigm called science.  Science assumed – and this became the arrogance of the modern mind – that it knew more than anybody else ever had!  ...It told us that education, reason and science would make the world a better place.  ...Now, in fact, we have a lot of new diseases and many insolvable diseases of the mind and soul.  ...The inner world of meaning has not been fed.  (The world today)...is starved for meaning, grasping at anything and everything.  This is a terrible dilemma to live under.”

Here, it is timely that we remember the following episode in the life of our Lord...

“...and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there.  Making a whip out of cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money changers' coins, knocked their tables over and said to the dove sellers, “Take all this out of here and stop using my Father's house as a market.”” (John 2:14-16, New Jerusalem Bible)

What are the real values held by politicians elected to hold public office, whose fundamental mission is to serve the people, to protect them and build them a better future?  What are the priorities of humanity?  In continuous pursuit of potential upside in the stock market or to seek the Lord who have created us and called us by name?  Humanity seems to have lost the inner compass time and again.  It is sad that the so-called “developed” world today, despite countless gentle “reminders” from the loving Father, is still wandering aimlessly and getting all lost again...

Internet Down...SimplyQuiet...

Just a quick post to share with all that my wireless router was down for a while...therefore, absolutely no access to the internet...hence, my quiet absence for the last couple of days...or weeks!  Last weekend, my internet has been restored...

“We should not absent ourselves from the assembly, as some do, but encourage one another.” (Hebrew 10:25)

Life's journey is beginning to pick up, in terms of intensity, for me, after getting back to full time employment.  At the same time, I am having some minor challenges finding the time to blog...to share my light with many others out there.  The discipline which I enjoy for the past year seem to be fading a little, distracted by the demands of the working life.

The corporate world can be demanding but I am enjoying my new tour of duty.  Please be patient as I will be back soon and hopefully...more revitalised.

Someone, once said, “with great power, comes great responsibility”...for me, it would be the ultimate responsibility to become an obedient disciple of Jesus Christ....a humble instrument of the Lord.

Remembering 9/11...Reunited with Each Other...With God

 

September 11. 2001...more commonly known these days as 9/11...seemed like a simply quiet and normal Tuesday morning in New York City.

I remember I was at an evening bible study meeting half way across the globe.

Down in New York City, nothing seemed unusual...nothing lookked extraordinary...faceless people sending their kids to school...grabbing their quick breakfast...reading the papers...packing breakfast...catching the bus...the tube...hugging their loved ones...kissing their good byes...for some...whereas for others...getting into an argument...not talking...no home to go to...unwanted...marginalized...living out their last days...on board their very last suicidal flight...American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93...worst still, those who fell or jumped off the tragic floors of the World Trade Center’s North and South Twin Towers....the Pentagon...

Do you remember what you were doing on that fateful day?...when...just about everyone, suddenly remembered God...reaching out to Him...coming home to Him...talking to Him...praying - pleading...crying...begging...reconciling...

On that day...the world stood still and witnessed the powerful United States cruelly brought down to their knees...humbled, at the expense of many, many innocent Americans...2,977 victims per official reports...someone else’s mother, father, daughter, son, brother, sister, friend, neighbor, colleague...a created human being whose life was suddenly and cruelly taken away...the words of Job rings aloud...

“...Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21, Douay Rheims)

One often wonders how does God ever fit into the everyday lives of the people in a big, cosmopolitan, noisy and seductive city like New York?  The city that never sleeps...try telling this to the brave emergency workers, firemen, paramedics, medical units, armed forces, chaplains, volunteers...at Ground Zero...where humanity was once again reunited with each other and most importantly with God.  Suddenly, the noise and seduction of big New York City does not seem to be so distracting after all...it really does not matter about the outside...as much as what was felt deep inside...the emptiness...the loss...the void...

Only when you empty yourself completely...can God fill your heart...and your soul...

Americans have always known wars in foreign soil...Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kosovo...but never in their own back yard...the center of a great city... not far from the New York Harbor with the torch of the Statue of Liberty and Freedom held high...9/11 struck!

Soon after, there was so much anger...so much unforgiveness...so much vengeance...so much hatred...even today, continues to reverberate in many hearts and minds...terror for terror...is this, the only answer...as the US continue its spending on defense (against what?) and its relentless attacks on oil fields in the Middle East.

As Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?”   ...Terrorism?...Political Conspiracy?  ...Does it matter anymore?  ...when innocent lives are lost??  ...Such is the price humanity must pay...

Where was God?  Why did God let this happen?  Was this, rather, the work of mankind in their selfish quest for power and personal glory?  The consequence of the sins of humanity against humanity?  ...against God?

So much for our human finite understanding of God...why do we need events or tragedies such as these to help humanity remember?  Who is God really, for you, in your life?  A punishing God?  A loving God? An absent God?  A non-existent God?  An unknowing God?  A God amongst many other worldly gods...wealth, materialism, success, etc?

For such a long time, the world have witnessed the US slavery era in the 1600s, World War I in 1914, World War II in 1939, the Holocaust and bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, South Africa under apartheid from 1948, the Korean War in 1950, the Vietnam War in 1955, great Chinese Famine in 1959, the assassination of President JFK in 1963, AIDS Pandemic beginning in 1981, Chernobyl Nuclear disaster in 1986, Rwanda genocide in 1994, Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004...sins of abortion and many, many more suffering and deaths around the globe which are even much worst off than 9/11...but, on that fateful day, the world was in solidarity with the USA...the world offered their prayers and comfort...as good and caring neighbors sharing the same planet...

Nevertheless, we want to still remember and respect those whom we lost on that fateful day of 9/11 and throughout history amongst the many other tragedies around the world...may their souls find eternal rest and the world find healing and peace.  May the price that they paid be worthwhile for the spiritual growth of the world...where each and every country can have great influence over the future of the world we live in...

Tragedies, pain and suffering are something we humans simply cannot control...but what we can do in response is to simply allow these events, become turning points, to help us reconnect with one another and with God...bringing much spiritual meaning and maturity to supposedly, meaningless innocent suffering and sacrifices.

We must draw strength from Jesus who journeyed the Via Dolorosa and learn to view such world tragedies and human suffering through the lenses of His wounds on the Cross.  Forgiveness and change will then become possible because, as obedient Christian disciples, others will then see and know the love of Christ through us – our spoken words, our actions, our silence and also our non-action...our generous love...a love which the world knows so little of these days.

God's Grace to Grow in Stewardship

“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not serving to the eye, as pleasing men, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God.  Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance.  Serve ye the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-24, Douay Rheims)

It has been quite sometime since my last piece of journal on this blog.  Many events have happened since then...on my journey.  I still feel sad when I recollect the sudden departure of my good companion and friend...only two weeks ago...but just seem like yesterday.  Sad or not, life for me must still go on...

Coincidently, I have been back working in the corporate world...the very week after my best friend’s funeral.  I still remember my last conversation with him, just the week before...he advised me to give it a shot...get back to employment...as there are still so many lives I am capable of reaching out to and touching.  My friend, I have taken your last words into heart...we are indeed God's gift to the world...our lives are meant to be shared...our light...to brighten where it is dark...

But then, my dear companion never stayed long enough to hear the good news...that I have successfully got the job...on the very day after he passed on.  In fact, the phone call came when I was at the wake at his residence near the coastal waters off the Straits of Malacca...

Sometimes, the happenings in life are such a paradox...emotions of sadness and joy all mixed up...one just does not know what to feel anymore.  What I know is that my journey from this point onwards will miss the cherished companionship of a very dear friend.  Nevertheless, I thank God for bringing him into my life and will always hold his words in my heart...guess this must have been similar of how the twelve disciples must have felt when Jesus suddenly left them at Golgotha...

Me getting a new job and losing a dear friend...at the same moment?  Perhaps the Lord has a hidden message for me...somewhere under the blanket of these events in life.  Perhaps Jesus wants me to bring His Light back into the world...perhaps there are lives I must still reach out and touch...  Perhaps, I must walk the rest of this journey without my good friend...perhaps, my dear friend is called onto another journey somewhere else...perhaps there is more learning for me...perhaps I require more refining...

Whatever it is, I remain the humble instrument of the Lord...  Once we have experienced God’s merciful grace and forgiveness in our lives...surely we are obligated to share and pass this on joyfully and willingly to many others who have yet to experience the same...

For me, two weeks have passed into the corporate world...the landscape of my journey is beginning to change again...yet my mission remains the same...to do my small part, in partnership with God, in making this world a little better; with my strength anchored on God alone.

My time management has gone a bit wacko since then as I re-orientate myself and settle into this new position.  What I have realized these past 2 weeks is that I must be even more disciplined, spiritually, as I pursue my new journey; as a disciple of Christ...amidst the “noise” and “seduction” of this crazy world.

Trying to be simple amidst the “complexities” and “complications” of the competitive entrepreneur world is never easy.  To achieve this spiritual equilibrium, I have fallen back to rely on the basic foundation of prayer and the rosary...coupled with much scriptural and spiritual reading.  This has helped, to a certain extent, to sustain me and maintain a calm “center”...not forgetting the Holy Eucharist which I am so privilege to receive at each Friday noon mass, given that my new place of employment is within walking distance to a cathedral.  Thank God for that!

Don’t get me wrong but I am indeed pleased to be back to work again...I know that my past sabbatical year has helped formed me somehow, to face the competitive business world with much more composure, confidence, spiritual maturity and priority.

Indeed God continues to work in mysterious ways...He has a unique plan for all of us...if we but be obedient to His ways.  Although we are sinners, He loves each one of us all the same.  So, here I am, Lord...is it I, Lord?...I will go, Lord, if you need me!

I just pray that my humble listening to Him, discerning...and obedience in journeying this route through the waves of life...will bring only more glory to His Holy Name.  I pray that He will continue to guide me in all my decisions and actions.  May He increase as I decrease...

“You have seduced me, Yahweh, and I have let myself be seduced...” (Jeremiah 20:7, NJB)

Ultimately, I know that I am “employed” by God and He remains my first “boss”.  As a Catholic Christian, I also know that my work on earth is a spiritual stewardship; not a secular necessity.  What I contribute, in any small way, at my workplace must serve His purposes with the utmost integrity and fit into His entire plan for Creation and the Universe.  I, a mere servant, partner with God through my “sacred” worldly responsibilities to bring life to this “dying” world and humanity.  By the grace and mercy of God, I now have another opportunity to grow in my stewardship at work...placing all my trust in God alone.  Alleluia!

“Otherwise, you might say in your heart, “It is my own power and the strength of my own hand that has got me this wealth.”  Remember then the Lord, your God, for he is the one who gives you the power to get wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant he swore to your ancestors.  But if you do forget the Lord, your God, and go after other gods, serving and bowing down to them, I bear witness to you this day that you will perish utterly.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-19, NAB)