Happy Valentine's day!

February 14, 2005

What are you in love with.. will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, what breaks your heart (Pedro Arrupe, SJ). How does this strike you? Think about this as you start Valentine’s Day. We sometimes think that love is simply a high, heavenly feeling, forgetting that is has much to do with the quality of the lives we live. Fall in love stay in love and it will decide everything!

~~~

Inspiration
From Sun Cellular Inspiration (2346):

~January 16, 2005~

Happy feast day of the Sto. Nino! “Whoever becomes lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and whoever receives such child in my name receives me. It’s easy to please a kid. A balloon or ice cream cone is enough to make a child happy. And he won’t stop until he gets what he knows will make him happy. Watch or play with kids today. Let them remind you of life’s simple joys and show you where to find them. Let them inspire you to know and follow the True Source of Joy.

~January 17, 2005~

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins for the wine would burst the skins, and then both the wine and the skins would be lost.” Taking our Christian life seriously won’t let us live peaceful, easy lives. Rather, it will shake and disturb us. Why? Because welcoming Jesus into our lives necessarily invites conversion. Jesus challenges our set ways. He’ll ask us to leave our comfort zones if we want a new and better life. Now we know what it means when we say, “Jesus rocks!”

~January 18, 2005~

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mk 2:28). Jesus responds to the people who react when his disciples do what isn’t allowed on the sacred day. In our effort to be “holy” or “religious” we sometimes do the opposite. We get stuck with rules and forget the practical reasons behind the rules. The heart of the law is the law of the heart. Jesus shows us the premium in charity and compassion when he allows the starving men to “work” on the Sabbath by picking grains to eat!

~January 19, 2005~

Many of us want to pray, but we often find ourselves in situations, which prevent us from praying. Or we find reasons not pray. How do we pray then? The answer is simple: PRAY. As we thank the Lord for planting in us the desire to spend time with Him, let’s strive to put that desire into action. Be still and stay in God’s quiet, loving presence, allowing words and thoughts to flow freely from your heart. Do this again tomorrow and the next day and the next…

~February 1, 2005~

The images of the dead, dying and suffering in the tsunami-stricken areas continue to move and disturb us. We ask how all these will end and what future lies ahead for the victims. This invites us to hope. To trust that while we do our part in rebuilding lives, God is doing so much more. From a song:
Even if there is pain now
Everything will be all right
For as long as the world still turns
There will be night and day Can you hear me
There’s a rainbow always after the rain.

~February 2, 2005~

Today is the feast day of the Purification of Our Lady and the presentation of the Lord in the temple. In the past, this was called Christmas. People went to church to have candles blessed. Let’s reflect on the image of light. As Christians, we’re called to be light to the world, to be the warm glow amid the darkness. We serve as lamps, leading others to safe, sure paths. No storm or wind can put us out as we take our light from the one Great Source whose light always warms and welcomes.

~February 3, 2005~

When Mother Teresa was still alive, a visitor once asked her for some relics as a holy souvenir. She simply told the person: Leave your own relics! Mother Teresa has a good point. We usually look for objects -- the holy outside of us. We forget we’re holy channels. We are, in fact, temples of the Holy Spirit! The kind words we say and good acts we do make others feel God’s presence in their lives. They point to Goodness beyond ours. What “relics” can you leave today?

~February 4, 2005~

In this first Friday of the Sacred Heart and this month of Hearts, let’s go back to the Heart of Jesus. Imagine your special place in His heart. When you love someone, you can do everything just to see him/her happy. You forget yourself and only remember the one you love. You bear the hurt/pain, and forgive and accept. Let this be your heart’s prayer: I seek to dwell in the heart of the Lord all the days of my life, and that the Lord will dwell in my heart all the days of my life!

~February 5, 2005~

When you review the events of your life as though they were passing in front of you, you will see one thing: He is AFTER YOU. Pause awhile: How does this strike you? God has always been behind you in your joys and pains, ups and downs. He has quietly, lovingly joined you in your journey, letting you choose your path yet standing by and watching. God is after you. He has always pursued you in all these years, faithfully following, trying to get your attention, always calling you to come home.

~February 6, 2005~

“You are the light of the world.. Your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.” How has your light bearing and light giving been? What has been the quality of your light? Have people passing your way seen God’s face in your life’s glow? You’ve just ended the first month of the year, your attempts at new beginnings. Be thankful and be hopeful. The life you live is the light you leave the world!

~February 7, 2005~

Good day! As you begin your routine, try to do the little prayer exercise that Fr. De Mello often taught: “Behold God holding you… and smiling.” Quietly do this in your room or prayer space. Let the morning stillness fill you and lead you to the stillness of God’s loving embrace. Stay there. We sometimes get tired – even at prayer – because we try too hard and do things our way. The Lord assures: “I love you just the way you are!” Just stay with Him!

~February 8, 2005~

You are God’s precious one. He holds you in the palm of His hands, carrying you close to His heart. How often do you realize this in your life? When you view your life, realize how one Guiding Hand has always been present and active – leading you to safe and sure paths, offering shelter from the elements. “God loves you with an everlasting love.” Spend the day filled with and assured by God’s love. Let God’s love flow into the people you will meet today.

~February 9, 2005~

Lent begins today with the imposition of ashes. Make today a prayerful experience as you reflect on the powerful symbol of the ashes on your forehead. The ashes remind us of our earthly lives. No matter how talented or powerful we are, we all will come to an end and return to the ground. We are confronted with our vulnerability. We are nothing. In God’s presence, we cannot lay claim to anything. We are humbled. We can only fall on our knees before God.

~February 10, 2005~

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us: “If you wish to be a follower of mine, deny yourself and take up your cross each day and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) How does that sound to you? Demanding and forceful? There is always both a strength and a gentleness in Jesus’ words. Discipleship, or a relationship with Jesus, entails much giving up and giving away – of our self centered ways. But He waits for us to respond freely, not pushing us but inviting. Stop and listen!

~February 11, 2005~

Happy feast f Our Lady of Lourdes! Lourdes is one of the world’s most visited shrines; famous for its springs that have lead to many cures and miracles. It’s interesting to note that even in winter, the shrine’s springs never freeze. The waters keep flowing in the taps, greeting pilgrims from far and wide. Never giving a chilly bath. Faith’s like that too. Even in our lives’ cold winters, it’s an ever-gushing wellspring that sustains us and gives us life and hope.

~February 12, 2005~

We sometime have a tendency to stay away from “bad” people. We are afraid they will infect or influence us. Thus, we choose to live an antiseptic life. But Jesus reminds us today: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I have come to call.. sinners, not the righteous.” Let Jesus’ words touch your heart. Who are the people in your life whom you need to pay more attention to? Who are those whom you are called to help heal?

~February 13, 2005~

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The season of Lent invites us to a desert experience. As we remember the passion and death of Jesus, we are asked to enter into moments of prayerful solitude. Recall the points in your life when you felt dry and wasted, parched and desolated, and let these bring you to your heart’s many hungers. Deserts are times and places we can be thankful for. They make us seek and appreciate most earnestly even raindrops of God’s grace!