Healing...

It had been some weeks of minor turmoil for myself as I had to deal with death, 'abundant life' and my coping with these two rather conflicting items that occasionally want to grab my attention.

So, I thought I would just get away a bit and give myself a treat away from the pressures of conflict and headed towards the Bay to soak in the flora and fauna of the Gardens. The trip was refreshing and managed to heal some parts of my humanity and, at the same time, got to use my Gardens Annual Pass (individual).

Super Trees and OCBC Sky Way

The displays and flow of plants, trees, flowers including the panoramic sites that are available there were soothing and quietening elements that gently cleansed whatever that was the tsunami of emotions inside of me.

What I couldn't express properly for healing, the Gardens there helped put things in perspective, in its own unique manner. Whether death or life, it is important to understand how precious life really is and there is no effective value that can be placed upon a life that is lived out well in God.

Life as we encounter it may not be perfect but it has to be seen as one that is unique and sustained by God, no matter how messy it may be. Because it is sustained by God, all troubles will certainly see its day and will soon pass - those, too, will soon pass.

(more pics here)

He Will Provide....

Image by Annoysius via Flickr

I have let almost another month to lapse again before I start up on my blog entry again...

Much of the time have been used for more urgent items which figured quite a huge portion for this month. That included the exercise of assessing all of the 17 seminarians for their year end report to their respective bishops/superiors. That took almost two weeks of afternoons and the putting aside of many other work and activities in order to cater to the seminarians well-being and status in the seminary, where some of them were applying for the ministries of lectors and acolytes (all those applied were granted approval).

There were also some series of talks and recollections which I had to give or present the past week in the midst of the assessment exercise, which caused some flutter and running round as I had to find what little time I had to prepare for them and present them in a coherent and meaningful manner.

What I am looking forward now is the upcoming mid-term break where I don't have to worry too much about lectures and studies and just chill out or catch up with some other work which I have placed on the back burner for awhile.

At the last class I gave at SPI, last Wednesday, a verse from the Bible, Genesis 22: 14 to be exact, caught my attention and came to occupy the niches of my mind as an assurance that the power and presence of God constantly permeates the very life I engage in: He will provide. Thus far, I see no reason why He doesn't, for His activity and movement can be felt touching in many other people's life, especially those whom I am directing.

So, as we moved onwards to another close of a quarter and looking forward towards the final stretch of the semester before we close for the holidays, I am grateful for all the experiences that have taught me patience and to see God in everything and everything in God.

Lucky Stars?...

After a session of about 5 days of retreat followed by the resumption of the classes two days ago, I am back into the midst of an academic endeavour to finish revising whatever I can before the exams come marching in during the last weeks of January. This is also in the midst of the usual classes that continue on unrelentingly.

The only consolation here is that, I am getting closer to the time when I will finish all this and head back for Singapore. This is not much to ask for or bask in, when one considers all the other sufferings and tragedies that are currently besieging the world today. When you consider youself within those who are fortunate to be in a relatively safe and peaceful country of abode, you might say that you are 'lucky'. This got me thinking....

At the recent Angelus (on Jan 1) and the homily during a Mass (Jan 6) in St. Peter's Basilica that celebrated the magi of the east (who arrived to Bethlehem following a star), Pope Benedict XVI mentioned two significant elements which have deep influences in the ordinariness of people's lives that are mostly overlooked.

Firstly, it is this 'lucky' business. The Pontiff had expressed his "fervent best wishes for peace and every good thing, with the grace of God". He stressed that only with this, i.e. grace of God, "we can always hope anew that the future will be better than the past." This simply means that Benedict XVI has rightly affirmed that hope, our hopes for the future, or in whatever useful we are undertaking or going to do, is not based on good luck or the "secrets of the markets," but instead in "we ourselves making the effort to be a little better and more responsible, so as to be able to count on the Lord's benevolence." He goes on to say that, "In Jesus Christ, he has shown to all people the path of salvation, which is above all a spiritual redemption, but which takes in everything human, also including the social and historical dimension." So, if you are in any reason to use 'good luck' in any of your wishes to anyone, just note that how poor and impoverish that greeting is, compared to what God's providence can already give.

Secondly, Benedict XVI affirms that the universe is not governed by a blind force, but by love, and people are not meant to be slaves to the cosmos. The Holy Father noted that 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first observations by telescope. This anniversary has also motivated UNESCO to proclaim 2009 an International Year of Astronomy. In his homily that Tuesday, the Holy Father has rightly placed the science of astronomy in its proper understanding and give askance to the nonsense that is astrology. Benedict XVI emphatically says that "... cosmic elements shouldn't be divinized, but on the contrary, in everything and above everything, there is a personal will, the Spirit of God, who in Christ revealed himself as love," affirming that people are not slaves of cosmic elements, "but are free, that is, they are capable of relating themselves with the creative liberty of God." So, next time you seriously read and follow diligently some horoscope or dwelve into some silly astrology mumbo jumbo, note that how totally impoverish you are compared to the superabundant power of God's grace that is already offered to you.

Whenever we are tempted to 'count on our lucky stars' why don't start to count on God's providence and abundant graces instead...

(thanks to lynette for the final link...)