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Monthly Reflections by George Calleja
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February 2025
God, have mercy on me
Recently, I once again came across the following verse from the Bible, referring to Luke 18:13, ‘but the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
This verse taken from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, basically reminded me that we are all sinners and how important that we are to return to God. Just like the tax collector in this parable, we are to ask forgiveness to God, to restore us and to have mercy on us.
Through the mercy of God, He gives each sinner compassion, and kindness, and His mercy shows up in the believer's life at salvation, and then God continues to show mercy in forgiveness.
So each person is to be encouraged, even though being sinners, for the mercy of God reaches everyone, is for all, is there to receive redemption and salvation. So return to God, let go of your sin, and be embraced by God.
January 2025
How does society ensure social justice?
In today’s life, throughout all nations, social justice is a very discussed topic. One might ask, but how does society ensure social justice?
Basically, from a Catholic point of view, all men and women according to the place and role that they occupy participate in promoting the common good by respecting just laws and taking charge of the areas for which they have personal responsibility such as the care of their own family and the commitment to their own work. Citizens also should take an active part in public life as far as possible.
As can be seen, one of the most important things for a society to ensure social justice, is in promoting the common good by respecting just laws. A healthy society rest a lot if the common good is provided in a just way to all people, without discriminating no one. This would be possible if just laws are in place and that abuse to any system is prohibited. Furthermore, taking care of one another and helping one another to ensure social justice, is a responsibility for every person to undertake through love.
Loving one another, as Christ loves us, is the foundation for society to ensure that social justice reaches everyone in a just way.
December 2024
Do your part for a better world
We constantly wish the world we live in was better. A lot of people complain about the pollution and the absence of green space because of construction. The high rates of crime, conflicts, wars, injustice, and greed are all concerns of people.
Everyone agrees that, given that the earth was created with love and perfection, we deserve a better place to live. The way the world is as we know it is a result of sin taking many different forms. To make the world a better place, people must love God and one other. Love is the one thing that can make the world a better place to live.
And how is this possible? Only if each person does his or her share of loving will this be achievable. Love should be the foundation of all we do in life, including the choices we make and the laws that we must abide by.
There would be a better world if we loved God, loved the world, loved people, and did our part.
November 2024
Who is in the peripheries and where are they?
In October 2018, the auxiliary bishop of Chicago, Bishop Joseph Perry, during his speech at the annual Missouri Catholic Conference General Assembly, explained very well who those in the peripheries are. In his words, based on the catechesis of Pope Francis, the peripheries include people who are ignored by hierarchical and governmental systems, as well as those who are illiterate or judged by their race or condition in life, immigrants, and refugees, the imprisoned, those who publicly sin, the elderly, sick and unborn.
We know who our brothers in the peripheries are, and where to find them. Different societies, towns, villages, and cities include also people living in the peripheries. It is a known fact that even in certain big corporations and businesses, one can find people who, although wealthy and rich, also form part of these peripheries. Their greed for money, and lack of values, create a vacuum in their spiritual life, as a result of which, their business actions are disconnected from God. This, in turn, often brings with it suffering to other people’s lives.
It is also a known fact that certain places of entertainment are a beehive for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking. Such places are not only frequented by youths and teenagers, but also adults and elderly people. These places are also known for gambling and money laundering, with many victims falling into this trap.
These are just a couple of examples of today’s peripheries. One must not forget other peripheries, such as the prisons, hospitals, homeless people living in their cars, in a garage with lack of adequate sanitation, under a bridge or in card boxes, unwanted children living in institutions, and the list goes on.
October 2024
Being another Mary
Living in a personal relationship with Mary is a very deep spiritual experience. One will come to understand more what the silence of Mary is all about. The silence of Mary reflects upon her obedience to God, by doing the will of God in its fullness, by loving and embracing the mission she was entrusted with, that is, to be the Mother of Jesus and of all mankind.
When one really gives his life, to faithfully live a personal relationship with Mary, one will be transformed through the Holy Spirit, to be another Mary to humanity. Being another Mary, in the real sense of Mary’s spiritual relationship with the Holy Trinity, is possible for mankind. It is Mary’s desire to see her children being like her for the good of humanity.
Being another Mary to society is a gift to humanity. Mary needs to be more known and accepted in peoples’ lives. When one lives his life by being another Mary, the spiritual silence of Mary will penetrate the deepest noise and will break any wall that prevents mankind from being closer to her son Jesus and experiencing the love of the Father in a personal way.
To be another Mary is possible if we let her as a mother take care of our life by taking us to her Son, in order to faithfully accept Jesus and to be His disciples.
September 2024
Be strong in your faith
Just a brief message of inspiration and encouragement for all Christians. Be strong in your faith.
Everybody has distinct life experiences. Everybody encounters challenging circumstances at some point.
It is critical for all Christians to have a strong faith in order to handle all of these events and circumstances. Having a solid faith will enable a person to weather any storm in life and adapt to new situations.
Any barrier that stands in the way of a person's relationship with Jesus can be surmounted by having a personal relationship with Jesus.
Be encouraged and be strong in your faith.
August 2024
Keep Loving
Love is the source of life. Being in the image of God, is God’s perfect sign of love.
We are to keep loving one another, we must never stop loving, respecting, and forgiving one another since love is the key to a more harmonious society.
Always keep in mind and live up to what Jesus said with reference from John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This is a simple message of love for everyone, for you, for pastors and priests, for teachers, for workers, for students, for parents, for children, and most importantly for politicians.
Keep loving... love one another.
July 2024
The truth is…
The Bible passage “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me....’’ is found in John 14:6. Have you ever read or heard this verse before?
This is the main purpose of the truth. Everyone has to have faith in this. This is what each and every individual must do in order to approach Jesus and be presented to the Father through Him.
The Way is Him. He is both the Life and the Truth. Jesus will make our path to the Father.
Be encouraged and put your trust in Him; you won't be let down because His love leads you to the Father.
The truth is that Jesus is the Way.
June 2024
Are you righteous?
Being morally upright, doing the right thing, and making morally sound decisions—especially when it comes to justice—are the essence of being righteous. A Christian must uphold God's law of love in order to be considered righteous. Loving your neighbour as God loves all people is what righteousness is about.
The statement "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" appears in 2 Corinthians 5:21. The term righteousness in this verse refers to approval or being considered right in his eyes. For this reason, it is crucial that we live virtuous lives in order for God to regard us as such.
Being a righteous person has a great influence on society. Being morally upright may entail paying your staff a fair and respectable wage. Speaking the truth when lies are attempted to take control is one way to be righteous. Helping the underprivileged and those in need of special assistance can be a sign of righteousness. Another means of righteousness is to be a person of prayer in your relationship with God and to do His will.
The world needs more righteous people. Are you a righteous person?
May 2024
Your life is precious… to Him
No matter if you are poor or rich, healthy or not, happily married or not, a well-educated person or not, a Christian or not, a criminal or not, always remember that your life is precious to Him.
For created you and every other human being for one specific reason… to have a personal relationship with Him.
God loves you as you are, without comparing you to other people. Whatever you have done in your life, and whatever experiences you have gone through… your life is still precious to Him. You are still precious to Him. You are precious to Him.
Appreciate that He loves you, rejoice through His love, and love Him in turn… by loving your neighbour.
Remember, that your life is precious to Him, so give your precious life to Him, by doing His will in your life.
April 2024
What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about abortion?
Being brought up in the Catholic faith, the teachings and views of the Catholic Church in relation to abortion played an important part in my views and writings. I consider the teachings of the Catholic Church with regards to abortion as a way of expressing the value of life, of preserving life, and of expressing love towards the unborn baby. As one finds in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2322 ‘From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice.’ In other words, the right to life fully belongs to the child and it is a criminal practice to end such a life.
Paragraph 2274, from the same Catechism of the Catholic Church further explains that ‘Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being. Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual.... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence." Is society truly and lovingly defending the embryo and taking care of it? A healthy society must have a strong belief in God that recognises and accepts a person as from its conception.
Furthermore, paragraph 2271 explains the fact that ‘since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves.
Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.’
The teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with regards to abortion explains to man the noble mission of safeguarding life, the responsibility each person is entrusted with by protecting life. This teaching is universal, is for all human beings to do the will of God by loving others. Life is a God given gift which needs to be protected, safeguarded and nourished as from conception for the glory of God.
As the author of this book, it was only possible for me to publish it as my parents protected, safeguarded and nourished my life as from conception. Even any reader to this book, it was only possible because your life was protected, safeguarded and nourished from the very beginning. With this same reasoning, this same opportunity to life is to be fully provided to the unborn babies and that their life is to be also protected, safeguarded and nourished. Life is for all to experience.
(This reflection is taken from my book ‘Mum… let me live’)
March 2024
Live in Peace
Peace.
Peace is possible if loving your neighbour. Peace is the result of love. Anything that is not generated through love, generates disharmony, hate, conflicts, infidelity etc.
Peace is what everyone is searching for, but not everyone searches for it in love… in the love of Christ.
Christ is Peace. Christ taught us all about how to be in peace by loving our neighbour, feeding the poor, helping the needy, clothe the naked etc. Are you doing this?
Remember that when you are not in peace, it is a sign that you are not loving your neighbour… not loving Christ.
February 2024
Trusting God
On different occasions, I met friends of mine who face problems in their faith to trust God.
As a Catholic, I believe that to trust God one needs to pray regularly in life, as through prayer one may learn to hear God’s guidance in life. Also, receiving the Eucharist is very important to have this personal relationship with Jesus.
Over the years, I also found it important to have a spiritual director, that could help to learn to trust God more and recognize His directions. Furthermore, practicing the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis helps a lot to trust God in life.
To trust God, also requires that one be humble, to recognize one’s sins, and to ask God for forgiveness and peace.
So be encouraged, it is possible to trust God and I am sure that you are able to trust God and benefit from His personal love for you.
January 2024
A letter to mum
Dear mum,
I have been listening to your discussions with some people about me, and it seems that you are still not certain what to do: whether to abort me, give me up to some sort of institution, or to be with me as I grow up out of this shelter I am growing in now. Why are you uncertain? I have heard all of the discussions and am aware of all the pros and cons that you are considering, but why have you still not asked me what I would like to do? I do have a voice, so please do not suppress my voice, please do listen to my voice!
I am enjoying every little bit playing in your womb and I can tell that you will really do a great mum. But mum, why are you considering aborting me when I look forward to be with you, to share my life with you, and you know what, when you get old I will be able to take care of you. It would really be nice to see your face, to hold the hands of my father and to play with my siblings or friends. At least please give me the chance to experience life by giving me up for adoption or to an institution if you cannot raise me up yourself!
Mum, please do not let me go through the pain I would suffer if had to be aborted. It would be really painful from what I have heard. I do not want to suffer and carry the pain of never being able to see your face or be held in your arms.
If instead, you had to give me up for adoption, at least that would give me an opportunity to experience life, even though I would still be in pain as probably I would never experience being with you.
Mum, let me experience playing in the fields and running around parks, just as the other children do, as I listen to them from inside your womb. From inside the womb, I can also sense the people moving around, those on their way to work, to university, to church. Oh, how much I wish I could also experience all this as I grow up, if only, if only, you would give me a chance to live.
Mum, let me continue growing in your womb, so that eventually I be held in your arms. Mum, please let me live, let me be loved by you, let me enjoy life.
Thanks mum, for reading this letter, and I hope to see you soon.
I love you mum.
Your baby.
(This reflection is an extract from my book ‘Mum… let me live’)
December 2023
Discover Jesus this Christmas
Christmas is back. Christmas is here. Christmas is a gift for all to have.
In today’s society, a lot of emphasis is put on dining out, decorations, and having a festive time during Christmas. Christmas is more than that.
Christmas is discovering Jesus in one’s life. For when one discovers Jesus, and through His grace a personal relationship is built, one would be able to love one’s neighbor in a more concrete way. Not only that, through a personal relationship with Jesus, one would be strengthened in the faith to go out to the peripheries and share the Good News with the needy, to help, to comfort, and to evangelize amongst others.
Christmas is there to bring down barriers that create conflicts, to bring peace amongst nations and families, to forgive one another, to start again by rediscovering Jesus in one’s life, and to be Jesus to others. Be encouraged, be strong in your faith, and follow Jesus in your life.
Remember, to discover Jesus this Christmas.
November 2023
Do not be afraid of commitments
Commitment. Commitment is a word that today many people are afraid to live up to. There are people afraid of commitment when it comes to work responsibility, or to study to achieve good results at school or university. Other people might feel not capable of committing themselves when approached to organize some sort of activity.
There could be different reasons why people feel afraid of commitments. Maybe, afraid to believe in their abilities, afraid of failure, afraid of not having enough time to be committed. and not wanting to be disappointed in life.
When you feel disheartened to be committed to something particular, such as being married, or visiting a person in need, I encourage you to remember about when Jesus died on the cross. Jesus made a big commitment by dying on the cross, as He was loving all humanity, including yourself.
To be committed is to love endlessly, to love unconditionally, is to trust in Him.
Do not be afraid of commitment, as He will give you the grace for it.
October 2023
Be humble in loving your neighbour
Loving our neighbor is very important in life. Helping people to have a better life is of utmost importance in today’s society. Many people are in need to have clothes, to have food, to be educated, to be provided with a decent place where to live, and different other kind of needs.
When we help these people, are we being proud of ourselves and boasting about the help we provided, or we are humble for helping the needy? When helping the needy, this is to be done by doing the will of God, and not by my own will. In other words, to help the needy, just like Jesus did, is to be humble to do the will of God.
There is no place in heaven for those who are proud of themselves for helping the needy. But, on the other hand, humble people who help the needy will be welcomed in the Kingdom of God. So, whenever you be in a situation and can help the needy, remember what is written in James 4:6, that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”, and hopefully you choose to be a humble person when loving your neighbor.
September 2023
Justice toward men and woman is to respect the rights of each
Recently, I was going through the different topics of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ and came across the following paragraph 1807 about Justice, which is the following:
Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion." Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor." "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."
It is very clear from the above paragraph that justice is to be in place towards men. It is a pity and a disgrace that many think that they can get away from practicing justice. The masters of this world tend to forget that after this life they have to face the Master in heaven and be judged accordingly
Love of neighbour requires that justice is served in any situation of life. Injustices are found in various forms, such as, underpaid workers, known corrupted people who are not prosecuted, and amongst others discrimination towards people of a different colour or religion.
When the masters of this world do not practice justice, many people suffer, and it will affect society in a negative way. A strong society is only possible if justice is in place, which results in loving one’s neighbour.
Finally, as is written in paragraph 1807 of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Are you practicing justice in this way?
August 2023
You can experience Jesus in your life
Many people today think that it is not true that one can experience Jesus in one’s life. Whatever the reasons these people bring up that it is not possible to have an experience of Jesus in one’s life, well with full confidence I can say that ‘Yes’ it is true that one can have an experience of Jesus in one’s life. I declare and I know that many other people declare the same, that I have a personal experience with Jesus.
To experience Jesus in one’s life is to dedicate some time each day in prayer, to dedicate some time each day to help your neighbour, to do good deeds, and not be drawn towards doing bad deeds. The ultimate goal of life is to know Jesus and live in a personal relationship with Him.
Trust me, it is possible, and Jesus is always waiting for you. Living life through having an experience of Jesus, will make your life fulfilled.
July 2023
Set your life towards Him
Many times, people face a dilemma in life. One can imagine many different types of dilemmas. The dilemma I would like to share is about being at the crossroads of your spiritual life.
The crossroads of a spiritual life are to choose between the way of the Lord, that is, to follow Jesus, or not to follow the Lord and walk the road that does not lead to Salvation. This is the dilemma: to choose between the good and the bad, between being at peace or not, between being a humble person or not, between being a holy person or not.
This dilemma is not only faced by Christians, as the Golden Rule of loving one’s neighbour is in every religion. So, at the crossroads of life and of one’s spiritual life, what must a Christian do? The only answer is to continue to follow Him, to ask for His grace, to turn your back on all temptations and evil things, and to totally surrender to Him—to Jesus.
Whenever you are at the crossroads of your life, whenever you feel spiritually dry and tired, refocus your life, turn to Him, and set your life towards Him.
June 2023
Be alert
The words that Peter preached around 2,000 years ago, are still valuable, to the point, and full of truth. Basically, in 1 Peter 5:8-9 it is written that Peter said to the elders and his followers to ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,…’
It is so true that we are to be alert as the devil prowls around, and that we are to resist the devil by being firm in our faith. Wherever there is corruption, injustice, exploitation of human beings, abuse of power, and manipulation of the truth amongst others, there is the devil prowling around parliament, financial and government institutions, drug dealers, and traffickers of human beings amongst others. The roaring lion penetrates these places to devour, destroy, and try to eliminate the presence of Christ.
The solution for any person who comes face to face with the lion in these situations is to stand firm in one’s faith. Stay strong in Jesus, and trust in Jesus to receive His grace to overcome the devil.
Whenever one opens the door for the lion to enter roaring in one’s life, destruction of society follows. Having a strong faith in Christ helps a person to overcome the devil.
May 2023
Human rights
In today’s world we often hear about human rights and human dignity. Most of the news items we watch on social media treat the subject of human rights and human dignity constantly. But what is, in simple terms, the meaning of human rights and human dignity?
The United Nations defines human rights as follows: ‘Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental - the right to life - to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty.’ This book will not go into the issue if such human rights are truly safeguarded by all nations or if not, why.
It is worth keeping in mind, however, that millions of people still find it hard to have food to eat, and especially to have healthy and nutritious food to eat. This world still finds it hard to provide the proper education for our children, youths, and ongoing education to adults. Unemployment is still a big issue all over the world, bringing social problems and mental issues to the unemployed and their families. We can still see how the health system especially within the third world countries is not up to a standard, causing millions of people to get sick, and eventually die at a young age, forgotten by all. Freedom is still problematic in countries controlled by non-democratic governments. In some countries, the rights of human beings are still a long way to go. Such lack of human rights places these human beings in the peripheries of society, in the darkest alleys of life.
April 2023
Never Give Up
Everybody at sometime or another faces difficult times in life. There are different challenges one has to deal with in life. Whatever these difficulties and challenges are, one is never to give up.
In every situation in life, one has to always take up the challenge, never give up and if necessary to start all over again. Even in our spiritual life we are never to give up.
As a Christian, in my spiritual life, I also had different life challenges to face. It was not always easy and at times these challenges were really difficult to overcome. It was only through the personal relationship with Jesus that I was able to overcome such difficult challenges. Through His love I had the grace to never give up and at times I had to start all over again.
My relationship with Jesus helps me to face all the challenges life has to offer and above all to never give up.
March 2023
Grace is a participation in the life of God
Did you know that grace is participation in the life of God? Are you surprised by this?
Well, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1997 explains that ‘Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.’
This is wonderful and encouraging indeed, knowing that by baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ. Reflecting upon paragraph 1997 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, has uplifted my life and enriched my faith as a Christian.
I hope that you appreciate that by grace you are introduced to the intimacy of Trinitarian life. I encourage you to thank God for His grace and to keep praying for His grace.
February 2023
Life begins at conception
The creation of life is the source of God's love. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, human life begins in conception.
The following paragraphs 1703, 1711, and 2270 from the stated Catechism define human life as it begins in conception as follows:
1703 Endowed with "a spiritual and immortal" soul, the human person is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake." From his conception, he is destined for eternal beatitude.
1711 Endowed with a spiritual soul, with intellect and with free will, the human person is from his very conception ordered to God and destined for eternal beatitude. He pursues his perfection in "seeking and loving what is true and good"
2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
As Catholics, we are to treasure this teaching, truth, and wisdom. Furthermore, our life is to be a witness to this, that life begins at conception. No worldly law can change this or change the teachings of the Church, as this is the law of love, the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Loving our neighbour also includes the baby in the mother’s womb, as life starts from conception. Are we loving the baby in the mother’s womb?
January 2023
What is the 9th Commandment all about?
Recently I was asked the question ‘What is the 9th Commandment all about? Well, to start with, the 9th Commandment ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife’ also applies to women, that is you shall not covet your neighbor’s husband.
Now, it is good to know the meaning of covet, and with a simple search on Google you find that it is a desire, wish, want, crave, meaning of having a longing for amongst others. Coveting is a sin and is the beginning of every exterior sin that it brings with, that can lead to adultery or other sexual sins.
Anyone who commits coveting is not loving God; because if you really love God, you cannot then covet your neighbour’s wife or husband. So in the 9th commandment what is important is to be pure in thought, and not let wilful impurity takes over our thoughts and desires.
December 2022
A Blessed Christmas to all
So, we are in the Christmas period once again. A period that is supposed to bring peace and joy to all. But in reality, many people during the period of Christmas do not feel the happiness, peace and joy.
Christmas is the period to focus on our spiritual life, to invite the Lord and reopen our heart to Him. Christmas is to let Jesus back into our lives, to experience His love and to give this love to others.
My Christmas wish is that all may truly experience God's love, to follow Him and be blessed through His love. I pray that the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, be the gifts that you live and receive this Christmas and throughout the coming year.
Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas.
November 2022
There are no limits to loving
Loving one another through the love of God is what humanity requires. The calling of each person is to love without limits. There are no limits in loving, as the love of God has no boundaries, makes no distinction, and has no preferences. The love of God is perfect and is loving endlessly.
Every human being is loved by God, even though not everyone loves God. God’s love keeps loving, keeps loving in a new way each day, and keeps loving everyone with patience, comfort, caring, and forgiving.
To love is to love in every situation in life. We are to love so peace will reign. We are to love so that injustices do not occur. We are to love as Jesus did, to love without limits.
October 2022
Give your whole life to Him
Life brings with it different experiences. When one spends some time in silence and thinking about life, one will recall the different experiences one has gone through.
There are good and bad experiences one can go through in life. These experiences can be in our control, while other experiences are not in our control.
I have learned something special about life which I want to share with you, this is of giving oneself to Him. In other words, give your whole life to Him.
Life’s worth is not about the good or bad experiences one lives through, but the worth of life is of giving your whole self to Him. Through Him, life is a blessing, a wonderful experience to live, is a joy.
By giving your whole life to Him, in return, He will give you the grace to live the good and bad experiences in life, and through Him, through Jesus salvation is achieved.
September 2022
Today’s children are the future generation
What we sow in today’s children is what we reap in future generations. This statement is so true in today’s society. The type of upbringing of today’s children is what will be the foundation of tomorrow’s society.
Parents have a big responsibility to shoulder, upon themselves, for the upbringing of their children. Christians and other people of different faiths and beliefs have responsibility for what they teach and practice. Governments, and people that influence a country, also have to be responsible for the laws enacted and the impact on today’s children.
The formation of today’s children rests upon each person in society. Today’s society is responsible for future generations. That is why, what we sow in today’s children, is what we reap in future generations, as today’s children are the future generation.
August 2022
Mary is an example of how to love
Mary, the Mother of Jesus is not mentioned much in the Bible. From the little episodes starting by The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) and followed by The Visitation (Luke 1:39-45), The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56), and when the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:18-21), The Nativity (Luke 2:1-7) and through the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:9-12), followed by the episode of Simeon at the presentation of Christ child (Luke 2:28-35) and the adventure of the flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15), followed by the finding of the Christ Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:40-52) and about the Son of Mary (Mark 6:3), followed by Mary at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-11) and later Mary with John at the Cross (John 19:26-27), which is followed by the final episode about Mary at the upper room during Pentecost (Acts of the Apostles 1:12-14), one virtue of Mary is found throughout these episodes. This is the virtue of love.
Mary loved unconditionally in all the episodes mentioned in the Bible, and for sure also in other situations she found herself in which are not known about.
It is good to go through these episodes, to read them as narrated in the Bible and to meditate about them.
For sure there is a lot what one can learn about Mary, which is the art of loving. Mary, the Mother of Jesus loved the Father tremendously, and her ‘yes’ at the Annunciation paved the way through the Trinity, to be the Mother of us all.
Get to know more about Mary, and I am sure your life would be blessed and strengthen to love as Mary loved.
July 2022
A just wage
Recently, as I often do, I browsed through the The Catechism of the Catholic Church, to learn more about my faith and to share with my readers. I came across paragrapgh 2434 about a just wage. It was very interesting indeed, not because it was something I was not aware of, but mostly because this is truly an ongoing injustice that takes place in every corner of the world. The text reads as follows:
‘A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. “Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural, and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.” Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.’
The above text really made me wonder why such injustice is carried out. How come that such a situation occurs in today’s life, even though this is a well know injustice?
The only way to prevent any kind of injustice of being paid a just wage, is only through the intervention of Jesus in the heart of man. This can only happen if those responsible to provide a wage to their workers, is a person who truly follow the teachings and love of Christ, for the good of humanity.
A just wage, should be in place for anyone who is underpaid for any work one does. Also, a just wage, should be in place to those that through greed are being paid extreme and extravagant wages.
A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work and is to reflect the love towards humanity.
June 2022
Does sin exist?
As has already been mentioned in the previous Chapter, over the years many people have come to believe that sin does not exist. Many people have asked the question: Does sin exist? In today’s society, man is answering this question by falling into different traps of believing that sin does not exist. In different ways, man is denying himself from experiencing the Truth, the Word of God, the love of the Father, and of having a personal experience with Jesus.
In today’s society, man is focused on what the world offers, on what one can gain in a very short time, if not instantly. Man has become impatient, he is lacking in being humble and finds it hard to believe in and have faith in God. Living in the frenzy of today’s society, it is easy for any human being to lose track of salvation, to lose sight of God. Man’s heart is not filled with the peace that transcends from God. This is the situation when man’s heart is overtaken by sin. Sin is nothing else but the separation of man from God.
Imagine a loving mother giving birth to a child, and for some reason or another, the child is separated from the mother for the rest of his life. This does not mean that the mother never existed and that the mother never gave birth to that child. It shows that for a particular reason, separation between the child and the mother had occurred. For the child to be born, the mother did exist, even though the child never recalls being with his mother.
So, no matter what different ideas are brought forward by different people, that sin does not exist, it is a fact that sin exists, as much as God does exist. Saint John Eudes (1601 – 1680), who was a French Roman Catholic priest, said: ‘Let us therefore give ourselves to God with a great desire to begin to live thus, and beg Him to destroy in us the life of the world of sin, and to establish His life within us’. This famous quote of Saint John Eudes, for sure is still strong and applicable for today’s society. Today’s society is practically doing precisely the opposite of what Saint John Eudes preached. We are living in a world where many individuals are giving themselves as slaves to the power of darkness, destroying the peace within their lives and abandoning their faith in God. These individuals are letting their lives be taken over by Satan, by letting sin overpower their being. Man is believing that sin does not exist, maybe because they do not know any better! Way back in 1946, Pope Pius XII spoke a prophetic word, which for sure still applies today: ‘Perhaps the greatest sin in the world today is that men have begun to lose the sense of sin.’
(This reflection is an extract from my book ‘Come to Me’)
May 2022
Know Him in a personal way
The following question is directed to your heart. Do you know Jesus in a personal way? Be honest to yourself… do you know Jesus in a personal way?
Many feel uncomfortable when asked this question. There is a big difference in knowing Jesus as a historical person and knowing Jesus in a personal way. Knowing Jesus in a personal way, is knowing Him in the spiritual realm.
Wherever there is corruption, abortion, money laundering, crimes related to drugs and human traffiking, besides other acts of not loving your neighbour, for sure reflects that there is not a personal relationship with Jesus by whoever commits such acts or approve them. Knowing Jesus in a personal way produces love to your neighbour, to safeguard humanity from any kind of destruction to one’s being, both physically and spiritually.
Knowing Jesus in a personal way, makes you a ‘light’ in today’s society, to share His love, to do what is good and to love your neighbour.
April 2022
My experience of spreading the Gospel
I have written in my previous book ‘Yes… I Will Follow Him’, way back in 1991 I had dedicated six years of my life as a missionary with ‘The International Catholic Programme for Evangelization - ICPE’, to share His Love in different countries. During these six years, I had the opportunity to evangelize in various countries, such as Albania, France, Germany, Ghana, Malta, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Tunisia amongst others.
It was in these countries that I could see with my own eyes and touch with my own hands the need for evangelization. The need to share God's love with the people was immense. During these years I experienced doing evangelization work with prisoners, orphans, disabled persons, persons suffering from leprosy and AIDS, elderly persons living in old people’s homes who were forgotten by their relatives, school children and drug addicts amongst others. I met people of little faith or unbelievers, people belonging to other religions and faiths. I also met with Christians who needed to be re-evangelized.
As I went through these experiences, I noticed one common thing amongst the different people I met: that these people were in search of happiness, of peace, of God… of wanting to know the Truth. This is what I have experienced during these years: people wanting to increase their faith, wanting to know more about Jesus, longing for this personal relationship with Him, of wanting to know that He loves them, of wanting to let go of the chains that they have been trapped in… the chains that make them slaves to sin.
Evangelization is, to bring hope to these people so that they know that they are loved by Him. These are the people that are to be reached to become disciples, to become baptised, and to be offered His teachings. This is what the world expects through evangelization… to evangelize at the peripheries.
(This reflection is an extract from my book ‘Evangelization through social networking sites’)
March 2022
Let us make mankind in our image
One of the most quoted and known verses of the Bible is found in the very beginning, when one reads the well-known book of Genesis. In Genesis 1:26-27 God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
How wonderful and powerful this quote from the Bible is. God declares the making of mankind in God’s likeness, as male and female. This was the beginning of a perfect society, a society built on God’s love, of humans sharing together, of helping one another. From the very first part of the Bible, we see that God from the beginning already trusted mankind, already trusted His creation of male and female to rule the world, to live together in harmony. The fish, the birds, the livestock and wild animals and all other creatures… mankind was entrusted with all this.
Creation was the sharing of God’s love to mankind. An intimate, personal relationship between God and mankind had started. A personal relationship of God with His creation… with man and woman.
(this reflection is an extract from my published book ‘In His Image’)
February 2022
It is only through love, that we can have a better environment
All over the world there are issues with the environment. Climate Change has become the main topic politicians talk about. Air quality, deforestation are other issues politicians talk about.
Mankind is aware of all this and in general the environment is not being taken care. It is pointless that different laws in favour of the environment are made, but in the same time other laws are not environmental friendly.
Mankind has heard many excuses why the environment is in such a state of neglect and carelessness. We have heard it many times, that it is the economy to blame, that large corporations and business do not cooperate for a better environment. Many more excuses have been brought up by scientist and experts in this area, why the environment is in such a bad state.
What is sure, whatever the reasons are, the lack of love between people, businesses, NGO’s, politicians and countries, is resulting that the environment around us is not how God created it to be.
It is only through love, that we can have a better environment.
January 2022
The crossroad that the Church is in
A couple of days before the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013, it is said that the Pope expressed himself to the cardinals that ‘The church is called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents and of all misery.’ Pope Francis could not have explained it much better than he did that day. Precisely, this is the crossroad that the Church is in, in today’s history of society. This is where each member of the Church, each parish, each Christian group, and any other member of the Church, is to focus and reach out to.
Sin, pain, injustice, ignorance, indifferences to religion, intellectual currents, and misery, are what people all over the world are suffering from daily. Each one of these sufferings reflects a burden of life, a cross to live with, a cross that truly has already been carried by Jesus for the Salvation of mankind. Through His constant love for mankind, through the grace of the Trinity, the daily cross of mankind is continuously carried spiritually by Jesus.
Today’s society is faced, amongst others, with conflicts involving military forces, with the never-ending problem of the refugee crisis, the constant challenges of oppression, the addiction to drugs, the increasing problem of human trafficking and child slavery, the range of poverty found not only in poor suburbs and so called third world countries, but also in wealthy cities and countries. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the plagues of society today. These are some of the most common issues mankind faces in our lifetime. This is what the peripheries are partly all about. People from different nations, cultures, races, and religions are present in these peripheries. These people are suffering from the lack of love, lack of injustice, lack of compassion, are suffering due to the darkness of evil.
This is the crossroad the Church is in, to reach out more to those in the peripheries.
December 2021
Jesus is saying to you… ‘I love you’
‘I love you’. This is what Jesus is saying to you with every breath you take in life. These three words are to penetrate your heart, to comfort you, to heal you, to receive His grace.
Jesus repeats these words to you over and over again, with every move you make in life, in every situation you find yourself in, in the good times, in the difficult times, His words ‘I love you’ are always said to you. It is always in a personal loving way that Jesus says to you ‘I love you’.
With every breath you take in life, with every move you make, know and appreciate that Jesus is saying to you ‘I love you’.
November 2021
Be a light in your community
A community is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society. Such communities are found all over the world and in every corner of each country.
As Christians, we also are to belong to a specific community, in other words to a Christian Community. True Christian Communities are when believers worship and serve together in unity based on the teachings of God’s Word. These Christian Communities have a big responsibility that they carry, that is to be a ‘light’ to any other community they belong too.
To be a true Christian is to belong to a Christian Community and in the same time to be a ‘light’ of hope, of love to the people you meet in your daily life.
Being a ‘light’ in your community, is bringing Jesus to others.
October 2021
The tenth commandment forbids greed
I have recently been going through the Catechism of the Catholic Church online and came across the following paragraph, namely 2536, and felt that I should share it with you:
The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:
When the Law says, "You shall not covet," these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough."
This is so true indeed, and unfortunately greed is around us everywhere. It is very unfortunate that people, businesses, politicians chose greed over love of neighbour.
Greed does not bring happiness, as it separate you from the love of God.
Where there is greed, there is no peace, as greed leads to destruction of humanity.
September 2021
Mary is an example for welcoming a child
For sure that you have heard the story of Mary being the mother of Jesus. For sure that you heard and know about the ‘yes’ that Mary said to the angel upon announcing to her that she would become the mother of Jesus. The ‘yes’ of Mary meant that she was ready to serve and fulfil the mission entrusted to her.
Mary went through a lot of hardship and suffering but also of joy being the mother of Jesus. This was possible as Mary always lived by that ‘yes’ to be the mother of Jesus.
Mary, is a true example to today’s society and brings encouragement to all woman carrying a child in their womb. The great example of Mary is to be lived and imitated by all woman carrying a child in their womb, that is to say the ‘yes’… ‘yes, I will give birth to my child, in suffering and in joy, to be beside my child while growing up and give the best love to my child’.
Mary is an example for welcoming a child.
August 2021
Are you still searching?
What are you searching for in life? Are you still searching if God exists?
Many people go through different experiences in life in search of God. There are people who really succeed in finding God and there are others who find a god… but not the True God.
Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), wrote this prayer in search of God:
‘O Lord, my God, teach my heart this day where and how to see you, where and how to find you. You have made me and remade me, and you have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, and still I do not know you. I have not yet done that for which I was made. Teach me to seek you, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, or find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in my desire; let me desire you in my seeking. Let me find you by loving you; let me love you when I find you.’
If you are still searching for God, I hope that this prayer will help you to find God in your life.
July 2021
What is your treasure?
Have you ever wondered what is your treasure in life? Are you being alienated in life by greed, power and selfishness? Is there a place in your life for God, for having a personal relationship with Jesus? What is your treasure? Rightly so, in Matthew 6:21 it is written ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’
If the treasure in your life is God, of having a personal relationship with Jesus, you should experience His peace even when facing difficult moments in life. You would be able to live in simplicity, even if you are rich. You would be able to love your neighbour, even if your neighbour troubles you. You would be able to give to the poor, without expecting nothing in return. You would be able to bring up a family and take care of your children, even though society campaign in favour of abortion. You would be able to be righteous, even tough corruption tries to destroy you apart.
So, what is your treasure?
June 2021
Pray for wisdom
Many people I came across in life, ask, what is spiritual wisdom? How can one obtain spiritual wisdom?
Well, basically spiritual wisdom is not the same thing as knowledge, that is of knowing some facts and principles… it is deeper than that. Spiritual wisdom is applying that knowledge that you know into your personal life, into your daily deeds, into how to love your neighbour. In a nutshell, spiritual wisdom helps us to act upon the knowledge we have of our Christian faith, and applying it specifically in a loving way.
In other words, spiritual wisdom is not how much we know the Word of God, the Commandments, the teachings of the Church, etc, but how these are lived in our life. Spiritual wisdom helps us to act wisely upon the knowledge we received as Christians, that is of being a true faithful Christian… of being another Jesus to our neighbour.
So, how can we obtain this wisdom? It is only through prayer that spiritual wisdom is received. We are to ask God for it, to ask the Holy Trinity for it, so that the spiritual wisdom be in and part of our daily lives.
Pray for spiritual wisdom, and I am sure, that through the Holy Spirit, it would be presented as a gift to you.
May 2021
By loving one’s neighbour, you are on the way to heaven
Have you ever seen a movie, where Saint Peter is seen at the gate of heaven checking out who is able to enter heaven? I always wondered what kind of checklist does Saint Peter has to assess who can enter heaven or not. This kind of imagination has for sure passed through our minds. It sounds humorous, but in reality, have you ever wondered what one must do to enter heaven?
No matter what race you are, what gender you are, there is only one way through life that can take you to heaven. The way to heaven is by loving your neighbour. You are to have faith and believe that whenever you love your neighbour, you are loving Jesus.
Jesus died on the cross and through the cross Salvation was paid, and by His resurrection to heaven, the Father is waiting for you to join the Trinity in heaven. That is why Jesus was sent for mankind, to bring Salvation to all. And that is why Jesus told us to love our neighbour, so that to love Him and Salvation is ours in heaven.
So, whenever you have an opportunity to love your neighbour, seek that opportunity and love as Jesus loved. Know that there are different ways how to love your neighbour. Treasure your neighbour, as loving your neighbour is the way to heaven.
April 2021
Christian leaders are to nourish their sheep
Just as politicians carry a very big responsibility in society, Christian leaders also have a great role to play. Whatever the denomination of the Christian leader, nourishing and guiding his ‘sheep’ and forming them to be Christ-like in today’s society is for sure not an easy task. Christian leaders are to be role models to the people they are entrusted with, they are to radiate the love of God to them, to form them, to help them recognize the love of Christ in their lives, to make them strong in their faith, to be the voice of God and a light to society.
Such a task carries the same responsibility as that of the Great Commission, when Jesus said to the eleven disciples in Galilee, as narrated by Matthew in 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In today’s terminology, or as better understood within the business world, the above statement of Jesus would easily translate as a Mission Statement to Christian leaders as follows: to make disciples, to baptize and to teach in all nations about God’s love. Christian leaders are to trust in the gift of the Holy Spirit that this Great Commission reaps its fruit by awakening within the Church people of God, families of God, Christians who are full of zeal for the Lord, full of zeal to live Christianity to the utmost, full of zeal to be faithful witnesses of the Good News and to share it with all their neighbours.
Christian leaders are to be the front runners to live up to their Christian morals and values and be able, through their witness, to strengthen their sheep in Christian teachings. Through the grace of God Christian leaders are to nourish their sheep and make them strong to go against the current in today’s society.
(This reflection is from my Christian Book: Waking up the Sleeping Giant)
March 2021
Seek comfort through Jesus
What is comfort? A simple internet search for the word comfort, one will come across the definition to give strength and hope, to ease the grief or trouble.
Many people are in search of comfort, due to the hectic lifestyle, family problems, of being anxious, besides are stressful situations one finds himself in life. People try different things to be comforted and feel the relief that is much desired.
Being a Christian, I have learnt and experienced that in any situation I feel the need to be comforted and relieved, this is only possible through Jesus. The fulness of being comforted is only found in Jesus. Of course, our family and dear ones do help to provide comfort whenever it is necessary, but the comfort that Jesus gives to a person is specially filled with spiritual love. healing and it is everlasting.
As in John 14:1-4, Jesus comforted His Disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Let go of your troubles, believe in God, believe in Jesus, seek His comfort and His way of Salvation.
February 2021
What must we do to inherit eternal life?
Many times in life we ask the question “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer to this question is found in the parable of the Good Samaritan, when Jesus answers the expert in the law “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Through this parable Jesus teaches three important things. Firstly, this parable teaches that lack of love is often easy to justify, even though it is never right. Many times we find different excuses for not to love, maybe we are too tired, or having a lot of things to do at home, having a lot to study, or maybe because of a lot of work. These are different attitudes that take over our action from loving our neighbour. These are attitudes which will surely do not help us to inherit eternal life. We can literally be like the priest or the Levite, we see with our eyes of people in need, but do not help.
Secondly, this parable teaches us that our neighbour is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need. My neighbour is not only my family, my cousins, my next door neighbour, my neighbour is everybody. My neighbour is that person I meet in every present moment of my life (at school, at work, at sports activities, at church, and also on social media). So, our neighbour embraces all humanity, and it is expressed concretely in the person next to us. This is what we are to live in our life, to truly love each person.
Thirdly, this parable teaches that love means acting to meet the person’s need. Wherever you live, there are needy people close by. There is no good reason for refusing to help. So what must we do when we are with our neighbour? Are we capable of having such a big heart to love our neighbour? How can we come to possess such kindness as to consider even someone who is far away as our neighbour? We are to always LOVE our neighbour. Loving our neighbour is not an ordinary love, it is not a simple friendship. Loving our neighbour is the love that has been poured out into our hearts at baptism: this is the love that is the life of God himself, of the blessed Trinity. That is why we are to love everyone, because the love we give to others, is the love of God. This is how deep our love should be, because it is the love of God.
To love our neighbour, we are not to discriminate, we are not to love depending on if the person is kind or not, is beautiful or not, is a foreigner or a local person… we are to love everyone. To love our neighbour as Jesus loves us, is only possible by having this personal relationship with Jesus. It is through Jesus, that we be able to love in an authentic way, that is… to love our neighbour is to suffer with those who are suffering, rejoice with those who are rejoicing, carry the burdens of neighbour. This is what we have to do to be real witnesses of Christ and to inherit eternal life, we are not to be afraid to love our neighbour, because we would be loving Christ Himself.
January 2021
The definition of sin
Many people all over the world play around with the word sin. It is not the first time that I have heard people deny the existence of sin. Other people might say, ‘come on forget about sin, enjoy life and do whatever you want’. Are these people correct about the non-existence of sin? I wonder why these people have such ideas that sin does not exist.
For me sin does exist, and so does God. It is not only because of my Christian faith that I have been brought up in, that I believe in sin, but it is mostly through my own experience of life… of my personal experience of God. Life has taught me that when I am not at peace with myself, with my neighbour and with God, it is because some kind of sin has taken over my being and disturbs my spiritual realm, my relationship with the loving Father. In other words, whenever I am not in peace, is because some kind of sin takes control of my life.
I know many other people who share similar experiences of mine. These are people who had encouraged other persons to fall in different addictions, people who had bullied their employees, and such other examples. However, these people, at a particular point in their life, through the grace of God, realised that they were living in sin, understood that sin does in fact exist, and decided through great conviction to follow Jesus and say no to the sinful life they had been living in.
So, what is the definition of sin? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1849 to 1851, clearly explains what sin is, as indicated in the following text:
Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law."
Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight." Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods," knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God." In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.
It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders and the people, Pilate's cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers, Judas' betrayal - so bitter to Jesus, Peter's denial and the disciples' flight. However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of this world, the sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly.
In view of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, and through my experience of life, sin is anything that makes an offense to God, or any kind of action that offends a human being. The offense to a human being can be made during the time a human being is still in the mother’s womb, during the lifetime of a human being, and also after a human being dies.
Sin is anything that separates man from the love of God and of his neighbour.
(this reflection is an extract from my book ‘Come To Me’)
December 2020
One Way
There are different ways in life of how one can be fulfilled. In brief, fulfillment can be classified under two ways. These are the worldly fulfillment and God’s fulfillment.
The wordly fulfillment are time-barred. How long would one be fulfilled by buying a new house? How long would one be fulfilled by going on a dream holiday? These would only last few days,
maybe some weeks, the most a couple of months. Wordly fulfillment would not last forever, as
everything in the world comes to an end.
God’s fulfillment is different. It is not time-barred like what the world offers. God’s fulfillment is eternal. God’s fulfillment can be found by loving your neighbour, by visiting the sick, by treating employees with dignity, by loving your family, by loving your enemy and by other acts of love.
There is only one way for fulfillment… by loving God through your neighbour.
November 2020
What does the road to Emmaus remind me of?
Meditating and studying this part of the scripture as narrated by the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35, I find that the episode of the road to Emmaus reminds me very much what a Christian passes through upon accepting in his life the love of the Father and becoming a disciple of Christ. I can easily picture myself in such a situation, remembering my first encounter with Christ, who started to change my life and mould me into His image.
I had many personal questions about who Christ really was, why He touched my life, and what He wanted from me. I went through a phase of doubting my encounter with Christ, even questioning if such an experience was real or if it was just a feeling that would go away by time. My faith was still not strong enough, and at times I also found it difficult to understand what was going on inside me. Was Jesus really speaking to me personally? Was Jesus really interested in me? How can that be?
But as time went by, I started spending more time in prayer, exploring the depth of Christ’s love in my life, and eventually through life experiences and an increase in faith, I matured in my spiritual life. As a result, I started to believe more in Christ, and my personal experience with Him started to bear fruit. I became a person who was able to love my neighbour more, to be compassionate with the people I met. My family and friends started to recognise a change in me, they became aware of my relationship with Jesus and above all that I was a more peaceful person. Happiness was a new experience in my life which also filled me with joy.
Christ brought a new meaning to my life, that is, of living my life through the love of the Father. This road in my life, of growing in my faith through the love of Christ, does not necessarily mean that I do not pass through difficult days, temptations or feel burdened in particular moments. This road has taught me to have faith in Him, to completely trust in Him, to stand up again whenever I fall and to continue to follow Him, through His joy, love, comfort, peace and patience.
In this sense, the road to Emmaus reminds me of the road a Christian goes through in life. This road is similar to the one I went through, that is, of growing in one’s spiritual life, of discovering Christ, of learning to trust in Him, of believing in Him and of following Him to share His love throughout the nations, and to experience the living Christ.
(This reflection is taken from my book ‘Emmaus… in today’s society)
October 2020
What is the Eucharist?
As a Catholic, the Eucharist is very important in my life. Through the Eucharist I always feel the presence of the Lord within me and His abundance love in a stronger way.
But one might ask… What is the Eucharist? In short, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, explains that the Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory.
Thus, he entrusted to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
This is why, whenever I receive the Eucharist, I feel the presence of the Lord within me and His abundance love in a stronger way. I hope this encourages you to receive the Eucharist in your life.
September 2020
Human dignity
Have you ever heard the term human dignity? Do you know what the root of human dignity is?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the dignity of the human person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God. Endowed with a spiritual and immortal soul, intelligence and free will, the human person is ordered to God and called in soul and in body to eternal beatitude.
How wonderful and precious it is to know that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. How wonderful it would be if human dignity is really respected and totally valued in all the sphere of life.
But one wonders… is society respecting human dignity, with the consciousness that human beings are in the image and likeness of God? Respecting human dignity is only possible if one sees human beings in the image and likeness of God, which eventually leads to loving one’s neighbor.
August 2020
Jesus loves everyone… are you loving everyone?
For sure, all over the world, a lot of people have heard about Jesus, know about Jesus, and believe in Jesus as being the Son of God. In every corner in the world, the love of Jesus has been shared, has been preached and also lived.
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Jesus did not stop there. Jesus continued by saying that the second great commandment is, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Unfortunately, although these two great commandments as described by Jesus, are supposed to be followed by all, not everyone lives as Jesus has showed us how.
Although these golden words were spoken by Jesus, these same words are a golden rule for any religion and faith. Love your neighbour as yourself is a principle known by all.
Although, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ is widely known and an accepted principle, the world still finds itself in hatred towards one neighbour, in racism of all kinds, ending up in violence and deaths, which sure are not an act of love towards one neighbour.
There is only one way, one solution, one reality, for the end of such hatred towards our neighbour… that is, to turn to Jesus and seek Him in our lives.
Jesus loves everyone… are you loving everyone?
July 2020
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…
On numerous occasions, we have heard stories about Christians who have been persecuted for being witnesses to God’s love. Today, through all kind of social media we hear of Christians’ sufferings for defending their faith, the Church, Christian values, or for working for peace on earth.
The eighth Beatitude speaks precisely about this: that all those who in their lives are persecuted for living up to the truth, will be blessed for being righteous. It is a reality that keeps happening around us, that Christians are persecuted and face different sufferings for being faithful to the truth. Jesus knows this kind of suffering will continue to take place till the very end of time, but He also knows that through the love and unity of the Holy Trinity, these same people who experience these sufferings… will be blessed.
Do you recall any episode in your life when you have been persecuted because of your faith? What was your experience of it? Or maybe, have you never been persecuted, because you have never been a real witness to your faith? Does this make you wonder if you are truly living up to your faith?
…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The blessing that Jesus preached in this Beatitude is that people who face persecution and suffering for their faith… will receive the kingdom of heaven as their own. This is the reward for these people… for all those who suffer persecution… they will receive the eternal reward of the kingdom of heaven.
Being blessed by receiving the kingdom of heaven is possible whenever the faith of the individual penetrates the mystery of being persecuted, that is, whenever one finds his hope in the faith in God. Through the strong faith in God, one suffers persecution with joy… knowing that his reward is the kingdom of God (sourced from the ‘Dictionary of Biblical Theology’).
Oh, how much I really want to receive the kingdom of heaven! The truth is that this opportunity is there for all… for me, for you, for all people who have a deep faith in God… our loving Father.
(This reflection is taken from my book ‘The Beatitudes… the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount’)
June 2020
Have compassion… to relieve suffering
Have you ever wondered what the word compassion means? Compassion means ‘to suffer together’, in other words, compassion is the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.
It is very important to be a compassionate person. But to be a real compassionate person requires two important actions. Firstly, is to feel compassionate for the suffering people, and secondly, to be motivated by taking an action to relieve the suffering people go through.
So, with all the suffering around in the world… the refugees, the sick people, the poor, the abused, the homeless… are we a people that feel the compassion and to relieve such a suffering? People, nations, governments, churches,… are all to live up by truly being compassionate, by feeling for the suffering and above all to relieve the suffering.
Are you compassionate?
May 2020
The greatest commandment
In Matthew 22:34-39, ‘hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
These couple of sentences made me wonder if throughout the world we are putting this into practice. Are we loving God? Are we loving our neighbour?
Many people in society are in need to rediscover to love God, to rediscover to love one’s neighbour. Not loving God, not loving one’s neighbour, will lead into a destructive society, where the power of darkness reigns.
We are to be people who love God, who love our neighbour, to bring the light of true love back into society. This is the greatest commandment society is to follow… to love God and to love one’s neighbour.
April 2020
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’
The Seventh Beatitude - Blessed are the peacemakers…
How many times in our lives have we wished that there be peace in the world! This seventh Beatitude addresses those people who not only try to live in peace in their personal life, but who also work and take initiatives to bring peace to the world. Jesus referred to these people as blessed, because through their actions and deeds they work for and promote peace.
These persons are interested in loving other people around them, to bring peace to them even when there is some kind of trouble or misunderstanding of some sort. Where there is no peace, these people who Jesus called blessed, do their utmost to restore peace wherever they are.
The world yearns to have more people like these… genuine peacemakers who take an interest in those around them, by loving them as Jesus loves them. What loving actions have you undertaken in your life to be a peacemaker, the way that Jesus wants you to be?
…for they will be called children of God.
God considers these people who work for peace, as children of heaven. These people are dearly loved by God. It is for these reasons that Jesus emphasized… ‘that they will be called children of God’. The end result for the people who work for peace is that they will be considered as children of God. Do you want to be a child of God?
It is really worth working for peace and experiencing the result of reconciliation in this world. It is very important that as Christians we feel encouraged to go out and be peacemakers through the love of God. All this leads to being called a child of God.
The world is waiting for you to be a true peacemaker.
(This Reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘The Beatitudes… the Blessings from the Sermon on the Mount)
March 2020
Always trust in Jesus
On many occasions in my life I have heard people saying to me ‘trust in Jesus’. But what does it really mean to trust in Jesus?
What I have learnt through my life experience and also through my faith in God, is that I have to trust in Jesus because He is the Savior. I am always to remember that by Jesus dying on the cross He brought Salvation to all mankind. He died because of loving each and everyone of mankind, because He loves us all, because He loves me in a personal way.
So, for me, what Jesus did by dying on the cross, and eventually that on the third day He was risen from His death and went to heaven, strengthen my faith to trust in Jesus.
Through His Salvation, by committing myself to Jesus, I have experienced of knowing Jesus in a personal way, of understanding that the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit loves me tremendously.
This experience has deeply strengthened my faith, made me a free person, as I follow Him as a disciple to be another Jesus to others. I know that in every difficult moment in my life, He is there beside me, guiding me, and encouraging me to take up every challenge I face in life, by trusting Him.
As what John wrote in 14:1, that Jesus said “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me”
February 2020
Do you praise God?
Recently I was going through the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, so that I further enrich my faith and be formed better. I came across the paragraph 2639 which forms part of the section ‘Prayer of Praise’ which really made me wonder. The following is the paragraph:
‘’Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the "one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist."
Paragraph 2639, brought a couple of questions to my mind to share with you the following….
Do you recognize and believe that God is God?
Do you know God in a personal way?
Do you praise God?
Praising God should be part of our daily prayers and way of life as Christians. Praying the Psalmsor doing charity are an example of prayers of praise, of how one can express his love to God. To praise God, of course it is very important that you believe that God is God, and to know God in a personal way
This is my encouragement I want to bring forward to you… to praise God in your daily life.
January 2020
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
The Sixth Beatitude : Blessed are the pure in heart,
What does this particular Beatitude show us about Jesus’ love for us? This Beatitude shows us the ‘depth’ of Jesus’ love for us by being interested in our heart. What is important for Jesus is not the many good deeds that we do, but he is interested in knowing that such good deeds are done with a pure, clean heart.
Jesus is interested in sinners being able to make it to the loving Father, by acknowledging their mistakes, by asking forgiveness and by changing their lives. This is only possible if each sinner changes his life of sin that results in an unclean heart, and through the love of the Father be transformed to have a clean, pure heart that disassociates itself from sin.
The heart carries all the secrets of a person, which only the person himself knows about… besides God. Amongst such secrets, one may carry negative secrets, which as is written in Matthew 15-18-20 the ‘…things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person…’
It is for this reason that Jesus is very much interested in our heart, in having a pure heart, so that mankind does not fall into the trap of sin. This particular Beatitude gives the person hope to trust in Him by letting go of sin and as a result obtain a clean heart.
…for they will see God.
The reward for all those who are clean in heart and who renounce sin from their lives is, to see God. What ultimate reward can anyone hope for in one’s life, other than that of seeing God?
This is Jesus’ ultimate love for us all: teaching us how to become a better person to overcome sin and reap the reward through a pure heart. The reward of seeing God is there for all of us to achieve by experiencing the love of God given to us on earth, and by seeing God in heaven… which is the greatest reward for eternity.
It is only through Him that we can be purified. Are you working to have a clean and pure heart? What obstacles are there in your life preventing you from having a clean heart? Through God’s grace, through His love for you, it is possible for you to have a clean heart and to be rewarded for it by seeing God.
God is waiting for you.
December 2019
This Christmas… reconcile with your neighbor
Soon we shall be celebrating Christmas once again. The meaning of Christmas is to recognize the birth of Jesus as the Saviour. Jesus, the Son of God, who brought Salvation through His Death and Resurrection, today is calling you to reconcile with your neighbor.
It would be such a wonderful Christmas, if each one of us would really accept this invitation to make peace with our neighbor, to make reconciliation possible through Jesus. This for sure would make Christmas a very important day to remember. A day that upon accepting Jesus in one’s life, reconciliation with your neighbor was possible. What a great day this would be to celebrate!
Be encouraged, trust in Him, and seek His love and grace, and make reconciliation with your neighbor. Through reconciliation with your neighbor, peace will reign in your heart and in your neighbors heart.
Wishing you a Blessed Christmas.
November 2019
'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy''.
The Fifth Beatitude: Blessed are the merciful,…
A merciful person is a person who does God’s will in response to His love. Jesus showed His kindness, compassion, respect and tenderness to all people… He gave each person the love of the Father. In this same way, a person who in his life follows Jesus and does His will is a person who is merciful to his neighbour.
A merciful person is one who, out of his spiritual relationship with Jesus, performs acts of love, by feeding the hungry, giving to drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and visiting the imprisoned. Furthermore, a merciful person, amongst others, also teaches the ignorant, counsels the doubtful, forgives offences and comforts the afflicted.
A merciful person sees life not just from a human perspective; he sees life through the eyes of Jesus. By being merciful, such a person approaches each day by living experiences and relationships with others with the aim of giving them Christ.
To be merciful is a challenge for us. How many times in our lives have we met a hungry or thirsty person, a homeless person…? Have we been merciful to them? Have we given them to eat and drink? If we were hungry and thirsty or homeless ourselves, would we not want someone to give us to eat, to drink and to provide us with shelter?
We are to be a merciful people.
…for they will be shown mercy.
Acting in a merciful way will bring joy, peace and hope to those receiving these merciful acts of love. Furthermore, the merciful person will himself be shown mercy. When judgement day will come for these merciful persons, as it is written in Matthew 25:34-36, Christ will say to them:
….. ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
This is what Jesus will show to merciful persons… the Kingdom of Heaven. Be a merciful person and the Kingdom of heaven is yours.
October 2019
'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled'
The Fourth Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…
Have you ever experienced wanting to know more about God? Have you ever cried out to God about wanting to know Him in a personal way? Those who foster inside them the desire of knowing God, of giving themselves to Him and growing in their spiritual life, desiring to be filled by the gifts of the Holy Spirit… are the people who yearn for righteousness to be lived in the world. This is so true, as only God is righteous. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in perfection, and they radiate righteousness to the world.
In this context, to be ‘hungry’ for God is the eagerness for spiritual growth of a person. That is, the desire to be Jesus for others by being in harmony with the peace of the Holy Trinity. This eagerness of the individual to become a better person is tested by carrying out acts of love with his neighbour. One also becomes more humble and pure in spirit and in the mind… this results from becoming more closely united with God.
…for they will be filled.
Becoming a more humble and pure person, which leads to being closer to God, means becoming a holier person. This person grows in purity and in sanctity. This is possible by participating, through the Holy Spirit, in Divine holiness. Being filled with holiness is the result of cutting one self off from sin.
To be a holy person is not beyond the possibilities of anyone… it only takes to love God and to love one’s neighbour. Holiness is for everyone. It is the way to be close to God.
September 2019
'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth'
The Third Beatitude: Blessed are the meek…
Who are the meek? Why will they inherit the earth?
A dictionary term for the word ‘meek’ describes those people who are quiet and gentle in nature, and reluctant to fight or argue with other people. These people, in today’s society, are difficult to find.
From a Christian perspective and through the teachings of Jesus, the meek are those who bear patiently all the contradictions of life, accepting these situations as happening through God's Will or by His permission. In addition to this, the meek are people who have peace of heart and also peace of life, in spite of the difficult times in their lives. These people, who live their lives by accepting God’s Will, are people who are loved and respected.
People who live meekness through the grace of God are also able to take control of their anger. Their spiritual experience of God helps them to master impatience and also to control any desires leading to seeking revenge of another person.
A meek person is one who is Jesus to others, loving the people he meets each moment of his life. Living meekness is possible when we embrace His will for our lives.
…for they will inherit the earth.
Because a meek person, from a spiritual perspective, does not get angry or seek revenge, the result is that they will inherit the earth. A meek person inherits the earth because instead of hurting another person over a particular situation, such as an argument, being hurt etc… a meek person seeks to forgive the other person… he forgives his enemies… he does what Jesus would have done: he chooses to keep loving.
Furthermore, a meek person does not only forgive the other person, but goes a step further… he seeks to win back the other person and bring him to Christ. This is a meek person: he is interested in his neighbour, forgiving him and drawing him closer to Christ. A meek person will do his utmost to help his neighbour get to know that Christ loves him in a personal way.
For the above actions, the meek person will inherit the earth. How many times in your life have you acted as a meek person? How many times have you helped your neighbour to draw closer to Christ? It is through being a meek person that you will inherit the earth.
(this months reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘The Beatitudes... the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount)
August 2019
'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted'
The Second Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn…
Who are those who mourn? Why will they be comforted?
‘Those who mourn’ refers to those people who are spiritually sorrowful. These are the people who grieve over their own sins, who grieve over the sins of others. These people have realised their sin, have understood their mistakes, have asked for forgiveness. These people might be still bearing the consequence of sin, maybe because they are in prison, or separated from their families, or without a job; but despite this situation, they yearn for the joys and peace of heaven.
People who have been released from sin are glad to have been saved by Him, that is, to have received the salvation from Jesus. They mourn for they do not want to fall back to sin, but they want to continue living in the path of His salvation. These people have realised that there is no fulfilment when living in sin….
These people are humble, they fully recognise His salvation over sin, but still have to live in this world bearing the consequence of sin, knowing, however, that the consequence of their sin will not be eternal, as in heaven there is only joy and peace through being in the presence of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
Where do you stand in your life… are you spiritually sorrowful? Do you grieve over your sins? Have you recognised His salvation over your sins?
…for they will be comforted.
People who recognise their sins, and mourn over them, will be comforted by Him… comforted in a personal way by Jesus. This is the gift from Him for whoever mourns over his sins… to receive the comfort from Jesus, the comfort of a loving merciful Father. The loving Father always opens His arms to receive a redeemed person and welcomes him back to be comforted.
This comfort is the result of the Father welcoming back the lost sheep, welcoming back the person who was astray in sin, who deserted the family and friends, who was living a life of sin. The Father’s comfort will give the fallen person the joy and peace of salvation, and at the same time gives the person the strength to bear the consequence of his sin on earth.
The comfort received by the person, will give him the strength not to look back in life, but to look forward. This comfort will help the person to live each present moment by loving the neighbour, doing acts of love by being Jesus to others. This spiritual comfort from the Father will embrace the person and will give him the spiritual strength he needs to grow in his faith, to stay on the road to follow Jesus, and to be a witness to others of His love and comfort.
(this months reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘The Beatitudes... the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount’)
July 2019
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The First Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit…
Who are the poor in spirit? Why is the kingdom of heaven theirs?
The answer behind these two questions rests upon the spiritual meaning which Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount. The answer is not found through the literal meaning of each word, but in the spiritual, divine meaning relating to a person’s response to God’s calling. This calling of God to the human being asks of him to recognize his spiritual poverty before going to Him to be able to receive through faith the salvation He offers. This Beatitude asks of the human being to recognize that God is God.
To be poor in spirit is to recognize that you totally depend upon God; to recognize that you are nothing and God is all. To be poor in spirit is to empty oneself, that is, to become nothingness and depend totally on God. So if you happen to be a wealthy person, in a very good financial situation, in the spiritual realm you need to become nothing. You need to recognize and acclaim that although you are a wealthy person, you still depend totally on God. Your attitude should not be that of seeking to be close to God because you are wealthy, but that you grow close to God, because God is God.
On the other hand, if you happen to be a poor person, being in a difficult financial situation, you too need to become nothingness in your particular situation. You need not envy a rich person or desire to become rich. You are to accept your situation of being a poor person, and in that situation you draw close to God, not for the sake of seeking comfort from God, but because God is God.
This is the way to be poor in spirit: to become nothing, knowing that you totally depend upon God. The person who is poor in spirit, recognizes his smallness in front of God, and recognizes that God is everything in his life.
This is a challenge in today’s life as every day the Christian’s spirituality is bombarded by worldly ideas through the different social media. In the midst of all these voices, we are to recognize that we totally depend on God; we are to empty ourselves and let God penetrate our heart.
…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Isn’t it great that people are blessed because they choose to be poor in spirit? The result of being blessed is that the kingdom of heaven is theirs. So, what is the kingdom of heaven?
The kingdom of heaven is the gift of salvation. It is the gift for all who are poor in spirit. This gift was brought to us by the loving act of Jesus… that of dying on the cross for our sins. It is precisely in front of the cross that people are to recognize their sins, to recognize that Christ is the saviour who redeemed us from our sins. It is Jesus on the cross that made it possible for us to be redeemed from our sins. We must increase our faith in what Jesus did for us through his death on the cross.
Upon recognizing our sins, our weaknesses, recognizing that Christ is the saviour… the gift of salvation is ours. It is at this point in our faith that the kingdom of heaven already becomes ours, even as from here on earth.
(this reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘The Beatitudes... the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount’)
June 2019
Are we loving who created us?
On different occasions I have heard people say… ‘How can I love God who created us?’.
Is it possible to love God who created us? Well, I think it is possible to love God who created us.
Two ways to love God who created us, is by loving our neighbour and by loving nature.
To love God, we are to let the unborn babies to live, to grow and be part of society. We are to provide food for those who are finding it difficult to have a decent meal each day. To provide a decent place for the homeless to live in. To help the drug addicts to overcome their problem and seek new pastures in their lives. Of course, there is much, much more how we can love God who created us, through loving our neighbour.
How about nature? Are we loving nature, the birds, the animals, the rivers, the sea, the land etc? Are we protecting the nature as God wanted us to? Loving nature is another way of loving God.
So yes, there are different ways how to love God. Let’s start by loving our neighbour and loving nature.
May 2019
'The YES entails a life of prayer'
A life of prayer… is the foundation of all that is required to come to the point of saying ‘Yes’ to follow Him. It is important for a Christian to understand this: it is only through a life of prayer that one is able to have the courage, the faith, and the trust in God for whatever calling He has for you; to come to a point in life of proclaiming that ‘Yes’. I encourage all Christians, of whatever denomination or church they belong to, to practice more fervently their life of prayer.
Prayer is a source that makes us strong in our faith. It helps us in our formation and to know God in a more personal way. There are different ways and means of how one can pray. Different Christians are well accustomed with traditional prayer… ‘Spontaneous Prayers’, ‘The Our Father’, ‘The Rosary’, ‘The Word of God’, ‘The Book of Common Prayer’, and many, many more. We can pray on our own, or together with our fellow Christians. It is not my intention here to teach you what to pray and how to pray… but my intention is to encourage you to do it daily, during every moment of your life. Even doing the daily house work at home could be a form of prayer… if you are doing it out of love for your family!
It is a life of prayer that enriches our life, and that helps us to understand what God wants from us. Spending precious time with God through prayer is the best investment one can make in his life. It is prayer that equips us to be strong in our faith. It is a life of prayer that makes it possible for us to face the torments of life. It is through prayer that we grow in our spiritual life, and build a personal relationship with Jesus.
‘This monthly reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘Yes... I Will Follow Him' - March 2015’
April 2019
'Thanks Mum'
The 21 March 2019, was the day when my mother departed to heaven and once again met with my dad. A sudden loss to her four children, but mum was spiritually ready for the journey.
When mum departed, she had accomplished what God called her to be… a mother. Till the last moments of her life, through her faith, our 86 year old mum had loved and cared for her children in a true Christian way.
Her only career in her life was of being a full time mother. When dad used to go for work, she would take care of us four children. She made many sacrifices for bringing us up, to educate us, to dress us up, to feed us, to clean the house and above all to bring us up in our Christian faith as Catholics.
When she departed, mum made me think a lot about todays society. Some questions have been coming up to my mind, such as, are todays mothers ready to sacrifice their lives to bring up their children with morals and values of the Christian faith? Are todays mothers spending enough quality time with their children? Are todays mothers being at home with their children and treasuring the moments of being together as a family?
I really hope and pray that todays mothers are living up to their role… of being mothers in a real Christian way. A real mother is to be another Mary in the family.
Thanks mum… for being another Mary in our family.
March 2019
'The Mission...'
Every Christian is called for a particular mission in life. A mission designed by God. A mission to bring peace between families, between countries, in the work places, within the church, and in every place where there is a human being. What is the mission each Christian is called to accomplish in life? The mission is to love.
Jesus died on the Cross because He loved every human being. His mission was accomplished upon His resurrection. His mission has been passed on to His disciples. Now this mission is entrusted to all Christians. Are you partaking in His mission… the mission to share the love of the Father?
As Christians we are to be another Jesus to society. We are to be with the poor, to help those in need, to give a good advice about how to live Christianity in todays’ society. We are to be the voice to all those wounded by injustice, to heal the pain caused by abortion, to pray with all those who suffer, to bring hope, to bring peace. This is just a drop in the ocean what the mission is all about. Any mission that God entrusted each Christian with, has its source in the Fathers Love.
I am glad and happy for accepting the mission God has entrusted me with. I try my best to accomplish it every day of my life. Even in moments of doubts and difficulty, God always lifts me up to continue to follow Him and accomplish the mission entrusted to me. God entrusted me with a mission to love my neighbour, in every present moment of my life.
I am sure, that every Christian has a specific mission that God has entrusted with. I am sure, that God will always be by the side of every Christian to accomplish the mission.
Are you accomplishing the mission God has entrusted you with?
February 2019
'Hail Mary'
Some people might come up with the question, but who is Mary? These people might not necessarily be non-believers but could be people of little faith or even people proclaiming of having a strong faith. The ‘Hail Mary’ prayer answers this question of who Mary is. The ‘Hail Mary’ prayer has the following wording:
Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.
Anyone who has a good knowledge of the Bible would know that part of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer is taken from the Bible. The first part of this prayer refers to the angel Gabriel, and also to Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. As we read in Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel greeted Mary at the Annunciation with the following words, ‘Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee’. Furthermore, in Luke 1:42, we find Elizabeth’s welcoming words upon the visit by Mary, as follows: ‘Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus’. By time around the mid-eleventh century, these two particular Bible verses where joined together to form part of the ‘Hail Mary’.
The second part of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer, referring to ‘Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death’, was added around the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The intention of adding the second part was to ask for Mary’s intercession on our behalf.
These two particular parts of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer, clearly show that this prayer has its roots in the Bible as well as in the people’s faith together with the reflection of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2679, clearly shows the importance of asking Mary’s intercession, as indicated in the words: ‘Mary is the perfect Orans (prayer), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus' mother into our homes, for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope’.
So, who is Mary? The first answers are clearly indicated through the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer. She is filled with Grace and the Lord is always with her. Mary is blessed among all the women and also blessed is her son Jesus. Mary is Holy and she is the Mother of God. Mary prays for all the sinners in every moment of a person’s life and especially she will pray for them at the hour of their death. By trusting in Mary, man can approach her knowing that she welcomes all the sinners, and leads them to her son Jesus, so they can receive Salvation.
(This monthly reflection is an extract from my Christian Book ‘Her Silence’)
January 2019
'The Holy Spirit'
Who is the Holy Spirit? Some people might ask this question, especially if they do not know Jesus in a personal way. The basic answer to this question is found in John 14:16 ‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever’. Here Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit to His disciples. The promise is that the Holy Spirit will always be with the disciples. God will never abandon the disciples.
Jesus further reveals to them who the Holy Spirit is through John 14:26 ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’ Jesus’ promise further extends that the Holy Spirit will teach the disciples of all things God wants to express to mankind. This, in a nutshell is who the Holy Spirit is.
When the Holy Spirit was experienced by the disciples at Pentecost, in Acts 2:1-4 it is explained that ‘When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’
The promise of Jesus to His disciples was fulfilled at Pentecost. This same promise was not only for the disciples, but for every baptised person. Today, the Holy Spirit is as ever present. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, is a mystery which one can only partly understand. It is faith in God that will help us to experience and grow closer to the Holy Spirit.
(This monthly reflection is an extract from my Christian Book ‘In His Image’)
December 2018
‘This Christmas... make peace with your neighbour’
Another year has nearly ended. Another Christmas has come. Many people will make their wishes hoping that they come true.
Christmas… the day to remember of baby Jesus who was born to bring peace to the world… baby Jesus who was sent by His Father to bring Salvation to all generations. How I wish that this truth is accepted by all people, lived by all, so that peace may really reign.
Christmas… what a lovely gift we can be to one another, to forgive the hurts caused by our neighbours, who could be my family members, work mates, parishioners, friends… how it would be lovely to forgive and make peace. This Christmas give this special gift to others… forgive and make peace.
World leaders, seek what is best for humanity, make this Christmas an occasion of peace with neighbouring countries. Let this day of Christmas be all year round, so all nations would live in peace.
People from all nations, people with different languages, make this Christmas a special Christmas which you would remember for the rest of your lives. Make peace and help those whom you have been in dispute. Let the love of Jesus penetrates your hearts, your being, so that peace may really be part of your life.
This is my humble message to all. This Christmas… make peace with your neighbour.
November 2018
‘Love...’
Love. Most probably the word ‘love’ is the most used word throughout the different languages. The word ‘love’ is used in different occasions to describe something we like, such as,… I love my country, I love football, I love cooking… etc. For me as a Christian the word ‘love’ reminds me of how much Jesus loves each person. Jesus loved so much that He died on the cross for me, for you and for all the generations.
The love of Jesus is what each person requires in life. His loves comfort us, heals us, and draws us to the loving Father. What each person is called to do in life is to love all neighbours one meets during our daily life. Each moment in life is an occasion to love in the same way that Jesus loves.
Loving one’s neighbour is possible by having a personnel relationship with Jesus. As Christians we are to be witnesses of how much Jesus loves every person and we are to draw each person to Christ by being another Jesus to our neighbours. Loving as Jesus did will bring peace to our hearts, to our lives.
The word ‘love’ also reminds me about the times Jesus has helped me in my life. The occasions when He comforted me when being down, the times He has healed me when being sick, the way He has guided me during different difficult decisions I took in life, the many times He has showed me how to ‘love’ my family, friends and each neighbour.
So, I am really grateful for recognising how much Jesus loves me in a personal way. I hope that even you have recognised the ‘love’ of Christ in your life and that you have accepted Jesus in your life and follow Him.
October 2018
‘Respect for the Human Person’
The ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ paragraphs 1929 to 1933, refers to ‘Respect for the Human Person’. These paragraphs form part of Article 3 regarding ‘Social Justice’. I wonder what comes to your mind concerning respect for the human person? For sure we listen to a lot of debates and news items concerning the issue of respect for the human person. One can listen and read various ideas of what does it really mean regarding respect for the human person.
The way I see it, is that man was created by God. God being a loving Father, created man for a personal relationship with him. A personal relationship built on love. So, the answer is simple. Respect for the human person requires love. Paragraph 1931 of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ quotes that ‘Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity." No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a "neighbor," a brother.’
Every human person is to be loved as a neighbour. Everyone is to live in dignity, no matter from which country our neighbour comes from. God who created every neighbour we come across in our lives, asks us to love our neighbour as ‘another self’. Through this personal relationship between God and man, God through His abundance of love, showers man with His mercy, comfort and with unconditional love. God created man to live with ‘neighbours’ and through their respect towards each other, the love of God enriches their life, experiencing the tremendous love of the Holy Trinity.
Respect for the human person, is to love God.
September 2018
‘Jesus wants everyone to know Him in a personal way’J
Jesus wants everyone to know Him in a personal way. The love of His Father is for all people in all nations. This opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good is for everyone, yet it is still not known by all people. This reality could be because although certain people have attempted and had the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good, they have decided to go their own way, refusing to know Jesus in a personal way. In these situations, Jesus still loves and cares for each person, and still desires that every individual would return to Him to find refuge and to be blessed.
In Mark 6:34 we read that …When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. This particular verse reminds me very much of today’s society and makes me reflect upon it. It seems that even today a big number of people are like sheep without a shepherd, not knowing what they want from life and what life is all about. Today’s society is built on individualism, on an attitude as if each person knows it all; there exists lack of trust, and obedience and respect seem to be something of the past or old fashioned. In such an atmosphere, one will find it hard to believe and have faith in Jesus, to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Upon seeing the people like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus had compassion for them. He loved these people and wanted the best for them. Embraced by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus began teaching them many things. One might reflect and ask… but who were the people in the crowd described as sheep without a shepherd? In my opinion that crowd was composed of a mixture of people. People who were curious who Jesus was, sinners, unhappy people, people with doubts about their faith… and some who had started to believe in Him and followed Him later in their lives. Is this not the same situation also occurring in todays’ society?
Jesus was there for them. Jesus was there to bring hope to them, to teach them about the loving Father… to be their shepherd. Jesus was after the sinner, the broken-hearted, the poor, the lonely, the sick… Jesus was there for all. Jesus knew what His mission was for the Salvation of people. He knew that the people needed to taste and see that the Lord is good, in order to accept and have faith in Him, and to accept the Salvation He was bringing to the people.
Jesus knew that if the broken hearted, the poor, the sinners and all those in danger of losing their soul would believe in Him, they would find refuge in Him. He knew that if these people would make an effort in their lives to seek Him, to cast all their burdens upon Him, to know Him in a personal way… they would find happiness in Him. Jesus knew that by following Him and giving their lives to Him by renouncing all their disbelief and sin… by putting their trust in Him, they would be embraced by the loving Father.
This is also true for today’s society. The loving Father wants to embrace each one of us, he wants us to taste and see that the Lord is good!
(This reflection is taken from my Christian Book ‘Taste and see that the Lord is Good’)
August 2018
‘Life... is all about loving’
Many times we hear of stories about life. We hear and read stories about the life of famous people. We know about the life of our close relatives, of our own family members. We know about the story of our own life.
In any person’s life there would be the good and happy moments, or the bad and sad moments. Each of these moments would have their own particular story, a particular situation to recall about. Each moment in life, each situation we encounter in life, is a particular moment that requires love. Life… is all about loving.
As human being we are all called to love. We are all called to love our neighbour. Each human being, coming from any country in the world, practicing any religion, has a golden rule to follow… to love.
As a Christian, practicing the golden rule of love, is to be another Jesus to my neighbour. In every moment of my life, in any situation I find my self in, love is to be the characteristic of my life… that is Jesus. Being Jesus is to share the love of the Father to all the people I be with in every situation of my life.
So, if life is all about loving, why is peace lacking in life. Because love is not being shared and practiced by all. Love requires to be reciprocal. Peace is the answer to reciprocal love, while disunity is the cause of lack of love.
This is what I really would like all to understand, that life is all about loving. Whatever your life is about, whatever situation you find yourself in… love is the answer to your life.
July 2018
‘Are we communicating Peace and Unity?’
Along the history of mankind, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, peace and unity between neighbours, friends, family members, and between nations has always been an issue. Jesus, died on the cross and brought Salvation to all mankind. So, peace and unity is possible to reign if mankind truly loves one another… that is to love each neighbour.
It is up to each individual, to decide through his own actions, that peace and unity is communicated to another person. It is as simple as the domino effect. If one is standing strong in his faith, the other person shall also be strong. If we do acts of love to another person, teach the Word of God, preach the Good News… the other person shall also become stronger in his faith and in return will do the same.
On the other hand if a person is not strong in his faith, he will easily fall whenever temptations comes his way. A person who is not spiritual strong in his faith, who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus, who is not concerned about loving ones’ neighbour, will bring havoc to persons living around him… they will also fall like him.
So, are we communicating peace and unity to the people we are with? As God’s creation, is mankind seeking to know God in a personal way, and to share His love with other people? When promoting abortion, euthanasia, or the practicing of money laundering, fraud etc… are these communicating peace and unity in our societies throughout the world?
In my humble experience of life, to bring peace and unity throughout the nations is only possible if people of good will, communicate the love of God to other people. It is through His love that mankind can be fulfilled in his life, as it is only through His Son that Salvation is possible.
If we live in true peace and unity with our neighbours… we are on the right way for Salvation.
June 2018
‘The babies in their mothers’ womb want to live’
A couple of days ago I was in a chapel, praying, meditating and experiencing the Love of God in a personal way. It was a moment of peace, of knowing that God treasures me immensely. I was reflecting about life, of how wonderful it is, even when we face difficult moments in our life. In those precise difficult moments of life, God intervenes through His grace, to present us with His peace, His love, His care, His comfort… so as to experience His love in a personal way.
During this time of meditating I also remembered about the babies in their mother’s womb. Would these mothers accept their baby in their womb and let them live, to experience life, to be loved and experience the wonderful life God prepared for them? Or, would certain mothers not want their babies to live and experience life?
The babies in their mothers’ womb would want to live. They are a gift not only to their mother and father… but to all humanity. They are a gift that God presents to humanity. When we love our neighbour we are loving Jesus. When a mother loves her baby in her womb and accepts the baby to be born she is loving Jesus. When a mother does not accept a baby to be born… Jesus suffered for this situation on the cross.
Jesus called the children to go to Him… let us pray that all mothers accept their babies in their womb… and let them live and experience through God’s grace this wonderful life.
May 2018
'I am not ashamed'
Following Jesus in my life has been the most important decision I have taken. It was a decision that I needed to take in a time when I was passing through spiritual dryness in my life. Although this spiritual dryness was a difficult time to live, it brought me closer to God… to the loving Father. After all, I was in search and seeking for the truth… ‘What is life all about?’.
Ever since I decided to follow Jesus, to commit my life to Him, to change my life, to be formed in my faith and to evangelize, Christ has always strengthened me in my faith and provided the required grace to overcome any other kind of spiritual dryness. In today’s society it is not easy to proclaim the truth and speak out about my faith and what the risen Lord has done in my life. It does not matter for me what unbelievers think about me… or for those who have a different opinion from me with regards to morality, ethics, values etc. I am a Christian and I proclaim what Christ teaches and I am not ashamed at all for following Jesus.
What is important for me is that while I continue to deepen my faith in the love of God and continue to have this personal experience with Jesus… in the same time I try to also share His love to other people. Of course, such Good News is not always well received or not received at all by certain people… but I have experienced that the Good News, after all is far more received by people.
Whenever a person decides to follow Christ, one is not to be ashamed. I am not ashamed of following Christ… and I hope that neither are you.
April 2018
'Who is really poor?'
Recently, I was reminded of a particular passage from the Bible which upon meditating on it I realized and understood more of who is ‘really poor’!! I meditated upon the following passage from Mark 12:41-44, “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
The above passage made me realize more and understand that it is not the lack of money, food, clothes, career, education etc. that makes a person really poor, but the lack of loving one’s neighbor and giving oneself to others to help the needy. The poor woman as Mark recounts, for sure became poorer by giving out everything she had that is the few cents for the offerings, but for sure became richer in her spiritual life. This woman who was a widow, through her gesture, in her simplicity of life, in a humble way, for sure trusted in God. She was not after the treasures that life presents, but she was focused on doing God’s will, even though being a poor lady.
This passage is very true even in todays time. Who is really poor? A person could really be poor as not being wealthy and not having the basic things in life for a good quality of life. On the other hand, it is also true that a person could be poor because in one’s spiritual life the person lacks this personal experience of Jesus… of experiencing God as the loving Father. So, who is really poor?
I would rather be like the poor widow as described by Mark. I prefer to be poor without treasures and possessions on this earth, but to be rich in my spiritual life by following Jesus, to love my neighbor and to seek the kingdom in heaven. Are you poor in your spiritual life… in your relationship with Jesus?
March 2018
'The Cross... is the way to Salvation'
Every person carries a different cross in life. This cross can easily burden a person’s life. For certain people the cross means only something negative such as a particular experience, loss of a dear family member or friend, being homeless, being a sick person, being a drug addict.
The cross in itself is not something pleasant to have and live with. The cross has another dimension in it which every person needs to discover. The Cross… is the way to Salvation. Jesus died on the Cross to bring Salvation to all people, to all nations.
It is not easy to accept the cross in life. But, it is possible to live the cross through the grace and love of Jesus. This is possible through a personal relationship with Jesus. A relationship that overcomes any cross in one’s life, a relationship that focus on Salvation.
By truly living the cross through His grace, a person can show the love of Christ to other people. This can be done by appreciating someone who visits you while being sick or receiving a phone call for encouragement. A homeless person can give a smile to a person providing food or clothes. The cross is an opportunity to receive hope, love, care, comfort, material goods from other persons and also for the person carrying the cross to reciprocate through prayer, a smile and thanking the other person.
The strength to carry a cross is only through Jesus. One is to trust in Him, have hope in Him, and to always remember that the Cross… is the way to Salvation.
February 2018
‘Draw your strength from His love’
In today’s world one hears a lot of people who are not at peace with their lives. For different reasons they struggle to find happiness, to be happy, to appreciate of what they have… their lives seem to be falling apart.
It is unfortunate what these people pass through and how difficult their lives could be. These people need to know of a reality which they might have missed in their lives… an opportunity to really be a happy person, to be able to appreciate the things which one has and above all to live a life in peace.
From my experience, I describe life in four simple words… ‘To be with Jesus’. Since I have been with Jesus, that is of changing my life and following Him… my life has become different.
Like anyone else, I do face different problems in life, but the fact that I am with Jesus, I have built this personal relationship with Him, while the problems of life are overcome through His cross. In return I experience happiness, peace and appreciate everything in life, even when facing different problems and difficulties.
The secret to be with Jesus, is that every day I draw my strength through His love. This is achieved through prayer, listening to His Word, receiving the Eucharist, meditating upon His Word, and above all by loving my neighbour.
So, let go of all the worldly things. Follow Him and draw your strength through His Love.
January 2018
'Be encouraged'
Over the years I have met many people who feel that they are not worthy of God’s love. For some reason, these people might have passed through a difficult experience in their lives, with the consequence of not experiencing Jesus in a personal way.
On many occasions over these years I remember these people and share a prayer for them. My simple prayer for these people is that they receive the grace from God, to turn to Him, and experience His Son Jesus in a personal way. All I want to say to these people is ‘Be encouraged’ for God loves you in a personal way.
Every person is worthy to be loved by God, to experience His love, to experience Jesus in a personal way. All sinners are to go to Jesus… that means all of us! Jesus is waiting for us to take us to the loving Father and be embraced by Him and feel His comfort… His forgiveness.
The reason for sharing this, is because I have experienced Jesus in a personal way, and He has accepted me as I am, He cleansed me, He moulded me and through Jesus I also experienced the Father, the Holy Spirit… the Trinity.
So, ‘Be encouraged’, let go of the past, let go of sin, and follow Jesus. I am sure you will not be disappointed… but will be a fulfilled person through His love.
December 2017
‘This Christmas… Jesus wants to be in our heart’
Christmas is here once again. Another year has nearly ended. During this year, everybody lived different experiences. Experiences that brought happiness to our lives. Experiences that brought sadness to our lives. Experiences that could have increased our faith in the loving Father, or experiences that affected negatively our faith.
This Christmas… Jesus wants to be in our heart. No matter what experiences we have lived through during this year, Jesus always loves us in a personal way and wants to be in our heart. This Christmas… Jesus wants to give each one of us a special gift… the gift of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of peace.
This gift, is for all mankind. This gift, is for all of society. If each person had to really practice forgiveness and reconciliation, peace will reign. There would be peace in our families, at our work place, within the political environment, peace between different religions… there would be peace in the world.
For peace to take place in the world, Jesus is required to be in our hearts. Jesus wants to live in our hearts. Jesus in our hearts would make the person filled with love, with comfort… filled with happiness. If only, every person would accept this gift from Jesus of being in our heart… society would resemble paradise.
This Christmas… let Jesus be in your heart.
November 2017
'We are to live like Mary'
Mary, the mother of Jesus, wept upon seeing her Son dying on the Cross. Mary, embraced that particular moment of suffering, of seeing Her Son covered in blood, dead, but knowing that the Cross would bring the Salvation to all humanity.
In her suffering, Mary, as a mother accepted the will of the Father, that of being the Mother of Jesus. In her silence, she suffered, but that suffering was ‘nothing’, knowing that Salvation was only possible through the Cross… the Cross that reaped the joy of Salvation.
Today, Mary is still with us. We are to imitate Mary in our lives, to bring that source of love, comfort and forgiveness which Mary presented to the world in a humble way, and to give it to society.
We are to present Mary, through our life, in our families, at school, at university, at our workplace, in parliament, and wherever we are and with whomever we are with. Mary is to be present in our society, by presenting Jesus as the Saviour of humanity.
As much as we are to know Jesus in a personal way, so to show us the way to Salvation, we are also to know Mary in our lives. Discovering Mary, is discovering the treasure of love. Her love was of doing the will of the Father, not only of being the Mother of Jesus… but of being the Mother of all humanity.
Today, Mary, wants us to return to Jesus. Today, Mary, is praying for humanity… for our society. Today, we are to live like Mary.
October 2017
'What are you doing with your talents?'
Have you ever wondered what talents you have? The different talents one has are very important for society. Why is this?
The reason is that society is in need of listening to the Word of God, of seeing people loving their neighbour and proclaiming the Good News and to bring peace to all. The different talents one has are there to be used in a creative way for the good of mankind from which society will surely benefit.
Christians, here have an important part to play in life. God gave each human being special talents. Christians have a special grace and responsibility to use such talents not only for the benefit of oneself, but for the whole of society. These talents are there to be used to bring peace, hope, comfort to society and above all to evangelize, that is to bring Christ to all the nations.
The Parable of the Bags of Gold (Matthew 25:14-30) is all about that. How are we using our talents? Do we find time to use our talents to proclaim the Good News? Are we taking initiatives to develop our talents further and let God to use us as His instrument to bring forth His love to all nations?
In my opinion, we really should think about our own talents and how we are using them for the benefit of society. I think we spend too much time blaming society for the problems and different difficult situations one has to live with. How about as Christians and other people of good faith, to take up the challenge to use their talents for the benefit of society. This way society can be a better place to live in, once God is more accepted and followed by the people.
Our talents, which God has trusted us with, are of a great need to society. So, what are you doing with your talents?
September 2017
'In the image of God'
Have you ever heard that man is in the image of God? When I heard this for the first time and I pondered about the meaning of it, I really could see how much God loves me in a personal way. God loves me so much that he made me in His own image.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 6 verse 355 explains that, 'God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him in his friendship.'
Furthermore, verse 357 explains that, ‘Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead.’
The above are powerful words that really helps me in my faith and to follow Christ. Christ loves me just the way I am. He loves me for whom I am. His love for me is so great that He wants this personal relationship with me. I am to freely give myself to Him, just the way I am… for I am in the image of God.
Being in His image, I have realised that what is important in my life is to love Him… to love my neighbour… to be who I am by giving myself to others, through the love and grace of God.
Being in the image of God, through His love and grace, I am called to bring His joy and peace to others. I am called to be an instrument of love where there is hatred, to help the poor and needy, to comfort those who are burdened.
I have realised that accepting myself of being in the image of God, I have become a fulfilled person and experience His love. You are also in the image of God.
August 2017
‘All Christians need to work more together’
For sure most of the readers have heard the term ‘Ecumenism’. Briefly, ecumenism refers to the different efforts undertaken by Christians who pertain to various church traditions, to work and develop a closer relationship and better understanding between them.
Ecumenism normally relates to the different dialogues undertaken between the various Christian churches with the hope of reaching unity amongst them. All this is very positive and highly recommended to continue and to develop further. Ecumenism brings hope to all Christians of good faith that someday unity may prevail.
However, through ecumenism, society is now hoping to experience the fruits of such dialogues between different churches. Society requires that Christians go beyond dialogue in attempting to reach unity; society requires the efforts of all Christians together, in spite of the distinction of the different Christian churches, to work together in unity for the benefit of society. Society is in need of having Christians being united and bringing Christ to the people.
It is very painful to see different Christian churches not joining efforts to do acts of love to their neighbour, whoever he may be. Whenever Christian churches join together (while respecting their difference in opinion, tradition etc.) to concretely help those around them, that is when true unity is done, that is when Jesus is fully proclaimed to the people, to society.
If truly, Christians belonging to different churches want to see a change in society, want to see Jesus proclaimed to society, first and foremost Christians are to join their efforts together, to do projects together, to share the Good News together, and bring the Gospel to every corner of the world. This is what Jesus wants and desires for society.
I am convinced that this is possible, that Christians of different churches can come together to share the Good News. I have especially experienced this in the late 80’s to mid 90’ when I used to evangelize together with a Catholic youth group and later with a Catholic missionary group I used to form part of. There were occasions when we used to evangelize in the streets of Germany and in other European countries, and in certain occasions we joined forces with other Christian groups belonging to a different church. I recall the times when we used to share to the people the Good News together, together pray with the people on the streets and together bring healing to their lives. All we did was to let go of the differences between us as Christians coming from different churches. When we evangelized, we let Jesus be present amongst us through the unity that was created, and through the Holy Spirit we evangelized to the people and brought Jesus to them.
Christian unity is possible. Society is waiting for Christians to take the step to be united and spread the Good News.
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my latest new book ‘Waking up the sleeping giant)
July 2017
‘A marriage in God’s plan’
Recently I was reading some parts of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’. I was struck by a particular paragraph 1605 which states the following:-
Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: "It is not good that the man should be alone." The woman, "flesh of his flesh," i.e., his counterpart, his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a "helpmate"; she thus represents God from whom comes our help. "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh." The Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been "in the beginning": "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."
The above paragraph made me thank the Lord for the upbringing my parents gave me. Through the love my mother and father gave me, I could really experience the love of the Father, the Creator. God’s plan for my life was possible through the oneness of my mother and father. Together as one, my mother and father gave me the love presented to them by the Father.
‘Yes Lord, I do thank you for the marriage of my parents, for through them I was a gift in their lives, a gift to all the family. Lord, over the years I have realised how important my mother and father were in my life. They expressed to me how much you love me in a personal way’.
As the Holy Scripture affirms that a man and woman were created for one another, through the upbringing of my parents and through my relationship with Jesus, I came to understand more the value that a marriage in God’s plan is between a man and a woman. I thank you Lord that through my mother and father you transmitted to me the precious love of the Father.
June 2017
‘Every person in every corner of the world is in need of evangelization’
Do you know that the Gospel is to be spread all over the world… that is, to every person and in every corner of the world? The need to evangelize is immense. It is not only the people who have not heard of the Gospel that need to be evangelized, but also Christians that have left their faith, are lukewarm towards God. These Christians need to be re-evangelized, need to be reached in a new loving way.
Through evangelization, everybody is to be reached. Every person in the world must have the opportunity to be evangelized. God loves every person, and so every person deserves to know the Gospel, to know that God loves him in a personal way. There is no exception to this, there are no excuses that in certain areas and places evangelization could not take place. There are no exceptions, either, to skin colour or race… Everyone, everyone must have the opportunity to know about the Gospel and to know that God loves them.
So who is going to evangelize these people? Every Christian that is baptised through the Holy Spirit is practically called and is responsible to evangelize. There is an opportunity to share about God’s love through our daily actions. We are to share His love at our work place, in our families, at our church gatherings, in the suburbs, to the prisoners, the sick, and so on. So there are no excuses that as Christians we do not know who to evangelize, because the opportunity is always there… it all depends on whether we take up this challenge and do it out of His love for others. Evangelization is a vital aspect of a Christian’s life. If you do it in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, then you can be a living testimony, a witness of His love.
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my book ‘Evangelization through social networking sites’)
May 2017
'Living our morals and values'
Recently I was wondering about how can the world be in peace? How can I actually love my neighbour? What must one do to fully live one’s Christianity?
There are many ways and means of how the above can be achieved. But as I was deeply thinking and reflecting about life, what came to my mind was that the above questions can be achieved if one lives the Christian morals and values.
Christian morals and values revolve around spiritual devotion, devotion to the family unit and church family, charity work and respect for and promotion of human dignity. If only each Christian had to fully live these morals and values it would be possible to live in peace, it would be easy to love your neighbour, one would really be living Christianity to the full.
But why is it that certain Christians do not live up to these morals and values? Many reasons could lead to such a situation, but the main reason in my opinion, is that there would not be a personal relationship with Jesus in one’s life. Having this personal relationship with Jesus, experiencing His love in a personal way, and giving oneself to the loving Father, would result that the person would fully live the Christian morals and values. Having this personal relationship with Jesus, would strengthen the spirituality of the person’s life by going against the currents of today’s world, and be able to say ‘yes’ and live the Christian morals and values through peace and grace by the Lord.
So, this is my encouragement to all who want peace in their lives. Seek the relationship with Jesus, let Him mould you into His image… and He will give you the strength to live the Christian morals and values to the full.
April 2017
‘Through the Cross we are saved’
During this time of the year, every Christian reflects more deeply about the Cross. The Cross that Jesus died on… the Cross that brought us Salvation. Through the Resurrection of Jesus the Cross paved the way for us to be saved. The Cross is the love of Jesus for all mankind.
On the Cross Jesus did not die only for Christians, but He died for all mankind, even if a person is an unbeliever or belonging to another faith, Jesus died for that person. Jesus is Love, and on the Cross He expressed His love through the suffering He went through, to bring us Salvation by the Resurrection.
This is what every Christian is responsible for, to preach, to share with other people, to be Jesus to others, to explain the Cross to all mankind. All mankind is to know about the Cross, as it is through the Cross that one can draw closer to Jesus.
Christians living this experience of knowing they are saved through the Cross are to be another Jesus to others. Through the help of Jesus, Christians are to carry the Cross in their daily lives and be witnesses to others. Christians are to show the world that through the Cross we are saved.
Are you letting Jesus to carry your cross in your live and show you the way to Salvation?
March 2017
'Go to Jesus with the Wounds'
As Christians, we try to deal with spiritual wounds by going to Jesus. We are to go to Jesus in faith, and ask Him in a humble way to ‘Heal my wounds’. We are to trust Him, to be open to the Spirit of God and let Him penetrate into our hearts… into the deep corners of our hearts where these wounds have been resting for a number of years. These wounds have penetrated our hearts, deepening the scars of hate, anger, jealousy, revenge… of anything that separates us from the loving Father and from being a merciful person towards our neighbours. Indeed, these scars may hinder us from loving our neighbour.
We are not to be doubtful or afraid of approaching Jesus. We know that He loves us in a personal way and has died on the cross to express this love for us. He is there with open arms, ready to receive us back to the Father’s fold. Jesus is there to help us to rise up and walk again, and not to be a ‘crippled’ person in our spiritual lives. Jesus will give us His compassion, His forgiveness, His love, His comfort… and above all will give us His healing.
There is nothing to stop us or prevent us from going to Jesus. We are to let go of fear, of shyness, of pity… we are to be strong in our faith… to let go of sin and steadfastly go to Jesus. We are to give our wounds to Jesus, to receive Him in our hearts, to receive His healing.
February 2017
‘Jesus and the cross’
Do you ever dedicate time to reflect upon the episode when Jesus died on the cross? Do you know that when Jesus died on the cross, He nailed all sins to the cross and set you free?
Jesus died on the cross because He loves you. He embraced the cross out of love to set you free from all sins, to set you free from not believing in Him... He is Jesus the Son of God.
When Jesus embraced the cross, He was embracing you, embracing the same cross you carry in your daily life. The daily cross you carry in your life, is ‘lighter’ to carry if you trust in Him.
We are to be another Jesus in our life, by being Jesus to others. Embracing our cross in our life, through the grace and love of Jesus, is when we are Jesus to others.
Embracing our cross is embracing Jesus.
January 2017
‘Be bold and share the Good News’
During the past weeks, I have reflected a lot upon people who are spiritual wounded. People who have suffered by being abused or bullied, through illness, experiencing the loss of someone special, traumas caused through divorce and many more sufferings. Sufferings that can easily result in a spiritual wound of not believing in God and of feeling abandoned by God. These spiritual wounds can have the consequence of finding it difficult to love one’s neighbour, difficult of helping others and of not being in peace.
But what can one do to help these people? How can one help these people to overcome these spiritual wounds? How can these people be spiritual strong again?
In my opinion we need to be bold and share the Good News. We are to share the Good News to these people to give them hope that even in these sufferings, Jesus loves them in a personal way. We are to help them grow in their faith, to trust Jesus in these sufferings, and to ask Him to heal these spiritual wounds.
We are to be there beside them, to comfort them, just as Jesus would comfort them. We are to be Jesus to them… we are to be the suffering Jesus to these people… and present them to the Cross.
We are to be bold, not to be afraid, to ask the Holy Spirit to use us to share the Good News with the suffering people. This is the mission for all those who follow Christ. The mission to make a difference in society to share the Good News to all.
So, the challenge for this year is to be bold and share the Good News.
December 2016
'A Christmas present to the world… let the unborn babies live’
Another Christmas is here. Houses, shops, schools, churches, and streets are already decorated with different colourful lights. Parties are organised, presents are bought, sermons are prepared and buying the food for the Christmas meal is already being done. All this to bring joy to the world by remembering of the birth of Jesus.
During this period, we will hear many speeches all over the world by prominent people. Usually these speeches would focus to bring peace to the world and to end different wars. Also, a lot of good initiatives are held during this time by visiting the homeless, the elderly, by giving present to the poor and such others.
But what would be the best speech, the best initiative, the best Christmas present one can give to the world. This Christmas, the best present to the world is… ‘to let the unborn babies live’. I encourage all prominent people and the public to speak out, to be bold, to be a voice to the voiceless… ‘to let the unborn babies live’. We are to take up initiatives by visiting mothers to be, to encourage them that whatever situation they are passing through, they can be a loving mother… just like Mary.
‘Let the unborn babies live’… let them experience life, listen to the birds, feel the rain and wind, play and cry. ‘Let the unborn babies live’… to go to school, to make friends, to go to work, to be tomorrow leaders of the world. ‘Let the unborn babies live’… to live as we did, to rejoice as we did, to be sad as we did, to feel the pain as we did, to be happy as we did, to be parents as we did.
This is the voice of the voiceless… ‘let me live this Christmas and the years to come… let me live as a baby and grow’.
November 2016
'Do I help my neighbour?'
Have you ever stopped for some time and reflected upon if you help your neighbour? This is a reflection that not many persons tend to think about.
Helping my neighbour is a very important aspect of my life. There are different ways and means of how one can help his neighbour. I try that in every occasion I have during the day, no matter who my neighbour is, I do my best to help that person in any way I can. It is a lifestyle that helps me to grow in my spiritual life.
When helping my neighbour it is an occasion for me to present Jesus to the other person. How? By being humble, being a witness of peace, living my faith to the fullness, sharing about Gods love… by being Jesus to the other person.
There is only one aim when helping one’s neighbour through different ways and means. That is of giving them Jesus by loving the other person just as Jesus loves them.
So… do I help my neighbour? Am I being Jesus to my neighbour?
Just reflect for a few seconds…
… know that all that Jesus wants from you is to love Him… by loving your neighbour.
October 2016
‘The experience of The Light in our lives has to be shared’
The experience of living in ‘The Light’ in our lives has to be shared with other people. Keeping this treasure to oneself is the downfall for any Christian. Without sharing with others this experience of ‘The Light’ it would not be possible for our spiritual life to grow, to mature; we would not be able to become a holier person… by time this light would fade away. Why? Because our faith is to be shared with others; we are to share the love of the Father, to share the love that comes from God who created us. When we fail to share the love of Christ with others, it could be that we would be depriving them from experiencing and treasuring ‘The Light’.
We are to reach out to our communities: at the place of our work, in our families, at schools and universities, to the whole world and be Jesus to those we come across in our daily life. ‘The Light’ we received is to be shared, is to be given wherever there is darkness, wherever there is lack of hope, lack of peace, to the prisoners, the sick person, the person in search of the truth, the unbelievers, to all mankind.
This is the responsibility of each Christian living in ‘The Light’. We are not to remain idle, doing nothing while other people are in darkness, are in despair. People living in darkness can only be free from darkness if this same light, experienced by Christians, is given to them, is shared with them. Darkness will disappear once ‘The Light’ offered to them is accepted by people and becomes present in their life.
Are we sharing ‘The Light’ with others?
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my latest new book ‘The Light’)
September 2016
'A life of prayer'
During our daily lives we have time to do a lot of different things. We go to work, to school, visit our friends and relatives, we spend time watching television, and so on… But what about prayer. Do we spend time in prayer? Do we spend time with Jesus in prayer?
Prayer is a very important part of my life. It is a time to be with Jesus, to voice out my thanksgiving to Him, to worship Him, to adore Him… to listen to Him… to experience Him in my life. For me prayer is a ‘lifestyle’. Prayer gives me the strength to overcome difficulties in life, to be able to love my neighbour more, to be able to forgive, to do acts of love, to be a merciful person. Prayer makes me a whole person, as I know that Jesus is listening to me, God the Father is glad of me, and the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen me in my faith.
This is my experience of prayer. An experience of being loved by Him, of being comforted, knowing that Jesus is listening to me and in His own way He answers my prayers. My life of prayer is a joy for me.
This is my prayer for you… that you may experience this in your lives… and that you live a life of prayer.
August 2016
'It is a joy to help the needy'
Helping a needy person is a blessing to do. Whenever one helps a needy person, joy is experienced in one’s life. This joy is possible when a person has a personal relationship with Jesus. Experiencing joy whenever serving a needy person is possible for all.
But who is the needy person? A needy person could be someone who is sick and wants someone to help to do some errands. Maybe your neighbour cannot buy the necessary food for the family due to financial difficulties… and would appreciate if someone provides the food! There could be people in need to have the opportunity to talk about their difficulties in life and just want someone to listen to them and comfort them. Other would be in need to grow in their spiritual life, to understand what life is all about and to know who Jesus is. There are different other needs a person could want and wishing that other persons could help them with.
Helping a person in need is an opportunity to love, is an opportunity to bring Jesus to the person. So how come that joy is experienced whenever helping a needy person? The secret of experiencing this joy, is that when one loves a needy person, it is Jesus that is receiving this love. The joy is the result of loving Jesus, is the result of having a personal relationship with Jesus.
In our lives we have many opportunities to help the needy. Each of our neighbour is in some kind of need. Are we reaching out to our neighbours? Are we helping our neighbour with their needs?
Helping our neighbour with their needs is an opportunity to love, to give Jesus and to experience His joy.
July 2016
‘Is your life lived through 'The Light'?
Everybody asks different questions about their life. People wonder if they are living a fulfilled life. The meaning of life is not the same for all. Different cultures, different religions will have a bearing on the opinion of different people of what the real meaning of life is. Other people do not want to know the truth or are afraid of knowing the truth. The question that few people ask is, ‘is your life lived in the light?’ The answer to this is only known in the depth of each persons’ life… is only known by ‘The Light’ himself, that is our loving Father.
Each person knows the answer to his life. Everyone knows if he is living in the light or not. If you love your neighbour and dedicate your life to help your neighbour, to be one with that person, it is an indication that you are living in the light. On the other hand, if you do not perform concrete acts of love to your neighbour, do not appreciate and neither be interested in the other person needs, the chances are that you are living in darkness… light is not present in your life.
If one really makes a true examine of his life, one will know if he is truly living through ‘The Light’. The result of living through ‘The Light’ is seen by the eagerness of one’s life to know more about Christ and to be like Christ. When one is compassionate, loving the neighbour in a concrete way, forgiving the person for any bad deed, comforting a person, and through many other acts of love, is a way of expressing ‘The Light’ to another person. This all depends if one lives the gospel faithfully in his life. The person who truly lives through ‘The Light’ will reconcile with anyone, will love his neighbour continuously, and be totally dependent upon God to be a merciful person.
So, my encouragement for this month is to try to live your life in ‘The Light’.
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my forthcoming new book
‘The Light’)
June 2016
‘Jesus in my life’
Over a number of years I have seen the importance of sharing about what Jesus did in my life. This is an experience which I always try to share with other people. Why do I feel that this is important?
Jesus in my life made a big difference. When I accepted Jesus and had this personal relationship with Him my life became fulfilled. He brought joy to my life, He is always there when I am weak… but above all through Him I got to know the loving Father.
This experience of mine is worth nothing if I keep it to myself. I share about Jesus to others because I have experienced Him personally and know that He is the way. There is no other way in life except through Him. One can try different thing to be happy and to seek joy in life. But all the worldly things come to an end and none of them will provide true happiness.
Through my experience and of many others, Jesus made this tremendous difference in our lives. He is our Saviour. All I wish and pray to whoever reads this monthly reflection is to give Jesus a chance in your live.
Let Him show you the Way.
May 2016
‘The Joy of knowing Christ’
Christ. It has been a joy for me that I know Christ. Jesus Christ is the source of my life. When I reflect upon my life, I know that in every situation of my life Jesus has always been with me.
This joy of knowing Jesus was possible when I said my yes to Him... to follow Him, to trust in Him, to live in His light and to know Him more in a personal way. Jesus is always there, to talk to Him, to comfort me, to guide me, and to listen to Him. This is a real joy for me of knowing Christ.
Oh, how much I wish that more people experience the joy of Christ in their lives. Life would be more meaningful when one accepts His love and be embraced by the Father. Life would be different... because one will experience life differently... will experience life through the love of Jesus, of His Father.
Come Holy Spirit... give us this grace to experience the joy of Jesus.
April 2016
‘Healing the wounds of the world’
How tragic it is to hear news about different wars and terrorism taking place all over the world. Many innocent people are dying daily in these tragic situations. These are wounds that today's society is going through, wounds that cripple humanity from the possibility of living in peace and harmony.
These wounds brought through the above tragic episodes are the wounds that already have been suffered by the body of Christ when being on the Cross. These same wounds carried by Jesus makes it possible to experience healing by loving, trusting and having faith in Him. It is only through Jesus that these wounds are healed.
Each person in the world has to work to bring healing to these wounds. We are to love one another without any distinction of race, religion or colour. We are to work for peace in the world through dialogue. This dialogue is not only the responsibility of the world leaders… but each person is to dialogue for peace. This can be achieved at our work place, with our families, with friends, and wherever we be.
Healing the wounds of the world is possible. We must constantly pray for peace. To be united through prayer and seeking the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.
It is only through Jesus that the wounds of the world are healed.
March 2016
'Carrying the burdens of life’
Every person in the world goes through different difficult moments in life. These difficulties or so called burdens of life can take the form of sickness, being unemployed, family arguments, the death of a family member... and many, many such other examples.
What I have observed through life, is that different people who could be experiencing same burdens of life, can react differently to such same situations, such as when facing a particular sickness. I have observed persons that when being faced with sickness, they react angrily against God and put the blame on God. These same people would carry the burden of their sickness by being bitter towards God and they would not be in peace with themselves, but would be living in despair.
I also have observed other people, who when faced with the same kind of sickness are at peace with themselves. These people had accepted their sickness in such a way, of knowing that God is with them, comforting them, loving them and giving them the necessary grace. The secret of these people is that they trust in Jesus and through the Cross He carries the burdens of their life... their sickness.
What a difference! What do you do, when you are faced with a burden in your life? Are you letting Jesus through the Cross to carry your burdens?
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my forthcoming new book ‘The Light’)
February 2016
'Being a Merciful Person'
Mercy. Being a merciful person is the ultimate key to taste and see that the Lord is good. What does it mean to be a merciful person? A merciful person is one who has the virtue and compassion for his neighbour. The compassion for your neighbour is to be one with the person by recognising their needs, and to do your utmost to help that person in the particular needs of their lives.
The needs of the person can be different from one person to another. When one looks at these needs, which are problematic for the person and can hinder them from accepting God in their lives, these needs are either of body or soul. So to be a merciful person one is to address these needs which are linked to the needs of the body, by feeding the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to harbour the harbourless, to visit the sick, to ransom the captive, and to bury the dead.
Also, a merciful person is to reach out to the spiritual needs of another person. To address the spiritual needs of your neighbour, one might need to counsel the doubtful, to instruct the ignorant, to admonish sinners, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive, to comfort the afflicted, and to pray for the living and the dead.
Through these different actions of love, a merciful person who embraces the love of God in his life, and of being Jesus to these people, will experience grace, love and peace of the Lord.
Are you being a merciful person?
(This month’s reflection is an extract from my forthcoming new book ‘Taste and see that the Lord is Good’)
January 2016
‘Being a better person in Christ’
Recently I was reflecting on how someone can be a better person in Christ. Many ideas came to my mind, which this month I would like to share with you.
To become a better person in Christ, one is to accept that God loves each person in a personal way. This acceptance will help the person to understand why Jesus died on the cross. Accepting the salvation of Christ will transform a person to follow Jesus. When a person really follows Jesus, it entails to let go of living a life of sin, letting go of living with bad habits, it entails to do to others what Christ would have done to love each person.
To become a better person in Christ it also entails to spend time in prayer, to seek Gods guidance, to know Jesus in a personal way, to ask God for purification and to mould you in His own way. To become a better person in Christ is to let God totally in your life.
To become a better person in Christ is to dedicate your life by loving your neighbour. Loving your neighbour is only possible by loving Jesus. Always remember that Jesus is in your neighbour and when loving your neighbour you are loving Jesus.
Being a better person in Christ is by loving your neighbour.
December 2015
‘All I want for Christmas is… Peace’
Once again it is Christmas time and many people are doing their Christmas shopping. There are different gifts one can buy to their loved ones. These gifts can be expensive or of a low price, large or small, gifts that can reflect the need of the person.
What would you want for Christmas as a gift? A laptop, a mobile phone, a dress, a new car? For me I only want one kind of gift this Christmas.
All I want for Christmas is… Peace. I would want to meet with different people of a different faith from mine, and that we give peace to each other and to live in peace with one another. Imagine living in peace and how different the world would be. Imagine you are in peace with your neighbor. This is possible if we put our differences aside, forgiving each other and to let the love of God in our midst.
So Happy Christmas to all, go and make peace with all, so the world may see the love of Christ in the world.
November 2015
‘Being Jesus to others’
Recently, I was thinking about the many persons I know who have still not experienced Jesus in their personal life. There could be many reasons why these persons have still not experienced Jesus in their lives. Maybe their upbringing in their families was not helping them to know Jesus in their lives. Maybe their friends did not live the Gospel and sought different adventures which life offers when being away from Christ.
Whatever the reason, these persons still deserve to know Jesus and to have a personal relationship with Him. But what can I do about it? How can these persons know Jesus in a personal way?
The answer is simple… I am to be Jesus to them… that is to be Jesus to others.
Every baptized Christian is to be Jesus to others. This is possible by receiving the Eucharist and / or listening to the Word of God. Obviously, this entails that we live the Gospel to the full, to depart from sin, and to follow Jesus.
‘Being Jesus to others’ will bring hope to the people, will bring comfort to the people, will help the other person to start to experience Jesus in their lives. I am going to be Jesus to the people I meet during the day… will you be Jesus to others??
October 2015
‘We are to start loving every day’
One of the biggest challenges every person face in life is to start loving every day. Every day is a new opportunity to love the people around you, to start loving in a new way, to start loving in a fresh way. This is the art of loving.
The love you gave to your neighbour, your family, your work colleague a year ago is in the past. The love you gave a month ago, a week ago, yesterday, a minute ago… is all in the past. What matters most is the love you give in the present moment. Are you loving your neighbour, your family, your work colleagues now, precisely in this present moment? Are you loving in a new way every day, even if it is a repetitive act of love?
The way you love your family every day by ironing their clothes on a daily basis could be a repetitive act of love. Or, the way you loved your poor neighbour by helping them with their errands could also be a repetitive act of love. But are you doing this in a new way every day, forgetting and emptying yourself of the way you loved a month ago, yesterday?
We are to start loving every day in a new way. We are to love unconditionally… just as Jesus loves us.
So, the challenge is there for you… to start loving every day in a new way.
September 2015
‘Your relationship with Jesus’
Many people claim that they have a relationship with Jesus. But what does a relationship with Jesus means? Is your relationship with Jesus resulting in peace with your neighbour? Are you helping the needy and poor and being one with them?
A relationship with Jesus does not only consist of spending time in prayer, participating in mass, listening to the Word of God or attending to a prayer group amongst others. A relationship with Jesus also requires to be in unity with the Holy Trinity, to be Jesus with others, and do His will in your daily life.
So a relationship with Jesus transforms you to be a peacemaker, to share the Good News, to be a witness of His love, to be joyful when being persecuted, to truly live up to the Beatitudes and be called blessed by God.
Like any kind of relationship, a relationship with Jesus takes time to develop and mature. When this relationship with Jesus grows it reaps the desired fruits in one’s life. You will be happy even though you pass through difficult times in life, you will be joyful even though you might be poor.
Jesus is always there to be with us even when we fall and abandon Him. He will give us the grace to return to Him and continue with our journey to salvation through our relationship with Him.
A personal relationship with Jesus is there for all to have.
August 2015
'What makes us fulfilled?'
In the past months, many friends of mine passed through difficult times in their lives. Some had a relative that passed away, or problems in their marriage, others faced difficulties such as undergoing a major operation. These situations made me wonder about life. I did pray for each and everyone involved in these difficult situations, but when I reflected upon life, a question came to my mind… what makes us fulfilled?
These friends of mine that were passing through the difficult times, all were different in character, had different social background, faced a different financial situation and the way they appreciated life… but the common thing was that they were passing through a difficult time. These friends had a different cross to carry. Were they carrying the cross? Did they accept the cross?
So, what makes us fulfilled in life? Is it our financial stability? Is it our family? Maybe our work… or our friends? When we face a difficult situation in life… that is when a cross is in our lives… are we carrying it? What makes us carry a cross… or what makes us not carry a cross?
From my experience, and also from other friends of mine, who have accepted to carry a cross in their lives… what makes us fulfilled in life is Jesus. Jesus that died on the cross for each and every one. Jesus who showed us how to carry a cross… that is through the Love of the Holy Trinity.
Jesus makes us fulfilled… He helps us to carry any cross… by believing and have faith in the Holy Trinity.
Are you fulfilled in your life?
July 2015
'Sharing His Love'
Sharing His love with others, that is to share about God's love with the people you meet during the day, is a very important deed to be undertaken by every Christian. God's love needs to be proclaimed throughout the world. Everyone is an important person that deserves to know about God's love in a personal way. The question is, but am I proclaiming His love with other people?
This is a challenge, which I have taken up seriously in my life. This is a challenge for you to undertake through His love. People are waiting for his witnesses to share about His love. Sharing of one's experience of what God has done in a person’s life, can be the changing point of one's life upon hearing such an experience. Your experience of God's Love can make a difference to others.
Throughout my life, ever since I have accepted God to take control of my life, I have experienced that I need to share His love with other people. God made a difference in my life. Now, my life has a meaning.... that is to love my neighbour through His daily love He gives to me and which I share with others.
Those who know God in a personal way, have the responsibility to share His love with others. Go... share His love... and help people to know Him in a personal way.
In every day of my life I share His love with others... are you also sharing His love with others?
June 2015
'Being a witness of His Love'
His love... is everything for me. Everyday, I know that I am embraced by His love, by His comfort, by His tenderness. Jesus is the Saviour. Jesus draws me closer to God.
Being a witness of His love, to love my neighbour, to be one with my family, to help my colleagues at work, is a way of living which I know draws me closer to God. Also, through my witness of His love, I know that other people I meet during the day have the opportunity to also draw closer to God.
Jesus wants us to be witnesses of His love, to be His disciples. Through our baptism, through the Holy Spirit, we are to go out to every corner in the world and share the Good News.
Why are we to do this? Besides that it is a command from Jesus, to go out and share the Good News, I feel also responsible that my experience of Jesus, the difference He made in my life, is to be shared with others. I feel that this treasure of Jesus, is not to be kept to myself, but to give it to others.
This is my encouragement to you. Go out and share the Good News... that Jesus is alive and real. I know this, because I daily experience Jesus in my life.
May 2015
‘Letting Him be the source of our lives’
Have you ever thought for some moments about life? What is life all about? What do you think about life?
Through my opinion and experience of life I can say that life is all about 'loving' the other person you are with during each moment of your life. In simple terms, your life is a gift to the other person, that is for the other person to be 'loved' by you. This is the greatest gift you can give to the other person.
This gift of 'loving ' the other person is the spiritual 'love' given by the Father as presented through His Son Jesus Christ. This is the 'love' we are to give. But how can we give this 'spiritual love'? This is only possible if we let Jesus be the source of our lives. This is to let Jesus take full control of our lives and to use our lives to spread the good news.
Giving this spiritual ‘love’ to others entails to lose everything, that is to reach out to the needs of the other person and not to focus on your own personal needs. Loving the other person means that the other persons is more important than yourself. To be able to do this, it is required that you concretely decide to follow Him, to give your life to Him... and let Him take control of your life.
Jesus, is to be the source of your life.
April 2015
‘Do you believe?’
Recently I was reading the passage from the Bible from John 19:35-37, and a particular passage made me think a lot. The passage is about the death of Jesus…
The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you? Do you believe that your sins where nailed to the cross?
Whatever Jesus did, whatever Jesus said, it all depends if we believe it or not. Whatever Jesus did and said, it was for all humankind… for everyone… for you in a personal way. The question is ‘Do you believe?’
The important issue here is that to believe in the cross, is to believe in the meaning of it. According to the "Catechism of the Catholic Church," the Crucifixion represents the ultimate sacrifice and a gift from God to humankind. Because humans had repeatedly sinned and broken covenants, the only proper atonement was the sacrifice of God's own son, poetically described as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." In an official (encyclical) letter to Catholics in 2013, Pope Francis explained that the death of Jesus demonstrated the love of Christ for all people, and that "at the hour of Christ's Crucifixion" it was clear that "the depth and breadth of God's love shone forth."
So, let us enrich our faith, let us believe in the cross.
March 2015
‘Everyday brings opportunities to love’
Everyday, there are many opportunities where we can love. Everyday, brings some sort of opportunities to love our neighbour.
During the day, are we recognizing what these opportunities are? Are we recognizing the times when we did not love our neighbour, when the opportunity was there?
Most of the people cross a road many times during the day. Was there an opportunity to help an old person feel secured while crossing the road? Did we help that person to cross the road?
During our time at the workplace, was there an opportunity to prepare tea for our colleagues? Did we take that opportunity to love our colleagues by doing tea for them?
During the day, there are many more opportunities how we can love our neighbour. Are we taking this challenge by loving them? Maybe someone is seeking help to overcome a problem he is facing. Are we there to help that person overcome that problem?
Everyday, is a challenge in our lives. Everyday, brings opportunities to love. Everyday, we want to be loved by others.
Jesus showed us how we are to love our neighbour. Now it is up to us, to love the other person whenever the opportunity is there, that is during every moment of the day.
February 2015
‘Be an example to others’
Have you ever wondered how society has changed? You might ask, how come society has changed so much, does real ‘Love’ still exist?
Every person is part of society. Every person in different ways influence society. So what can we do to see a better society? Can real ‘Love’ be the foundation of society?
All we can do is to be an example to others. We are to love the people we meet during the day, through the love of Christ. Christ is the treasure we are to give to others. Real ‘Love’ is only possible by giving Christ to the other person. Society is waiting for Christ!
So, how can we be an example to others? By being a person who help our colleagues at our workplace. By spending quality time with our children as a family. By helping our parish priest to be able to reach out to the parishioners. By sharing the love of God to the young generation. By being a messenger of peace through His love.
Of course, there are more ways how we can be an example to others to change society. If only we had to stop and listen to His voice, and let Him tell us what to do. If only we have more time to listen to Him. If only we had to do what He tells us to do.
Let us be an example to others… and give Christ to the people.
January 2015
‘Be strong when life is hard’
Life is not easy to live. Everyone has his own experience of life. At times it is difficult to make things end due to financial problems. We might be living in difficult situations due to health problems, a broken marriage, being unemployed, or for other reasons. Yes, life could be hard to live.
Through my experience of life I can say that, yes, at times life is hard to live. On the other hand, along the years of my life, I have met with people whose life is much harder than mine. These people have set an example to me, that although life could be difficult, they have this special grace to be able to live through their difficult times.
Getting to know these people, I realised that the only common thing between them, besides the diverse of difficult situation they live in, is having this grace. This grace for them is their daily gift from God. The grace that they are able to live a fulfilled life through His love.
They are strong people, spiritual strong, which makes them able to live life when it is hard. This is only possible as they trust Him in their life, they have faith in Him, as they have a life of prayer with Jesus. So, that is why these people are strong when life is hard, because they are strong in their spiritual life.
If your life is a difficult one, be encouraged. Other people like you are passing through similar situations and living it through His grace. Be like them, trust Him, have faith in Him, and when you pray to Him ask for His grace.
Jesus, will give you God's grace… I am experiencing this.
December 2014
‘Jesus… I will follow you’
Jesus… I will follow you.
‘Now that you are born in a manger, I come to you Jesus, and knell down in front of you, and say, yes Jesus… I will follow you’.
How many times during Christmas period have we said these words in our hearts? How many times have we said to Jesus….I will follow you?
Jesus was born for all of us. He was born in a manger… and this manger is our heart. Our heart is the place where Jesus is born. Mary through the Holy Spirit, placed Jesus in a manger, the warm place of our hearts.
As Jesus is in our hearts, we are to give Jesus to others, a gift of Love. And, as Jesus will grow in our spiritual life, He will show us where to go, what to do, what to share, to follow Him everywhere, to bring the Good News.
Jesus… I will follow you.
May this Christmas, be a special Christmas to all, by giving Jesus as a special gift to others, to the poor, the needy, to our families, to our neighbours, to all. And, as we follow Jesus, let His joy, peace, comfort, love, fills our hearts, so that we be able to give these gifts to others.
Come, join me, and follow Jesus.
November 2014
'My guardian angel'
My guardian angel….the angel who know my needs, the angel who is there to protect me. I thank God for my guardian angel….for the angel helps me to overcome sin….helps me to do good deeds….helps me to become a better person.
When was the last time you spoke to your guardian angel? Are you aware that your guardian angel is there….just beside you….in each and every moment of your life? Do you listen to what your guardian angel is telling you in your life?
Through my guardian angel, I am able to become a more holy person. My guardian angel helps me to have peace with my neighbours….to bring peace to the world. If only, people in all over the world are more aware of their guardian angel, there would be wonders happening….peace through the Love of God is possible to all….is possible in the world.
Have time….be in silence and listen to what your guardian angel is telling you. God has given you a guardian angel because He loves you, and because He know that you need the angel. Pray, to know your guardian angel, and listen to what the angel says to you.
Our guardian angels will show us how to live in peace.
October 2014
‘Only Love brings Peace’
Only love brings peace. Only love between each person, through loving each neighbour, is the way to bring peace to the world.
Lately, many appeals have been held by prominent people asking for peace. Many prayers have been held all over the world so that peace may reign. But still, war and hatred are dominating the world, unless, each person practices the art of loving......that is loving your neighbour.
No matter what religion each person practice, the golden rule of love is found in each religion. So why, peace is still not possible in the world? It is because not everybody really practice his religion, not everybody really believes in Jesus, the message of love is not practiced by all.
Loving your neighbour is required to be more practiced. Every person is created to love and be loved, every person knows how to love, every person is responsible to love. All this is possible if all of us let go of the barriers that prevent us from loving, the barriers of racism, of cultures, of ethnic groups, of political views, and so on.
So be encouraged, let go of these barriers and practice the art of loving. This way, peace is possible.
September 2014
‘The way to heaven’
The way to heaven is presented to us through the Love of Jesus. Heaven is waiting for us, a place of total unity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Heaven, is not far away. It is close to us through loving our neighbour in every present moment. Heaven, is found through our acts of love, the love that many people are waiting for.
Through our lives we are being prepared for this voyage, the voyage to heaven, a voyage that will present us to the Holy Trinity. This all depends on our love to others. It depends how much we are giving Jesus to others.
We are to examine ourselves, and ask ourselves, is my voyage on the right track to reach the destination of heaven? Am I prepared to enter heaven in the present moment?
We are to reflect on these two questions and evaluate what must be done to keep on track for the destination of heaven.
Heaven is there for you through His Love.
August 2014
‘Time.....to share His love’
Time. How do we use our time? Are we wasting our time, or making good use of it?
Every person make use of time in different ways. Most of our time is for working, education and taking care of our families. We are responsible of how we use our time.
Using our time in the most effective way is by sharing His love to others. Giving Jesus to other people is a very precious thing. There are different ways how to share His love. Using time to share His love is investing in our future....and of others, that is to be with Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit for ever.
It is a pity that the world is crying for peace, and people do not find the time to give Jesus to others, by visiting the poor, helping the sick, caring for our elderly relatives, being with the spiritual broken people, above all giving Jesus to all. Blessed are those, who use their time by sharing Jesus with others.
So let us be encouraged, let us do that extra step, let us not be afraid, let us use time wisely by giving Jesus to others. Invest in time by investing in His love.
Your time is His love to you.
July 2014
‘Sharing His Love’
Recently I was thinking how important it is to share the love of Christ with others. There are different opportunities to do this, at work, at school, in our families, when meeting our friends, etc. Each of these opportunities we are to share His Love, through our example, by loving the other person we meet, through patience, through charity, through forgiveness, through listening to others, through giving a helping hand.....just as Jesus would have done it.
Sharing His Love, is a must to do, to grow in our relationship with Jesus, to be a light to society, to bring peace and joy. When I look back at my life, I recall many moments when this love was shared with me. These moments made an impact in my faith, my attitude towards life, my relationship with the people around me....my relationship with Jesus. Thanks to the people who shared His love with me, I have changed my life, grew in His Love, and now I share His Love with others.
Oh, how important it is to share His Love. Sharing His Love, is a way of living, is a way to follow Christ, is a way to be a Saint.
Go....and share His Love.
June 2014
‘The joy of helping your neighbour’
It is a joy whenever I help my neighbour. The joy that comes from the love of God. The joy of serving others, of loving others, the joy which is possible through a relationship with Jesus.
What is this joy about? Why is it that whenever I help my neighbour I am joyful?
Whenever I help my neighbour I am doing it to Jesus. This is what this joy is about.......of loving Jesus. It is true that at times it is not easy to love your neighbour, to help your neighbour. But when you do it for Jesus, it is possible, that results in a joyful experience and a peaceful moment.
Oh, how I would love to see other people love their neighbour. Oh, how I would love to see other people experience this joy. This joy that is there for you, a gift from God for you to treasure, to live, to experience and to share with others.
The joy of helping your neighbour, is something you are to yearn for, it is the result of your love to Jesus. Jesus, who is waiting for you, to share this Joy with you, loves you dearly.
Go, and love your neighbour.
May 2014
'Everyday'
Everyday is an important moment in life. Each day we face many decisions to make, we meet different people, and we have different opportunities to love.
How are we living the days of our lives? Are we living a life were we do not care about the person next to us? Are we only inerested about our own interests? Are we really loving the way Jesus taught us to love?
Everyday is an opportunity to give this love of Jesus to others. Everyday.......if only each day of our lives are truly lived through His love. Everyday would be a gift to others!
Yes.....it is possible that each day be a gift to others.....only if we live through His love....increase our faith in Him.... spend time in prayer.....seek Him in our lives....and trust Him more in each situation of our lives. Everyday would be like paradise.....everyday would be lived with Him.
Go give His love to others. Make each day in other people lives a treasure, a gift, to know Jesus in a personal way.
Jesus is the way to live each day of our lives.
April 2014
‘My Neighbour....’
My neighbour.....my neighbour is a divorced person, my neighbour is a drug addict, my neighbour is unemployed, my neighbour is disabled, my neighbour is lonely, my neighbour is Jesus.
My neighbour, am I loving my neighbour, am I reaching to the needs of my neighbour? Do we really love Jesus, and express this love by loving our neighbours? My neighbour is a gift to me, I am a gift to my neighbour, through His love we are a gift to eachother.
Remember that what we do we are doing it to Jesus. Jesus is found in my neighbour. This is a real opportunity to love Jesus.......by loving my neighbour.
Be encouraged. Every present moment of your life is an opportunity to love. Every person you meet during the day is your neighbour....remember that person is Jesus! Jesus is waiting for you. Jesus loves you in a personal way.
In return to Jesus love towards you, all you have to do is to love your neighbour.
My neighbour is Jesus!
March 2014
‘Always following His Love’
Love......most probably the most used word in the world. Every nation, every person, all media, throughout history, the word love has always been important.
But what is love, what is the real meaning of it? What is the best interpretation of this word? How many books must one need to read to understand love?
Love......the true meaning of this word is found by the actions and what Jesus taught us. Jesus taught us to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’......and to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself' (Matthew 22:36-40). This is what love is all about...this is what we are to do.....this is the real meaning of love.
A lot of people do not live the true meaning of love, with the consequence of lacking peace. Following Him, is the way to understand love, to live it in the fullness, to have the peace in your life, to love your neighbour, to love God. One is to always follow Jesus, to follow His love.
Living your life by having this personal relationship with Jesus, is living your life in love. Jesus is the way to show you what true love is all about.....and He will show you to follow His love.....by loving each person you meet in every moment of your life.
February 2014
‘Mary....the Mother of Jesus’
Mary, an example to all, of how to love, to care, to forgive, to do the will of God. The 'yes' of Mary to God is an example to all, to do everything out of love, for Him........for us.
Mary, an example to all, to imitate, to follow, to embrace her in our life, to show us the way to Jesus. Mary, that suffered, that cried, that trusted in Him, the Mother to all.
Mary the Mother, that helps us towards Jesus, will help us to follow Him and to say that 'yes' to Him. Pray to her, to intercede for us, to help us to increase our faith and be strong in our 'yes'. Pray to her, that our relationship with Jesus increases, to love more our neighbour, to be like her to serve, to bring peace.
Remember, that Mary will always be there for us, whatever the situation in our life is, she will help us to embrace Him. Imitate her in your life, get to know her more, and be encouraged to say that 'yes' to Him.
Mary......will take you to Jesus.
January 2014
‘The desire for God’
The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.....(source: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chapter 1.I.27).
This is the continuous search that people throughout their life do....the search for God....the desire to know Him. Through Jesus, the Son of God, we are able to get closer to God....to have this personal relationship with Him.
But where can we find God? Where is God in today’s world? How can we fulfil our desire for God?
We can meet Jesus in every moment of our lives. Jesus can be met in the poor person, the prisoner, the beggar, in any of our neighbour. In every person Jesus draws us closer to God, because in that person there is Jesus, and if we love that person we are loving Jesus, and by loving Jesus....He draws us closer to God.
So rejoice, because in every person you meet, you have the opportunity to meet Jesus, that in turn will draw you closer to God.
Your desire for God, depends a lot by loving your neighbour!
December 2013
'The crib for baby Jesus'
Christmas is once again with us. The joy that baby Jesus was born.......and through Him Salvation was possible.
This month we should make an extra effort to really let Jesus be in us, live in us, live in others. The crib for baby Jesus is that He lives in our hearts.
Jesus has taught us how to love, the love that brings peace in families, between nations, that brings peace in our hearts. The best Christmas present is to give Jesus to others, where there are arguments between married couples.....let there be peace, where there are wars between nations.....let there be peace. Jesus is the source for all peace.
We are encouraged to really do our best, all of us are able to make it happen, that is to know Jesus and let Him in our hearts. Ask people who have experienced Jesus, who really give their heart as a crib for baby Jesus , what it means to have Jesus in your heart.
This is the difference in life......a life of peace through Jesus or a life without Jesus that is without peace.
Happy Christmas to all and may the crib for baby Jesus be your heart.
November 2013
'Precious Life'
Our life is very precious. Everyday of our lives is an opportunity to love.....to love the people around us.
Every situation is a challenge to love, to love our neighbour as Jesus loved. This is a challenge to be taken up by all, by every race, by every nation, by every individual. A challenge that brings hope, to nations...to everyone.
Life is precious....as Jesus showed us how precious it is. Through His Love, salvation is there for all, without any exceptions, but only if we love. To love is to give Jesus to others.
So the challenge for all of us is to love. To love in every situation.
Life is precious. Life depends on the love we give to others, the love to salvation.
October 2013
‘All you have to do is always to Love’
Everyday and in every moment of our lives we are called to Love. Love is to be given to others in every situation we find ourselves in. In the good experiences and even in the difficult situations we are to give Love to others.
It sounds easy…..but it is not that easy to do. The Good news is that it is possible, that you give this Love to others. This is possible through the Love of Christ……the Son of God.
Jesus is calling each and everyone of us to give His Love to others. You can be that instrument, through Jesus Love, so that you give His Love to others.
Jesus is calling you, to love everyone, without any exceptions, just to Love, Love and Love. I pray that you be able to overcome every hurdle you face that hinders you from Loving. Always remember, that Jesus Loves you, and that through His grace you are able to Love the people you meet everyday.
So go, all you have to do is always to Love!
September 2013
‘Love is the source of Peace’
Everyday we listen to stories about wars, fights, killings, injustices, hatred etc. All of these are a result of a lack of love between people, which as a consequence it seems that peace is hardly to be found.
Everyday many stories are happening about, forgiveness, helping the needy person, giving shelter to a poor person, visiting prisoners etc. All of these are a result of love between people, which as a consequence brings peace to the person. Unfortunately, these stories are not popular in the daily news, but for the person who expressed and received this love…….these actions have been very important indeed.
Love is the source of Peace. People are to love one another through the Love of Jesus. The Love of Jesus which poured Peace to the people of all nations.
This Love is the love which each one of us are to give to others, help your neighbor, care to your parents, visit the sick. There are endless ways how to Love, endless opportunities to Love, and endless situations to Love.
Always remember, only to Love the way as Jesus Loved us. Remember that when Loving your neighbor you are Loving Jesus, and when you Love Jesus you are Loving your Neighbor.
Love is the source of Peace. Are you Loving to bring this Peace?
August 2013
‘Trusting Him in my life’
Trusting Jesus in our life might seem for certain people that it is beyond oneself. One might have many questions how this is done, if it is possible! Over the years I have personally lived the experience of trusting Jesus in every day of my life.
The turning point in my life of trusting Jesus was when around 23 years ago I felt the calling to be a missionary, that is to evangelise God's love to the nations. It was a challenge to let go of my securities in life, my parents, my work, my firends etc. But in Him, when I turned to Him and told Him you have to take care of all my needs, since that particular day I have experienced His constant love to me. He took care of me in a personal loving way.
This personal care I experienced was not only during my time as a missionary, but also in the following years in my married life. He continued to take care of me and my family. This was possible by totally trusting my life to Him, through prayer, building this personal relationship with Him, and by loving my neighbour.
My experience is a challenge for each of you, that you can also do it, and live a life through His daily personal care for you. A life that whatever the days are if rainy or sunny you know that He is always there by your side, in Love.
Believe me, trust your life to Him.
July 2013
‘Share Jesus love’
In different occasions in our life we have heard of people experiences of what Jesus love means to their lives. We have heard people believing and trusting in Jesus after experiencing Him personally in their lives.
Jesus makes a big difference in people’s life. I have experienced this personally, and for this reason I try my best to share Jesus love with others. Through my daily living I try to share Jesus love with my family, friends, at my workplace, in the parish, at the grocer, and in other occasions during the day.
Today, Jesus is still making a big difference in people’s life. We are encouraged to share this love of His with others. Many people have still not heard of Him, desire to know Him, waiting for people to share about His love. People are waiting for you to share His love with them.
There might be people reading this reflection who have still not know Jesus in a personal way, others might know Him personally. I believe that Jesus wants us all to know Him personally.
Thank God that Jesus made a difference in your life, and so do share Jesus love with others.
If you are in doubt about this, ask Jesus to show you His love through others.
June 2013
‘Give His love to others’
Being loved by Him, is the love to give to others. The love of Jesus is not to be kept to yourself, but is the love to give to others, that is your neighbour.
Loving other people is a way to spread the Good News, that Jesus is Lord. You can give the love of Jesus to others by helping the people in their needs. These people could be working with you at your daily workplace, your family and relative, the shopkeeper, the street cleaner, and many other people whom you meet in your daily life.
For sure, all of these people need some kind of help in their daily life......maybe a smile from you to help them be encouraged and not lose hope, maybe helping the old person to cross the road, or maybe sharing some helpful thought with regards to life problems.
You can be Jesus to others in many different ways. Through your different kind of acts of love to others, they can experience His love in a personal way.
So, give His love to others, to the people you meet every day.
May 2013
‘Know that He loves you’
Reading this reflection might not take long for you. In two minutes, the most, you are able to read it. It is very easy to understand, but it might be a bit challenging, or very challenging!
You might not need to be a very knowledgeable person, for this reflection will address your heart! Just a simple question..... ‘Do you know that He loves you?’
Do not answer from any books you have read, what you heard from another person, but only answer in a sincere way.... from your heart!
God loves you in a very personal way. Maybe you have already accepted this love of His, but maybe you struggle to understand this, or do not believe that He loves you.
Through this short reflection, just pause for a moment, and let your heart want this love of His. You are worthy to experience His love, you are worthy to be loved by Him, you are worthy and know that God loves you.
So, thank God that by reading this short reflection He gave you the opportunity to ‘Know that He loves you’.
Do you Love Him?
April 2013
‘He made a difference’
Many people search for real happiness and peace in their lives. There are people that managed to find this real happiness and peace. Where can one find this happiness and peace? Is it possible to have such happiness and peace?
Happiness and peace is only possible through Him. This real happiness and peace is found through Jesus, the Saviour. This is my experience of life, as He made a difference, and brought happiness and peace to my life.
The world offers lots of things which are not real happiness and peace. Unfortunately, many people fall for these, and think that they have found it all. But what they find, is not real happiness and peace, is not Jesus the Son of God, but a life away from loving God.
Be encouraged, and do not let the world lead you astray from finding the real happiness and peace. I have found the real happiness and peace, and He did make a difference. So let go of the worldly things, get hold of Him, and He will show you the way.
Jesus made a difference.
March 2013
‘I belong to Him’
What political party do you support? What football team do you follow? To whom do you belong to?
Many times we hear these statements and we answer accordingly. I support ‘that’ political party and follow ‘that’ football team. But whom do you belong to??
I belong to Him, to Jesus, God’s eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins". The name "Jesus" signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, so that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (1)
I belong to Him, and am a witness of His daily love to me. This daily love which He also gives to you in a personal way. Have you realized how much He loves you?
I belong to Him, whom do you belong to?
(1) Quoted from the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’, part 1, section 2, chapter 2, article 2, paragraph 430 and 432.
February 2013
‘Jesus makes me rich’
Do you know someone who is really rich, and can buy all the things which his heart desires? Have you ever wished that you can be like that person, no problem of buying things, and have whatever you want?
It is true, that being rich you are able to buy many things which your heart desires. But by buying all the things which your heart desires, does that fulfills your life of being rich?!
Having a rich-full life does not depends if you are material rich or not, it all depends of having a personal relationship with Jesus. A relationship that through His love, you are able to appreciate life more. You are able of loving your neighbour in a new rich-full way, trusting Him through faith that He provides through your relationship with Him, and that He shows you the way.
A relationship with Jesus, is what people need, is what society thirsts for. Jesus is the way for each person. Jesus is the way to make you rich.....in the spiritual realm.
Jesus makes me rich.
January 2013
‘Jesus in my neighbour’
Everybody in this world wants to be loved. If we do not love, if I am not being loved, there would be emptiness in the world around us. Love is to be sincere, genuine, and real. This love is the love of Jesus, the love He gave to the world.
We are to love everyone, in other words our neighbour is whom we are to love. And here is the challenge. How am I to love someone whom is difficult to love? How am I to love someone who has only shown hatred?
The secret of how to love, is by knowing Jesus in a personal way. Knowing Him is knowing His love, is knowing how to love. He has loved everyone by dying on the cross.
My neighbour, is Jesus. When I love my neighbour I am loving Jesus. I am to see Jesus in my neighbour. Only by loving Jesus I am able to love my neighbour.
Jesus is my neighbour. Am I loving Jesus? Am I loving my neighbour?
December 2012
‘Increasing my Faith’
What is Faith all about? Is it possible in today’s world to have Faith? Many people argue that Faith is outdated, old fashioned, not for the young people and so on.
Faith can never be outdated, old fashioned and so on. Having Faith is possible. Having Faith makes a person complete, makes the person whole. A person having Faith, is a person being spiritual close to God.
Faith is based on living your life in a close relationship with Jesus Christ the Son of God. My Faith has increased over the years, because I have always sought to live this particular relationship with Jesus. Yes, reading books about Faith, listening to a talk about Faith has also contributed to increase my Faith. But for sure the most important is to have this personal relationship with Jesus, for He has increased my Faith and made me whole.
A personal relationship with Jesus helps me to live each moment in my life through His Love, His Grace, His Peace and His Comfort amongst others. This relationship has helped me increasing my Faith, making me able to live fulfilled and not just ‘exist’.
Be encouraged, have Faith in Him, and let Him increase your Faith during the coming year. This is possible through your relationship with Jesus, ...... by praying.
November 2012
‘Getting to know Jesus’
Many books, articles have been written about Jesus. Many films about Jesus have also been done. Also, on the internet one can find endless information about Jesus. All these can help or disrupt you from getting to know Jesus. This depends solely if the source is genuine or not.
Getting to know Jesus in a personal way is possible by building a personal relationship with Him. A relationship built through prayer, and of sincerely seeking Him in your life. Pray, pray, pray to really know Jesus in a personal way. Pray to Jesus that He may guide you about the Truth and to reveal to you His Love.
Knowing Jesus makes a big difference in life. Be encouraged and know that there are millions of people who really know Jesus and are living a fulfilled life through His Love.
You can also be one of those people who know Jesus. Pray, get to know Jesus, and live a fulfilled life.
October 2012
‘Trust Him’
Have you ever trusted someone with something that is very important to your life? Maybe it was difficult to find a person whom to trust. Or, maybe for some kind of reason you find it difficult to trust someone?
Maybe you needed to be comforted and never found that person whom you could share with and trust. And over the years you have never managed to find comfort, help, and guidance to your life, because of lack of trust.
For sure there are people whom one can trust to help you with your life. You need to do your part and ask for help.
Have you ever thought of the person by the name of Jesus? I know that He really can be trusted. Try and contact Him. Well, he doesn’t have a mobile or an email account to get in contact with. But you can always pray to Him for some advice about life.
Trust Him…….He will answer you!
September 2012
‘Jesus overcomes all struggles’
At times we struggle with different things in life. Maybe for some reason we struggle to go to work….or we struggle to love our dear ones! Maybe we also struggle with our faith and find it difficult to believe in Jesus. We struggle to forgive!
These struggles together with others make our life burdened and weary.
We need to understand that all our struggles have been dealt with by Jesus when He died on the cross for us…for you. Maybe we also struggle to understand this and to believe it.
Maybe all these are the result of not having a personal relationship with Jesus, of not letting Him be part of our life, of not giving Him the chance, of not spending time in prayer.
This is a reality which a lot of people are living….not letting Jesus be part of their life and trying on their own strength to overcome the struggles. The result being the lack of real peace through love lived between people.
Today, Jesus is still the answer to overcome all these struggles in life. We only need to Trust Him and in response He will show us the way.
Jesus is waiting for you!
August 2012
‘Giving Jesus to society’
Today’s society puts a big challenge on our faith. We might feel that our faith is threatened.
This is the challenge we are to face on a daily basis. If built on a solid rock our relationship with Jesus will not break by any threat. Our faith depends on our relationship with Jesus.
We are to be responsible to increase our relationship with Jesus so to strengthen our faith. We are to find the ways and means to nurture our faith. Deep in our heart, we know what we should do to nurture our faith, we know whom to seek, and where to go. Jesus has told us what to do. The question is, are we doing it? Are we letting society influencing our faith? Or, we are letting our faith influencing society?
Nurturing our faith is each person responsibility and is possible when one seeks Jesus in a personal way. The love and peace that you receive from Jesus is a gift for you to give to others. Giving Jesus to others, is giving Jesus to society, is changing society.
You are part of society, and have the responsibility to change society by giving Jesus!
July 2012
‘Loving my neighbour’
Who is my neighbour? Who is my neighbour I am to love?
Any person I meet during the day is my neighbour, and they are all deserved to be loved. God loves each and every person I meet during the day, but, do I love them?
The truth if I am really living the gospel depends amongst others if I love my neighbour. Yes, I can be hurt by my neighbour, but the test is, do I love them?
Forgiveness and reconciliation are important in my life if I really want to love my neighbour. Loving my neighbour helps me to be closer to God. Being closer to God helps me to live a life more in peace and in unity with the people I meet.
The fullness of my life depends a lot if I love my neighbour. So the next time you are with your neighbour, ask God to help you to love that person.