the questions that cannot be answered

"You are so young, so much before all beginning, and I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." I have never liked a quote so much. And so here it is-to share with you all.

The Butterfly Circus

Thanks to Terence K for sharing this on his blog.



God bless guys :))

A riddle- What we have all stopped asking

This most exciting question was discussed differently before: whether we needed a core, what commitment and journeying means, the influences of the "blue ants and the red ants" etc. Some of you might have encountered this before. Some of us might not know the details of those discussions and I think in general, this question has slowly lost its force at the back of people's minds.

Why have we stopped asking this question? Because the structures in place make me and perhaps many assume that the question is answered or that there are other people asking it. In place of this question is another more insidious and pervasive movement of efficiency that lies within our agendas and behind the manner in which decisions are made. This question is replaced by a work culture that has inevitably entered into the community's, that focuses on the pragmatic at the expense of the spiritual.

What is this question? It is a question that has been asked too often at one point in time, and have become completely non-existent at another. It is one that asks for the individual to ask within himself or herself, in Henry Nouwen's words, what deeply celebrating another's life is. It is a question that has brought many, myself included to be a part. That question has ironically has also made others leave. It is one that hides in the recesses of our being and begs for our attention because it asks what is fundamental- it is embedded in scripture, from the genesis of the first family to the Acts of the apostles. It hides behind the richness of the scriptural verse, "and everyday they met for the breaking of bread" and "when two or three are gathered in my name, there i will be".

Is there a need to ask this question? Archbishop fulton sheen said that this generation has "declined in controversy" and that the church loves controversy because the truth must be re-iterated in a different way to this generation that is one in constant flux. And that dialogue promotes appreciation. We must continue to encounter this question in the ways MSC has grown and evolved, simply because this growth shapes our understanding of this question and at the same time is as a result of it! This question also moves a person to ask "how can i contribute". And this is where the question stops being an abstract, theoretical or even intellectual one. It moves us to reflect on our relationships and moves us to be real. The questions begs our participation and prayer and makes sense of our realities, diverse as they are.

I will be quick to add that there is no final answer, or that there is even a right one. But that is not the point. What is most important is that you ask it. Simply because it is yours to ask. It is not a mathematical definition so that I can prove you wrong when you say two and two equals ten, but a question that is personal and posed to you and you alone. So if some say that the answer is "to find me some friends", that answer if it is not yours will be shown in the choices you make and the way you set your priorities.

And the challenge of the Church today, is to bring one deeper into answering that question. The challenge of our friends today, is to tear away our illusions that shoves this question aside. Finally, The challenge of MSC today is to bring one to encounter the answer.

September 26, 2009
Relationships are Worth Restoring
by Rick Warren

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you . . . agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends" (Philippians 2:1-2 Msg).

Relationships are always worth restoring.

Life is all about learning how to love, and God wants us to value relationships and make every effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict.

In fact, the Bible tells us that God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant amount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another.

The Apostle Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Since Christ wants his family to be known for our love for each other, broken fellowship is a disgraceful testimony to unbelievers. This is why Paul was so embarrassed that the members of the church in Corinth were splitting into warring factions and even taking each other to court.

He wrote, "Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians" (1 Cor. 6:5 TEV). He was shocked that no one in the church was mature enough to resolve the conflict peaceably. In the same letter, he said, "I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other" (1 Cor. 1:10 Msg).

If you want God's blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Jesus said, "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9 NLT).

Notice Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace lovers," because everyone loves peace. Neither did he say, "Blessed are the peaceable," who are never disturbed by anything. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who work for peace"--those who actively seek to resolve conflict.

Peacemakers are rare because peacemaking is hard work, but because you were formed to be a part of God's family, peacemaking is one of the most important skills you can develop.

Unfortunately, most of us were never taught how to resolve conflict, so over the next few days, we'll consider the steps necessary to resolve conflict.

Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

Reflecting on the 10th Year Anniversary via Colin

A person that springs to my mind, when i think of MSC and its 10 year anniversary celebration, is Colin. This is the person i will be sharing, who has touched my life and who i believe, is a rich source of reflection and inspiration for all who have started this journey, for all who had walked and are tired and all who wonder where they are going from here.

I will not repeat Colin's personal history to you. That is his story to tell. Instead, what i will tell is the grace that has shown through him, that empowers this community to be the movement it seeks to be today.

Colin is, by all means, one of the most authentic human beings i know. Why authentic human being? Because his life is not simple. It is not "i met God one day" and things became alright from then on. Colin's life is authentic precisely because it reflects the complexity of emotions, of failings and of fears. His life shows that the mustard seed can, against the toils of draught and the hostility of environment, burst forth with life into the sunlight.

Ask him about his life, you will see. You know, it is easy to read about grace from some christian author or a forwarded email- some person being saved by a momentary inspiration that can only be God-given. But to touch and feel up close, a grace that has worked through the painful difficulties of a person's life; from the upheaval of friendships and family to the personal struggles from within, that's the irreplaceable gift of Colin to you.

It is a gift because people dont just get to see and hear the words of God. They get to encounter Him. Just like how Jesus appeared to Thomas to reveal the wounds on his hands and feet such that he would "doubt no longer", similar is this gift. Again, you will have to talk to him to fully understand. What i can only describe is that here is a witness of courage that not many have.

Whilst many fear to be known for who they really are, Colin is uninhibited in sharing who he really is. Beneath the daily grind of working and studying life, comes this young man who looks at every avenue for a reason to rejoice and for every opportunity to allow another to know his life. And ye shall indeed find, for there have been many Sunday mornings where i see his joy in knowing Jesus in a new way, getting some new spiritual direction. That's a renewal that takes place on a statistically microscopic scale, but with results that span into the eternal.

This is not only an affirmation to Colin. But a reflection of the rich gift that God has bestowed in our community. This is something that others will find or have found, that has brought them to join us. This is the branches of the Tree reaching out to the birds of the air, telling them that this can be their home. We start from one man entering a transaction- in exchange for 15 minutes, is a glimpse of God's work through his life. In reflecting about the 10th year anniversary, I am grateful for the growth in my life. That being said, i think i have come to be aware of the many other miracles that this community has, in some way, been a witness to.

May our prayers for vocations lead to many more answering the call

A good friend of mine sent me this and I thought of just sharing it...
________________________________________________

What is a typical day in the life of a Priest? Every day is different but the following on display in Galway Cathedral will give some clues:

My husband has left me
Can you spare a fiver? I’m out on the streets
Bless me Father for I have sinned
Can you bless our house?
Will you say a prayer that I’ll get the interview?
The Paschal candle's been stolen!
Sarah’s living with her boyfriend
Come up later for the tea
Eddie has given up his faith
My son has got his girlfriend pregnant
What made you become a priest?
The organist refuses to play that!
Alex wants to be confirmed
The folk group has walked out
Dad’s been sent to prison
Deirdre’s on drugs
Father come quickly our mother is dying
Owen doesn’t want to serve Mass any more
Can I marry a Buddhist in a Church ceremony?
Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit
My girlfriend is having an abortion
Will you teach me how to pray?
Can you say Mass with the youth group next week?
We want to get married
I’d say she could do with a chat
Do you do baptisms on a Friday?
The Bishop wants your help with something, will you call to his house this evening
Will you help us set up a St.Vincent De Paul conference in the parish?
Something’s really bothering me Father and I’ve never told this to anyone before.

Can i wash less dishes please?

Building on Your Strengths by Rick Warren "The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him" (Romans 12:3 MSG).

Long before words like empowerment became popular, business writer Peter Drucker was telling us that the secret of achieving results is to focus on your strengths and the strengths of those you work with, rather than focusing on weaknesses. The truth is all of us are a bundle of both strengths and weaknesses. No one is strong in every area. If you closely watch anyone with outstanding strengths, you'll eventually notice that they also exhibit outstanding weaknesses. I think God planned each of us this way. No one is good at everything, so we need each other and are forced to cooperate. The Bible says this: "In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else" (Romans 12:4–6 MSG). Here's the point: Find out what God made you to do well and do more of it. Don't worry about what you don't do well. In fact, try to do as little as possible of what you don't do well. Then find out what others do well and help them to be able to do more of it.

--
Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

Reminds me of Mother Theresa's Dark Night

"I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going" (Job 23:8-10 NLT).

Yesterday we saw that David frequently complained of God's apparent absence; but, the truth is, God hadn't really left David, just as God will never leave you. He has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Yet God has not promised "you will always feel My presence." In fact, God admits that sometimes He hides His face from us (Isaiah 45:15).

There are times when He appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life.

Floyd McClung describes it: "You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises . . . you have your friends pray for you . . . you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast . . . still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Weeks? Months? Will it ever end? . . . it feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation, you cry out, 'What's the matter with me?'" (Finding Friendship with God; Ann Arbor, MI: Vine Books, 1992; 186).

The truth is, there's nothing wrong with you! This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once, and usually several times. It is painful and disconcerting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith.

Knowing this gave Job hope when he could not feel God's presence in his life. He said, "I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going. And when He has tested me like gold in a fire, He will pronounce me innocent" (Job 23:8-10 NLT).

When God seems distant, you may feel that He is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with God. We grieve God's Spirit and quench our fellowship with Him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world, and other sins (see Psalm 51; Ephesians 4:29-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Jeremiah 2:32; 1 Corinthians 8:12; James 4:4).

But often this feeling of abandonment or estrangement from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith—one we all must face: Will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship.

--
Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

just another retreat-ant's reflections

Hi seedlings,

haven't written in a long while, but got an inspiration tonight, at Deacon Harold's session. This is going to sound different from my previous posts, or at least it would have sounded different if you were to hear me speak it.

Many things I learnt recently, about friendship, about truth... mostly though about sin that is committed even without the intent to. There is a lack in internet communication, because it doesn't show expression - facial and tonal, and it doesn't commit a person's physical presence. But what it lacks it makes up for in variety, in shrinking physical distances, and in creativity. Sometimes creativity is overrated, and what i've found over the past couple of months, is that the simplest of circumstances can create an amazing greenhouse for reading the bible, conversing with god, and deepening in the faith. Two constants that i've found in my recent faith journey are the constant need for forgiveness and reconciliation with god, as well as prayer and an acknowledgment of blessings. I've also found that at some times, money can add to creating warmth, while at other times, it is an obstacle to community life.

Contraception, marriage and sexual relations had been something that was bothering me a lot early on, and which I had tried to resolve by "talking it out" to no one in particular really but myself (in a very inappropriate manner, i have realized). It bothered me because there was a gap between the "ideals" of the faith (as i saw it) and what is in life. In fact it was and is a very huge gap, and some issues relating to it continue to bug me every now and then, especially the economy of prostitution. I should add too that much of it has also been resolved, because I know now in myself what my own stand or preference is, as well as how much I can bear or accept. Interestingly, what just came up for me tonight is a question about the sacrament of reconciliation. Why is it that only priests can dispense it and not nuns? Why is it that the lay person also seems excluded from dispensing this sacrament? In theory I guess I can see the logic, but there is a huge argument in my heart, or perhaps I should say soul.

Serene Goh

How to decide how much to reveal about yourself

 

Here are the latest updates for raymondtheodoreraphael@gmail.com "Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist" - 1 new article How to decide how much to reveal about yourself More Recent Articles Search Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist How to decide how much to reveal about yourself People ask me all the time how I can be so honest about my life in my blog. They want to know how I can write about marriage, sex, abortions, or running out of money over and over again. It's an endless list really, of the stuff I write about that people can't believe I'm writing about. But each of you has a list of things in your life similar to that, it's just a list you don't want to talk about. I'm not special—I don't have more stuff that is difficult to talk about. I just have more difficulty not talking about difficult stuff. This is why. I'm going to start by telling you that I was at the World Trade Center when it fell. I was in a post-traumatic stress support group afterward. People were divided into groups of ten based on their experience at the site—how bad things were for you that day. I was in a group comprised mostly of people who narrowly escaped the building before it fell and, as they were running out of the building, were splattered by body parts from people who were jumping out of the building. We had individual therapy as well. Here's what my therapist said to me: "Your childhood was so terrible that your experience at the World Trade Center was nothing compared to what you experienced as a kid. Your post-traumatic stress therapy needs to focus on your childhood." That was the first time I really had a sense of how bad my childhood had been. I knew everyone in the world thought things at the World Trade Center were terrible. So this must mean that my childhood was really terrible. I was 34. When I was five, I knew something was not right. That's when I started therapy. I was never totally sure why my parents were sending me. When I was seven I knew something was not right because the neighbor came over to our house when my parents were smashing picture frames over each others' head. The neighbor said to me and my little brother, "Come with me." Then my memories get blurry. The next thing I remember is my high school homeroom teacher. I skipped a day of school and then came to school with a black eye and a note from my dad that said I had been sick. She said that she was not accepting notes from my dad anymore. She said I could not come back to school the next time I miss a day unless I called the police. I don't remember what I thought when she said that. Except that I thought, "Does she know what's going on at my house? How does she know? I never told her anything." I remember the next time my dad beat me up though. I called the police and they came. Like always. And my dad said nothing was wrong. Like always. And then the police started to leave. Like always. But then I said, "Hold it. Wait. My teacher won't let me back in school unless I get a note from you that says I called you." I don't remember what else happened. I remember the police asking me if I want to leave. I remember my mom saying, "Yes. Please. Take her away. Please." I went to my grandma's to live. I spent all of high school living at my grandma's. The school social worker spent the rest of high school trying to convince me that my parents did something wrong. My grandma spent the rest of high school telling me that my parents were completely irresponsible. Except at family gatherings. When my parents were there, with my three brothers, and everyone pretended that everything was normal and that I did not live at my grandma's. I don't remember very much. I went to college and spent my time trying to sort things out: abusive boyfriends, bulimia, anti-depressants, and cutting. Getting nearly straight-A's for a lot of the time. I sorted very little out. I went to a mental ward the summer of my senior year. My parents visited me. They told me they were happy I was in the mental ward. My extended family visited me and they did not mention my parents. No one talked about why I might be there. My parents were anxious and loud in the family meetings: Begging the doctors to keep me from going back to their house. But even the doctors could not quite figure out why I was there: I worked on my senior thesis, I was a model patient, and I started dating a doctor right after that. After I graduated, I moved back to Chicago, where he lived and so did my parents. I couldn't figure out how to support myself and there were so many opportunities for me to try nude modeling jobs. The doctor thought it was ridiculous. He thought I was too uptight to model. I said I probably was, but I wanted to try because it was such good money. I said they first test you out in a swimsuit. He said, "Don't you need some sample photos?" I said, "Yeah. I have some," and I pulled them out of my bag. The doctor looked. He smiled. He said, "Who took them?" I said, "My dad." The doctor flipped. He went nuts. He couldn't believe it. I was mostly surprised. I had no idea that my dad taking the photos was weird. That I didn't know it was weird made the doctor even more upset. I remember trying to figure out why I thought it was okay. Or why he thought it was not okay. I was 22. I didn't tell anyone about the pictures. I started having nightmares about having sex with my parents. I started not being able to sleep. I didn't tell anyone though. Because I thought I was crazy. Then my dad visited me a few years later, when I lived in Los Angeles. He wanted to go camping. I went. I was so nervous about being alone with him that I read almost all of One Hundred Years of Solitude before I went into the tent. Then he took off his clothes, down to his underwear, and snuggled up next to me, with his arms around me and his penis up against my back. Then I knew. Or I thought I knew. I slept outside the tent. I didn't talk the rest of the time. I don't think he even noticed. I know the street in Los Angeles we were parked on when I finally asked, "Dad, did you do sexually inappropriate things with me when I was younger?" He said, "Yes." I had no memory of what, exactly, he did. I still have no memory of it. And I was scared to ask him more. I asked my mom the same question. She gave me the same answer. Both parents have said they were sorry. But that is not my point. My point is that my childhood was ruined by secrets. In hindsight, so many people kept the secret: my family, the police, teachers before my freshman year. Decades later, when I asked my high school friends what they thought of me in high school, two of them told me that everyone thought I was nuts coming to school beaten up so often. I'm not kidding when I say that I thought I was keeping that a secret. So what I'm telling you here is that I'm scared of secrets. I'm more scared of keeping things a secret than I am of letting people know that I'm having trouble. People can't believe how I'm willing to write about my life here. But what I can't believe is how much better my life could have been if it had not been full of secrets. So today, when I have a natural instinct to keep something a secret, I think to myself, "Why? Why don't I want people to know?" Because if I am living an honest life, and my eyes are open, and I'm trying my hardest to be good and kind, then anything I'm doing is fine to tell people. That's why I can write about what I write about on this blog. And when you think you cannot tell someone something about yourself, ask yourself, "Really, why not?" • Email to a friend • Article Search • Related • View comments • Track comments • • More Recent Articles How to feel steady in a shaky economy Sarah Palin's resignation inspires me How to face cash-flow issues in a start-up How to have more self-discipline How to divorce new-millennium style (and I love Kate Gosselin)

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Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

Rick Warren shares about faith and dreams

"But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind . . . Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do" (James 1:6, 8 NLT).

 

After God gives you a dream, the next step for building your faith is decision; God challenges you to do something about your dream.

Nothing is going to happen to that dream until you wake up and put it into action. You've got to make the decision: "I'm going to go for it!" For every ten dreamers in the world, there is only one decision maker. A lot of people have dreams but they never get to step two: making the decision to trust God and follow their dream.

James says, "But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:6-7 TEV).

Faith is a verb. It's active and not passive. It's something you do. Decision making is a faith-building activity. You use your muscles of faith.

Faithful decision making requires two things:

1. You must decide to invest your time, money, reputation, and energy. You lay it on the line; you take the plunge. You say, "God, You've told me to do this and I'm going to be faithful to do it!"

2. You have to let go of security. You cannot move in faith and hold onto the past at the same time. You have to move forward. God told Abraham that He was going to make him the father of a great nation, and that meant Abraham had to leave his home for an unknown destination. Moses had to let go of his position in Pharaoh's kingdom in order to do God's will. Nehemiah gave up a secure job in order to go build a wall around Jerusalem. In other words, if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.

A great illustration of God's plan is a trapeze artist. They swing out holding onto a trapeze bar, and then they let go in order to grab hold of another trapeze bar that swings them to the other side. But, at one point, they're not holding on to any bar. They're suspended in air for a split second.

Have you ever been there in a career, where you're leaving one job for another and nothing's in between? You're 180 feet above the ground with no net below and holding onto nothing.

But if you don't let go and grab onto the vision God wants you to have, you swing back. Only you don't swing all the way back; instead, you swing back lower and lower until you're finally stopped, hanging there in the air. And there's only one way out: down!

That's why God brings you to a point of decision, so your faith will build as you swing toward the dream God has given you.


--
Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

free-falling

I'm free falling in my world of faith because I am stripped of what I recognise where God is - in community, in bible sharing, in youth ministry, in chershire home, in St Francis Xavier. And now the challenge is to recognise God in me. I'm still falling and sometimes it's a scary fall, sometimes it's a trust-filled fall, either ways I'm waiting to land on the solid secure bedrock - God Himself.

When what is precious is taken from you

2009-06-28

Perhaps the reality that is hardest of all to accept in life is the unalterable fact that everything that is precious to us will, in some way, eventually be taken away. Our kids grow up and leave home, friends move away, loved ones die, we lose our health, and eventually we die too. Moreover even what is precious to us in terms of our faith and values suffers in the same way: things change, thoughts and feelings shift, rock foundations that once anchored us unassailably give way, doubt creeps in, the bottom falls out, and we are left wondering what we really believe in and what really can be trusted.

Happily this is only half the equation: Everything we lose is eventually given back to us, and in a deeper way. Our kids become wonderful adults who begin to parent us, new bonds of friendship form across distance, we reconnect in a deeper and more permanent way to our loved ones who have died, we find something deeper and more permanent than physical health, death opens us up to the infinite, and the bottom falling out of old beliefs sends us free-falling to a place where we land on bedrock, on a foundation so secure that it can never be shaken again.

We see the pattern for this in scripture in the story of the Jewish community and the Babylonian exile. This is the background:

After arriving in Palestine ("the Promised Land") it took a number of generations to establish control over the land, unite all the various tribes into one nation, and build a temple in Jerusalem as center for worship. The great kings, David and Solomon, accomplished this and the people were left with a great sense of security, both political and religious. They felt strong, especially religiously. God had promised them a land, and now they had a land; God had promised them a king, and now they had a king; and God had promised them a temple, and now they had a temple. They saw in those three realities: land, king, and temple, sure proof of God's existence and God's providence for them. God's promises were empirically verifiable.

But, just when they were most complacent inside of that security, the Assyrians came and conquered the land, deported all the people to Babylon, killed the king, and knocked down the temple to its last stone. With that, the loss of land, king, and temple, the bottom fell out of their world, religiously and literally. Everything that had once anchored their security had been taken away from them and they felt exiled not just from their homeland but also from their God and their religion. If God's presence was assured in land, king, and temple, and these have been taken from us, where is God? How to you continue to believe, trust, and live in joy when all that once anchored these has been taken from you?

God's answer was this: You will find me again, when you search for me in a deeper way, with your whole heart, your whole mind, and your whole soul. God gives us that same answer today whenever we feel betrayed, orphaned, and disoriented in this same way.

And this is the deep lesson: In terms of our faith and values, everything that isn't God, be it ever so true and wonderful, will eventually be taken away from us. Why? They aren't God. They might serve wonderfully for a time as icons, but icons held too tightly or held too long become idols from which we need to be purged.

This is true even for what is most precious to us religiously - scripture, the creeds of our faith, the church itself, great saints, great moral mentors. In the end, wonderful as they are, they aren't God. They can be wonderful vehicles towards God, icons, PowerPoint presentations about God, but they aren't God and always eventually, somehow a needed iconoclasm will occur and we will, not without deep pain and disillusionment, learn this through bitter experience. All good spiritual literature, including scripture itself, makes this clear.

Icons help lead to God, idols help block access to God. An idol is simply an icon that has been held on to for too long. And so there is a purifying dynamic written into the DNA of faith itself: We are given certain things to hang onto for a time, a certain language, certain rituals, certain creeds and dogmas, a certain understanding of our faith, holy men and women as models, spiritual literature that nourishes us, and, not least, a certain inner sense of trust and security that all of this is good, is right, and is in some way God.

And this is good, for awhile. But the day comes, usually occasioned by deep pain and loss, where the bottom falls out and we go into a free-fall where, no matter what we try to grasp onto will not hold us until eventually we land on something solid, bedrock, God himself.

Our One Great Fidelity

Was doing some late night surfing and came across this article by Ron Rolheiser.
I think it's true, the older I become, the more I realise the mystery of my faith, the unseeable, the unimaginable, the intangible God and the very fragility of my faith. The Eucharist, in all its simplicity gives me the strength to keep on pushing and sustaining me in my faith.

Do have a read!

http://www.ronrolheiser.com/columnarchive/archive_display.php?rec_id=466

The Eucharist is such a ritual-container for Christians. We can't sustain our faith, charity, forgiveness, and hope on the basis of feeling or thought, but we can sustain them through the Eucharist. We can't always be clear-headed or warm-hearted; we can't always be sure that we know the exact path of God; and we won't always measure up morally and humanly to what faith asks of us. But we can be faithful in this one, deep way: We can go to the Eucharist regularly.

God loves giving you surprises

Or a tight slap in the face for that matter...

haha...

You see, living by yourself in a country with few people you know is a challenging thing.
And there I was complaining my lungs out to God about my loneliness in Switzerland.

"Why you bring me here then never help me? Hmph!" *pout*

But this morning's Gospel about Jesus calming the sea taught me that even though God may be sleeping, He is always there and is just waiting for you to ask Him, and to ask Him in the way He wants you to ask.

The book of Job's account of God's rebute ended with

and here shall your proud waves break

made me think about my own desires to rise above God's plans and to see to it that I get what I deserve. After all, I do deserve it, don't I?

I sense a calling to look at life through God's eyes. Is there a deeper purpose to being here, by myself at this moment? Where is God leading me in this journey? How do I let myself be led by Him?

Greetings frm Zurich

I thought I shall post a short sharing with MSC...

Firstly, thanks for all your prayers and support. I'm very thankful that everything is well and good here and I'm settling in nicely over the last week. I attend at church called the English Speaking Roman Catholic Mission in St Anton's parish and it's really family-like. People know each other and are very friendly. Mainly an international community. I have not thought about joining a ministry and will need to spend some time in prayer to see where He would lead me.

Today's sermon was delivered by a very humorous and lively priest. He picked out a phrase in today's gospel reading

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

It was about being present to God and how to be present to Him. Moving to a new country, a new environment is very overwhelming. Sometimes I'm just swamped by the number of things to do, process, sign up, change etc... and it's hard to be still and be present to God. Today, the priest asked the congregation two questions:
1. Do you pray?
2. Where is God in your life?

Very simple but very essential questions. And how pertinent they are to me at this point in time. Work is just a number one priority to me now. I'm not here to play or enjoy my life... I feel that I've been so blessed and given such a big responsibility that to not give my best, would be to be such a cheater. So the expectations are high and the pressure I impose is what I'm accustomed to, but my faith always keeps me grounded to what are the most important things in my life and to not let them be taken over by work. Like my sense of belonging or my identity. Moreover, I sense God pushing me to rely on Him to manage my work, to give me ideas, and to glorify Him through my work, to be a good worker and also a compassionate and helpful co-worker.

So, just like to praise God for bringing me back to where I belong and challenging me to pray more over here. It is a struggle to pray, but like what Jesus promised, I don't have to struggle alone.

GB, and miss u guys!

Worship Him!

When you express your love for God, it's called worship. One way you can express your love is by singing to him.

You've probably noticed that music and love go together because music comes from the heart. It's not something you do intellectually; it's something that comes out of your soul and your emotions.

And because of that there are many love songs in the world. It's also the reason more songs have been written about Jesus Christ than any other topic in the world. Nothing even comes in as a close second.

Christianity is a singing faith. Why? Because it's not about religion! It's about a love affair; it's about a relationship with God—God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you and He wants you to love Him back.

Nothing will make you more aware of God's love and God's presence in your life than singing and praising. I know you may be thinking, "But you don't understand. I can't sing." That's okay, because the Bible says, "Make a joyful noise" (Psalm 66:1 KJV). You can do that. When we go to football games or when somebody is getting married we make a joyful noise. So just let it out! You don't have to hit the right note; you just have to make a joyful noise.

Since you can sing anywhere, you can express your love of God anywhere. That means you can worship in the shower; you can worship when you're working in the garden; you can worship washing dishes; or you can worship driving to work.

How often do you sing your thanks and love to God? Daily? Regularly? Occasionally?

If you really think about what God has done in your life, you won't be able to help yourself. Your praise for God will burst forth and your worship will flow to God.
Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

To all Adult Advisors and those involved in the Youths.

The fountain of youth, according to egyptologists,is where one finds the water that brings immortality. Man's use of metaphors to describe eternity, and the great promises of happiness, seems embedded in the idea of youth, in the promises of young. Jesus said, "unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Amongst all the mysteries of faith and theology, the church has begun its exploration into the depths behind the mysteries of youth.

If a community is a place where youths come together to grow, then it is also the sanctuary behind which this mystery blossoms and evolves. For there is a congregation of the creative, the brilliant, the prayerful, the leader, the Mary, the Martha, the intellectual, the simple, all of which we cant do without. There is no one more important than the other. But individually, the community brings what st Irenaus calls, "the glory of God" when these persons are made "fully alive". And when all of us youths stand together, we find the words "there I will be in your midst" made real and visible- when a hand reaches out, when a shoulder is offered, when a quiet prayer is said about an anonymous person sick and alone, when one says "i am sorry" and another "me too", when one raises his palms in worship, when a hug is proferred, when the word is shared, when an affirmation is given, when a challenge is posed- all in all, where there is love.

The great mystery behind the youths lies behind the indefatigueable energy to respond to love- amidst the competing chaotic madness of society. What places the youths on the pedestals of all those seeking for somehting more is the simple innocence that some lose, and that others fight desperately to keep. The community of youths sometimes find that the only answer to the shackles of cynicism and chains of disillusionment, is an unceasing faith and a love that transcends human capacities. That is the power behind the actions of a friend i know, who in spite of his struggle with the pain of losing a relationship, continually takes on hte unenviable tasks of heading ministries and orgainizing events- a verse that reminds me of the confusion that Peter must have felt, and the trust in Jesus when he responded "where do we go, Lord, you alone have the message of eternal life".

Of course, one could say that i am painting too rosy a picture, blurring all the issues behind what each community faces. Yet, maybe that is the picture we must have in mind. It is from the Space station, the astronauts realise the green brown and blue that we call Earth, is something wonderfully pure and gentle inspite of what we might read these days on the internet. Sometimes a picture from afar is the picture we have always had, jsut somehow lost along the way. Are there problems? sure. But as a whole, as a collective identity we coin the "youths", can we ascend from them?

The late Pope John Paul decided to theme one of his World Youth Day messages on the verse "Do not be afraid". That is the answer to all of life's questions. Franklin Roosevelt said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. J K Rowling said we can live life without any mishappenings by living in a protective bubble-but that is a forfeit on life by default. Henry JM Nouwen said, "can a firemen rescue a child in a burning building without risking his life or himself getting burnt?" Courage is the answer- to living an authentic life, following God's call or to simply be vulnerable in sharing one's life.

Looking at the world these days, is it easy to fall into some sort of despair? Sure- its swine flu, genocide, wars, eonomic depression; its floods and famines. Looking at ourselves it is also easy to fall into despair- its unfinished assignments, obligations as a friends, obligations as a child, obligations as a sibling, its the guilt of falling into sin, its the helplessness of falling into habitual sin etc. There is much out there that tells us we are lost. But as the song in Casting Crowns go, "the Voice of Truth, tells me a different story...(it) says do not be afraid". The church has focused on you, the youths. Because it believes that is where the lights of truth and peace, of joy and hope, of ideals still longed for, only waiting to be glimpsed at, will be brought forth, echoing the words of our Lord, "i have come to give you life, and life to the fullest."

From the Philippines!

Dear Raymond,

Greetings in the name of our loving Christ! How are you? Been some
time since I wrote. Pray that you and family are doing well. The
commuity is fine, we were out for mission outreach in the mountain
province from 20th Oct - 3 rd May. It went very well, Praise God.
Before that, we had a group of young people coming from Itugon and
Belwang, they stayed in our community from 14th- 19th April for LSS
(Life in the spirit seminar). They also experience living in
community and evangelisation in Burnharm Park, one of our outreach
programme which we held once a month..We were ivited by priests from
Belwang (4 days follow-up programme), Utocan (3 days Camp 30 plus
youths)) and Bontok (3 days LSS for 70 youths) in the mountain
province. We were very happy because the priests were very supportive,
We had a blessed time and God was touching many of the youths whom we
were ministering to. Now, we are back in community and this week-end a
team of us will go to Itugon 16th-18th May for a week-end programme
for about 40 youths. We have the blessing from Fr. Mark. The rest of
the community members will have community meeting on sat and sunday
morning they will sing for Mass (choiring) at St. Scholastica Convent.
After Mass they will have their bible assignments cos' they have to
present it in group, in the community, Besides that we are also
preparing for our Conference (1st Baguio Revival Conference) which
will be held on the 16th -18th Oct. That's it for now. Do take care
and know that you are in our prayers.

Winnie

Rick Warren is such a wise man i tell you!

"Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think
that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people
come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to
watch it slip through your fingers!" (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NLT)

When you spend more than you earn, you end up in tremendous stress.
The Bible says, "Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get
it" (Proverbs 21:20 TEV).

What motivates us to live beyond our means? Why do we spend ourselves
into debt? Why are we rarely satisfied with what we have?

There are three myths that drive us into debt:

MYTH: Having more things will make me happier.

FACT: "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to
think that wealth brings true happiness!...So what good is
wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!"
(Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NLT)

MYTH: Having more things will make me more important.

FACT: "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed;
because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter
how rich you may be" (Luke 12:15 TEV).

MYTH: Having more things will make me more secure.

FACT: "The Lord is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and
be safe. Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them
like high, strong walls around a city" (Proverbs 18:10-11 TEV).

When we buy into these myths, we always overspend. So, here's how to
enjoy life more on less:

• Find happiness in helping others. Jesus said, "There is more
happiness in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:35 TEV). Just look
around you and you'll see this is true. The happiest people are those
who help the most, not those who have the most. Misers are always
miserable.

• Find self-worth by getting to know God. God says, "...you are
precious to me..." (Isaiah 43:4 TEV). You matter to God. He made you
for a purpose. Genuine self-esteem comes from establishing a
relationship with God and becoming all he meant for you to be.

• Find security in trusting God, not a bank balance. The Bible says,
"Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with
what you have. For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never
abandon you'" (Hebrews 13:5 TEV). Real security must be found in
something that can never be taken from you. While there are many ways
to lose your possessions, Jesus said God will take care of you if you
trust Him.

--
Best Regards,
Raymond Theodore Raphael

DIRECTIONS TO HEAVEN

First, make a right onto Believeth Boulevard. Keep going straight through the Green Light, which is Jesus Christ.

From there, you must turn onto the Bridge of Faith, which is over troubled water. When you get off the bridge, make a right turn and keep going straight.You are on the Kings Highway - Heaven bound!

Keep going for three miles: One for the Father, One for the Son, and One for the Holy Ghost then exit off onto Grace Boulevard. From there, make a right turn on Gospel Lane. Keep going straight and then make another right on Prayer Road.

As you go on your way, do not yield to the traffic on Temptation Avenue. Also, avoid Sin Street because it is a Dead End. Pass up Greed Avenue, Hypocrisy Street, Gossiping Road and Backbiting Boulevard.

You have to go down Long-suffering Lane, Persecution Boulevard, and Trials and Tribulations Avenue. But that's okay, because Victory Boulevard is straight ahead! STAY THE COURSE.

:)

DeA's Inspirational Pages