Little Steps

Little steps are made; a slow walk begins accompanied by eyes fixed on a huge cross.

A heart is beating with a mind filled with voices shouting out “I am broken, sinful, filthy, unworthy and everything but your child Lord”

In the silence, I say, “My heart Lord yearns for you and it is restless until it rests in you.”  As you enter, I am consumed by this immense peace.  I know that the God of my life has entered me.  A wonderful silent journey begins and my entire being is being healed and liberated once again. .  As I kneel, I allow my heart to be poured out to you and in that silence; I await to hear your voice.  You do speak to me in that small gentle voice, I hear it. You affirm me of my identity; you open the ears of my heart to truth and truth alone.  Once again, I am reminded and affirmed of my decision to say my “Yes” to you and my heart is overjoyed.

Truly Lord, here in this time, here in this place, here we are standing face to face.  Here in my heart, here in my life, YOU are here.  Here for the broken, here for the strong, here in this temple I belong.  Here in my hearts, here in my life, YOU ARE HERE.  What an amazing time with you, as I hear your voice in this entire half an hour of my life.  The choice to come for daily mass is always worth it Lord!

CCC 1355: In the communion, preceded by the Lord’s prayer and the breaking of the bread, the faithful receive “the bread of heaven” and “the cup of salvation,” the body and blood of Christ who offered himself “for the life of the world”

– Greg

Freedom & Peace

I always think back of the times when I travelled around Europe myself with a backpack and wonder what is it really, that made those times so memorable and satisfying. Remembering a part of those travels reassures me of myself and God’s hand in my life; becoming an anchor for my life.

And I think I found that answer, and I had to do that, by looking at myself from the outside in.

The life in Singapore stifles me, but I enjoy the busy days and multiple responsibilities. I can maintain my faith just alright, but it is stagnant.

When I am alone overseas, I am free. Not just the freedom to do anything I want, eat anything I want or walk where I want to, but the freedom from the day to day worries about school, family, finances; the freedom to relook at all my views about life and to remove the biases, grievances; freedom to then see who I really am, and the graces God has showered upon me. Only then, am I really free to praise God for what He has done in my life because I can finally recognize them clearer and mean what I say in my whisper of a prayer.

I don’t exactly find this freedom, but I avail myself to it. Avail myself by being in a foreign land, by myself, and by being spontaneous and open. Then praying comes so naturally because God reaches me so easily. I feel sometimes, we try to hard to pray or try to hard to reach God, but as Opening to God would explain, prayer is about being open to God – that’s all!

And then I receive peace, something I constantly look for in my faith life, and of which I need more certainly in 2013.

– Mark