I’m part of the service team in the prayer group The Emmaus. We are currently in the midst of YISS (Youth In The Spirit Seminar). This coming weekend we’re going to go for a stay-in retreat where we will have sacrament of reconciliation and baptism of the holy spirit.
Somehow I have been feeling ‘heavy’ these few days ever since we started to actively preparing for this YISS (3 weeks ago). Yesterday during lunch time, few of us meet up to discuss something. And there my sisters shared that they too experience what can probably be called as a spiritual battle. I somehow felt better in a way because I know it’s not because I’m not good enough or not doing the right thing.
Everyday for this past 3 weeks, whenever I surrender my day to God, various things will show up. And the nearer we are getting to this weekend, the stronger the temptation is. I was realizing this then remember there are verses about lion as temptation etc. So I looked it up and found this.
Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that it is the same kind of suffering that the community of your brothers throughout the world is undergoing. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will restore you, he will confirm, strengthen and support you. (1 Pet 5:8-10)
Last night I specifically prayed for everybody in the service team and ask God to protect us and unite us.
Brother and sisters in the service team, if you are reading this, let’s strive and persevere… God be with us always.
I just found this website. Looks interesting and would really like to try playing some of the pieces.
http://www.classtab.org/
In the retreat I attended 2 weeks ago, Fr Gino explained that every time we make the sign of the cross, we are renewing our baptismal promise. After I heard this, I’m very happy every time I make the sign of the cross.
I have encountered before people forgetting to make sign of the cross during prayer meetings. I think this is a loss. We must always remember to make the sign of the cross before and after our prayers. And also there are instances where people (including me at times) are afraid or more like shy to make the sign of the cross before prayer in public places. Continue reading Sign Of The Cross →
I was getting ready to sleep about an hour ago, but I felt not peaceful, and some sort of fear. If I can describe with words, it is as if something evil was going to happen or is going on. I usually pray before sleeping. This time with this uneasy feeling at heart, there’s somehow a desire in to pray the rosary. It is as if Mother (Mary) is asking me, to join with other prayer warriors that is fighting evil. I said in my prayer, “Yes Mother, I’ll pray for you.” Continue reading A Call To Battle In The Night →
In this year of priest, papa Benedict XVI has spoken about the 3 primary tasks entrusted to priests. Today’s Zenit news shared what he said about the third task, guiding. The zenit article can be found at the link below. Continue reading A Pastor According To The Heart Of God →
It’s 2 days before January ends, and I’m still running out of time to write a blog post about my new year experience. I really need to manage my time better. Well just a quick post… Over the last few weeks, amongst my busy activity, whenever I have the time (in the bus/train, waiting for my friend, chewing lunch/dinner) I’d be thinking about what I’d like to do this year. I don’t know whether this is the thing so called as “new year resolution” or it’s just list of things to do.
Well some of the things I’ve decided are…. (This list will add on along the passing of days in 2010)
- Resign from my current job and find a work-from-home job
- Reformat my laptop to run fully on Ubuntu
- Install Microsoft windows in one of the virtual drive of the Ubuntu
- Go for a silent retreat
- Buy an android phone (hopefully Google nexus one)
- Play 1 – 2 full songs with my cello
- Pick up aikido again
I have few other hopes I wanna do and still bringing them in my prayer. These hopes are those related to the people I really care about, and I hold them close to my heart.
Actually what is a new year resolution? My opinion it should involve a change in life to a better state, a conversion of direction, a repentance from sinful habit. Hm, having thought of that scope… I would say my new year resolution is to “give more time in a day to be with God and listen to Him”. I shall do this by cutting down my activity and fasting from certain ‘pleasure’ of accompaniment. I can foresee that I will have quite a difficult time doing this. We’ll see how it goes.
God bless…
People say life is like a wheel turning. Sometimes we’re up sometimes we’re down. After all this while, I if I look back and see my life, yes… it is like a sinusoidal wave. We started with neutral, then life goes up then it goes down then it goes back up. But no matter how big life might be, I am grateful that I have someone who is greater than life, greater than all my problems.
There was one night where the wind blew hard. It blew so hard till my house windows were trembling. It’s common in singapore to have that, but that night it seems that the brother wind is having a joyful time. He blew for quite sometime. Being human I started to wonder, what if it doesn’t stop, wait what if it becomes destructive? Where should I run? Where should I hide? I was tired to think of ways to protect my self. And that’s when I realize how thankful I am to have Jesus in my life. To have a God who is bigger than all my worries and my needs and my existence in life.
At the end of the day, I would really like to remember that I should always put my hope in Him. Like Father Frans de Ridder once told me in my confession, I should say, “I love You Lord, in good times and in bad times.”
