The Power of Prayer

I set my alarm clock each morning for the milk feeding of my little girl.  I hardly spend immediate time in prayer as I rush to the feeding set and prepare for it.  Feed.  Make her relax for a while then have her early morning bath. I take my breakfast and say my prayer before meals prayer in rush.  Make my daughter take her “solid – puree mixed” blended vegetables.  After which  I would remember late in the morning that I forgot to pray.  So I would mention some “rush” prayer. 

Rush…rush …rush.  I seemed to have done things in rush particularly my time for God.  I am a little ashamed to admit that there was a time that this has become a routine.  Not until I heard a Eucharistic celebration where the priest that just joined an Asian convention …a so huge gathering of the devotees of the Divine Mercy shared how it was when he joined it.  What struck me the most was when he said “…we are underestimating the power of God”.     

What did he mean by that?  Underestimating the power of God  meant that we are walking around living our life not minding at all what God could have done with our life.  We have not really accessed Him in all capacities.  He is so available each moment yet, each of these moments is spent as if He is not reachable.  We live life “doing our way” most of the time.

Let me give you an example.  I and my husband like so much to discuss anything including our plans for the future.  In my own moments, I would always feel so far from those we discussed or I felt negative about them that they felt so unreachable.  After hearing that mass with that priest I felt God has to be involved in our plans.  So I shared the same with my husband.  I had difficulty though answering his question “how would we know if our plans are what God wants and wills for us?”.  That is such a big question to answer (which I would deal in my future writing in the simples possible way that I can) yet, we really decided to make time for it so that we would be guided in our plans. 

I guess I and my husband just reached that point when we both felt God has to be seriously involved in our lives and life as a family.  We would want also to prepare our daughter to a future where she could stand firm and grounded with her values.  And we could not see any other way of doing it except really bring her closer to God through prayer

We do pray together as a family – rosary and the Divine Mercy devotion.  I and my husband were able to witness first and foremost how our now 9 - month old baby responded to it.  Before each session starts, I make her sit on my lap.  When we start with sign of the cross, I feel in all those prayer dates together that she starts to compose herself and stops with hopping on my lap together with her giggles and some of those sleepy cry.  She simply participated by being silent and listens to whoever is talking. 

Her eyes seem to try to figure out what we are doing.  At my end,  I do not totally understand how she automatically behaved during prayer time but I sensed some calming effect it gives to her including her moods.  And if she is so sleepy already she just dozes off in my arms. 

At times when I was so ON with those angry mood, I felt its power when I automatically ask for help from God to calm me down.   And I could easily think and process myself immediately right there and then.  I could sense that I could immediately weigh its consequences and decide to immediately move away from it.  Through the grace brought about by prayer, I learned how to set aside the personal desire to be satisfied with my anger.  Another grace brought in by prayer is forgiveness.  In fact after I decide to forgive,  the funniest of all is that I am  able to forget the incident including the train of thoughts and reasons why I should be angry. 

Moreover, it is grace to be able to see more of the goodness of the person than bank on and stick with the lie that the other is no good or good for nothing (hmmm let me give you a tip…do not listen to the voice in your mind that says that).   As I see the goodness in the other and the capacity of the other to continue to really care and do good for others, I am able to feel compassion to extend myself even more. 

Let me end this by going back to that priest sharing his homily during the mass.  He mentioned that since he no longer underestimates the power of God, he asks not of small things but really huge ones.  And He found God to have provided them all.  Hmmm I thought that time how he was able to convince God with those huge requests (hheheeh).  He said he explained to God how others would be blessed even more if He grants them.  As simple as that.  But let me give you another tip… God does not really need  an explanation…ahahah He can read our motives through our hearts. 

Hmmm. I hope you have seen the other point, too.  Whatever we ask for in prayer…it will be granted for as long as it is in line with His will.  His mission…of doing good to a lot of people.  So you may now wonder why some of our prayers were not granted?  Oops I may be to judgmental hehe please don’t get me wrong, some would really come in His own time.   Hmmm we can never manipulate God to have it our way right.  It is always His ways of doing them…for His mission…His time…for the Good of His people…:-)

PS.  Some of those we ask for in prayers may not be really for us…Just trust that God knows better.  Trust even in pain.  In your pain you will learn…and soon enough even without understanding…you will feel God’s gift of …PEACE…

But let me give you another tip… a very close friend told me yesterday that she has been asking God in prayer describing in detail what she wanted.  She almost gave up.  It took years for God to answer them.  And He gave them beyond what she expected.  “Cloud 9” ang friend ko ngayon hehehe…I am sooo happy for her.

....Do not ever ...ever underestimate the power of God...nothing is impossible for Him...you and I know that...He has the Power...He is the greatest power of all...in prayer:-)

ISN'T SHE WONDERFUL

I was told that a baby was born in a manger.  I wanted so much to go there and I did.  I climbed some rocky hillside and got there among several other guests such as the magi popularly known as the three Kings and the shepherds.  And I was awed and struck upon seeing the beautiful child wrapped in a simple white cloth.  And I met the beautiful eyes of the baby boy’s parents.  I approached them and sat beside them.

I did not say anything yet.  I laid my eyes on the little boy.  Oh so cute.  I wanted so much to pick him up.  The beautiful lady….mmm the mother told me “go ahead pick him up”.  And I couldn’t believe she trusted me that much.  Did she know me that much to trust me to hold her child?  Hahaha what if I would steal him and run away.  Nope I won’t do that.  Crazy me. 

I did pick him up.  I was so conscious at all eyes on me.  I was just so awed.  “He is so beautiful”.  I told the baby’s mother.  And she replied “ savor him…oh you may bring him with you to the world”.  And I was so super doooper shocked with that statement.  In  my mind I was vehement as to saying NO.  So I said “ how can I buy him milk I don’t have a job”.  And the baby’s mom just smiled.  And indeed after that I got the job. 

What I just shared with you above is my sort of contemplation during my retreat with my spiritual director.  You see in contemplation (to deviate a little from my topic) you can engage yourself actively as if you are one of the characters in any of the stories in the Bible.  Actually you can converse and my main focus  was with the Blessed mother Mary in the manger with the oh so beautiful baby Jesus.

Why am I sharing this?  I feel so blessed having known the mom of Jesus.  And I was told stories about her since my childhood years.  In fact, my own mother introduced us to praying the rosary everyday.

My personal journey with this beautiful Woman of God has grown from the simple mumbling of the rosary to reading about her, to seriously praying and asking for her intercessions to the latest knowledge of her as the strong mantle of protection against any attacks of the devil.

One adult member of the Catholic Charismatic Movement in my old place Phillips Bukidnon shared to me one time an unforgettable story about her.  She said that the YES of Mary to God as she was asked to be the mother of Jesus was the great downfall of Satan.  Her YES shook hell and brought the devil to great fright.  Her YES brought Jesus our saviour to the world.  She is literally the bridge to salvation.

Furthermore, I was also told to observe the moment we pray the rosary.  We get to notice how our minds drift afar from focus.  You know why?  This is Satan’s way of diverting us so that they won’t experience the turbulent piercing of the power of each Hail Mary said with all our hearts.  Hell is literally being bombarded as we say the prayer from the heart. 

Wow…the Blessed Mother I should say is put on pedestal by God.   And I wonder how we get to miss to acknowledge the same  this wonderful person that God chose to serve as our bridge towards attaining salvation. 

Let me share with you a very recent incident of manifestation of her

presence.  I really don’t know how far you could take and consider miracles to happen among us.  But where I live (Xavier Heights) came

Mother of Perpetual help

a manifestation of her presence about a month ago.  The priest Fr. Rolando Gabutera and some parishioners have witnessed how the picture of the Mother of Perpetual Help has released and sprinkled (sometimes ) water and sometimes oil.  Some accounts of healing were also mentioned. 

Now you would ask if I saw it myself.  I and my husband do hear mass at our chapel her in our subdivision.  We heard their stories and we tried touching the photo and did not have any of those experiences mentioned by others. I know that a lot of us that heard the stories desired so much to experience what they had.  Unfortunately, we weren’t.  And I thought parishioners’ number after that have increased and that a lot of them flock even during weekdays.  For me that is a miracle in itself.

I could recall also the old film of Nora Aunor that mentioned  “walang himala, ang himala ay nasa puso ng bawat isa”.  Yup, the greatest miracle of all is the conversion of man.  Not all of us may not have experienced the random revelations of the Blessed Mother, yet the inner  and the positive changes that we will have with how we live our lives is the most important thing.

Anyway, it is the month of rosary …October… we might at least consider praying it with our entire family or do it by ourselves so that we may experience such beauty and wonder with one beautiful woman that God chose to journey with us.  Please give it a try.  There are some secrets that I want to share with you.  First, the devil does not like families.  He just wants families to be destroyed.  And, he is afraid of the blessed mother...He can't even utter her name...Mary:-)

And oohh…I have this simple invitation.  Kindly grab yourself copies of the following books by Fr. Jose Francisco C. Syquia.  He is an Exorcist priest, our very own from the Philippines who was able to produce the following books:

1.      Exorcism

2.       Exorcist – A Spiritual Journey

3.      Exorcist (Volume2) – A Spiritual Battle Lines 

(this is where you would be able to read  the BIG ROLE OF THE BLESSED MOTHER in combating the “Enemy”

Hmmm….did I read them.  Yest...and I am still starting the third one. Seriously we need to strengthen our journey through the Blessed Mother’s intervention.  

We are surrounded by a lot of lies.  Don’t you think we deserve to know the TRUTH too… I mean …to focus on what is TRUE about our faith and journey with God?  Again, please buy those three books (St. Paul’s Publication and National bookstore ...they are bestsellers).  You will find great peace with our God :-)

May the Blessed Mother continue to intercede for us and put us under her mantle of care and protection.  Amen.

Facing Challenges Head On Through Meditation

http://www.google.com.ph/imgres

I read one blogger a while ago and I saw how she struggled with expectations of others while she insisted on strongly affirming with life listening to the movements of her heart.  I do admire her for that.  At times i get to stumble with expectations even when I was a child up to the present.  From within, I see the strength at battling against expectations despite that it weakens me sometimes.

I cry at the truth that i strongly uphold.  The truth,  that i carry within me such strength of a woman that is so ready to face challenges.  I don't want to say "i do not know where I get this" since i know full well at how i go back from time to time to my Source - God.  Fueling and re-fueling myself.  

One of the latest influences I had in facing challenges head-on is my husband.  He shared with the latest book he browsed on meditation and tried it himself.  He discovered how the precious 10-minute venture he had in it revitalized his energy.  This one precious 10 - minute did create miracle and I did try it myself.  It helped me to refocus and clean up some mess and clutters including the influx of perceived expectations from others in all sorts.  Huh... I just want some breather. 

I wanted so much to go back to it from time to time to re-fuel. Thank you dear husband...Thank you God.

Nothing Beats...the Third

I searched for answers lately with the restlessness that my heart had felt for a number of days. Despite the busy schedule preparing for the last training before I got sick, the numbness grew and I fell short for answers until i declared "I'm lost".

The last training that i facilitated was on Stress Management. Ironically, while facilitating, I felt the stressors taking its toll on me. I cried within to just stop until my illness gave the last declaration of the longest break ever since I stopped working from my previous employer.

I took my break seriously. I had medications, vitamins and meditation combined. It was such a desperate re-view of my life.

Firstly, I checked my activities - work, school, wedding preparations and business. Quite a lot for one woman to accomplish everything. I had them put on schedule but my body was so tired. I thought a lot of the pressures and deadlines but my body simply gave in to the illness...i was so tired and i cannot stop thinking of the pressures of the things i enumerated to be accomplished. I did not realize that i have been conditioning my body for the past months to just work...work ...work...

Secondly, I checked my relationships. Past experiences with people that hurt me seem to be coming back and I have not squarely dealt with them that that when my body gave in to stress, i gave in to the temptation of recalling the past. As my body got tired, my spirit slowed down too (though sometimes it's the reverse).

I also check my current relationships most especially people close to my heart. And i realized i struggled and juggled a lot but i had to face the truth that they are the closest I have. I knew I would get a lot of life's vitamins if I would take the time to take care of these relationships.

And so I spent time with Mike even if he's in Malaybalay (though i get to speak with him over the phone only). I also decided to have a date with my friends last Saturday over lunch and coffee in the afternoon plus the doze of chikka and kumustahan...nakakataba ng puso hehehe. And, I got lots of those sleep and a massage from manang ann (the one that gives us hilot when we are sick at home).

Lastly, I checked my relationship with my God, spent time with prayer in the morning and at night and kept my focus and "gaze" while i did the regular things at home (since I was absent at work). When I became so dependent with paracetamol to deal with fever I knew I had more than physical condition to deal with. I knew I had a "soul" condition. And so spiritual cleansing has to be the next move. I simply decided to get serious with beating the physical tiredness and plunge into the meditation and relaxation intervals. And it did well up to the present.


And so I decided to forgo some of the tasks including graduate studies and went back to engaging with things that I love doing such as blogging, exercising, praying, wasting time with michael (but i really spend more time with Tobby - feeling imported dog hahahhahahahahha), family and friends, sleep, read books, write training modules...etc.(lately, i get to spend time watching a Filipino soap opera entitled 100 DAYS TO HEAVEN...splendid).

Currently also, though i am dealing a very challenging situation at work, I feel a God so strong providing such sturdy body and soul for me to face the challenge. Mine is a strong foundation...Mine is the God the speaks like that of the wind and bristles the soul to perfection. He is always on the go for my shape and definition. I am His and even if my body gets tired...His Spirit continues and restlessly penetrates my being ...the mission continues...

And so among the three approaches I had the most of healing with checking my relationship with God through prayer and meditation...nothing beats the third.