MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL...

Inspiration:       Matthew 7:1-5

“Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?”  This is the famous line of Snowhite’s stepmom…

Mirrors, magical or not, they reflect our visual beauty. Kaya nga (That's why) every day we face our mirror to see if artistahin na ba ang itsura natin (we look like like an actress or actor), hahahaha! 

But did you know that it’s possible to use the mirror to deeply see yourself? You can sit or stand in front of it, look yourself in the eye, deeply look into your heart and seriously have a talk with your inner self….Weird?? Scary?? Nah!!! 

But, on second thought, it’s scary for us if we won’t like what we will discover about ourself….the “who we truly are” thing reality….

In Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is saying look at our log in the eye first, before at the speck in others’ eyes…So, before judging others, kasama dito (including) your family and loved ones, stoooop!!! 

Look at yourself first in the mirror and say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, what do I need to change in me to make me beautiful inside and out?”…And let your inner eye see who you truly are. 

Well, seriously, you know what I mean…Have a joyful week, my friend!          

Soar High With God!

-luisadelacruz

TASTE YOUR LENT....

I’m sure the ash mark of the cross on your forehead last Ash Wednesday is now erased…

As the priest said, even if this is so, what can not be erased is the change and transformation that happens in your heart. 

I pray, may this year’s 40 day Lent be more meaningful to us than last year that when it ends, we become more a child of God than when we started… 

ISAIAH 48:6-7 “The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives…”

Lent is a perfect time to take the hand of Jesus and journey to your interior self where He can grant you deep healing, then you can resurrect with Jesus on Easter…

Don’t let this chance just pass by…

Namnamin natin ang bawat araw (Let us tastefully live each day)…for God…for our greater love for Him…       

Have a Sweet Lenten Journey!

- luisadelacruz

Site to visit:   www.iamacatholicbyheart.blogspot.com

THE PRESENCE WITHIN....

“The whole outside world…seemed to me to love and thank God: people, trees, plants and animals. I saw them all as my kinsfolk; I found on all of them the magic of the Name of Jesus. When I prayed, everything around me seemed delightful and marvelous. The trees, the grass, the birds, the earth, the air, the light…all things prayed to God and sang His praise.”

– THE RUSSIAN PILGRIM

The earth, the physical cosmos, is part of the body of God, shot through and through with divine Presence and hence worthy of our praise, our wonderment and our care. To honor and love God’s creation is to honor and love God.

When a person clings to the Lord and the Lord has pity and loves him, coming and clinging to Him, and he has the intention thereafter to remain constantly in the grace of the Lord, they become one spirit and one temperament and one mind – the person and the Lord.

- KERRY WALTERS

AN INTIMATE PRAYER:       Dearest Jesus, please always fire up my desire to continuously cling to You and be aware of Your Loving Presence…as if I will die, if it stops…

 - luisadelacruz

LET'S HIBERNATE...

Hibernation is a protective mechanism whereby certain animals reduce their bodies’ activity and sleep through winter. They prepare by storing extra fat several weeks before the onset of hibernation. When temperatures drop, the animals’ pulse rate and breathing drop to a minimum…To hibernate is to pass the winter in a resting state…(Webster’s Dictionary) 

Do these animals stop growing?

No!...In fact, when they wake up they are bigger and more mature than before…

Jesus, after being presented in the temple, went back to His hometown, grew and became strong, full of wisdom (Luke 2:22-40). No account of His activities until He was all grown and started His public ministry. Look at what He did…

Like the animals, most especially like Jesus, we also need to hibernate from time to time…not to inactively rest, but to grow in wisdom and maturity while listening to God and resting in His arms…       

Have a Teachable Heart!

- luisadelacruz

WHERE TO SEARCH FOR GOD....

We search....and search....and search for God because we have this deep desire to be united  with Him….We travel far and near, high and low just to find Him….

But there is one place we forget to search Him…our heart…

Ironic, isn’t it? Yes, like the people in His hometown who rejected Jesus (Mark 6:1-6), we, too, reject Him by not being aware of His Presence in the very core of our self….

Let’s journey into our very own heart where Jesus awaits us….

            PRAYER ON SILENCE

            (From The Complete Book on Prayer)

In silence

To be there before You Lord, that’s all.

To shut the eyes of my body,

To shut the eyes of my soul,

And to be still and silent,

To expose myself to You

Who are there, exposed to me.

To be there before You, the Eternal Presence.

I am willing to feel nothing, Lord,

To see nothing,

To hear nothing,

Empty of all ideas,

Of all images,

In the darkness.

Here I am, simply

To meet You without obstacles,

In the silence of faith,

Before You, Lord.

A Dazzling Heart for you!

- luisadelacruz

THEY SILENTLY TELL ME...

The plants and animals tell me how God provides food…

The flowers tell me how beautiful the handwork of God is…

The pets, how God cheers me up…

The parents, how God loves me…

A baby, how He takes me as His own…

The wind, how He breathes His breath to give me life…

The people, how merciful He is…

Simply looking at them, they silently tell so much about God and they encourage me to live for Him and be aware of His Presence…

The Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:15-18) says to us, “Preach the Gospel.” 

It is not necessary for us to stand on stage and proclaim God’s Word...We can silently tell it to others just by living it and proclaiming it on the stage of our every day lives…

Go and preach the Gospel in the way you live… 

Keep Your Life Burning!

- luisadelacruz

THE PRISONER AND MY SOUL

When a person is brought to the court and proven guilty, even if he shows genuine remorse, he still is sentenced to imprisonment as punishment to his crime. If he has good behavior, then his sentence will be lessened even paroled… 

In one confession before, my penance was to pray and do good deeds. That’s easy, I can do that… 

As I remember that today, I now understand what was meant by my penance. 

Like the prisoner, as I show repentance, I was forgiven, but the eternal punishment to my soul is still there. That’s the consequence of my sin, the justice of God…

But if I do good deeds, by God’s mercy, my soul’s suffering when I die will be lessened or better yet I will be paroled by God and I shall enter heaven. 

In the 2 Samuel 16:5-13, King David knew this, but he also believes in God’s love and mercy… 

Let’s take care of our soul, no matter how many times we fall into sin, let’s sincerely strive to stand up each time by God’s grace…

Have a Twinkling Soul!

- luisadelacruz

ONE UNEXPECTED MORNING!

            Late last night, I had a heart to heart talk with God. I poured out what’s inside me and asked for His help. I asked for His healing, His forgiveness, His guidance. I lifted up to Him the people and ministries I treasure. I entrusted to Him my future. And I said to Him, “All I want, Father is to love You each day.” Oh, yes I cried to Him and He embraced me with silence and comforting peace. Then I went to sleep.

            Today, was just like my ordinary days. I woke up before 4:00 a.m….prayed the rosary….after praying I went back to sleep….then I woke up around 5:15 a.m. As I got up, I noticed something different. There was a striking yellowish light outside that I saw from my window. As I looked closer, Wow! I was astonished at the picturesque view of the sky. It was so blue, white clouds with grayish parts were there. The sun’s so bright rays penetrated them which made them more beautiful.

            I immediately went outside to shot some pictures. I couldn’t be satisfied just standing on the ground, so I slowly climbed the ladder towards the roof over my room. My handicap didn’t prevent me. I really want to capture this beauty before it was gone. I sat on the roof. Wow! I took more pictures. I tried not to get the dark silhouette of the structures but its contrast to the sky added beauty to the scene.

             I sat still for a moment and looked around. I noticed the big tree on the other street. Oh, that was why every morning there were birds chirping and flying. They gave delight in my mornings. I also felt the cool air embrace me. I was just so happy and awed by everything. I was so grateful to God.

            Then all of a sudden, He made me remember something. I stared at the so beautiful scene before me. The blue sky, the white clouds, the gray shades, the silhouettes of the structures, they all contribute to the beauty of the scenery. Yes, even the grays and dark shades. The striking, penetrating, brilliant ray of the sun turned it into an awesome picturesque view here in this busy city of ours. They are all necessary to contribute to the whole beauty that beheld my eyes.

             God made me remember through this, that me and my life have light and dark side…. good and bad experiences…. strengths and weaknesses. Even if I try to ignore or remove the dark side, the bad ones, my weaknesses, the fact remains, they add beauty to me and my life. The striking rays of the sun is like the striking warmth and unconditional love of God for me. His love penetrating in my heart and my life makes them more beautiful than I can ever imagine. Each component is necessary and contributes to my whole beauty and to the whole beauty of my life.

Sometimes, I just have to climb to the roof of my life, give an extra effort for me to see things in a different perspective.

            As I reflected on today’s Gospel when I went down from the roof, my heart was further embraced by God. John 16:23-27 says:

When that day comes, you will not ask Me for anything. I Am telling you the truth: the Father will give you whatever you ask of Him in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete.

“I have used figures of speech to tell you these things. But the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father. When that day comes, you will ask Him in My name; and I do not say that I will ask Him on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you. He loves you because you love Me and have believed that I came from God.

 This was God’s confirmation to me that indeed He heard my prayer before I slept. He answered me through that picturesque view that astounded me when I woke up. I just so love God. He is truly such a wonderful Father….

THOR INSPIRATION....

Last Friday, as I was riding a bus going to Batangas, they played “Thor” the movie. There was a part where the mighty, arrogant Thor was banished by his father and lost his power. He had nothing. No power, no family, no home, just a strange world. In this experience, he changed and became humble enough to sacrifice and give up his very own mortal life for the safety of many humans from his enemy who wish to kill him. 

But what nobody knew, his father put a saving command that his power would be back as soon as he learned the true value of being a leader. When Thor died, his life came back and his power, too. His father was proud of him. 

I got teary eyed because I found something significant. Like his father, at times, God had to teach us lessons in life the hard way. He had to take away all we have, even our life, for our own, and many others’ greater good….a process of growth that we had to undergo.

When we are stricken away of things we value most, there is a process of enduring the pain, but only then can we see the true treasures in life. 

We grow. We mature. We become a better person.

-luisadelacruz

INTO THE FATHER'S ARMS

INTO THE FATHER'S ARMS

Inspiration: Luke 15:1-32

From His arms, I came . . . . In this world, I grew.

As a little child, my innocence kept me close to Him.

He is Papa God to me.

Gradually, I got busy with my toys . . . .

With Growing up . . . .

Later, I got drowned with this world

As I work and got exposed to worldly things . . . .

Sigh, Papa God became a distant Being . . . .

One day, I felt a longing in my heart . . . .

An emptiness . . . .

I searched and searched 'til I ended up

Face to face with Him . . . .

I am ashamed to get near

But His arms are open wide, inviting me to come.

Finally, I run to Him,

His arms wrapped tightly around me . . . .

Tears fell from my eyes.

I smiled.

I am at peace.

I am home . . . .

In the arms of my Father God . . . .

luisadelacruz

SLICE OF LIFE

One time, I was peeling a green Indian mango. I have another one on the container waiting to be peeled. With it were two reddish tomatoes. As I gradually let the teeth of the knife slide over the mango, it’s a bit yellow color appeared. Wow! Looks delicious!

As I removed all the green skin, I diced it all over with the knife, then sliced it. Now I got little cubes of mango on a tiny bowl. I did the same with the other.

I got the two tomatoes, let the teeth of the knife go through them as I diced them, too. I put together the mangoes and the tomatoes. I put some bagoong. Mixed them. Ummmm, yummy! This is very delicious combined with fried fish.

In peeling the mango, a thought came to me. It’s like the change we want in our life. Drastic change most of the times bring a sharp teeth of knife that peels off our emotions, mind, heart, spirit, our very being . . . our life . . . and so much more.

Why? Well, for major change to happen to us . . . we need to give up things that we are so used to. We get to sacrifice our comfort zone. Yeap! The comforts we so love because we feel safe in there and so cozy. We are familiar of all its corners. Yaiks! For change to happen, we’ve got to step out of it!

Change is full of unknowns that we don’t want to face. But if we want to taste the delicious side of life that it can bring us . . . we allow the knife to skin us and remove the garbage and the things that need change within us and in our lifestyle. We also allow it to slice our life so we can find out the beauty waiting for us. Ouch!

Yes, there are ouches . . . but you’ll find sooner or later, they are worth it. The combination of all the unknowns can turn out into several successes, big or small. Then, voila! You can now enjoy the delicious blessings of life through change . . . that God has been offering to you since time immemorial.

Well, if we will not take a deep breath . . . haaay! . . . and act on it, we will never know . . . No pain, no gain, my friend! It’s never too late for anyone to change!

Success is not the absence of problems and challenges, but it is stepping forward in spite of their presence in your path . . . Happy Change!

-luisadelacruz