WHEN I HEAR YOUR VOICE...

Dearest Jesus,

I am Your sheep and You are my Good Shepherd.

You take care of me and You love me so.

You know me and I know You.

Dear Lord,

When I get so absorbed with the beauty of the green pasture,

Or when I so enjoy the water of the stream,

Or when I wonder off and get lost,

Let it be, that when I hear Your gentle loving voice

When You call me,

I turn my head to Your direction

And follow You without delay.

Let it be my dear Shepherd

That I turn my head in a swift

And rest my loving gaze upon You…

Have a Gentle Soul!

-luisadelacruz

ARE YOU UP THERE?

I look up to the blue sky.

I saw clouds hugging each other.

I asked You, Lord: “Are You up there?”

Then the wind blew, gently touching my skin.

Aaah, yes, You are up there, Lord,

But You are also down here.

You are the wind that lovingly caresses me.

You are the flowers that put a smile on my lips.

You are the sun that shines on me.

You are the soft voice that comforts me.

You are my chair that cradles me.

You are the bird that serenades me.

You are my family who loves me.

You are my friends who embrace me.

You are the stranger who showed kindness to me.

You, oh Lord, are everywhere…

Oh, yes, even in my heart, Lord, I find You.

-luisadelacruz 

...JUST TO SIMPLY MAKE YOU SMILE...

Inspiration:    Matthew 6:19-23; Philippians 1:20-24

Dearest Lord,

I took so many turns in my life.

I followed Your voice anywhere You called me.

There were times, I got lost

But You never allowed me

To go astray so far from You.

I walked through paths

Winding, steep, smooth, easy…

There were those less travelled

But I took them because You said so.

Even if I shed tears or roared laughter

As long as I journeyed with You,

I took the path…

One day, ever dearest Lord,

At the end of my journey,

I dream of being with You,

To spend my eternal life with You…

Aaah, that’s the ultimate dream I have…

I see death before as something so scary,

A snatcher of life…

But what is the beauty of this world

Compared to the magnificence

Of being cradled in Your arms,

Of seeing You face to face?

Thank You for Your light.

Now I see death as the only doorway

Towards my being with You.

But for now that I still live in this world,

Dearest Lord, my greatest dream

Is to “simply make You smile.”

If I fulfill this dream each day,

Then I shall be rewarded

Of my ultimate dream

Of eternally being with You.

My salvation is of great importance,

But life is all about You

And simply making You smile each day,

For me, is the essence of living…

Hugz tightest, my Beloved,

‘til the day we meet face to face.

Amen.

Have a Twinkling Soul!

-luisadelacruz 

THE MARK I SHALL LEAVE BEHIND....

I walk on the face of the earth.

It is a privilege not a burden on me.

Life is simple actually

But my earthly desires

And the world around me

Make it complicated.

I was born naked with nothing

But my small, frail body.

I shall die and

This body shall be nothing.

What will be left is my soul.

I am just a pilgrim in this world,

A passer by as it is.

But I can leave my essence behind,

The mark that will somehow

Make a difference

On those I met along my way…

Whether it will be something grand or not

Hopefully, the mark I shall leave

Is the mark of God…

Not of the enemy…

Nor of myself…

That when I am gone,

God will be remembered…

And deeply loved…

-luisadelacruz

MAKE ME COME TO YOU...WHENEVER I FORGET YOU...

Dearest Father,

make me come to You whenever I forget You…

Make me remember You whenever my focus is not on You…

May I eat, drink, bath, brush my teeth, wash my hands – 

nourish and take care of my body for You 

because it is the temple of Your Spirit…

May I work and do my tasks well for You 

because it is Your gift…

May I cook, water the plants, feed our pets, 

clean the house, wash the dishes for You…

May I serve, love, understand each of my family members for You…

May I look at people and help them for You…

May I breathe and live every second of my life 

loving and praising You…unceasingly…

May I always be aware of Your Presence 

in every being I see, hear and touch…

that a single moment which passes that I forget You…

a single moment I am apart from You…

a second I am not aware of You will seem to me…

a billion miles away from You 

of which my soul can never bear 

even just the thought of it…

Dearest Father, 

make me come to You 

whenever I forget You…Amen…

- luisadelacruz

A MOMENT OF PAUSE

Ever dearest Father,

by Your grace I am alive

but if right at this moment

You stop breathing Your breath in me,

I humbly ask,

please send Jesus to fetch me…

Ever dearest Jesus,

my Beloved,

before I close my eyes

and leave my body behind,

please help me forgive those I cannot,

and forgive me, too, for all my sins.

Wash away in me with Your Most Precious Blood

what is in me that is not pleasing to the Father…

Ever dearest Spirit of Love,

please pour Your joy and peace

upon my love ones.

May love heal their pain

that they mourn

in just a little while in my absence,

but more so rejoice

that I will be with You in eternal life…

Ever dearest God,

if I only make it in purgatory,

please inspire my love ones

to pray for me that I may soon

be with You in heaven.

Death may bring me pain

but if it is the only doorway for me

to finally see You face to face

and spend eternal life with You,

then I shall welcome it,

 for what I desire most in my heart

is to eternally rest in Your bosom…

 Dearest Mama Mary,

please pray for me

at the brink of the moment of my life

as I stop breathing…

Amen.

- 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

THE END IS NOT THE MEANS....

A day came when I realized

the essence of this thought:

All of one's dreams

are of no true genuine value

if one does not dream

of truly experiencing God

in the simplest

of one's daily life....

and breathing moments....

Everything is just a means

pointing out to God,

the end must only be,

should only be,

no other than

intimacy with God....

There are many things in life

pointing out to experiencing God

but they are not the encounter itself,

if we fall into the trap

of perceiving them as such,

we miss the true target

 of our existence....

What God wants

is for us to know and love Him

(Hosea 6:4-6)

 as a child to a father.
Everything is just a means,

the end is intimacy with God

in our daily life

every breathing moment we have....

-luisadelacruz

A QUIET MOMENT...

Inspiration:   Psalm 42:1-2

Dear God, You designed my mind to seek You.

You designed my heart to love You.

That is why there is a deep longing within my being

For my Divine Source and Destination.

I am restless until I rest in You.

I am discontented until I find satisfaction in You.

I am lonely until I find joy in You.

I hunger and thirst for You,

The One where the roots of my being came from.

Why desire those that this world offer,

When all I have to desire is You alone.

When I come naked face to face to nothingness,

I find that there is no such thing,

For in nothingness I find everything

Because I find my dearest God,

And You are everything my whole being needs.

From my creation to my death, I belong to You.

I am Yours.

Though You are hidden from my sight,

Let not this world blind me to this truth…

As a deer longs for the cool water

So my soul longs after You, oh my God…

My soul thirsts and You alone can satisfy this thirst…

You are my joy-Giver,

The Apple of my eyes,

My Beloved…

To You alone will my Spirit

Bow down and yield…

My Lord, My God…

-luisadelacruz

SURRENDERING IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF STRENGTH....

Surrendering is not the absence of strength....

It is conquering ones pride

and recognizing that Divine Will is above man’s will....

It is going beyond ones desires

to embrace God’s desires....

It is letting go in spite of the tears

and the inner struggles to hold on to those dear to ones heart....

Surrendering is the fulfillment of Divine strength

where the heart of God and the heart of man

meet in genuine love.....

-luisadelacruz

LET YOUR MISERIES FLY....

If you want your life to be miserable, resistance will do the job for you….

We resist because things happen not the way we want it to happen….

not the way we expect…..we are powerless to change them. 

If you want to be happy and peaceful, 
acceptance will make your miseries have wings 

so they can fly light on the wind of God’s love….

Acceptance is the first positive step we can take. 

With this, we can see things in a different perspective, 

then we can roll up our sleeves, get to work with those we can,

and let God work on those we can’t….

Why allow the volcano of resistance imprison you,

when you can allow the serenity of acceptance free you….

where trust in God prevails…. It’s just a matter of choice….

-luisadelacruz 061511

I AM MADE FOR HEAVEN...

From the moment God conceptualized you in His mind, 

even before you were made in your mother's womb, 

God meant for you to be with Him....

You are made for heaven....

-luisadelacruz

THE PEACE THAT CRADLES

Oh, Peace of God

How joyful I am

That you are in my heart….

You make me feel

Like a baby being cradled

In a mother’s arms….

You put a smile

On my lips and my eyes.

You make me strong

When worries come….

Oh, Peace of God

You are an epitome

Of God’s Presence

That I am drawn

To journey to my heart

Where you can engulf me

With God’s very Being….

Aaahhh….you are a soft pillow,

A dew in the morning,

The chirping of the birds,

The panoramic view of nature….

Oh, how I thank your Source,

The Father I so adore….

Oh, Peace of God

I rest in you….

-luisadelacruz 042811  7:22:18 am

WHAT MORE CAN I DESIRE.....

What more can I desire, oh God

but Your awesome Presence.

When things distract me,

when other desires fill my being,

pierce my heart with the pain

of not having You....

Let the longing of my soul

cry out for You alone.

Let there be emptiness

that only You can satisfy.

Make me restless, oh God

that I may only find my rest in You.

Let nothing take Your place

in the depths of my being.

What more can I desire....

You are enough....

Nothing matters as long as I have You.

You are my life, the air I breathe.

Your beauty is everywhere.

Let not busyness or other people blind me.

Your voice constantly calls my name.

Let not the noise of this world

make me deaf.

My peace and my joy is in You, alone.

What more can I desire, oh God.

You are enough....

-luisadelacruz  041411  6:05pm

(Written during a two-day silent retreat

in this very spot as I sat on the swing.)

THE FLIGHT

I close my eyes and I see an eagle

Soaring high in the sky...

He flies effortlessly

Trusting the wind beneath his wings.

How beautiful he is to watch

Gliding up in the sky so swiftly.

He looks like he so belongs there...

He has no fear of the heights....

He enjoys where he is.

I wonder how it feels to glide up there....

I stretch my arms on my sides...

I feel the wind under my arms,

so cool, so soothing...

The gentle wind carries me.

It's so peaceful up there.

Suddenly, I feel fear and apprehension.

But I heard a voice telling me,

"Let go....just let go..."

Slowly, I trusted the gentle Wind...

I allowed Him to carry me further

wherever he may take me....

It's so wonderful....

The experience is ecstatic as I glide....

The eagle and me are one....

The gentle Wind and God are one....

God carries me and I can trust Him.

I can glide peacefully and soar high.

I can totally trust Him.

God will keep me safe

in my journey until

He brings me home....

-luisadelacruz

MAN'S SEARCH FOR TRUE LOVE....

 



....Man is constantly in deep searching for somebody to truly love him.

He looks everywhere, waits for somebody to come,

aches while on the search, frustrated, feeling miserable at times....

the irony of this search is:

God is just around him,

waiting for him to accept His unconditional love

that will make him whole and satisfy his deep longing.... :-)

-luisadelacruz

 



FRIENDS . . . .

FRIENDS . . . .

As I walked along life's road,

I met someone who was a stranger.

We chatted for a while

and exchanged smiles,

watched each others' actions,

tried to know one another.

Suddenly, we found ourselves

walking hand in hand,

confiding with each other,

sharing thoughts and cares,

Lifting the other's burdens,

laughing when the other was happy,

and weeping when the other was sad.

As we travel along life's road,

as time passes our way,

we are still together

walking hand in hand,

and deep within our hearts

we treasure each moment

that we spend together

for now we are not strangers anymore

but friends forever more . . . .

-luisadelacruz 073188