March 1, 2010
”The chief causes of envy are several: Having
wrong values and so desiring wrong kinds of satisfaction and sources of
happiness, also self-doubt and lack of self-knowledge so that one desires a
higher degree of achievement than one is capable of. Looking for approval and
recognition from others instead of finding it in doing God's will etc.
Jealously is a result of a certain passivity as well, looking for satisfactions
one has not deserved or earned, to be given without deserving it.” (One of Rev. Father’s answers to our spiritual
group questions)
This
is such a despicable sin that we commit often and hurt one another not realizing
how bad it is until we ourselves are the victims of such human weakness! May God give us a special grace during this
Lenten season to see our shortcomings and allow love to help convert us to be
more sensible and considerate toward one another’s gifts so that together we
can do great things for the love and glory of God. Amen.
Be merciful, O Lord, for
we have sinned.
February 4, 2010 Dear brothers and
sisters in Christ,
The
Abbey of the Genesee www.geneseeabbey.org is reaching out to single
Catholic males, 21 to 45 years of age who may be interested in
joining the monastic way of life at Genesee
or would like to know more about it. With the help of our Lady and the
blessings of God, recently, the Abbey had many vocation brochures
designed and printed. The Novice
and Junior Masters, Fr. Gerard and Br. Anthony have sent and
plan to send them to different vocational conventions
nationwide. In addition, they would like to have the brochures
available to churches.
On
behalf of the Abbey, I would like to ask if you would talk to either your
Pastor or whoever is in charge of the church bulletin board or flyer
slot to see whether the Abbey could send the parish (or through
you) the brochures so they can be available to your parishioners
and guests who may be called to serve God and his Church living the
contemplative way of life at Genesee Abbey. If you know of any other
church, please check it out as well.
The contemplative vocation is as important to the Church as the active
vocation. While the hidden fathers and brothers stay humble in prayer and stay secluded
in this way of life, they contribute greatly to the holiness and salvation of
the Church. Christians like me who
benefit directly and greatly from their vocation have the obligation to help in
anyway we can. Therefore, I am writing
to you for help.
Would you
let me know or contact Br. Anthony Weber directly at (585) 243-0660 x. 19
E-mail: AnthonyWeber@geneseeabbey.org if
you would like to support this mission. Br. Anthony is scheduling two VOCATION DISCERNMENT RETREAT WEEKENDS
for those who are interested. Please go to http://www.geneseeabbey.org/vocations.html for more details.
Thank
you very much for your help, for YOUR PRAYER FOR THIS INTENTION and please
stay well in the Lord.
All
for the love and the glory of God, Minh
February 2, 2010 Happy feast of the Presentation
of the Lord in the Temple!
“The
Light to reveal to the nations”; “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall
and rise of many in Israel”;
(to the Blessed Mother) “The sword will pierce your heart”What bitter sweet
that is and at the end, it all links to the Cross!
Today,
I received an email concerning the Geneseo Crucifix. It concerns and worries me. I can’t rest until I find a home for the
Lord! On the one hand, I trust that the
Lord allows this to happen for a good reason, but on the other hand, it
distracts my peace and questions my faith.
This Cross means so much to me and to those who were involved during the
two years when it came to. It played an
important role in my journey of faith that led to my conversion to
Catholicism.
The Geneseo
Crucifix is too big have a permanent home!
What a pity!!! If it is the will of God, may he allow me to build a home
for it, a simple home where those who seek refuge in Him are welcome, too! Please say a prayer for New Helfta special
intention. Thank you.
January 18, 2010 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
Together
with the whole world, New Helfta is praying for the victims, their loved ones
and all those who are being affected by the earthquake in Haiti! May the Lord have mercy on the souls of the
departed and continue to reveal his love to all who are calling on him for
help. God bless all who are supporting
them in anyway!
Concerning
our spiritual group, Rev. Father told me today: “Life goes on.”
Yes, indeed. Despite the many challenges
we have been going through as individuals and as a spiritual group,
we persevered and have been growing spiritually. Praise the Lord! And thank you all for your
prayer.
Our
ex-member Vy is expecting her first baby.
We are praying for her and her family.
In December, 2009, we had a new postulant, Yolanda Nava from San Francisco, California. After a few months of discernment, she is
officially trying out our group. We are happy to have her. She is slowly introduced to each member of
the group as their prayer partner. We
are praying for her perseverance and her vocation.
While
Debbie feels called to walk a different path from ours (She would like to join
the Little Sisters of the Poor. God’s
willing! We are praying for her), we
have two new candidates, Teresa Kim from Toronto,
Canada
and Barbara Price from York,
New York
who are inquiring to check us out. With
Rev. Father' permission, they hope to be with us at our next meeting in
February, 2010. May the Lord guide them
to discern as we pray.
We
are planning for our next annual retreat in May. With our Lady's
intercession, may the Lover of our soul whom we seek, bless and guide our
every effort as we persevere to seek and love him in faith as spiritual sisters
under the help and guidance of Rev. Father John Eudes. AMEN.
December
25, 2009 Wake up O sleepers for the
Savior has come to save us!
I
am having a beautiful and peaceful spiritual experience on the Lord's
birthday this morning.… I am praying the
same for you. Amen.
I
stayed awhile in church after the midnight mass when all have left…. I
was alone, kneeling at the railing beside the poinsettias and being among the beautiful
lighted candles… I wished I could stay longer but you know how a good
spiritual experience usually does not last long...
May
the spirit of the Lord's love renew your spirit of hope, faith and charity. Amen.
“The true
significance of this celebration is increasingly unrecognized or only vaguely
adverted to, by large portions of our people. We who are given the precious
gift of faith that in Jesus’ the Word of God, one with the Father in the Holy
Spirit comes among us because God loves us and seeks to give us a share in his
eternal life even at the cost of suffering and humiliation of his beloved Son.
He comes, as John tells us in today’s gospel, as a light into a world lost in
the darkness. This darkness afflicts the human spirit and affects our judgment
and our desires; it consists in an ignorance of the true good for which we have
been created, the loving knowledge of God.”
Rev. Father John Eudes’ Christmas homily
December 14, 2009
“Three things keep men from sins: fear of hell;
hope for the kingdom of heaven and love of virtue, and “the third is
particularly characteristic of God and of those who have really taken the image
and likeness of God unto themselves.” according to the teaching of the elder Chaeremon. (P.143-4)
I would not agree with him more. Even though, I faced the first two from time
to time due to my lowliness and shortcomings which I might not be aware of, I
am most grateful that the Holy Spirit who urged me to seek goodness and virtues
was the main reason why I surrendered my will to God and became a Catholic.
The ever loving and merciful Lord has so
generously been giving me many opportunities and graces and allowing me to
taste what goodness is, that urges me to desire to go after this characteristic
of God. Of course this is not so easy
when I have to face my human weaknesses and imperfection often as I go about
this journey to learn how to be “perfect as heavenly Father is perfect.”
When I was younger, and lived on the surface,
things seemed to be light and easy going.
“Something must not be right since this is not the cross I have agreed
to carry when I became a Christian.” I told myself. My intuition was right! (or
was that the Holy Spirit who gently reminded me!) Then as I learn to go deeper
in faith seeking to be transformed, I realize how this is such a strenuous task!.
Only when I stop worrying about ME; what others may think of ME; what MY
future will be; etc… that I could get a glimpse of what goodness is. I believe that trying to avoid committing
sins because of the first two reasons mentioned is only for my own good and
advantages, whereas the third is for the good of the kingdom where all who seek
God, are lost in love of him who is love.
May the new born Savior who is coming soon grant us this
special grace to be lost in him! Amen.”
November 5, 2009
“…A SAINT TOLD ME ONCE THAT WHATEVER I DON'T WANT, LIKE
GARBAGE, I SHOULD THROW IT AWAY. IF I KEEP IT, IT WILL ROT AND HARM MY
SPIRIT. YOU KNOW HOW WE FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT IT WHEN WE EMPTY OUR GARBAGE
AND WASTE? WE ARE MADE FOR LOVE AND PEACE, IF ANYTHING
DISTURBS, HARMS OR DAMPENS OUR SPIRIT, WE HAVE TO ALLOW SOMEONE WHO
KNOWS AND HAS EXPERIENCE TO HELP GET RID OF IT FOR US IF WE CAN’T DO IT ON OUR
OWN.
GOD ALLOWS
US TO FACE CERTAIN SUFFERING AND DISCOMFORT TO GIVE US OPPORTUNITIES
TO LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE SO WE CAN BE WISER, STRONGER AND HOLIER
ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT AS A HUMAN RACE, WE ARE ALL SINNERS. A GOOD
DEFINITION OF A SAINT IS A SINNER WHO KEEPS ON TRYING, A BROTHER TOLD ME
ON THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS AND I AGREE WITH HIM ON THAT. SO KEEP ON TRYING!
THE SPIRITUAL
LIFE IS AN ART WHICH NO ONE CAN LIVE IT PERFECTLY. GOD HAS TO HELP
US. BECAUSE WE, AS A HUMAN RACE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER, HE USES ONE ANOTHER
TO HELP US LEARN. USUALLY, WE DON'T SEE OUR SHORTCOMINGS. WE OFTEN
BLAME ON OTHERS. BUT AS TIME GOES BY,
AND WE GROW, WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK BACK AND REGCONIZE OUR
WEAKNESS. WHAT WE DON'T ABOUT WHAT OTHERS DO, WE ARE LIKELY TO HAVE THE SAME TENDENCY
TO DO THE SAME SOONER OR LATER.
ANYHOW,
WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT SAD THINGS JUST DON'T GO AWAY AS YOU SAID. WE HAVE TO FIND THE ROOTS AND GET RID OF
THEM.
…. BEING OPEN AND ALLOWING SOMEONE TO SEE OUR
WOUNDS ARE NOT THAT EASY. IT IS PAINFUL AND EMBARRASHING. BUT UNLESS WE DIE TO OUR PRIDE AND FALSE EGO,
WE WILL NOT GET HELP. NO MATTER HOW HURT
IT IS, A WOUNDED PERSON HAS TO LET THE SURGENT TAKE OUT THE BULLET SO THAT SHE
CAN BE NORMAL
AGAIN AFTER A PERIOD OF RECOVERY.
I HAVE MANY
FAULTS AND HAVE BEEN LEARNING HOW TO DO BETTER EVEN THOUGH I WILL NEVER GET RID
OF THEM ALL. BUT AT LEAST I CAN STAY
HUMBLE KNOWING I AM A SINNER AND THEREFORE I NEED THE MERCY OF GOD TO KEEP ON
TRYING.
… I PRAY EARNESTLY FOR YOUR WELL BEING.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE GREAT SPIIRTUAL GIFTS. IF
YOU CAN ALLOW SOMEONE TO GUIDE YOU
PROPERLY, YOU WILL LIVE A MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL, PROFITABLE AND PEACEFUL LIFE
WHERE YOU CAN DO SO MUCH TO HELP THIS WORLD WHICH GOD HAS CREATED YOU TO BE
APART OF AND TO MAKE IT BETTER PLACE… “
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