PARADOXICAL

Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness. - Mother Teresa (via Waldy)

The Lord always sets his hand to a task when he removes all human means and orders us to do a thin that exceeds our strength. - St. Vincent de Paul (via Malou)

Obedience unleashes the power of God. (via Malou)

God who is nameless and unknowable, mysterious, allows Himself to be named, known, demystified through our experience. He always creates us. (via Malou)

posted by Resty Odon  # 12:52 AM 0 Comments

I am deeply indebted to the following people.

My grandmother and mother, for initiating me to God and prayer life

The parish priests, too many to count, who ministered to me

Tita Francing Movilla, for teaching me to pray the rosary and introducing me to Carmelite brown scapular devotion

Tony Vasquez, a charismatic leader, for encouraging me and others to pursue a wordless, quiet prayer time on top of ‘noisy prayer’

The many other pastoral leaders who ministered to me in the Catholic charismatic movement

Fr. Popo ___, formator of Vincentians, for giving a retreat that introduced us to the thoughts of Carlo Caretto, an Italian desert monk

To the band of Catholic apologists I met online, for recatechizing me and givng me a deeper understanding of Catholic tradition and the teachings of the Magisterium

Two male friends who won’t want to be named, for introducing me to the books of John Powell, Henri Nouwen, et al.

Malou, for leading me to Jean Vanier’s heroic work of ministering to the mentally ill, to the other writings of Nouwen, and the books of Fr. Thomas Keating, Cistercian/Trappist monk/abbot, down to Lita Salinas, a secular contemplative of Contemplative Outreach Philippines

Wanted: Spiritual father

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:49 PM 0 Comments

the art of discovering yourself: trilogy



1 *******************



the heart and the mind



the mind can never understand

what the heart knows full well

because the heart seldom resorts to logic

which confuses the mind



the mind measures

and hates the immeasurable

the heart does not measure

and smiles at the immeasurable



2 *******************



the vicious circle



we lose our health to make our wealth

we lose our wealth to regain our health



we live as if we will never die

we die as if we never lived



we are so busy with daily tasks

yet we are so bored in being so busy



we look for meaning in meaningless things

and overlook things fraught with meaning



we have no time for others

yet we waste our time in absurd undertakings



3 **************



irony of ironies



there are times

when not planning

is the best plan

when whispering is

more easily heard than shouting



there are times

when gentleness

is more forceful than force

when blindness

can make you see



there are times

when the wisdom of a child

is deeper than that of a sage

when sitting in darkness

can induce meditation



there are times

when sickness

can make you strong

and pain

can make you resolute



there are times

when the thought of death

can make you alive

and life can make

you wish for death



eastwind

posted by Resty Odon  # 9:31 PM 0 Comments

"It is by not knowing Him in the ways that we now know Him that we do know Him."

- Fr. Thomas Keating

posted by Resty Odon  # 9:01 PM 0 Comments

The charismatic movement has a great potential. To fulfill its promise, it needs to be open to the Christian contemplative tradition. - Thomas Keating.

Suffering is part of the price one has to pay for being greatly loved. The alternation of joy and sorrow in the spiritual journey helps us to be detached from our psychological experiences. - Thomas Keating

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. - Henri Nouwen (via Mike)

Only God can bring our false self to an end. - ?? (via Malou) Discuss.

God gives us a loving spirit so we can become a whole person; not just gifted with a mind that can understand but with a heart that truly cares. (via Ian)

What I have learned in life is that suffering, hardship and pain -- no matter how unfair -- would help me develop strong character, deep wisdom, and positive response that can transform setbacks into triumphs. (via Joe)

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:56 PM 0 Comments

"The more we eat, the hungier we become." - Fr. Ting Raymundo

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:53 PM 0 Comments

Practice the pause. When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. Because by pausing: We breather deeper. Clear the mind. Take a view from a different perspective. Smile. Contemplate. Even our heart needs rest.

In moments when we feel so empty, no matter what we have, and we search for God, could it be that we are searching for our true self? – Malou’s question

The full formation of the false self happens between 4 to 6 years old. - Thomas Keating via Malou

God always offer a way out. If we sit still, we are more likely to see what it is. - Fr Thomas Keating

Be grateful that you don’t have everything you want. That means you still have the opportunity to be happier tomorrow than you are today.

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:27 AM 0 Comments

“When you feel that you are alone, that is the time to remember the promised Consoler who is always present. The Holy Spirit dwells in anyone who believes in and loves Jesus. He is there whether you are a man or a woman, a child or an elderly person. It does not matter if you are poor or rich. The Spirit is equally present among all who believe. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a consoling thought in the face of trials and persecution and in moments of aloneness in the midst of a crumbling world. You just have to open your eyes in faith, experience the presence of the Spirit of God, and believe you are safe.”

“Priests, religious, and lay men and women who work with the poor often feel alone. Even people who are involved in a structured apostolate feel alone. There is that feeling of being alone even in a lively parish of 50,000 parishioners. You can be lonely standing in the middle of a big crowd. There is more truth to this now than ever before with forms of recreation that intensify people’s feeling of loneliness, like television, computer and video games. I even notice this with seminarians. Some seminarians are not afraid of the work but they are afraid of the vulnerability in priestly life experienced as loneliness. Before, a missionary who dies alone in a lonely and far away place is described as having died a noble and heroic death. Today, such news would lead people to say, ‘How sad! He was alone. What a lonely man!’

“If we believe that the Spirit is an abiding consoler, a better presence of Jesus, can we not have room for that presence to manifest itself in our lives? There is a lot of “processing” of “issues” nowadays, whether in formation, retreats, or counseling. When we get preoccupied with the issues that do not go away, despair might set in. The illusion that we can set all things right, solve all issues, and eliminate all problems creates loneliness and aloneness. Room must be given for he quiet miracles of the Spirit. The Spirit is present. Jesus can be present even in the most broken persons and in spite of themselves. To believe that the Spirit is in me, a broken and sinful creature, requires a leap of faith. The Spirit’s consoling presence needs to be discerned and believed in the midst of personal and societal troubles.”

- From Luis Antonio G. Tagle's (DD, STD) An Easter People: Our Christian Vocation to be Messengers of Hope

posted by Resty Odon  # 12:34 AM 0 Comments

“Jesus knew his disciples well. He recognized their need for a defender, prosecutor, and consoler. He also understood their need for time and extra help to grasp his teaching. In John 16.12, Jesus said that he still had much to tell but the disciples could not bear them yet. I recall a counselee who had been working with me for some time who asked during one session if I could plainly tell him what my impressions were of him. He wanted to know the truth about himself. I began telling him and at a certain point, he stopped saying he could only stand so much. Here is so much reality we have to face but we cannot deal with it in one shot. Jesus knew human nature so well that he promised for another to come to guide us to the truth. In John 14.17, we find the title, “Spirit of Truth.” We may add “gentle and compassionate” Spirit of Truth who will guide in patience. The Spirit does not rush. As the permanent presence of Jesus in us, the Spirit has all the time to tell us about Jesus.”

- From Luis Antonio G. Tagle's (DD, STD) An Easter People: Our Christian Vocation to be Messengers of Hope

Comment:

We process our issues with the attitude of patiently awaiting the Holy Spirit’s inspiration at Its own pacing.

posted by Resty Odon  # 12:27 AM 0 Comments