Categories
Spirituality

What Is Truth Like?

What is truth likeThe truth is like the sun shining brightly above us. But some see its light only through mists and clouds, while others choose to remain in the shadow of trees. Thus, we don’t see it the same way. Others see the truth much clearer and brighter, while others refuse to see it at all.

Now some may ask, is it the fault of those under mists and clouds not to see the full light of the sun? Is it their fault to live in the darkness where they are?

I’d say that even those in the shadows may desire, if they wish to go farther and seek something that’s missing in their lives. Though I can’t also deny the possibility that some may not know the way to look further while some may have already decided not to seek beyond where they are.

Now when the time comes for the mist and the clouds to fade, the question is whether they shall choose to see the bright world where they now stand or they would prefer to close their eyes and pretend that they were blind.

Categories
Spirituality

Is Abortion Murder?

is abortion murder

Is Abortion Murder?

What is murder? While I may not be an expert in terms of law, I can understand it as a grave offense done with full malice and intent to end the life of another human being.

When it comes to the Catholic faith, it is a mortal sin. Without repentance, a person who commits murder takes upon himself the punishment of hell and the loss of heaven.

Abortion as Murder

Abortion on the other hand is the premature death of a child within the womb. It can be spontaneous such as in cases of miscarriage. It can also be induced such as when a medical procedure is performed to directly cause the death of the child even before he/she is born.

If we consider direct or induced abortion to intentionally end the life of a child (considered as a human being), then we can equate such abortion with the gravity of murder. That is the line of thinking we can generally assume when we try to answer whether abortion is murder or not.

What About the Mothers?

The question at hand before us is this, “How do we consider the mothers who commit abortion?” Is it ever right to call them murderers as well?

I wrote this because I felt sad to hear many mothers automatically being tagged as murderers.

Let us remember that even if we are not talking about abortion, a person who kills another person is not automatically called a murderer. As far as I know, for something to be considered murder, it has to be intentional and premeditated. If someone accidentally kills another person without that malice or intention, it shouldn’t be called that way.

Where We Should Draw The Line

While I cannot erase the possibility of cases where mothers are totally aware of what they will do, I would like to believe that many mothers are not fully culpable of the crime. While sin may not be absent, such can be mitigated and those concerned may suffer with lesser guilt.

Only God knows the heart of a person. He knows our weaknesses and our sins.

If there is ever anyone who can call anybody a murderer, it should be God.

This does not mean that we should stop fighting for the life of every child within the womb. God forbid it! But let us be more compassionate in our approach to help those who may suffer more than we could ever begin to think or imagine.

The child is a human being, made in God’s image and likeness, worthy of our protection and love. But so is the mother. Even if she sins.

For have we not all sinned and deserved death? But Jesus Christ came to save us all and to give us everlasting life.

 


Jocelyn Soriano is the author of the devotional “366 Days of Compassion”. Get the free e-book from Amazon — click here.

Categories
Prayers

Prayers for a Broken Heart

prayers for a broken heart

May these prayers for a broken heart help you find healing, consolation and strength.

The most painful feeling of someone with a broken heart is that of being alone. Suddenly, there is no one to talk to, no one to call, and no one to lean on to. Just when you need it most, the most important person you have ever counted upon has abandoned you. And what could you possibly do?

For those who believe in God, it may be time to pray. Because even if the rest of the world walks away, and even if you seem to have no one, there is Someone who still sees you and who is just waiting for you to spend some time with Him in prayer.

Below are two prayers for a broken heart that could help you start your conversation with God in your hour of need.

“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.”—Psalm 34:18, WEB-BE

Mend My Broken heart 

Get the book from Amazon today — click here

Get it as a PDF file from Gumroad— click here

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A Broken Heart’s Prayer

Dear Lord, how could he have done this to me? How could he forget his promises? How could he throw away in a moment all the things we have built all these years? How could he break my heart?

Was it my fault? Was it me, Lord? Tell me where I have gone wrong. For I do not understand how all these things can be happening right now. I do not understand how something so good can suddenly end up the way it is today.

We were so happy, Lord. We were so in love we have not a care in the world. It was just him and me, the two of us, and it was enough, probably more than enough. I thought he was Your gift to me, and I to him. We complement each other, we share so many things in common, it is to him that I opened up my heart. It is he, Lord, whom I trusted with all my heart.

How then can he break it so? How can he betray our love? How can he suddenly say he doesn’t love me anymore?

It seemed not so long ago when we would simply walk hand in hand along the beach, when we would share a slice of pizza and be satisfied just the same, when we would gaze at the evening sky and count the stars, content of what we had, certain that it would last forever like the millions of stars in the sky.

I believed in forever. Now I don’t know anymore. I know nothing anymore. Can love be lost in an instant? Can true love really just fade away? I am so broken deep within me, Lord, I do not know if I can still piece together every shattered part of me.

My friends say that it will heal in time. They say I should busy myself with this and that, date with this guy and that guy.

But I don’t know, Lord. Are these the things that can make me believe in love once again? Are these the things that can relieve this pain I feel in my heart?

I am not only hurting, Lord. I feel so angry that I couldn’t do anything to avenge myself for this kind of suffering I do not deserve. Do I not deserve true love, Lord? Do I not deserve loyalty, sincerity and respect?

He makes me feel so bad, Lord. He makes me feel so bad about myself. I built my whole world around him, and he took it all away. I built my self esteem upon his admiration, and he trampled upon it as though it were trash.

How can he not feel guilty for what he has done? How can he suddenly be so happy now in the arms of another woman? How can I ever build my world again? How can I ever be happy once more?

Please help me Lord, I really don’t know what to do. Only Your words can comfort me. Only Your embrace can soothe my pain.

I have given everything I could, my Lord, and there is nothing more I can give. I kneel before You now, crushed and broken, empty and afraid to be alone. Hide me under Your wings, hold me in Your loving arms. Say unto me again how much You love me. Say unto me that You have called me Yours and You will never ever let me go.

Though men may fail, You remain faithful, steadfast and immovable as a rock. Though men may judge me for all the faults they see in me, You see my heart and reveal to me the beautiful soul You see in me.

Help me to let go of my pain, teach me to forgive those who do not even ask my forgiveness. This burden is something I shouldn’t carry in my heart. This trouble is not something I should trade away my peace for.

I know that I have been done wrong, the things that have happened had been so unfair. Sometimes life’s like that. Many things in this life really seem so unfair. But let me not continue being unfair to myself. Let me not punish myself anymore for the things others have done.

I offer unto You my wounded heart, my broken heart. I know it is You, my Lord, who will uphold me in the end.

Let me not lose hope. Let me not cast away everything that’s good and beautiful in this life. I know that there is so much more in store for me. I know how much love I can still give away because You will fill me with everything that I’ll ever need.

You are the one who loves me truly, eternally, unconditionally. You are the one who has always been there for me and always will be there for me. You are my one true love. You are my forever. You are my strength and my peace and my joy. Surely in Your presence Lord, I do not need anything more.


After reading prayers for a broken heart, you may also want to read Poems of Love and Letting Go—Click Here.

book poems of love and letting go


A Prayer of Letting Go

Dear Jesus, I come to You now with a broken heart and a weary spirit. I don’t know how I can carry on each day knowing that a part of me had already gone, never ever to return. Can I ever be complete again? Can I ever smile again at the coming of a new day?

Day after day I miss him more and more. Day after day my longing grows but it can never be fulfilled. How can I possibly live my life again? How do I overcome this feeling that I am now all alone and I shall always be alone for the rest of my life?

How do I let go? The places we’ve been to, the celebrations we had together, they will never be the same. The emptiness in my heart is so big I can no longer breathe sometimes.

Help me, O God! The pain of separation seems more painful to me than death itself. I don’t know how much longer I can carry on. Help me carry on this day, Lord. Help me to let go, I pray. Though I may not forget, help me to remember how You have always carried me through. Though the pain may not yet go away, assist me in carrying this cross with hope in my heart.

Let me not forget the people who love me and assist me in this hour of need. May I find strength in them, consolation in the generosity of their hearts. And whenever I’m afraid, let there always be a hand to hold on to, a smile to brighten up my path.

Send down Your angels, Lord and may I recognize Your hand upon Your every gift and blessing. Give me something to do that I may not feel useless, yet teach me also to rest knowing all will be well after the long dark night.

You are my Rock and my Provider, Savior and Defender, Friend and Lover who will never ever let me down. You will lead me through this day. You will fill my every hour with peace, my every moment with thoughts of Your love.

I cannot bear the burdens of tomorrow but I will offer You all that I have today. Today is Yours, O God. This moment is Yours. Embrace me and take my hand. I am in Your heart. I am safe. I am loved.

“You know how troubled I am; you have kept a record of my tears.”—Psalm 56:8, WEB-BE

Get the Free God’s Promises App (Android) for your broken heart

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“Mend My Broken Heart”

Get the book from Amazon today — click here

Get it as a PDF file from Gumroad— click here

Find it on other digital stores — click here

“No matter how much we want to, there is no magic formula in healing a broken heart. There is no time-frame also. What we need is to know that our suffering is not meaningless, that the love we have given was never wasted, and that somewhere beyond all our pain, there is hope, hope that could help us endure the hurt we’re going through.”

Please share these prayers for a broken heart to those who may need it today! Thank you.

Categories
Poems

One More Day With You

if I could spend one more day with you poemIf I could spend just one more day,
one more day with you, my dear,
I’d spend the day just laughing
and hiding all my tears.

Though my heart just breaks within me,
to think I’d say goodbye again,
I’d do my best to keep you near me,
and think those hours would never end.

We’d watch the sun rise from the sky;
We’d eat and dance and fly a kite.
I’d hold you always by my side,
and think of only you and I.

I’d give the flowers I never gave;
I’d sing my finest serenade.
I’d read you poems that I have made,
and show you how I can be brave.

We’d gaze at stars all through the night,
I’d kiss and hug you really tight.
And if tears fall from my eyes,
I’d share with you some pretty lies.

If I could spend just one more day,
one more day with you, my love,
I’d thank the heavens up above,
and pray we never ever part.


The above poem was written by Jocelyn Soriano. You can download her free e-book “Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief” from Amazon — click here.

poems on grief

Categories
Spirituality

5 Personal Suggestions for Catholic Priests

5 Personal Suggestions for Catholic Priests

A list of unsolicited advice from a lay Catholic

This is not an easy post. I am a Catholic faithful, and I would never want to disrespect God’s chosen priests. They are His vessels of grace. Through them, we can receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

But I do not want to be remiss in my duty as a Catholic. As the Venerable Fulton Sheen once said:

“Who’s going to save our Church? It’s not our bishops, it’s not our priests and it is not the religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that the priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and the religious act like religious.”

With all humility and prayer, I list down some of my suggestions for priests below:

1. Let the mass be more holy than entertaining

While some jokes are tasteful and even helpful to get one’s message across, it is very difficult to tell jokes in good taste without sacrificing the sanctity of the occasion.

We can be tempted to make more jokes than necessary and to change our focus from preaching the Gospel to entertaining the people. We can be tempted to please ourselves by hearing the laughter and the clapping from the crowd.

Jokes can even end up offending people. Since not everyone has the same personality and therefore, the same taste in humor, some people may take offense at jokes that seem to insult or to judge them.

“Although jokes are at times fitting and pleasant, nevertheless they are incompatible with the ecclesiastical rule.”—St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church

“Nothing so becomes a church as silence and good order. Noise belongs to theatres, and baths, and public processions, and market-places: but where doctrines, and such doctrines, are the subject of teaching, there should be stillness, and quiet, and calm reflection, and a haven of much repose.”—St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church

“Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment”

— Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy

2. Remind people more about the sacrificial character of the mass.

A mass is not an amusement park or a movie theater where people go to be entertained. It is not a comedy bar where they pay a fee to laugh and to be amused.

We must remember that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us and shed His blood to redeem us. What is mass but the sacrifice of Christ to save us all?

While we must rejoice at His resurrection, should we not grieve for His passion like His Blessed Mother did?

“When you hear Mass, do you come in the same frame of mind as the Blessed Virgin at Calvary? Because it is the same God, and the same Sacrifice.”—St. John Vianney

“When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer to think that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of angels and archangels standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven and earth. Therefore, when you are in church, be there in silence, fear, and veneration.”—St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church

“Do not try to please everybody.
Try to please God, the angels and the saints –
they are your public.”
– St John Marie Baptiste Vianney

3. Lessen discussions dwelling on politics.

I understand that there are times when we need to take a stand even on political issues. But this should not be the focus of our evangelization.

Even in the time of Jesus, when the Jews were under Roman rule and there were so many political issues to discuss, Jesus did not make it the center of His mission. When asked about tax, He gave His audience a profound answer:

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17, WEBBE)

If we preach to the people the important spiritual principles, they will be formed in a way of thinking that will help them decide even on political matters.

Let us also refrain from putting certain political figures on a pedestal to the point of resting our faith on them instead of God. While we can do our utmost in studying the facts, we can still be wrong in judging people along the way. Only God sees. We do our best in acting out of a righteous character and we pray for God to do the rest.

“Wherever politics tries to be redemptive, it is promising too much. Where it wishes to do the work of God, it becomes not divine, but demonic.”

– Pope Benedict-XVI, Truth And Tolerance

“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.”—St. Francis Of Assisi

4. Speak the truth in love.

There are two pitfalls when it comes to speaking about the truth. The first is to act like self-righteous Pharisees and cast misjudgment on others, looking down on them and treating them with harshness. The second is to take up a kind of tolerance that no longer recognizes truth for the sake of pleasing people.

We should avoid both extremes. Speak the truth. But speak the truth in love.

“Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And, do not accept anything as love which lacks truth.”

— St. Edith Stein

“Priests must not be quick-tempered or rash, they must, instead, be temperate and thoughtful. We must support those we challenge and challenge those we support. If we neglect this, our work will lack either courage or gentleness. What shall we call the human soul but the food of the Lord? It is created, to become nothing less, than Christ’s body and to bring about growth in the eternal church.”—St Pope Gregory the Great

5. Tell people more about the spiritual world.

It is good to encourage people about their daily lives. But I hope that we can also hear more about the spiritual world. Speak to us more about heaven and the reality of angels. Warn us about the dangers of the occult. Enlighten us about exorcism and the existence of evil spirits.

We need to be reminded that there is something more beyond the secular world we live in. After all, it is by faith that we continue to believe in the God we cannot see (save through the mystery of the Eucharist).

“We feel the world invaded by the powers of evil. Sin is very near, rising on the horizon with admirably organized human power. At physical, psychological and intellectual levels, the devil himself utilizes a power higher than ours, and normally it assures him at least apparent victories. How can we overcome him? We can only do it by supernatural means… by prayer.” – Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, OCD, Where the Spirit Breathes

Final Words

I would like to thank all priests for the priceless work that they do for God. I cannot even begin to imagine the sacrifices they make each day for the sake of their mission.

I hope that reading this would help you in examining the things you can still improve and pray for. I may not be entirely correct. I do make mistakes! But I hope that this becomes a venue for growth and realization, even on things I did not even mention in the article.

God bless you and keep you safe during these difficult times. God be with you always!

“If the priest is a saint, the people will be fervent;
if the priest is fervent, the people will be pious;
if the priest is pious, the people will at least be decent;
if the priest is only decent, the people will be godless.
The spiritual generation is always one-degree less intense in its life than the one who begets it in Christ.”

– Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O. The Soul of the Apostolate


Jocelyn Soriano is the author of the free e-books “Defending My Catholic Faith” and “Questions to God”. Read more of my writings when you subscribe to Single Catholic Writer—click here.