See her books like "Questions to God", "Mend My Broken Heart", "To Love an Invisible God", "Defending My Catholic Faith", "Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief" and more - click here.
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(You may freely quote excerpts from this website as long as due credit is given to author Jocelyn Soriano and the website itakeoffthemask.com)
You are loved
focus on that
breathe on that
live on that
move in that
daily
from one moment to the next
in your waking hours
in your dreams
in your imaginings
until no barrier exists
between yourself
and your lover
between God
and His beloved
until nothing can ever separate you
from the Love that lives forever
and transcends all things
all places
and all possibilities
You are loved
that is all that matters
Men have always wanted to live forever. We think as though if we could just find the elixir of life, we’d have also found the potion for eternal bliss. But living forever and living happily forever are two completely different things. In fact, given the chance to really live forever, I believe not few of us would soon regret having taken that chance. What is there to live forever for in 200 years? In 600? In a thousand or in ten thousand years? Wouldn’t we have been tired already of doing the same things over again? Of celebrating the holidays like we’ve always done before? Of doing the routines that would keep us fit, or even of inventing some new way of entertaining ourselves?
At one point or another, maybe we’d arrive at what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes- there is nothing new under the sun. We’d get tired of the cycles we’ve been so happy about before. We’d care not for the showers of spring, nor for the snow that falls in winter. We’d find the meaninglessness of everything. And as Buddhists believe, we’d realize that we’d soon desire to escape the endless suffering we’ve subjected ourselves into. The very thing we’ve desperately desired to possess, the one thing we’d have lusted for would have become our own curse.
For people who seek forever, let a contemplation be made on how that forever is going to be spent and for what need that would serve us all. If not, and if wishes were granted indeed, we may have just been praying for our own hell, a hell we may not be able to escape. There is nothing new under the sun, and everything is passing as this world is whose fate had already been set since its fall. Everything shall come to an end except for one thing, the only thing that needs nothing new under the sun. Indeed, what remains is LOVE, the only thing that yields not to death but makes all things eternal, beautiful and new. 🙂
Nothing can compare to the warmth
generated by a hug.
No person feels as secure, as intimate, as needed, as loved, as someone being hugged.
At times I forget the nicest things said about me, but I cannot forget those times I have been hugged.
For surely, it brushes away our fears and turns our tears into waterfalls of grace.
Don’t be ashamed to ask for it from those whom you know has great concern for you.
Oftentimes, people really want to give it away, but are just afraid to offer it. Such people would be more than willing to give to you that loving embrace if only you will ask.
So why not ask?
P.S.
Let me be the first to give you one, here’s a warm hug for a beloved child of God 🙂
My friend,
you are dearly loved.
Even when you don’t feel it sometimes;
Even when people fail to tell you
just how much you mean to them;
Even when people don’t express it
the way you want them to.
Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to
you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not
run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who
wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul
is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep
wound in My Heart.
Soul: Lord, I hear your voice calling me to turn back from the path of sin, but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do so.
Jesus: I am your strength, I will help you in the struggle.
Soul: Lord, I recognize your holiness, and I fear You.
Jesus: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me
from being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earththe
tabernacle-and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not
surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any
time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace.
Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright.
Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can
measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth;
for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be
pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then,
with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your
misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about
your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your
troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.
Soul: You have conquered, O Lord, my stony heart with Your goodness. In trust and
humility I approach the tribunal of Your mercy, where You yourself absolve me by the hand of your representative. O Lord, I feel Your grace and Your peace filling my poor soul. I feel overwhelmed by Your mercy, O Lord. You forgive me, which is more than I dared to hope for or could imagine. Your goodness surpasses all my desires. And now, filled with gratitude for so many graces, I invite You to my heart. I wandered, like a prodigal child gone astray; but you did not cease to be my Father. Increase Your mercy toward me, for You see how weak I am.
Jesus: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child,
to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain
of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and
you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not
fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
More about the Divine MERCY (CLICK here)
-Diary of Sister Faustina, Divine Mercy