I Take off the MASK!

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Great evil first comes in small doses. – Jocelyn Soriano

Evil is really powerless against goodness. But it works through malice and deceit. It works by pretending it is good and attractive and beautiful until you fall for it and lie to yourself that darkness is light and light is indeed darkness. Evil works by manipulation, by hiding in the shadows while whispering its many temptations until you let yourself off your guard. And after everything it has done to you, it leads you to think all is hopeless until you believe more in your misery that in the power of God’s mercy.

Never let evil triumph over you by letting it lure you to its many tricks. Always be vigilant! Never let it talk you into giving up what is truly precious and good.

And if in times you fall and succumb to its darkness, never lose hope. It is not in despair that you can find solace but in the infinite love and mercy of Him who has always loved you and who always will. No misery is greater than His love. No darkness is ever powerful enough to put out His Light!

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. -2 Timothy 3, WEB

See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. – Matthew 10:16, NRSVCE

Much of the world is covered with darkness because those who are good are often afraid to shine their light. While wicked men plot about evil, good men fall into indifference. While those who are evil commit every sort of injustice, good men keep silent as though it is a sin to speak against what is wrong.

Tolerance of evil is never a virtue. Neither is cowardice something to be strived for. Good men should be wise men who are not easily deceived or abused.

While it is true that we are called to forgive, to love and to be patient, we are also called to be courageous, to be strong and to overcome evil.

Let us be meek as doves indeed as we strive not to cause harm to others. But let us also be wise and discerning, able to distinguish between right and wrong, and ever prepared to fight for what is right.

“We ought to speak, shout out against injustices, with confidence and without fear. We proclaim the principles of the Church, the reign of love, without forgetting that it is also a reign of justice.” – Blessed Miguel Pro

…for no one loses in this battle but he who ceases to fight and to trust in God. He never ceases to help His soldiers, although He sometimes suffers them to be wounded . Only fight, for all depends on this. There are remedies at hand for healing the wounds of those warriors who look to God and to His help with confidence ; and, when they least expect it, they shall find their enemies dead. – The Spiritual Combat

There are times when you don’t know how to carry on as you see the number of odds against you. As the enemy advances from every side, you are tempted to give in to fear. You see their stature and their great number and you are tempted to despair. Everything seems to point out to a losing battle and your hopelessness seems to sap your strength away.

Deep within you however, you know you can’t just give up. To retreat would be to accept immediate defeat. To surrender is to give up fighting for a cause that is higher than even your own life.

So you go on, and you fight. And you entrust everything to Him who alone can determine the true victors of the battle. You look up to Him and you give everything that you have. It doesn’t matter anymore no matter how small or weak you think you are. The battle belongs to God and it is His unfailing strength that will carry you through.

See now that I, I alone, am he, and there is no god besides me. It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them, and from my hand no one can deliver. For I raise my hand to the heavens and will say: As surely as I live forever, When I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand lays hold of judgment, With vengeance I will repay my foes and requite those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh… Exult with him, you heavens, bow to him, all you divine beings! For he will avenge the blood of his servants, take vengeance on his foes; He will requite those who hate him, and purge his people’s land. – Deuteronomy 32, NABRE

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8, WEB

In the midst of the monotony and dullness of life, we discover that it is beauty that saves us. Wherever we find the beautiful, we also find the eternal, and we learn that though not all things can be defined, they can be felt, and their awe can reach the deepest parts of the heart.

It is in that awe for the mysterious that our thoughts are lifted higher and we come to realize the desires of our own souls. Desires we never even thought we had.

It is the desire for the greatest good, the highest sanctity, the purest love.

It is the longing for our true dream, for a lasting and unshakable happiness penetrating our very bones!

Our situation today shows that beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and goodness, and she will not allow herself to be separated and banned from her two sisters without taking them along with herself in an act of mysterious vengeance. We can be sure that whoever sneers at her name as if she were the ornament of a bourgeois past — whether he admits it or not — can no longer pray and soon will no longer be able to love.” – Hans Urs von Balthasar

“He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven.” – George Herbert

Forgiveness may be one of the most difficult things we need to do in life. It is never easy. Quite often, we may even think it to be impossible to do.

Yet for as long as we hold on to our grudge, we also hold on to our pain. We desire to have justice, but it flees from us. We want to be happy again but all we could ever feel is our pain.

We need forgiveness to find healing and to be whole again. We need to forgive all of those who have hurt us, and we need to forgive ourselves as well.

There is no citizen of heaven who has ever reached it without having forgiveness in his or her heart. In heaven, we are set free from everything that hurts us, and we look to the present bliss instead of holding on to the past. In heaven too, we accept the forgiveness of Him who saved us and kept us from despair. We look no more to our sins but to His infinite mercy and love.

Heaven is forgiveness. Being forgiven. And being able to forgive. Forgiveness brings peace. Forgiveness unites us and builds bridges where we once built walls. Forgiveness allows us to lay down our burdens, our guilt, our anger. When we finally find healing and wholeness, we find forgiveness as well. Forgiveness is what we call as heaven. – Jocelyn Soriano

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:8-9, WEBBE

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. – Mark 11:25, WEBBE