I Take off the MASK!

Grief and Healing - Download the eBook

“Dear friends, may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world.”- Pope Benedict XVI

The greatest legacy we can leave our children is our faith. Faith in the God who truly cares, faith in Him who alone has the power to change the world.

We may strive to give them all the material comfort we could, all the education and opportunity to rise in their chosen careers. But if they have no faith, what would protect them from despair? What would give them true meaning and purpose in life?

All else will fade in this world. All else will fail them, even the best people, even their highest aspirations.

Only faith can guide them towards Truth so they can have wisdom to discern what is right and wrong. Only faith can stand the fierce storms of temptations that seek to devour every man’s peace and wholeness.

Love your children well. Give them a legacy that will truly last.

For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? – Matthew 16:26, DRB

“To have Christian hope means to know about evil and yet to go to meet the future with confidence.” – Pope Benedict XVI

To hope is to find courage amidst uncertainties. It is to be able to hold firmly to what you believe in no matter what other people say, no matter what tragedies may arise. It is to be strong in times of trials, to be positive in the face of gloom.

We cannot start with any endeavor without hope. We need hope in order to dream again, to tackle each task anew.

When we wake up each day, hope finds its way to us as we see the rising sun. The new day promises us a new beginning, a chance to change our lives for the better.

Let us not be defeated by despair, but be strengthened with the hope God has given us. In Him we place our confidence, in His power and in His unfailing love.

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his loving kindness.
-Psalm 147:11, WEB

“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”- Luke 9:62, WEB

Starting a certain undertaking is often easier than finishing it through. When we start a task, we may be full of enthusiasm, full of great expectations for the result of our labors.

Somewhere along the way though, we may get impatient. When we encounter unforseen difficulties, our hearts are dismayed and we quickly give up.

Sooner or later, we find another goal worth pursuing and we merely repeat the process, giving up just when we were about to achieve our goal, turning back just when we’re about to realize our dream.

If only we have resolved from the very beginning never to give up. If only we have given our full commitment instead of merely following our fleeting excitement.

There are of course times when we must realize that trying to pursue a certain course has already become futile. But more often than not, we make it futile because we have never given our best at all.

After discerning the dreams that are really worth taking, let us resolve to give our very best to it. Let us practice giving our all, devoting our full commitment. It is only by such a kind of perseverance that we are able to prove how much we really value our dreams.

“Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” – Pope John Paul II

Quite often we think of the gifts we can give to little children, especially at Christmas. But have we also wondered the many gifts they give to us? – Jocelyn Soriano

The gifts given by a little child often come unnoticed because they are wrapped in the simplest of packages. They are given without much noise, they are received without much words.

A child gives by simply being himself. He gives us his innocence and his pure laughter. That tiny laughter that could inspire us the whole day through.

A child gives by receiving our care. He gives us the chance to care for another, to be channels of love and service, and all the while being so joyful about it we hardly realized we have given anything at all.

A child gives by quick transmission of happiness. His mere presence warms our hearts. Each of his little accomplishments touch our soul.

We are humbled by the gifts little children continue to give us. May we always be grateful in spirit by allowing ourselves to be filled with their innocence and joy!

“Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” – Luke 18:16, WEB

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
-Proverbs 1:7, WEBBE

The more knowledgeable we are, the more we should strive for humility. Those who are truly wise know that there is always much to learn, much to discover, much explore.

We never stop learning no matter how wise we have become. On the contrary, we strive to learn more and to be more humble in our discernment of things.

We learn to listen. Not only to those deemed wise by the world, but even to those who are simple. More often than not, we find great wisdom in simplicity.

We become open to others, to our peers and mentors, to the seasoned and to the innocent, to our God-given conscience, and to Divine revelations that teach us things we never even thought to be possible.

God has not left us without a guide. He is ever generous to those who seek for a higher wisdom, to those who have not closed their hearts to His voice.

Truth is always available to those who seek it, to those who do not depend upon their own limited knowledge alone.

“Knowing is not simply a material act, since the object that is known always conceals something beyond the empirical datum. All our knowledge, even the most simple, is always a minor miracle, since it can never be fully explained by the material instruments that we apply to it. In every truth there is something more than we would have expected, in the love that we receive there is always an element that surprises us.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth