Life is too short: 05/01/2007

THE TEARS OF GOD?

Pain! Pain ! Go away! Come again another day. Little Norie wants to play. Hhhmmm, the magic of writing isn't working today my child. Maybe another day.

Tell me my child, can anyone who is rich in love be poor in pity? Does God demand a bowed-back, gnawed hands, bended knees to win his favour? Does the Father of compassion takes pleasure to see his son nailed to the cross for doing His will?

In this valley of tears, there is always sadness and brokeness that goes with human love. We know that the moment you begin to love you must be ready to suffer. Even God suffers not because of incompleteness or imperfection, but of the fullness and generosity of love. He goes out of his fullness to share in our pain, simply because he loves us. For it is the very essence of love to be moved, to be affected by what is happening to the person we love. Their pain and hurt is also our pain and hurt. When our love one suffers we also suffer, sometimes even greater. I think God is not unmoved by our suffering. He is not a God who watches us from a distance. He is with us, Immanuel. He is a God who suffer with us and for us in Jesus. What the Book of Job failed to explain, Jesus did. It is the Father's choice to suffer out of love.

Daughters, this is what you get for loving me.....he..he..he.. sorrrrrryyyyyyyyy.

Marvel with me now, you know whenever I look at the cross I do not see Jesus. I can only see the Father, loving me, with outstreched arms, waiting for me.

IT'S QUARTER TO THREE

Posted by Norie comments (2)

It's quarter to three. The noise of the City has died down. It's you and me again my friend. It's quite and still. I am dead! No I am not. It is like standing in the middle of an eye of the storm. I am begining to enjoy this strange mysterious tranquility when a soft cold wind touches my face. And when I open my eyes disturbed by the gust, I saw the petals of the flowers being bath by the dew. It's a beautiful sight. Gently the heat of night is being push away by this heavenly breath. Refreshing it anew. As the leaves of the trees watch and claps at this nature's wonder, I step out to greet this beautiful new morning and wonder in awe.

It is a birth of a new day, of a new hope. The sun is slowly lighting up the dead night putting colors everywhere. Slowly but finally it is uncovered..... a new life. I guess it is natures provision for renewing the face of the earth.

My friend, I think He is telling me that He gives quiteness in the midst of the storm. Hope in the midst of despair. Refreshing and making beautiful every step of our life. He takes from our soul the stress and strain to make us see the beauty of His peace. The peace that the world can never give. Yes, my friend, my daughther was right. The hurt is moving away. This heavenly dew will never appear while there is heat or wind. Temperature must go down, wind must cease, the air must come to a certain coolness and rest before moistures will become dew.

He speaks to us in silence. Solitude is not attained solely because we are alone. He gives quiteness even in the midst of losing our inner strength and comfort. He speaks. " Quite! Be still!" Can you not hear it? He always does this when we are tempted to look at our joys, pleasures, passions, or our dreams with too much self-satisfaction. His voice could be heard above the screaming voices of the wind of fear. " Quite! Be still. " And suddenly there is a great calm.

When earth and hell seemed mobilized against us...He will come.

You see my friend. He wants us to be happy.....maybe not in this world.....but surely in the next.

I LOVE YOU

Posted by Norie comments (7)

Dear Friend

Now I am beginning to feel tired. It was my daughter who created this blog. She convince me that writing down my feelings would ease the pain in my heart and heal my spirit. It will become an effecacious balm she said that will soothe my hurt. Well, I know that God uses suffering to plow our field of life so that it would yield more harvest. Our tears will water the mysterious seeds and His grace will make it grow into a beautifull crop. I also believe in the salvific value of suffering. Yet, the thought of having pain and lossing my mind when the attack begins scares me.

My mind now does not work the same way as it use to I told her. There is a big cyst at the center of my brain. And many small one around it. MRI ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging) films shows it. The interpreting Doctor said it is benign. Others told me that it is congenital. Still others told me that the gain in exploring is not commensurate to the damage that will be done. What they did not tell me is when will it stop growing. When will it stop squezzing my brain and stop this excruciating pain I secretly hide. How did they know it is benign without histopath, without examining the blog, well I am glad they didn't. My skull is still complete and intact. No holes and they promise they will not saw an inch of it to explore. I beg them. Let me go, as one in peace?

It is hard for me to believed that life is just a brief flash of light between the long darkness that preceded the womb, and an everlasting darkness that will follow the grave. I am not just a meaningless speck in the universe, tossed off by the creative power of an uncaring God. I am not a biological accident. Come to think of it. My life is not bad at all. I have a beautiful wife, three wonderful kids, all are now professionals, two girls one boy, with four lovely grand children three girls, one handsome boy. What can I ask for? I know I can now go clothed with joy just by thinking of them.

As I gaze at the image of Jesus at the cross. I ask, what is the most painfull of all? Is it the nail in your hands, or the one on your feet? Is it the crown of thorns in your head or the open flesh on your back? I must agree, as I hear clearly in my mind, it is the betrayal of someone you love. It is the rejection, the complete disregard of all your effort. It is an offer of love denied. Yes I must agree it is the most painfull of all your pain on the cross. Only by grace can we enter into this blessed bliss. Only by grace can we stand and come into they presence. Lord remember not my transgressions, but by your cross bear me up.

......better than my best.

Posted by Norie comments (0)

Dear Friend,

They say that, " the way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance and every trial as being straight from the hand of our loving Father."

I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile
All sense of nearness, human and divine;
The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart,
The hand I clung to loosed themselves from mine;
But while I swayed, weak, trembling and alone,
The everlasting arms upheld my own.

I prayed for light; the sun went down in clouds,
The moon was darkened by misty doubt,
The stars of heaven were dimmed by earthly fears,
And all my little candle flames burned out;
But while I sat in shadow, wrapped in night,
The face of Christ made all the darkness bright.

I prayed for peace, and dreamed of restful ease,
A slumber free from pain, a hushed repose;
Above my heard the skies were black with storm,
And fierce grew the onslaught of my foes;
But while the battle raged, and wild winds blew,
I heard His voice and perfect peace I knew.

I thank you, Lord, You were too wise to heed
My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought,
Since these rich gifts Your bounty has bestowed
Have brought me more than all I asked or thought;
Giver of good, so answer each request
With Your own giving, better than my best.

Annie Johnson Flint

While there's still time

Posted by Norie comments (1)

Dear Friend,

Today I wake up a little bit afraid. Some truths are really not very much enticing to reflect on and their recollection usually makes us very uncomfortable. Allow me my friend to share a story I read written by Father Michael Mueller from his book " The Sinner's Return to God."

"A Traveller once found himself alone on a dreary moor. The ground was covered with snow. The bleak winter wind moaned and blew in fitful gusts. All nature seemed dead around him,and scarcely a star-light gleamed on the dreary tomb. The poor lonely traveller had lost his way. He had been wandering long amid the snow-drifts. He was benumbed with cold, dispirited and weary. Must he lie down upon this bleak moor and die? Must the ice be his bed and the snow his winding-sheet? He thinks of home, but thought fill his soul with bitterness. Never again shall he feel his fond wife's embrace, never again shall his children welcome him with the merry laugh and the warm, tender kiss. The poor traveller sinks upon the ground in weakness and despair. A distant sound strikes upon his ear, rouses him from his stupor, and fills him with hope. It is the sound of the convent bell ringing the matin chime. The lost traveller shakes off the sleep of death. He sees in the distance a glimmering light. He urges on his weary steps. He reaches the convent door and is safe."

It may be in the evening,
When the work of the day is done,
And you have time to sit in the twilight,
And watch the sinking sun,
While the long bright day dies slowly over the sea,
And the hours grow quiet and holy
With thoughts of Me;
While you hear the village children
Running along the street---
Among those passing footsteps
May come the sound of My feet.
Therefore I tell you, Watch!
By the light of the evening star
When the room is growing darker
As the clouds afar.
Let the door be closed and latched
In your home,
For it may be in the evening
I will come.

Thomas DeWitt Talmage

STILL AT IT

Posted by Norie comments (1)

Dear Sophiaguri

You know I am now living at the sunset side of my life. I have my passport, and my doctors have given me my ticket. I am now at the departure area waiting for my plane. I am going home and the Father is still at it... Giving me a chance to be transform into his likeness. I mean like the rich man in the story. Everyday Lazarus sits at the rich man's gate waiting for love to come and it did not He is still giving me a chance to love. I guess love is the language of heaven. And if I want to live there I must know the language else I will never understand them.Could it be that this is the reason for the delay of my flight. And that the problems and the pains I am now experiencing is part of His plan. I believed that the cross is not the end of life but its beginning,for after the Holy Week comes Easter. He never promised me an easy passage, only a safe landing.

Oh, set your sail to the heavenly gale,
And then, no matter what winds prevail,
No reef can wreck you, no calm delay;
No mist will hinder, no storm will stay;
Though far you wonder and long you roam
Through salt sea sprays and o'er white sea foam,
No wind can blow but that will speed you home.
Annie Johnson Flint

A chance to love

Posted by Norie comments (1)

May 2, 2007

"We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then is not an act, but a habit."
Aristotle

Dear Sophiaguri

I am very happy for you because you've just discovered the secret of the truly rich. Thanks for sharing (Willie McCool GK Legacy Village).I hope I spelled your name right. Mother Theresa of Calcuta once said, " You cannot give what you don't have." I think you are rich. I know you are, rich of this kind is called " friends of the Lord. " I know a story of a rich man who is actually poor in the eyes of the Lord It amazed me to read the story and sometimes makes me uncomfortable. The rich man hss no name as St. Gregory the Great observes, the poor man's name is Lazarus, probably the "friend", a somebody.

The story as told by St. Luke goes like this, " There was a certain rich man who used to clothe himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted every day in splendid fashion. And there was a certain poor man named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. And it came to pass that the poor man died and was borne away by the angels into Abraham's bossom; but the rich man who also died and was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bossom. And he cried out and said, ' Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finge in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. ' But Abraham said to him, ' Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime hast recieved good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now here he is comforted whereas thou art tormented. And besides all that, between us and you a great gulf is fixed, so that they who wish to pass over from this side to you cannot, and they cannot cross from your side to us.' And he said, ' Then Father, I beseech thee to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they too come into this place of torments. And Abraham said to him, ' They have Moses and the Prophets: let them hearken to them.' But he answered: ' No father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' But he said to him, ' If they do not hearken to Moses and the prophets they will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. "

Why did the rich man go to hell? Abraham is a wealthy man? There's nothing in the story that the rich man had commited sins we normally called mortal. There is nothing in the story that the rich man have acquired his riches in a questionable way, through dishonesty or malpractice. Being well dressed is not sufficient reason to condemn him. The same could be said of his magnificent dinners that envolved expenses worthy of his guest. Today, people live as if they are rich, spending even what they have not yet earned on activities a lot more pointless and absurd. It is not bad I think to have a lot of maney? Why did the rich man go to hell?

I think the story is about the secret of being truly rich. It is about love. It is about God, our Father. St. Jerome said, " Christians are not born, they are made. "
The rich man is being given that chance...a chance to love. A chance to be transform into the likeness of God. A chance to be included in the family of love. For God our Father is love and his sons and daughters must be like him. LOVE.

Those who love are truly rich for they can give their wholeself for the sake of another...

Thanks for sharing,the rich man was given a chance to love and he blew it, rich....