The Holy Name of Mary

The Litany of Blessed Virgin Mary, as we know it today, was first prayed at the Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto in Italy, where its usage was recorded as early as 1558. At the time, there were also many other litanies in existence throughout the world. In 1587, Pope Sixtus V approved the Litany of Loreto for the faithful use by the Church and suppressed all the other Marian litanies. The Litany of Loreto contains many titles used formally and informally for Mary, and it set before us Mary's exalted privileges, her holiness of life, her amiability and power, her motherly spirit and queenly majesty. I hardly ever paid any attention to any of these titles in the Litany while praying the Rosary, and often mumbled "Pray for us" without ever thinking who is it that actually praying for us. So it is certainly a good idea to examine each one of these titles to learn and meditate more about its origins, their relationship to the Scriptures, and more importantly, how it is connected to Jesus and points us to the kingdom of God.

Power of Prayer - A Testimony

A few weeks ago, as I was getting ready to attend a retreat led by a very gifted priest, I sent out a message on my Facebook account asking friends to make their prayer requests so that I could pray for them. Given I do not have many friends on Facebook, I was still saddened by the response I got for my request - I received three requests. Now, I know for sure that most of my Facebook friends are catholics or at least Christians, and I also believe that they all strive to maintain some kind of relationship with the Living Christ. I don't think I received only three prayer requests because the rest of my friends were living a life with perfect health, satisfying careers, and soothing relationships. It is just that they couldn't bring themselves up to asking God for some of their pressing needs. As I look back at my own life, I can't blame any of them for not approaching God with a prayer request. It took more than a few miracles in my own life to convince me of the power prayer. From my past experiences, here are three main reasons for not asking God in prayer: 1. They think that there is no need to ask God. God knows everything and will give what's needed, when it is needed; 2. They don't think God cares about specific problems of each individual; he is God and has the whole universe to worry about; 3. They don't believe they have problems that couldn't be solved by themselves. 

Can Anyone be Addicted to God?

There are instances where people who were addicted to things like money, power, luxury, recognition, or pride give up on those things when the love of God touches their heart. God actually finds ingenious ways to touch the hearts of those people who are addicted to worldly things. One of the most effective way He uses is by allowing suffering to enter the lives of those whom He wishes to touch. During the times of trials and tribulations, many tend to turn to God seeking relief from the desperate situations that they are in. Once a person discerns the presence of God - the warmth of His gentle and comforting love - there is no going back. Once we realize that the life offered by God through Jesus Christ is worth more than anything we ever possessed, it is easy to trade our life, with all of its riches and relationships, for a life in Christ. But many would argue that when somebody give up their worldly pleasures for joy in Christ, all they are doing is trading one addiction in for a different one. But is that really so, is it possible to be addicted to God?

Many Faces of the Virgin

In the vast world of Christianity, there is nobody more divisive than Mother Mary. Though the cause for fractions within Christianity can be attributed to many complex theological issues and doctrines such as the Real Presence, the Sacraments and the Papacy, I don't think there is anything out there that creates more emotional rift than the God-bearer. Catholics recognize Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Help of Christians. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII exercised the rarely used Papal infallibility to declare "that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory". So what is it that Catholics see in Mary that other Christians failed to see? Why has the Church risked abandonment of many of the followers because of her devotion to Mary? What is the role of Mary in the Church?

Breaking into Peace

One of the last things Jesus gave to His disciples before glorifying God the Father on a cross was peace. " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid" (John 14:27). Almost two thousand years has passed since then and majority of world's population has heard the Good News of Jesus, but the world still lacks peace. In fact, the world seeks peace with ardent desire everyday but does not find it. Even when there are no wars, the world is troubled and tensed with all kinds of conflicts. They say there is no peace in the world, therefore there is no peace in our societies, thus there is no peace in our families, and subsequently there is no peace within us. Then the question is whatever happened to that peace that Jesus left for us? 

A Purple Cross with Pink Flowers

A while back I heard somebody talking about a gift she once received, it was a handmade cross painted in purple with little pink flowers all over it. She liked it so much so that she put it where everybody could see it. At the time, I thought of it as a nice gesture by whoever took the time making a beautiful cross to be given away as a meaningful gift. But while reading an article by an Australian surgeon named Dr. Andreas Lambrianides about the practice of crucifixion by ancient Romans, the purple cross came back to mind. What I realized was that I too have fallen into the trap of domesticating the Cross. The Cross is not meant to be purple, green or yellow; it is not meant to be decorative or exuberant, it represents a device used for one of the most cruel and excruciating punishments ever devised by man. For Christians, it is a constant reminder that, "He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus Christ paid the price for Salvation with His own body and blood by dying on a cross, and even today His blood cleanses and nourishes the Church, His body.

My Encounters with the Devil

If you are reading this post because the title sparked your interest, then you are probably expecting to read about some out-of-this world experience that brought me face to face with the "father of lies". Unfortunately though (or is it, fortunately?) I have no such experiences to talk about. All my encounters with the devil occurred here in this world and there was no burning fire, black smoke, or smell of sulfur. The devil I met had nothing bad or undesirable about him. And this devil, I meet everyday! 

A few weeks ago, while talking with some friends, the conversation somehow veered off into some of the unfortunate incidents that occurred in our society recently. Someone suggested that incidents like the Sandy Hook school shooting, the Colorado movie theater shooting and the Boston marathon bombings show clear demonic presence in our society. Needless to say, within a matter of few minutes, many more got involved in this conversation and seemed like everyone was in agreement about how the devil and his minions had something to do with these unfortunate events.