Commitment to God

Before mass started yesterday, I saw an old man (probably in his 70-80s) walking with his cane down the aisle to go to his seat.  He shuffled with his feet very slowly and carefully.  I wanted to assist him, but I wasn’t sure if I could because of physical distancing.  So I watched him take his time, step by step.  His legs wobbled a little and so I prayed to my guardian angel to help him.  He eventually reached the pew where his wife was sitting.  My heart felt so touched all of a sudden when that took place.  It was at this instant that I saw how much faith and love he had for God - that he made it to church despite the fact that his age could put him at risk of getting sick from the virus... that he made it to church even though walking takes a lot of effort for his aging body.  There he was, present for God, ready to hear the Word of God and receive the Body of Jesus!  WOW, it totally blew my mind, that tears started to roll down my eyes and I couldn’t help it.  Through this man’s act, I understood that to be a faithful follower of Jesus is to be TRULY committed to Him in every possible way we can, because there is an ultimate end for each of us that is only determined by God.  As Christians, we believe we have a purpose and because of our free will, we intentionally act towards an end.  The end determined by God means the very LAST part of our end, the “final touch” of what has been worked upon.  The goal as Christians is to achieve the perfect “final touch” which is God’s glory and our eternal happiness in Heaven.

Seeing the old man’s effort to be committed to God was soul-piercing.  I further understood that commitment involves not only in believing in His existence and His commandments, but also our commitment to spend time with Him through our prayers, by attending mass, reading the bible, and by fulfilling His teachings.  When we break away from something we’re suppose to be committed to, we begin to stumble.  If we continue to stumble and fall and not return to our commitment, that’s when we deprioritize Him and “lose” sight of God, whether it’s intentional or unintentional.  But, God is All merciful and All forgiving.  He loves us no matter how far or “lost” we feel.  He welcomes ANY one who finds his/her way to Him; there is not a single human being excepted from His love.

Every one has their own life journey full of different paths...  but the path we continue to choose every single day must always have a sense of direction and meaning, because He Who GAVE us life for a purpose also has the “final touch” in the end.  And therefore, we should hope and pray that we choose the path that

 leads to the light and fullness of God.

“He who directs himself, makes himself the disciple of a fool.” - St. Bernard

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” - Psalm 95:8

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

“I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion.  Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners, I desire their salvation.  When you say this prayer with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion.  This is the prayer: ‘O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.’” - Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska

Jesus is the Light of the world

Last night, I was praying around 1:15 am when the baby woke up and it was as if I just saw the words “I am the Light of the World” in fiery letters with a dark brown/black background. At that moment, I wasn’t exactly sure why I “saw” that but I continued my prayers and went to sleep.  Then one of my friends posted this exact picture early this morning and the colors in this photo are pretty much what I “saw” last night.  The background like the color of the wooden cross, and the fiery letters like the yellow/orange light hues. Woooooww! I knew it meant something.  Low and behold, today’s gospel is actually parallel to those words “I am the Light of the World.”  In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, to prevent anyone who believes in me from staying in the dark any more (John 12:46).” 

The words that came to mind last night are from John 8:12, “When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life.”   

What does it all mean??  I’ve been pondering about this the whole day. It seems that what I “saw” last night and in the gospel today has a very clear message.  God is loud and clear and I want to put it out here.  The message is resonating that truly, JESUS is the LIGHT that we need!  Maybe somebody is feeling like he/she is in the darkness and is not sure where life is going... With so much happening in the world and in our personal lives right now, maybe some of us are trying to brave it all out but really cannot seem to see the “light”... I want to encourage you, that there is LIGHT, and that is JESUS!   You are not alone... Jesus is here for each and everyone of us to help us navigate through our “darkness”.  If you’re wondering how do we come to “see” Jesus,  I believe the best way is to pray first as if you are having a conversation with someone.  Second, speak to people like myself, who talk about Jesus and faith in general.  I understand that it can be difficult to talk about these kinds of things especially when it seems uncool to many people these days.  But I just want to put it out here that if you’re feeling like in the dark and are looking for someone to talk to, I am here to listen and help.  It is in times like this when we really need to be there for each other instead of pushing each other way.  I also appreciate it when people share to me their thoughts and stories as well because there’s always something to be learned and be inspired by.  ️

"May Our Lord be able to use us so that, placed as we are at all the cross-roads of the world - and at the same time placed in God - we become salt, leaven and light. Yes, you are to be in God, to enlighten, to give flavor, to produce growth and new life. But don't forget that we are not the source of this light: we only reflect it." 
- St. Josemaria Escriva

I want to share this beautiful song that was on repeat the whole day! :)

Turn to God in Prayer and in Love

I have been debating whether or not I should share what I dreamnt about a few days ago.  A part of me was struggling, and a part of me was saying, "I need to share this!"  Today, I saw a picture of Saint Catherine of Siena with a quote by her and it gave me the motivation to blog!  Today is actually her feast day!  This is what I saw this morning. 

Before you continue reading this post, let us pray one of her prayers.

PRAYER OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
To The Precious Blood of Jesus.

Precious Blood,

Ocean of Divine Mercy:

Flow upon us!

Precious Blood,

Most pure Offering:

Procure us every Grace!

Precious Blood,

Hope and Refuge of sinners:

Atone for us!

Precious Blood,

Delight of holy souls:

Draw us!

Amen.

I just want to clarify for the people who are reading this for the first time, that this personal blog is something I've had for years and it's where I would write down all my spiritual inspirations and experiences.  I started this blog because of the huge, life-changing impact that World Youth Day (a big Catholic event started by St. John Paul II in 1985) in Madrid, Spain in 2011 had in my spiritual life.  God shook me, and I was awakened.  There was no turning back and I felt like God imprinted in my soul that I have a mission.  I still have so many experiences from World Youth Day that I haven't shared here, but one day, when the right time comes, I will.  

After World Youth Day, things were never the same for me spiritually.    My faith increased and I wanted to pray more.  Prayer is what connects us to God.  Without prayer, our spiritual life will be empty and dry because we don't have that closeness to God, the One who truly satisfies our thirst.  We feel that we are never truly joyful because we continue to seek things that will satisfy us only through worldly things.  I realized that by praying more and becoming closer to God, my life began to change for the better.  It was the beginning of God transforming my interior life.  Whenever something spoke to my heart, I would write it here in my blog because I wanted to inspire somebody who was also searching and looking for God.  Even if something here sparks someone's soul in a tiiiiiny tiiiiiiiiiiny way, I truly believe that everything else will ensue and that spark will brighten even more in God's perfect time.

On March 5, 2020, some of you watched my Instagram and Facebook stories where I was triggered by a "scary" dream about a demon which is why I had to share right away.  I literally had that dream on the day that I received my St. Joseph prayer book and because I had been praying more.  Somebody told me before that the closer I get to God, the harder and stronger the evil will try to scare me.  And that's exactly why I think I dreamnt what I dreamnt.  Then on March 13, 2020, I found out from my brother-in-law that his friend also had a very similar dream to mine.

Please read the screenshots below of what I shared before.

Ever since then, I knew that God was up to something.  God wanted me to increase my faith even more and to pray harder.  I prayed more by praying the rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy with my family everyday.   It was a struggle at first, especially with the little kids constantly being distracted but I knew we had to persevere in prayer because the devil does not want us to pray and will find any excuse for us to stop!  So despite the kids being disruptive and my patience being tested, I did my best to focus on God during our prayer time.  I also recently started praying again the Chaplet of Saint Michael.  I used to pray it everyday many years ago and I found that it was such a powerful prayer.  I really felt the holy angels assisting in my daily needs.

Well, a few days ago on April 24, 2020, I was praying and out of nowhere, it was as if I had this revelation of what God was asking me to pray for!  In my heart, God said to pray for the children around the world and that we need to teach children about God's real presence in the Eucharist.  There was an emphasis on the need for this around the world... I literally had an "Aha!" moment.  Then on the following day, April 25, 2020, that's when I had another dream.  All I remember is seeing what seems to be a group of demons surrounding a young boy that looked sad and abused.  He was crying, but he looked possessed.  His eyes were bruised and his eye bags were droopy and purple and blood was coming out of his mouth.  I yelled at the other members (there was probably about five of them), "what are you guys doing to this boy?!"  Their faces turned to me and it was as if they wanted to attack me.  Instead of being fearful, I faced them with courage and confidently said to them, "HA! I know who you are. I'm not scared of you anymore! HAIL MARY! FULL OF GRACE! THE LORD IS WITH THEE!" I prayed the "Hail Mary" prayer to their faces and they could not move and get close to me.  Something told me to pray the prayer of St. Michael and I did in my dream and they all started to disappear.  Even though they were all gone, I was still dreaming and I already wanted to wake up.  But I couldn't wake up and it was as if something was pulling me back to stay in the dream.  That really intense heavy feeling again.  I started to shake my hands and legs so I can wake up.  I repeated the prayer to St. Michael and I asked my guardian angel to wake me up.  And then I finally woke up from the dream.

It was crazy.  I've been thinking and praying about it. And this is not to scare anybody at all!  In fact, I believe I needed to share this because like I've said before --- THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM IS SO REAL.  The battle between good and evil is real and quite frankly, it's terrifying.  It's terrifying because so many souls are being taken especially during this pandemic and many people don't realize that evil exists, capturing and attacking as many souls as they can.

HOWEVER, something is happening and God is making His Presence known.  He is calling out and giving us a chance to know Him and love Him.  So many people turned their backs from Him.  So many people know that He is present but are ignoring Him.  So many people are seeking for Him, but don't know how to build their relationship with Him.  So many people feel lost and cannot seem to fill the void in their hearts... But the time is now to get to know Him and let Him transform our hearts and our lives through His Word and sacraments.  It is never too late because God loves each and every one of us. His Love and Mercy for us are infinite; that no matter how much we think we are far from Him, He will always welcome us.  We just need to surrender and allow Him to enter our hearts.

"For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." - JOHN 3:16

Despite us being sinners, God loved us so much that Jesus came to the world and died for us so that we can have a chance to eternal life (eternal joy in heaven) by believing in Him and following His ways.  Why use our time here on earth on things that won't lead us to Heaven?  Our life can be taken away in an instant and God is giving us time now to choose Him.   

Since we are currently living in unprecedented time and fear and doubt could creep in our minds, remember that God is All Mighty and All Powerful, we must trust in Him! We have to pray harder and to pray the rosary because it is our weapon and lifeline!  As Catholics, we may be unable to receive the Eucharist during this time, but the fact that we can still universally celebrate the Eucharist together online is a true gift of our faith!  Praise God!  

Therefore, in order to fight against evil and gain courage, we must never cease with our prayers and we must continue to “go to mass” by joining in the celebration of the Eucharist online.

I'm going to end this blog with such impactful quotes from one of my favourite saints, St. (Pope) John Paul II:

“Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives! He has called you and chosen you to live in the freedom of the children of God. Turn to Him in prayer and in love. Ask Him to grant you the courage and strength to live in this freedom always. Walk with Him who is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life.’”

“Courageously follow the path of personal holiness and diligently nourish yourselves with the word of God and the Eucharist. The holier you are, the more you can contribute to building up the Church and society.”

“Prayer, intimate dialogue with the One who is calling you to be His disciples, must come first. Be generous in your active life, young people, and be deeply immersed in the contemplation of God’s mystery. Make the Eucharist the heart of your day.”

“Be generous in answering Jesus’ call inviting you to put out into the deep and become His witnesses, discovering the trust He puts in you to devise a future together with Him. Above all, to fulfill this mission the Church is entrusting to you requires that you cultivate a genuine life of prayer nourished by the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession.”

“Today you are being called to commit yourselves in this way: accepting to follow Christ, you proclaim that the way of perfect love passes through the total and constant gift of oneself. Wherever people are suffering, wherever they are humiliated by poverty or injustice, and wherever a mockery is made of their rights, make it your task to serve them.”

“The Eucharist is the sacrament of the presence of Christ, who gives Himself to us because He loves us. He loves each one of us in a unique and personal way in our practical daily lives: in our families, among our friends, at study and work, in rest and relaxation. He loves us when He fills our days with freshness, and also when, in times of suffering, He allows trials to weigh upon us: even in the most severe trials, He lets us hear His voice.”

Totally Yours

"Lord, I am 'totus tuus' (totally yours)" - St. John Paul II

Today, being the 14th year death anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II, I am reminded once again about the importance of prayer and having devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  I am also reminded of the time when Mikko and I went to Florida in 2012 and visited Mary, Queen of the Universe shrine and I felt the magnitude of the power of prayer.

I want to share this again (as I shared this before in my instagram).  The following pictures were taken then in November 2012 at the shrine in Orlando.

(My husband in front of the statue)


This is one of my experiences that truly revealed God's existence and that He is so present in my life.  Mikko and I visited this Catholic shrine in Orlando, Florida for three days in a row. Each day, we visited the Blessed Sacrament to take our time to pray as a couple and thank God for all the blessings we received. I remember though praying for something SO specific for those three days.  It was so specific that I asked God if His answer was a "yes", to show me pink and white two-toned roses. Those exactly.  (If you read my previous blog, you know I love my two-toned white/pink roses. hehe)
On the third day, I remember praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament and this strong sense of feeling came to me as if God said, "Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. (Matthew 7:7)."  The particular question that I asked God was regarding my mission I had or have, I should say.  It really is difficult to explain here in one post.  But basically, it was whether I was meant to pray for a particular person. Yes, one person.  There were so many happenings and situations to why I would think this way, but I will explain more when the right time comes.  But anyway, yes that was my question to God; whether or not I had a mission to particularly pray for this person (whom I actually have never met or been introduced to).

So...my husband and I were walking out of the church on our way home and a lady stopped and asked if we had visited the rosary garden yet with Pope John Paul II's statue.  She said that we should have a look at it.  Providentially, I had been praying to (then Blessed) Pope John Paul II at that time, so I was beyond excited and told her that we would love to see the garden.  She gave us directions and honestly... it was almost as if something was just telling me in my heart that something was bound to happen.  My heart pounded for some reason. 
We walked to the garden and as soon as we saw the statue of St. Pope John Paul II, my eyes literally fixated on this little bouquet of beautiful PINK AND WHITE TWO-TONED roses that were in his hands!!!   I KNEW again right away that God heard my prayer.  I couldn't help but tear up and cry!!!  I just couldn't believe it. I mean, I could but I was so astonished. I was speechless.  I received exactly what I asked for.  "Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find."  Pure coincidence? No... we were meant to be there and find the answer there.   I felt nothing but a gush of pure joy, happiness, and peace... and of course an increase in my faith.  On the bottom of the statue, the quote by St. John Paul II read "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary, the face of Christ."
Right away, I knew I had to pray the rosary with my husband to praise God for His never ending graces and blessings upon us. Mikko willingly said "yes" when I asked him if we could pray the rosary together there.  We prayed and tears started rolling down my eyes again as we walked around the rosary garden, contemplating each mystery or decade of the rosary.  

Even just remembering this experience right now as I type this is giving me a flood of those different emotions I felt.

There are so many days where I feel spiritually uninspired or disconnected. But today, I am reminded that even during periods of drought in our prayer life, we should persevere and turn to Our Lady, the face of Christ, to help us become closer to her son, Jesus.  The beauty of our Catholic faith is that there are so so so many ways for us to help strengthen and deepen our relationship with God; whether that is through our prayers, services, the sacraments, and personal struggles and experiences --- there is always a way to be close to Him.

So much love & prayers...

Elena

QUOTES ON THE ROSARY

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

'If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins "you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory." Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if - and mark well what I say - if you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.'

--St. Louis Marie de Montfort

“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.” - St. Josemaria Escriva

“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!” - St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

"To pray the Rosary, is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His Mother."  - Saint Pope John Paul II

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” - Sister Lucia dos Santos, Fatima seer