Prayer for Healing

When I do my prayers, prayer for healing forms part of my daily set. These days we all need some form of healing. In the recent events that happened to our country--the monsoon, the typhoons, the death of an efficient and effective government official, the rise in prices of basic commodities among others--some may feel that it's the end of the world, the end of their lives. So what else is there to live for? Well, this may be an age-old adage, but the only way is to turn our attention to the one and only author of life: Jesus Christ.

 Any form of healing that we may need--physical, mental, spiritual, psychological--let God in and welcome him as he does the one thing he's always been doing since he created us--to heal us of our heartaches, our pains, our sufferings. Whatever it is that we've been through, know that he himself has undergone them too. He became man for us, grew up just like an ordinary human being. To this day, he remains with us in several churches all over the world. Every hurt that we feel, he feels it too. Every suffering we go through, he suffers alongside us to. Despite being the author of life, he did not spare himself of the pain and suffering that we as human beings go through in this world. Shall we not go to this man and ask for his help and learn from him what it truly means to suffer for the sake of loving others?

One song expresses this more than any other. Let's all pray that God may heal our land.

HEAL OUR LAND

If my people will humble themselves 
Humble themselves and pray 
If they seek my face and humble themselves 
And turn from their wicked ways 

[REFRAIN 1]
I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins 
I will hear from heaven and heal their land 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/jamie-rivera-heal-our-land-lyrics.html ]
[CHORUS] 
Lord, heal our land 
Father, heal our land 
Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You 
Lord, heal our land 
Hear us oh, Lord, and heal our land 
Forgive our sin and heal our broken land 

Lord, we vow our knee, we humble ourselves 
Humble ourselves and pray 
Lord, we seek your face and humble ourselves 
And turn from my wicked ways 

[REFRAIN 2]
Father in Your mercy, forgive our sins 
Father in Your mercy, come heal our land 

[Repeat CHORUS twice] 

[CODA]
(Lord, heal our land 
Father, heal our land) 
Hear our cry and heal our broken land 

Let's Be Generous--Prayer for Generosity

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” (Mark 1:41)

Sometimes it's disheartening to listen or read the news. You'll hear public servants getting impeached, politicians simply grandstanding during impeachment trial proceedings, rumors about who's who and who's the president dating these days. Then lately you've heard the devastating earthquake that struck our brothers and sisters in Negros Oriental. Then, you have your own personal problems to take care of--the primary needs of your family, the duties you need to fulfill at work, the everyday commute, and to some, the demands of serving your community.

Jesus Christ had a lot to do when he did his ministry. During such times, he healed many people who are sick. In today's Gospel, he cured a man who had leprosy. The passage above is truly something that shows the Godliness and humanity of our Lord--he was moved with pity. It was compassion and love that made him do the healing. But after this episode, despite asking the man who was cured not to spread it around, the man broadcasted it through out the city. Jesus became popular but he doesn't need or want that popularity at all. And despite going to a deserted place to rest and pray, people eventually found him and he would serve them still. But are the people only after his healing and not appreciating his compassion for them?

How many of us take time to be compassionate towards one another? Sometimes, we are too focused on the "bad news" or our own problems that sometimes we tend to forget what also matters--to love one another as Jesus loved us. When we do our work, do we do it whole-heartedly, not just out of a sense of duty? When we take care of the needs of our family, do we take time also to simply tell them that we love them? When we watch the news or other TV programs, do we feel pity and try to help out if we hear victims of natural disasters? When we are with friends, is it only because we need them or we enjoy their company or do we stop at times and think about what do they need that you could help them out with?

Despite all the negative vibes from "bad news" and other things that preoccupy us, we could counter this one by asking the Lord to also make us clean--clean us of our impatience, of our indifference, of our selfishness, of our hatred or anger towards other people. Then, we can also stretch out our hands to the people who need us, to be of service not just because it is a duty or an obligation but out of love and compassion. 

Let's all join our hands in prayer as we all ask for a generous heart from our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm sure some of you have heard this song before. It is the Prayer for Generosity. Feel free to sing with the Ateneo choirs.

Prayer for Generosity

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous

Teach me to serve you as I should

To give and not to count the cost

To fight and not to heed the wounds

To toil and not to seek for rest

To labor and ask not for reward

Save that of knowing that I do

Your most Holy Will.

Our Duty To Help and Stay on Course

This is the happiest day of my life. Today is my birthday. And normally, I'd simply have dinner or lunch with my family and of course, I get to treat them. At least once a year, I'd do this for my family. However, this day turned out to be more than just a normal birthday celebration.

First, I went to Ayala Triangle Park to join a get together with friends. I wasn't bent on going at first because I wanted to take a rest and stay at home. Going to Ayala on a Sunday meant that I had to trek the long way from Antipolo to Makati--i.e. commuting through various public transports. But I went anyway because we only have this get together once a month. The last month I've been with them was October 2011. Besides, being with friends is also a good way to spend one's birthday. The peculiar thing about it was that, not one of them greeted me today. Deep inside, I didn't feel bad about it. It was a monthly get together and I was thinking that that get together wasn't about me. It was simply having a good time with friends where everyone is treated as special and whose stories are a joy and delight to listen to. So I didn't mind that no one greeted me--the world doesn't just revolve around me.

It should have been a surprise, but during the last few days I began to saw hints of what's going on. Last Thursday night, I met some of them and I saw them passing birthday cards to be signed. There were two of them, but I only signed one. Hmm...

While I was at MRT station today, I received a text from Gina (not her real name) saying that she's already at the Park--it was around 2:45pm and our scheduled meet up was at 3:00pm. Gina is one of those people who's normally late when it comes to these gatherings. So I was teasing her about it. When I finally came, after rounds of kisses, I saw what seemed to be gifts underneath the table. Still, I pretended as though it was nothing--the day is for friends and not for me, even if today is my birthday.

After rounds of laughter and storytelling, I noticed Alex (not his real name) come up behind Leslie (not her real name) with a guitar. Hmm...is he singing for someone? Someone's birthday perhaps? Well, there were two of us who had a birthday there--the other one was Leslie. After her sharing, bouquets of flowers arrived and two slices of cakes with small candles on them. They were given and set before Leslie and me. But wait! There's more! The gifts were distributed and I was the first one who received it--it happened to be a small statue of St. Joseph. Tears ran down my eyes for I've been praying and hoping that one day, preferably on my birthday, I'd get a glimpse of my future partner in life. It was my constant prayer in 2011...and receiving this small statue reminded me that St. Joseph's intercession is a great help regarding my prayer for my life partner.

The Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses.  Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on course.  – St. Boniface of Mainz

This is one of my favorite quotes. We need to be reminded that the church is not just some building or structure or the clergy or its leaders and laws. The church is the people and people help each other out in times of great need. And this is done through prayers and coming together as one big happy family of God. If we abandon the church, we are abandoning people who may need us, who look for love and happiness, who needs to be shown the way to God. The Blessed Mother Mary is one such person we go to so that we may find our way back to God. She is that "star of the sea" that guides the ship to its course. But she couldn't do that alone. As St. Boniface puts it, it is our duty as part of the church to help keep her (the church) on its course too. I truly felt what family means today when I celebrated my birthday with my family and with friends--people who would never abandon me and would help me "stay" on course. Here is my song for you--Ave Maris Stella.

 

Ave maris stella, Dei Mater alma, Atque semper Virgo, Felix cœli porta.	Hail, star of the sea, bountiful mother of God and ever Virgin, happy gate of heaven.
Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Mutans Evæ nomen.	Taking that Ave from the mouth of Gabriel, preserve us in peace, giving Eve a new name.
Solve vincla reis, Profer lumen cæcis, Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce.	Loose the chains of the bound, bring light to the blind, drive out our ills, invoke all things good.
Monstra te esse matrem, Sumat per te preces, Qui pro nobis natus, Tulit esse tuus.	Show thyself to be a mother, may he who was born for us receive our prayers through thee.
Virgo singularis, Inter omnes mitis, Nos culpis solutos, Mites fac et castos.	Singular virgin, more gentle than all, absolve us from sin and make us gentle and pure.
Vitam præsta puram, Iter para tutum, Ut videntes Jesum Semper collætemur.	Grant us a pure life, prepare a safe way, that in seeing Jesus we may rejoice for ever.
Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus.  Amen.	Praise be to God the Father, glory to Christ on high, and with the Holy Spirit honour to the three in one.  Amen.