Reflections of St. Therese of Lisieux on SUFFERRING

• Suffering is the only thing which seems desirable to me in this valley of tears
  

• Jesus made me understand that it was through the cross that He would give me souls; so the more any suffering grew , the more i loved it.

• It is so sweet to be able to serve the good Lord during the night of trial

• Suffering is necessary to detach us from the earth and make us look up higher than this world.......to detach us from all that is created............from all that is not Jesus, and to purify us.

• Suffering makes us good, it makes us indulgent towards others , because suffering brings us nearer to the good Lord.

• We must suffer much if we want Him to possess  us completely.

• Jesus tries whom He loves.

• Suffering is the greatest proof He can give us of His tenderness towards us. He gives it only to His chosen friends. He even increases it according to the greater measure of our love for Him

• Let us love God to the extend of being ready to suffer for Him whatever He may wish us to suffer even the sufferings of the soul.

• If Jesus in-spite of His love for us makes us suffer, and if He does not spare us , it is because He looks beyond time, because he already beholds us in the state of glory. He rejoices in our eternal beatitude . He so greatly desires to give us a rich recompense. 
  

• Think of it, for one pain borne with joy, I shall love God more perfectly for all eternity!

• Let us embrace suffering, otherwise Jesus will not be able to say, "now it is my turn to give you something"

• Why worry about exterior crosses? The true cross is the martyrdom of the heart , the intimate suffering of the soul.

• What a happiness to realize that suffering does cost us something!

• Let us not believe that we can love without suffering ;and without suffering a great deal.

• It is because we reflect on the past and think about the future that we get discouraged and despair.

• We can bear much suffering , when we suffer it from moment to moment.

• Exteriorly nothing revealed my suffering which was all the more painful since i alone was aware of it.

• Jesus cannot desire useless sufferings for us.

• Yes , life costs, it is hard to begin a day's work.

• Shedding our tears we dry Jesus' tears and Bl. Virgin smiles.

• Jesus would rather leave me in darkness than give me a false light that would not be Himself.

Studying with Jesus

As a student I've found myself loathing studying for hours. It is definitely the biggest trial of my life to just make me sit and mug up the worldly subjects, in a full on attack mode. I didn't know how to carry this cross  for the rest of my student life. I finally found some answers from some of my christian friends and i assure this was the only thing that helped me. For you guys who have no trouble studying ,well you are truly blessed.But for the others read on . . . . 

I would say the first major step is to have a real interest in what we are learning. Pray to the Holy Spirit to instill in us the desire and passion to learn and work hard. It is only through the Holy spirit that we really learn. Pray to God everyday , to know what our vocation is and to what profession we are being called.Have confidence, faith and hope that Jesus will reveal our real interests and talents in His own time. Through prayer get closer to your creator and He will speak inside you all the time.

• Perseverance is key in learning how to use our skills to study. It will take time to get used to sitting down daily for so much time.

  

  St. Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of students

  An easy way to study is to offer each subject to a saint and tell them to pray for you while you are doing their subjects. In a subject take a portion of it and study it  with an intention of prayer.

• For example, if you are studying a science concept that you are finding extremely difficult to learn, take up a prayer intention  like your mothers sickness, or a friends conversion and offer the cross of learning it to God for the said intention. This will really help. 

• The key is not to lose motivation to study this way, which can only be done through daily personal prayer and never miss to pray the Rosary everyday, a mother knows whats best for her child. 

A good disciple of Jesus should have a good amount of discipline, and is required for any student. Have a good timetable and stick to it and don't give up yourself to devil's temptations who want to see you destroyed. Fight the battle against laziness and procrastination and be a warrior for your King.Remember "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much"(Luke 16:10). Jesus wants to test us for our faithfulness and persistence towards Him. Love your work and study with full intention and every time you fail keep picking yourself up.

Once a boy prayed to God" oh God you have made every subject easier for me except for one and it is making me sad. God then gave him a conviction. 'If I made every subject easier for you , you would become lazy and a slacker. Therefor to make you more alert and hardworking I have given you a gift .....  "

The road to success is not straight. There is a curb called Failure, a loop called Confusion; speed bumps called Friends; red lights called Enemies;caution lights called Family. You will have flats called jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination; an engine called Perseverance; insurance called Faith, and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success!!

When you enter the exam hall :

1. Take refuge in Christ while entering your exam hall with a smile
2. Pray for a minute and become peaceful 
3. Upon receiving the question paper pray with gratitude and praise for a minute, "Holy Spirit come fill me up, help me, take away my fear, give me courage, give me victory"
4. Without rushing write answers to all questions peacefully.
5. Never cheat on your exams nor show your answers to others. When you copy you are stealing someone else's effort and when you show your answers you are being selfish, just wanting  them to like you without being concerned about their future. 
6. After submitting your paper say thanks to Jesus. Even if the exam was poorly written," know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who  have been  called according to His purpose."(Romans 8:28) 

ROSARY- a mystery of Christ

Holy Virgin Mary is the mother of god and our heavenly mother. Jesus gave her to us as our mother. It is to a mother we are most attached knowing that she will back us always. When a child cries out 'mamma' , in it contains care, freedom and love towards them. Well we can go to our Blessed mother with more freedom and love beyond this.

Newman a protestant converted to catholic faith told, "I have come from a family with no mother, to a family with the most loving mother, now i am happy"

I remember the time when i finally realized the beauty of Virgin Mary. She was the most tender and caring woman i have ever felt. I could feel her presence trying to protect me always from any fearful, self degrading thoughts i had of myself. I thought she was trying to get all the attention from Jesus, when actually she was forcing me to Jesus herself.

When our Mother appeared  at Garabandal she asked one of the visionary "Conchita, why do you not go more often to visit my Son in the tabernacle? He waits for you there day and night."

Thus is our mother who drives us to Jesus more than one thinks.

The rosary prayer is the most powerful prayer against the devil given to us by Holy Mary which is composed of Our Lord's prayer and the angellic salutation, that is Our Father and Hail Mary. 

To sister Maria , a mystic and a nun, Jesus revealed the beauty and power of THE ROSARY, He said" Rosary is the Word of God. Don't you know that the Word of God purifies you    (that he might sanctify it(church), having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,Ephesians 5:26). The words contained in the Rosary are more special since they are the very first words of salvation. It was when My Mother answered Amen to the angelic salutations, the defeat of the devil began. Therefore the devil detests this prayer and will fight with all hatred against it. Never stop praying the Rosary.

When you pray this prayer you along with My Mother pass through My entire life on earth.God send these words of salvation for you. When you recite the Rosary repeatedly you are being washed and cleansed by the Word and will break all bondage within you, it is that powerful. Pray to the Holy Spirit to understand the significance of this prayer. 

After my mother was glorified in Heaven and was crowned the Queen of earth and heaven, she came to earth. She went through all the places she lived on earth. When she came near Calvary she saw the Holy blood of Christ that had fallen on the ground like beads . Realizing Earth will never be able to dissolve them, my Mother bent down , with teary eyes picked them up and with  drops of Her tears she beaded them together and wrote the mysteries of My life in them.

Do you know what a rosary is? It is My Mothers tears and my Precious Blood. Realize the value of a Rosary and pray the prayer.And remember this, when you say "Hail Mary" you are meditating upon the first joyful mystery and "Holy Mary, Mother of God" , the fifth glorious mystery.Remember you are praying to Holy Mother, Queen of heaven  and earth.  

This prayer is the mystery of The Eucharist. When you meditate upon the first joyful mystery , like my Mother conceived Me in her heart through her faith and her womb by the Holy Spirit,  a priest conceives me in his heart through his faith and when he prays the word upon the Host , The Holy Spirit transforms it into My flesh and blood.

In the second joyful mystery Blessed Mother becomes the living tabernacle. And she lived as a maid taking caring of Me to be given to others. likewise a priest lives as a servant protecting Jesus in the Tabernacle ,to be given to others and lives in the vicinity of the church. 

In the third joyful mystery My Mother laid me down in a manger for kings, shepherds and angels to adore Me, similarly a priest exposes Me in a monstrance for adoration by everyone.

 In the fourth jouful mystery My Mother presented Me at The Temple. A priest presents Me similarly to YOU, the temple of God.

In the fifth joyful mystery My Mother finds me after losing Me for three days, likewise a priest finds Me in your life through the sacrament of reconciliation and absolves you sending you in peace. 

This is the beauty of this prayer.Pray it everyday for constant protection from devils traps

Pillars of a Christian Youth

I had been a part of a youth ministry a few years back. They were a group of young people filled with the Holy Spirit trying to reach out to other younger people. They had a special focus on a Jesus centered life, beginning with an experience of God, nourished with prayer, the Word of God,  the sacraments and fellowship and sharing the good news with others. It was during my time with them i learned the importance of having some tools for the battle against the devil especially as a teen. I would like to share them so you may find your journey easier like i did.

1.  PRAYER

Everyday some time has to be set apart for Jesus. it is the only time you get to converse with Him about your hopes, desires, and everything about your life. initially to start a prayerful lifestyle might be tough. but perseverance will help you to get a peaceful time for prayer. Every time we pray we get to know our Creator more and will organize our lives according to His will.

2.  BIBLE STUDY

Instead of just reading through The Word of God, everyday study the bible, just like you would study any other text book. But we know to understand the Bible we need help from the Holy Spirit, so call upon Him for His guidance.We must assess our lives and activities in the light of The Word.

3.  SACRAMENTS

Never be late for reconciliation. It will restore the lost grace of our soul. We need to find time and opportunity for it. Try to attend Holy Mass everyday and receive the Holy Eucharist. st. John Vianney once said "If we really understood the Mass , we would die of joy"and when st. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's goodness and asked " how can i thank you". Jesus replied " Attend one Mass"  The sacraments will help us to grow in our christian faith and love.

4.  FELLOWSHIP

It is always good to be a part of a prayer group. We can take the initiative to start a prayer group at school or at church. When the members of the group love and support each other, it will help in our spiritual life to be constant and joyful.

5.  EVANGELIZATION

No matter where we are we should be able to share Jesus. It doesn't necessarily mean to talk about Him, but just by smiling, by being patient and kind, just by loving them we are sharing our most sweet Jesus. Let our actions speak louder then words . The simple joy on your face will attract all the poor souls towards HIM.

6.  HELPING THE NEEDY

There should not be one day in our life where we have not thought of another. Whoever needs us we must be there for them. Every cell in your body should work for JESUS CHRIST !!

From now on may these pillars be constant in your life. The sweetness of life can be enjoyed in its fullest with Christ through them.