Bits of the Gospel

Women of Tharaka tower over their shadows: they emerge above their weaknesses. Njau, my grandma, proved this. I've seen her spend, her last days here. She wore a permanent smile [the two wrinkles and dimples exagerrated her smiles] She was old--the old Mariam but not eldery. She loved her children, and their families too. She loved me! Yet, she knew she would soon leave, yeah, she had little time to live. Like the women of Tharaka, Njau has left a mark [her shadows unknown!] Marks of a life spent for others! She towered over her shadows!

Is there a wasted love, I mean, love given in vain? When two people love each other, nothing matters anymore [love does]. They proclaim by their being, that love is everything. Is there something like, like a wasted love? What then is love, that it can't be wasted? Gold and diamond can, because contigent. But love, like life, begets itself. To love is to multiply love, to hate is to substract love [but where love is not, love flows to occupy there]. Is there then, something like wasted love? I mean, can love be given in vain?

The Cottolengo Family present in the world is growing steadily. From the original inspiration of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo to the current presence in the world, the growth is both consoling and invigorating. It is consoling for a number of reasons. First, the vision of the founder was to bring up a family that is involved full-time with consoling the poorest. secondly, to be involved in big numbers in furthering the charism of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo is surely a way of building the Kingdom of God, the very mission of Christ Jesus Himself. Thirdly, the advancement in technology and the many development signs have not decreased the number of poor brothers and sisters in the world. Actually, poverty stings more and more. The growth is invigorating because the more devoted Christians [lay, religious and priest]are involved in this noble mission, the more others are attracted to it. All as if to fulfill what the Lord Jesus himself said, "Seeing your love they will say, ...

Stay with me, Lord Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have      You present so that I do not forget You.      You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak      and I need Your strength,      that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life,      and without You, I am without fervor. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light,      and without You, I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will. Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice      and follow You. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You      very much, and always be in Your company.    Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You. ...

Where love is active, sin is absent. Sin consists in a [a] failure to love, [b] in not loving sufficiently, [c] in loving badly. It is possible for you to love all men, for love does not mean mere feeling but above all willing. It means to will the good of others, of all others without conditions. Yet, you may say to yourself, I loathe so and so. I simply can’t stand him. Well, you need not give up. Feelings of antipathy are instinctive. See your feelings for what they are. It is no point trying to pretend you feel differently that you really do. Accept your instinctive reaction as a clear indication that you are human and so you have weaknesses. Then, seek out the good in the other person. Try with all your will to wish him good. Intelligence must hold the upper hand if you are to beat your antipathy. To love is actually to do. What you do to onother shows that you love him or hate him. You can harbor feelings of repugnance and still afford a ...

The night she died, her mood was high. Anita smiled frequently and broadly, talking energetically to those who came to see her. She wanted to share out all her riches--riches she had earned through sweat, her own sweat. For sure, the richer in experience a person's humanity, the more she is critical of herself, conscious of the limits of her human progress, conscious of her reality, the more she knows how and when to trust. When you know reality through such people, a witness of this kind, your whole personality is engaged, not just your reason. Your whole personality is drawn to her and you notice in her values that fortify her. "I will leave all my property to Agape Centre," she declared to her lawyer. "Please, change my will to suit this. I have already given my two children their share. My daughter lives like a queen just across the road. She owns that estate. My son lives happily in Thailand. He has enough to spend even if he were to retire at the age of thir...

One of the things I have noted about my readers is the way they quickly grasp my point of view and positively comment on my posts. In a very down-to-earth manner, the discussions ensuing become real lessons for me. I love people in my own way. I like others because of their capacity to say exactly what they mean, how they are direct in their communication. Without this, how would wisdom be defined? With this capacity to focus and name things precisely, that definition of Wisdom that is perennially acceptable still holds true. Wisdom, it states, is knowing what the right things to do and say are, then saying and doing them. Now, serving people of various cultural and religious background has taught me a thing or two. I will state three. One, be confident if you want to inspire confidence. This applies to all the other virtues. Two, listen to people and tether the terrible urge of solving their problems. They are capable of doing this themselves. All they need is the assurance that the...