Password and Meditation for January 11, 2017

Passwords allow us to access something.  In this case, I have thought of sharing the password that our community, Focolare (Work of Mary) foundress, Chiara Lubich has been sharing with us with her meditations. Simple as they may be, they have helped us go ahead with our lives and gives more color and meaning in our mundane everyday endeavors.

So here you go...

Today's Password
( 11.01.2017 ) Wednesday
Aiutare chi è nelle difficoltà

Help people in difficulty

“We are members of one another, and mutual service is our duty. Jesus did not merely advise us to serve one another, He commanded us to do so. When we help someone out of charity, let us not immediately think ourselves saints. If our neighbor is powerless, we must help him, and we must do so as effectively as he would help himself, if only he could. Or else, what kind of Christians are we?”

Chiara Lubich
(Meditationsp52)

Can you relate or have experiences on how you have lived this password?

What Praying is for Me

Our little altar

Prayer.

I learned back when I was a child that to pray is to talk to God.  Growing up, I find myself always talking to God, - how my day went, friends I met, games I played.  Then I also learned from the way of life of the Focolare (Work of Mary) community where I belong that even a simple "For you Jesus", in everything we do is already a prayer.  Every Wednesday, I would go to the Adoration Chapel with my mother and spend an hour praying and meditating.  But that habit ceased when I get to move and to study in Cebu and my schedule totally changed. Instead,  I get to pray the Rosary with my Aunt,

In college, I learned that to PRAY means - Praise, Repent, Ask, and Yield. I also found a very simple and easy to understand article on how to pray.

Now that I am on the family way and most of the time just staying at home with lots of free time, I find myself praying for people and for their intentions.  At night, with my Aunt, we pray the Rosary.  How we both feel that our day has been complete spending less than 30 minutes to praise, thank, adore, and thank God for the many many graces and blessings and even trials that come our way.  The light of the candle focuses our attention to prayer and reminds us that praying gives us the Light.

Aside from going to the Adoration Chapel and praying the Rosary, I also have special prayers or what we call Novena. These are prayers done for 9 days straight to a particular saint, to Mary, or to the Persons of the Holy Trinity. However, I am not only for 9 days straight because I also felt that I badly need the help of the Holy Spirit these days. Slowly, I felt so much peace and grace that He promised to give which I wish to continue just the same.

I have always believed that even at times I get to forget, God knows what is in my heart.  Yet, I also felt more close to Him whenever I really focus and just talk to Him.