LENT: A Season of Grace

Lent : A Season of Grace

Ash Wednesday, 22nd February 2012, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent comes from an old English word which means 'springtime.' In Spanish , it's 'Cuaresma' and in Latin, it's 'Quadragesima' meaning "fortieth." Thus the number 40 is significantly relevant in the celebration of Lent. We have 40 days of the entire season of Lent. We have here some Biblical references to support the importance of number 40.
First , Genesis 7:4 , during the time of Noah , there was a great flood. God made it rain for forty days and nights. Only on the 40th day did the water subside.
Second, Exodus 24:18, Moses went up the mountain of Sinai and spent 40 days fasting. He received the Ten Commandments from God.
Third, Numbers 14:33, the Israelites wandered 40 years travelling to the Promised Land.
Fourth, 1 Kings 19:8, When the prophet Elijah is being pursued by Queen Jezebel , he flees for his life and travels 40 days and nights until he comes to the mountain of God at Horeb (Sinai).
Fifth, Jonah 3:4 , Jonah prophesied 40 days of judgment for Nineveh to repent.
Sixth, Matthew 4:1-2 , Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2 , Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness praying and fasting and was tempted by the devil.
Seventh: Acts 1:3, It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for 40 hours in the tomb.

   The number 40 actually serves a symbolic function.Forty denotes a period for some special action of God , it is a time of grace. For instance , during the time of Noah, a new creation begins after the flood. When Moses converses with God and receives the Ten Commandments , the covenant is renewed. After wandering for 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites will finally enter the Promised Land. After Jesus' temptation, he begins his public ministry and after the Ascension, marks the beginning of the age of the Church. Thus the number 40 symbolizes a time of grace for us.

   We make Lent not only a season of penance and fasting. This is a time for reflection, an examination of conscience which prepares us for the celebration of the great feast of Easter, through which we attain salvation.
   On Ash Wednesday, as the priest imposes ashes on our foreheads , it would be like we are trying to imitate what the Ninevites did by making penance in sackcloth and ashes. We come to God with a sincere and a contrite heart. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our 'mortality' as the priest says "Remember, You are dust, and unto dust you shall return. "Memento Mori" (Remember that you will die.) And therefore, there is a need to prepare when we are confronted with such moment.
   A teacher once asked his students this question, "What are you giving up during this season of Lent?:" To which the students gave various responses. One student said he is giving up 'chocolates' as his personal penance. Another one said he is giving up 'too much time for computer games' as a form of sacrifice. Still another one said , he is giving up 'smoking.' 'Good!' the teacher said, 'those will make a good offering to the Lord. In the end the teacher explained to the students - "There is only one thing that you should give up during the season of Lent and the rest of your life - i.e. SIN!

JEREMY LIN: An Inspiration

To be honest , I am not so much into basketball. I am more into Spirituality than into Sports. But I watch NBA games once in awhile as I understand the mechanics having originally lived in a country where basketball is more popular than football, baseball and hockey. I got interested in the life story of Jeremy Lin as it is not only interesting, but also inspirational as it is motivational. I said so because , obviously it was such a humble beginning for him as he literally started from the bottom. Basketball stardom wasn't served to him on a silver platter. He had to work hard for it, he had to struggle, experience a lot of hardships, some setbacks and rejections. And now everything paid off. Slowly, he is becoming an icon as an Asian hero of Sports. His name is setting a new trend in vocabularies such as "Linsanity , Linvinsible , Lincredible etc." All because He is getting there, slowly but surely.
   Born Jeremy Shu-How Lin, an American professional basketball player , plays with New York Knicks of the NBA. Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history in the league to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. His biography reports that Lin was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in a Christian family in the San Francisco Bay Area of Palo Alto. His parents, by the name Gie-Ming and Shirley , emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970's.

   His life story proves that with determination, perseverance and hard work, everything is possible with God.

INTERLUDES OF LIFE

Friends , every morning the first thing that we should do is to give praise to God. God is the source of all our blessings. A way to acknowledge the many blessings bestow upon us is to give time to give thanks to him. Giving thanks could be expressed in our communion with Him in prayers as well as in dealing with our fellowmen in charity. A grateful heart acknowledges that all that we have are but God's grace. Let us ponder on these things:

Interludes of Life

Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want in life.

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch, swing with, never saying a word and then walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.

May you have ...Enough happiness to make you sweet
                       Enough trials to make you strong
                       Enough sorrow to keep you human
                       Enough hope to make you happy
                and  Enough money to keep you comfortable.

It is true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything , they just make the most of everything that comes along the way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who searched and those who have tried. For only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back. Don't expect love in return, just wait for it to grow in their hearts but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life to the fullest so that when you die, you're smiling and everyone around you is crying.
(Author Unknown)

I have met a lot of people from East to West , for travelling is my passion , and in all my travels in different countries , I have concluded that everybody is just the same... in struggles , in pain, in suffering , in needs , in wants...and that every wants to be happy , everybody wants to succeed. But in our quest for happiness , there is only one thing I am sure about... that everything depends on how much love we have in our hearts. If we do everything with love , no matter what the struggle is , no matter what the challenges and the hurts maybe , we always find meaning and joy in everything.

REMEMBER....

Friends , here are some reminders for us to ponder upon. Sometimes, we just don't realize how blessed we are. And that we could find joys and meaning in some little and ordinary things around that we often ignore.


Remember that your presence is a present to the world.
Remember that you are unique and unrepeatable creation.
Remember that your life can be what you want it to be.
Remember to count your blessings, not your troubles.
Remember that you'll make it through whatever comes along.
Remember that most of the answers you need are within you.
Remember those dreams waiting to be realized.
Remember that decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Remember to always reach for the best that is within you.
Remember that nothing wastes more energy than worry.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Remember that the longer you carry a grudge, the heavier it gets.
Remember not to take things too seriously.
Remember to laugh.
Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot goes forever.
Remember that happiness is more often found in giving than in getting.
Remember that life's treasures are people, not things.
Remember that miracles still happen.
(author unknown)

What Will Matter

Ready or not , some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes , hours or days. All things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentsments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.
(author unknown)

Time Waits For No One

To realize the value of a sister/brother...ask someone who doesn't have one.
To realize the value of ten years...ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years...ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year...ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of nine months...ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
To realize the value of one month...ask a mother who has given birth to a premature.
To realize the value of one week...ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one minute...ask a person who has missed the train, bus or a plane.
To realize the value of a second...ask a person who has survived an accident.
TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE !
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

We realize the value of a MOTHER or FATHER, a family member or a friend when we LOSE ONE!
Remember...HOLD ON TIGHT TO THE ONES YOU LOVE!
(author unknown)

The Memorare Prayer

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother, to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me . Amen.