General:
- Glory to God in the Highest (published: Tabor Voice, Nov-Dec 2002; Divine Light, Dec 2003)
- Living in the Will of God (published: Tabor Voice, Jan-Feb 2003)
- What we should do this Lent (published: The Examiner, March 2003)
- Lost your reputation? Rejoice! (published: Divine Light, July 2004)
- The Potter & His Clay - A Spiritual Analogy
- Death on an Easter Sunday
- How Jesus saved us from the fire next door
- God isn't deaf
- Get on a Barnabus trip
- A Year Older and a lot less Wise (Part 1 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- He sang to me (Part 2 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- The Value of Intercession (Part 3 of the Birthday Trilogy)
- Do you want a FREE GIFT that can never be taken from you?! (Dec 2003 / Jan 2004)
- Love is in the air... (February 2004)
- Was it worth it all? (March 2004)
- I Confess... (April 2004)
- The Beautiful Blessing of Christian Fellowship! (May 2004)
- Power Evangelize! (June 2004)
- 'Best Friends' till the end (July 2004)
- Family Matters (August 2004)
- Do you know WHY you believe? (September 2004)
- You're going to be let down (October 2004)
- Praying with the Holy Pope (November 2004)
- Hang in there (December 2004) (published: Divine Light, Jan 2005)
- Just like that. And you're gone (January 2005)
- The Divine Lover of My Soul (February 2005)
- Is it ever "too late" to do right? (March 2005)
- To Emmaus, or back again? The choice is yours! (April 2005) (published:Divine Truth, April 2007)
- Bear Much Fruit (May 2005) (published: Divine Light, July 2005)
- Holiness and the Heart of Love (June 2005)
- Spiritual Boot Camp (July 2005)
- Abundant Life! (August 2005)
- Unanswered Prayers? (September 2005)
- Trust in the Lord! (October 2005)
- Persevere! (December 2005)
- New Resolutions this New Year (January 2006)
- 'Having it All' = Having Jesus (February 2006)
- He Understands (April 2006)
- My Invisible Tattoo (September 2006)
- Cardinal Justin Rigali ~ "Glorify God in Your Body" (October 2006)
- A Fattened Calf for me (December 2006)
- How to come out of a Spiritual Downward Spiral - Part 1 (January 2007)
- Jesus is Alive. Need Proof? ( October 2007)
- Biblical Catholics (November 2007)
- Religion or Spirituality? (September 2008)
- Lessons from the strange race between the Tortoise and the Hare (October 2008)
- How to react when Spiritual Leaders fall / backslide: (November 2008)
July 2005
Spiritual Boot Camp
Psalms 46:10 says "Be Still and Know that I am God". Until recently I thought stilling oneself was all about stilling one's mind in the presence of the Lord.
I recently had the blessing of participating in a silent retreat (conducted by Rev. Fr. Conrad Saldanha). Besides the complete silence, we were taught to remain completely still - physically - and focus our energy and minds onto Jesus, usually through meditating on God's Holy Word.
When I usually sit before the Lord, I sit in a comfortable posture, the longer I sit, the more I move. Here we were consciously told not to budge, not even a muscle. Try kneeling, standing or even sitting in one posture for an hour. It'll hurt.
You may ask why one should strain one's body so much? Is God a sadist? Surely not! He's happy just with the fact we've come before Him. Then what with all the forced endurance of pain?
Enduring pain willingly is a great way to ensure that your body is controlled by the mind and not vice-versa. As disciplined as you may think you are, chances are that you're being ruled by your carnal flesh.
I consider myself a pretty disciplined person, yet more often than not, it's my body who dictates how much I eat, how much I sleep, how long I stay awake, what I do and what I don't do.
It's only when we really take stock of everyday routine events that we realise just how undisciplined we really are.
The truth is, if we really were disciplined, we would do all the things we wanted and not do all the things we did want to. Yet, even as St. Paul experienced, this more often doesn't happen than it does.
It is only when we learn to control our body with our minds and when our minds are transformed according to the Word of God, that truly we will "die to self".
We have many desires - not all of them bad, but perhaps not all of them necessary. Only when we discern God's will, will we be able to see the path He desires for us to travel.
But we also need His grace to travel the path once discerned.
Hence we need to pray continuously for the grace to do the will of God. And in addition to praying for this grace we can - and should - physically prepare ourselves by disciplining the body through various acts & methods to forcibly follow what the mind is telling it to do.
Getting up early morning to go to chapel and spend an hour's time in personal prayer may not be easy for you. Fasting once a week (even if it's just a meal) may not be easy for you. Quiting drinking alcohol or smoking may not be easy for you.
By disciplining ourselves to follow our mind and so the things we want to, we also will gain sufficient authority over our bodies to not do the things we don't want to.
The best model for a disciplined life, was that of our Lord Jesus. He spent nights in prayer. His emotions were always under check. He always sought out the will of the Father.
There are so many people who want to do so many things but just don't have the "time" to do them... or who put off spirituality for "some time in the future" because their lives are just filled with so many things.
It's time to still ourselves in the Presence of the Lord. To find out what He desire of us. To pray for His grace to do that. And to discipline ourselves to follow His will.
If we consider ourselves warriors in God's army, we jolly well ought to prepare ourselves for battle.
July 2005
