Letters to Heaven: The Moment that Selfishness Died.

"Woman behold your son. Son behold your mother." John 19: 26-27

February 25, 2010

Dear Jesus:

Thank You for surrendering your Mother to us. By giving your Mother to us, You took our sins and nailed them on the cross with You. Jesus, You loved your Mother so much that You gave her up. You sacrificed her so that we could have her. And Mama Mary accepted. At that moment, when You surrendered her, selfishness died.

I love You, Jesus!!!

February 25, 2017

Dear Mama Mary:

Thank you for accepting to be our Mother in Heaven. On that day, selfishness died. Your Son surrendered you and you said YES. It was your second most important YES.

Selfishness means living less for God and more for "self." You and your Son are the complete opposite. You never lived for yourselves. You always lived for God.

Mama Mary, teach me to live more for God and less for myself.

I love you, Mama Mary!!!

Today, Saturday, we celebrate the "Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary." I had no idea what that meant so I looked it up. This is what I found in the Marian Catechist:

"Honoring Mary on Saturday was first “officially” promoted by Saint Alcuin (735-804). This practice was quickly and enthusiastically embraced by both clergy and laity, the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday eventually becoming the Common of the Blessed Virgin.

Saturday is the day when creation was completed; therefore it is also celebrated as the day of the fulfillment of the plan of salvation, which found its realization through Mary. Sunday is the Lord’s Day, so it seemed appropriate to observe the preceding day as Mary’s day. In addition, as Genesis describes, God rested on the seventh day, Saturday. The seventh day, and the Jewish Sabbath, is Saturday; we rest on Sunday, because we celebrate the Resurrection as our Sabbath Day. In parallel, Jesus rested in the womb and then in the loving arms of Mary from birth until she held His lifeless body at the foot of the Cross; thus the God-head rested in Mary.

The custom of dedicating Saturday Masses to Mary was fostered especially in the cloister churches of the various orders, and quickly spread throughout the whole Church."

http://www.mariancatechist.com/formation/mary/saturdays/

There is so much to learn and so much treasure in our faith, I feel that the more I dig, the more I find. I love this idea of offering my Saturdays to Mama Mary and my Sundays to God. I may not be able to attend that extra mass, but I will definitely try to honor her by praying a rosary on Saturdays, especially during Lent.

Letters to Heaven: You are My Priority

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." —2 Corinthians 4:17

February 22, 2010

Dear Jesus:

This past week has been long and painful. It's been eleven days since the accident and my leg still hurts. The bruises look pretty bad and my ankle is swollen. But thank You Jesus that the ultrasound showed that there are no blood clots.

I am very thankful that my leg should recover well, and that this time of forced rest has helped me to journal, meditate and prioritize what is truly important in my life. I want to rest in You, Jesus. I love You with all my heart. Help me to make You my priority. This world has so many pressures that we tend to forget what our priority should be. Help me to find the time to pray and to remain in the path that leads me to You.

Thank You for my hubby who is always by my side. He had a tough week at work but I thank You because he has a job. There are so many people unemployed right now that just being able to work is a blessing.

Thank You for the gift of my children. Rafi is leaning towards Computer Science. He's taking two classes in that field and he really likes them. He says that when he is programming, he doesn't even feel like he's working. That's how much he enjoys it.

Chabeli continues to do well in all her classes. She got a 98 in one of her accounting exams this week. She is leaning more and more towards Accounting. I think we have another accountant in the house.

Alex has improved in all of his classes except AP History. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. AP History was my worst subject in high school. And to his credit, his teacher has been out for two weeks and they haven't done anything new because they've had substitutes.

Jesus, continue to guide all my children in their particular journeys. Help them to make wise choices, surround them with good friends, and keep them safe from harm.

Help Rafe and I to continue our journey together and to be a good example to our children. Please continue to heal my legs so that I may continue this journey through life with two healthy legs. And I offer the pain I feel for all those that have lost a leg.

I love You, Jesus!!!

February 22, 2017

Dear Jesus:

I spent this past weekend in total relaxation. We spent four days at the beach and I was truly able to disconnect and rest. Now I'm back and I cannot sleep, but I'm using this quiet time in the middle of the night to pray, meditate and talk to You.

I have learned through the years to treasure the good moments because I never know when the tide will turn. Seven years ago, I was recovering from a bad car accident. This year, I'm at peace. Tomorrow, who knows? But I have also learned not to worry about tomorrow. I'm enjoying today because "nothing is worth more than this day." Goethe

I know a lot of people that are going through difficult times right now. Please Jesus, have mercy on them all. Help them not to lose faith and to place their trust in You. Help them to make You their priority. And help me never to forget that no matter what tomorrow brings, You are my priority.

I love You, Jesus!!!

Letters to Heaven: Help me to do Little Things with Great Love

"In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love." St. Teresa of Calcutta

February 20, 2008

Dear Jesus:

Many times, we do things expecting recognition. Unfortunately, nowadays, the world we live in pushes us in that direction. If we do a good deed that is "big," it gets stamped all over the papers. Probably, our original intention was not to be in the media. We did it out of love. But we have to be careful not to let all the attention go to our head. We can learn from St. Teresa of Calcutta whom the media loved and yet, she always managed to remain humble.

We also have to be careful with our charity. Those that give "a little" do it knowing that they won't get any recognition for it. They just do it with great love. Those that give "a lot" may also do it with great love but unfortunately, all the recognition they receive tends to overshadow the love. I truly dislike the "donor rolls" that many organizations, schools, and even parishes publish. I feel it takes away from the spirit of giving. Didn't You say, "don't let your right hand know what your left one is doing?" Then why is it necessary to announce to the whole world the size of every person's donation? I imagine that part of the reason is to motivate others into giving. It's the condition of human nature. Just like we want a new car when our neighbor gets one, we may be moved to give if we see how charitable our neighbor is.

The bottom line is that we have turned the world into a place where the higher the deed, the bigger the recognition, where size matters more than the intention, where those that give a lot get their names printed on plaques and even on buildings. But at the end of the day, I truly believe that what matters most to You is not how much we give but how much love we put in the giving, it's not how many hours we serve but how much love we put in the serving. A penny given with love is worth more than a million dollars given just for the recognition. An hour from someone that struggles every day is worth more than a month of service from someone that is just doing it for the attention. When we give a little, but we give with great love, we may not get recognized by the world but we definitely get recognized by You. And that's the only recognition that we should be seeking.

I love You, Jesus!!!

February 20, 2017

Dear Jesus:

We always have the option to give anonymously and to serve quietly. The important thing is to do it with love.

"In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them." St. Teresa of Calcutta

Teach me to give with great love.

St. Teresa, pray for us.

I love You, Jesus!!!

Letters to Heaven: The Secret

"The Lord your God shall You worship and Him alone shall you serve." Matthew 4:10

February 18, 2008

Dear Jesus:

Since the beginning of time, man has sought power. Adam and Eve lost paradise because they wanted power. They wanted to be like God. Not much has changed. Today, man still seeks power. The only difference is that now, power is money. Or so we think. Many of us think that the more money we have, the more powerful we are. We worship money and that has become our god.

How truly sad that we are judged by what we possess. I just finished reading a book called "The Secret." The essence of the book is that happiness is found through wealth, possessions, abundance... I couldn't disagree more. I have met many people in my life who own very little and yet, they are truly happy. Happiness is not measured by what we possess on the outside. Happiness is measured by what we possess on the inside. If we are content and satisfied with what we have, then we have achieved the stage of supreme gratification. The problem arises when we want what we don't have, when we envy what others possess, or when we compare ourselves with others. We will never be happy then because once we obtain what they have, we will need something else.

The secret is not to attract money, possessions or wealth. The secret is to find peace within our hearts. That peace can only be found through You. The secret is not to share our wealth in order to attract more wealth. The secret is to share our wealth because we want to help those less fortunate, and in doing so, we will find a sense of satisfaction that wealth alone cannot give us.

"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:24

We have to choose between God and money. Only one will bring us true happiness.

Jesus, help me choose wisely.

I love You, Jesus!!!!

February 18, 2017

Dear Jesus:

This past week in Bible class we learned about Evangelical counsels. I had never heard this term before. Evangelical counsels are counsels of perfection in Christianity. The three Evangelical counsels are chastity, poverty, and obedience. They are called the "evangelical" counsels because we find them lived and recommended by Jesus in the four accounts of the Gospel ("evangelium" in Latin). Jesus Christ was poor in spirit, chaste in heart, and obedient in love to the will of his Father.

"God does not want each person to keep all the counsels, but only those appropriate to the diversity of persons, times, opportunities, and strengths, as charity requires; for it is charity, as queen of all virtues, all commandments, all counsel, and, in short, of all laws and all Christian actions, that gives to all of them their rank, order, time and value." St. Francis de Sales

Even though God will never force us to be obedient, poor, or chaste, I know that You, Jesus, invite us every day to adopt these values as a way of living so that we may grow in true love. The evangelical counsels offer us a challenge to be as perfect as we can be – or better put – to be as loving as we can be. The counsels hold the secret to eternal life.

Thank you for sharing "the secret" with us.

I love You, Jesus!!!
 
       
     
     

Letters to Heaven: Thank You for the Precious Gift

"My Peace is the treasure of treasures: the pearl of great price. It is an exquisitely costly gift, for both the Giver and the receiver. I purchased this Peace for you with My blood. You receive this gift by trusting Me in the midst of life’s storms. If you have the world’s peace—everything going your way—you don’t seek My unfathomable Peace. Thank Me when things do not go your way, because spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials. Adverse circumstances are normal in a fallen world. Expect them each day. Rejoice in the face of hardship, for I have overcome the world." Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

February 13, 2010

Dear Jesus:

Here I am, sitting down in the sofa with ice packs on my legs. Not exactly the way I had anticipated spending this weekend. I got into a little accident two days ago, and the airbag bruised my legs pretty badly. Oh well, I'm not complaining, on the contrary, I am thankful because I know that in that moment, You protected me. Thank You, Jesus, for sending your angels to hold me.

I am alive and I rejoice with this precious gift. 

My life is the biggest gift I received from God. 

He loved me so much that He took the time to create me.

I am His precious creation and I cherish the gift.

I offer everything I am and everything I do back to the Creator.

Everything I have and everything I own comes from God.

All my talents, all my intelligence and all my abilities are a gift.

I rejoice in the knowledge that I am loved.

My heart cries out in happiness at this knowledge.

I am filled with gratitude and love for God.

He loved me so much that He gave me the most awesome gift.

I am alive because He gave His life for me. 

Jesus, I need to let You know how thankful I am for my family. Chabeli has been wonderful. Yesterday, she picked up Alex from school, she brought me lunch and she has been very concerned about my well-being. Alex has been doing his share too. He brings me what I need so I won't have to get up from the sofa. And my hubby has been running around doing all the things that normally I would do. He went to the bank and to Publix, and now he's putting all the groceries away. Rafi is away at college, but he has called a few times to check up on me. And my parents have been doing deliveries to my clients.

Thank You, Jesus, for two very precious gifts: my life and my family.

I love You, Jesus!!!

February 13, 2017

Dear Jesus:

The memories of my accident are not fun. It took me a long time to recover and my legs looked pretty scary. But You carried me the whole way and I healed just fine.

Today, my friend Magda, from my Bible class, got into a car accident. Thank You, Jesus, for sending your angels to protect her. She sent us pictures of the car and it looks pretty bad. She has a broken rib but it could have been so much worst. Please heal her from her physical wounds and allow her to have a peaceful night.

Even during hardships, we have to be thankful. As Sarah Young says in her "Jesus Calling" meditations, "spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials." I remember that it was during my forced sick leave after my accident that I began to write the Lent meditations which eventually led to my blog. So You definitely turned a hardship into a blessing. Thank You for that additional precious gift.

I love You, Jesus!!!

Letters to Heaven: Help me be More Generous

"None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions." Luke 14:33

February 12, 2008

Dear Jesus:

This message has always boggled my mind. I used to think that we could only follow You if we were poor. Now I know better. I know that You don't mean for us to sell everything we own in order to be able to follow You. What You mean is that You don't want us to be so attached to the things of this world that we forget about You.

The more You entrust to us, the more You expect from us. If we keep everything for ourselves and we don't share with those in need, then we are not your disciples. We are meant to share what we have with those less fortunate, and that applies not only to our treasure but also to our talents.

How do we do this? We need to stop our rush through life so we can listen to You. You will let us know what we need to do. You will communicate with us in the silence of our hearts. We tend to act without thinking. That is not what You want from us. That is not the reason why You gave us intelligence and common sense. We need to spend time with You daily so You can help us discern what You want us to do with our treasure and with our talents. We need to focus our lives towards a specific goal. We need to find your purpose for us.

Please Jesus, teach me to be generous with what You have entrusted to me. Here I am. I have come to do your will.

I love You, Jesus!!!

February 12, 2017

"During your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony." Luke 16:25

Dear Jesus:

What a coincidence, or more like a God-incidence, that the topic in Bible class this week was about what I wrote to You nine years ago. The topic this week was the study of the rich man and the beggar named Lazarus, who would stand at the door of his mansion waiting for any scraps of food that would be thrown out to him. The rich man was not directly evil to Lazarus, but he committed a sin of omission. It was not what he did to Lazarus. It was more what he didn't do. He did nothing. He simply ignored him.

How many times have I acted like that rich man? Just this week, You put me to the test and I failed miserably. I was not mean to that homeless man, but I could have shared the sandwich that I had just gotten at Publix with him and I didn't. Afterwards, I felt horrible. The face of that homeless man has been hunting me. And your words: "For I was hungry and you did not feed me." I felt like You would never forgive me. I don't deserve to be called your daughter. I will rot in hell, just like the rich man in your story, while the homeless man looks down at me from heaven with pity.

And today at mass I felt even worst. The readings were about the Beautitudes, but during the homily, the priest, out of the blue, grabbed the Bible and began to read the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I knew that You were talking directly to me. I felt smaller than an ant.

I'm sorry, Jesus. It's very easy to give when it doesn't hurt, but when we have to give from where it hurts, it's not that easy. I felt so ashamed. I ask for your forgiveness before going to communion, but I felt that I didn't deserve it. I had failed You.

When I got home, I started reading the Word Among Us, and this is the message that I received:

"Fix this truth in your heart today, and let it fill you with wonder. You are destined to be—and you are becoming—glorious and magnificent. You are becoming holy. Not only that, but you are going to be great and awesome in heaven—no matter how small and insignificant you may feel here on earth.!"

Thank You, Jesus, that no matter how many times I fail You, You don't stop loving me. Thank You for being so generous, so patient and so forgiving with me. Thank You that even though I feel smaller than an ant, in your eyes, I am great and awesome. Please, help me to be like You towards everyone I encounter. Help me to be loving and generous like You are towards me. Help me show those that feel small and insignificant, that they are great and awesome in Your eyes.

I love You, Jesus. Please forgive me for all the times I have lacked compassion.

Cartas al Cielo: Abuela, Feliz Cumpleaños

Febrero 9, 2008

Querida Abuela:

¡Feliz Cumpleaños! Hoy hubieses cumplido 98 años. Mejor dicho, hoy cumples 98 años. La única diferencia es que ya no los cumples aquí en la tierra. Ahora los cumples en el cielo.

Siempre se me olvida el año exacto en que te fuiste. Sé que fue un 15 de octubre pero no puedo acordarme si fue en el 97 o en el 98. Lo que sí sé es que aún te extraño muchísimo.

Si pudieses comunicarte conmigo, cuantas cosas me contarías del cielo, de Dios, de la Virgen, de los Angeles y los Santos. A ti qué te encantaba hacer cuentos y hablar de las cosas del pasado, como te hubiese gustado poder contarme cómo es el cielo.

Pienso que eso debe ser lo más difícil de morir, él no poder volver a comunicarse con los seres queridos que uno deja atrás. Pero sé que algún día nos volveremos a reunir y me podrás enseñar todos los rincones que has descubierto en el cielo.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Abuela! Te quiero, y te extraño. Dale un abrazo a Jesus de mi parte.

Febrero 9, 2017

Querida Abuela:

Otro año, otro cumpleaños sin ti a mi lado. 107 años. Felicidades.

Me pregunto cómo pasas los días en el cielo. ¿Tendrás la oportunidad de comunicarte con los seres queridos que están ahí contigo? ¿Y cómo es esa comunicación? ¿Puedes hablar igual que lo hacías aquí en la tierra? ¿O es una comunicación telepática?

Mami me confirmó que te fuiste en el 1998, así que ya este año hace 19 años. Pero realmente, te fuiste mucho antes. Cuando la arteriosclerosis te atacó el cerebro, ya dejaste de estar presente. Tu cuerpo estaba entre nosotros pero tu mente ya no lo estaba.

Raro es el día en que no pienso en ti. No sé si 19 años en el cielo se miden igual, pero aquí en la tierra es mucho tiempo. Yo te sigo extrañando como si te hubieses marchado ayer mismo. Sé que algún día nos volveremos a abrazar, pero hasta que ese día llegue solo te pido que reces por tus bisnietos y que sigas guiando todos nuestros pasos por el buen camino que algún día nos llevará a reunirnos contigo.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños! ¡Te quiero, Abuela! Dale un beso a papi, a abuelo, a Jesus, a Mama Mary y a todos los que te acompañan en el cielo.

Letters to Heaven: St. Monica, Intercede for Our Children

February 2, 2010

Dear St. Monica:

I was just reading about you in my Bible lesson. You are a great comfort and inspiration to me. You were born in a Christian family. You lived your mission as a wife and mother in an exemplary way. You became a widow at a very young age, yet courageously, you devoted yourself to caring for your three children.

You had one child, Augustine, who gave you a lot of headaches. He caused you a lot of suffering because of his rebellious temperament. I, like you, also have three children. And right now, one of them is causing me a lot of anguish and suffering. It's not so much that he is rebellious, is that he is very complex, and lately has had some serious health issues.

Augustine used to tell you that you gave birth to him twice. The second time required a lengthy spiritual travail of prayers and tears. I feel exactly the same way. The past nine months have been an arduous time of tears, pain, prayers and despair, mixed with fear and hope.

You were crowned with the joy of seeing your son, Augustine, not only embrace the faith and receive Baptism, but also dedicate himself without reserve to the service of Christ. I pray that all my pain and my anguish, will have the same conclusion that yours had.

St. Monica, I pray that I may imitate you. I pray that I may have an inkling of your faith. Please help me not to lose heart. Help me to persevere in my mission as wife and mother, keeping firm my trust in God. Help me not to stop praying. Help me to persevere in praying for my children. Help me to turn with confidence to our blessed Mother Mary. And please, intercede for my children.

St. Monica, I entrust my three children to you. Please keep an eye on them. Help me to be a good example, like you were, to my three children, by teaching them through my actions and my prayers.

I commend all three of my children to the Virgin Mother of God, so that like your son Augustine, they may always strive for the fullness of Truth and Love which is Christ. Let them always remember that He alone can satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart.

I love you, St. Monica!!! Please intercede for my children.

February 2, 2017

Dear St. Monica:

Thank you for being by my side all these years. I know that your prayers and intercessions for my children have been heard. We even started a mother's prayer group to pray for all our children. I come to you today asking for prayers for all the sons and daughters of all my friends, my sisters in Christ. I especially ask for prayers for those that have lost their way. You know who they are. Please intercede for all our children that they may find their way back to God.

I love you, St. Monica!!! Please intercede for our children.