Theme 62 : If only we knew what pain...

Do we know what pain our Creator has taken for us, HIS creatures? If only we knew... We know that 'sin' is going away from God's Love. Sin puts out the flame of life. The one who sins naturally deserves the punishment. When the human beings sinned, the bighearted God willed to take their punishment on HIMSELF to save them and draw them close to HIS Pure Love. HE sent HIS only Son from Heaven to Earth for the atonement for our sins. Jesus freely offered HIS life as a ransom for all of us as HE considered us as HIS own inviting us to take part in God's Holy life. Those who have tasted the charm, the glow and the fragrance of holiness are always vigilant to keep away any thought, word or deed of unholiness. They take the pain to help others too for the same.(Ref. CCC 620 - 622)

Prayer :

O Dear Jesus, I just want to thank you for what YOU have been to me and done for me. I want to understand the pain that YOU took for my sake. Please reveal that to me today. I long to taste holiness...its charm, glow and fragrance...

Theme 61 : Who, truly, is JESUS ?

The name 'Jesus' means 'God saves'. In order to save all the human beings from their sins, Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, became incarnate assuming human nature without losing HIS Divine nature. The Incarnation is the mystery of the wonderful union of the Divine and human natures in the one person of God's Son, having 'human intellect and will' perfectly attuned and subject to HIS 'Divine Intellect and Will'. HE came to lead us to God. All that is needed to be saved is believing in Jesus and following HIM closely. (Ref. CCC 479-483)

Prayer :

O Holy Spirit, I do not know how to pray.. Enlighten and teach me to believe, to pray and to proclaim that Jesus is the Lord of my life - my only Saviour. Jesus, I want to believe in you fully and follow you wholeheartedly.

Theme 60 : Be Clean, Be Pure, Be Holy

The purpose of the life-journey of all human beings is to get prepared to enter into the perfect unity of the Divine Being. God is the Cleanest, the Purest and the Holiest. To enter into the unity of such a Holy Being, we need to be clean, pure and holy. One can choose to be clean or unclean, to be pure or impure and then to be holy or unholy. Moral cleanliness and Spiritual purity are needed for true Holiness. Moral cleanliness is faithfully following the Divine laws and boundaries. Spiritual purity is purging the competing passions and loyalties from our heart so that we can be purely devoted to our Maker. First, one needs to have 'moral cleanliness' by conforming one's behavior to the Divine laws. Then 'spiritual purity' can be attained by being transformed internally and maximizing the pure love inside and outside. Thus the Divine Grace leads one to holiness.

Prayer :

O Holy God, bless me with a deep desire to be holy. Make me morally clean and spiritually pure in order to prepare myself to see YOU, the most Holy One.

Theme 59 : Trinitarian Missions

God is the undying Life and the unfading Light. The Father destined us in love to be HIS children being conformed to the image of HIS Son, through the Spirit of sonship. The whole Christian life is a communion with ONE GOD, the three Divine Persons. Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him. The ultimate end of the whole Divine Economy is the entry of human beings into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity. Even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity: "If anyone loves me", says the Lord, "he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him" (Ref. CCC 257-260)

Prayer :

O my God, the Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful. Let nothing trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God. Make my soul your Heaven, your beloved Dwelling. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith and wholly given over to your creative action.

Theme 58 : Three persons in One God

God is one but not solitary. The Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son. The three Divine Persons do not share the one Divinity among themselves, but each of them is God whole and entire. The Divine Persons are distinct from one another in their relations of origin: It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds. While they are called three persons in view of their relations, we believe in one nature/substance. The real distinction of the Divine Persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them to one another.  (Ref. CCC 253-255)

Prayer :
O Most beautiful Trinity, I am indeed in awe and wonder !!!  I say 'yes' to your call to be united to YOU. I wish to give up from me the spirit of division completely. Pour YOUR abundant grace on me that I am filled with the spirit of unity. 

Theme 57 : GOD AS 'TRINITY'

Calling God "Father" indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that God is the good, loving and caring parent for all. God is neither man nor woman. He transcends human fatherhood and motherhood. Jesus revealed that God is eternally Father in relation to HIS only Son, who is eternally Son in relation to HIS Father. The sending of the Person of the Spirit after Jesus' glorification reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son, of the same substance and also of the same nature. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of both the Father and the Son and comes from the Father through the Son. (Ref. CCC 239-248)

Prayer :

O Most Holy Trinity, I worship and adore YOU. YOU who fills the whole universe, reveal YOURSELF to me personally and help me to experience YOUR presence. Abba, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank YOU for dwelling in me. O three Divine Persons in one God, teach me how to be united and to be in communion. 

Theme 56 : Characteristics of Faith

God's Grace moves and assists us to exercise Faith. Trusting in God is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason. In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with the Divine Grace. We believe because of the authority of God who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Faith is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. The grace of faith opens the eyes of the heart to a lively understanding of the contents of God's Revelation. Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. The same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind.(Ref. CCC 153-159)

Prayer :

God, the Giver of Faith, I pray in the words of St. Augustine, "I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe." Lord, the certainty that YOUR Divine Light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reasons gives. O Holy Spirit, move my heart and convert it to God. Open the eyes of my mind and make it easy for me to accept and believe the truth perfecting my faith constantly.

Theme 55 : Most Cherishable Gift !

For the wise, 'Faith' is more real than ownself. It is through the eyes of Faith, one can really see the real. We are made up of both physical and Spiritual senses. Faith is beyond the physical senses. What is actually Faith?  Faith is a personal adherence to the One who created us and thereby acknowledging the Truth. By HIS Revelation, the invisible God, from the fullness of HIS Love, addresses us as HIS friends, and moves among us, in order to invite and receive us into HIS own company. The adequate response to this invitation is FAITH. By Faith, one completely submits one's intellect and will to the Giver and seek HIS Will at every moment. By this, one uses the God-given freedom most appropriately. God does reveal HIS Will to all those who genuinely seek it. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a human person.   (Ref. CCC 142-152)

Prayer :

Thank you, my Maker, for your priceless Gift of 'Faith'. Help me to learn from Abraham who obeyed YOU in faith even when he was called to settle down in a completely unknown place leaving behind a secure place. Like Mamma Mary who welcomed YOUR Will to her life, may I believe that YOU fulfil whatever YOU say. May I yearn to treasure the most cherishable gift of 'Faith'.

Theme 54 : The Good News !

God desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, that is, of Christ Jesus. Christ and the Good News HE brought to us must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth. The Gospel (Good News) was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. 

In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
- orally (by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, what they themselves had received)
- in writing (by those apostles and others associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing).
The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of the Pure and Holy Tradition of the Early Christian community, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church. (Ref. CCC 74-79)

Prayer : 
O Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Good News rings out in the Church, YOU lead the believers to the full truth and make the Word of Christ dwell in us in all its richness. Through the Holy Tradition, the Living Transmission, O Holy Spirit, let the Church perpetuate and transmit the Good News to every generation. May I play an active part in it.

Theme 53 : True Identity

'Ego' leads our life as per the thinking that our existence is limited to our 5 senses, mind and intellect. Our true state of existence is living in identification with and in consciousness of our Soul.  Depending on the level of our ego, we identify with the 'God-principle within us' (Soul) to varying degrees. If our ego is high, we identify less with our Soul. In layman’s terms, ego is the pride about oneself. Due to the ego, a covering of black energy gets collected around the person. When one’s ego is high, the flow of Grace from God is blocked. As a result of the black energy covering coupled with the block in access to the Divine Grace, the person’s life is impacted negatively.

Prayer :

O God, I want to be aware of my ego and manage it. Teach me how to get in touch with my soul. Help me to be conscious of your principle within me. Make my mind 'quiet' and 'still' that I may be able to peep into my soul. How wonderful it is to live identifying with my soul! 

Theme 52 : Edging God Out (EGO)

Why did God not create a world so perfect that no evil could exist in it? With HIS infinite power God could always create something better. Yet, with HIS infinite wisdom and goodness, God freely willed to create a world "in a state of journeying" towards its ultimate perfection. With the 'good' there exists the 'evil' as long as the creation has not reached its perfection. The evil spirit attacks us mostly through our ego. Gradually, we edge God out and are not even aware of that fact. In the absence of God, we automatically allow the evil one to control our life and make a mess of it. "When the complete comes, the partial will come to an end." (1 Cor 13:10)

Prayer :

Loving God, I belong to YOU. Take control of my life. 'Only YOU' are the Source of all goodness. Let me get back to YOU, each time I fall and remain in the circle of YOUR Love to be ever protected. Dear God, be actively present in my life. I need you badly.

Theme 51: Superbly Creative Creator

The Creation has its own goodness and perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created "in a state of journeying" (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "Divine Providence" the dispositions by which God guides HIS creation toward this perfection. God is the sovereign master of HIS plan, but to carry it out HE also includes HIS creatures' co-operation. This is not a sign of weakness, but rather a token of almighty God's greatness and goodness.  The truth that God is at work in all the actions of HIS creatures is inseparable from faith in God the Creator. A creature can not attain its ultimate end without the help of the Creator's grace.
                (Ref. CCC 302-308)
Prayer :

Jesus, the Son of God, you ask for 'child-like abandonment' to the Providence of our Heavenly Father who takes care of HIS children's smallest needs. Help me seek first the Divine Kingdom and Righteousness, and the rest shall be added. I believe that my God grants HIS creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own. Thank you my Sustainer.

Theme 50 : Attitude towards riches

Attachment to riches is a block in the Spiritual growth. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt 6:21). The tenth commandment forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. Envy is sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to have them for oneself. It is a capital sin. The baptized person combats envy through goodwill and abandonment to the Providence of God. Christ's faithful "have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24). They are led by the Spirit. Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of Heaven. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Ref. CCC 2551-2556)

Prayer :
Lord God, may YOU be my Greatest Treasure. Having YOU in me, I am most wealthy. To live on this Earth, I do need earthly riches. And yet, attachment to YOU detaches me from the material riches. Clinging to YOU teaches me how to use those riches in the most appropriate way. 

Theme 49 : Recognize whether 'love' or 'lust'

The 'fruit of love' is the lasting and satisfying joy. The 'fruit of lust' is the momentary and dissatisfying pleasure. Recognising each time whether it is love or lust is simply helping ourselves not to be foolish. The ninth commandment warns against lust. The struggle against carnal lust involves purifying the heart and practicing temperance. "Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mt 5:28). Purity of heart enables us to see God and to see things as God sees. It demands sincere prayer and requires the modesty which is patience, decency and discretion. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. (Ref. CCC 2528-2533)

Prayer :

God, the Purest Love, fill my heart with your love. Purify my vision and my every intention. May modesty and temperance guide my thoughts, attitudes, words and actions.

Theme 48 : Either silence or truthful words

Truth is beautiful while falsehood is ugly. Truth can set us free. Those who tell lies think that lies set them free. Truthfulness is guarding against duplicity and hypocrisy. The Christian is not to "be ashamed of testifying to our Lord" (2 Tim 1:8) in deed and word. Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the Faith. An offense committed against the truth requires reparation. One should practice moderation and discipline in the use of the social media to guard against being untruthful. (Ref. CCC 2504-2512)

Prayer :

Jesus, the TRUTH, help me to resemble YOU. I want to mirror YOU. Let me speak only when my words are more beautiful than silence. Let my every word reflect YOU and let me enjoy inner freedom.

Theme 47 : What belongs where

We value the fruits of our own labour. Valuing the fruits of the other's labour shows our true dignity. The seventh commandment forbids theft. Theft is taking and possessing what belongs to the other against the reasonable will of the owner. Every manner of taking and using another's belongings unjustly is contrary to the seventh commandment. Take not but give others their due credit - the respect, the recognition, the honour, the reward, etc. Unknowingly or knowingly we tend to steal the other's reward and project it as ours. A clear boundary is to be set as to what belongs where and act accordingly. The injustice committed requires reparation. (Ref. CCC 2451-2461)

Prayer :

My dear God, I believe that you give me what I need and what is to belong to me. Let me never be greedy in possessing anything - material or otherwise. Let me keep only what truly belongs to me and let the others have what belongs to them. 

Theme 46 : Blessed are the pure in heart.

"Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being." By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other. Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his/her sexual identity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life, each according to his/her particular state of life. Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery. Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography and homosexual practices. The covenant which spouses have freely entered into entails 'faithful love'. It imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble. (Ref. CCC 2392-2397)

Prayer :
God, the Most Pure, create in me a true desire to be pure in heart. May my every thought, word and deed be pure in your sight. Purify my senses and may there be pure love and not lust in the way I relate. Bless me with the courage it takes to stand by purity come what may.

Theme 45 : 'Breath of life' is a gift !

Who among us gave the 'breath of life' to oneself ? Those who can not breathe well due to illness understand and value the gift of breath. We belong to God and we breathe God's life. Only the Giver of life has the right to take it away. Every human life, from the moment of conception, is sacred as the human person is in the image and likeness of the Living and Holy God. The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the Holiness of the Creator. From his/her conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice gravely contrary to the moral law. Suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope and charity. It is forbidden by the fifth commandment. Scandal is a grave offense when by deed or omission it deliberately leads others to sin gravely. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Mt 5:9).(Ref. CCC 2319-2330)

Prayer :

Ever Living God, thank you for the breath of life. I become aware that I belong to you. Help me to live in awareness of my breath and thus of the gift of life. Let me not move around as though I gave life to myself. May I not think, say or do anything against life in myself or in others. Make me always a peacemaker to value and promote life.

Theme 44 : 'Honour Vibes'..

Parents are Parents. Honour vibrations are to flow from us continuously to our parents in spite of their weaknesses. The well-being of a person is closely bound up with the healthy state of the relationship with own parents. According to the fourth commandment, the Creator has willed that, after HIM, the creatures should honour their parents and those whom HE has vested with authority for their good. The strained relationship with either mother or father affects adversely all the other relationships of a person. Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience and assistance. In our vulnerabilities, especially of infancy and early childhood, parents were at our side with much love. Let our hearts be filled with gratitude. 'Filial respect' fosters harmony in family life. (Ref. CCC 2248 - 2251)

Prayer :

Thank YOU, dear God, for the precious gift of my Parents, who are unique and the best parents for the person I am. Let me not be foolish to compare or complain. I did not choose them for me but you perfectly blessed me with them. You never make a mistake. YOU poured YOUR love on me through them which I failed to recognize at times. Open my eyes to see the good in and through them and not to focus on their weaknesses. 

Theme 43 : Sunny Sundays ?

How can we worship and love the ONE whom we do not know? God reveals 'God-Self' to those who genuinely seek HIM. Sundays are meant to be spent in knowing and experiencing God more and more. If Jesus, the Son of God, is the Sun of your life, how sunny are your Sundays? How can you organize your Sunday in the most beneficial way for your Spiritual nourishment? 'Sunday' is to be observed to keep it holy (Deut 5:12). The Sabbath Sunday recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ. On Sundays, the faithful are to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord's Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body. May your coming Sundays beautify your inner person ! (Ref. CCC 2189-2193)

Prayer :

Jesus, God's Risen Son, YOU are my Risen Sun. Keep shining in and through me. May I choose your sunshine on my every Sunday. In you alone is my life.

Theme 42 : 'Name' has 'power' !

Naming everyone and everything is done so wonderfully from time to time. The Creator and the creatures have their names. A name carries a meaning and depicts a reality. Every name contains 'power'. Calling a 'living being' by name works wonders. Have you discovered the significance and the positive content of your name? Have you happily owned and appreciated your name?  The Majesty and Power of God's NAME is all the more tremendous !!!  "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth" (Ps 8:1)!  The second commandment enjoins respect for the Lord's name. The name of the Lord is HOLY. The second commandment forbids every improper use of God's name. Blasphemy is the use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary and of the saints in an offensive way. False oaths call on God to be witness to a lie. The Christian begins the prayers and activities with the Sign of the Cross: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen." This is marvellously powerful.(Ref. CCC 2160-2166)

Prayer :

My Lord, I want to, more fully, appreciate the person I am. Help me experience the power in my name. Lord of the Universe, teach me to revere your Holy and Majestic NAME. Let me ever believe and trust in YOUR saving NAME.

Theme 41: Give God's Due

"You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut 6:5).
The first commandment summons us to believe in God, to hope in HIM and to love HIM above all else. Adoring God, praying to HIM, offering HIM the worship that belongs to HIM and fulfilling the promises made to HIM are acts that fall under obedience to the first commandment. Superstitions are against that commandment. The duty to offer God authentic worship concerns one both as an individual and as a social being.
                        (Ref. CCC 2133-2138)
Prayer :
O Supreme God,
I worship YOU.
I adore YOU.
I thank YOU.
I love YOU.
I praise YOU.
I believe in YOU.
I hope in YOU.
I trust in YOU.
I come to YOU.
I pray to YOU.
Keep me ever close to YOU.

Theme 40 : The Era of 'Search'

Today, most of us are most of the time in the media world and use 'search options' very often. Everyone is searching...We are in the age of 'Search'. What actually are we searching.. ? The deepest thirst of a human heart is the natural desire to see God. It is a Spiritual Inn that can direct the heart to quench its strong thirst. A Monastery is a 'Spiritual Inn' for all pilgrims travelling lightly towards 'seeing God'. It is a place that comprises lasting values for healing and fulfilling all people. Eastern Monasticism is a 'Living Movement' (not an institute) in the Catholic Church. It is a stream of Living Water that springs straight out of the wellspring of the Gospel. Monasticism lies along the line of human beings' thirst to see God and enjoy internal and external harmony. Today, many are called to be either hosts or guests in the Spiritual Inn of Eastern Monasticism.

Prayer :

God, the true Source of all that satisfies me, I desire to see YOU. My heart is searching for YOU...Direct my search. Reveal YOURSELF to me. Help me join those who genuinely seek YOU and help myself and others. 

Theme 39 : The Package of 'a DAY'

As we all know, 'a day' is a period of 24 hours - a period from midnight to the following midnight - the rotational period of our planet Earth. 

Let us today pause for a while and reflect on the following :
For me, what all does the package of 'a day' consist of ? What are the various components of the entity of 'a day' in my case?
How wisely are my 24 hours distributed for the different aspects (for the health, well being, strength and beauty of my body, mind, heart and soul) ?
Is there a proper balance between the essential components that help me to meet the purpose of my life?
How well am I managing my time?
Every second of the 24 hours is precious. By planning and managing 'a day' well is like living the whole week well. Thus, we make the month, the year and the whole life ever fruitful and fulfilling.

Prayer :

All-encompassing God, I surrender myself to you completely. Come into my life to set it in a proper order and in a good shape. Help me to prioritize and arrange the components of my each day in a qualitative manner. I want to live fully and enjoy living every day of my life. And thus, may I give glory to you, my loving Creator. 

Theme 38 : Asking our Father in Heaven

'Heaven' does not refer to a place but to God's majesty and HIS presence. Heaven, the Father's House, is the true Homeland toward which we are heading and to which, already, we belong. In the Prayer, 'the Our Father', the object of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the sanctification of HIS Name, the coming of HIS Kingdom and the fulfillment of HIS Will. The next four petitions present our wants : that our lives be nourished, healed of sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good over evil. "Our daily bread" refers to the earthly nourishment necessary to everyone for subsistence and also to the Bread of Life: the Word of God and the Body of Christ.       (Ref. CCC 2857,2861,2863,2864)

Prayer :

Our Father in Heaven, we glorify YOU. Thank you for giving us daily our earthly and heavenly Bread. Lead us not into temptation. Do not allow us to take the path that leads to sin. We implore the Spirit of discernment and strength and also the Grace of vigilance and perseverance. Deliver us from evil. We pray with the Church to show forth the victory, already won by Christ over satan, the 'ruler of this world,'.

Theme 37 : Transforming the Figure

Human beings, created in the image of God, become disfigured by sin. Jesus made 'the purification' for our sins to transform us back into our real Figure and to bring us into the Father's Holy Presence. Immortal God urges us, mortals, to call HIM 'Father!' animating our innermost being. Before we say 'Our Father', we must humbly cleanse our hearts in the grace offered by Jesus. To pray to the Father is to enter into HIS mystery as HE is. When we pray to the Father, we are in communion with HIM and with HIS Son, Jesus Christ. The free gift of adoption requires 'our continual transformation'.(Ref. CCC 2777,2779,2781,2784)

Prayer :

Most Loving Abba, each time I call you "Father", I am reminded to behave as your child through transformation into my real Figure. . I desire to contemplate the beauty of YOU, my Father, without ceasing and adorn my soul accordingly. At the calling of your Holy Name, LOVE is aroused in me..and the confidence of receiving what I ask in the most perfect prayer.

Theme 36 : The Perfect Prayer

The Lord's Prayer, "the Our Father", is the most perfect of prayers. In it we ask not only for all the things we can rightly desire but also in the sequence that they should be desired. The rightness of our life in HIM will depend on the rightness of our prayer. The prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly unique: it is "of the Lord." On the one hand, in the words of this prayer the only Son gives us the words the Father gave HIM. On the other, as Word incarnate, HE knows in HIS human heart the needs of HIS human brothers and sisters and reveals them to us. Since our prayer sets forth our desires before God, it is again the Father, who searches the hearts of all. The prayer to Our Father is inserted into the mysterious mission of the Son and of the Spirit.(Ref. CCC 2765,2766)

Prayer :

My Dear God, reveal to me the richness of the Perfect Prayer, "the Our Father". I realize that through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God to pray to their Father. Thank you Jesus for giving us the words of our filial prayer and for giving us the Spirit by whom these words become in us "spirit and life." 

Theme 35 : Happy Living

Those who genuinely desire a 'Happy Living' make constant efforts to live life fully. They keep growing in awareness and alertness from moment to moment. Just as small drops make the vast ocean, 'mindfulness' in every little thing is developed in them. This directs them to build a strong foundation to a meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle. Being purposeful, they are dynamic in nature and not idle or lethargic. Happiness, in spite of the kind of situation, is indeed the fruit of one's awareness and inner faithfulness. 

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much." (Luke 16:10)

Prayer :

Happy God, I come to know that I am created to be a happy being and to live everyday of my life happily. I need your grace to live the present moment to its fullest. Let my inside be faithful to myself and thus let my daily living be a happy one.

Theme 34 : Deriving 'good' out of 'evil'

The Divine Providence guides the human and the cosmic history with strength and gentleness. God knows how to derive good out of evil. Evil actions are permitted by the Divine Providence. God knows how to handle the devil and his works. If the devil and the other demons radically rejected God's Reign, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to build God's Reign. Since satan is spirit, he has some power but that power is finite. He is only a creature and not capable to challenge the Creator or can never be equal to God. Clinging to God helps us to be away from the devil's works. (Ref. CCC 395)

Prayer :

God, the Most Powerful, let your power penetrate my being and make me powerful in my goodness. I trust your Providence. May I always accept 'good' and reject 'evil'. Enable me to continue Jesus' mission of building God's Kingdom. 

Theme 33 : ANGELS

Angels are 'ministering spirits' sent forth to serve God for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation (human beings). As purely spiritual creatures, angels are immortal. They have intelligence and will. They always behold the face of God. 

God loved and trusted them, but some angels became evil by radically and irrevocably rejecting God and HIS Reign. God is ever merciful. It was the irrevocable character of these fallen angels' choice that made their sin unforgivable. There was no chance of repentance for these fallen angels as they chose to sin even after beholding God face to face. Behind the sin of human beings are the fallen angels (demons). (Ref. CCC 329-331,392,393)

Prayer :

God, the great Creator of heavenly and earthly creatures, I adore you. Thank you for your love and mercy. May I use every opportunity of repentance in my day to day life. Let my life glorify YOU and your Reign.

Theme 32 : FIRE !!

'Fire' symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions. 

The prayer of the prophet Elijah, who "arose like fire" and whose "word burned like a torch," brought down fire from heaven on the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. This event was a "figure" of the fire of the Holy Spirit, who transforms what HE touches. John, the Baptist, proclaimed Christ as the one who "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Jesus said of the Spirit: "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" In the form of tongues "as of fire," the Holy Spirit rested on the disciples on Pentecost and filled them. (Ref. CCC 696, 703)

Prayer :

Jesus, my Lord, have mercy on me and baptize me with the Holy Spirit and Fire. Do not ever let me quench the Spirit. I acknowledge that the Breath of God is at the origin of my being and life of every creature. O Holy Spirit, purify me, rule me, sanctify me and animate me.