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Saint Joseph, Pillar of Families

I didn't use to pray novenas.  I always thought that praying directly to God was better.  But I read this passage from the Bible: "The continual prayer of a just man availeth much." - James 5:16 I thought of the matter more and now I see that novenas are a humble way of praying.  It is asking those closest to Jesus (and holiest) people who walked the earth, to pray for me. This is not a new way of doing things as Moses intervened for the Jews when God wanted to punish them for making a bull with their own hands and started worshipping them. I now think God is pleased whenever I pray a novena.    Since then, I have seen so many SIGNS AND WONDERS in myself and in my circumstances because I prayed a novena.   I credit Saint Joseph for my happy home life and also for helping us with our finances though the best thing for me is the way novenas help us to lead holy lives.  The saints want no applause but rather, they will always draw us closer to God.   Instead of idolizing cel

My Labyrinth Prayer

Yesterday some dear friends and I ventured out and visited Maryridge Convent.  They have a beautiful garden and breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano.  But we went there specifically to do a labyrinth prayer walk.

It was my second time to do this yet my insights were all different.  I wish to share these with you here in the hope that they will bless you as much as they have blessed me.

The labyrinth is like the journey of life.

The Path is within an enclave of trees and shrubs but not everything is shaded so at times, you are on a part that is too hot.  This impressed upon me as the hard times in life.  When I was in the shade, it was like a time of rest and refreshment.

Though I longed to be on the shady path, I noticed that without the shadow of the branches blocking the sunlight, I could see so many forms of life like the butterflies, ants and grasshoppers.  So too do we learn much more from the times of trial we go through.  We get to see how we handle hardship and how we have matured through time.

During the shaded times of rest, I noticed that I wanted to stay there longer but the journey was not yet over so one always had to move on.  These "easy" portions of the walk though more enjoyable held pitfalls in the guise of dog poop in unexpected areas!  In life as well, it is in times of rest that we let our guard down.  We neglect to see God's presence, or fill our lives with our own quest for selfish gain or pleasure.

Though our group were doing the labyrinth individually, we were still doing it during the same time, each at different points of the labyrinth, sometimes passing each other on the path, stopping sporadically where the Lord was speaking to us or at rest.

So it is with life.  Each person has on his own journey yet we are all on different journeys together.  When people pass into your life, let them stay, let them go as they please, respect their journey.

Whether I was feeling so tired from the heat or rejuvenated by the wind, I could sense God's presence throughout the circuitous walk.  He is with us whether in good times or bad, whether we feel His touch or not in our lives.  He loves us at every point in our journey.

There is a bend in the path where you think you are nearing the center and your heart skips a beat then it drops as you see a longer path ahead of you.  Sometimes we think we are so near a breakthrough then realize we are still far from it.  God is teaching us to wait instead rather than celebrate our victories.  Then at times, He surprises when we think we are still so far from Him He reveals Himself to us.

Sometimes the grassy delineations get blurry so you don't know if you're on the right path or not.  I learned to just keep moving.  Many times we need to do the same in life.

Many times along the labyrinth, one must make a U-turn yet not on the path from which you came.  This is like when we meditate on our lives, go on retreat or examine our conscience.  We go back and yet go forward in self awareness and spiritual growth.

I actually made a mistake and inadvertently walked a shortcut.  I didn't see the path behind the tree.  The Lord told me that this is symbolic of my life.

Many times I complain from lack of adventure in this life, not getting to experience what others do.  God was telling me that He has given me a less tiresome journey avoiding many insignificant detours that won't bring me any closer to His goodness.

After we did the labyrinth, the sun seemed to mellow and cast a shade over everything even when it was nearing noon.  God was showing me how His love is so scorching that we cannot stand its power nor fully understand its intensity.

*All of these photographs were taken at the Maryridge Convent Garden.  You are free to visit them in Tagaytay (Philippines) and you can buy their homemade Ube Jam to support their mission.







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Now ladies I really did the writing of this in 5 minutes (but the picture editing afterwards took a bit of time).  Enjoy!



Comments

  1. What beautiful lessons you learned on your walk. I love how you took each step and compared it to life. <3

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  2. Thank you Frogdiva! You made my heart happy :)

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  3. Ooo ... Christina, I've always wanted to participate in a labyrinth prayer walk. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Getting Down With Jesus community. God bless!

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  4. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful insights and analogies you gained! Beautiful.

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