Choose life: Ponderings on death

 

Recently, I received news that my 18-year-old cousin (Tonisha Adams) was discovered dead in her home. Waves of shock, sorrow and concern washed over me. I cried out to God on Tonisha’s behalf. What a hard and short life this precious one had lived. I thanked God for the gift of her life and begged God to have mercy on my sweet girl.

                             Rest In Peace Tonisha

I have often disagreed with the author of 1 Corinthians (15:55) who said, “Oh death where is thy sting?” because the loss of loved ones pierces my heart deeply. The author of Thessalonians 4:13 also cautions that unless we are informed about death, we will grieve like those without hope. Being uninformed about the Church’s teaching on death can also increase the likelihood that we are imprisoned by the fear of our own deaths and /or the deaths of those we care about. So what exactly are the church’s teachings about death? To what extent does the teaching of the church impact the ways in which we grieve?

As Christians, death is supposed to have a positive meaning because of Christ. God made us to be in eternal union with God. Death is an unintended consequence of sin. Jesus, the Son of God suffered death because of His zeal to proclaim the kingdom of God. Through His resurrection, He transformed the curse of death into a blessing for humankind.[1]

Human beings are on an earthly pilgrimage to work out our earthly lives in accordance with God’s divine plan.[2] We have limited time to bring our lives to fulfilment through the grace of God.[3] Each breath that we take is graced. God in God’s loving mercy gifts us with opportunities to accept or reject the divine graces manifested in Christ.[4] In death, our soul is separated from our bodies and God calls humankind to Godself.[5] Immediately, we are received based on our works and faith.[6] Our experience after death is based on the choices that we make each day: the extent to which we chose life or death. Many of us do not know when we will die. As such, each day, we are invited to cherish the gift of time that we have been given by choosing well. In choosing life, we too proclaim the kingdom of God with our lives and can inspire others to do the same.

This Lenten period is an ideal time to reflect on our choices and the extent to which they are life-giving. Should we be called to our home today, to what extent did our lives reflect the love of Christ? As I spent time praying the aforementioned scriptures, my notion of death was transformed. I still deeply miss my loved ones and I take comfort in knowing that they are in the presence of God, who loves them even more than I. In addition, I am thankful for those who accompany me on this earthly pilgrimage. I am also truly grateful that God closely accompanies us on this journey and gives us all the graces of which we are in need. I am ever mindful of the importance of interceding for all on this pilgrimage as well as for those who have returned to God before us.

Each day, news of deaths, wars, sickness, poverty, injustice and environmental degradation reinforce the urgency of the call to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is crucial that Christians equip people with that which will help them to maximize the time that they have remaining by choosing life for themselves and others each day. This period of formation is providing the skills to help me to continue to choose life in accordance with God’s will for my life and to encourage others to do the same. In living as God calls us to live, we joyfully proclaim the gospel and wait in hope for the final call that will unite us eternally with our beloved God

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[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1009).

[2] CCC 1001

[3] CCC 1007

[4] CCC 1021

[5] CCC 1011

[6] CCC 1021

Call to Overcome the Desert, a reflection on Luke 4: 1-13

 Greetings to all!

As part of the prayer schedule here at the CDN, once a week on Sunday, we, as novices and directors, take turns preaching or sharing our reflection on the Word.  It is one of the greatest blessings for me as I am able to listen to others and to practice deeper contemplation on the Word and listen to God speaking to me in the present.  Below is part of my reflection from last Sunday March 6th, Lk 4:1-13. 

How many of you have experienced God's presence with you and God's help to overcome the struggles when you reached out? How many of you have experienced a time when you felt distance or separation from God and others when you failed to choose the right choice?

Lk 4:1-13 told us about Jesus’ experience in the desert of making choices and how he overcame the temptations by holding tightly to God and the Word of God. Jesus trusted in the love of God who was with him and filled him with the Holy Spirit. He was awake and aware of the temptations and his goal was to overcome them and to strengthen his relationship with God. The love of God and the Word took over and overflowed Jesus’ heart. This was all he had and this gave him the energy, courage, and strength when choosing between God and the earthy power and when facing the challenges of loneliness, hunger, and the desire to turn away from God.  He did not fall over the temptations and he overcame all.

After I listened to the Gospel, I asked, what about me? how about us? Do our daily choices help us strengthen our relationship with God and with others? Do they separate us or draw us together?  During Lent, I also hear God calling me and us to pause and to see where we are in relationship with God and with others.  Let us relook into our lives and examine ourselves.  Are we living out God’s dream and God’s goal for us? Are we living our lives as fully as we can and as God’s intention is for us to be? We can redirect or turn around if we are not, because with God it is never too late.

Dear God, please help us to be awake, alert, and aware of Your Presence in our midst and not to lose focus on You when we must make choices and face the trials daily. Please help us to open the eyes of our hearts to see your guidance in our every step, especially during this Lenten season. Help us not to fall into temptations that separate and cause us to turn away from You and others.  Please help us to overcome our trials as Jesus did and help us to reconnect with You, the source of life, who gives us energy, strength, and hope.

Lent 2022: Following Jesus into the desert

 

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days.” Mt 4:1

                
The Desert of Temptation in the Holy Land

Lent 2022 is here and I needed to look at it from a completely different perspective this year. In the past, I would “give up” some food that I really liked and take the money I saved from not buying that food and donate the money to charity. Well, this year, being at the novitiate, I don’t buy nor do I pay for the food I eat, so I needed to find a new way to “give up” something this Lent. Also, in the past, I would give away 40 things I owned, one each day of Lent. These could be clothes, books, house wears, gift cards, shoes, toiletries, etc. But, this August when I came to the novitiate, I only brought with me the bare minimum that I would need for the 10 months I would be in Chicago. So here’s another Lenten practice I needed to change or reimagine.   

For this Lent I realized that I need to do some real “heart work” and hard work to go deeper into my novitiate journey and for my future vocation in religious life.  For me, especially during this Lent, Jesus is saying to me, “Look Cathy, you don’t know everything and you’ve got a lot of interior spiritual work to do!” Only by looking deeply into my heart can I gain insights about this new way of life I am embracing. These insights are really insights into the workings of God in my discernment. This is the heart work that Jesus is calling me to do this Lent.

Timothy Radcliff’s quote from his book “Sing a New Song: The Christian Vocation” really spoke to me about exactly where I am at, in this time of my formation. He says that “Initial formation will entail moments of pain, disorientation, discouragement and a loss of meaning”. He also says that, “If these moments do not happen, then my formation would not be touching me deeply.” I am challenged to look at these hard moments of disorientation and pain as opportunities to grow and change. But that can only happen if I can stop being blind to the changes I might need to make. I need to look for the opportunities to be a better learner and discerner of Jesus’ call in my life. I need to take a hard look for the areas in my life that I need to work on. 

So where do I look to make these needed changes? Possibly by answering the question, how is Jesus calling me into the desert this Lent to work on looking deeply into the areas of my life that I am blind to? Lent 2022 is the time to do my heart work and my hard work. This is where I ask the hard questions and listen for the difficult answers that maybe I don’t want to hear. Jesus is asking me to enter the desert with him this Lent and make the time for us to do this hard work and heart work together. How about you, where is Jesus calling you to go with him this Lent?

Blessings on your Lenten journey!

Celebrate the Month of Looooove.....

 

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy New Year!

 

                  

Have any of you ever celebrated Tết (Luna New Year)? What would we, as Vietnamese Catholics, do during Tết? Let me tell you.

The first thing we do is to go to church to celebrate the meal that Jesus is inviting us to. We receive blessings from God and the church, and after that we receive blessings from our parents, grandparents, Godparents, and from each person that we meet.  We also go to different houses to receive blessings and share meals with extended families, friends, communities and more.

We are also ready to welcome all friends and relatives that come to our home with blessings with plenty of food and laugher.  We practice being in the present moment, being kind, helpful, happy, and being as loving and welcoming a person as possible during the New Year celebrations.  We also pause everything and enjoy the company around us. 

Most of the blessings are received verbally and most of the time it is included in a red envelop with “ lucky money” called bao lì xì. The younger you are the more red envelopes you get. For my family, lots of us would start the blessing with, “last year, past”. “ New Year, coming”. "I wish, I bless, and/or I’m praying for you to be filled with God’s love, peace, longevity, happiness, joy, luck, ect…

And every first day of the New Year is a special Mass. The church would read the same Gospel from Mathew 6: 25-34, “…Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” The main petition for this Mass focuses on praying for PEACE for ALL and reminding us to trust in the prominent power of God.  We are encouraged to lean on God and to live in the present moment.

Being here in Chicago, I was fortunate to be able to attend a Vietnamese Mass and had a chance to celebrated Tết with the Vietnamese community at the Holy Child Jesus Parish and with the CDN and Hyde Park communities.

Every year, Tết reminds me of the many blessings I have received from God. It’s also a time to remind me to be more aware of living in the present, the importance to be at peace, and learning again to recognized God all around me. It’s a time to call me back to the table, the church, the community, the family. In addition, Tết reminds me of the welcoming and unlimited invitation to the Lord's Supper to each of us and especially for me.  If Tết season is gone and as the days go by, I know for sure that I am always welcome at the Lord's Table and I can always receive many blessings there. The only thing the Lord requests is for me is to show up.  And so, YOU ARE TOO!

                            Happy Tết! Happy Lunar New Year! Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

      

Prayer: Lifting our hearts and minds to God

 

It is “only when we humbly acknowledge that we do not know how to pray as we ought,”[1] that we are “ready to receive freely the gift of prayer”.[2] This describes my approach to prayer during the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN). Prayer is an integral aspect of our Dominican life. It frames our day and marks the ordinary as well as the extra-ordinary occasions in our communal and private lives. During the past six (6) months of the novitiate, we have been introduced to new and familiar forms of prayer (such as St. Dominic’s nine (9) ways of prayer; Visio Divina and contemplative prayer). We have also been given opportunities to lead prayer within our community as well as at other formation events (such as, the inter-community novitiate programme).

Our prayer is truly enlivening. I especially enjoy praying the psalms through Dominican Praise; Lectio Divina; Visio Divina; Taizé prayer; St. Dominic’s nine (9) ways of prayer; praying through our senses; praying through movement; and praying utilizing art (for example, mandalas). Through prayer, I channel my hopes, cries, intentions, joys, petitions and even my doubts toward our loving God. Prayer is a sacred space in which I commune with God and others.

     

                                

                                    Left: Taizé prayer                                      Right: Altar of Remembrance for All Souls Day  

I truly appreciate the consistent efforts that are made to ensure that prayer is inclusive. For example, it incorporates different languages, cultures and genders. Prayer thus tends to be representative of the diversity of those who gather.  Inclusive prayer often draws me deeper into prayer and strengthens my bond with my prayer community. It is also a testimony of God’s love for all of creation.

Recently, we celebrated Tết (Lunar New Year) and invited some of the novices of the Hyde Park community to join us for prayer, dinner and recreation. It was a truly beautiful celebration. Women of many languages, ethnicities, ages and religious congregations joined in one heart and mind to offer praise and thanks to God. We prayed; chanted; shared on the readings; interceded for all of creation; and asked the intercession of the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Dominic. This unity in prayer is lived out in other aspects of our lives and is a testimony to the world that we are indeed one in Christ. In this way, like Dominic, we preach our prayer.

It is indeed a gift to commune with God and others. This gift of prayer carries great responsibility. God empowers us to live that which we proclaim and believe in faith. I desire to go deeper in prayer; to daily live out the prayer that the Holy Spirit places upon my heart and mind; and to inspire others to do the same by God’s grace. 

Lunar New Year Prayer and Celebration with Hyde Park Novices

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[1] Romans 8:26

[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church 2559

Where Will my Journey Take Me?

 

"We walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7 

                                     

Since arriving at the novitiate on August 14, 2021, I have physically journeyed 1,245 miles! How do I know that? Because my Fitbit tells me each day how many miles I walked on a given day.  But how many more miles have I spiritually journeyed with God since arriving here at the CDN in August? And is there a spiritual Fitbit to measure that? Back to those questions a little later.

For those who know me, you may know I love to walk. But that wasn’t always the case. I grew into the practice of walking when I set my mind on becoming "healthier". I started by just walking around the block because that’s all I could do when I started on this walking journey four years ago. Little by little I began to enjoy being outside in nature walking. I began to understand how to see God's beauty in nature and how to love God’s creation. My love for walking really kicked in when I decided to train to walk the Way of St. James (the Camino) in Spain. I read Joyce Rupp’s book, “Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino” and it was then that I understood that walking could be a prayer and a spiritual journey as well.  

One of the reasons I believe I was attracted to the Dominican Order was because I learned that St. Dominic used his many “walking journeys” as a time to “talk with God and about God” to anyone he met on his journey.  I felt a very strong connection to St. Dominic’s way of journeying with prayer. This has now become a very important practice in my daily prayer life here at the CDN. I get up at 5AM every morning so that I can go out before community prayer to walk and talk with God. I call this my “journeying with God” time.

I have come to treasure my time here at the CDN because it gives me the space and time to (literally and spiritually) journey with God and more importantly, the contemplative space to listen to what God is saying to me. My spiritual journey is well on its way in some areas, but only just beginning in other areas. So, my spiritual Fitbit is reminding me to keep up the journey with God and to trust that God knows where God wants my journey to take me. I have a great inner peace that I am on the right journey and that God is leading the way. Here at the CDN, I have learned to trust what God is speaking to my heart, especially as I track the spiritual miles that I spend walking and talking with God. Where will God be taking you and your spiritual Fitbit today on your journey? Peace, Joy and Blessings for the Way.