Quotes from St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 The biggest obstacle is fear.

The ugliest feeling is resentment

The biggest mistake is quitting

The most beautiful gift is forgiveness

The greatest strength is faith

The most beautiful thing in the world is love

Little Li - From Facebook

 She was a child.

She was small.

She was unarmed.

And the Church remembers her as Little Li, martyr.

Little Li lived in Communist China in the early 1950s — a time when God was forbidden, churches were watched, and faith could cost you your life. Belief was treated like a crime. Prayer like rebellion.

When Li made her First Communion, she whispered a simple request to Jesus:

“Give me this daily bread, so my soul can live.”

She meant it.

From that day on, she received Holy Communion every morning — knowing full well it could all be taken away at any moment.

And one day, it was.

The police stormed the village and forced everyone into the tiny church. They mocked the people’s faith. They laughed at the idea that God could be present in bread.

Then the inspector gave the order.

The soldiers fired at the tabernacle.

The ciborium was seized.

The Sacred Hosts were thrown onto the floor.

Jesus — scattered, trampled, desecrated.

Little Li froze. Her heart broke.

Before leaving, the Communists locked the priest, Father Luke, inside a coal bunker. Through a small opening, he could see the sanctuary — and the Hosts lying on the tiles. He could do nothing but pray.

“Stop this sacrilege, Lord Jesus.”

The next morning, someone came.

A small figure slipped silently into the church.

It was Li.

Father Luke trembled as he watched, helpless. She could be killed at any second.

She knelt.

She adored.

She stayed for one full hour — preparing her heart, just as she had been taught.

Then she lowered herself, bent down, and with her tongue, received one Host.

Just one.

She left quietly.

The next day, she returned.

And the next.

And the next.

Always one hour.

Always one Host.

She never took more — because she knew Jesus was not something to be taken… but received.

There were thirty-two Hosts.

On the final day, Li came again — before sunrise. She knelt close to the altar, praying.

Then the door opened.

A soldier entered.

A gun was raised.

One shot rang out — followed by laughter.

Li collapsed.

Father Luke thought it was over.

But it wasn’t.

Wounded and dying, the little girl crawled across the floor — toward Jesus. With her last strength, she received the final Host with her tongue.

And then she died.

A child.

A believer.

A martyr.

The soldier stood in shock… then fled.

Later, Father Luke was released. He buried Li with reverence and escaped the country — carrying her story with him.

That is why we know her name.

Little Li did not preach.

She did not fight.

She did not shout.

She simply loved Jesus more than her own life.

If you think holiness is only for the strong…

If you think courage requires power…

If you think children cannot teach the Church…

Remember Little Li.

She shows us that reverence can be braver than bullets — and that even the smallest heart can defend heaven itself.

Illuminate

 Perhaps I don't yet understand Your word,

Perhaps my mind is limited,

But my heart longs for You

Like the sentinel waiting the dawn.

On this night of my life I want 

You to be the light that reveals the colors

And may your faith be a lamp that shines for me

And your word a bread that nourishes.

Light my path, I ask You,

Let darkness not reign here

So I be able to see Your steps and follow them

Like ships follow the lighthouse.

Help me, Lord, I ask You.

Illuminate my understanding as well

And give me faith to move mountains.

That alone, without You, I can do nothing.

St. Carlos Acutis

 

I read on social media that some people disagree with the canonization of Carlo Acutis. In the comments, I saw a man complaining that Carlo Acutis died of natural causes and wore jeans and sneakers. I imagine this person isn't familiar with the canonization process. As I understand it, the first step is to request a cause for canonization. After an investigation, an order is issued to continue the investigation of the candidate, and the person is named a "Servant of God." To be declared a saint, it must be proven that the person lived their Catholic faith exemplarily, and two miracles attributed to them are also required. Carlo Acutis was born into a family of non-practicing Catholics. As their son grew up, he became interested in the Catholic faith at a very young age, which led his mother to study theology to answer his questions. From childhood, he had a deep love for the Eucharist and would ask his mother to take him to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He also made his First Communion, I believe at age seven, and from then on, he never missed a single Mass. Such was the love and fervor with which he spoke of the Blessed Sacrament that his Hindu driver converted to Catholicism thanks to Carlo. Furthermore, he had great compassion for the poor from childhood and frequently helped the poor in his community. He also prayed the rosary daily and said that the Virgin Mary was the only woman in his life. He was a computer whiz; even at a young age, he began studying university programming books to create a website showcasing Eucharistic miracles from around the world and thus bring more people closer to Jesus. He made several trips to the sites of the miracles to take photos and upload them to his website. He used to say that the Eucharist was his highway to heaven. At fifteen, he became seriously ill and was hospitalized, where he predicted he would not leave alive. He was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He offered his suffering for the Pope and the Church, so as not to go to purgatory. Before dying, he said he felt at peace because he hadn't used a single moment of his life to do anything that displeased God. On the day of his funeral, the church was filled with the poor people he had helped, so many that many were left outside. The first miracle for which he was beatified was that of a child in Brazil who suffered from an incurable pancreatic condition. The child stood before a relic of Carlo Acutis and asked to be healed, and it happened instantly. The second miracle for which he was canonized was the healing of a young woman who had suffered a fall and, I believe, an aneurism. And that is why Saint Carlo Acutis is now a saint. It's not something the Church invented; it was God who, in his infinite mercy, wanted to give us the example of Carlo to show us that saints aren't just a thing of the past.That one can be holy in everyday life, if one puts God at the center of one's life. Saint Carlo Acutis also used to say that we are all born originals, but many die as photocopies. So we must be faithful to ourselves and to God.

Bird

 I want to sing like the bird

In the first ray of sunlight at dawn

Giving thanks to God while looking up at the sky

Because His grace always saves us.

Guard my soul with zeal

May the Holy Spirit, white dove

Make me look like an angel,

May I call God the Father: Abba.

 Waking up to offer a prayer

And start the day on my knees,

That is what my soul desires.

It's not easy to find you with the eyes,

I also want to remember you at night

To become a mirror of your light.

Roadside Tongue Twister

 

I don't know when I wrote it, it's undated, but I would like to remember that while there is life there is hope, that your soul, and mine, can follow the path that leads to Christ, or better yet, walk the path with Him, and that we can always return to the path that God wants us to follow, as Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life.

My tongue twister:

"I travel along roads, I travel along paths, sometimes they have no direction, no destination, no meaning, sometimes I return to the path I've already traveled, sometimes I embark on a new one, sometimes I succeed and rest, I wander off to find a place where there are no more roads, then I think and rethink, there are many missteps, the roads traveled don't always lead to the nest, and walking is life, but where does the road lead, if not to Christ Jesus, it's better not to have lived it, sometimes I can learn, other times I don't know if I can, other times I get tangled up and I no longer know what happened, to live, to walk, to continue, to get up and fight, because as they say, the war is not lost, and in the end, let the soul fly wherever God wants, because in the end He gave us life. And Jesus gave it meaning by dying for us, and by rising again one day, hope does not end."

Clouds

 

There's no need to despair when the sky of our lives is cloudy. Above the clouds is the sky, blue and full of light. Personally, I'm very happy when I see a patch of cloudy sky and, amidst those clouds, some space where the blue of the sky is still visible, and then, as evening falls, one can clearly see how the light shines more brightly through that space. There's always one; you just have to know how to look. And even if there isn't, the clouds bring the hope of rain, which renews and nourishes the earth. So, if there are clouds in your sky, remember, just say it's time to wait, that when the rain falls, it will nourish you and you will be able to see the sky again, as blue as it always was.