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.

Jesus I Love You

 

Because You are present

In the Tabernacle,

Willing to listen

And also to forgive

 All my things.

Ah, ah, ah.

Your love is powerful.

For you died on the cross,

You forgave the traitor

And you brought the light.

Because one day on my journey,

You changed my life,

By extending the nets,

You caught me.

Jesus, I love you.

I love you,

I love you,

Oh, oh

Jesus, I love you

I love you

I love you

Oh, oh, oh, oh,

Oh, oh, oh

Because you encourage my existence.

Even if I fall

You are my companion

My friend and advisor

At every moment.

Oh, oh, oh.

Your love is powerful.

For you died on the cross,

You forgave the traitor

And you brought the light.

Because one day on my way

You changed my life,

By extending the nets,

You caught me.

Jesus, I love you.

I love you,

I love you,

Oh, oh,

Uoh, oh, oh, oh.

- Choir song, I don't know who the author is.

God loves you and wants to save you

 

Let uzs give thanks to God who loved us so much and chose us before the creation of the world, before we ourselves were created, before the first dawn, before the first rain. God had chosen us to be his adopted children, to be saved from sin through Jesus Christ.   God the Father, in his infinite love,   sent us his only Son, and through him, grace flowed to humanity through his most holy blood.   It was not by chance that we came to believe in Jesus Christ; God willed it so, and together with the Holy Spirit, he moves us to seek him, so that we may not perish in our sins. God loves us and wants us to enjoy his inheritance with him; that is his will, that we live according to the grace we have received, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, listening to and following Jesus Christ, who has already shown us the way to the Father . Blessed and praised be God, whose mercy endures forever.   

EPHESIANS 1:3-14

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³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, ⁴

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as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love

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he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will,

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for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

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In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace

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that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight,

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he has made known to us the mystery ⁵ of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him

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as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

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In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,

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so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped ⁶ in Christ.

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In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed ⁷ with the promised holy Spirit,

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which is the first installment ⁸ of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.

The end

What I like most about songs is the ending, when you listen to the music of the final notes, reminding you of what you just heard. And I thought that maybe, God willing, the last notes of my life would remind me of the best things and I could go away in peace. As Saint Paul said: 2 Timothy 4:7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, and I have kept the faith.

I want to be like you... Jesus (January 24, 2012)

 

The day before yesterday I had insomnia, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to look in my room and found a diary in which I have among other things the following poem as a prayer that I wrote a few years ago, it caused me tenderness thinking about everything I went through in my life to get to that poem, how God became an important part of my life, how everything leads to Him, as in every up and down of every day, every smile, makes me truly feel like a beloved child of God. It seems to me that it should be called "I want to be like You, Jesus."

Here is the poem:

Like ca alm sea

I want my soul like this

Like a tender breeze

So my smile

Give life to my life Lord,

Give life to my life Lord,

And my life you already know who it is

It is you...Jesus.

A Tangerine (May 25, 2020)

 There is a tangerine in the yard of my house, which gave its first fruits last year. My father planted it two years ago, and when it gave these fruits my father was already in the presence of the Lord. Naive as I am, I thought it was a miracle to bear fruit. I spent most of the year, inside the house, without going out to the garden, until one day my sister shouted that the tree had "oranges", but they are tangerines. This year I spend more time in the garden. And I began to water the tangerine with the hope of tasting its fruits again, not as often as I should. Until one day I discovered small green spheres, almost imperceptible. And then, as the days go by, the tangerine gives me life lessons. One day I looked at it and noticed that some fruits had fallen from the branches. The tree is at the height of my vision, one meter and a few centimeters. Then I watered a little more than usual. Some days passed. The spheroids grew, some fell, and sprouted new fruits. And then I asked how often you should water. Someone told me that at least three times a week. I do this only on weekends. I will have to work harder. And then I remembered how, while I was suffering my father’s death, my sister told me: I’ll go out and water the plants. Therefore, it was thanks to her dedication that I could taste the tangerines of that tree that my father planted. And I thought that this is like our soul, it will have to be watered and fertilized, so that the flowers become fruits.  And continue watering so that the fruits grow and ripen before they fall for lack of irrigation. And I recalled the parable of the vineyard. It is Jesus who does not tire of taking care of his vineyard, as a song says that He asks us for fruits of love. We must let Him work in our garden, so that the fruits do not fall before time. That our faith may bear fruit, by example, by counsel, by charity. Fruits of faith, hope and love.  I remember now how Eduardo Verastegui called 50,000 people to pray the rosary together through his channel of you tube and his page on Facebook. Goal that has been overcome by the goodness of God. Now he asks and hopes to reach the goal of a million souls praying in unison by his Facebook and you tube the 31st of May, to close the month of the rosary at one o'clock in the afternoon time of Mexico. Now I remember why I started watering the tangerine: one day I found it blooming. May our lives flourish and bear much fruit. And with the grace of God on this 31st of May may we fill the sky with millions of roses for each Ave Marias para la Virgencita. You are invited.

My Crucified Jesus

 A few minutes ago (2/14/2020) I found a question on Facebook that might put us at odds with non-Catholic Christians. The question kept coming up: "Why does the Catholic Church display a cross with Christ crucified?" I read several comments attacking our faith. Actually, I spent several years asking myself the same question. Seeing Jesus crucified made me cry; it reminded me of how much He suffered for me. I felt guilty about His crucifixion, and it forced me to remember my sins. I couldn't get used to seeing Him; it was too much for me. I didn't understand such love, that love that is capable of giving one's life for the beloved. Yes, that beloved by Jesus is you, is me, all human beings. I felt so unworthy of His divine love and His sacrifice on the cross. But little by little, although it still hurts to see Jesus crucified, I understood that this crucifix represents the greatest sacrifice anyone will ever make for me. It is a demonstration of love. Now, seeing it reminds me that someone, precisely the Son of God, wanted to come into the world to suffer on a cross so that I could be saved, so that I could have the opportunity to repent of my sins and begin a new life. A new life, a life in Jesus Christ . It shows me the love of God the Father as well. It's as if, seeing the crucifix, Jesus speaks to me and says, "I love you! Don't you understand? I gave my life for you so that you may be happy. Don't enslave yourself to sin. Don't be discouraged. What wouldn't I do for you, if I was capable of dying crucified for you!" It also gives me the opportunity to be renewed, to "see" Him, to return to His flock. Yes, my Jesus died for me on a cross, and then on the third day He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. And yet, the crown He chose to wear was a crown of thorns. This is my testimony. I don't have the answer to the Facebook question, but I know that because of that cross, today I can have hope not only in this life but also in the one that comes after death. If Jesus suffered for me, I too can suffer and offer it to God the Father. Yes, I too have a cross to bear, and I hope that, like Jesus rose again, and I too may achieve it through the merits of His glorious resurrection at the end of time. I leave you with a biblical quote where Saint Paul speaks about Jesus crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 

23  But we preach Christ crucified. This is a stumbling block  to Jews and foolish to Gentiles,  24  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and wisdom of God.

Chronicle of a wound

They say time heals all wounds. And I'm finding that out firsthand, thanks to the little cut I got on my finger. Although I confess I'm a bit disappointed by how long it's taking to heal. But it's already in the maturation stage, so very soon my finger will be completely healed. I also confess that my brother and a coworker have suggested I leave the wound uncovered so it heals faster, but I'm a little afraid it might get infected. And I was thinking that sometimes we're like that with wounds of the soul. There are times when our hearts carry very heavy burdens, like sin, and we think that if we let them out, they'll hurt us even more. However, we must have faith in God's mercy, go to confession, and unburden ourselves there. Because Jesus, through the priest, will give us the necessary advice to heal our wounds more quickly. And then there's the saving grace He grants us through Jesus Christ in the absolution of our sins. So I promise I won't wear the band-aid again starting tomorrow. Not today, though, because I cook with oil and it might get on the wound. And remember, time heals all wounds, but we have to have faith and hold on to God.

Sailboat

 

Every year, around New Year's Eve or in the first few days of the year, I write a poem on my Catholic blog about what I would like for this new year. Years ago I wrote this in Spanish (I'm writing from memory, it might not be accurate):

 "How I wish that this year that begins would be filled with God's love, and be like the blue, serene sea, be like the river that begins in nothing and ends as the sea. How I wish, if I cannot be the sea, at least to be a sailboat."

The Raising of the Christ Child

 We just "raised" the Baby Jesus. That is, we prayed the rosary while my sister lifted him from his little bed, dressed him in a beautiful little outfit and hat, and sat him in his little chair. We usually raise him on March 19th, Saint Joseph's Day, because that was my dad's custom, but we chose today because it's Three Kings' Day, the Epiphany of the Lord. At the end, we gave the Baby Jesus a kiss and I sang "The Kings Come from the East." Here's my Baby Jesus now raised in his Nativity scene.

I Still Remember - God's Letter to You

 I still remember the day I formed you.

With great care, attention, and meticulousness, I chose every aptitude, every gift, every characteristic, every fiber of your being, until I obtained exactly the combination I desired.

 Even the smallest specifications were perfectly synchronized to accomplish My will and My purpose in your existence and in the lives of all those you would touch during your journey through life.

I remember the moment I breathed life into you. I felt such immense love that I couldn't contain it! I knew how much happiness you would bring, not only to Me, but also to all those you would encounter on life's path.

I love you from eternity to eternity, and I am delighted in you.

Sincerely,

God