MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

This is best season of the year. It is the best of time and also the worst of time. The best of time because this is the season that God wants all human beings to share and enjoy His unconditional love and compassion. No matter what your skin colour is… no matter what your belief is…. no matter what your gender is…. no matter what your social status is and no matter how much sin you have committed, this is the season to change from the caterpillar into a butterfly. Because  with His wonderful love and grace, all things are possible.

This Christmas season is a moment of infinite possibility in the midst of terrible darkness and brokenness all over the world. Our world is literally on the edge of self-destruction caused by massive pollution and climate change as well as massive homelessness in the Middle East caused by religious extremism and intolerance.

Christmas is a time to reflect on the state of humaneness, loving-kindness and compassion that one person shows to another. The transformation of the world has to start with one person at a time. Let me be the first humanitarian to take responsibility of my life. Let the change begins with me in my heart. Let me become a more loving person this Christmas. Let me do something to make a difference in the lives of my needy fellow human beings. Merry Christmas to all.

Submitted by David YKKok

HOW CAN QUANTUM PERCEPTON MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR SELF-ESTEEM?

WHAT IS OUR BIGGEST INDIVIDUAL PROBLEM???

Our biggest personal problem for most of us is probably our fuzzy perception of the truth of our lives that leads to a deep sense of insecurity and anxiety that plague our broken world. In short, our wounded self-esteem often confounds us in our quest for the true meaning and significance of being human.

Remember that most of us are becoming more aware of the infinite dimension of our universe and the infinite complexity of our new science of Quantum Mechanics that most of our scientists know so little. The more we dig our puny brains for more answers to the complex metaphysical problems, the more unsolvable  questions emerge. We don’t seem to be able to think out the right answers based on logical and rational thinking skills. With our perceptions being trapped in the Newton classical science model, even our best logical mind, Albert Einstein, exclaimed out of sheer exasperation when confronted with the utter absurdities of Quantum Mechanics, that “God does not play dice!”  Einstein simply could not accept such quantum absurdities in the beginning. He implied that God must also be a logical rational being! At a later stage of his life, even the great Einstein finally accepted the unacceptable absurdities of Quantum Mechanics! Man has no other option!

Another equally eminent late Noble-prize winning physicist, Dr. Richard Feynman, came to the dead-end conclusion that no one really understands quantum physics! That was his perception when Quantum Mechanics first made its appearance and stared in the eyes of those scientists more than half a century ago.  But that does not mean that what is incomprehensible is not the truth! It simply means that sometimes human beings just have to accept their human limitations constrained by their logical skills and their rational minds. This towering physicist even puts an impossible challenge to mankind – `If  you cannot accept such absurd principles of the quantum science, why don’t you simply migrate to  another planet or another universe where quantum physics does not exist! ‘ (  approximate meaning of Dr. R. Feynman). How profound and yet how funny! There is really a lot of truth in humour and paradox!

In the face of such overwhelming odds of so much mystery and mysticism, man needs humility and reverence to live a meaningful life. He or she needs to appreciate the wisdom of paradox, chaos and ambivalence against the background of infinite changes at all times.

Yet, one of the most  puzzling quantum principles that modern physicists have discovered is The Observer Effect. This principle tells  us  that human beings can manifest or generate their realities in their lives by the way they see things. In other words, their perceptions create their own realities. If  the Observer Effect is true, then this  is a truly  monumental reality that can impact all human lives. In other words, every one of  us is really responsible for our individual lives. We are empowered to manifest the realities  in our lives according to our expectations and perceptions. It is hard to imagine that God has made human beings as partners in His creation imbued with the remarkable capacity to co-create various kinds of realities! For good or for bad! We really have the ultimate option!

We are empowered by God to create or manifest the kind of realities in our lives according to our expectations or perceptions. In my humble opinion, I think that this is one big positive factor to come out of the new Quantum Physics- that can be applied personally by every human being to make a vital difference in his or her life. This Observer Effect can become a point of infinite possibilities in changing the ways a person sees himself or herself. It can become a really effective panacea for inner healing or self-repairing of any victim’s wounded self esteem. The Observer Effect has literally become a kind of `magic wand’ that God has given us to change the quality of our lives. It is up to us to choose this option of applying this quantum principle for good or for bad. We can use it positively or negatively in our lives. God has given us the free will to transform our lives to become happier, peaceful and more successful.

Submitted by David YKK

MY PERSONAL PERCEPTION OF THE IMMENSITY OF GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

I like to share some personal insights of God’s unconditional love for wounded humanity. I have cherished a deep trust in God’s profound love and my faith and salvation depend primarily on this love.

In my frequent reflections, I have reminded myself countless times that God’s divine love is simply too immense for me to comprehend. I am aware that this boundless Divine love simply boggles my imagination! There is no way that I can measure the infinite love of God for me.

Many theologians through the ages had tried to comprehend this Divine love and some foolishly thought that they had succeeded with their eloquent words. Many theologians even have tried to circumscribe God’s love with certain moral conditions and criteria. They have succeeded in short-changing God’s love by defining it with their narrow human interpretations that are full of ifs and buts. From my own experiences, I don’t agree with these theologians who perceive God through their narrow lenses. I have read pretty extensively on religious literature regarding God’s love and I have certainly fallen far too short on my comprehension of the immensity of this Divine love. I tend to agree with a well-known German theologian, Mister Ekhart, who remarked several centuries ago that the eyes that you see God are the same pair of eyes that God will see you. How profound and how true!

Sometimes, we need our direct experiences of God’s unconditional love to gain some understanding of His loving-kindness and His compassion. Just like the Indian philosopher, Krishnamuthi, once said that in our spiritual journeys, experience is the direct way to the truth; all else are merely preaching! In my recent reflection, I have arrived at some personal insights that I wish to share with you. And hopefully, my philosophy of God’s love will also provide the light at the end of the tunnel for you in your search for spiritual salvation and your peace of mind.

The Bible has told me that God knew my name even before I was born- a long long time ago. Then God created me out of His boundless love. And nothing in this world can ever separate me from this Divine love! The only person that can separate me from God is myself because God has given the freewill to do that. On the part of God, He will never give up on me,  These are profound promises and assurances that the Bible has given us about the deep love and compassion of God. God’s abiding love for me is an interactive love. His love for me is so interactive that my hidden thoughts and intention count in my relationship with God. A mere thought or intention or motive is sufficient for God to make a reciprocal response to me even though I may not put much value on my hidden thoughts.

That is why it is so important to be aware of the constant presence of God’s love for us in our waking moments in life. God’s love is ever-present in our life and so is His grace. God’s unconditional love is a profound love without conditions. God loves us even though we are sinners, convicts, murderers etc. His love is always present in our lives regardless of our moral and spiritual status in life. His love is the ultimate alchemy that can transform the base matter in us into pure spiritual gold.

That is why the awareness of God’s love is so important and so significant. It is much more important than our love for God. It is more important and significant that God loves us than we love God. God really does not need our professed love for Him whereas we certainly and definitely  need the love of God for our happiness and our salvation. God’s happiness does not depend on our professed love whereas our salvation depends solely on God’s love and mercy. Without God’s love, we are nothing! This is the hard reality and the brutal truth! Only if we are aware of His love and only if we accept His love that we can make use of this Divine love to transform our lives to become His loving children.

A lack of  awareness of God’s unconditional love is equivalent to  a rejection of His love in our lives. If Warren Buffett is not even aware of the existence of his investment talent and expertise, do you think he can become an investment genius of our times?  Similarly, the answer is obvious for all of us. And it is this unconditional love of God that has been my panacea for my inner healing and my recovery from my addictions and my wounded self-esteem. And it is this wonderful love of God that constantly inspires me to live a better life of love. And  it is this wonderful love of God that motivates me to share the best part of myself with others in our broken world.

All of us are so lucky that we have been loved by such a wonderful God! Let us be constantly aware of our fantastic luck to be loved by Him! If we don’t understand this profound mystery of His love, at least be aware of His gift and show our gratitude for His gift of life and His unconditional love for us. Surely adopting a positive attitude of gratitude and thank-giving is the simplest form of  response that we can show to our loving Creator.

Hip hip hurrah for God’s unconditional love for all of us!

Submitted by David YKK

THE INSPIRING STORY OF THE ULTIMATE SAMARITAN

 

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU IS AS VAST AS THE UNIVERSE?

 

This is the unheard story of the Ultimate Samaritan who came during the season of Easter. This wonderful Samaritan brought gifts of love, compassion, mercy and grace to nurse a fallen fellow human being.

This is a typical story of a wounded human being who had kicked and stumbled over a beer bottle carelessly left on the rough path by himself. The night before, he must have indulged himself with half a dozen bottles of beer that made him drunk and cluttered with obsessions and passions. In his delirious state of drunkenness, he fell flat on his face and passed out during the night.

When he regained his consciousness, he discovered that he had smashed his nose and shattered a tooth or two, thereby giving himself a really grotesque and repulsive bloody appearance. The presence of several beer bottles around him was the best testimony that convicted him of his moral laxity and uttered lack of personal discipline and responsibility.

The fall had caused an even more insidious lethal impact on his back. He realized that he could not even crawl and sit up like a decent human being. He could only lie down on the roadside like a despicable worm… so determined, yet so helpless. He stayed in that shameful position for a couple of days awaiting for some form of assistance from any fellow human being. He was so certain that many professed believers of Jesus and other faiths would pass that way and surely some would render some kind of help to send him to a hospital or a recovery home. He waited and waited… for what seemed like an eternity. He could never really understand  Einstein’s concept of the Theory of Relativity. The complex theory had always confounded him until now. Suddenly and gradually, this theory of relativity dawned on him that time was really elastic and stretchable. An hour lying in the presence of flies and cockroaches seemed like a week. The interminable day could stretch out like a year. The three days of being pinned and trapped by his human vulnerability and aggravated by his wounded self esteem was his first taste of hell in eternity.

 In the sea of humanity that lapped his side, there was nothing but murmuring of contempt goaded by an air of self-righteousness and comparative moral superiority. In that contemplative mood, it suddenly dawned on him that modern people have become so proud and so exclusive with various forms of  imaginary lines  that separate  the `haves’ and `the have-not’ ; the righteous and the unrighteous; the good and the bad; the black and the white; the dragons and the worms. Then it dawned on him the importance and the  great significance of humility in life. He suddenly realized that he might be down but he was not out. He might be drunk but he was still aware of some great truths.

 

In those despairing moments, some of his friends chose not to recognize him. They chose to look another way for fear of being recognized by the fallen victim. The bottles around him had convicted him of his crime and his deserved punishment. They chose to let the sleeping dog stay there and rot away. Their negative response was the final answer to God’s message of love and compassion; mercy and forgiveness during the Lenten season. It was in such despairing moments that he suddenly felt like giving up on himself too. Just stay there and die naturally. Life was so simple. There was no need to make life so complicated! It was in such a brief moment of letting go of life that he sensed the presence of a being with a cross. This brief image inspired him and reminded him of the profound love and compassion of God. He could not understand the great mystery behind this divine love; yet he knew and trust it. Even if everyone of the seven billions of human beings abandoned him, this great mysterious God would not desert him. He simply trusted and accepted this great love as his salvation. He could not understand the rationale behind this love because he did not do anything to earn it.   He simply believed the presence of God’s love for him regardless of his moral, social or financial status. In the momentary fragment of time, the pause that provided a tiny opening for God’s grace to creep into his soul  and presented him with a miracle- the faith to resume living a life of love and that the awareness of God’s love was sufficient to sustain him with the strength to get up and start all over again. Grace was the great gift of the Ultimate Samaritan whose shadow fell on his life.  The healing love of God was sufficient for the fallen victim to recover.

 I know it because I was the subject of this story. I have always trusted this wonderful divine Love that is so compassionate and merciful.  My Easter message is this- Never let go of this divine love. Be aware of this love of God. Just trust this love and it has a mysterious way of forcing its way into your life in the depth of your suffering and despair. The Good Lord only needs just one moment in time- a pause and a break in your negative life pattern- to inject His saving grace to restore your spiritual vitality. All you need is an awakened awareness accompanied by unconditional trust in His goodness and His unconditional Love. Yes your simple response of unconditional trust is sufficient for God to work his little miracles in your embattled life. The concept is so simple, yet so profound. God’s love for me is my saving grace. It will certainly be yours too during this Easter season. The Good Lord is here in our worlds- mine and yours! Happy Easter! 

 

CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON OF CHANGING PERCEPTIONS FOR THE BETTER AND SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S HIGHER PERSPECTIVES.

CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON TO RECLAIM WHAT YOU HAVE LOST, A SEASON TO REKINDLE YOUR PASSION THAT HAS VANISHED IN DEFEATS, A SEASON TO OPEN YOUR VULNERABLE HEART TO THE HEALING LOVE & GRACE OF GOD.

 

`The old order changeth, yielding place to new,

And God fulfils himself in many ways.’

(Alfred Lord Tennyson, `The Passing of Arthur.’)

Christmas is a ripe time to ponder about your life- the ups and downs, the good and the bad, the sweet and the bitter, as well as the graceful and the disgraceful etc. It is like a roller-coaster that is stuck midway at the bottom of the track. During the pause, it gives you the brief time- window to reflect on the question- Qua Vadis? (in Latin, it means `Where are you going from here?’)

Getting stuck at the bottom of the pit often means facing helplessness and hopelessness in a time of despair. Many people will get stuck in profound despair at some time in their lives. The author of `The Everyday I Ching,’ Sarah Dening, describes it aptly, “The situation is deteriorating. Things are collapsing around you. This is a matter of external conditions beyond your control. It is not a result of your having done anything wrong. What it means is that some aspects of your life which has until now been important no longer serves your best interests. It belongs to the cycle which is coming to an end. Because a new situation needs to come into being, the old has to die. Trying to struggle against the odds would therefore be pointless. Avoid confrontation. The consequences could be devastating… Try to stay detached. You are already vulnerable. Emotional involvement will only weaken you further…

Do not allow yourself to become depressed. Avoid any tendency to cling to the past. You can only go forward from here. Try not to have expectations of others… Be patient. Resist any pressure to try and make things happen. Wherever possible, be kind and generous. The attitude which will best serve you in what the Chinese call `wu wei.’ It means `going with the flow’ and involves trusting that matters will work themselves out as they are meant to without your having to intervene.”

 

Food For Thought

No matter how bad the circumstances of your life may be, don’t give up! Be aware of this powerful spiritual weapon- God’s unconditional love for you. As long as you trust Him and cling onto his attire, God will not abandon you in your wretchedness or sinfulness or wounded self-esteem.  Yes, Christmas is a time that God guarantees to  provide abundant graces for your inner healing and your ultimate recovery. Just be patient and commit your difficult life to God. Just let Him work things out in His own way at His own pace.

`And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.’  Galatians 6-9

Submitted by David YKK

GOD’S WAY IS NOT MAN’S WAY- HIS COMPASSION AND MERCY IS AS INFINITE AS HIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

LEARN FROM THIS TINY BIRD. I CAN  ALSO TAKE A BET ON GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TO TRANSFORM MYSELF FROM A CATERPILLAR INTO A BUTTERFLY.

We poor mortals always want to see things in terms the absolute black or white, good or bad, heaven or hell etc.

This is the essence of our flawed human condition and the great tragedy is that we are even not aware of this intrinsic systemic flaw.

A disordered mind usually wants to seek absolute certainty in the future because it simply cannot bear to live with uncertainty and the unknown. We finite mortals always forget that certainty of the future belongs to the infinite God. That is why He cautions us repeatedly “Judge not and ye will not be judged.” Humans, at best, can only see the speck in the neighbor’s eyes and will conclude with certainty that the tiny black dot in the neighbor’s life will define him/her as the social demon in the community. Why do we fail to assess our so-called fallen fellow beings accurately? Because we lack unconditional love and compassion. Because this judgemental flaw has been significantly distorted by the teachings of the mainstream religious institutions. Because our theologians fail to appreciate the magnitude of God’s unconditional love for all human beings.

Man strives for the absolute and his perspectives are also measured in terms of the absolute values- black and white. The day time is defined by light whereas the night time is defined by darkness.  That is the stereotype thinking that most humans love to embrace. So neat, so clear and so certain and definite. It is so easy to decide or to choose.

On the other hand, God’s thinking is relativistic and absolute at the same time. Only He can see the macro and the micro simultaneously. He can see the profound depths of the finite human heart as well the the ever-expanding magnitude of the unimaginable universe. He can see and appreciate the good and evil that are in a human heart. God does not see and decide based on one deed or one intention. He sees things in perspective and above all, He sees us through the eyes of unconditional love and compassion. He notes down our black dots and measures them against the white or grey dots over the blank page of our life potential. Only God can see the whole picture of any person’s life.

That is why He sent his prophets like Buddha to herald the new human values of love and compassion.

That is why He sent Jesus Christ as the Messiah to re-emphasize the great importance of the unconditional love of God for mankind. That is why the author, Fr. Peter, S.J., stresses in his book `Nine Faces of God,’ that it is much more important to be aware that God loves us very much. The Good News is that God loves unconditionally us very much- much more than we can ever imagine. This unconventional spiritual insight reveals to us that our awareness of God’s love is much more important than our love for God. This awareness can benefit and inspire us to recover and stand up again no matter how many times we have stumbled and fallen.  The biggest obstacle to any human recovery is not found outside; it is found inside his heart and his mind. The crucial factor that defines whether a person becomes a demon or a saint lies in his perception of himself and his perception of God. Man is his own worst enemy during the journey of self-transformation. 

Jesus commands his disciples to forgive their brothers not just one or two times, but 70 X 7 times! Now try to ponder on this statement. If Jesus commands his disciples to forgive their fellow human beings so many times, he knows that God is much more forgiving than 70 X 7 times- maybe infinitely. Of course, I don’t even know the answer because God’s mind is infinitely beyond my thinking and my speculation. The real problem is that our theologians try to put God and His mercy into a box- so neatly and measurable that they themselves can measure the magnitude of the sins of other human beings.

This is really the Good News for sinners everywhere. God’s love has no conditions attached to it. He is simply Love and He loves all human beings especially sinners so massively and greatly that every human being is priced and valued in terms of the infinite. Or just as Jesus once gives an analogy to his disciples, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul?” Yes, every person is worth more than the whole world. Yes, there is hope for every sinner. Because God’s grace is bountiful beyond measure.

This divine love for human beings is so profound and so deep that we cannot understand the mystery of God’s love. This love is the panacea for healing all our wounded self-esteem, low self-concepts and psychological disorders. If we can just commit our lives and our suffering to the loving kindness of God; if we can just commit ourselves unconditionally to this great love force, things will turn out all right for us. This is the paradox that we can learn from the AA members.

Just say a short prayer in your room:

“Today, O Lord, I yield myself to you, May your will be my delight today.

May your way have perfect sway in me. May your love be the pattern of my living.

I surrender to you- my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions.

Do with them what you will, when you will, as you will.”  (Richard Foster)

Submitted by David YKK

BEING HUMAN BEINGS, WE CAN PROBABLY NEVER COMPREHEND THE PROFOUND MYSTERY THAT HAS ENVELOPED VIRTUALLY ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIFE ESPECIALLY THE MYSTERY OF SUFFERING WRITTEN AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

After a prolonged vacation of several weeks, I have sufficient time to ponder on pathetic state of the world we are living in, the fractured societies with lopsided cultures and fuzzy morality that we have inherited from the leaders of the 20th century.

In my second or third reading of the book entitled `How to Handle Trouble’ by John Carmody, I am pretty convinced by the author’s spiritual insight. According to him, “The sins of the fathers and mothers are visited on each new generation. Our human tragedy, symbolized in what Christian theologians call “original sin,” is that we are all born into an imperfect tilted situation. From the outset, the atmosphere at home, the surrounding political environment, the state of the world, the state of the church, is tainted. The adults rearing us have significant shortcomings…They are not saints, and we suffer from their sins. They are not models of wisdom and we suffer from their follies. Unless we finally forgive them for being so human, we keep kicking against the goad uselessly. In the final analysis, they chose us no more than we chose them. As in an arranged marriage, we’ve been bound together by others for better or worse.If we make sure that we spend our final days together reconciled, we shall overcome one of life’s most grievous troubles…”

The above spiritual insight seems to be embedded in a massive onion with multiple layers of mysteries. In spite of the continuous profound debates by the philosophers  and the best brains of humanity over the past centuries, we still have not found a satisfactory answer to the perennial questions of `How did we come here/’ , “Why are we here?, & `Where are we going?’

Why are you afflicted with adversities and a wounded self-esteem?

Why is the loving God blind and deaf to our prayers regarding our sufferings?

You can go on asking a score of such personal questions that seem to come up against a brick wall with no really satisfactory answers. Life is literally pregnant with deep mysteries that are simply beyond our intelligence and intellectual comprehension.

But when we are confronted with so much suffering and miseries that we have  simply nowhere to turn to except God. No other human can help or even understand some of our profound suffering. At least when we turn to the loving God, we have the hope  that by sharing our problems with our Creator, we have a patient listening ear at worst and maybe a miracle at best.

What is the profit of sharing our problems with God?

In the depth of his despairs and suffering in the terrible battles with cancer, John Carmody, shares his inner thoughts with us- “Sharing with God requires us only to refer our troubles, our situation, our selves to God…who is always present the context, the ground, the whole in the midst of which we grope after survival and meaning…If we are going to share with God all the way, we have to give God a blank check. We cannot dictate how God is going to help us solve our problems…. God is the prime mover, we are always running to catch up… Whether nor not we think we believe in God, we live in the midst of mystery- never knowing clearly where we came from and where we are going…Then how do we share our troubles with God? Very simply. We acknowledge the mysteriousness of our situation, treating all that we do not know as though it indicated the presence of …a personal absolute responsible for creation, fully aware of the whole of history- both cosmic and human. We also treat this presence as though it cared about us, were wholly good and caring…If it helps, we review the story of our trouble, though God knows it in every detail. Then, having done such things, having exposed ourselves fully to the divine mystery, we stop, grow quiet and listen…”

Another writer, Robert Nathan, concludes  the above thoughts on mystery with another gem of wisdom-

“Give thanks for sorrow that teaches you pity; for pain that teaches you courage- and give exceeding thanks for the mystery which remains a mystery still- the veil that hides you from the infinite, which makes it possible for you to believe in what you cannot see.”

Submitted by David YKK

THE ELECTION OF POPE FRANCIS 1 BRINGS GOD’S MESSAGE OF SIMPLICITY AND HUMILITY FOR CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE TO BE CURED OF THEIR DISORDERS OF GREEDINESS, SELFISHNESS AND CRAVING FOR POWER AND CONTROL.

SIMPLICITY & HUMILITY- HERE TODAY AND GONE TOMORROW!

During this special Lenten Season, the election of a new Pope named Pope Francis 1 augurs well for the Catholic Church as well as for the 1.3 billions followers on this perilous voyage through rocky waters and stormy weather. The choice of Francis is no coincidence and the divine message is loud and clear. Many  Christians have generally lost their ways in our broken world and this sad state of affairs may be attributed to some of their leaders’ wrong modeling, wrong teachings and wrong lifestyles.   Somehow the virtues of simplicity and humility have become bad words that are too vulgar to pronounce on our modern lips –not to mention about practicing them in our quest of Christian spirituality.  The election of this new pope with his personal focus on simplicity and humility  certainly hits the nail on the coffin and Jesus certainly wants his followers to focus on the practice of simplicity and humility in their quest of wholesome spirituality.  I believe this is the wholesome answer to the systemic problems of our modern world- sheer greediness, arrogance and self-righteousness. What wounded humanity truly needs is a strong dose of humility and simplicity in their life to cure him/ her of the modern disorders.

As a student of history who has studied the historical sources of the history of Israel, I am convinced that Jesus was a real historical figure who has much more authenticity and validity than many other historical figures such as Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar, Plato or Aristotle etc.

In the history of mankind, many great men appeared in the past to enlighten us on the way to become better human beings. They have made great contributions to the betterment of mankind. One such wonderful man is Gautama Buddha who has impressed me deeply with his wonderful concepts of `awareness’ and `compassion for others’. Another great person is Lao-Tze, the founder of the Taoist philosophy. has given mankind three great gifts- simplicity, patience and compassion for yourself. Other great spiritual mentors  include St. Augustine with his insight on the importance of humility; St. Francis of Assissi with his practical simplicity and love for all living things; Mother Teresa who put her great love for the dying poor into practice while practicing humility and simplicity in her daily life.

As a human being, Jesus has the claim of being the greatest person who has ever lived because he possessed such great love for mankind that he was willing to be used as a sacrificial lamb. Yet in spite of his greatness, the paradoxical truth shows that Jesus possessed lots of humility e.g by washing the feet of his close disciples in the last days before his crucifixion. In his brief period of slightly more than a thousand days of active ministry of teaching his gospel, he lived a life of sheer simplicity and humility.

Through his words and deeds, Jesus has shown us that it is more important to be aware of the great unconditional love of God for wounded humanity. Yes, it is important to love God. But it is more important to be aware that God loves us deeply and unconditionally- just as we are -with our sinful or shameful pasts blended with our ideals and our beautiful dreams.

He is the most gentle person I have ever read in history or I have ever known in my life. In my limited ways, I have the privilege of studying comparative religions on Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, etc during my undergraduate days in the university for my B.A. degree (History). Yes, Jesus tells us in the New Testament that he has come specially, if not primarily, for the sinners. Yes, he proclaims loudly and publicly that the reason for his coming is to heal the sick and the wounded (physically and spiritually). Jesus chose his meaning of life and his mission to cover the salvation of humanity in general and the healing of the sick and the wounded in particular.

Jesus likes to mingle and interact with the sick, the poor and the social rejects such as the prostitutes, the publicans etc. When he was attacked for such perceived inappropriate social behavior, Jesus replied pointedly that this was the reason why he came- to heal the sick and the wounded because those who were well and healthy would not need the healing services of a physician. By his conduct and his compassionate attitudes, Jesus made himself extremely accessible to the public sinners and the dregs of society who were the targets of social marginalization and discrimination. The human beings found in Jesus’ world were mostly ordinary people -people who were needy and sick with wounded self-esteems.  Jesus did not like  mixing and rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty of the Jewish society. In fact, it is narrated in the New Testament that those  occasions when he interacted with the high and mighty often led to confrontations, conflicts and eventually his crucifixion.

If we look at Jesus with an open creative mind, we can see that if there were no sinners in our world, there would be no need of a messiah or savior. If there were no sinners, there would be no Christmas. If there were no sick people, there would be no need of doctors.  This is how Jesus sees his mission as the meaning of his life- to save the frightened sheep that has gone astray;  the despairing soul pondering on ending his/her life; to give love to the social rejects and the hopeless etc. His life is therefore closely intertwined with the destinies of sinners and wounded people. Jesus comes  with the message of the good news during this Lenten season- that there is always hope and love at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark your tunnel may be.

I hope we, the wounded human beings, can look upon this Lenten season with a fresh insight- that Jesus really came into the world to be the compassionate companion of needy people with wounded self-esteems.  He really wants to initiate a personal encounter with wounded human beings especially those who are homeless, helpless, hopeless, depressed, suicidal and people are in despair seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. If we can look upon Jesus in terms of a `great friend’ whom you  have never really met, you can be sure that if you are ready, Jesus is ready to come into your life to give you some real peace and joy to give your life some meaning and lots of hope and love.  This zen quotation will enlighten us more- `if the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear’. So if we keep an open mind and respond with awareness that God loves us deeply and unconditionally, the divine grace will flow into our hearts and souls to give us abundant blessings of real peace and joy. This is the real gift of Jesus’ coming. All you have  to do is to accept the gift of God’s love unconditionally and humbly.

This is a time of simplicity; a time of patient waiting and a time of compassion for oneself as well as for others. Today, the spirit of Jesus is alive in our broken world. In this Lenten season, the spirit of Jesus is here to bring hope to the hopeless, love for the loveless, peace and serenity to the broken in spirit, wholesome self-esteem to those shattered by shame and sin, and spiritual salvation to the depressed and despairing souls. Jesus wants to share his love with you … if you will give God the chance to change your life for the  better; if you will give Jesus the chance to comfort you as your best friend; if you will give yourself a chance to grow into a wholesome loving human being who can live harmoniously with your neighbors and with yourself. May this Easter bring you a fresh insight into the meaning of your life and to live an authentic life filled with God’s unconditional love and grace, simplicity and humility just as Pope Francis 1 has lived his life in Argentina.

Submitted by David YKK

TAKE TIME TO RE-EXAMINE AND PONDER THE MEANING OF MY LIFE DURING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR OF THE SNAKE.

It is always refreshing to take another look at our lives from time to time. We need time to find our spiritual orientation; need time to discard old dead skin  like the snakes; need time to ponder on the worldly distractions that have caused us to go astray; need time to find the right  wholesome way or the Tao. In short we need to find new meanings of our lives in these fast-changing circumstances with fuzzy values and standards. Let us ponder on the words of wisdom of Eduard Shevandnadze, former Foreign Minister of Russia under Mikhail Gorbachev-

‘There must be some supreme universal design. Each of us comes to life and stays in the world for a predestined period. Some leave forever, sometimes without a trace; others stay a long time; both in life and in memory. We remain longest- we make a difference- when we manage to act not for ourselves but for others.

It is possible to create good and evil. The greatest and most important thing a person can do is to understand that where good exists, evil also resides. What’s more, one must strive to stay on the side of righteousness, doing one’s best to promote good in the world. Only you can make this choice. You alone will be held responsible- by other people, by your progeny and  by history. I grieve over the fact that I did not come to understand this universal truth earlier in life.”

Submitted by David YKK

LET IT START WITH ME IN 2013 -THE NEED TO AWAKEN OUR AWARENESS TO RESPECT WOMEN AND TO REALLY VIEW THEM AS CHILDREN OF GOD IN OUR BROKEN WORLD.

The recent horrific event of the infamous rape of a medical student by a gang of men in New Delhi has truly given India a “black eye” in global perception. Of all places, India is supposed to be a safe and calm city compared to many American cities. Yet, what had happened there is a realistic index of female-gender oppression and sheer extreme bully of the feminine gender. Why do those men have to go to such extremes to satisfy their sex hunger? Why do they have  to behave like wild frenzy animals to portray their male chauvinism?

Women are beautiful in so many ways- beautiful in their gentle motherly ways; beautiful as cooks; beautiful as caring companions; beautiful for their  healing compassionate empathetic touch; beautiful as soul mates etc. Without women, what kind of world will we, men, live in? Why do you think that God gave Adam a female companion in the person of Eve? In His infinite wisdom, God knows that women will make perfect vessels to disseminate His unconditional love and grace. Yes,  women are simply beautiful in so many  graceful ways. What kind of place would our world become without the graceful and beautiful presence of women? Simply desolate, ugly and unlivable.  Certainly, I don’t want to live in such a broken world without women!

Let us fight this gender madness by raising our level  of awareness. Let this civilizing exercise start with me as a person. To change the world, I must be aware that I have to change myself.  I must not allow my self to degenerate my perception and integrity by watching gang-bang or similar kinds of videos in particular or pornography movies in general. The pollution always initially starts in the mind as an ugly idea that always acts as a harmless virus or an insidious termite.

On another level, we have to spread this awareness of the respect for the dignity of women in our community or society through our words and examples as decent men. This awareness can be spread by word of mouth or more importantly, through our body language and the way we look at women. Men must be aware of the existence of any ugly intentions towards women. Men should not look at women as sex objects only. They should be perceived as children of God who are worthy of our respect and love.

Let myself be the starting point to change my community or society. This is the most realistic approach towards the much-needed overhauling of our flawed social system that is negatively loaded against women.

Men and women have to  be aware of the deadly destructive impact of vicious gossips targeted against selected groups of women especially those involved in the sex trade. All women deserve our respect and protection because they are children of God. There should be no ifs or buts in our attitude and social interactions with women. And any organizations or religions that preach hate messages against women  and  wound their self-esteem are devoid of holiness and love and should be discarded into the dustbin of history.

The following article from Wall Street Journal is printed below to enlighten the readers about the serious problems of a single woman living in Delhi.

Submitted by Alphonsus YKKok

• December 18, 2012, 4:56 PM

I Am Scared, I Am a Single Woman in Delhi

By Medha Chaturvedi

I am a single woman in Delhi and I am scared and I am afraid. I am very, very scared – for my life, for my dignity, for my reputation but above all for my safety.

I am what the gossipy aunties of the city contemptuously refer to as “modern-types”:  I live with flatmates, not with my parents, and I go out with friends. Many of my friends are men; I wear pants and dresses.

I come home late after late-night movies, and go out for dinners. I have nobody who stays up to make sure I get home safe so it could happen that, one day, the fruits of this “modernity” could prove bitter for me.

Delhi can be very cruel to women, especially single ones.  You get used to the constant staring and to the unwanted comments. You almost get used to the occasional incident of groping and molestation. You also get used to every man, woman or politician – pretty much anyone with a mouth –giving you advice on what to wear, who to speak to, and which words to choose – all for the sake of your safety.

In the summer, I should be free to wear skirts if I want to. No one should tell me otherwise.

Yet I constantly hear unsolicited advice from unconnected neighbors and colleagues who tell me that, if I don’t dress or carry myself a certain way, I am inviting and provoking an attack on myself.  The implication of this logic feeds the stigma attached to single women in Delhi.

Last month, while I was house hunting, I asked the real estate agent how safe the neighborhood was. He said: “It is a very safe area, there have been only one or two incidents and that, too on the approach road, nothing inside the colony.” One incident is an incident too many. He suggested I should take self-defense classes and thought the local government take it upon itself to arm all women. I smiled. Women don’t want to be armed, they just want to be safe. I didn’t move to that house. I upped my budget and continued my search until I found a house in a gated community that I could afford.

People warn me against eye contact with men I don’t know. Yet I rarely hear anyone preaching to men about self-control, which – by the way – is one of the things that sets us apart from animals.

I am fairly sure that if I were molested or raped there will be those who say: “She was asking for it.” They may recall that I was wearing a skirt at the time, or that perhaps I was in a bar.

What scares me most about the latest, horrific, rape case in Delhi is that the young woman was raped and tortured for 45 minutes by several men, not just one, and none of them seemed to worry that what they were doing was wrong.

When Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit suggested setting up fast-track courts to ensure speedy justice in rape cases, calling the recent gang-rape a “shockingly extraordinary case”, I shuddered.

As a former journalist, I covered many such cases. I learnt that most rapists are people the victims know. I also learned that women should not talk to strangers, as that could provoke unwanted attention. I learnt that public transportation or autos should be avoided at night.

The conclusion is untenable: to be safe, women should avoid any interaction with known or unknown people, and avoid most forms of transportation after dark. Traveling with a male friend may not help: in the latest case, the friend was also assaulted.

I used to resent my parents for telling me not to go out till late, that Delhi is unforgiving and that I should be careful. Today, I understand their concerns. This makes me angry. But as a single woman in Delhi, I am still very scared.

Medha Chaturvedi is an Associate Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. Her areas of research are left wing extremism and the process of internal development in Myanmar. She worked for five years as a journalist covering organized crime before taking on a career in research.