Saved from the waters.

The SJI spirit is not just something that’s felt or shared among the SJI community. Its not just about dancing to ‘Sorry Sorry’ during Orientation camp nor is it just about singing ‘Hail Hail Alma Mater’ in the school hall. Its not just about the hidden bonds between every Josephian as described by Mr Ang either. Its more than that.

After 3 years and 2 weeks in SJI, I’ve realised something more about the SJI spirit. Its fully alive in us. It grows when we are Sec Ones right up till now, when we’re getting ready to take our O’s. It broadens the spirituality and humanity that is in us. We develop a purpose in our everyday lives, reflecting on our the things we’ve done right as well as the things we’ve done wrong. The SJI spirit inculcates in us a compassion felt for the less fortunate that makes us want to care for them. We are taught how to be fully human, not just any other living being on this planet without any meaning in life. It exemplifies in us the true meaning of integrity; to be true to yourself and to others. As leaders who have this spirit, we are called to serve, before we lead and as a Josephian family, we’re called to be brothers to each other, living and breathing in a community that loves, shares and cares for each other and for other people.

I feel quite sad for that person on facebook who created the post about not wanting reflections in SJI anymore. He hasn’t had that SJI spirit fully developed in him yet. For all those who do not feel this spirit, don’t beat yourself. Widen your perspectives in your everyday life and in school, you’ll soon realise too that its alive in everybody.

humbleservant:

smurflai:

humbleservant:

What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Hard question. I love Galatians. But it’s probably to short to pronounce as my favorite. I’m going to have to go with Romans. I love Romans.

Exodus. Anytime (:

That’s a very good book as well. God’s redemption…it’s so beautiful and good. Just that he hears our cry is enough…what’s amazing is that he finds us worthy enough to answer our crying out. Oh, God’s love.

Yeah I totally agree. But the most wonderful thing about it is that it mirrors my own salvation. From the calling of Moses with the burning bush to the disobedience of the Israelites, I see myself as these people doing exactly what they’re doing. Ultimately, only by trusting God fully did they reach the promise land and for me too, only by total surrender to God do I find meaning in my strife to find purpose and happiness in my life.

humbleservant:

What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Hard question. I love Galatians. But it’s probably to short to pronounce as my favorite. I’m going to have to go with Romans. I love Romans.

Exodus. Anytime (:

fishforpeople:

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

- Luke 2:6-7

We didn’t have room for you when you were born. We turned You away. Yet what do You do?

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

- John 14:1-3

You forgive us and prepare a place for us so we may be together anyway.

Your love is amazing.

themashoojames:

He said that it is really important not to use the word XMAS, but it became a habit among people now. Yeah, it means that you’re crossing out the name of Christ. He said if a person without Christ, a Christian, is nothing. Look, take out the word Christ in Christian, the remaining letters would be IAN. And that means I Am Nothing. I have nothing against the XMAS tag here in tumblr.

hahah i remembered this corny thing when i was younger.

I must say the events of my life over the past few days have been deeply humbling. My faith has been challenged. A whirlpool of emotions have been stirred in me as well. However, at the end of it all, despite having my faith shaken, it now stands stronger than ever.

From young, I was a very angsty person, a victim of a syndrome called ‘victimisation’, I blamed everyone for everything that happened to me. Everyone was made a scapegoat in my eyes, even my parents. I always thought it unfair that my parents were old and unfun and when I was sad and unhappy, it was their fault rather than mine. I blamed them for even the silliest of things. My religion. I never liked being a Roman Catholic to be honest, and especially not being in the Neocatechumenal Way. The Way as it is called is a very unusual form of catholicism in nature. It goes back to the roots of the Jewish tradition and the fundamentals of catholicism including the theology of the Eucharist, transmitted by several people from Europe in a series of talks called the catechesis. Wiki it if you want to know what it is. I disliked my parents for being in the Way and making me join it as well as my parents didnt act like other christian parents. Other christian parents had many friends in church and always had fun in church, singing praise and worship songs, participating in various forms of ministry while my parents went to a Eucharist seperated from the main assembly, that lasted 2 to 3 hours each time because it did things rather differently from the normal church. This form of Eucharist is approved by the Pope though. I was indifferent to it however, and in fact hated it for being extremely boring and was very difficult to understand.

I then went to a different church, a reformed church (protestant), where it was there that I refound my faith in Christ and gained meaning in being a Christian. I was truely happy for the first time where nothing else in the world mattered for such happiness cannot be found except in God’s grace.

This faith did not last very long though when a few days ago, my mum told me she thinks she has cancer. Her symptoms matched that of a certain cancer and she was quite afraid. Anger overwhelmed me and instinct made me want to blame everyone for everything again. In my heart, I blamed my parents for giving birth to me at such an old age and that such illnesses already struck them when I was only a teenager. I blamed God as well for my very existence. Hopelessness then befell me as I realised if my mum did have cancer, I would not be able to do anything at all except hope that a good doctor would be able to perform surgery on her. My mum asked me for a prayer request too. But it was a very different prayer request from what I expected to hear. She asked me to pray that she would be able to accept her suffering and to find joy in it. Those words made my heart ache.

I talked to my dad about my thoughts and feelings. He is probably the wisest man on earth that I know of. He said that if not for the Neocatechumenal Way, my mum probably would not have been the person she was now. She would have been bitter, blaming God for many things as well. He gave me a brief history of the Way’s founder, Kiko Arguello, saying that Kiko never ever cared about the success or the failures of the NC Way. He only intended for a person’s heart to change through the Way. That is his emphasis till today. It doesn’t matter to him how many NC communities are being formed or how many people are joining it. It matters to him how great a change in heart it has been for a person. The only organisation that I had so many prejudices against was the very one that shaped my parents into the persons they had begun.

As of now, I still worship in a reformed church and am still very happy there. While my history of salvation isn’t as colourful as that of my parents, I can see that in every path I take and in every event that has taken place in my life, God is there. As Christmas dawns, I am reminded of Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. ” Immanuel or Emmanuel means “God (is) with us”. This is the reason why I am stronger in my faith then ever and I know that through everything, I too will be shaped as a person that is worthy of being called a Christian, for in every suffering and in every event that happens, God is with us.