Gems from Leviticus

Today’s Office of Readings gave us this gem to meditate on, from the Book of Leviticus, chapter 19, basically what’s in the 10 Commandments, but expanded to remind us more deeply of our duties towards each other:

Each of you revere your mother and father, and keep my sabbaths.....Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves........When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest......Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen.......These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien.....You shall not steal........You shall not deceive or speak falsely to one another.....You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God.....You shall not exploit your neighbor......You shall not commit robbery...... You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your laborer.....You shall not insult the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind......You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment......Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your neighbor justly.....You shall not go about spreading slander among your people...... You shall not hate any of your kindred in your heart.....Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people......You shall love your neighbor as yourself......Keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary......Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the old, and fear your God.....When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one......You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself......Do not act dishonestly in using measures of length or weight or capacity. I am the Lord your God.

The Praises of God

St Francis of Assisi by Willie Apap

This is a prayer addressed to God, written by St Francis of Assisi to Brother Leo, one of his friars:
You are the Holy Lord God who does wonderful things !
You are strong. You are great. You are the most High.
You are the Almighty King. You Holy Father. King of heaven and earth.
You are three and one, the Lord God of Gods;
You are the good, all good, the highest good,
Lord God, living and true.
 
You are love, charity. You are wisdom, You are humility.
You are patience. You are beauty, You are meekness.
You are security. You are rest.
You are gladness and joy. You are our hope, You are justice.
You are moderation, You are all our riches to sufficiency.
You are beauty, You are meekness.
You are the protector, You are our custodian and defender.
You are strength, You are refeshment, You are our hope.
You are our faith, You are our charity.
You are all sweetness, You are our eternal life.
Great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show his face to you and be merciful to you.
May He turn his countenance to you and give you peace.

The secret of life

A father used to tell his children ‘when you turn 12 years old,  I will tell you the secret of life. So when the first child turned 12, he asked his father ‘Dad, what is the secret of life?’ His dad told him ‘ I will tell you, but you have to keep this secret to yourself – the secret is that the cow does not give us milk!’ The son was surprised by this weird answer. ‘What are you saying dad?’ The father explained further ‘yes, because if you want the cow to give you milk, you have to milk her yourself. You have to get up at 4 AM, put on boots and go to the pasture, slush around in the mud and muck, tie her tail and legs, sit down, get a bucket under her and start milking. That’s the secret of life. If you don’t milk her, she won’t give you any milk, as simple as that. That, my son, is the secret of life.’ Today, the idea has entered everybody’s mind that things are automatic, and free. Just push a button and you’ll get anything you need instantaneously. You hit your cell-phone and you get anything you desire. Life is much different and more complicated than that. You have to work very hard to achieve successfully what you wish.

From the Pope’s preacher

 

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa preached as usual to the members of the Roman Curia during a Lenten meditation March 1. Pope Francis was not present but he listened to the sermon. During his presentation he made some interesting remarks: “There seems to be more dialogue with the academic elite of the moment and less and less nourishment for the faith of God's people. You can only get out of this situation by prayer, by talking to God before you even talk about God.” Reflecting on Jesus' words from St. John's Gospel — "I am the light of the world" — Cantalamessa said that Jesus is like the sun whose radiance does not reveal itself but rather the things of the world in their proper light. St. John urged people in his letters not to love the things of the world, since they are the source of lust and pride. Worldliness, he said, "is the equivalent in the religious and spiritual environment to what in the social sphere we call secularization. This is the most necessary fast of all today: fasting from the world. Mixing oneself with this world of suffering is the best way of separating oneself from the world, since it removes one from the principle that the world rests on: selfishness.  The root cause behind the modern spirit of worldliness is the crisis of faith, since it is faith that makes Christians no longer of the world. Christ substitutes the worldly model, which he said is governed by its own trinity: pleasure, power and money.” He concluded by quoting from St. John’s Gospel: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.”

The Cross at Mt. Canigou

81 years ago, between July 18 and 23, 1943, during the Nazi occupation of France,  a group of Catholic scouts decided to create a large metal cross on Mount Canigou in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, at 2,783 meters above sea level (9130 feet.) A metal worker Georges Margouet was tasked with creating the cross, and spent 5 months working on this project. The cross itself weighed 112 kilos, (246 lbs) and all the young boys enthusiastically took the trip up the mountain to erect the cross. Many of them were malnutritioned because of the war. Along the road, a few priests joined them praying the Stations of the Cross. When they reached the top, one of the priests celebrated Mass in very cold weather. Now since they didn’t ask permission to erect this cross, the Nazis discovered it and blew it up with explosives. The boys scouts were of course disappointed , but they collected all the pieces that were salvageable and crafted another cross, larger and stronger, and and set it in place on the 30th of July 1961, where it still stands.

The Raising of the Cross

Peter Paul Rubens -Raising of the Cross

I share with you today two masterpieces of Peter Paul Rubens. Actually the first one is his original, while the second one is a tapestry made on the same painting. It represents Jesus being raised for crucifixion, helped by 8 strong men, all of them twisting and contortioning themslves to lift the heavy weight of the cross and the crucified Jesus. This painting was one of many others which were chosen to be made into classic tapestries for the Cathedral of St John in Valletta, Malta, which were magnificently displayed last May. It was customary in those days that the ruler or Grandmaster of the island of Malta would donate a special gift to the Order of the Knights of St John, and he chose to donate a magnificent set of 29 tapestries to be hung in the conventual church built in the 1570s.  

Tapestry of the same painting by Rubens.

The tapesties were done in Brussels at the weaving house of Jacobus de Vos between the years 1697 and 1702. The tapestries encircle the entire church, done on the order of the Grand Master Ramon Perellos.  This dramatic moment reproduced in this tapestry shows the cross of Jesus being raised into its place. Tension, motion, space and time are illustrated along with the struggle to upright the cross. The lower part of this action show 4 men trying to straighten the cross, as the other 4 are helping in the upper part of the cross. Even a dog is there to help encourage the men in their struggle. The tapestry itself is bigger than this detail, and shows Mary and John the apostle on the left, and the centurion on a horse on the right side. (Click on each photo to enlarge)

The entire tapestry of the Raising of the Cross

Laughing as a healer

Years ago, a famous American journalist and writer Norman Cousins (1915-1990) was diagnosed with a serious illness. The doctors gave him 6 months to live. Just as depression, anger and disappointment worked against him, he felt that laughter can help him in his favor. So he made an experiment, and got various DVDs of famous comedians, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy and others. He also read a lot of jokes and asked his friends to share with him humorous stories and jokes. He was in great pain but when he laughed, all his fear was gone. He was able to beat his illness and lived another 20 years before he passed away. His journey is recorded in his book ‘Anatomy of an Illness.’

Jesus on the Cross

One of the most recognizable images of the crucified Jesus is a painting by Spanish artist Salvador Dali. It is entitled 'Christ of Saint John of the Cross', whose figure dominates the Bay of Port Lligat. The painting was inspired by a drawing, preserved in the Convent of the Incarnation in Avila, Spain, and done by Saint John of the Cross himself in 1550, after he had seen this vision of Christ during an ecstasy.  

The original 1550 drawing by St John of the Cross.

The painting is from 1951, and Dali himself wrote,” In 1950, I had a 'cosmic dream' in which I saw this image in color and which in my dream represented the 'nucleus of the atom'. I considered in 'the very unity of the universe', the Christ! Then I worked out geometrically a triangle and a circle, which aesthetically summarized all my previous experiments, and I inscribed my Christ in this triangle." The painting is presently at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Mary

                    

The name Mary, and other forms like Marie, Maria, Miryam, Maryam and Mia is the most popular name in 17 countries, both Catholics and Muslim. Marie is the most popular name in Austria, Portugal, Romania, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guatemala and Brazil. The name Mia is very popular in Estonia, Croatia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Peru and Malta. Mariam is presently the most popular in Georgia, while Maryam is most popular in Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. The Blessed Mother is mentioned several times in the Koran and is presented as a symbol of purity, fidelity and humility. For over 100 years the name Mary was the most popular in the United States. Last year in the USA, Mia was listed as number 8 most popular name among girls, Maria was number 77, Mary is at number 137.

Your sins....my sins

The French author Henri Barbusse (1874-1935) writes about the many conversions he witnessed during World War I. One of the soldiers who knew he would not live any longer, turned to his friend and told him ‘my friend, I know you have lived a terrible life. The police will soon be looking for you. My name is clean, so why don’t you take my wallet, all my papers of good conduct, take my own identity and give me yours. Take my life and I’ll take yours, this way you can live longer in peace with your family when the war is over. Then I can carry your failures into my own death.’ This reminds me how Jesus took upon himself our own sins, so that we can all be saved.

Passion Stamps

Just like Christmas, the season of Lent with Holy Week and Easter have always encouraged nations all over the world to issue special stamps to commemorate the Passion of Christ, as you can see in these 3 selections. The first one shows a stamp from Oberammergau, issued in 1960 when the famous play is performed every 10 years. One can see  various symbols connected to the passion. 

The second one is from an unknown Arab country with a set of 6 stamps representing various scenes from the passion. The third one is from Spain and shows Jesus carrying the cross, from a famous painting by El Greco, a Spanish artist also known as ‘the Greek.’

13 geese

St. Eulalia, also known as Eulàlia of Barcelona, was a young Christian girl who lived during the 3rd century, during the reign of cruel Emperor Diocletian, in the then-Roman-controlled city of Barcino, today Barcelona. She is the co-patroness of the city, along with La Virgen de Merced. Tradition maintains that Eulalia, who herded geese, openly professed her Christian faith, despite the Roman authorities’ attempts to suppress Christianity in the region. Even though she was only 13, Eulalia refused to renounce her faith. What is more, she ran from home and went into the walled city, looked for the governor, and demanded the cessation of hostilities against Christians. The governor, instead, sentenced her to 13 tortures – one per each year she had lived as a Christian. She was eventually beheaded in 303 AD. Up to this day, in the cloister of the Cathedral in Barcelona, the authorities still keep 13 white geese, in memory of St. Eulalia.

Leap Year

Although most years of the modern calendar have 365 days, a complete revolution around the sun takes approximately 365 days and 6 hours. Every four years, during which an extra 24 hours have accumulated, one extra day is added to keep the count coordinated with the sun's apparent position. That is why we have February 29 every 4 years. The leap year was introduced as part of the Julian calendar reform. February 29 came to be regarded as the leap day when the Roman system of numbering days was replaced by sequential numbering in the late Middle Ages. About 5 million people worldwide share a Leap Day birthday. This number refers to 0.06 percent of the 8 billion people on the earth.

Some important events that took place on February 29 in leap years:
1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
1940 – For her role as Mammy in 'Gone with the Wind,' Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
1956 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces to the nation that he is running for a second term.
1960 – An earthquake in Morocco kills over 3,000 people and nearly destroys Agadir in the southern part of the country.
1960 – Family Circus cartoon series makes its debut.
1972 – Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract. Today a major league player makes that much at every 6 to 8 at-bats!
1980 – Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
1996 – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.
2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.

Gioacchino Rossini, Italian opera composer, born Feb 29, 1792

Some famous people born on February 29:

1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
1792 – Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)
1812 – Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880, also on February 29!)
1892 – Ed Appleton, American baseball player (d. 1932)
1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)
1908 – Balthus, French-Polish painter (d. 2001)
1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player (d.2015)
1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, President of El Salvador (d.2017)
1952 – Bart Stupak, American congressman
1972 – Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain

Shared biscuits

She had to wait over three hours to get her next flight home, and as she sat in the airport lounge reading a book, she noticed a young man next to her. As she read her book, she grabbed a biscuit from the packet that was next to her. The other young man occasionally would help himself from the biscuits, and this annoyed the girl quite a bit, but said nothing. The boy was checking his cell-phone while he would grab a biscuit and the girl read from her book while also grabbing a biscuit periodically, until all the biscuits were gone. She did appear upset, but when the time arrived for her to board the plane, she left the young man without saying anything to him. The man followed her on the same plane but in a different seat. When she buckled herself in her seat and opened her bag to retrieve her book, she noticed that the packet of biscuits was unopened in her bag. She said to herself: ‘So if my biscuits are still here, the ones we shared at the airport lounge were not mine but they belonged to that young man.’ It was too late now to locate him and apologize to him. It often happens that we are so certain of ourselves, until we realize that things are not exactly the way we thought them to be initially. We think we know it all, but are far from the reality of things. We think we’re always right, but sometimes we may be wrong too. So let us think only of goodness when we’re in doubt, instead of judging a situation negatively.

The Crucifixion

This is one of the earliest known depictions of the Crucifixion in Christian art. It was made in Rome about AD 420-30, at a time when the Roman Empire in Western Europe was fragmenting. The panel is one of four, originally mounted on the sides of a small ivory casket, each carved with a scene from Christ’s Passion. This panel is exhibited at the British Museum in London. In this image the Crucifixion is combined with another scene of death: the suicide of the disciple Judas after he has betrayed Jesus. The stiff, clothed body of Judas pulls down the branch of a tree, and a spilled sack of coins lies at his feet. In contrast the exposed limbs of Christ still appear vigorous, and he gazes at the viewer, triumphant in death. A plaque over Christ’s head is inscribed REX IUD (King of the Jews). The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist stand to the left of the cross, while on the right Longinus steps from beneath the arm of the cross, just before he pierces Jesus’ side with a lance.

Helping Ukraine

Bohorodychne Ukraine church, destroyed by war.

The war in Ukraine started two years ago. The tragedy and devastation is reprehensible and utterly condemnable. On February 20 this year, the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S. announced that their Metropolia Humanitarian Aid Fund has been restructured as the "Healing of Wounds of the War in Ukraine Fund." The fund is aimed at "healing physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds inflicted by the criminal Russian invasion," the four bishops said in a report accompanying the announcement. They are: Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia, of Stamford, Connecticut; of the Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago; of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio. In the report, the U.S. Ukrainian bishops said they were especially grateful to the seven Cardinals of the Catholic Church in the US - Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, and Cardinal Joseph William Tobin of Newark - who have graciously agreed to serve as patrons of the new fund. The Metropolia fund, representing the four eparchies of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S., was established in January 2022 as Russia's troop build-up on Ukraine's borders signalled an invasion. All contributions to the fund -- which totalled more than $7.5 million from some 6,400 donors, with $7.2 million so far distributed -- were dedicated to humanitarian projects operated by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The donations, whether from individuals or families, students in Catholic and public schools, parishes or dioceses across the nation, fraternal organizations and companies, have been transformative. The bishops wrote in their report. "Dear friends, you have walked alongside priests ministering near the frontlines and supported the network of parishes of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. … You brought comfort, compassion, and restored hope." Ukraine has reported more than 125,834 war crimes committed by Russia to date in Ukraine since February 2022.

Trevi Fountain

Anyone who’s been to Rome must have visited the Trevi Fountain and definitely threw some coins in it, with the hope of returning again. All the coins thrown in the water end up at the CARITAS headquarters in Rome. In 2022, the amount collected was 1,500,000 Euros. Thanks to a scheme run by Solidarity Emporiums, for the past 10 years, Caritas has helped foreigners in financial help. Presently they are helping 1000 families daily, half of them Italian and the other half foreigners from 98 different countries. Some of these families live in their cars since they cannot pay electricity or gas. The officials at Caritas give them a card-voucher to buy what they need. Families with young toddlers are given more so they can buy milk and baby food. Other food companies help as does the European Union.

We’re getting old!

And elderly couple were very concerned that their grown-up children were not being nice to them. The sweetness and kindness they showed to them early in life has somehow disappeared. And so they decided to write their children this letter: 

Dear children, As you can see, we, your parents are not young anymore, and so we decided to write this letter to ask you to be patient with us, and try to understand our feelings.  When you see us become forgetful, and not able to follow a conversation with you, be patient with us as we try to follow what you are trying to say. When our legs do not act as fast as before, please do remember how patient we were in teaching to walk when you were tiny toddlers. When you hear us repeat the same things over and over, do not be upset, but remember how often you told us to repeat the same story again and again, which we did happily. When we don’t feel like eating, please do not force us to eat, as we know when we are hungry and need to eat. And when we accidentally spill some food on us, just remember how often we cleaned you up when trying to eat alone, with plenty of spills and minor accidents. And when you see us so inept in following modern technology, do not make fun of us, but give us a chance to learn and show us how to use so many modern gadgets. You cannot understand the problem of old age. We hope that when one day you reach our age, you will understand what we are going through. Remember that in spite of our fragility and  weaknesses, we love you, and we hope you can fully acknowledge our predicament, and show more patience instead of frustration. God bless you all. Your parents.

Stations around Town

The parishioners after one of the stations.

Another flashback from my Journals of 2004 - During one Friday in Lent, instead of the Stations of the Cross in the church, I organized something completely new, the Stations around town. Since it was a totally innovative idea, I was nervous about the people’s reaction, but those who attended were heart and soul into it. We had 30 people attend, which is always an encouraging number in a small parish, especially since many families are away during this spring break. The weather did not cooperate at all, because it was cloudy and cold, with an occasional slight drizzle, but we made it through without any major downpour. It was quite a historic event for our parish, and everything went very smoothly, visiting the first 7 landmarks by cars as we prayed the Stations and a specific prayer at each place, which I wrote appropriately for the occasion. The other 7 landmarks we visited on foot as we walked together following a beautiful lodge-pole cross that Jim Maple had crafted.  The 14 places we visited were: 1. In front of our Church, 2. The Canyon Creek Nursing Home, 3. The Grant Union High School, 4. Humboldt Junior School, 5. The Courthouse, 6. The Grant County Museum, 7. The Blue Mountain Hospital, 8. Chester’s Thriftway Food store, 9.  Gleason Pool and Park, 10. The Post Office, 11. The US Bank, 12.  The True Value Hardware Store, 13.  The Police Station, and lastly 14. Inside our Church, from where we started. We were finished at 6:40 PM, and people seemed to have enjoyed this new experience of Stations of the Cross around town. They were prayerful, quick to move from Station to Station by cars and also walked together following the Cross. I asked different people to hold the cross at each station and carry it during our last 7 stops, and of course I had plenty of volunteers. 

The catechism children gathered for the stations

I also organized a stations for children, going around the church property, the church, parish hall, sacristy, some neighboring streets and the Rectory, which of course the children enjoyed like the adults did. Everything was done in a prayerful mood, and for the adults stations I even had some members of the local Protestant churches.

Chair of St Peter

Today we celebrate the feast of St Peter, and precisely the authority of St Peter in a feast called “The Chair of Saint Peter.” Of course we do not venerate chairs as such, but the ‘chair’ or ‘cathedra’ of St Peter is very symbolic, to such an extent that his chair has been immortalized in a magnificent sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini behind the main altar at St Peter’s basilica. It is actually a part of the colonnade above the main altar, the massive chocolate-colored baldacchino that dominates the interior of the basilica. Next to the chair are the 4 Fathers of the early church, St Ambrose, St John Chrysostom, St Augustine and St Athanasius. Above the chair is a stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit in yellow texture. The bronze sculpture was crafted between 1647 and 1653 by Bernini. 

The original chair of Peter is preserved, although in a very worn-out state. It was transferred from the church of Santa Prisca to the Vatican, and was exposed to the public once a year. However it was encased with the Bernini masterpiece, where it still is, protected mostly because of its fragile structure. For 200 years it was kept hidden and protected, but in 1867 it was exposed to the faithful to commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Sts Peter and Paul.

Julian’s Island – 40 years ago

This is a photo I took 40 years ago at Saranac Lake in Upstate New York. With my priest friend and pastor Fr John Heinlein, I used to go for a week in the Adirondacks, and while I did mostly biking, swimming and taking photos, he would be doing a lot of water-skiing, besides the driving. The following two years, when I eventually got my driver’s license, I did some of the driving too, and one year I went by myself with his father Joe, driving even into Canada. Of course we always celebrated Mass for the guests who were at the Marlboro Club with us, and I took this photo just before we started to say Mass. Now on the lake there were a few islands that were named, but a few smaller ones had no name, and so I decided to name one of them 'Julian’s Island.' 

Julian's Island on Upper Saranac Lake

Nobody complained or objected and I believe it still is known as Julian’s Island. If you enlarge the photo with the chalice, you can see this little island just below the branch that extends from the tree on the right. On the second photo you see the entire island (which is actually a rock.) I did a lot of biking those days, all the way to Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Olympics, Tupper Lake, as well as around Upper and Lower Saranac Lakes. Saranac Lake is at an elevation of 1580 feet above sea level. Winter days were all snowy of course but the summer months were pleasant with low humidity and cooler nights.

Wisdom from a 90 year old – part 2

This list was written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. To celebrate growing older, she wrote the 45 lessons life taught her. Here are the remaining 20.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.....
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Wisdom from a 90 year old – part 1

This is something we should all read at least once a week! Make sure you read to the end! This list was written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. To celebrate growing older, she wrote the 45 lessons life taught her. Here they are:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay-check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

A true witness for life

Amada Rosa Pérez made her living as a successful model and actress in Colombia, best known for her role in the telenovela La Costeña y El Cachaco as Sofia. However, her life wasn’t all glitz and glamour; she spoke about having an abortion and the immense pain it caused her, as well as how she learned to heal and help spare other women from experiencing that pain as well. Pérez has been speaking out in protest of Colombia’s decision to legalize abortion. She said “I had an abortion out of fear, because I was pressured by my partner and I believed in what they told me, that the most important thing was my dreams and my professional success.” The experience left her traumatized. “I had suicidal thoughts,” she said. “I believed that I wasn’t worthy to go on living because I had killed my child, and I suffered from a fixation on memories related to the abortion. Perhaps one of the most common consequences is the loss of tenderness; our woman’s heart becomes harder.” Eventually, Pérez gave herself to God, and allowed herself to heal from the pain. But she wants to save other women from experiencing what she went through, especially after the pro-life country’s shocking decision to make abortion legal. She said further “We’re living in a culture of death that wants to take away the value of motherhood and is damaging the minds and hearts of girls and women who think that if they end the life of their children they will be free. On the contrary, that makes them slaves! Behind abortion is a big business run by men who make women believe that they’re fighting for their rights, when what they’re doing is harming their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health,” she explained. Today, she hopes women will give themselves to God as she did, and that her voice will make a difference. “I’m simply a grain of sand,” she said. “God allowed me to be a public figure to give his messages. I only ask Him to never let go of me and to be able to do His will.”