The Wound Speaks

The timeline of @Pontifex, Pope Benedict XVI, is filled with vicious words. Some are just trying to be wise guy. Some just wanted to pass their time trolling personalities.There are those who truly are wounded people and their wounds speak.





Those who were abused as children. Women and homosexuals who experienced brutality from other people. No one is really spared from woundedness. We can not compare wounds because it hurts just the same. Their wounds are real and can not be undermined. It may have happened a long time ago, perpetuators may have been dead or banished, but the wounds continue to bleed and hurt them.





They seek justice, wherever or whoever can give it, but they cannot find it. Why? Because there is NO JUSTICE THAT WILL SATISFY AN UNHEALED WOUND. Even the death of the assailant can not bring their wounds to just compensation because the wound continues to hurt.





Unfortunately, healing does not come easy. The defensive wall of mistrust, apathy, anger, dissent can only be eroded in small pieces at a time. Seeking justice is futile for an unhealed wound, thus, it often ends in depression and self-destruction.. We hold on to the wound and keep it afresh so it can continually shout to the world "it's real", "it hurts". So how can one find healing?





I don't know if the Pope would have time to read the replies on his timeline. But going in a very public forum, even though virtual, opened himself up to such vicious attacks. I am pretty sure, he had expected it as it was already something he had encountered as Cardinal. The gesture, however, is admirable. The Pope joining the tweet arena had allowed himself to be vulnerable; And vulnerability is an openness to love and be loved.
It leaves one the possibility of being wounded but at the same time it leaves one to the possibility of healing. Punch all you can but I will just embrace it all.



The followers and respondents of the Pope, often in anguish, cynicism, dissent, and disrespect are also venting out a wound that had continually fester them. They are in a defensive and unconciliatory mode but this could also be a break through.



The pope was not the one who abused them, forced them to have abortion, or hurt them. Yet, he remains to be the priest, the Catholic layperson, the Catholic parent who abused them, neglected them, and hurt them. But one CANNOT be angry at the world and the wrong people forever. And slowly the walls breakdown and the people truly capable of loving them can reach out and let healing start.



HEALING LEAVES A SCAR but IT CAN NOT HURT YOU anymore. And often the justice we really seek is, no more than, being able to be there for the unhealed wounds still shouting loudly in our world.


And we cannot forget our WOUNDED MESSIAH, Jesus Christ, who took all the thorns and scourges for our sins.. the Wounded Healer who will be there for us and our woundedness.

God's Cheering Squad

There are moments when someone comes along and exactly be the right person you need. It could be a stranger, a friend, or a family. They could be a helping hand, or just someone to talk to, or it could even merely a presence. They may even have a different purpose for being there but in God's Providence, another person becomes heaven sent to us.

Last week, when I was feeling the burnt out and the difficulty of carrying on with the caring when I myself feel so unwell, God sent me a cheering squad. Surprisingly, they were just "online" friends on Facebook. They had no idea aa to my condition and I wasn't even logged on to FB. By using the "mention" feature, I was able to receive the call out. And it started rolling, another one made "mention" again. It was truly heaven sent, the Holy Spirit prompting on people who responded and there it was for me - God's cheering squad.

God's presence is not limited by time and space and in mysterious ways, He weaves our lives in particular moments to make manifest His beautiful design and His abiding Love.

A Tribute to a different Kind of Friendship

I met you by chance
and your kindness and warmth
was all there is to know.
In a different kind of way,
you became a friend of mine.
We do not know when we'll meet;
But when we do,
we just talk and smile.
I seem to know so little of you,
those petty credentials that they call.
Yet, I seem to know you sufficiently well-
your thoughtfulness and friendly ways.
You sought me from amongst to be your friend;
A sincerity and courage that csn scare me away..
In my life, it was like
you are a stranger and a friend.

Even if you are a hundred miles away,
and perhaps never to see again.
In prayers, I know we'll meet,
there in God's heart
unbound by time or space.
It is just friendshp, no different after all.

A Breath of Fresh Air in the Digital World

In the internet world where it is about followers, subscribers, and counting likes, views, and comments, this one youth-lector would be considered a nobody. Yet, there is something beautiful about him. He continues to publish bible readings and his reflections.

The big world of the internet had paved the way for many taking a shot at fame. It isn't bad but it can be distracting. Hopefully, youth-lector would remain focused on the mission and the One who wills it; And for one with such a mission, ONE SOUL MATTERS.