Project Canisius

“Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses.” (Mark 6: 7 -9)
In 1998, I started a website as a journal of my reflections on Sacred Scripture. That was some years before Blog. I called the adventure Project Canisius. I confided this reflection to my journal on the above scripture:
“Jesus sent out the Twelve on practicum. Project Canisius is practicum. As part of practicum, the Apostles were to learn apostolic simplicity and trust in God to provide all their needs. They were to stay in the same house until they leave the district.
Project Canisius is practicum.
Lord, teach me apostolic simplicity. Teach me to depend on you to provide all my needs. Remove from me unnecessary worries. Amen

Mount Zion

“What you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole church of the first born sons, enrolled as citizens of heaven.” (Hebrews 12: 22-23)

Through our Baptism, we are enrolled as citizens of Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. We already enjoy full sacramental privileges as citizens of heaven. We can participate fully in the Eucharistic festival, the Supper of the Lamb. The new covenant is spiritual and more effective. We appropriate its fruits through faith. Jesus Christ is the High Priest and mediator of this covenant.

Qualifications

“With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him?” (Mark 6:2)

Why were the people astonished at the teaching and miracles of Jesus? They knew Jesus as one of them. They knew his parents and knew the fact that he did not go to any big school. While Jesus lived among them, his manner of living was ordinary. There was nothing in the background of Jesus that prepared them for what they were seeing.

God took the poor things of this world to make them strong in order to show where the power was coming from. God can use any of us to do great things for himself. No need to worry about lack of qualifications or prestigious background.

Perseverance

“Perseverance is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose Father did not train him?” (Hebrews 12:7)
During my desert experience, God worked to change my attitude to the following:
• Family
• Job
• Money
• Health
• Tools
• Food
To achieve his purpose, he used these resources:
• Eucharist
• Penance
• Word of God
• Prayer
• Examen
• Ministry
• Spiritual Reading/Spiritual Direction
Later, he made me aware that there were other things in his training program:
• Perseverance
• Simplicity
• Chastity
Thank you Father.

God's School

“My son, do not spurn correction from the Lord, do not resent his training, for the Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son he accepts.” (Hebrews 12: 5 – 6)
My desert experience was both correction and training from the Father. The Father revealed this to me through the above scripture. When I saw the light, I decided to behave in the Father’s classroom.
During the desert experience which lasted for about four years, my attitude changed profoundly vis-à-vis the following:
• Family
• Job
• Money
• Health
• Tools
• Food
When I emerged from the desert, these weapons of warfare had been firmly placed in my armory:
• Eucharist
• Reconciliation
• Word of God
• Prayer
• Examen
• Spiritual Reading/Direction
Father, I thank you very much for the Desert Experience. You knocked me down but you raised me up again. I submit myself completely to whatever program you have for me. Correct me. Teach me. Use me. Amen!

Fight against sin

“In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of bloodshed.” (Hebrews 12: 41)
The martyrs are those who fought to the point of bloodshed. Peter and Paul, Athanasius, Maximillian Kolbe, Justin the Martyr, Cecilia and clouds of other witnesses fought to the point of bloodshed to witness to Christ. They did not compromise their faith. How far am I prepared to fight against sin?
Some cost of witnessing to Jesus Christ today:
• Job
• Money
• Suffering
• Illness
• Inconvenience
• Imprisonment
• Family
When we contemplate the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we ask for the gift to overcome all fears of suffering in order to witness to Jesus Christ when challenged. The martyrs looked forward to this challenge and when it came, they embraced it with the grace they had stored for it.
Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to overcome the fears of suffering so that I can witness to you when challenged.

The Power of God's Word

"The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”

(Psalm 119: 72).

How do we know for certain that God's word is more precious than silver and gold? God's word transforms ordinary humans into extraordinary beings. There are abundant proofs from the lives of many people. Their heroic lives had been recognized and many of them canonized as saints. The proof also come from the lives of dedicated Christians living among us. These individuals have the courage to test the life-changing principles in the Bible and confirm that they work. Their highly successful lives and achievements bear testimony to the power of God's word. God’s word contains many promises each of which is may be worth more than silver and gold, depending on our needs.

To discover the gold and silver in the word of God, read it as a personal letter. Read the word in order to act on its principles and so obtain what it promises.

How Apply the Word of God to your Problem:

· Define the problem.

· . State two or more key words that are contained in your problem.

· Get a Bible Concordance and list all the references to your keywords.

· Take your Bible and write out all the references that bear directly on the problem.

· Focus on a number of texts that apply directly to you.

· Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to apply the scripture.

The last step is critical: Understand what the scripture is saying to your actual situation. If you are not satisfied with the answer that you are getting, keep working on it until you are enlightened.

Believe the Bible text that God has revealed as answer to your problem. Belief may not come automatically. Like Peter, you can say again and again: "Lord I believe; increase my faith."

When you get a clear idea on concrete steps to take to solve your problem, act without hesitation. If you are not sure, wait until you get this clear signal. This is the most important step. "Faith that is firm is also patient." (Isaiah 28:16)

Acquire Wisdom

“The first principle of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; at the cost of all you have, acquire understanding! Hold her close, and she will make you great; embrace her, and she will be your pride; she will provide a graceful garland for your head, bestow a crown of honor on you.” (Proverbs 4: 7-9)

My pursuit of wisdom took me to self-development literature, philosophy, theology and history. After many years of seeking wisdom from second-hand sources, I was pointed to the fountain of wisdom: the Bible.

Roger Crawford in his book, How High Can You Bounce? , writes: "Resilient people realize that it’s impossible to see the full value of adversity until it is behind us. Understanding and wisdom come after an event, not before." Wisdom can come during an event if one feeds himself with a daily portion of the word of God.

Wisdom and the Cross

St Francis de Sales writes: "The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity, the cross He now presents to you from His innermost heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it is not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, and taken one last glance at you and your courage - has sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all merciful love of God."

More Scriptures on Wisdom

· “Blessed are those who have discovered wisdom, those who have acquired understanding! Gaining her is more rewarding than silver, her yield is more valuable than gold. She is beyond the price of pearls, nothing you could covet is her equal. In her right hand is length of days; in her left hand, riches and honor. Her ways are filled with delight, her paths all lead to contentment. She is a tree of life for those who hold her fast, those who cling to her live happy lives.” (Proverbs 3: 13-18)

· "Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. (Psalm 119:66)

· "And now my children listen to me. Happy are those who keep my ways. Listen to instruction and become wise, do not reject it. Blessed, whoever listens to me, who day after day keep watch at my portals. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains the favor of Yahweh; but whoever misses me harms himself, all who hate me are in love with death." (Proverbs 9: 32-36)

· “The blessing of Yahweh is what brings riches, to this, hard toil has nothing to add.” (Proverbs 11: 22)

· “For want of leadership a people perishes, safety lies in many advisers” (Proverbs 11: 14)

· “A sudden fortune will dwindle away, accumulation little by little is the way to riches.” (Proverbs 13: 11)

· “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)

· “In the fear of Yahweh is powerful security; for his children he is a refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26)

· “Better to have a little and with it fear of Yahweh than immense wealth and with it anxiety.” (Proverbs 15:16)

· "Two things I beg of you, do not grudge me them before I die: keep falsehood and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, grant me only my share of food, for fear that, surrounded by plenty, I should fall away and say, 'Yahweh - who is Yahweh?' or else, in destitution, take to stealing and profane the name of my God."(Proverbs 30: 7-9)

· “For Yahweh himself is giver of wisdom, from his mouth issue knowledge and understanding. He reserves his advice for the honest, a shield to those whose ways are sound; he stands guard over the path of equity.”(Proverbs 2: 6-8)

· “Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception; acknowledge him in every course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth.”(Proverbs 3:5-6)

· “My child do not scorn correction from Yahweh, do not resent his reproof; for Yahweh reproves those he love, as a father the child whom he loves.”(Proverbs 3: 11-120

Jesus Must Reign on the Internet

"The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strong-holds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)New Jerusalem Bible.


God gave us in His word a powerful weapon. With this weapon, we can destroy strong-holds, false arguments and pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God. How do we use God's word as a weapon in spiritual warfare? Jesus told us to make His word our home if we want to be His disciples. Only trained disciples can participate in the war. When the word is in our hearts and on our lips, the Holy Spirit will inspire us when and what to use. Jesus Christ must reign on the internet.

St. Vincent de Paul

"Come you whom my Father has blessed....For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me" (Matthew 25: 34-36)

St Vincent de Paul was born in 1580. As a priest, he devoted his life to the care of the poor and the sick in Paris. Vincent founded the Congregation of the Missions, the Sisters of Charity, orphanages, and hospitals. The Lord opened the hearts of wealthy women to support his work. A charity bearing his name, St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in his name in Paris in 1833 and this society is active in most countries of the world today. St Vincent de Paul died in 1660 and his feast day is September 27. St Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of charitable societies and hospital workers.

What I love about this saint is his absolute trust in God’s providence. He learned this secret after many years in the ministry.

The Number 10

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there were ten girls who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise “(Matthew 25: 1-2).

"Or suppose a woman who had ten silver coins loses one of them - what does she do?” (Luke 15:8)

"As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease " (Luke 17: 11-120.

The number Ten has always fascinated me. There are ten fingers and ten toes. There are Ten Commandments. Robert Schuller's , in his book, TOUGH TIMES DO NOT LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO teaches how to count to ten and win.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

"The Lord nurtured and taught her; he guarded her as the apple of his eye. As the eagle spreads its wings to carry its young, he bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader"(Deut 32: 10-12)

St Theresa of the Child Jesus was born in Alencon, France in 1873. As a young girl, she entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, where she developed rapidly into a spiritual adult. She burned these words of Jesus into her heart: "Unless you change and become like little children, says the Lord, you shall not enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 18:3) St Theresa of the Child Jesus modeled her life to that of the little child of Matthew 18:3. This explains her popularity and immense appeal to countless devotees all over the world. She died on September 30, 1897. Her feast day is the 1st of October.

Quotes from St Theresa

"The Doctor of doctors teaches us without the sound of words. I have never heard Him speak, and yet I know He is within my soul. Every moment He is guiding and inspiring me, and, just at the moment I need them, `lights' till then unseen are granted me. Most often it is not at prayer that they come but while I go about my daily duties" ("The Story of a Soul", Chapter 8).

Found in the Temple

"My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you."(Luke 2: 48).NJB

Jesus had remained behind in Jerusalem to listen to the teachers of the Law. The incidence teaches us a number of lessons about Mary and Jesus. Mary was not omniscient. She did not know that Jesus was in the temple. Mary also felt acutely the pain of a mother who had lost a son. We admire Mary's patience and perseverance. Jesus already shows a singleness of purpose with regard to His mission even at the age of twelve.

The Documents of Vatican II, Lumen Gentium comments: "When the Child Jesus was lost and they had sought Him sorrowing, His parents found Him in the temple, taken up with the things which were His Father's business. They did not understand the reply of the Son. But His Mother, to be sure, kept all these things to be pondered over in her heart (cf. Lk2: 41-51).

Writing

"Furthermore, my child, you must realize that writing books involves endless hard work, and that much study wearies the body.”

(Ecclesiastes 12: 12)NJB

The desire to write is one of my earliest ambitions. . I started the habit of keeping journals towards in the end of my high school and discontinued this habit when I left college. . During my desert experience, I went back to serious journal keeping. There was no particular method to my journal keeping. I tried to jot down something everyday. What are the contents of my journal? Reflections on scripture passages; insights from my desert experience; events that I consider significant during the course of the day. When I have nothing to write, I write down the mundane activities of the day. One habit I would like to form is to review my journals on a systematic basis. Whenever I did this, I have derived some pleasure and sometimes insights from it.

Spiritual Direction

"How could I, unless I have someone to guide me? (Acts 8:31)

Do we need a human guide in our journey of faith? If the Holy Spirit leads and guides us, why should we need a spiritual director?

My Top 10 Spiritual Books

"Dear Theophilus:

In my first book, I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work until the day he was taken up to heaven. (Acts 1:1-2)

God in His wisdom decided to put His words in a book. Throughout the centuries, God's book, the Bible has given birth to other scriptures or biblettes. Holy men and women who had fed and digested God's word had shared their personal reflections on this word with their fellow men. Some of these works have become classics. Below are 10 books in my reading list. O that I would be able to read all before I leave this earth!.

1. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

2. Mary of Nazareth by F. Suarez

3. Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis

4. Francis De Sales : Introduction to the Devout Life

5. Confessions of St. Augustine

6. St Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul

7. Blessed Josemaria Escriva: The Way

8. St Louis de Monfort: The Secret of the Rosary

9. St. Teresa of Avila: Interior Castle

10. St. John of the Cross: Dark Night of the Soul

Shalom

Shalom

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

We all labor and are heavily burdened with problems of money, health, family, job, cars, etc. Jesus knows us individually and is aware of our situation. He invites us to come to Him to find solution to our many problems. We come to Jesus in the Eucharist. We meet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When the Church gathers in prayer in His name, He is there. When we accept the word of God with faith, it changes our lives and our circumstances.

Prayer for geniune contentment

"My God, in your creation of this world you made all things to be very good. I thank you, Lord, for all the goods of this world, and especially all those who have provided for me and my loved ones.

But remind me, Lord, that only you are the true Good, and that all earthly goods are but shadows of you. And should I become very attached to any fleeting good, and let it obstruct my love for you, grant me the holy desire to have it taken from me. Through Christ Our Lord, the King of glory who has no pillow to lay his head. Amen."

Listen to Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness.
"Set your mind on God's kingdom
and His justice before everything else,
and all the rest will come to you as well.
So do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow
will look after itself. Each day has troubles
enough of its own."
(Matthew 6: 33-34)

They did not cling to life

“They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word to which they bore witness, because even in the face of death they did not cling to life.(Revelation 12: 11)NJB

Is there a link between sin, suffering and salvation? Sin brings suffering and deprives us of the abundance and affluent life that God had planned for us. Our sufferings if accepted can be redemptive and lead us to God. There is a mysterious link between sin, suffering and salvation. The psalmist acknowledges: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. I know, O Lord, that your ordinances are just, and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me. (Psalm 119: 71, 75)

Understanding the meaning of the cross opens our minds to understanding the mysteries of the kingdom, whose power cannot be perceived by those attuned to the wisdom and power of the world. Michael Ramsey in his book 'THE HOLY SPIRIT' said: "But those who, humble and made wise by the cross, belong to the new order, have gifts of wisdom and knowledge. As the precondition of entrance into this new order is the cross of Christ, so its outcome is to share in the 'mind of Christ.'

Deepak Chopra wrote in his book, "CREATING AFFLUENCE": "Affluence is the experience in which our needs are easily met and our desires spontaneously fulfilled. We feel joy, health, happiness, and vitality in every moment of our existence."

What does Christ say about affluence? Jesus made a contrast between genuine riches and material wealth that can rust and be stolen by thieves.

The Saints

The Saints


"Let anyone who can hear listen: Those for captivity to captivity; those for death by the sword to death by the sword. This is why the saints must have perseverance and faith" (Revelation 13:10)

Who are the saints? These are holy men and women who had patterned their lives after the life of Jesus. They practiced the teachings of Jesus Christ. Their example is relevant for us today. They show us that in every age and culture, it is possible to imitate Jesus. We learn a great deal from the study of the lives of the saints.

These men and woman inspire us by their heroic lives. Their reward was rich in faith, love, hope, peace and tranquility during their lives and after death, they inherited everlasting life.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).

We "put on" Jesus in baptism (Galatians 3:27). After we have been configured to Christ through baptism, frequent reception of the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of reconciliation molds us into the image of Christ. St. José Maria Escriva writes: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ', says St Paul to the Romans. It is in the Sacrament of Penance that you and I put on Jesus Christ and his merits" (The Way, 310).

"So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first." (Matthew 5: 23-24)

"He is the Beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way; because God wanted all fullness to be found in him and through him to reconcile all things to him" (Colossians 1:18)

"What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation." (Romans 5:11)

Books on the Sacrament of Reconciliation: