FOLLOW THE LORD FIRST

I have a twitter account. I opened an account last year so I can follow my favorite dance crew. I followed them for months. I send them tweets, but I never receive a single reply from them. They replied to their friends' tweets and to celebrities' tweets but not to my tweets. I also send tweets to other celebrities as well, and again I don't receive any reply from them. I kept asking myself, "Have they seen my tweets?" or "Is there something wrong with my tweets?" They can see their friends' tweets or the tweets of their fellow celebrities but why can't they see my tweets? I was hurt that I stopped following them. I was thinking, maybe they don't reply to ordinary or unknown people like me. Maybe if I'm Oprah Winfrey, I would surely get replies from these celebrities. Do they know that a single simple reply is worth more than a million bucks to their fans? They don't have to spend a single dime for this, it only requires their HEART to reply. But I know that not all celebrities ignore their fans' tweets. There are still some celebrities out there who would gladly reply to their fans' tweets.

I prayed and complained to the Lord about this. I reflected on this experience, and these are my reflections:

1. How many times do I ignore people that I meet every day just because they're so ordinary, such as the security guards, the janitors and those people who are not good looking. They're like invisible to me. I realize now that in a way, I'm also like those celebrities who didn't see or ignored my tweets.

2. Every person in this world, no matter how ordinary or simple they may be is a unique and an important human being.

That twitter experience has enlightened my conscience. Every day, when I go to my workplace, I now smile to the security guards and the janitors, and when I'm not in a hurry, I tried to chat with them. I now try to put myself in their shoes.

I realized that before I follow any celebrity, I should follow the Lord first. I don't need Twitter, Facebook or cellular phones just to contact Him. He is available more than twenty four hours a day, and more importantly, He loves me and appreciates me just as I am.

BLESSED JOHN PAUL II'S TOTUS TUUS

"Totus Tuus". It is a Latin phrase which means "I am totally yours." This was Blessed John Paul II's motto addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have you ever wondered why John Paul II had so much devotion to Mary? Source: Wikimedia Commons / cc In his book, Crossing The Threshold of Hope, John Paul II explained that his motto Totus Tuus was not just an expression of piety and devotion, it was his total abandonment and personal consecration to the Mother of God. His deep devotion to Mary was manifested in many different ways; among these is his Coat of Arms which bears the letter M that stands for Mary. Even his coffin has a letter M on it. He credited St. Louis Marie de Montfort for his Totus Tuus when he read the saint's book "True Devotion to Mary." John Paul II came to know the book "True Devotion to Mary" when he worked as a factory worker at a chemical plant during World War II. He studied the book and oftent...

AMERICA'S ABORTION RATE DECREASES

cc photo by Cristi Sebastian Photography on flickr Good news to all of us who are pro-life. Last February 3, 2014, Guttmacher Institute , an organization that works to advance reproductive health including abortion rights, and a former research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported on their site that " U.S. Abortion Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1973 ". The all-time highest abortion rate in the U.S. was in 1981 with 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women, but in 2011, the abortion rate was 16.9 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, which was a drop of 13%. Guttmacher also reported that the number of abortion providers decreased by 4% and the number of abortion clinics dropped by 1%. There was no concrete reason for the decrease of the abortion rate, but it was believed that the 106 pro-life laws enacted in 2008 to 2011 with the majority of the laws went into effect in late 2011 had something to do with the decline of the abortion rate. I believe that this is the result of cons...

SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

The Holy Rosary is composed principally and in substance of the "Our Father" and the "Hail Mary". But what is the history of the Holy Rosary? In 1214, St. Dominic, a priest, was working hard for the conversion of the Albigensian heretics, but his efforts were hindered by the gravity of people's sins. Feeling so depressed, he withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, France where he unceasingly prayed for three days and three nights. He did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease God's anger. His body was lacerated that he finally fell into a coma. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and said: "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" St. Dominic answered: "Oh my Lady, you know far better than I do because next to your son Jesus Christ, you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation." Our Lady replied: "I want you to know th...

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