Are you interested in knowing more about nature in Singapore and learn more about rainforests in the region? How about connecting with them spiritually and caring for creation like St. Francis did?
The Care for Creation book club from CANA will be organising a field trip to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, to learn more about nature as well as understand the spirituality behind caring for creation.
If you are keen, feel free to join us!
Date:21st Feb 2009, Saturday
Time:8.30am - 12pm
Meet at:Entrance of Botanic Gardens (Tanglin side)
Contact me at my email if you are keen to make it! j_lee12@yahoo.com.sg
Looking forward to new people :)
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Adoring the precious gifts of God's creations
Taken from Good News Refection (forwarded by a friend)
Adoring the precious gifts of God's creations
Photo credit: blakophoto
One of my patron saints is Francis of Assisi. He reminds me of what the first reading and the responsorial Psalm teach us: All creation is sacred. God made everything and declared it "good."
We don't worship creation, but by appreciating it and protecting it we worship the Creator. This is why St. Francis could genuflect before every person he met, even very un-Christian folks. He bowed to honor the creation God had made, no matter how unlike God the person behaved, and in so doing, he worshipped the Lord in every person.
Imagine what would happen if all of us starting doing this today and it became a new Christian fad! Respect for one another would increase dramatically. Eventually it would spread to produce a culture of respect even for the unborn and the elderly and the handicapped who seem to have no value in this world. Ahhh, but we're dreaming of the ideal. Let's look at the real, at what we CAN do.
All of creation is a reflection of God and an opportunity to worship him. Why waste time in front of the artificial world of the television screen when we can be delightfully entertained in our back yards watching the shows that God produces? They're all commercial-free!
For example, simple, little dew drops are far more enjoyable than early morning TV gossip shows. When the sun touches these tiny globes of water, they sparkle like shiny diamonds, and when God touches them with a gentle breeze, they glitter with bursts of rainbow colors. Each one is a precious gift from the Creator. God placed those dew drops there for our benefit! Sadly, we miss a lot of his shows. So many dew drops never get appreciated.
Well, that's not true. God sees every dew drop in the entire world, and he thoroughly enjoys watching them. He started entertaining himself with dew drops long before he created people who could appreciate them.
If he gets this delighted over simple dew drops, imagine how wonderfully happy he feels about you! You are far more delightful to him than mere bits of water. He smiles over every nice gesture, every kind deed, every helpful outreach, every use of your gifts and talents, even the tiniest ones. And when you do something that displeases him, he's still tickled by everything that's good about you.
As reflections of God, let's follow his example. Even if we don't genuflect when we meet his creations, we can silently (or not so silently) say, "Wow Lord!" in every encounter with people, with dew drops, and with all the gifts of creation through which he likes to delight us.
© 2009 by Terry A. Modica
For PERMISSION to copy any of my reflections, go to:
http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm
Good News Reflection
Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
February 9, 2009
Today's Readings:
Gen 1:1-19
Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35c (with 31b)
Mark 6:53-56
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/020909.shtml
Audio:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_02_09.mp3
Adoring the precious gifts of God's creations
Photo credit: blakophoto
One of my patron saints is Francis of Assisi. He reminds me of what the first reading and the responsorial Psalm teach us: All creation is sacred. God made everything and declared it "good."
We don't worship creation, but by appreciating it and protecting it we worship the Creator. This is why St. Francis could genuflect before every person he met, even very un-Christian folks. He bowed to honor the creation God had made, no matter how unlike God the person behaved, and in so doing, he worshipped the Lord in every person.
Imagine what would happen if all of us starting doing this today and it became a new Christian fad! Respect for one another would increase dramatically. Eventually it would spread to produce a culture of respect even for the unborn and the elderly and the handicapped who seem to have no value in this world. Ahhh, but we're dreaming of the ideal. Let's look at the real, at what we CAN do.
All of creation is a reflection of God and an opportunity to worship him. Why waste time in front of the artificial world of the television screen when we can be delightfully entertained in our back yards watching the shows that God produces? They're all commercial-free!
For example, simple, little dew drops are far more enjoyable than early morning TV gossip shows. When the sun touches these tiny globes of water, they sparkle like shiny diamonds, and when God touches them with a gentle breeze, they glitter with bursts of rainbow colors. Each one is a precious gift from the Creator. God placed those dew drops there for our benefit! Sadly, we miss a lot of his shows. So many dew drops never get appreciated.
Well, that's not true. God sees every dew drop in the entire world, and he thoroughly enjoys watching them. He started entertaining himself with dew drops long before he created people who could appreciate them.
If he gets this delighted over simple dew drops, imagine how wonderfully happy he feels about you! You are far more delightful to him than mere bits of water. He smiles over every nice gesture, every kind deed, every helpful outreach, every use of your gifts and talents, even the tiniest ones. And when you do something that displeases him, he's still tickled by everything that's good about you.
As reflections of God, let's follow his example. Even if we don't genuflect when we meet his creations, we can silently (or not so silently) say, "Wow Lord!" in every encounter with people, with dew drops, and with all the gifts of creation through which he likes to delight us.
© 2009 by Terry A. Modica
For PERMISSION to copy any of my reflections, go to:
http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm
Good News Reflection
Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
February 9, 2009
Today's Readings:
Gen 1:1-19
Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35c (with 31b)
Mark 6:53-56
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/020909.shtml
Audio:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_02_09.mp3
Thursday, 22 January 2009
not alone
I was at the major seminary at Punggol for a short retreat two weeks ago and had another 'revelation' in my relationship with creation. Major seminary at Punggol has beautiful natural surroundings, lots of trees, birds, beautiful sky and lots of space to roam around and be reflective.
During one of the evenings, I was sitting at the basketball court, doing my quiet time. After my reflection, I thought about doing what St. Francis did, speak to the birds and trees, and sky and sun, and addressing them as my brothers and sisters in Christ. It seemed pretty wacky at that time, but gradually I learned to appreciate each creature for what it is.. thanking the birds for their beautiful sounds, thanking the trees for providing cool shade, thanking the sun for his warmth, the wind for his comforting touch..
And it just occurred to me that I am not alone wherever I go. Even if I'm standing on the hills of England or trekking through the forests in Malaysia, I can always feel a sense of solidarity and shared kinship with creation all around. I guess that's God's way of telling me that I am not alone on this earth. He walks with me, and creation is His way of showing His presence. I am never alone.
Have you spoken to brother sun or sister moon today? :)
During one of the evenings, I was sitting at the basketball court, doing my quiet time. After my reflection, I thought about doing what St. Francis did, speak to the birds and trees, and sky and sun, and addressing them as my brothers and sisters in Christ. It seemed pretty wacky at that time, but gradually I learned to appreciate each creature for what it is.. thanking the birds for their beautiful sounds, thanking the trees for providing cool shade, thanking the sun for his warmth, the wind for his comforting touch..
And it just occurred to me that I am not alone wherever I go. Even if I'm standing on the hills of England or trekking through the forests in Malaysia, I can always feel a sense of solidarity and shared kinship with creation all around. I guess that's God's way of telling me that I am not alone on this earth. He walks with me, and creation is His way of showing His presence. I am never alone.
Have you spoken to brother sun or sister moon today? :)
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean adventures
I had the opportunity to watch this documentary on National Geographic channel today. If you missed it, don't worry! Catch part 2 next Wed!
The focus was on the marine nature parks off the coasts of America. As I was watching the documentary and beautiful footage of coral reefs, fishes, dolphins, whales... I could not help but feel absolutely in awe of nature. There was this particular scene where they filmed a leatherback turtle (one of the largest and most endangered in the world) laying her eggs on the beach and returning to the sea at day break. The sight of the largest living sea turtle being reclaimed by the ocean at dawn was simply breathtaking and if it was so beautiful a moment for me in my living room, I can't imagine what the videographer must have felt watching this scene before his or her eyes.
Just watching scene after scene of magical moments on TV, dolphins jumping in front of the ship, humpback whales flipping out of the water, thousands of eggs and sperms spawned from coral reefs... all these instilled within me a great awe and wonder for God's creation. Perhaps this sense of awe and wonder is but a small fraction of what we will experience when we see God face-to-face. It is an opportunity, to recoginse Him and appreciate Him for His creation, and an opportunity for us to be reminded of our responsibilities as stewards of this earth, to protect this beauty in nature for future generations to love and respect.
When was the last time you were in awe of God's creation?
Humback whale
The focus was on the marine nature parks off the coasts of America. As I was watching the documentary and beautiful footage of coral reefs, fishes, dolphins, whales... I could not help but feel absolutely in awe of nature. There was this particular scene where they filmed a leatherback turtle (one of the largest and most endangered in the world) laying her eggs on the beach and returning to the sea at day break. The sight of the largest living sea turtle being reclaimed by the ocean at dawn was simply breathtaking and if it was so beautiful a moment for me in my living room, I can't imagine what the videographer must have felt watching this scene before his or her eyes.
Just watching scene after scene of magical moments on TV, dolphins jumping in front of the ship, humpback whales flipping out of the water, thousands of eggs and sperms spawned from coral reefs... all these instilled within me a great awe and wonder for God's creation. Perhaps this sense of awe and wonder is but a small fraction of what we will experience when we see God face-to-face. It is an opportunity, to recoginse Him and appreciate Him for His creation, and an opportunity for us to be reminded of our responsibilities as stewards of this earth, to protect this beauty in nature for future generations to love and respect.
When was the last time you were in awe of God's creation?
Humback whale
Monday, 24 November 2008
Brothers and sisters
I'm beginning to see how establishing a relationship with our environment is the key to bring us humans into a closer communion with nature. It is not in our interest to care for the environment if we treat the environment as things to be used and exploited rather than respected. The following is an abstract from one of my readings in environmental law. It is part of a speech given by red indian chief, Chief Seattle, when the white men tried to purchase the land of the Red Indians.
All Sacred
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which course through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go out to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the earth and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man - all belong to the same family
...
St Francis of Assisi also used the terms brother sun and sister moon, and because of his relationship with nature he was able to cherish and treasure creation all around him. Indeed, it seems hard for us to do so in our urban environment today! We live in tall HDBs, travel in cars/ buses/ MRTs, work in air-conditioned rooms and face a computer screen all day! The nature we are exposed to s perhaps the nature documentaries we watch on TV or youtube!
How can we establish a relationship with nature if we seldom have contact with it? It is sort of a long-distance relationship then... difficult... We should take advantage of the man-made natural surroundings even if we rarely come in contact with the forests and rivers! Our town parks, our shady trees, our bougainvillas on the overhead bridge and flame of forests flowers and all small wonders of nature we can appreciate. One of my favourites is the sky. Go to an open area and just gaze up at the sky and appreciate the clouds and their ever-changing ways. Singapore has beautiful clouds due to our tropical and humid climate! Don't take them for granted!
Lord,
Help us to see in your creation, the wonders of your creativity! May you also use them to remind us of the wonder of our being.
Amen.
All Sacred
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which course through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go out to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the earth and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man - all belong to the same family
...
St Francis of Assisi also used the terms brother sun and sister moon, and because of his relationship with nature he was able to cherish and treasure creation all around him. Indeed, it seems hard for us to do so in our urban environment today! We live in tall HDBs, travel in cars/ buses/ MRTs, work in air-conditioned rooms and face a computer screen all day! The nature we are exposed to s perhaps the nature documentaries we watch on TV or youtube!
How can we establish a relationship with nature if we seldom have contact with it? It is sort of a long-distance relationship then... difficult... We should take advantage of the man-made natural surroundings even if we rarely come in contact with the forests and rivers! Our town parks, our shady trees, our bougainvillas on the overhead bridge and flame of forests flowers and all small wonders of nature we can appreciate. One of my favourites is the sky. Go to an open area and just gaze up at the sky and appreciate the clouds and their ever-changing ways. Singapore has beautiful clouds due to our tropical and humid climate! Don't take them for granted!
Lord,
Help us to see in your creation, the wonders of your creativity! May you also use them to remind us of the wonder of our being.
Amen.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Care for Creation - Franciscan Spirituality
I attended a very interesting session organised by the Franciscans on 'Care for Creation'. It was an introduction to a book club.. something similar to Oprah's book club. It was really heartening to hear from people on their views as well as listen to Fr. Clifford's explanations on Franciscan spirituality and how it embodies a very unique element of relating with nature and respecting nature.
I'm looking forward to reading this book and gaining some insights which I can hopefully share on this blog! If I'm not too lazy... :)
Just checked the price on amazon.com and it was cheaper! ;p
I'm looking forward to reading this book and gaining some insights which I can hopefully share on this blog! If I'm not too lazy... :)
Just checked the price on amazon.com and it was cheaper! ;p
Sunday, 9 November 2008
creature to Creator
I had the grace to experience a moment with my Creator. It occurred while I was having lunch during my silent retreat over the week. As I was drinking soup with my spoon, I had the feeling that I was being watched by someone up above. Instantly, I felt like a deer, drinking water from a stream. It felt really strange, to be for that moment, a simple creature, not thinking, not rationalising, just drinking soup with a spoon and enjoying the present. I could feel God smiling down on me, it was as if He was amused at me, pleased with my existence. I could understand then, what God meant, by saying that He is well-pleased with His creation. We as humans, we too create. I have created this blog, I create pictures and drawings, I create happiness in the lives of others, etc. But it is to this ultimate Creator-creature relationship that we are called to come back to after being creators in our own lives. To draw strength, to rest, to be renewed and directed by God to create His kingdom here on earth. It was truly a grace to experience my God in such a manner. To experience Him as my Creator, the One who knows me intimately, loves me deeply and constantly watching over me. Just like how we do our best and provide as much as we can to what we have created, so does God provide and care for us His creation.
Lord,
May I have the grace and openness of heart to accept you as my Creator and allow You to work Your spirit in me to care for your creation. Thank you for this experience of being aware, that You were smiling upon me, Your lowly creation. I'm happy to have been pleasing to You. Thank You.
:)
Lord,
May I have the grace and openness of heart to accept you as my Creator and allow You to work Your spirit in me to care for your creation. Thank you for this experience of being aware, that You were smiling upon me, Your lowly creation. I'm happy to have been pleasing to You. Thank You.
:)
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