Mindful living

At the Novena this morning, Fr Vincent Low was so right. We ought to live with gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts each day, because we are so blessed. We ought too to have a heart for many others who do not have what we have been blessed with, and he reminded us of the many who are sick, lonely, depressed and even suicidal. There was a gentle reminder too to pray for others and not just for ourselves. How very true!

 Clearing some old stuff, I saw a little note that I had written to a friend on Sunday afternoon on 23 October 2005. My friend had gone overseas and met up with a friend of ours, a nun who had given her life to the Lord, to work amongst the poor in Kenya. Having had the chance to go there on three occasions before and having had the privilege of being acquainted with this nun, we had established a friendship in some ways. So it was on this occasion, when my friend from Singapore returned from Africa that she had kindly brought a letter from the nun to me. Below is a picture of two nuns, and the one closer to the children is Sr Esther. They were demonstrating to us how one could remove mud from one’s shoes. One simply tried to scrape the mud off using the metal piece fixed permanently in the soil.

Needless to say, I was delighted. I read her letter written in her large handwriting and it seemed I could see her broad smile and even hear her call my name in her own special way. But we are not masters of our future. We have little say. That is why our Lord reminds us again and again not to worry and not to fret. Today has enough troubles of its own. Tomorrow is another day. What we ought to do is to live in the present,  mindful of each passing moment with the blessings that come to us so freely from our Lord.

The following is from the note I wrote to my friend in Singapore:

“Hi, still cannot get over the shock of Sr Esther’s death. Did you meet her? I was thinking of giving her a long reply…learnt a lesson…no need to worry about anything too far ahead. God takes care of everything. Sr Esther was always concerned about her high blood pressure….Praise the Lord!”

Yes, the nun (may she rest in peace) was often concerned about her health. She never failed to ask me to pray for her health to improve. But what happened? She walked out one day on an errand and was promptly killed on the road by a speeding vehicle.

What more can I say? Her sudden death was a loss to us all. At the same time, we accepted the fact that she had gone home to the Lord. She had given her life to serve the Lord in a mission field not at all easy for anyone. When several of us went over to Kenya, she would serve us cheerfully too. Yes, I shall remember her – a joyful and kind woman who loved the Lord and who served the sick patients in the hospital with love. I shall remember too the wonderful French toast she would prepare for our breakfast each time we went to visit her.  And I shall never forget how we all took part in the Eucharistic celebration at her convent with many of the other nuns from India. How we had laughed and shared our days together! Just look at the photo above, and see how cheerfully she smiles!

Truly this year, like all the other years before, I have been richly blessed. May I grow in my faith and know that the Lord who provides so abundantly can never be outdone in generosity. If I think that I have been generous, let me also remember that I am but a useless servant doing what is required of me. If I think that I have been kind, let  me remember that it is only so by the grace of God. On my own, I can do nothing good. Praise God!

Eternal rest grant unto Sr Esther, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace!

Teddy bear from East Germany

East German teddy bear received in 1968!

This little toy has sentimental value. Just two days ago, I took it up and held it in my hands. It was a gift I had received for my 15th birthday, and it had been sent all the way from East Germany by a pen friend named Karl Ulbricht. Sometimes I am just amazed at some of the things I have from the past. Strange indeed….for I am no longer that young 15 year old adolescent but a woman in her autumn years. Praise God!

What I wish to say is really that self-knowlege is important and that it should send me scurrying to do something about it. I was giving another toy, a bear from Harrods, to a three year old child, and I was deciding if I should part with my East German teddy bear as well. No, I did not. The child might not appreciate its value, I reasoned. A more pertinent question might be: Am I still clinging on to all that only takes up space but  does nothing for me in my spiritual journey? I still cannot part with an old gift received ages ago. This speaks volumes about my need to ‘work’ harder at detachment, doesn’t it?

I have to quickly add here that apart from our Lord, I can do nothing on my own. On Him alone do I need to rely and to Him alone must I turn to seek the grace of total detachment. The question I could ask myself, perhaps, is : Will my teddy bear, or for that matter, any clutter including memories, take me to heaven? In other words, I have no need to complicate my life with all that is seemingly redundant. Thank God for the little teddy bear from Germany. It has given me some food for thought. . . Praise God! And now that the last day of the year 2011 has arrived, may I find the grace to remove all clutter. Dear Lord, help me!

 

We adore you Lord Jesus Christ

How often have adults thought that children cannot remain still to adore the Eucharistic Lord?

Come February 2012, Fr Antoine will again be in Singapore to conduct a retreat and to have time to adore the Eucharistic Lord with both the young and the old. More and more parishes are starting such sessions of adoration. One begins and with the grace of God, one continues. A time comes when not to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for even a day makes one feel as if something is not right. Indeed, He beckons and when you answer, He gives you the joy of being with Him. Good friends need not speak very much. Just go. Just look at Him. Adore Him. Most of all, love Him.

In one of my retreats several years ago, I was contemplating on the Nativity scene using the Gospel of St Luke. There at the manger, I saw the King of kings and the Lord of lords. What came to me then was the way our God has chosen freely to come as a vulnerable Baby. He need not have done that but He did. He remains today in the Eucharist, equally vulnerable, allowing us to do with Him as we want to. . . The humility of our God!

Thank God then for  our Archbishop Nicholas Chia who made it possible for us to go and adore the good Lord in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel. I once visited such a place in India, and I must say that it was packed. Praise God! It was packed with adorers. People were praying. People were just there to be with the Lord. For myself with my group of friends, I was most reluctant to leave. The peace experienced remains in my memory. . .

In silent adoration

Where we usually have our evening Mass

One of the most outstanding and conspicuous changes seen recently in Seven Fountains are all found in the chapels where the Blessed Sacrament remains. These photographs show the chapels in Block 3 where we stayed and in Block 2 where we celebrated the Eucharist on weekdays in the evenings at six. I heard that it was Fr Olivier who had improved on the layout and seen to the new arrangements. Fr. has certainly done a wonderful job with his keen eye for details.  He has shown sensitivity to the lovely surroundings and has  taken advantage of the exterior of the chapels where big old trees, bamboo plants and shrubs thrive. One can see how the natural lighting comes in through the glass windows where our Lady’s statue is, in one of the photographs. Indeed, this allows one to enjoy in God’s presence all that He has so lovingly given us. All around there are signs of life – and we can include the mosquitoes( they keep much to themselves), the birds, the butterflies, the bees, the squirrels, the spiders . . .

I recall how, years ago,  one of my friends was asked to pray in the garden. She was told to just take a slow walk and admire and enjoy all that she saw. She was told to give thanks and praise to God. Such a prayer may come naturally to some of us, but for many in this busy-busy-busy world, to pray where one is may not come easily. If it did, imagine how easy it would be for each to be praying unceasingly – on the way to work, in a crowded train, in a noisy market place, in a modern shopping centre, amidst the noise of people laughing, shouting, singing. . . Far too many of us rush through the day without enjoying the sights and the sounds that begin as soon as dawn breaks. We are caught up in the noise around us and within us. We are too distracted and we easily forget the Presence of our God dwelling within us.

At Seven Fountains, the day comes to life early. I always hear the chirping and the singing of the birds; and it is hard to contain one’s joy when the birds are singing so sweetly. (Would you believe that there are more than a hundred different species? I have forgotten the actual number but experts have come and listened to these songs and classified them under the different species of birds. How marvellous!)

Fr Olivier faithfully prays the rosary each afternoon

There is also always the sound of a faithful worker sweeping the leaves in the grounds of the Spirituality Centre. It led me to a meditation on a particular subject on one occasion. It is easy to pray in a place charged with love and sacrifices, endued with power from on high. It is truly a place to thank God for!

Back to the Chapels,  favourite haunts with retreatants. They are  open all the time and one can be there at any hour. This reminds me of a time when I was busy collecting photographs of chapels I had personally visited. I have looked at each one and marvelled at the ingenuity of man. Yes, it is right that we use our God-given talents to put to good use and create places for prayer and adoration of our Lord. There are so many artistically crafted tabernacles and so many splendidly renovated chapels in the world! Praise God!

Finally, I wish to say that Seven Fountains, one will discover,  is like a whole world by itself. Outside of the grounds, there is a busy road with shops and people and traffic rushing by at all times. Should one go out of the gates, one is immediately confronted by the hustle and bustle of life. But simply make a turn, enter through the gates of Seven Fountains and you will at once find yourself in a different place. It is amazing but true. The whole place has a beautiful ambience, one of silence, one of praise and one of gratitude for our God. He is truly present! Praise Him!

The humility of God

It is a quiet Christmas for me. This is no problem. There is time for reflection, time to muse over this issue and that, and time to contact friends one hardly ever finds opportunities for on ordinary days, so to speak. I saw two different cribs on both days this weekend, and I recalled how St Francis was blessed with the grace to have a crib prepared on his last Christmas on earth. Something beautiful happened. Apparently, he had the grace to lift up the Christ Child from the manger. True story or just some pious tale? It does not really matter  for now.

What matters is the fact that Emmanuel did come. Emmanuel has remained. He will be with us till the end of time. He came with a mission, and He fulfilled it perfectly. Christ Jesus, Saviour of the Lord, you are worthy to be praised! We adore you! We thank you! We bless your holy Name!

A journal entry I made on 11 December 2004 will always be relevant: the great entry of the Christ Child in a most humble way to bring salvation to mankind. We were entering the third week of Advent when such thoughts filled my mind that evening after I had reviewed the days already spent on retreat with Fr Iker.

One cold winter night, a long long time ago, the joyous cry of a Baby was heard.

It was the cry of our Saviour, God made man.

He came to save us from our sins.

He came to set us free.

He came to redeem us.

He paid the price.

He paid the ransom.

He paid it fully for you and for me.

That cold night the world rejoiced.

All creatures big and small started to dance.

It was a dance of joy.

It was a dance of love.

The entire cosmos danced in delight.

Who could have thought of such a plan?

Who could have made it possible?

Praise the Almighty who in his glorious power came as a Babe to set us free.

Alleluia!

That cold winter night, the Lord of the earth came in all his glory.

He came and he sang his song of love.

He called out to you and to me.

He wants so much even now to call out to the whole world.

You who have not heard his invitation, come!

You who have not experienced the glory of his coming, do not hesitate, do not delay!

There is no better time than now.

There is no better time than this night to receive him into your heart.

O Lord, my prayer is for everyone in this whole wide world to make room for you, to make room for you.

Let us create space for our God.

Let us welcome our King!

Jesus, Saviour, Lord of Heaven and Earth, look not on our evil ways but save us from eternal damnation.

Hell is not a place of make belief.

Hell is for real.

Hell is where you are absent and when we do not heed your call, we put ourselves in Hell.

Lord, save the many still deaf to your call.

Reach out to those hungry for the truth.

How can it be that your love so beautiful continues to be rejected?

Dear Lord, hasten and do not delay.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Come and set captives free!

Come and liberate us!

May our Lady pray for us.

Amen.

Christmas – Jesus is the reason for the season

The evening mass in which the children served so well was packed at the Church which I went to, and I thank God for the grace to be able to clap, to sing along and to be child-like myself. As the priest so rightly said, we are all children of God. I was happy to sing along and to find that the spirit of Christmas – one of joy and friendship and peace and of course, love – was so prevalent. I noticed many visitors. One family sitting next to me had come from Australia, and of course, I know that the Catholic Church is the universal Church. It makes my  heart so warm to know that all over the world the Eucharist for Christmas is being celebrated. All over the world, there is rejoicing because our Saviour has come. Christ the Lord is in our midst!

I am also thinking of other categories of people. One category mentioned in the homily this evening belonged to those who have not followed the right star, and have somehow gone astray. Welcome back, and do stay! I certainly believe that the grace of the season of good will and cheer can and will lead many to come home to the faith. The world out there can be scary. Why stay out when the Light of the world has already come?

This night too I am thinking of lonely people who have no one to exchange the greetings of the season. Just this morning I spoke to someone who wanted to  know how she could spend Christmas all by herself since her family members would not stay too long with her. My suggestion was that she could spend it with the Holy Family. Indeed, to have silence and solitude is a blessing as well.

Go, and hasten to visit the Holy Family. Go and pay homage to the Christ Child. Go and adore the One who has come to save us. Speak to Him who has first loved you. Tell Him how much you appreciate His coming and how much you long to grow closer to Him in your relationship with Him. This is the only relationship that must take priority over all others.

Go and hurry to where our Blessed Mother is. She gazes upon her Child, the Son of God, and loves Him totally. Allow her to teach you how to love her Son and should she carry the Child and desire to let you hold Him in your arms, be sure you remember to thank her. Be quick to hold Him close to your chest and as you do so, won’t you just kiss your God?

St Joseph is there too, and he will be so happy when he sees you. Tell him how much you appreciate what he has been doing and tell him to pray for you.

Oh yes, there is much one can do on a special visit to the Holy Family. My Lord and my God! One could really spend a whole life time just meditating and contemplating on the mystery of the Christ event. God comes to earth in all humility. God makes Himself so small so we may not be afraid to go to Him. A mystery, indeed…

Take time, my friend, to ponder….Learn from our Lady!

The Gift of Jesus to mankind

We have heard of the coming of Christ that first Christmas night. He came as a humble babe, hidden in a manger with Mary and Joseph,  and the shepherds who responded to the glorious news given by angels. Jesus remains  with us and now comes to us in humility, hidden under the form of bread and wine, within the household of God, giving himself to his sheep—those who have responded to the saving message of the Gospel. This gift of the Son is why we can call God our Father. It is also why we acknowledge, as did the prophet Isaiah, our desperate need to be molded and shaped by the loving hands of the Creator: “Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.”

I could not pray with my tears and still colour this picture, but here it is.

In my latest Advent retreat with Fr Erbin Fernandez and some catechists, I was deeply moved on that  third Sunday morning of Advent. My fellow catechists and I were all engrossed with our own quiet time, and it was in those hours of prayer and meditation that I relished once more the best Gift of all in my life, and in the lives of all who have come to receive the Saviour of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ. In my heart the Spirit had moved me to hear the song familiar to so many children all over the world…’Happy Birthday Jesus’ and as the song was singing in my heart, I was just overcome by tears of consolation and gratitude. What a Gift the Father has given to mankind! When we have truly received this Gift, we will experience the joy of the saints and know  that all else pales, that nothing is more precious than this wondrous Gift of the Christ Child.

Thousands of children all over the world sing this birthday song, and I join in with my voice, trembling with emotion for it is the only Gift I ever need and want – Christ the Light of the world, the one who came to bring me out of darkness into his own wonderful light, the one whom I desire to follow all the days of my life!

Our Lord Jesus Christ will one day come again in power and glory, to judge the living and the dead. Everyone will face judgment; every deed will be revealed. Even now, St. Augustine reminds us,  our Lord  does not keep silent, if there is anyone to listen. He longs for us to bring the Good News to the poor and our Lord will certainly not keep silent when he comes at the final judgment—“because his voice will be acknowledged even by those who despise it.”

This Christmas, as we prepare our hearts to receive Jesus, the Gift of the Father, may we ask that God give us the grace to make His Beloved Son known to those who are still in the dark. With hearts of gratitude and with loud voices, may we all sing this song with children of the world:

Happy Birthday Jesus

I’m so glad it’s Christmas

All the tinsel and lights

And the presents are nice

But the real gift is you

Happy Birthday Jesus

I’m so glad it’s Christmas

All the carols and bells

Make the holiday swell

And it’s all about you

Happy Birthday Jesus

Jesus I love you

I wish all of you a beautiful, blessed and holy Christmas and a grand New Year in 2012!

We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ

We are in the season of Advent, and all over the world priests in the Catholic Church are hearing confessions and ministering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thank God for the gift of priests.

I wish to think of one particular priest who has a love for not only the Eucharistic Lord but also bringing children to Him. Since his arrival in Singapore last year in April, more parishes have started Eucharistic adoration for children and young adults. Rightly so, for our Lord deserves all our praises, honour, devotion, adoration, thanksgiving….He deserves all this and more. Poor creatures we are, and we can only give Him our hearts and endeavour with His grace to love Him and serve Him.

As I was saying, it was on  19 April 2010 that we had the joy of listening to a religious priest, Fr Antoine Thomas, and this year he was with us again to speak to our young adults.

I remember Bishop Su who always said that the best therapy was Eucharistic adoration. One needs no appointment with God Almighty. In His goodness, He remains with us and delights in listening to us. May we find time to sit in silence before Him. Once you discover the joy, you will never want to spend a single day without visiting Him, our dearest Lord Jesus.

Notes made during a homily on 19 April 2010 by Fr Antoine Thomas on the priesthood:

Why did Jesus want mediators on earth? Is He not the only mediator? Protestants tell us that there is only one Mediator – Jesus Christ. Yes, the sacrament of the Eucharist is what makes the Church. Without priests, there is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist, there is no Church. You will have some people opening the Bible and reading but without any direction. In Chapter 6 of St John’s Gospel, we see the feeding of thousands with only five loaves and two fish. Jesus was testing his future priests. Yes, the first seminarians were the twelve apostles and also the first twelve religious. Jesus was educating his first priests on the level of the Eucharist, the sacrament of our faith, on the Eucharist being the sacrament of our hope and the Eucharist is given to feed our love. It is the sacrament of our faith, our hope and our love.

Faith? Why? What must we do to fulfill the will of God? Don’t look at me. When we have many miracles taking place, we will have to build mega churches. So do we see Jesus as He is or do we see the gifts He offers? Do we follow Him because of the gifts? Is it because He satisfies our needs and our requests? Is He at our service or are we at His service? Priests do not run parishes for themselves. The priesthood is not a job. It is a mission. Priests are sent by Jesus to do what Jesus Himself did. Jesus governed. He gave directions. He told the disciples to go and baptise and to teach. He also told them to go and sanctify.

Priests cannot be substituted. They are not to do everything. Priests are to lead us to desire and to love Jesus. St Therese of the Child Jesus said that she wanted to know God and to love Him in order to make Him known and to make Him loved. To love is to pray, and to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament is good. Priests give us the Presence of Jesus. Now I am giving you a few lights in my preaching. Later, Fr Andrew and I will give you the Presence of Jesus. The most substantial is calling the Holy Spirit, pronouncing the words as only priests can, and this is a mystery. St John Vianney said that if we could see the soul of a priest, we would die not out of fright but out of love.

In the teaching of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, we see the apostles thinking to themselves how little they have and how they have only sufficient for themselves. With only five loaves and two fish, they suggest that Jesus send the crowd away but Jesus told them to give themselves for the people to eat.

This is the mission of the priest. It is not to organise pilgrimages which is really secondary. What Jesus has asked of his priests is that they teach, preach, transmit the lights and allow people to contemplate the mysteries. It is to help a priest to preach and to act on what we have understood. I need to change something in my life if Jesus tells me to do so. I cannot wait till next year but must do it this very day. If I do not do so, I may die tonight and so it is better to change now.

Faith is a trial and a test each day. Jesus, I know you are here in the Blessed Sacrament but you are not very talkative. Once I had a time to adore the Lord with many children. I asked the children if they would like to hear Jesus speaking to them right then. Probably you have never heard or seen a host that speaks. I told the children that Jesus was going to speak words of love to them in two minutes. The children were to close their eyes and say “Jesus, I’m listening.”

In a different voice, I read from the Bible: “As the Father has loved me so I have loved you. Love one another as I have loved you.” Did you hear Jesus speak, children? One of the children said, “It is you, Fr Antoine!”

Yes, we don’t hear Jesus. He is very quiet but in a different form. On the Cross for three hours, He did not talk much. When you are suffering you don’t talk but your suffering makes you pray with a cry. Jesus spoke only seven words. Why the Eucharist? He died for our sins. You are all here because you believe. If not, you should be in front of a television set watching and eating a hamburger.

We want the experience of the Virgin Mary and St John. We want to be at the foot of the Cross when Jesus gave us His life. When we come to Mass, we can be with Mary who is invisibly present. Our Mother is here. Live the mystery of the Mass as she did and ask her: Mother, how did you stand for three hours at the foot of the Cross? Jesus says to us: I’m with you always, yes, till the end of time.” He is with us in the Eucharist. Also, it is said that where two or three are gathered in His name, we have His real Presence. John’s Gospel says that Jesus and the Father will come and make their abode in us. My Father and I are one.

In the Eucharist Jesus is substantially present. More than 140 Eucharistic miracles have happened because so many people do not believe. Jesus did not say that His Body and His Blood are represented by the bread and wine. He did not say that they are symbols. No, we must not twist the words of God. It is the devil who does that, and the devil did that to Eve. Jesus is truly present. Can I offer one hour a week in silence before the Blessed Sacrament? How about twice a week, half an hour each time? Or how about four times a week for fifteen minutes each time? Hope will skyrocket. He does not abandon us. We bring our sins, our problems to Him. We are called to love our enemies.

An act of faith is an act of hope. It is also an act of love. There is no need to feel anything. Blessed are those who do not have to feel in order to believe. After Holy Communion, our body becomes a tabernacle. We are with Jesus, just like the Virgin Mary after the angel had left her and she had become pregnant. Is Jesus now more present in us after Holy Communion or more present in our Lady? We have the same dignity. We have the same gift. After you have received Holy Communion, take time to thank God a hundred times or a thousand times. Thank you Jesus for giving me the greatest gift you can ever give us – Yourself. Amen.

For those of you interested to find out more about the community that Fr Antoine belongs to, visit www.communityofstjohn.com

I wish you could have seen the love with which Fr Antoine prays before the Blessed Sacrament. It is so inspiring!

The Amaryllis

Fr Olivier

This is Fr Olivier, the wonderful priest who guided us in our recent retreat. See the joy with which he smiles… and his joy was so infectious that we were all likewise delighted to be with him each day, first for our input in the morning and later in our individual sessions with him. What I must add is that Fr Olivier had a huge bulb and from that bulb were many big bright red flowers – the Amaryllis which I love!

A friend, knowing my love for this attractive  flower, sent me a reflection once for Lent.  Here goes…

It is an act of faith to plant an amaryllis bulb in the dead of winter.  As the harsh cold of the season rules, the brown bulb lies dormant in its pot.  For weeks, the pot appears empty – but the faithful plant knows better.  There is promise under the soil.  The planter waters and feeds the barren earth regularly and repositions the pot to catch the greatest amount of spare winter light.  The planter watches and waits.

And then, when even the ever-hopeful planter is not looking, the first shoot breaks the soil.  And every Lenten day it shoots forth a few centimeters of hope.  Soon a stalk, big and strong enough, forms.  And by Easter, red trumpets announce the first Alleluias of spring.

The amaryllis mirrors the hope of this Lenten springtime:

that  love can spring forth and blossom in the midst of apparent barrenness,

that there is reason to hope in the midst of despair,

that light will rise at dawn to shatter our overwhelming sense of darkness and sadness.

The Risen One promises us that the seeds of joy, trust and community that we plant in the hardest of soil and nature in the coldest of winters will take root and blossom and yield a miraculous harvest.

Gracious God, giver of all life, plant the seed of your Word within us.  During the Lenten season, may that Word take root in our hearts, that we may realize the harvest of your joy and mercy in every place and season.

 If you had only seen the bulb with the flowers that Fr Olivier had….huge flowers, and if you were to watch them each day, you could almost see them blooming before your very eyes. Amazing!

Just look at these flowers!

Here I show you the first Amaryllis I got some years ago. I was so fascinated by it that I literally watched it growing before my eyes. Each day I would exclaim with joy the new bloom that came forth. It was such a delight! Out of the small bulb came nine flowers. Just drink that in!

Remembering Fr Iker

In our recent visit to Seven Fountains, one of the retreatants with me said that she ‘saw’ Fr Iker in his office. Of course, it was not Fr Iker, but she wanted to let us know how much Fr Iker had helped her and how much she remembered the times they had spent together seeking the Lord and His will. I will never forget this priest, someone who had spent so many years directing souls to Christ through his priestly duties. He impressed upon me the necessity to seek a close relationship with the Lord and to put that as top priority; all else pales… and so many seminarians, and even priests themselves, will recall what Fr Iker was for them.

When we get together to share, it is almost inevitable that we will recall fondly all the wonderful memories we shared with him.God provides. He provides always, wonderfuly and abundantly! Here I wish to recall how those of us who knew Fr Iker wanted so much to visit him when we heard that he was unwell. For me I too had the grace to go to Seven Fountains to spend a few days with him.  Here, I share some letters that were exchanged. They reflect thoughts within each of us, and the marvels God does for us all the time – to be able to seek and to do His will. Yes, we are in good hands. Our God is good all the time!

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Dearest Iker, I want you to know how much I have enjoyed my time with you…not just this time but all the previous times as well.Thank you for your friendship which I cherish and will remember as being God’s gift to me. How could we have met if He had not made all the arrangements? So, praise the Lord! Jo

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Dearest Helene, it was with deep gratitude that I thanked our Lord for the five nights at Seven Fountains. It was both a beautiful and enriching experience. I saw so many things for myself, and I am glad to have been there to witness them:

There is so much love in Fr Iker and I saw all that in him in spite of the difficult situation he was in. He smiled so often and with so much love. At one point one morning when you were at work,he asked me why I was so quiet.We were just talking and sitting in the sun.  I told him that silence is also a language and that I felt comfortable in his presence.He agreed with me quite happily.

I saw the love between you and him and I thanked God for the true joys of friendship, one that is spiritual and which enriches the lives of all who are a part of it, and of course, I am blessed to be included! How true it is that we can do so little for another who has brought us much more than we can ever imagine. Fr Iker has been one of the most precious gifts of God to me. Without him, I would not have met you and I would not have made all those retreats or joined the consecrated life. As you continue to spend time with Fr Iker, know that I join you in the spirit. God bless! Jo

Monday, April 17, 2006  Subject: Thanks and Happy Easter!

Dear Jo, Lots of thanks for your best wishes for Easter.  Hope that the Lord has blessed you abundantly, specially in your weekend retreat at St. Ignatius!    Here things go on as usual, as the doctor predicted, “some days better, some days worse”…  Part of life, right?  You continue keeping me in your prayers, as I do keep you in mine!  In a day or two I begin my first retreat after all these weeks of retirement…  Keep the retreat in your prayers.  It is the beginning of a few more, coming in the next months. Nothing special around here.  As Helene has probably told you, the cancer count goes better, going down steadily.  Pray that it continues and that it means well, getting healthier and stronger.  Of course, as you know, all in the hands of the Lord, right?…. Nothing more for the moment.  A big hug and much love, Iker

So, Fr Iker worked faithfully to the end. I recall a visiting priest who was one of the few persons to have had the chance of making a retreat with Fr Iker. He was dying, but he lived each day joyfully, trustingly. It is no wonder that I never tire of remembering him. He has taught me how to live! May we continue to cherish the good friends we have with us. One consoling thought: one day, we will all meet again, and there we will sing forever the praises of God Almighty. Thank you, Lord!

Here then is further testimony of the kind of priest Fr Iker was. With much fondness and with gratitude, may we read, reflect and rejoice! Thank you, Lord!

HOMILY of Father Paul Pollock, S.J., Regional Superior of the Thailand Region at the Funeral Mass for Father Iker Villanueva S.J.

Monday, 14 August 2006, Chapel of the Seven Fountains, Chiangmai

If we were to ask Father Iker, “ What should we preach about today?” he would probably answer “Anything except me!”  I will try to be somewhat obedient, but not one hundred percent. There is a Thai saying, “Rak kan muan phi; ti kan muan nong,” which, roughly translated, can mean “Loving and respecting like the elder brother, still fighting like the younger brother.”  He loved many people and many people loved him. And what is strange is that if you asked people who knew him well, each one had the feeling that Fr Iker loved them specially, that for Fr Iker, they were somebody truly special. And they were right! He had a charism for getting in touch with people, in getting close to people, well and truly. Loving and respecting like the elder brother.

But he could also make it clear when he disagreed with you. Many people were a bit afraid of him. He spoke in a very straightforward way. If you ever made a retreat with him, or came to him for counseling, he “ao jing ao jang”- he took things seriously. Many seminarians have been known to say, “Go make a retreat with Father Villa: it’s difficult; a bit scary, but it always gets results!” “Still fighting like the younger brother.”

When Father Iker died last Thursday, he was 79 years old. He had been a member of the Society of Jesus for 62 of those 79 years. He had entered the Jesuits at 18 years of age. Father worked in Thailand for 44 years. What did he do for those 44 years? If we made a complete list of everything he accomplished, it would a) take a very long time, and b) make him feel very embarrassed.

Twelve years ago, when Father was celebrating his Golden Jubilee as a member of the Society of Jesus – he wanted it to be celebrated only with his Jesuit brothers-, Father Peter- Hans Kolvenbach, the society’s Father General, sent him a letter . Father General summarized in just a few sentences what we all knew Father Iker had been doing : “During your many years in Thailand, you have been called upon to undertake many services for the Church and the Society, a range of works that attests to your high caliber, your abilities and your availability. Your assignments as minister of Xavier Hall, Chaplain to the Catholic university students, local Superior, Master of Novices, and Regional Superior, attest to the trust that the Society has always placed in you. Your excellent and much- appreciated work in directing so many people through the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius has been, and continues to be, a most needed contribution to the development of a strong and deep spiritual life in the Church in Thailand . You have made many sacrifices in following Christ as a Jesuit. But the Lord, who has called us together to be His companions, has always been with you.”

If we have to speculate about what motivated Father Iker during the 62 years that he was a Jesuit, we can consider the three Jesuits whom he admired most and who had the greatest influence over his life. The first, not surprisingly, is St Ignatius of Loyola. Father Iker imbibed the spirit of Ignatius and it became his life. The second is St Francis Xavier. Those of you who have been in Father’s office will remember having seen the picture of Christ Crucified, from Xavier Castle, in Navarre , Spain . Before this Crucifix, St Francis prayed from childhood through to adulthood . Before this same image, Father Iker prayed, as a youth, in middle age, and in his old age. The third among these great Jesuits is Father Pedro Arrupe, the previous Father General. Father Arrupe was General during the first half of Father Iker’s life in Thailand , while he was Regional Superior and Master of Novices. Father Arrupe and Father Iker met many times and knew each other personally. My brother Jesuits here will remember well Father Iker’s emotion-filled talk a few years ago about the life and death of Father Arrupe. A few years before his death, a reporter interviewed Father Arrupe and asked him directly :”You are getting older now. Are you afraid of death?” Father Arrupe responded enthusiastically:” Afraid? It’s what  I’ve been waiting for. It is Christ.”

A prayer that Father Arrupe wrote, and that was read out at the Congregation that elected Father Kolvenbach after Arrupe’s resignation, went “More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference : the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God’s hands”.

Everyone who met Father Iker during these past few months has been astounded at his peacefulness and his serenity. When I saw him him for the last time two weeks ago, we were discussing a possible trip back to Spain, to say goodbye to his family, and every time we agreed on conditions – the doctor’s approval, the state of his health- each time he would point upwards and say, “Whatever He finally decides…”

And the Lord decided that Father Iker would die here in our midst and give all of us the opportunity to come together today, to mourn, surely, but also to praise a life lived so successfully.

And part of our joy in this Mass is found in the words which we can be confident that Jesus Christ said to Father Iker when they met face to face last Thursday, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”