St. Vincent de Paul - My Life's Inspiration

Today, 27 September 2021 is the Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul.

St. Vincent has inspired Catholics all over the world to serve the poor and the marginalized by his life and to live the Word of God, "Go, and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)

Let us be the change that our world need especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

We can still reach out to others no matter what our circumstances in life. If our heart is open to God as St. Vincent de Paul was, there is always an abundance of graces to love and act to help the poor and marginalized.

Whenever I feel down during the big upheaval in my life in this pandemic, I reflect on the inspiring quotes of Catholic Saints. St. Vincent’s words and his life often gives me a correct perspective on what should matter in my life–even when I do not know what lies ahead.

What I know is I will not give up or settle for second-best as my heart burns with great fire to live for Jesus. Hence, whatever will be God’s Plan for me, it will be to aspire to live what St. Vincent has exemplified in his life.

It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbour. I belong to God and to the poor."

–St. Vincent de Paul

It is difficult when life is in a flux, and I do not know what lies ahead. This pandemic and long period of isolation have showed that without Jesus, my life would be one of hopelessness and despair. When I ponder each day on the blessings in my life, I am so grateful for how Jesus is with me even when I go through bouts of uncertainty regarding God’s Plan for my life.

What I know is that I needed this time to recalibrate my life to live with joy and zeal for Jesus once again. To let go of all that had cluttered my life. It is only in August this year that I finally felt liberated to live as how I feel called by God. Not to what is being expected of me. What does God want of me? How do I do so with the Joy of our Lord? There are no immediate answers.

Life in Kuala Lumpur has blessed me. I have a great circle of loving Catholic friends whose faith are like bright burning lights of Christ in my life. So even if my light gets dimmed, their light will ensure mine brightens up again. This is the embodiment of our Catholic faith. We are a community of Christ and we are never alone. Ours is a living faith because Jesus is alive every single moment - in our past, our present and in our future!

The Word of God (Matthew 6:25-27) has always been one passage in the Bible that gives me great strength and hope:

“²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 

²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

(Matthew 6:25-27)

Some little every day joys are that I have cooked more this year than I have my entire life! Cooking was never a priority for me. Yet now, I truly enjoy cooking. I am learning to cook dishes that reminds me of my childhood and all the special occasions – my Mum’s cooking. I have even learnt to cook Kerala dishes now that I am out of India. I have tried my hand in baking recently too. And yes, my siblings and close friends have to view the pictures of my culinary adventures.

It has been very uplifting to read and reflect–both on spiritual and inspirational readings. I love reading and to rediscover it again is a special joy.

There is such a wealth of online talks and prayers by so many priests worldwide. I do not view many daily, but I do so as I am inspired each day - usually not over two spiritual talks.

My greatest treasure is the Holy Bible during my personal prayer time. It is my time with Jesus. The peace I feel in my heart is hard to explain. Every day, Jesus shows His Spirit can convey His message to me through the Bible, Holy Mass homily, daily rosary with a prayer group, YouTube videos, WhatsApp messages, social media and calls from friends.

St. Vincent de Paul was renowned for his compassion, humility and generosity. These qualities come when we open our hearts for Jesus in total surrender. It is not when we have wealth. Even when we have little material wealth, if we have “agape love” as our life’s principle, there is always an act of love or mercy that you and I can do.

An enduring memory I will always carry in my heart is the pure joy and love I have experienced among the poor in India. Often it made me reflect on the fact that when we have comfortable lives, we take it for granted and we want more. God must hear endless petitions of our “wants”. But have we really petitioned to Jesus for our actual needs? To have the gift of faith, compassion, holiness, Christian service, humility, true repentance, to be faithful to God–the list is endless. Our goal is to be in Heaven. It is not our job titles, life-savings or material wealth that will get us there. It is about how we live our lives with whatever we have for Love and Glory of our Lord, Jesus.

So let us not despair when the going is tough. Jesus is always with us. He has promised us. “Do not be afraid. I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:5)

I will forever be grateful to God for the Vincentian spirituality transforming my life from 14 February 1998 through the Vincentian Fathers of the Divine-Potta ministry in India. I guess I am a Vincentian in spirit.

The video at the top of this post, St. Vincent de Paul’s Inspiring Quotes 2021, is the first music reflection video I have done this year. I wish each of you and your loved ones a Blessed Feast Day!

BRENDAN PEREIRA: REMEMBERING GOD'S GRACE DURING COVID-19 RECOVERY

The Covid-9 pandemic has taken a toll on our world, our families and loved ones. In Malaysia it is rampaging out of control. Today, we went into a Mandatory Control Order nationwide until 14 June 2021. It has brought fear and anxiety for most of us. It has also become more personal than when it began last year. This year, a few weeks ago, the Divine-Potta ministry lost a much-loved priest to this virus which seems to have imprisoned people across the world. I will share on this in a later post.

Today, with great joy, I would like to share the personal written experience of a very close friend, Brendan and his wife, Kherk Ying when they were both hospitalized after testing positive despite following all the guidelines that we all have to live with now.

To have fear is not a sin. We are all humans. To overcome our fear and to let Jesus be in control is what we have to keep in our hearts.

Below is the heart-provoking testimony by Brendan Pereira of the tough 10 days he learnt to surrender it all to God. Brendan and Kherk Ying were discharged on his birthday. A blessed gift from God!

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I pray. I have faith. I think of God often. In recent years, I have become in every sense, a practising Catholic, someone proud that I belong to this wonderful umbrella of believers who follow the epitome of LOVE.

 

Catholics make up the bulk of my friends, and I am blessed to have the examples of holiness in my parents, my sisters, uncles, aunts and priests. 

Correction: I am beyond blessed.

And yet. And yet.

Yet when the Covid-19 curve ball struck my wife and I recently, I became unhinged. I went on a roller coaster of emotions.  It made me too anxious to be a disciple of Christ.

My encounter with the dastardly virus was mild in comparison to my wife who came down with pneumonia and had breathing difficulties. We admitted ourselves into hospital and her situation was tricky for a few days.

I have had time to reflect on our illness and the role faith and the prayers of others played in our episode. I think it can be broken up into 2 parts.

BEFORE ALLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT...

I called priests here and overseas, asking for prayers the minute we were admitted to hospital and it became obvious that this was not a Panadol illness. Just walking past the ICU and seeing patients in ventilators set off my worry meter.

Several priests prayed and gave such sound advice, selecting comforting passages from the Bible and reminding how Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. My sisters were pillars of faith, as always. So were my relatives.

But I couldn't shake off the desolation. The sounds of the hospital-the wailing from a nearby room and the Code Blue in the ICU and the different rhythm of Kherk Ying's breathing - disturbed my peace.

In short, the noises of the world shut out the Voice of the Lord.

Peace was elusive because I allowed fear, anxiety and every worst-case scenario to take control. I PRAYED BUT DIDN'T TRUST IN GOD. DIDN'T TRUST THAT HE IS IN CONTROL ALL THE TIME - and in every situation.

Must have been frustrating for God. Here I was pleading for His help but unwilling to receive His help.

But Our God is patient. He waits, and He will wait.

AFTER ALLOWING CHRIST TO TAKE CONTROL...

Peace only returned to my heart after four or five days in hospital, after I prayed for God to breathe His Spirit into me and into Kherk Ying's lungs as He did to the Apostles on the Pentecost.

I started thinking less of ifs and what ifs. I committed Kherk Ying to the Lord and asked God to guide the doctor who was treating us. My sister Yvette urged me to just focus on praising God. Sensible advice really because when we focus on the fount of goodness, faithfulness and might, there is less chance of being caught up with the slavery of the self.  Me, myself, my family and I

Looking back, I am embarrassed at how easily I lost trust in God when things went awry, how easily I allowed fear to envelope me,  how swiftly doubt took control. But that is the pride in me speaking.

Nothing worse than believing that you truly are a follower of Christ just because you pray, go to mass daily and do all the externals.

We live and learn to be better disciples every day, all the while appreciating that all things are only possible with His grace.

My wife and I are back home, grateful and so thankful to the army of believers who prayed for us with such faith and fervour. 

I am grateful to God for healing us and for teaching me about humility and what it means to surrender to His will.

When I look back at this episode, I see the Hand of God everywhere, from sending us to the right hospital at a time when beds are so scarce for Covid patients to the wonderful family, friends and strangers who became His agents of love and mercy.

May you all be blessed.

St Augustine was spot on.

"Lord, You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

So true. 

May we always remember God's goodness and faithfulness. May we always cling to and invite the Holy Trinity to take charge and never forget that we have recourse to our family in Nazareth.

We are beyond  blessed!

Brendan Pereira (Malaysia)

STORMING HEAVEN - COVID-19 TESTIMONY OF THE POWER OF HOLY NAME OF JESUS ( by Annie Heng, Malaysia)

The testimony below is of the amazing Power of the Holy Name of Jesus and the faith of loving family and friends. Annie Heng is a friend of mine, but I did not know of the great trial and miracles in her family's life until Annie shared her testimony with me this morning.

In Annie's own words, we rejoice and give thanks and praise to Jesus' miracles in her family.

Jeremy Yang and Annie Heng (2020)

My husband, Jeremy Yang was down with fever and throbbing headaches on 14 January 2021.  He went to see a doctor on 17 January, did the RTK-antigen Covid-19 test and the result was negative.  However, the symptoms persisted and another Covid-19 test using the RT-PCR method was done.  It confirmed our worst fears when the clinic called on 20 Jan to inform that he was Covid-19 positive.  

As advised by The Ministry of Health (MOH), my husband quarantined at home and managed the fever and headaches with paracetamol.   On 22 January evening, Jeremy had breathing difficulty.  We contacted MOH and asked to ring 999 for emergency help.  They connected us to the hospital and were told to send Jeremy to the hospital directly.

 On the evening of 25 January, Jeremy’s condition deteriorated.  The doctor called my son, Alvin, to inform that Jeremy was critical and there was no ventilator for him.  My heart sank when I received the news. I was lost and helpless.  I contacted my family and friends to pray.  That very night, the hospital called again to inform us that Jeremy was to be intubated and put on a ventilator! That was God’s intervention!  Praise God, Praise His Holy Name!

The next day, Jeremy’s condition was categorized as Stage 5, meaning most critical because of his age and underlying conditions, and there was a risk of mortality.  His lungs were very weak. My heart was very heavy as I prepared for the worst. Friends encouraged me not to lose hope but to continue praying.  

By now, many in our family, friends, priests and various prayer groups have been storming heaven for my husband.   We also sent petitions for prayers to the Vincentian Retreat Centres in Melbourne and Sydney. During this time I attended a 3-day online retreat, IN THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, organized by the Vincentian Retreat Centre in Melbourne. On 26 January 2021, Day 1 of the retreat, I cried out to Jesus with all my heart and soul to give Jeremy a second chance in life.  Many members of my family observed a day of fast for this intention.  On 27 January, Day 2 of the retreat, the heaviness in my heart disappeared and I experienced calmness and peace. 

At about 7.40 p.m. the same night, Alvin received a call from the hospital to inform us that Jeremy's ventilator was removed and he was breathing on his own! I could not believe the news and kept asking Alvin if he heard it correctly, as Jeremy was in critical condition just 3 days ago. I cried and kept thanking God with all my heart. That night we had a video call with Jeremy with the help of a nurse.  Seeing him alive was unbelievable, and I cannot stop praising and thanking Jesus for what He had done.   The following day, they moved Jeremy out of the ICU ward. He progressed well and they discharged Jeremy from the hospital on 1 February 2021.  

While Jeremy was recuperating, I asked him if he would like to follow my faith, and be a Catholic.  His response was an immediate "YES".  My joy is indescribable. May God’s Name be glorified!

This entire episode is indeed a miracle! United as an army of Christ, we stormed heaven together to save a soul. To all who have been part of this miracle, I pray you are blessed abundantly with Jesus' love, peace and joy. 

 

If you asked anything of me in my name, I will do it.

(John 4:14)

 

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

(John 11:40)

 

By Annie Heng 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

(03 February 2021)