💭 When Our Dreams Delay God’s Blessings

“I wish I hadn’t wasted three whole years chasing a life abroad. If I had just taken this job sooner, I’d be settled and at peace by now. Why didn’t God leads me to this earlier?”

These words weren’t said in anger but in a quiet heartbreak when you suddenly see how much time and energy was spent chasing what you thought was your calling but that never came to be.

He had grown up with a strong desire, almost a fixation, to settle abroad. For years, that dream defined his decisions, shaped his goals, and filtered every opportunity. Even when doors opened locally, he would find reasons to complain and walk away early. Or he’d choose roles that promised some distant hope of going abroad, though they never materialized into anything solid.

After a long stretch of job-hopping and then unemployment, he finally got the funds together and took the plunge believing his dream was finally within reach.

But then, life happened.

Things didn’t go as planned.

What looked like a shining promise turned into painful disillusionment.

Eventually, he returned disappointed, disoriented, and feeling defeated, with no job opportunities waiting for him here.

With his former dream shattered, he gave the new career oppurtunity that came his way his full heart and found joy, purpose, and unexpected blessings.

It wasn’t that God couldn't offer it earlier.

It’s that he wasn’t ready to receive it.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”

 -- Isaiah 55:8

God’s plan was never hidden. But sometimes, our own dreams are louder than His whisper. Our hearts are too full of what we want, to make room for what He knows is best.

Sometimes we must be emptied before we can be filled.

Sometimes we have to lose our vision before we can see clearly.

 “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

-- John 12:24

His time abroad wasn’t wasted. It was a necessary step to break the idol of a dream he clung to for years. It stripped away his resistance. It prepared his heart to finally say: “Yes, Lord. I trust Your way.”

God’s blessings were always waiting. But like the Israelites in the desert, he had to walk through a wilderness of his own making before entering the land God had prepared.

“And we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”

-- Romans 8:28

So if you’re in a season of regret, wondering why things didn’t happen earlier. Take a pause.

Ask: Was my heart even ready back then?

Could it be that what looks like a delay… was actually God’s mercy?

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.”

-- 1 Peter 5:6

Sometimes the blessing isn’t new.

Sometimes we are.

💗 From Dreading to Loving: Why Boxing People Limits God's Grace

You know those relationships?
The ones that just… chafe? The ones that leave you feeling irritated, frustrated, and maybe even a little hopeless. You find yourself thinking, “They’ve always been this way. They’re never going to change.” And you start to dread the next time you have to interact with them, replaying past hurts in your mind.

I was stuck in one of those cycles. I felt troubled by a situation for months and dreaded a future encounter, thinking I had this person all figured out. I had put them in a box, labeled them, and sealed the lid.

But then, as a little nudge from the Holy Spirit often comes, I stumbled upon a YouTube video from a channel called “Called to More.” And the speaker had this powerful insight that just stopped me in my tracks.

He talked about how this way of thinking and putting people into boxes is a serious trap. When we do this, we're not just limiting the person; we're limiting God and His grace. We're essentially saying, “God, I know this person, and I know what they are. Your grace, which is infinite and powerful, won't be enough to change them.”

Think about that for a second.
That's a huge thing to say! 

It's like we're letting our thinking get "calcified" and hardened, which in turn limits our own capacity to see people with hope, to believe in the transforming power of God's grace, and to see their hearts changing and growing.

Instead of loving them, we start to psychoanalyze them and we turn them into a problem to be solved rather than a person to be loved. And that’s a real temptation, isn’t it? It feels safer to put someone in a category than to open our hearts and be vulnerable to them.

But here’s the key takeaway he shared that really unlocked things for me: We have a free will, a heart, and an intellect, and we must put love first. 

Any generalization or categorization of a person must be put at the service of love. Why? Because as St. Paul tells us, 

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right” -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

I'm feeling a bit better now, and while I know fully embracing this person with an open heart is a long journey, I feel so much more equipped to handle it. 

I've started praying differently. I've been asking God to come into that relationship with me. I've asked Him to bless my strengths and to help me grow in love and appreciation for Him and others. I'm starting to see that this isn't about me "fixing" them; it’s about me loving them better, just as I’m called to do.

One thing I definitely need to stop is the overthinking and having those the mental boxing matches I’ve been having. I’m giving all of that to God now, trusting that His grace can do what my frustration and hopelessness cannot.

What about you? Have you ever felt the weight of boxing someone in your mind? How did you break free?

--

16 Aug 2025

🌿 The Assumption: A Reminder of the Dignity of Our Bodies

The Feast of the Assumption last Tuesday was truly special, wasn't it? 

As I sat in Mass, a thought from the homily really struck me, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. The priest was talking about Mary's Assumption, not just as her unique privilege, but as a powerful reminder of the dignity and purpose of our own bodies.

You see, we often tend to think of holiness as something purely "spiritual." We focus on prayer, our souls, and our relationship with God, sometimes forgetting that we are whole persons including both body and soul.

In God’s incredible plan, our bodies matter just as much as our souls. As St. Paul reminds us, 

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own" -- 1 Corinthians 6:19.

The Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory is the ultimate proof of this truth. It shows us that God's plan for salvation isn't just about saving our souls; it's about glorifying our bodies too.

While Mary's Assumption is a unique event in the New Testament, we see hints of this bodily glory throughout the Old Testament. The first is Enoch, who "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Then there's Moses; while the Bible doesn’t explicitly describe his assumption, Deuteronomy tells us "no one knows the place of his burial to this day" (Deuteronomy 34:6). Next, of course, is the dramatic account of Elijah, taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

But in the New Testament, our Catholic faith holds that Mary was the crowning glory of this pattern. She alone carried God Himself in her womb for nine months. Her "Yes" at the Annunciation wasn’t a one-time thing; it was a lifelong commitment that saw her through joy, sorrow, and even when standing at the foot of the Cross.

Because of this profound "yes," it wasn't just her soul that was holy; her body, too, was set apart. Her deep, constant communication with God, her unwavering obedience, and her pure love kept both soul and body perfectly aligned with His will. And so, at the end of her earthly life, she was taken into heaven —body and soul— a powerful sign of the resurrection to come for all of us who persevere in faith.

The Assumption should make us pause and ask ourselves some hard questions:

• Do I treat my body with the dignity God created it for?

• Do I honor it as His temple?

• Do I live in a way that prepares it for resurrection?

• Do I give the same respect to others bodies?

Mary’s Assumption isn’t just her story. It’s a glimpse of our future hope when Christ 

"will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself" -- Philippians 3:21

Until that day, let's live a wholehearted "Yes" to God, not just in our prayers and intentions, but in our everyday lives. This means treating our bodies with the dignity they deserve. We do this by making mindful choices about what we eat and drink, ensuring our bodies receive the nourishment they need to thrive. By the way we rest, and the lifestyle we cultivate so that intentionally, we prepare our whole being for the glorious future God has promised.

Price of Compassion

The other day, I came across a heartbreaking story of a fisherman who was arrested for selling meth to feed 30 stray animals he had grown to love.

At first glance, it sounds like something out of a twisted movie plot. 

Compassion turned crime. 

Love gone wrong. .

But it stirred something deep in me because compassion is powerful, but also... tricky.

When we love deeply, whether it is a child, a parent, an animal, or even a stranger, we feel this burning desire to do something, anything. And when we feel powerless or inadequate, that’s when we’re most vulnerable to temptation. Sometimes, we try to play God. We justify shortcuts. We say, “It’s for a good cause,” and turn a blind eye to the means.

But true compassion isn't reckless. It’s rooted in love and trust in God.

Two moments from Scripture came to mind.

The first is when Jesus saw the hungry crowd following Him. 

“He had compassion on them” --Mark 6:34. 

The disciples were ready to send the crowd away. But Jesus? He took five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and miraculously fed over 5,000 people—with 12 baskets of leftovers. (Matthew 14:13–21)

Compassion, partnered with faith, led to abundance.

The second is when Peter, upon meeting a beggar at the temple gate, didn’t hand him silver or gold. He didn’t say, “Let me find a quick way to help you.” Instead, he said:

“I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” -- Acts 3:6

And the man was healed.

That’s the heart of Christian compassion. It’s not always about fixing the problem ourselves. It’s about trusting that when we show up with love and prayer, God shows up with power.

Compassion isn’t meant to lead us into sin even when the reason feels noble. That’s a dangerous lie. Because when we step into sin “for a good cause,” we’re saying, God’s way isn’t enough. But the truth is, His way is always more than enough.

We don’t need to sell meth to feed strays. We can pray, share, rally others, and trust God to multiply our small efforts just like the loaves and fishes.

Let our compassion be the doorway, not to desperation, but to divine intervention.