Day 15 – Where is our Home Base?
Cantonese
Mandarin
English
Coming to his senses he thought, "How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger."
We have received from God countless gifts like our talents, time, and treasures. But instead of using them the way they are intended for, we have "squandered" our inheritance on selfish motives and interests. Without the source of all graces and providence on our side, every resource we have and every satisfaction dry up quickly, evaporating into nothingness, leaving us empty.
This emptiness and brokenness within us should eventually lead us to realize that our God is the only one we can turn to for healing and fulfilment. If we persist in digging deeper, we will begin to realize that we are made by and for God. Therefore, we are meant to be in a relationship with Him, which means we need to mend that broken relationship.
Either purposely or unintentionally, we are in search of our own identity — which we might loosely define as “who I am in the eyes of those around me”, or “how I define and differentiate myself”, or “how I should look and behave in front of others”.
If I base my identity on how I would like others to perceive me, I lose sight of my true identity in God"s eyes.
The only way we can find our true self is when we base our identity on our relationship with God, that we are our Heavenly Father's beloved sons and daughters. It assures us that our identity will never be changed or shaken — we are loved no matter what.
When that magic moment finally comes, our eyes will be open and we will realize that we are in our distant country. We will be surprised how far away we have been from the Father's House in a spiritual sense. The awareness of our true identity as children of God further awakens our senses that the one who loves us most is waiting for us to return to Him.
REFLECTION
What is your anchor in life?
TODAY'S PRAYER
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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當我遠離天主，迷失時，天主總會透過一些事，提醒我…..
主，祢是我人生的基石。我信靠祢和依賴祢。求你賜予我信望愛德，繼續走祢指示我的道路。亞孟。
今日禱告非常觸動我嘅情緒，正正講出我嘅現況。阿爸父，求祢派遣聖神，啟發我，帶領我繼續追隨你，繼續努力前行。
I have heard a saying that I would rather you hate a true me than love a false me. I want others to perceive me as a loving person, a devoted Catholic. However, if this is not coming out of love for our Heavenly Father, I would find myself easily burned out in pretending to be one. Even if I can deceive the whole world and even myself, I cannot deceive God. God made everyone unique with our different talents and I pray that I have the wisdom to fully utilize those in glorifying God.
I perceive myself, is not affected by what others see me nor how the world defines me.
My anchor in life is Jesus. He is my true anchor in my life.
感謝天主，光榮天主聖三！親愛的天父，多謝袮以不同的方式讓我一步一步回歸父家！【舊我】曾活在罪惡中，袮都沒有離開我或收回我的靈魂，反而一直看顧著我，給予我時間作反省及回到袮身邊。我的皈依完全依靠及依賴袮的無限仁慈和大愛。【新我】珍惜與袮的關係及繼續每天依賴你的恩寵為袮作證。讚美天主！
感謝今天的教導，我要學習「 以天主的眼光去看自己、別人及整個世界。 」如果能夠做到，我們的生活就會很輕鬆，就像耶穌吿訴我們的：「我的擔子是輕省的」。
然而，舊有的習慣卻會常常把我拉回到「假我」的生活態度，所以我要警醒，不斷的回歸，直到「真我」戰勝了假我，永活於天主，就是真幸福啦！
親愛的阿爸父：我會繼續划向心靈的深處，我會開始明白我們不單由祢所造，更是為祢而受造。因此我本來就應與祢有一份關係，這就是說我需要修補這份破裂了的是我要回皈祢。
親愛的天主父，求祢幫助我，保守我，助我修補祢和我的關係，在有生之年，能完祢交給我的使命。
盼望能善用主給予我的恩寵，與他人分享。
以上所求是因主基督之名，求主俯聽，亞孟
天主，求祢幫助我，就由這一刻開始，剔除舊我，派遣聖神臨到我心中，使我重生，與基督結合！
天主，我們感謝祢、讚美袮?
我的基石是家。年青時是原生家庭，結婚後是與丈夫組成的家；現在明白應以天父為我的基石。求主賜我繼續保持這明悟。亞孟。
活在今天的工作環境，別人怎樣看自己，似乎是必然會出現的關係。尤其近幾十年，無論從事商界也好，教育界也好，「衡功量值」已成了工作評估，職位升遷的指標。因此，自己的工作表現，往往成了別人眼中的量度器。不幸的是，不少人為了搏取晉升，竟會為了討好上司而作出違背良心的事情，甚至更嚴重的，會出賣自己的良知，背棄天主的誡命！真是可悲、可怕、可惜！
《蕩子的比喻》中的小兒，正是面對這種境況，當他後悔自己的作為時，想回到父家，卻擔心父親的反應，恐怕得不到父親的原諒。
其實，筆者也曾犯上了這種毛病，每當想辦「修和聖事」前，就會如同小兒的思緒，內心不斷掙扎，天父會否真的寬恕自己？當然，天上的慈父定必藉神父的手，和教會的服務，寬恕罪過，賜予平安！
慈悲的上主，祢既知我們軟弱，更願意接納和赦免我們的罪過。請賜予我們一顆開放的心，願意接納自己，因為祢早已愛了我們。
很好的反省。恭喜。
現在是行動, 返回父家, 到天父面前, 行個好好的修和聖事的時候了。
我生命的基石是誠心學似基督去行善愛大地，去關社宣和平。?♂️
我們的天父，请幫助我時刻更加信靠您，感恩有您同行，多谢我的主。