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Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
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February 25, 2010
"Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mold you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mold you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.
In English, the season of Lent is called "Lent," a word that also carries the meaning of "spring." Lent, situated at the transition from winter to spring, is literally a time to prepare for the "spring" of our souls. But how can we prepare for this spiritual spring? The Blessed Mother shows us the way: by opening our hearts to the Creator God. The heart is the center of human existence. Therefore, opening our hearts to the Creator God means opening our entire being, our whole life, to Him. It also means entrusting ourselves completely to God, just as an infant fully relies on its mother.
What happens when we open our hearts to the Creator God? Now, the leadership of our lives no longer belongs to us but entirely to God, who enters our hearts and takes the lead. As the Blessed Mother says, the Creator God will completely transform us, remaking us in His likeness. What is the state of our inner selves and souls? How many parts are darkened and distorted by sin? There are more areas that need to be cleansed and improved than we can count. Only the God who created us in His image can renew all these things. Like David, who realized his sins and pleaded with God to renew him after seeing the distorted state of his soul, we too should pray to our Creator God with the following words: " Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me… Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my iniquities. A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit” (Ps 51:3-4, 11-12).
On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the priest placed ashes on our heads, saying, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” Repentance is turning away from sin and opening our hearts to God. Repentance is fully entrusting ourselves to God, believing that only He can renew us. When we open our hearts, confess our sins, and ask for God's mercy, the Creator God will completely transform us, restoring us to the image He created us in. The Good News for us is that a merciful God lives and transforms us anew.
Let’s return to Ash Wednesday, where the priest, placing ashes on our heads, may also say, “Remember, man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” According to Genesis, the Creator God formed man from dust, but He made us in His likeness and breathed life into us. God created us in His good image and breathed the breath of life into us. Lent is a time to rediscover the goodness of God imprinted within us. As the Blessed Mother says, when we open our hearts to the Creator God, He will restore us to that original goodness and awaken all the good things lying dormant in our hearts. Lent is also a time to recognize that while our physical lives are finite, the eternal God, who gives us eternal life, dwells among us. There is a Russian proverb that says, "Tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are." It means that by knowing the people someone associates with, you can understand what kind of person they are. Only those who stay close to the good and eternal God can truly be close to Him and live a good life. Those who always stay close to the good God will also long to live with Him eternally.
Creator God, I sincerely thank You for the grace of making me in Your good image. In this season of grace, as nature prepares to display its most beautiful colors, I open my heart to You completely, so that You may transform me and restore me to the image You created me in. Everything about me is in Your hands, so please renew me as You desire.
Blessed Mother, you are the most excellent and perfect creature of the Creator God, for you always obeyed the will of God the Father and never once opened your heart to sin. Mother, help us to open our hearts only to God, who can give us eternal life, just as you did.
January 25, 2010
"Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others.
Once, someone asked me, “Father, how can I deepen my faith?” I replied, “Sister, do you pray?” She answered that she did not. So I told her, “Sister, only those who pray can deepen their faith.” That’s right. Faith never deepens without prayer. Just as an athlete cannot improve their skills without practice or by being lazy, a person’s faith cannot deepen without prayer.
Faith is the fruit of prayer. Prayer is the spiritual water that nurtures the seeds of faith. That is why, in this month's message, the Blessed Mother says, “Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others.” The Blessed Mother, who knows what we most need for ourselves, speaks to us. As we begin a new year in 2010, what we need is not a better job, a bigger house, or a nicer car, but rather faith in God. And that faith must grow without limits. A person who has great faith in God is not afraid, no matter the circumstances, because they believe that God is with them, protecting and saving them.
On July 25, 2009, the Blessed Mother gave a message identical to this month’s message. Now, six months later, why does she repeat the same message? Could it be a sign of how much we need to pray for ourselves? The Blessed Mother’s concern and worry for us are evident when she sees that, although we take good care of our bodies, we neglect our souls by not praying, causing our faith to weaken or even be lost. Just as we consider it natural to eat three meals a day to sustain our physical lives, shouldn’t we also pray at least three times a day to nourish our souls and allow the seeds of faith to grow? This is the way to ease the Blessed Mother's concern and respond to her call.
I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
When the Blessed Mother says she is with us, it doesn’t merely signify her presence. Just as someone who is with us shares our entire life, the Blessed Mother accepts our whole life as her own when she is with us. As St. Paul said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15), the Blessed Mother rejoices with us in our joy and weeps with us in our sorrow. She also intercedes for us before the Lord, defends us as sinners before God, and rolls up her sleeves to protect us from Satan and all evil.
When St. Andrew Kim Taegon was returning to Korea from China with about ten others on a small boat, they encountered a fierce storm. The boat seemed as though it would capsize at any moment, and everyone fell into a state of panic. At that moment, the saint held up an image of the Blessed Mother and showed it to the people, saying, “Our Mother is with us, watching over us. What is there to fear? Take courage.” Soon, the storm calmed, and they safely reached their destination. As the Blessed Mother stated in this month's message, she is with us, encouraging us. Believing in the Mother’s presence, especially in times of difficulty and hardship, let us call upon her name and ask for her help.
Lord Jesus, increase our faith. Send us the spirit of prayer so that the seeds of faith you have planted in us may grow.
Blessed Mother, Star of the Sea, we entrust our lives to you. Please save us from all difficulties and guide us to the safe harbor of your Son.
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