He Raised His Eyes

Saint Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173), Armenian patriarch 
Jesus, Only Son of the Father, 624f. ; SC 203

Like the rich man who loved a life of pleasure
I, too, have loved pleasures that pass away
With this animal body of mine,
In the pleasures of that fool.

And from so many and such great blessings
That you have so freely given me
I have not paid back the tenth
From your own gifts.

But, out of everything under my roof,
Gathered from earth and sky and sea,
I believed your numberless blessings
To be my own possession.

Nothing of these have I given to the poor,
Nor set anything aside for his needs:
Neither food for the hungry
Nor covering for the naked body,

Neither shelter for the homeless
Nor abode for the foreign guest,
Nor visit to the sick
Nor even concern for the prisoner (Cf Mt 25,31f.).

I was not saddened for the sorrow
Of the one cast down by his burdens,
Nor shared the joy of the joyful
But burned with jealousy against him.

All of them were another Lazarus…
They lay outside at my gate…
Yet I, deaf to their appeal,
Never gave them the crumbs from my table…

The dogs of your Law outside
Comforted them, at least, with their tongues;
Yet I, who listened to your commandment,
Wounded the one who bore your likeness with my tongue (Mt 25,45)…

Yet only grant me repentance here below
That I may make reparation for my sins…
That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace
With its burning flames…

And, instead of acting like the merciless,
Set merciful compassion within me,
That, by showing mercy to the poor,
I may obtain your mercy.

Feeling Down

When you’re feeling down, always remember..

You are such a wonderful person, if not, then why would God create you in the first place? And if you don’t believe in God, ask yourself why are you living, why are you still alive? It’s because you lift people up; you support and believe in them like no one does; like butterflies in the fields, you come close to the flowers and sing joyful songs to them, bringing each and everyone new hope.

You were created in the image and likeness of God. And people see that in you, the goodness you possess deep down. Have faith in yourself and don’t worry too much, relieve yourself of that burden.

And when you feel alone, remember that there are tons of people who look after you, who worry about you like you do for them, people who always look forward to see you and be with you again: friends, families, loved ones, even strangers you only met once whom you changed lives with that one meeting, the people you have helped or even the ones that crossed you.

Your life is meaningful, significant, like the stars above that light up the night sky when the moon is at its rest; you shine too! Like the ones you admire.

Don’t lose hope for you are worthy; worthy of living, of doing goodness.

Cheer up and wipe the tears from your face, turn your frown to laughter and see the world through a whole new light. Believe in yourself, have faith, don’t lose hope. And remember that when you feel like everyone has turned their backs on you, there is still that one person who has His arms wide open to embrace and fill you up with His loving warmth – God.

Faith

Why do you question your faith?

When all along you know it’s the truth

Why do you seek answers?

To unquestionable roots

You should be glorifying God

The one you grew up with

And yet you question Him

But for how long?

You know better you’re going to lose

Why do you still seek when you found disgrace?

Live the truth and erase the lies

The world have deceived you and i

There’s only one God

And your faith to Him you must give

Surrender all to God

And the answers you shall reap

Divine intervention? No.

Just human knowledge passed on to generations

Live the faith

Be satisfied

Believe, for you have sought lies

Trust in Him and never die

morning blessing

can you see the face of God among the clouds?

can you hear Him in the soft summer breeze?

he gently caresses you with the sunlight

and watches over you through the moonlight

though without wings we cannot fly

he gave us our imagination so we can rise

sing, dance and fly through the sky

the clouds say ‘good morning’

i say ‘hi’

[.........]

look at me

i’m a child

i’m a man

what do you see?

i have doubts

i have fears

laughter and tears

i stand strong

and praise God

i may not be a believer

but i was blessed this much

i came

and i conquered

now i’m giving it all back

to the one i longed for

God