Selamat Pagi Tuhan :)

Entah kenapa pagi-pagi tiba-tiba teringat lagu ini. Walau sebenarnya saya belajar lagu ini cuma sekedar syarat saat SMP (saya masuk ke SMP Katolik), tapi buat saya lagu ini benar-benar mengena dan sangat berkesan. Tenang, saya masih teguh memegang Hindu ;).

Yang saya suka, lirik lagu ini sebenarnya universal dan bisa masuk untuk agama manapun. (Jangan tersinggung ya, para pembaca yang beragama Nasrani, ini pujian lho). Semua agama pasti umatnya akan memuji Tuhan, akan memohon diberikan rejeki, akan meminta dijauhkan dari godaan dan diampuni semua kesalahannya. Coba saja buka pikiran anda dan coba resapi lirik ini. Sama kan? :)

Bapa Kami - Versi Filipina
Bapa kami di dalam surga
Dimuliakanlah namaMu
Datanglah kerajaanMu
Jadilah kehendakMu
Di bumi dan di surga

Berilah kami rejeki
Pada hari ini
Ampunilah dosa kami
Seperti kamipun mengampuni
Yang bersalah kepada kami

Jangan masukkan kami dalam cobaan
Tapi bebaskan kami dari yang jahat
Sebab Tuhanlah Raja
Yang mulia dan berkuasa
Untuk selama-lamanya
Amin, amin, amin

Selamat Pagi Tuhan, I love You so much ;)

Live in Love

Catholic is shaken by reports of sexual abuse, but priest in Detroit keep delivering items for the needy even though their church is gone

Christian is said to be harsh and aggresive to homosexual and other religion, but my Christian foster father only spoke of love and acceptance no matter how lewd i seem to be

Hindus in India/Pakistan is responsible for viscious attack to the moslem, but my priests and books taught me only kindness and understanding the universe

Jewish is loathed by probably half of the world due to the fight for the "promised land", but they do not hesitate to back and bring justice for a little girl that being harrassed by a small group within themselves

Moslem has been pictured as "the bad dudes" and militant thanks to a small group people who thinks terrorizing will earn them respect, but an Arab helps a group of Jewish to escape Nazi while knowing fully well the horrible risk of his action.

Those are but a glimpse of how religion is portrayed and how it actually works in reality. It was never about the religion, it was always about the people.

Generalizing people based on their religion is not only stupid, but also discriminative. Saying that all Jewish are crooks, all Moslems are terrorists, all Christians are bigots is like saying all blacks are violent, all asians are stupid, all westerners are immoral. None of it true. You cant accuse a group sharing the same (unpleasant) trait just because a few member of the group act indecent. Would you like to be accused a rapist just because one of the people in your family/circle of friends is a rapist? I assume not.

These facts sound irrelevant, unimportant, can be brushed aside. But I beg to differ. The world is in crisis, and the only way to ride through the storm is to face it together. Answer truthfully: does it matter if a Moslem or a Jewish is your cashier at the supermarket? Does burger made by a devout Christian at your local fast food joint taste better? Assuming you dont know what their religion is, the answer would be NO. The reason is simple: religion is one's business with God, not with people. Except when they forced their religion during what should've been professional work, I see no reason to complain or discriminate.

Take a deep breath and try to digest this: religion is one's own business with God, it's not other people's business. Let it go. Have faith in human. All religion taught love and compassion, and all human (even the atheist) are born with it. Love one another, see through religion, skin color, or whatever difference that you can creatively find. All living things are unique and different, cherish it :)

In the name of God

At darkest moments like this, where sea of emotion swept me away and misery engulf me, towering like contemptous wall of darkness around me, at moments like this I can feel Him next to me.

I can feel Him stroking my hair lovingly; lift my chin up and kiss my forehead gently. I can feel Him put His arms around my shoulders protectively, look me in the eye and as He wipe my tears He smile and say: "You are with me, my child. Fear not, distress not, as I love you. I always do." And with that, I found peace.

In the name of God I shall prevail; I shall not fail His test, his task. In the name of God I will make it; will break free from this hatred emotion and bathe in His love instead. In the name of God I shall walk, for I am His child, as all things dead or alive in this universe. I love you, God.

Terkabul, terkabul!

God always give me what I want. That much is true :). Biarpun permintaan saya agak aneh, ga penting dan ga masuk akal seperti pake baju pengantin ala barat. Cinderella banget deh pokoknya. Tapi tetep aja dikabulkan.

Sometimes it takes time. Semakin aneh dan sulit permintaan saya semakin lama terkabul (saya sampe sekarang masih belum ketemu Johnny Depp, padahal dah ngarep dari SMA), tapi eventually kalau memang permintaan saya dianggap oke dan baik untuk saya pasti dikabulkan. Dan harus hati-hati mintanya, kadang-kadang kalau requestnya ga jelas/ga spesifik Tuhan suka ngasinya ga sesuai maunya kita (tapi tetep sesuai request). Contohnya, tahun lalu saya minta pasangan yang sesuai kriteria saya dan sayang banget sama saya. Yang datang: satu cowok yang sesuai kriteria (sampe titik komanya!) tapi ga mau ma saya, dan satu cowok yang sayang sesayang-sayangnya sama saya tapi ga masuk kriteria saya (paling ga saat itu). Contoh lain ya gaun pengantin ini. Saya sebenernya berharap sepaket sama calon suami, tapi cuma dapet gaun dan foto2nya aja hehehehe....

Makanya sekarang kalau saya berdoa saya bilang "Tuhan, kalo bisa sepaket ya.. yang lengkap sesuai doa saya... Kecuali kalau Tuhan memang menghendaki lain/pikir itu ga baik buat saya..." Mulai dari yg kecil-kecil kaya ngidam sushi sampe minta hidup yang lebih baik, this is my ultimate prayer.

Ah biarlah. It still looks good. Really good :)
Thanks Lord!

Prayer of the Day

Something that I manage to forget until recently...
I found this prayer in a bookmark from a Christian bookshop, and it has always been my favorite. But it was lost when I move to this place. So glad when I finally found it again.
I still can't do what the prayer ask all the time, but I'm trying hard cause it helped me a lot. Hope it helps you, too :)

If I can do some good today
If I can serve along Life's way
If I can have something helpful say
Lord, show me how

If I can right a human's wrong
If I can help to make one's strong
If I can help with smile or song
Lord, show me how

If I can aid one's in distress
If I can make a burdern less
If I can spread more happiness
Lord, Please show me how!

To my Angels (and Archangels)

Isn't it a beauty? Song of the Angels by Bouguereau is a beautiful image which depicts Mary seated on a bench holding the infant Jesus with three angels looking on. Two of the angels are playing musical instruments. The picture not only strikes me for being incredibly beautiful and lifelike, but it is also remind me of what life has been. Haven't we always been like that? The Lord hold us close while His/Her angels guard us dearly.

In my life, I have ups and downs. It never easy when you were down, and sometimes, I do got trapped in the sorrow and negative feeling, thinking that all has abandoned me. Whoever hadn't that experience? I think everybody does. Nevertheless, as I grow I realize, I have never really been at the bottom of the pit. I was always saved, caught, protected, so I never reach rock bottoms.

People that converse with me and made me happy, they are angels that Lord have send for me. Strangers that smiled at me and comfort me, they are angels as well. Everywhere I go, I met Angels that help me to be better, angels that help me from self destruction. Lest forget my Archangels, angels that I definitely know that they are specially send by Lord for me, and only for me. For they have never leave my side, and with them I can always find comfort and calmness even at the worst of storm.

If you ever done good deed to someone, if you ever be a comfort to someone, if you ever become Lord's helper and messenger (even if you didn't realize it), then you are an Angel. Whether you are a stranger, a friend, a lover, anything, as long as you have done the above, you are one of the angels. And for them, both angels and archangels, this article is written. Thank you. For everything.

I'm Loved (Thank you Lord!)

Can't stop wondering why He love me so,
Can't help feeling awe for the amount of love He gave me,
Can't help loving Him so...
Thank you Lord!

When I fell, He reach out His hand through my friends, and help me get up
When i need support, He offered His shoulder through my friends, and I can cry my heart out
When I am scared, He hold me close through my friends, and i know i am safe
So, Thank you Lord!

"I just want to be alone!" and i found myself alone in the office, giving me time to think and rearrange my heart
"I don't want to be alone..." and i found myself surrounded by friends, giving me strength and courage to move on
I am spoiled by His love indeed, Thank you Lord!

whatever i want, whenever i ask, He will always be there for me
and He send his love through friends, families, even strangers
basically through anyone that opens his or her heart to acknowledge Him inside.
because there is always a part of Him inside us

I am loved indeed, but so do you and everyone else...
So pass His love around, because you are His angels and He loves through you
and let's make more and more people said:
I'm loved! Thank you Lord!