Today’s post was written on a night in January. I am convinced I am loved by God no matter what because of St. Paul’s confidence. I believe it is similar to what Fr. Mike Schmitz has explained about our belief not being in isolation when we say the Nicene Creed. We believe in and with a community of believers and are strengthened together in the midst of all believers. My translation of what he’d said anyway. Funny enough, I wrote this post prior to listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz.
It was nighttime that day and I thought of St. Paul as I ate my peppery pasta. I tried to imagine how he must have felt. He’d sinned against God when he persecuted God’s people. I wondered for a moment if he ever went back in his head and heart and felt torture remembering this but as soon as that thought formed, I realized he felt loved because a summarized version of a bible verse which he wrote popped into my head right after.
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
I knew with certainty that he felt loved and I felt loved as well by proxy.
Reading the bible verse now, I must admit he says it so much better. His conviction carries through and lifts my heart. So, I shall put it here for you to read, so that your heart will find rest from its torment.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)
08 Jan 2023
“Catalogued thoughts”
Thank you for reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Pray the Rosary. Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! I suppose I should say Happy New Year, or rather, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. The future feels overwhelmingly long, so I’m choosing to follow Read more
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! Discernment is a gift from God, and this gift will save you from being in horrible situations. How are we to know who to listen to? How are we to Read more
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! It’s been a long time since my last post. These days, I feel as though I’m moving between keeping my head above water, walking on solid ground and living in Read more
“The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles’ Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel’s words announcing Christ’s birth and Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary centre on the events of Christ’s life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and–added by Saint John Paul II in 2002–the Luminous.” – Excerpt from USCCB
“The Apostles’ Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles’ faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is ‘the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter, the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith.” – Excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 194.
I searched the internet for the rosary recited in the manner I learnt growing up, to help me in reciting the rosary. I needed the help because it had been years since I had picked up the rosary to say the prayer. I could not find a single source which held the entirety of the prayers I was accustomed to.
So, I decided to record a direction of how to pray to rosary as taught by my mother, as taught by her parents and her “Block Rosary” she attended as a child. It is my hope that this could be of use to Catholics or believers or anyone who needs help reciting the rosary.
The rosary can be recited alone or with a group of believers, lead by a prayer lead or said all together. Turns could be taken to lead the recitation of each mystery as well. Take the time to be familiar with the diagram and sequence above, paying attention to the direction of the arrows.
Note: one may meditate on the mystery of the rosary (for instance “The Annunciation” is a mystery of the rosary), as they recite each decade of the rosary (one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be and so on..). Alternatively, one may begin this meditation before reciting each decade of the rosary, paying particular focus to the words being said in each decade of the rosary, i.e., meditate on the words and allow yourself to be enveloped and lifted up to God.
They are after all words taken or inspired from the bible.
“Hail Mary Full of Grace…(The angel’s announcement of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ to Mary),
Blessed are you among women….(the visitation),
Pray for us sinners… (the bible mentions intercession still goes on in heaven in Revelations and who better to intercede for us to Jesus than the mother of Jesus who is full of grace),
Our Father Who art in Heaven…(Jesus literally gave us this prayer),
Glory Be…(the bible is full of people praising God. You cannot go wrong doing the same),
O our Good Jesus—(a prayer asking God to forgive us and others of their sins, need I say anything about this),
Jesus Have Mercy on us…(you are asking God to forgive you your sins out of the abundance of His mercy not because you deserve it),
Mother Mary Help us (Asking for the intercession of Mary who is in Heaven, to our Lord Jesus Christ),
May the souls of all the faithful departed…(Praying that God is merciful to all deceased souls of the faithful so that they are granted entrance into heaven – where is this practice taken from? Maccabees (a verse in the catholic bible considered canon until about 500 years ago when a man decided it was not the inspired word of God and now you have versions of the bible where this bible chapter is missing. It cannot be the work of God to stop prayer).
I will create a separate post on the intercession of saints and the body of Christ.
To Pray the Rosary:
1. Holding the crucifix/cross, begin by making the sign of the cross. Say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
2. Still holding the crucifix/cross, recite the introductory prayer below, followed by the Apostles’ Creed:
Lead: Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of Your faithful
Response: And enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Lead: Send forth Your spirit and they shall be created.
Response: And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Lead: Let Us Pray
Response: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful. Grant by the same Holy Spirit, that we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His holy consolation through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Lead: And thou O Lord shall open our lips
Response: And our tongue shall announce thy praise
Lead: Incline unto our aid O Lord
Response: O Lord make haste to help us.
Glory Be:
Lead: All glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
The Apostles’ Creed:
Lead: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
Response: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.
3. On the first bead, say the Our Father.
Lead: Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Response: Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
4. On the next three beads, say three Hail Marys.
Lead: Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Response: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
5. Say the Glory Be (refer to “Glory Be” prayer on number 2), followed by the Fatima prayer.
Fatima prayer:
Lead: O my good Jesus,
Response: Forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.
6. Say the following prayers.
Lead: Jesus have mercy on us.
Response: Mother Mary help us.
Lead: May the souls of all the faithful departed,
Response: Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
7. Holding the next bead, announce the mystery (joyful, sorrowful, glorious or luminous mystery). For example: The five joyful mysteries
The mystery recited is dependent on the day of the week. Please see below.
8. To begin the first decade, announce the first mystery, followed by a brief intention or bible verse, then say the Our Father.
For example, the first joyful mystery. The annunciation. Followed by brief intention/bible verse. Followed by Our Father Who art in heaven…and so on.
9. Skip the centrepiece medallion and on the next ten beads of the decade, say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the mystery.
10. On the Chain say Glory Be, then the Fatima Prayer, followed by the following:
Lead: Jesus have mercy on us.
Response: Mother Mary help us.
Lead: May the souls of all the faithful departed,
Response: Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
11. On the next four decades of the rosary, repeat number 8 – 10. Remember to announce the mystery before you start reciting the second, third, fourth and fifth decade of the rosary.
For example, the second joyful mystery. The visitation. Followed by brief intention/bible verse.Our father, Who art in heaven…and so on.
12. Say the Hail Holy Queen.
Hail Holy Queen:
Lead: Hail, Holy Queen,
Response: Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
13. Say the following prayers.
Lead: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Lead: Let us pray
Response: O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
14. Say the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lead: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Response: Have mercy on us
Lead:Most Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Response: Pray for us
Lead: St. Joseph
Response: Pray for us
Lead: St. Louis Marie De Montfort
Response: Pray for us
Lead: St. John, the Evangelist
Response: Pray for us.
Lead: Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Lead: Lord, have mercy on us.
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
Lead: Christ, have mercy on us.
Response: Christ, have mercy on us.
Lead: Lord, have mercy on us.
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
Lead: Christ, hear us.
Response: Christ, graciously hear us.
Lead: God the Father of Heaven,
Response: Have mercy on us.
Lead: God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Response: Have mercy on us.
Lead: God the Holy Spirit,
Response: Have mercy on us.
Lead: Holy Trinity, one God,
Response: Have mercy on us.
Lead: Holy Mary,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Holy Mother of God,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Holy Virgin of virgins,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother of Christ,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother of divine grace,
Response: pray for us
Lead: Mother most pure,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother most chaste,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother inviolate,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother undefiled,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother most amiable,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother most admirable,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother of good counsel,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother of our Creator,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mother of our Saviour,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most prudent,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most venerable,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most renowned,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most powerful,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most merciful,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Virgin most faithful,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mirror of justice,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Seat of wisdom,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Cause of our joy,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Spiritual vessel,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Vessel of honour,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Singular vessel of devotion,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Mystical rose,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Tower of David,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Tower of ivory,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: House of gold,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Ark of the Covenant,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Gate of Heaven,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Morning star,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Health of the sick,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Refuge of sinners,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Comforter of the afflicted,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Help of Christians,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of angels,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of patriarchs,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of prophets,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of apostles,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of martyrs,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of confessors,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of virgins,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of all saints,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen conceived without Original Sin,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen assumed into Heaven,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Queen of my family and loved ones
Response: Pray for us
Lead: Queen of all countries of the world
Response: Pray for us
Lead: Our Lady, Queen of peace,
Response: pray for us.
Lead: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Response: Spare us, O Lord.
Lead: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Response: Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lead: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Response: Have mercy on us.
Lead: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Lead: Let us pray.
Response: Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy Servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
15. Conclude the Rosary with the Sign of the Cross.
I hope this has been helpful to you!
Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if this has been helpful to you. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! I suppose I should say Happy New Year, or rather, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. The future feels overwhelmingly long, so I’m choosing to follow Read more
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! Discernment is a gift from God, and this gift will save you from being in horrible situations. How are we to know who to listen to? How are we to Read more
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! It’s been a long time since my last post. These days, I feel as though I’m moving between keeping my head above water, walking on solid ground and living in Read more
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Bible)
Hi everyone! Pray the Rosary.
Happy New Year! We are nearing the end of the first month of the year and I felt it necessary to wish everyone here a Blessed Year!
I ended last year expectant of all the blessings I felt in my soul that God has meant for me in the New Year! I have been blessed in extraordinary ways already, just learning about the heart of God and being in His presence daily. The understanding of just how loved I am has been overwhelming, transcendental and transforming. Gratitude spills out of my being like a spring of water giving me peace and joy that I know can only be from God. I am so grateful to God for His gift of counsel and steering me aright, for opening my eyes to the undeniable truth; His gift of grace upon grace. Therefore, I am not random. I am not an accident because The Lord knows me by my name. He has set me apart and it is my prayer that I rise to the occasion in being Holy as my Heavenly Father is Holy.
Soon, I am to begin a new job as a project manager. God has blessed me. It is by His grace that my faith persevered. He had set His countenance on me and been gracious to me because I put all my hope in Him. He has given me direction which has proved useful in securing a certification as well. It is my prayer to move forward all the days of my life with the courage of Joshua, putting my entire trust in God, Who believes in me, and to live a life set apart like Daniel; to pray and to hear the voice of God just like Daniel did.
I would like to end today’s post with an encouragement to everyone to seek God who gives peace beyond understanding; The Lord, my God, Who is a Strong Tower and all who run to Him, find comfort and refuge.
Thank you for reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Pray the Rosary. Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
A Blessed Year By Cynthia Aralu (Audio Recording)
Listen on My Podcast @Amara’s Musings
Peace By Hillsong Young & Free. It is a wonderful song. Listen to it and be blessed!
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! I suppose I should say Happy New Year, or rather, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. The future feels overwhelmingly long, so I’m choosing to follow Jesus’ words and focus on today, because each day has enough worries of its own.…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! Discernment is a gift from God, and this gift will save you from being in horrible situations. How are we to know who to listen to? How are we to know what is good? We hear Jesus say in the Bible that, “The good man…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Remember to pray the Rosary! It’s been a long time since my last post. These days, I feel as though I’m moving between keeping my head above water, walking on solid ground and living in Heaven. I believe there is a saint who said one must walk on earth and…
I started off the year feeling hopeful. I wished to remain hopeful and persevere once again this year.
There were moments I lost hope. I felt hurt. I felt pain. I could not see the light. When I caught myself doing this, I reminded myself to hope once again. I am glad I kept on hoping.
Wonderful things happened to me this year in the midst of life’s turbulence. I got a merit raise. I am thankful to God that I had the courage to ask for a raise…and for the raise as well. The raise didn’t even come to me until 3 months had passed after I had asked. I wanted more in the way of professional development into a future career path I am hopeful for but when I asked I was not given that opportunity.
After a long wait this year, my Canadian PR was approved and in the same month as my mom’s too.
I dealt with unsavoury characters and thrived in a hostile environment. A character showed a softness towards the end of my time in London that I never expected.
I had a conversation with someone about this and she told me we attract everything that happens to us. I don’t agree with what I had been told about attracting all that I am because I have not had unkindness dealt towards me because this is what I put out. I had had a tough time in London. I had met difficult people and the wall I developed was higher than that of the wall of China. I never let myself be soft with these people. I matched their toughness and defended myself. Even though I didn’t fully agree with her, I did wonder if there was some level of truth to what she said. It made me sad. It made me ask myself these questions.
“Is it faith I’m lacking,
Is it hope I’m lacking,
Is it love?
Maybe it’s all.”
– Me (23 Sep 2022)
While I do not agree with her now, I do see how I could have reacted differently to the way I had been treated. I could have been soft towards them while they were terrible to me and rejoiced in it. Now, I see it as a chance I could have used to draw even closer to God. To know His word, To know His Will. To know Him.
I was complacent in my spirituality and I didn’t realize this until I had moved to Canada. I actually had a thought in London prior to moving, “If God is not angry with me because He was still good to me. Then, it must be fine. I must be doing nothing wrong.”
I had a tough time with my job applications in Canada and I thought, “Could God be mad at me?”
I had felt I was good relatively, but upon self examination, I realized I was far from being okay and I resolved to fix things.
I am not quite sure what spurred on my study of the bible.
Was it the funny skit that Ariel Fitzpatrick made. The one where she said, “God answers the prayer of the righteous”. That skit had caused me to pause. I did not feel righteous. I always imagined it impossible to be righteous so, I never really thought I could win there and I never tried, but I did know I am a daughter of The Most High and I am loved regardless of my imperfections.
Was it the bible notification I received which said to “Seek first His kingdom and everything else will be added onto you”. Did that do it?
I know I sensed I was supposed to seek God. Even heard a voice say, “Seek me” at some point. I read about Abraham, who himself was a nomad, and I could relate to him in that aspect of his life. Reading about Abraham made me realize what it meant to be righteous. Obedience to God. Then, I read the Bible even more. I explored devotional plans on YouVersion that I felt I was supposed to read and I learnt more about God and how I have not exactly been living a life that was pleasing to God and it felt ridiculous to me that I had even been complacent.
I found God once again, but also quite differently. This time I care enough to do what pleases Him because he really does care about what I do and I love Him. I think I am still learning and growing to be firm in these things, praying and asking for His help every step of the way.
The year ends soon. I am so hopeful for all the New Year will hold. I am expectant of the blessings God has in store for me and I feel His love for me; His presence in my life.
In the New Year, I hope to have an even stronger understanding of who God is and to live as he would want. I hope for all things good and soft in the New Year. I especially hope to have faith, hope and love, swirling within me and everywhere all around me.
Thank you for reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Pray the Rosary. Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone. Here’s your reminder to pray the Rosary. I told my baby brother last week that it wasn’t until I suffered hardship—not that I hadn’t suffered before—that I could really feel and resonate with the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer. Especially the part that mentions “this valley of tears”. That line—“To thee…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Here’s your reminder to pray the Rosary. Today, I am going to share my journey towards obtaining my driver’s license in Alberta. It has been filled with setbacks, imperfections, and difficult moments. Yet through it all, I’m thankful that God sustained me, never let me go, and faithfully brought me…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. It has been a while since my last post. It was not planned but I have to admit, it did feel good not to post anything. I had an idea (or maybe two) in between but I didn’t get around to starting it.…
Today’s post is really about the importance of community. Sometimes, I do not really have the words the convey my thoughts and feelings. So, I rely on past words from myself and others to convey my heart.
———————————————-
The first mini write-up are the words from a priest’s sermon that has been stuck in my head since I heard it in 2017/2018.
A Priest’s Sermon
“If God is community, why go it alone?”
– Fr Uche of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church New Malden, London
———————————————-
In the second mini write-up, I realized my family and I always had community even if we may not have always seen them.
To Those Left Behind
I attended a mid week prayer session on Clubhouse and one of the speakers while praying, said some words for the people who passed away. She went further to add a prayer:
“And for those left behind…” Her words came through my phone’s speaker.
Maybe I have heard this line in prayers a million times before. However, at that mid week prayer session, it felt like the first time I had heard a prayer for the ones left behind. The words “Left behind” really registered in my mind because it described exactly how I felt after my father died. My anger had been great that I had been left behind. But even more important than my past anger which all dissipated a long time ago, I was surprised that we’d been prayed for by people who knew us and those who didn’t, and that we were constantly being included in the gathering of believers who said the same prayer.
“Were we prayed for?” That was my thought as I’d heard her prayer. Just how much were we bolstered as a family by these prayers by no faces, even when we could have been defeated? I just think there is something powerful about that.
I am grateful to have had the support of all who said that prayer and I am humbled at the immensity of the community that is found within the Church.
– Me (28 May 2022)
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The third is an indulgence in retrospection on the importance of having your own community, even more important when you are having a bad time.
Isolation
People are peculiar when they say because they are going through it, they cannot make the required effort to keep relationships going. Basic contact to say Hi . I have been through it. And by it, I mean periods of mental incapacity.
I think in all of it, through all of my internal cries for help, it was my isolation that killed me most.
– Me (08 Sep 2022)
———————————————-
To wrap up today’s post, I am reminded of the words of Albaner C. Eugene, when he spoke of surface relationships. He likened the relationship that God calls us to have with Him as one which is intimate and draws a parallel to the type of relationship he would prefer to have with his community. There is reciprocity in intimacy…true intimacy, that is, which asks of us to be vulnerable with each other. I am reminded as well of a conclusion I made about Jesus from reading the book of Mark; Jesus was okay being vulnerable regardless of being all knowing. I suppose I have been blessed with my family, that I can indeed be vulnerable with them. My mind draws back to a time when I was comfortable being vulnerable with friends until I found it difficult to trust. I suppose I would like to change that. I would like to build meaningful, deeper friendships.
Thank you for reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
Community By Cynthia Aralu (Audio Recording)
Listen On My Podcast (Amara’s Musings)
A Song Suggestion: Red Rocks Worship – Things Of Heaven feat. Elyssa Smith (The Other Side)
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By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone. I hope everyone is doing okay and you are remembering to pray your Rosary. This lent has been an enlightening season. While I look forward to its conclusion, I find myself reflecting on this time and wanting to cherish this meaningful period—to savor it fully before it passes. Yet, the…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing well and remembering to pray the rosary. Recently, I’ve taken some time to learn more about the concept of marriage as understood by the Catholic Church, so as to guide me. I vaguely recall listening to a priest on a podcast, a while ago, where…
Hi Everyone! It has been a long while since I posted on my blog and podcast. I got tired early on in the year and it was difficult to create any content for both platforms, although I never did stop writing. Thank you to everyone who were patient with me while I was away. A special shout-out to Eylem Parlak and Matthew Gibson, for liking old posts and reminding me to be here.
I have had this post in drafts since March 13 2022. I read it recently and I absolutely loved it. I hope you do too.
I had the idea to put together mini thoughts I’ve had for a post. I found two in my notes which I have included here. I also included an extra at the end which I wrote later on in April.
The Rick and Morty Epiphany
I watched S2 ep7 of Rick and Morty and I finally realised why it matters to me that Dean died. Dean was a man I only ever interacted with when he posted his beautiful, dark poetry on IG and he sent me an IG message before he passed on.
In the dramatic words of Rick:
“What is life?
How can someone so talented die so young?
What is being young?
I’m not young. I’m old.
I’m — I’m gonna die. ”
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The Afterlife Argument
I received my daily bible verse notification and it said:
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10
And I felt this way:
The promise, sometimes, feels so abstract. I think of “the now” all the time and only a little ahead, because there are a lot of the things I really can’t control, which looms in a future with multiple possibilities. I’m not “good” because of a promise. I do good for my peace of mind. So, it really does feel abstract to me; the idea of the afterlife. However, I learnt–or rather I saw a post from someone on Twitter and he mentioned something about data persistence and I believe the concept of data persistence lends argument that there must be an afterlife. At the end of the day, I’m too tired to overthink beyond these tiny details, and all I really want to do is to sleep, to laugh, to watch an amazing anime, to listen to mad music and to be loved unconditionally by the ones I choose to love.
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Extra: Mom’s Validating Words
In April, I was having a conversation with my mom and she just out of blue said in a matter of fact way that I am successful. She didn’t even pause when she made her point, because that was not actually the point of the message she was trying to drive across to me. I can’t remember what she was trying to tell me but it was just like a passing comment to get to whatever point she was trying to get to. I had to call her back to what she’d just said. I made her explain to me her reasoning behind calling me successful. She’d explained in such a good way that I’d believed her. It was just so true. I felt it deep in my soul that it was true.
I was the one who had previously just not seen myself as successful.
I’m always waiting for some other exciting, better, job opportunity to feel successful and I decided that I have to stop that.
My mom has a way of validating me without even realizing she’s doing it. She probably feels it is as obvious as the air we breathe.
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Thank you reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
Thoughts and Feelings By Cynthia Aralu (Audio Recording)
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and you remember to pray the rosary. For quite a while now, I’ve felt as though I have nothing meaningful to share—like I have no voice. Whenever I wanted to express something, it always seemed like the timing was off, or my words…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone. Remember to pray the rosary! When I was a kid, I would sometimes hear an orchestra playing in my head. The music was so beautiful, and I wished I could play it out, but I didn’t know how to play any instrument other than the recorder, and I wasn’t very…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! January was a long and busy month, and I’m still working on getting back into my daily mass routine after returning from Houston and moving recently. I am thankful to God for another month in this new year. Since my last blog post, I’ve learned…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! How is everyone doing? I came close to not creating this post but my future self in less than 2 hours might be disappointed. So, here we go… It has been a long year! My year started off on a high note with me passing…
It is entirely possible to get an ego stroke when you find out someone feels any of the above for you. Common sense would be to allow this person to share this information with you, if you’ve come across the information from a source other than out of their mouth and straight into your ears, before you let it get to your head.
Besides, time changes things and who says a crush felt at some point would persist beyond the day it is brought to your awareness. Anyone wise would not place much stock on a crush. A crush is basically a cute way of saying infatuation. It isn’t based on knowing a person. Once one becomes aware of certain negative characteristics of the object of attraction, a crush dies. I guess someone who is immature might handle the knowledge of someone having a crush on them poorly.
A crush bears the potential of evolving into a “like”. A moment that for me would feel like, “Yes, I can say with my full chest that I like this person. I am proud to be associated with this human.” That “like” is still cautious, to be honest, because I have to reach a point where I can categorically say, there is nothing you can do that will stop me from loving you; a choice to love this person. It sounds like falling off a cliff and I think that’s what love is; only beautiful, when you’re falling off that cliff with someone. And therein, lies the bungee rope, that saves you from certain death; reciprocity and selflessness. It is such a huge gamble, with an incredibly enormous reward, only if you’re blessed by God. It tracks that people would want to experience this.
I have had someone tell me after 4 cerebral phone conversations that he thinks he might be falling in love with me. I was flattered at the idea of someone feeling so strongly for me after such a short period of getting to know how my mind actually ticks. However, we did have quite a lot of profound conversations every time we spoke, so, it is entirely possible that he got to know an idea of me on an extensive level, and this was enough to evoke such strong feelings. I was not in the right frame of mind to even go there with him and I don’t think I felt that spark. I loved his mind thoroughly though and the conversations were amazing. I think that is the reason our conversations were always great. We sort of thought that the other’s mind was awesome. I found him therapeutic and I learnt a lot about myself, which I put to good use, even after we stopped speaking, out of respect for his feelings.
I took away from that experience that I am amazing and I should not settle. I did not make him feel uncomfortable about his feelings. Because feelings are just that; feelings. They cannot be helped. Feed them and they grow. Starve them and they die. Ultimately, feelings should be acknowledged, understood better and respected.
Thank you for reading/listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.
Crush Vs Like Vs Love By Cynthia Aralu (Audio Recording)
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! Have you ever wondered what a happy death is? I did at the start of my reversion to the Catholic faith, since I prayed the Rosary regularly; the intention of the 4th Glorious Mystery (The Assumption of Mother Mary into Heaven) being a “Happy Death”,…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Remember to pray the Rosary! I have been going through some things which I shan’t go into details about, but I will say this, I have learnt that a stranger will give love more readily than someone you consider close. Better to run to that stranger, than someone you think…
By Cynthia Aralu I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a…
By Cynthia Aralu About 4 or 5 days ago, I dreamt that I saw Jesus. I would have known the exact day, if I’d written it down when I told myself to. He was so large and I was so small. His face was neutral one minute, The next, He had a frown. His eyes…
Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode on my blog, Katmira’s blog, or podcast, Amara’s Musings, depending on which platform you are listening in on or reading.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Year 2021 ends in 2 days. I started the year with God and I am ending it ever aware of God’s presence and hand in my life. I feel loved by God and I know nothing comes close to touching that. I am aware that I am loved just because. It is a very strong knowledge and a beautiful place to be in. I hope to stay here forever. I am thankful I have God as my Father. I pray He watches over and guides our every move and decision in the New Year. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I decided to write a love letter to myself. Perhaps, you will be able to read or listen to my love letter, tell yourself you are beautiful and truly believe it. Thank you in advance for reading or listening to this post. Thank you for sticking with me throughout the year, when I was consistent and not so much that. Thank you for the compliments. I am thankful that my voice has brought peace to you. Thank you to all who promoted my blog and podcast. It means a lot to this girl who wants to reach as many hearts as possible but still stay hidden. And as always, I hope you enjoy this!
Dear Me,
Hi there! What a year you’ve had. You started the year not sure of what direction your career or future was going to go but you had trust in God and which ever way He meant for you to go and you persevered.
Thank you for being courageous this year. Actually, you have been pretty courageous these past four years being in a foreign country with no family around you.
I guess instead, thank you for choosing courage every single time this year you could have let fear and doubt get the best of you. For the numerous times you have chosen love, thank you Me. For the times, you have risen above and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead you, Thank you.
The bible says that we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s Love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who have been given to us (Romans 5:3-8). You are going to need that perseverance, courage, hope and trust in God and His Love once again in the New Year, love.
Look at you. You are no longer in crippling pain. Living is so much easier now.
Look at you. You are no longer in darkness. You feel. You laugh and feel your laughter bubbling over in your chest.
Thank you for choosing to grow. Thank you for reaching this level of self love, growth and self-confidence. I know you still have ways to go but you are always willing to do the work.
Thank you for choosing to reach this level of knowing God and wanting to know more of Him.
I can’t believe how far you have come. You can only go up from here with God’s help.
Thank you for choosing love and being willing to trust in love again. Since God is love, it makes absolute sense that you would always come back to the core of who you’ve always been.
Thank you for choosing peace. Thank you for choosing you.
To the beautiful me,
Who is just beginning to grasp how beautifully made she truly is.
Signed Me,
Who is in love with all that she is, everything, the up, down and the in-between.
You can subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
Dear Me, By Cynthia Aralu (Audio Recording)
Amara’s Musings
A Beautiful Song to Listen to! Have a Listen!
Another beautiful song to listen to. I could not decide on which song from for King and Country to share today, so, I thought why choose one when you can share 2 good things😄. Hey, have a listen!
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Pray the Rosary! Two days ago, I went to the mall with my mom and I saw a penguin and a sea lion for the first time. It was truly beautiful. I was amazed to see God’s creatures and thankful to God for giving me beauty to see, as I…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Pray the Rosary. I wondered if I should post this. I wrote it down in my notes to remind me of the goodness of God to me. I considered if it will ever go up here, prayed about it as I edited my notes, and left it alone. But on…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Pray the Rosary! I have thinking that it is possible that my charism is prayer. I do not know this for sure but I have a strong belief of this. Maybe 2 or 3 nights ago, I had a dream in which I was lying in bed and I thought…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone! Pray the Rosary! I said in a previous post that I could not find a catholic teaching that pointed specifically to my job situation but there are actually catholic teachings. I saw them in the publication and did not realize they were actual Catholic teachings. I also did not read…
The worst thing that ever happened to me was when my little sister, as a kid, slipped down the stairs of our home and slammed the back of her head against the edge of the last step. I remember watching her lifeless body lifted up at the base of the staircase, not too far from the scene of the accident, and we gathered round, all scared. I’m not sure who did the lifting. Probably my mom. I know they certainly yelled her name repeatedly but she did not respond. I thought for sure she was dead, so I gave a blood curdling scream, but no one looked in my direction. To be fair, I don’t think they heard. Somehow in my head, I’d believed that nothing as bad as my dad dying could ever happen to us anymore because we had had our fair share of tragedy.
I took slight steps back, rapidly going into shock, when that child opened her eyes and moved around like nothing had happened. Our enquiry of her well-being yielded a positive answer. My older brother, unsatisfied with the answer, did the “how many fingers can you see” test. Mind you, he was only 3 years older than her. We waited patiently, with bated breaths, for her answer and laughed with delirious relief, when it was the right one. I think she was checked out by a doctor later on.
She had a secondary school entrance exam that same day and she went for it like none of this had happened. We never talk about that day and I never think about it. I don’t know what has sprung this memory to my mind now. It makes me cry. It also fills me with gratitude to God.
That child is now an adult and she still constantly amazes me with her mind, her heart and her hustle spirit.
Thank you for reading or listening to today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, katmira’s blog to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new blog post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! Pray the Rosary! I started off before I began to write this, to pray to God for His help with writing this post on Hope. I told Him that I don’t really know if I am the best to write about “Hope” and I do not know much what to…
By Cynthia Aralu Hi everyone. Pray the Rosary! Last year on June 08, I pondered deeply after watching an IG reel of a non-Catholic Christian where she had scornfully said Catholicism is a religion that believes in objects or something like that but Christians believe only in Jesus. It inspired me to write a lot…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone. Pray the Rosary. This week, within a short period of time, I started and completed the book “The Secret of the Rosary” written by St. Louis Marie de Montfort, thanks to the audiobook on Spotify. See link here: The Secret of the Rosary It is the most powerful book I have…
By Cynthia Aralu Hello everyone! (Pray the Rosary) I watched a video recently of someone scoffing at the word “baptism” and saying they don’t do that at his church but they do something else, although it does involve water. I could not listen to the end of the video so I don’t know the full…
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