Father Marino's Meditations

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin WHAT’S THE PASSWORD FOR CONNECTING TO GOD?   When God created fish, He spoke to the sea. When God created trees, He spoke to the earth, When God created man, He turned to Himself. Then, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image and likeness.”   If you take a fish out of water, it will die. If you remove a tree from the soil, it will also die. Likewise, when men and women are disconnected from God, they will die. God is our natural environment. We were created to live in His presence. We have to be connected to Him because it is only in Him that life exists.   We recall that water without fish is still water, But fish without water are nothing. Soil without trees is still soil, But trees without soil are nothing. God without man is still God, But man without God is nothing.   On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY,  know that we are nothing without God. Reme

                                        WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala,  OFM Capuchin TAKE A SECOND LOOK Laziness kills ambition. Anger kills patience. Fear kills dreams. Pride kills growth. Anxiety kills peace. Doubt kills confidence. Selfishness kills generosity. Cruelty kills kindness. Despair kills hope. Infidelity kills loyalty. Hatred kills love. Gluttony kills temperance. Jealousy kills trust. Negligence kills attentiveness. Rudeness kills courtesy. Now, take a second look, And read again, right to left. I t pays to take a second look! On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , when things get difficult, stop, breathe, and take a second look. The Lord has also taken a second look!  

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin REMEMBER WHOSE YOU ARE WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH A TOUGH TIME, REMEMBER: Everything can and will change. You’ve overcome challenges in the past and you will again. It’s a learning experience and it’s part of life. Not getting what you want can be a blessing in disguise. Allow yourself to have some fun; laughter is the best medicine. Being kind to yourself, you deserve it. Disregard other people’s negativity; counter it with positivity. REMEMBER: You are a child of God. He holds you in the palm of His hand. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. Count your blessings and thank God for them.   On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , make a list of a few things that you are grateful for. Thank God for them. Not everyone is so blessed.

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala,  OFM Capuchin BE THE LIGHT Do not be dismayed By the brokenness In the world. All things break. And all things Can be mended Not with time, As is said, But with intention So, go. Love intentionally. Extravagantly. Unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness For the light that is YOU. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, remember, "You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14). How will you be the light in the darkness? How will you lighten another’s burden? How will your light show the path?  

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin IF YOU DON’T KNOW, MAKE IT A PRAYER Did you know there’s a prayer called the “I DON’T KNOW” prayer? Just go somewhere quiet And sit at the feet of God And say, “I don’t know.”   I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know what is happening. I don’t know how to process this. I don’t know what to do with these feelings. I don’t know how to handle this situation. I don’t know if I can survive this. I don’t know when things will change for me. I don’t know how things will end up. I don’t know if there is any help for me. I don’t know if anyone cares about me. Then, with whatever little grain of faith that you have, say, “BUT YOU KNOW.” Just leave it there. God hears your prayer. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, if you know that God knows, say “Amen.” That’s all there is to it!

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin ONE CHANCE AT LIFE; WILL YOU TAKE IT? Life is an opportunity; benefit from it. Life is beauty; admire it. Life is bliss; taste it. Life is a challenge; meet it. Life is a duty; complete it. Life is a game; play it. Life is costly; care for it. Life is wealth; manage it. Life is a mystery; know it. Life is a promise; fulfill it. Life is a sorrow; overcome it. Life is a song; sing it. Life is a struggle; accept it. Life is a tragedy; confront it. Life is an adventure; dare it. Life is luck; make it. Life is precious; nurture it. Life is life; protect it. ~ St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, make a resolution to live your best life by appreciating and respecting it as a gift from God. Remember that the gift of life comes with a price tag. How will you repay God for the gift of life He has given you? What will you do with the o

 

                                                     WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin REGRETS: A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW Later, the coffee gets cold. Later, you lose interest. Later, the day turns into night. Later, people grow up. Later, people grow old. Later, life goes by. Later, you regret not doing something when you had the chance. Life is a fleeting dance, a delicate balance of moments that unfold before us, never to return in quite the same way again. Regret is a bitter pill to swallow, a weight that bears down upon the soul with the burden of missed chances and unspoken words. So, let us not leave anything for later. Let us seize the moments as they come, with hearts open and arms outstretched to embrace the possibilities that lie before us. Ultimately, it is not the things we did that we regret, but the things we left undone, the words left unspoken, the dreams left unfulfilled. ~ Before the C

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin CALLED NOW; QUALIFIED LATER Elijah was suicidal. Job wished he was never born. David was depressed. Moses was anxious. Hannah was barren. Paul was in prison. Jacob was a cheater. Peter had a temper. David had an affair. Noah got drunk. Jonah ran away from God. Paul was a murderer. Gideon was insecure. Miriam was a gossip. Martha was a nervous wreck. Thomas was a doubter. Sarah was impatient. Moses had a speech impediment. Zaccheus was short. Abraham was old. Lazarus was dead. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, remember that God set them all free. He used their struggles and turned them into testimony. God can turn your worst seasons around when you worship Him in the middle of the storm. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and away from darkness. Choose life over death. Worship is a choice. You have to choose to worship despite feeling hopeless. You have to cho

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND One day, a man was crossing a bridge, But he was afraid. So he looked up to God in heaven and asked, “Can I hold Your hand so that I may not fall? God answered, “No, my child, I will hold your hand.” The man asked, “What’s the difference?”  God replied, “If you hold My hand and you waver, you might let go, but if I hold your hand, no matter what happens, I will never let go.” On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY,  with Isaiah 49:16, remember, “ Behold, I have engraved you on the palm of My hand…”  And with the psalmist in Psalm 139:10, “Even there, Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” Consider what it means to be held in God’s hand.