Mysteries of the Magical Monastery


Che strano spettacolo (what a strange scene) -  un monaco senza gambe seduto ai piedi di un muro, che chiedeva ad ogni passante: "Cosa hai da darmi? Cosa hai da darmi? (a monk without legs sitted at the foot of a wall, asked each passerby: "What have you to give me? What have you to give me?)




Mi sentii obbligato a fermarmi e a scusarmi: "Anch'io sono un monaco, mi spiace non ho niente da darti". (I felt obliged to stop and excuse myself: "I am also a monk, I'm sorry I have nothing to give you".)


"Dammi il tuo dispiacere", disse. Fu cio' che gli diedi. ("Give me your sorrow". And that was what I gave him)

Teofane Il Monaco, Fiabe dal Monastero Magico, XI:Che Cosa Aspetti?, Cosa Hai Da Darmi? (Torino:Piero Gribaudi Editore,1988), 82.

Fresh from the Magical Monastery where I drew the wisdom of the ages, I thought of the prayers I had made these last couple of years (or even more)... I always say that I pray, I don't know how... but God seems to always understand my heart's deepest desires...

I have often been told to make my prayer petitions concrete, that is detailed... God might not give it the way I wanted it to be, but He answers... He does, even after ten or fifteen years or a whole lifetime... A lot of the questions I had when I was sixteen were answered just right now...

The best thing about a life of struggle and pain is the presence of people who continually speak of God's love, maybe not through words, but by their very lives... simple people --- from the streets, children, friends, their music and art... they have lots of gifts to offer...

God says give everything to me... we are not so poor as we always have  something to give.

What have you to share?


Comments

  1. Jorie PacliApril 12, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    I have all the love to give. This is the priceless possession I have that I am very much willing to give and share with everyone just to make this world a better place to live in and hoping that everyone does the same to stop all the wars and hatred. It's pure love and selflessness.... Thanks Melissa for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AbhisekApril 12, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Even I have all the love to give.There is something like the more you give the more you get.I always try to give more and want less or sometimes don't even expect something in return.Loved the post Melissa.Your heart is pure and I love you sis for that only.

    ReplyDelete
  3. alejandro guzmanApril 12, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    Gorgeous..

    A

    ReplyDelete
  4. fantasy in practicalityApril 12, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    its only and only the unconditional love that i have. at every phase of my life i have shared with each and every person i meet. i am devoted to my GOD with pure clarity of mind and this devotion has helped me to devote myself to all the others i love. thanks Meli, for letting us share what we treasure to give.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nelmitravel - Nelieta MishchenkoApril 13, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    It is true Melissa. I believe that God answers all our prayers and often enough He gives us more than what we have asked for. Have faith and never forget to say Thank you!

    http://nelietatravellingadventures.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. benApril 13, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    Superb post !! I believe in god coz he ll answer to our request.The thing is u have to wait and have faith in him ..for sure he ll answer !!!

    http://www.travelnlife.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mari Sterling WilburApril 14, 2011 at 7:55 AM

    God will always care for us. Sometimes the answers to our prayers are not what we want, but God always knows best. He never fails us. :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. MotifsApril 15, 2011 at 3:00 AM

    I love your post Melissa..its beautiful because it reflects u...I am at a point in life,where I am loosing hope in God,and sincerely hope to revive my trust in him,before its too late.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soul Friends

Image
Linking into the 'Blogging and Friends' blog hop at Bongo Is Me and  Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease . I met with some friends this day. We've known each other since we were ten and somehow even though two of them already reside in the US, we've managed to communicate all throughout these years. Our traditional lunch at Abe (from L-R: Hazel, Ella, Me, Hazel's parents) 5 May 2012 Sto. Domingo (5 May 2012) Then I went on a date with my childhood friend. I have not visited Him for a while and I longed to see Him (He was waiting for me ). I came home and spent time with my friends online... It was while reading Bonnie's post that I became reminiscent of how my life started in the blogging world. It was January last year when my ARTner and friend for two years in Tagged asked me if I was interested to publish my ideas. I read Fher's blog but made comments on my online journal for discussion. I was a bit hesi...
Read more

ţlīthā qūm

  ţlīthā qūm Mark 5, 41 NIV I wonder how He said it... Was it similar to a song?... a soft whisper...  la Sua voce serena... tranquilla... 'Nowadays, we couldn't distinguish whether one is angry or affectionate ~ the tone with which we say things are the same...' preached the priest last Sunday. ...He  saw her, he called her forward and said to her,  “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”  Luke 13, 12 NIV There's something in This man... His look... His gaze... His eyes... mi penetra... nel profondo... fino all'anima mia... "He reached out His hand and touched the man. " Matthew 8, 3 NIV ...gently... senza timore... ------- I remember a story recounted by one Peruvian missionary nurse I worked with in North Africa. She was assigned to prepare a teenager for his first communion. He not only looked younger but he was quite smaller than his age. He was all curled up because of an unknown disease. His whole body...
Read more

Of Cups and Dreams

Image
I scooped up TWO EMPTY CUPS before leaving that Sacred place... and whispered something to two Franciscan priests... I woke up and reached playfully inside my pocket to see if I brought them home with me then I wrote Lisa Marie Farfalla about this dream. Empty...cups... It was the night before the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The next day, Corinne Rodrigues wrote  Half Empty or Half Full?  . On the 21st, Savira Gupta wrote something about emptiness:  "Emptiness or a feeling of void is a phase or a moment of pause. A time to observe, understand and digest what I have experienced. It is when I am nudged into looking or deciphering what is meaningful and what needs to be discarded. A time to ponder or be with myself....No judgments or labeling....  Making space for what is about to come" Yesterday, I came across Andy David 's  This Cup of Mine  . Symbols, colors, numbers, dreams ~ Each of us had CUP in mind...  A CUP ...
Read more