Note to God

We, all of us, continuously, feel harassed by this simple temptation (so easy to yield to, so difficult to shake off) — the temptation to relegate to the very last place the question and the duties of our Christian life, and to attend to them when we have 'time' and when we 'feel like it'. We approach the matter in a very shallow and scarcely supernatural sort of way; we give in very easily and we end up regarding these duties that have to do with our last end as just 'one more thing' and not as absolute duties of state (duties which are a direct result of our being Christians) and as the most important thing in life. And that is very, very silly and very imprudent: but our mind, light-headed and superficial, calculates frantically and elaborates complicated arguments, which don't take into account eternity and the salvation of our soul. The great warnings in the Gospel ('Only one thing is necessary . . .'; 'What does it profit a man ...?'; ...

It has been said, quite truly to my mind, that many work in politics, the arts, industry or business but that very few really work at their own sanctification, at the salvation of their own soul, at the great business of their eternal sanctification. 

The things which take up their time are good things...And yet it is still true that we are neglecting the most important thing to do less important things; it is still true they have compromised and rashly put at risk our eternal salvation, which is represented in the parable as the great banquet (and the valid excuses the guests give not to attend). The danger that good things, when not used in the right way, at the right time and to the right degree, will lead us to give up our duties of piety and our apostolic commitments, in this way endangering the union of our souls with God and, as time goes by, maybe losing completely any sense of God.

Because—and this is the truth—the desert without Jesus, or the false desert of consumer goods and leisure activities, or of the loneliness of the abandoned elderly person and of the sick patient who waits in vain for a visit, that desert is only an empty, sterile land that gives rise to sadness, frustration, and depression. On the contrary, the desert with Jesus is the gate of heaven, where true happiness awaits us. It is the place where we can wrestle with God the whole night so that he will reveal his name to us.13 So it was that Jacob awoke from his dream and said, “Surely, the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it.” Then he added: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven

It takes resolve and spiritual effort to stop all activity, even professional work, and to give up all leisure activities and even the most pressing affairs so as to give a little of your time and of your heart to God. It takes a lot of courage, faith, and love to abandon youroccupations and your own interests and to offer your time to God in an attitude of listening and adoration. This is also what Saint Anselm recommends to us: “Come, take courage, poor man! Flee for a while your occupations, escape for a moment from the din of your thoughts. Cast away your heavy cares now and set aside your worries. Give a short moment to God, and rest a while in him. Enter into the chamber of your mind; banish from it everything except God or what can help you to seek him. Shut the door and start to seek him. Now speak, my heart, open

Professor Jérôme Lejeune once said: “If someone really wants to attack the Son of man, Jesus Christ, there is only one way, and that is to attack the sons of men. Christianity is the only religion that says, ‘your model is a child’, the infant in Bethlehem. When they have taught you to despise the child, there will be no Christianity left in this country.

those who receive the seed on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear the word, welcome it at once with joy. But they have no root in them, they do not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, they fall away at once. A vocation to Opus dei is this.. it gives roots, supernatural roots from our vocation 

The heart has ear. It listens.  H: humility Ear T: trust

How good it is to help strengthen this unity with small daily actions! Sometimes we will need to give in on our preferences or ideas, which in themselves may be legitimate. Here it can help us to recall that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (Pope Francis,  Evangelii Gaudium , no. 235). Unity is a more important value than so many other things, precisely because as St Josemaria says, unity is a condition for life. Collegiality At workplace At home To champion team's decision despite having personal preferences 

Overcoming our moods is one of them. Avoiding useless complaints is another. So too is persevering in our work when we feel tired.  To love your spouse as how Jesus would love her.

This is the Christian way of life: remaining steadfast in prayer, in order to remain steadfast in faith and testimony. Here once again we may hear a voice within us, saying: “But Lord, how can we not grow weary? We are human. . . even Moses grew weary. . . !” True, each of us grows weary. Yet we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Church’s prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness.

What is the criteria of Sainthood for your wife? Do u meet that criteria?

The little things matters.  Anecdote of British cycling team - changes made to their gears, the axle, cleaning..  - all of which 1% performance gain - eventually, makes a considerable amount of gain

Instead of examining the sin of commission, let us examine the sin of omission? What can I do to improve spiritual life?

What makes us impatient? 1. We are unable to bear sufferings  ☆Patience is a virtue to endure with a quiet mind  2. Our overwhelming/exaggerated sense of self righteousness.  - How impatience have spoilt relationships. - an impatient person quarrels with time  We cannot solve all the problems today. 

1. The means to the end - think about the end ie union with God - the means,  plan of life 2. Prioritising, simplicification of purpose  - work spams, work coming in - prioritise  - simplify  To give God the best.  - mass everyday Revelation of 7 churches - don't forget the love you had in the first place 3 ages of interior life - consolations  - sacrifice, purgative phase - illuminative phase - unitive phase : to go higher Work is prayer, prayer is work    Love isn't rigid, it's a muscle, it's supple

1. Not to miss opportunities for apostolate  2. Intimacy with Jesus

St Thomas Aquinas: the main manifestation of charity is to transmit joy. Do we transmit joy? Do we transfer joy to others? When others walk into the room,  do they feel happy in your presence?  That's how we do apostolate. That's how we be evangelical catholics To radiate light and life. Even though we have our own temperaments. It's the joy and peace that the world cannot give. It's the language of witness.  Pope Francis: we are called to be extensions of Jesus Christ

Google CEO Sundar Pichai's Number One Question He learned the question from his mentor, former Columbia University football coach turned business coach Bill Campbell. Whenever they met, says Pichai, Campbell would ask him: "What ties did you break this week?" Campbell wasn't speaking about breaking ties as in cutting off relationships. Rather, he was teaching Pichai that he needed to break stalemates.  Pichai says he's still asking that question today. If you own a business or lead a team, you can use this question to help you: Prioritize those you want to please Pursue progress, not perfection See the big picture Because leadership is moving things forward.

When MIT professor Patrick Winston lectured, he had a famous, four-word "rule of engagement." It was a non-negotiable policy, and while simple, it's a rule that almost no one today follows, and that makes it extremely valuable.  No laptops. No cellphones. "Some people ask why [this] is a rule of engagement," says Winston. "The answer is, we humans only have one language processor. And if your language processor is engaged ... you're distracted. And, worse yet, you distract all of the people around you. Studies have shown that." He continues, "And worse yet, if I see an open laptop, somewhere back there, or up here, it drives me nuts!" Winston is right, of course--and his rule is backed up by years of scientific research.

"People who are right a lot listen a lot, and they change their mind a lot,"  Bezos once said in an interview.  "They wake up and re-analyze things and change their mind. If you don't change your mind frequently, you're going to be wrong a lot. People who are right a lot want to disconfirm their fundamental biases." That's why it's so important to be open to criticism. But what if criticism attacks your core beliefs, the very essence of who you are? By urging readers to "not let anybody tell you who you are," Bezos encourages a balanced view of criticism. Yes, listen and be open to change. But don't be tempted to give in to haters, to become something you're not, or to change your core beliefs simply to please others.  Time for TPM, Performance evaluation