Browsing Category Prayer

Married?

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Last month, my Division Manager said he thought I was married. I was unsure of why because I look quite young. Multiple staff members in the office have asked me, “Are you an intern?” and I told them that I was the new engineer. Perhaps he thought I was older because of the amount of work experience I had on my resume. 

Later that week, while drinking milk tea, my friend pointed at my left hand and said, “No wonder why your boss thought you were married! You’re wearing a ring!” I knew exactly what he was talking about without having to look at my hand.

My rosary ring.

10 years ago

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Below is an excerpt from a journal entry from Saturday, October 3, 2009.

[…] At that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore and ran off. I ran around the church because I knew that I had nowhere else to run to. […] I stopped and cried behind the Sullivan Hall. After a while, I got tired of crying and ran to where the HTs originally were. They were all gone. A truck drove off and didn’t see me. Another car drove off, too. I thought there were no more cars left and I was stuck at the church when one last car spotted me. It drove and went in front of me. 

“Hey Thao, you okay?” It was the young HT, Anh XXXXX.

“No,” I answered. 

“Wanna get in the car?” he asked.

I didn’t answer and he said, “Get in the car.” So I did since the conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

I sat in there, crying. 

“It’s okay…” he said. 

Then he called Anh XXXXX and said, “I found her.”

“What?!” 

“She ran back.”

“What?!” 

“Haha, I don’t know. She just ran back”

“… Okay.” 

I sat there, crying until I got tired of it. We started talking and such for about 15 minutes. Then, he drove me home. 

4th Station of the Cross

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As I started my last prayer, I stopped at the 4th Station of the Cross. Why have I not noticed this station? I looked at the Roman Numerals, “IV”. I saw Mary’s face close to Jesus’, almost seemingly the two were having a conversation with words or simply their eyes. Jesus was wearing his crown of thorns and carrying his heavy cross. Mary was looking longingly and worriedly at Jesus. At that moment, I realized my prayer was answered.

Help me feel Your Love.

 

 

VSL: SM TT 28

in Prayer TNTT on

#TNTT Đoàn Vinh Sơn Liêm: Sa Mạc Thăng Tiến XXXVIII (38)

💛These Nghĩa Sĩ’s first impression of me was that I do semaphore really fast. Now, a couple of them can mentally decode semaphore and some of them can write down and decode the semaphore I perform at my fastest speed. I may need to level up in other areas! 😳 Thank you for a wonderful year with you all! I have been truly blessed to have been your Huynh Trưởng this past year. 💛

Maria Pham Thi Sinh

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The night before heading up to Sacramento for TNTT HT Training Camp, I received news that my grandma has passed away. I tried my best to keep it all together throughout camp despite how many times I actually just wanted to breakdown. I held it all in until I was on the Holy Land Pilgrimage. I missed the funeral mass due to being across the Atlantic Ocean, but I knew that if my grandma was alive, she would have told me to go to the Holy Land and pray for her soul. And I did. And I will continue to do so for the only grandma I ever knew.

Humans of Santa Clara University (2015)

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Original Post from Humans of Santa Clara University

Thao ‘16, School of Engineering

“After witnessing two incidents of corruption, one from leadership at my local parish and another from a teacher in high school, I entered Santa Clara University hoping to re-establish my faith. My first professor here, Sam Conedera, was kind, patient, caring, approachable, and supportive. With each conversation we had, my faith slowly renewed. On these stairs two years ago, I asked him to pray for me. He gently smiled and said, ‘Yes, I will pray for you.’ A week later during office hours, I asked if he had prayed for me. He answered, ‘Yes, I did and I will continue to do so.’ Sam was a huge part of my faith journey. I hope to be a guide like him to others on their faith journey, especially to the kids at my Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Group.”

Apr 16, 2015

Persecute

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I tried to pray for someone who has betrayed and deeply hurt me. Someone who constantly lied to me despite the many times I gave my trust over and over again. Someone who bad-mouthed me behind my back and right in front of my face.

With great pain and sadness, I asked, “Why?”

And then I heard:

[…] “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. […]”

-Acts 9: 4-5 (NRSVCE), The Conversion of Saul

I felt a sense of peace as I came back and recognized the Eucharist in front of me.