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Hello!
My name is Mai
Hoàng Dung, but you can call me Dungy. I’m from nho’m nhi’ Ducklings
in Wichita Falls, Texas, where everything is HOT - the weather, the
cement, and even the people! (Hee, hee)
Prayer. My usual
night prayer used to consist of 10 kinh. (I remember a Vietnamese
priest said once that we spend much time working, shopping, watching
Chinese kung-fu movies, and what not. So why not spend more time
praying everyday? So I started praying 10 kinh every night for 2
years.) But eventually, my prayer life seemed to be going downhill.
College life demanded long hours of studying (not to mention work),
which seemed to be a perfect excuse for not praying at night. I’m
just too tired, I said. So most of the times I ended up simply
thanking God for the day and dozed off. Sometimes, I tried to be more
ambitious by praying the rosary but I would inadvertently fall asleep
half way through it. Given all that, I would still say that somehow I
knew my relationship with God was strong…
Well, this year I
was invited (by my dad and God) to attend a 5-day silent retreat with
cha Thành in Carthage, MO. I looked forward to this retreat because I
had many things to talk to God about. Above all, I wanted to love God
and make Him # 1 in my heart once again. Knowing that this silent
retreat will give me ample time to pray, I still did not anticipate
spending that much time with Jesus (2 prayer periods, averaging 2 to 4
hours each). It was awesome! My favorite place to pray was in front
of the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration Room. It was sort of
“direct contact” with Jesus, you know. It gave me a sense of
tremendous inner peace. I felt like I could sit there forever and
chat with Jesus or just be present. I knew that my presence made
Jesus happy because I made time to be with Him. I sat down at his
feet and began, “How are you?” I then read the suggested biblical
passages and tried to contemplate the scene. Afterwards, I just
chatted with Jesus and asked for some specific grace or blessing. As
strange as it may sound, I often didn’t want to leave. I really felt
drawn to stay - even when “nature” called! (Well, I often ended up
saying, “Could you hold that thought, Jesus? I’ll be right back!”)
I came out of the
retreat refreshed, closer to God. I was once again shown that He is
always in my heart and that our gentle God patiently awaits for me to
include Him in my life.
I also realized
the importance of daily prayer in my life. Cha Thành reminded us that
the fervor felt during retreat days will eventually wear off and that
reality awaits us. One cannot change overnight, but rather, over an
extended amount of time. And when faced with our “downs,” we should
turn to Jesus for strength, patience, and perseverance.
Cha Thành asked
of us to set apart one special day each week to pray, to meditate on
passages from the Bible, or simply just be with Jesus in a quiet
place. As for the rest of the week, we should spend 15-20 minutes
every morning to thank Him for a good night sleep and to consecrate
that day to God. This should help us be ready to “Carpe diem” (Seize
the Day). At night, take ten minutes to reflect on the day: what am I
thankful for today? What am I not so thankful for? Did I see God -
in the people I met or in the works I did today? I might also want to
tell God that I’m sorry for the unkind word I said to someone today.
After asking for His blessing, I can go to bed.
The retreat
helped me see the many blessings that I normally missed�the people and
the events in my life. I came home from the retreat with a tremendous
sense of peace, contentment, and joy.
Prayer should be
a part of everything we do. Prayer should not only take place at
night or in the morning or during mass. Prayer should be more than
words�it should be an action to commit ourselves to God. Prayer often
gives me that “light feeling” before an unwanted task or in the joy I
know that only God can give!
I pray
everyday�often throughout the day without consciously realizing it’s a
prayer. When I’m conscious of my prayer, I realize that without it, I
would not have survived the many ordeals that life entails. I tell
you, prayer certainly helped a great deal when I had my root canal
done not too long ago. Amidst the unbelievable pain and my frantic
reciting of the Our Father - in a mixture of English and Vietnamese -
God heard my prayer and helped me survive the ordeal (hee, hee).
So as you can
see, prayer is a necessity in my life. It’s no heavy task at all.
No, really! It’s simply talking with God, with Jesus, or asking the
Holy Spirit for courage, faith, or whatever you need. Prayer is part
of everything that you do. Next time your heart feels heavy or you
dread doing something, just PRAY! Remember to make time for God in
prayer, meditate once in a while if not once a week. Trust me, you
will feel energized, ready to “seize the day” and face anything
knowing that Jesus is right beside you every step. Prayer is our
pathway to and with Jesus, and prayer will help us overcome our
weaknesses. Through prayer, we receive strength and grace to carry out
God’s will. Just Do It! It’s a piece of cake, with a lot of good,
sweet, delicious icing on top. So pray! And may the Force (of God)
be with you.
Smile! Jesus
Loves You!
Love you all my
dear Đồng Hành Family.
Mai Hoàng Dung
~ Café Đen
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