In ancient times it was said that; “All roads led to Rome”, at this time on Sunday at 9:00 in the morning of December 22, 2019, those roads made their way to Astumbo, Dededo Guam so to speak, for the historic celebration of the first Holy Mass presided by Fr. Dan Bien, pastor of Santa Barbara Catholic Church, Dededo and yours truly concelebrating, and attended by the people of Astumbo with many more coming from different villages of the island for the soft opening and blessing of the Divine Mercy-St. John Paul II chapel in Astumbo, Dededo, Guam.
More than a cherished moment of history to be remembered in the years to come, it is a “ Dream Come True” especially for the people of Astumbo whose aspiration in time to have a place of worship in their locality is now finally realized with this beautiful Divine Mercy- St. John Paul II Chapel majestically standing right in their midst.
But more importantly, beyond and beneath the excitement, joys, cheers and preparations for this historic milestone, are our devotion and gratitude for God’s love giving us his only begotten Son Jesus to save us from our sins. Not only are the portals of this chapel now opened for worship of our merciful God, but may our hearts be opened likewise to share His love and mercy to people around us especially the least.
In his homily, Fr. Dan rightly made sense that no one of us can claim ownership or sole agents of this beautiful chapel, but only God. It’s a collective effort, and our resources, ways and means employed are endowments of his divine providence. We are only his instruments, stewards and servants. This is God’s gift to us at Christmas and truly the manifestation of his great love and mercy.
Now we have a beautiful place for Mass and to solemnly celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. All are welcome to the house of mercy.
On the flipside, someone said that a smart person knows what to say it, a wise person knows either or not say it. Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did. Let it go. It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone. We meet for a reason, either you’re a blessing or a lesson. Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud. If someone treats you badly, just remember there’s something wrong with them not you. Healthy people don’t go around destroying others. True people cry when you leave. Fake people leave when you cry. No one sees how much you do for them; they only see what you don’t do. Don’t read success stories, you will only get a message. Read failure stories, you will get some ideas to get success. Amen on that folks!!
St. Faustina wrote Jesus’ words to her; “My daughter help Me to save a certain dying sinner: Say the chaplet that I have taught you for him.” (Diary 1565).
Pray the Divine Mercy prayer every 3 p.m. Daily pray the Chaplet of Mercy and the Holy Rosary for peace in our families and in the world.