believe

every saturday, i take the girl to catechism class. while she learns about jesus, i make a bee-line to the church library and devour anything than i can squeeze in in the hour that i am there. i don't borrow anything coz the likelihood of not finishing the book while at home is high. except for the tabloid trash that i read in the toilet, i have no time for personal reading.

but i digress, i've been reading a lot about saints lately - very gripping stuff.

I started with St Padre Pio he received the stigmata and many other interesting and blessed gifts of healing, prophecy, miracles, discernment of spirits. He was also able to convert sinners, able to read hearts (this has to do with confession - he could tell if you were telling the truth at confession!! like if you actually emptied your bag of lies or not) and had a fragrance which emanated from his wounds coz of the stigmata . But reading about the blood from the stigmata (and then getting a visual about it) was too much for me. i mean the man used to say mass with bleeding wounds.

Then I moved on to St Francis from Malacca (yes, our doorstep) who was mutilated after he passed on. He was later magnified for being a martyr at death. Again, the gore was both interesting and "gigik" at the same time. I read the medical documents of the many mutilations which from a clinical point of view was fascinating but from a religious relic direction a little yuck.

(these are all google-able btw)

lately, i've been reading abt St Bridget from Sweden who was a visionary and was very devoted to the passion of Christ. Her visions were of Mary and Jesus. Very interesting insight. Stuff like Mary told her she gave birth standing up and felt zero pain at childbirth (of course there are more interesting stuff but as mother who has given birth 3 times, this is like wow!) And Jesus sharing candidly about his life to her also her vivid vision of the passion. Very interview-esque but profound.

i'm not preaching ... i'm just a sceptic who is beginning to believe : )

ps - don't get me wrong, i have strong believe in the religion and in god, but i've been really slack. but these saturdays, alone with faith, has been spiritually rejuvenating.