Hi everyone,

Welcome to the month of September! How was your summer break? Did you have some time to relax and enjoy the summer? Did you go anywhere with your family? I had a busy summer, yet it was relaxing at the same time. It was busy in a sense that I had to keep up with my kids’ summer activities, however, it wasn’t too hectic because I didn’t have to race against time as much as during ordinary school season. Aside from driving back and forth between summer classes and swim lessons for 3 kids, we went to Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, the beach (3 times), and we had lots of swimming and get-togethers with families and relatives. It was a good summer for us! I hope yours was fun too. But now, I guess it’s back to "hard-labor" for most of us. Well, have a blessed and pleasant "labor" anyway.

The big event last month was World Youth Day (August 15-20) in Rome. Have you heard about this? It’s a wonderful opportunity for Catholics (especially youth) from all over the world to get together with Pope John Paul II to share, proclaim and renew their faith. The Pope said that the youth of today are the Church’s hope for tomorrow... I really believe that. Do you ever think that you, (yes you) are actually responsible for shaping and helping the Church to grow more in holiness and become more Christ-like? You are indeed the hope for the Church! Each one of us is like a body part belonging to The One Body of Christ, through the image of the Church. The healthier each body part, the stronger the body. Likewise, if certain body parts fail to perform their function, the body will grow weaker. That means when we sin, we’ve injured the Church. In the same way, for every good deed we do, the Church will grow one step closer to perfection, which means that the world will also become a bit more of a better place to live in... and each of us can actually make that happen!

In keeping with the spirit of World Youth Day, I like to post a personal sharing from a young friend. He’s 18 yrs old and in many ways, he’s like most of you. He had good times and bad times throughout his adolescence; he struggles with many issues in school (peer pressure, grades), with his family, his faith, his friends... But somehow, amidst all that turmoil, he was able to take a step back - to stand on the outside looking in, so that he can examine himself, his life and the path where he was going. In doing so, he finds a "higher purpose" for his life. Of course he still has questions and doubts about many things, but by reflecting on his life and examining himself, he begins to discover what really matters most, what happiness really means... Well, I should just shut-up and let you read it. I hope this story will inspire you to take a closer look at yourself, where you’re going and what you’re really searching for in your own life.

Peace be with you,

* Smile, Jesus loves you!

By Anh Nguyen

There are things in my life that I wish I had never known. When I was 10 years old, standing with my right eye covered in front of the vision chart in the doctor’s office, I discovered that I was born with a severe condition called Amblyopia. My left eye is severely impaired; as the result, everything that I see solely depends on the other eye. The doctor said that the right side of my brain that controls vision is not "kicking in". What he said never struck me as scary until seven years later. I could’ve been smarter; I could’ve cut short my study time; I could’ve lived free of the fear of being blind if this had not happened to me. Whenever I feel like blaming, whenever I feel overwhelmed with anxiety, I thank the Lord for leaving me with one good eye and allowing me to see that if I have faith, I can overcome any obstacle.

As a child, it’s hard, if not impossible, to know what your calling in life is; but I thought I knew why I was put on this Earth. Kids at school would laugh at me whenever I told them I wanted to be a priest. They said I could be a basketball star or a doctor and make tons of money, but at the age of nine, I didn’t even know the value of money. I never understood why they laughed at me. Now, my childhood ambition seems as funny to me as it was to my classmates then. I laugh just by thinking about it now, because I’ve learned enough about myself to know that I’m far from achieving the Seven Great Virtues (Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude; Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity). Besides, being a Catholic priest requires special grace from God.

The saying goes "education is the key to success". Lately, I have been thinking of how I define success. I have two definitions for success. On one hand, success means cruising down Beverly Hills on a new BMW with a pocket full of cash. On the other hand, success also means achieving inner peace and knowing that family means love, and money is not everything. I thought that education would one day give me a luxurious life style and a two thousand dollars annual income, so I studied to the best of my potential. I got the grades I wanted, I studied hard, I failed, and I studied harder. In all these times, I never realized that I was worshipping education, putting it above my family, my faith and my God. My mother gives me more than enough time to study. My sister, though not uniquely talented, always volunteers to help me with my schoolwork. I can vividly remember a scene that occurs many times in my family - my mom jumps right into the kitchen as soon as she comes home from work. I also see my sister cleaning the house and washing the last of the dishes while in the corner of the room, I see myself with a book, reviewing words that are neither difficult nor new. As a single parent, my mom needs a lot of help to raise her family and I know my sister would love to go out and relax. Out of love for me and for the family, they both choose to do these works every day. I have always appreciated my family, but I have never shown them my appreciation through any concrete actions. Walking the dog and vacuuming even when I need time to study are little acts of sacrifice that I feel will make me a better person. Studying without limit blinds me. It keeps me from seeing the other side of the world that teaches valuable lessons of charity, self-giving and prudence. I’m thankful to realize that my family is my life before it is too late. With the help of the Lord and the patience that I have received, I now see success with a new set of eyes - as if I am a whole different person. Success, to me, is being able to give love and to receive love. Education is just a key to the basic necessity of life.

Now and then, I still think about the chances that I won’t be able to read and continue school if I could no longer see clearly with my right eye. This fear overwhelms me. Although scary, I never wish to trade my life with anybody else’s. To live life with the people you love, with the people who love you, and with love for yourself is the most rewarding gift.

I don’t think about being a priest anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to but that I feel I can’t. I don’t want to take another guess as to what my future calling may be, but I know what I don’t want to be. Twenty years from now, I don’t want to become a "workaholic" who puts money above everything else.

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