Lions Light Trading

04/10/2024

This is what being one means.

27/09/2024

23/04/2024

What does ascetic self-emptying mean? Self-naughting?
In simplest terms, it means self-denial. In actual terms, it is nothing less than the total destruction of the ego, of anything that can be associated with pride, with self-love. As a matter of fact, it means reducing the self to an absolute zero, almost to the point of denying even your own identity, your name becomes nothing more than a sequence of letters that bear no meaning whatsoever.
In an environment where only sound matters, the letters of your name become meaningless as they reveal themselves as nothing but figures floating in an empty expanse of temporary existence. In that empty expanse, nothing matters or is real save for the solitary voice that can call one out of that nothingness and bring him or her into existence: His own. [Note: the world’s most renowned astro-physicists have determined that all matter in the universe is made up of sound.]
And that is how the human person enters into eternal life: by joining and being united with the Voice of Creation.
And this, too, is how one who is yet in this world is capable of joining and being united with the Voice of Creation: by “ascetic self-emptying and ‘self-naughting’, which, if and when the voice finds him or her worthy, will allow the human person to join and be united with Him and have a foretaste of eternal joy.
However, if you think about it more deeply, this “ascetic self-emptying and ‘self-naughting’ is by itself the absolute or apex of self-affirmation and fulfillment as being the true nature of human existence in the divine.

09/03/2024

The ‘dignity of the image’ Origen speaks of refers to the divine element of the human, about which Gregory Nazianzen says: “…in my earthy nature I am attached to life here below, while I also have in me a portion of the godhead…”
And evidently, Origen sees our divine nature as something that although existing as inherent in our nature, it is yet awaiting completion, a characteristic that we need to progress into as the final grace bestowed upon us by Jesus Christ.
This latter condition (if we can call it that) many find difficult to comprehend or appreciate, caught up as they are in the concept that such divine state is within their individual powers to attain into.
In a limited sense, they are correct, but in the broader, what the Catholic Church simply means is for man to develop himself into the image of perfection that Jesus, by his life and teachings, had modeled for humanity. To put it in the simplest terms, to become Jesus, to be united with him in his perfection.
The greatest question confronting us however is, can we attain that perfection in this earthly existence? Or is there something else that we need to find it in the next?

30/05/2021

Something to make our journey toward perfection and union with God easier.

Still in doubt about your true nature? Ponder upon these:
“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55: 11
“In the beginning was the Word…Through him all things came into being and apart from him nothing came to be.” John 1:3
“God became man so that man may become God.” St. Athanasius
“Remember, O Christian, that you share in God’s own nature.” Pope Leo the Great
Indeed, man was made from the same ‘nothing’ essence of God, was given God’s own Spirit, His very breath, His Ruach, to give His most wonderful creation life. Everything that Jesus, the incarnate God, possessed, the earthly human had. With only one difference: man was innately imperfect because he had a soul that was capable of sinning and which soon enough caused his banishment from Eden. And for this he needed salvation; also because of this the Spirit that lived within him could no longer lend him power. The Spirit in Man needed to be awakened. Through rebirth in that same Spirit.
Only by salvation and rebirth can Man regain the Spirit’s power and work out his perfection. And become God, sharing in Christ’s own divinity.

21/04/2021

Are you trying hard enough to be like Jesus? Think of all the good that you can do with Him.

It should now be very clear: our destiny is godhood. Or to be precise, to share in the Godhood of Jesus in the Trinity.
In fact, you have the seeds of godhood in you that enabled you to that inheritance. And that is because you are, in reality made of elements of God himself; made from the great nothingness that God is made off; and more distinctly, given by God a direct part of himself that gave you life – divine life, and that is his own ‘ruach’, his Spirit.
And because of this you should also realize that within you, you hold the key to great power. Even in this present human state.
How?
By following Jesus. He said in Jn 14:12 - “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”
FOLLOW JESUS. Learn His ways. Acknowledge and awaken the Spirit in you. And always strive to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. You may not attain perfection in this life, but even merely being in this attitude of perfection, you can expect to work wonders. Like Jesus.
The question is, how much of Jesus are you willing yourself to become?

02/02/2021

This prayer frame is an ideal gift for your sick loved ones in the hospital. It is all excellent for devout Padre Pio followers who wish to take St. Pio wherever they travel or want His picture added to their altars. The painter of the orginal picture attests to the many miracles Padre Pio's intercession brought into his life including his deliverance from his six-year severe depression.
To order PM us or call 0956-0528974.

23/01/2021

Lord, thank you for the likes and the comments, but we also need sales, people who will buy our products. To pay for the house rent, for the food we eat, and the other things we need, for this is all we have left in this time of great difficulty.
Jesus, we trust in you, and we know you will provide. Thank you Lord.
Need anything? Writing and editorial assistance? We can help.
PM us, or call 0956-052-8974. https://www.facebook.com/Luccica2250/
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

19/01/2021

Some six years ago Bro. Reggie presented his portfolio of Padre Pio paintings to a possible exhibitor in Libis, Pasig City. That same night he became unraveled and sank into a deep depressed state. From what his sister could gather from him, the exhibition hall manager all but ignored his paintings, he felt shamed so much it broke him.
For the next few years walked the narrow path between sanity and self-destruction. Only the guidance and protection of the Divine Mercy and Padre Pio kept him from going over the edge. Miracle after miracle happened in his life to lift him up everytime desperation threatened to bring him ruin.
The last miracle was Bro. Reggie coming out of his beclouded stupor and and deciding to begin marketing his paintings. It was the first clear sign he that he was regaining control of his faculties and was healing.
This painting of St. Pio of Pietrelcina was supposed to be the centerpiece of the exhibit slated for late 2020, but which, because of the COVID-19 pandemic had to be cancelled. It depicts the saint in full liturgical regalia proclaiming his blessing upon the faithful before him. Reggie here visualizes him admonishing everyone:
"Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God's heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but also with your heart. In fact on certain occasions, you should only speak to Him with your heart."
To Bro. Reggie, it was Padre Pio who had lifted him from the severest effects of his depression and gave him so much hope, courage and strength to withstand the onslaughts of the evil one.
To order copies of the photo-reproduction PM us or call LUCHIE at 0956-0528974.

09/01/2021

1,000 Hail Marys was begun by St. Catherine of Bologna in 1445. While praying this Rosary Mary appeared to her and placed the infant Jesus in her arms.
St. Faustina Kowalska reveals in her "Divine Mercy" book how she prayed a nine-day novena of 1,000 Hail Mary's whenever she has a particularly urgent need or petition (1413). Fr. Stefano Gobbi say: "This prayer of 1,000 Hail Mary's has great power." https://prayers4reparation.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/father-gobbis-1000-hail-mary-super-rosary/
Also read:https://www.schoenstatt.org/images/uploads/material%20general%20%20documents/Spirituality/one-thousand-hail-marys.pdf
PM us for orders or call: 0956-0528974

03/01/2021

Padre Pio has got to be the saint for these troubled times, a refuge for those beleaguered by trials, persecutions and even disease. This painting by Reggie Macapagal is an attestation of the love and care St. Pio bestows on his devotees.
Get this frame reproduction of the original oil painting by Reggie. Read about Reggie Macapagals experiences with Padre Pio in ""Padre Pio Conversations" - https://www.facebook.com/PadrePiotalks
Meanwhile PM us to order the framed image of Padre PIo.

29/12/2020

There he was, Padre Pio's face looking at me from the front of a t-shirt on display at a Church store with such a compelling look I had to buy the shirt. Back home, I draped the shirt across a chair's back, his eyes still following me wherever I went across the room. Something, or someone was pulling my hand toward my painting easel and across the empty canvas standing there. For three days I went on and on hardly stopping for a meal of two, and when it was done...it was glorious! It filled my heart with an unspeakable sense of hope! At that precise moment I glanced up at my bookself and the first thing I saw was Padre Pio's book with the words "PRAY, HOPE, AND DO NOT WORRY." Many years later, I realized what they meant...when I fell into deep depression and he was always there to lift and guide me.
This is the painting. - Reggie Macapagal
PLEASE HELP OUR FAMILY.
PM us to order.