731. Washing Him With Devotion as He Was About to Be Reborn as a Child of God
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Anthony12 Jan 2026 16:17
The Beauty of Acceptance
Washing and then carrying Grandpa Bong to the room, though he was capable of managing on his own.
Mama Julia insisted on helping. I was puzzled and asked why. So I turned to Sr. Michaella,
who reminded me that Mama Juliaโs love is such that she strives to do everything with full effort,
even when inconvenient. Just like the love of our Lord and the Blessed Mother,
Mama Julia does not calculate effort but gives fully according to Godโs will.
This brought to mind earlier episodes:
โข Episode 726: When Mama Julia suddenly could not walk.
She could have taken a taxi, but instead she accepted her sudden limitation with grace,
as if it were given by God. She did not resist or complain. Her acceptance taught me that
love is not about choosing comfort, but about embracing what comes with faith.
โข Episodes 728 & 729: Collecting water from the spring.
The struggle was difficult, yet Mama Julia did not seek shortcuts.
She did not deliberately choose hardship, but she accepted it as part of her journey.
Watching her, I realized that true love does not avoid inconvenience โ it transforms it into devotion.
Reflecting on these moments, I see a pattern:
Mama Juliaโs love is expressed through acceptance.
She does not chase difficulty, but when it comes, she embraces it as Godโs will.
This quiet strength is beautiful.
I do not know anyone else who could love in this way especially towards strangers.
In the same way, the healings that pilgrims received in Naju from our Lord,
are through the sufferings of Mama Julia.
Washing and then carrying Grandpa Bong to the room, though he was capable of managing on his own.
Mama Julia insisted on helping. I was puzzled and asked why. So I turned to Sr. Michaella,
who reminded me that Mama Juliaโs love is such that she strives to do everything with full effort,
even when inconvenient. Just like the love of our Lord and the Blessed Mother,
Mama Julia does not calculate effort but gives fully according to Godโs will.
This brought to mind earlier episodes:
โข Episode 726: When Mama Julia suddenly could not walk.
She could have taken a taxi, but instead she accepted her sudden limitation with grace,
as if it were given by God. She did not resist or complain. Her acceptance taught me that
love is not about choosing comfort, but about embracing what comes with faith.
โข Episodes 728 & 729: Collecting water from the spring.
The struggle was difficult, yet Mama Julia did not seek shortcuts.
She did not deliberately choose hardship, but she accepted it as part of her journey.
Watching her, I realized that true love does not avoid inconvenience โ it transforms it into devotion.
Reflecting on these moments, I see a pattern:
Mama Juliaโs love is expressed through acceptance.
She does not chase difficulty, but when it comes, she embraces it as Godโs will.
This quiet strength is beautiful.
I do not know anyone else who could love in this way especially towards strangers.
In the same way, the healings that pilgrims received in Naju from our Lord,
are through the sufferings of Mama Julia.
Pauline 13 Jan 2026 15:30
As a catechist, I sometimes forget the depth of the gift entrusted to me, having witnessed hundreds or even thousands of catechumens prepare for baptism. It becomes easy to treat the journey like a task to complete rather than a sacred moment woven with grace.
Yet Mamma Juliaโs devotion in washing her catechumenโfully aware of his rebirth as a child of Godโreminds me to approach each soul with reverence, gratitude, and renewed spiritual attentiveness.
PRAYER FOR CATECHUMEN ๐
Heavenly Father, we lift up all catechumens who will receive the gift of baptism this coming Easter Vigil. Prepare their hearts with deep faith, steady hope, and a joyful longing for life in Christ. Surround them with your light, strengthen them against every fear, and let their new beginning be filled with peace, grace, and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Yet Mamma Juliaโs devotion in washing her catechumenโfully aware of his rebirth as a child of Godโreminds me to approach each soul with reverence, gratitude, and renewed spiritual attentiveness.
PRAYER FOR CATECHUMEN ๐
Heavenly Father, we lift up all catechumens who will receive the gift of baptism this coming Easter Vigil. Prepare their hearts with deep faith, steady hope, and a joyful longing for life in Christ. Surround them with your light, strengthen them against every fear, and let their new beginning be filled with peace, grace, and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Amen
AmyRoss14 Jan 2026 20:00
Mama Julia has so much love in her heart that uncle Bong can feel the sincerity n kindness.
Uncle Bong needed Jesus love because of Mama Julia emanating that light of Love , he decided to become a Catholic .
Mama Julia is prepared to go through the hardship n difficulty just to bring that one soul to Jesus.
Likewise in our lives , we need to understand it is always a struggle to bring that one soul back to Jesus flock.
We may get rejected , tested , backfired , we need to be persistent .
To accept whatever obstacles comes in our way n leave to Jesus while we focus on that one precious soul.
Uncle Bong needed Jesus love because of Mama Julia emanating that light of Love , he decided to become a Catholic .
Mama Julia is prepared to go through the hardship n difficulty just to bring that one soul to Jesus.
Likewise in our lives , we need to understand it is always a struggle to bring that one soul back to Jesus flock.
We may get rejected , tested , backfired , we need to be persistent .
To accept whatever obstacles comes in our way n leave to Jesus while we focus on that one precious soul.
๐ 731. Washing Him With Devotion as He Was About to Be Reborn as a Child of God
As I breathed in the strong scent of burning incense, I was praying earnestly. Before I knew it, the bathwater had finished heating. I filled a large basin with the warm water and only then did I go to greet the elderly man. โFather, your daughter is here. Tomorrow is the day you will receive baptism and be reborn as a child of God.ย
So today, I will wash you clean. Let me help you bathe.โ
โOh my, when did you get here, Maโam?ย
I thought I heard something... Thank you.โ I closed the open gate and brought the elderly man into the yard to bathe him. The thought that he would be baptized tomorrow and be reborn as a child of God filled me with overwhelming joy. As I carefully washed him, every nook and cranny, I offered it up earnestly as a Prayer of Life.ย
โMy beloved Jesus! I give You infinite thanks for allowing elderly man Bong to be reborn as Your child. Please cleanse, wipe away, and purify with Your most precious Blood all the deep wounds of his soul and body that he has carried for so many years and any remaining trace of sin. Grant that, for the rest of his life, he may live filled with joy, love, and peace.โ
After I washed him clean, dried him off, and wrapped him in a large towel, I carried him on my back and went into the room. Just then, Mr. Rufinoโwho had said he would go out to use the bathroom some time agoโfinally returned. When he saw me carrying the elderly man on my back as I entered the room, he was startled and exclaimed, โHuh? Julia, since when did you get so light? You could not even lift your feet earlier!โ ย
It was only then that I realized, โHuh? I am actually back to normal!โ Then I thought to myself, โAh! Just a short while ago, I could barely move my feet even 2 or 3 centimeters, and I was struggling just to climb up and down the steep spring side to gather firewood. Could it have been when I was burning the Host-shaped paper and praying so earnestlyโwhen I inhaled the fragrance of the incenseโthat my body started to feel lighter?โ
I had bathed and even given him a haircut, but because I was offering the Prayer of Life so sincerely and with full focus, I had not realized any of it until then. As I brought him into the room, I told Mr. Rufino, โPlease do not come in yet.โ After dressing him in the new clothes I had prepared, I called Rufino to come in. Since I struggled to draw the water myself, heat it, and bathe him, it must have taken about five hours.
While all that was happening, Mr. Rufino was nowhere to be seen, so I began to worryโโDid he have diarrhea and soil his clothes and go back home?โ I asked him, โDid you have diarrhea?โ He replied, โNo, I just went to pee. I could not find a restroom and wandered around. I just got back now.โ I was so shocked and said, โWhat? You have only just returned now because you could not find a restroom all this time?โ
โYeah, it is true. I even went all the way to Naju High School.โ
โBut Naju High School is just right up there. It is so close!โ
He replied, โStillโฆโ and tried to make more excuses. What pained me was not that I did not get any help from himโit was that he kept making excuses and trying to justify himself. Since I already knew him well, I did not want to hear any more of his excuses.
So I said, โIt is okay. Thanks to you, I was able to participate even a little more in sacrifice of carrying the cross of Jesus, and that made me very happy and grateful.โ I decided not to bring up the matter any further and offered it up, practicing Semchigo as if I were loved by Mr. Rufino.
Although I struggled alone to draw the water in the midst of my suffering, I accepted and offered up this time, believing that Jesus, for whom nothing is impossible, arranged it to show me that love could be practiced beyond human strength.
Even though he was an elderly man, he was still a man. How could I possibly wash his lower body and every nook and cranny if Mr. Rufino were watching? So I offered it up, believing that the Lord arranged and guided things so I could wash him when Rufino was not around, and my heart was filled with joy. Perhaps the Lord was also testing me, thinking, โLet me see how you will handle this.โ
After dressing the elderly man, we prayed some prayers together. For some time before, we had been praying together so that he could memorize the main daily prayers, but since he was well over eighty years old, it was not easy. I also often explained about the Eucharistic Jesus so that he could receive the Blessed Sacrament with reverent faith and love. I wanted to give the elderly man the baptismal name Francis, after Saint Francis, whom I deeply respect. However, the pronunciation was too difficult for him, and he just could not memorize it. At the time, it did not occur to me that Francis could also be called Bang-ji-geo (a Korean phonetic variant). So instead, I chose Andrew, thinking of Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon, whom I also love and admire. I selected Mr. John Lee, the community president, to be his godfather.
My personal reflection note with Mama Julia๐น๐ย
Link ๐๐ป
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMn-IyINZ8oGN8Jv4M0-pozcdF67tEqzlPkk4s0EZKdnOdEw/viewform
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