Daily Reflection with Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes
Dear Friends: Praying is not easy. Our daily routine calls for our full attention. And the world around us puts little value on prayer; our lives are full of material things but at the same time are getting emptier in God’s value.
For this reason, I will post a daily reflection and as you visit this site may the Holy Spirit within you come to your aid and guide you gently to the God who loves you.
Heavenly Father, you have flooded my life with fullness as vast as a field 
of wheat stretching to the horizon.
Because life comes at me fast, and sometimes with ferocity, it is easy for me to forget the blessings you give with such liberality.
Then when I see someone else’s need, I am suddenly aware again of the abundance in my own life.
When I have such a moment of recognition, O God, help me realize that I may be the blessing you have brought to that person’s life. Give me courage to respond to them with love.
Amen.
Descubriendo el Siglo 21
Discovering 21century
Fr
Tomás Del Valle-Reyes
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
(212)
244 4778
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to
Leave the examination room and said,
'Doctor, I am afraid to die. 
Tell me what lies on the other side.'
Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'
'You don't know? You, a Christian man,
Do not know what is on the other side?'
The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room
And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
'Did you notice my dog?
He's never been in this room before.
He didn't know what was inside. 
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
But I do know one thing...
I know my Master is there and that is enough.'
May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly
Where you are meant to be.
I believe that friends are quiet angels
Who lift us to our feet when our wings
Have trouble remembering how to fly.
Descubriendo el Siglo 21
Discovering 21century
Fr
Tomás Del Valle-Reyes
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
(212)
244 4778
My brother Tomas thinks God lives under his bed.
At least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.
"Are you there, God?" he said.
"Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed."
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.
Tomas unique perspectives are often a source of amusement.
But that night something else lingered long after the humor.
I realized for the first time the very different world Tomas lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor.
Apart from his size (he's 6'2"), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7 year old, and he always will.
He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Tomas realizes he is different. 
Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry days, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.
He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05 eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays -- oh, the bliss of Saturdays!
That's the day my dad takes Tomas to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.
"
That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!"
Tomas shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
I don't think Tomas knows anything exists outside his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.
He recognizes no differences in people, treating each person as an equal and a friend.
His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Tomas is never so happy as when he is working.
When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished.
But when his tasks are done, Tomas knows how to relax.
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.
His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Tomas is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere.
And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Tomas seems to know God -- to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp.
God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Tomas has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap -- I am. My obligations, my fears, my pride, my circumstances -- they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ.
Who knows if Tomas comprehends things I can never learn?
After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.
Tomas won't be surprised at all.
- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -
Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes
Descubriendo el siglo 21
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
212.244-4778
Today, Creator, grant me the courage and the will to forgive the people I love the most. 
Help me to forgive every injustice I feel in my mind, and to love other people unconditionally.
I know the only way to heal all the pain in my heart is through forgiveness.
Today, Creator, strengthen my will to forgive anyone who has hurt me, even if I believe the offense is unforgivable.
I know that forgiveness is an act of self-love.
Help me to love myself so much that I forgive every offense.
Let me choose forgiveness because I don’t want to suffer every time I remember the offense.
Today, Creator, help me to heal all the guilt in my heart by accepting the forgiveness of everyone I have hurt in my life.
Help me to sincerely recognize the mistakes I have made out of ignorance, and give me the wisdom and determination to refrain from making the same mistakes.
I know that love and forgiveness will transform every relationship in the most positive way.
Thank you, Creator, for giving me the capacity to love and forgive.
Today I open my heart to love and forgiveness, so that I can share my love without fear.
Today I will enjoy a reunion with the people I love most. Amen.
Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes
Descubriendo el siglo 21
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
212.244-4778
Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the Surgeon come out of the operating room. She said:
"How is my little boy?
Is he going to be O.K.?
When can I see him?"
The Surgeon said, "I'm sorry, we did all we could."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer?
Doesn't GOD care any more?
GOD, where were you when my son needed you?"
The Surgeon said, "One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes to let you spend time with your son's remains before it's transported to the university."
Sally asked that the nurse stay with her while she said good-bye to her son.
Sally ran her fingers through his thick red curly hair.
The nurse said, "Would you like a lock of his hair?" Sally nodded yes.
The nurse cut a lock of his hair and put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
Sally said, "It was Jimmy's idea to give his body to the university for study.
He said it might help somebody else," and that is what he wanted.
I said no at first, but Jimmy said, "Mom I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy to be able to spend one more day with his mother." Sally said,
"My Jimmy had a heart of gold, always thinking of someone else and always wanting to help others if he could."
Sally walked out of the Children's Hospital for the last time now after spending most of the last 6 months there. She sat the bag with Jimmy's things in it on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was hard and it was even harder to go into an empty house.
She took the bag to Jimmy's room and started placing the model cars and things back in his room exactly where he always kept them. She laid down across his bed and cried herself to sleep holding his pillow.
Sally woke up about midnight, and laying beside her on the bed was a letter folded up. She opened the letter and it said:
Dear Mom,
I know your going to miss me, but don't think that I will ever forget you or stop loving you because I'm not around to say I LOVE YOU. I'll think of you every day mom, and I'll love you even more each day.
Some day we will see each other again.
If you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, he can have my room and my old stuff to play with.
If you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things as us boys do, so you will have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like.
Don't be sad when you think about me.
This is really a great place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything here.
The angels are so friendly and I love to watch them fly.
Jesus doesn't look like any of the pictures I saw of Him, but I knew it was Him as soon as I saw Him. He took me to see GOD! And guess what mom? I got to sit on GOD'S knee and talk to Him like I was somebody important.
I told GOD that I wanted to write you a letter and tell you good-bye and everything, but I knew that wasn't allowed.
God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter with. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel that is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him about -- where was He when I needed him? God said, "The same place He was when Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children. "
Oh, by the way Mom, nobody else can see what is written on this paper but you. To everyone else, it looks like a blank piece of paper.
I have to give God His pen back now. He has some more names to write in the Book Of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for Supper. I'm sure the food will be great.
I almost forgot to let you know -- Now I don't hurt anymore and the cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore. And God couldn't stand to see me suffer the pain either, so He sent The Angel of Mercy to get me. The Angel said I was Special Delivery!
Signed with love from:
God, Jesus and Me-
AUTHOR UNKNOWN -
Descubriendo el Siglo 21
Discovering 21century
Fr
Tomás Del Valle-Reyes
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
(212)
244 4778
Almighty God, whose hands hold all matters of life, give me grace of success in the work that I do. 
Help me to give it the careful thought and the strict attention that will lead to success.
Watch over me and govern my actions, that I may not mar its perfection. Show me how to give my best, and let me not despise the toil that is necessary to complete it.
Make my life a successful one, in that every duty you give to me, I do it well.
Give me the blessing of your help and guidance, and suffer me not to fail.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Descubriendo el Siglo 21
Discovering 21century
Fr
Tomás Del Valle-Reyes
P. O. BOX 1170
New
York, NY 10018
(212)
244 4778
of wheat stretching to the horizon. 
