“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” — John 14:9
Lately, God has been whispering the profound truth of these words to me—not merely through Scripture, but through the gentle voice of nature and the quiet moments of my daily life.
For three agonizing months, our country has suffocated under a relentless heat wave. It has drained our bodies and left our spirits weary. Alongside this, we carry the heavy weight of a crippling energy crisis, navigating long lines for fuel and sitting in the dark through rolling power cuts.
Yet, the heaviest burden of all is the looming shadow of civil war. Every day brings the heartbreaking news of airstrikes tearing apart homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship. It is a brutal assault on ordinary people who simply long for peace, justice, freedom, and dignity. We are exhausted, caught in a nightmare, tired of a broken system—a sham government born of a sham parliament and a sham election.
I cannot control the scorching heat or the fate of my country. But I have realized that what little I can do is focus on living out the gentle values of the Gospel. I began by sitting with others who share the weight of this war, and by taking tender care of myself—reading, writing, exercising, and meditating, while praying together in community.
Then, the long-awaited rain finally came. In an instant, the oppressive heat broke. All of creation seemed to let out a deep sigh of relief. For the first time in months, we slept peacefully and woke up feeling renewed.
The next morning, I went for a walk, and my heart leaped.
There stood the Padauk—our beautiful national flower. For weeks, she had stood bare and patient, having shed all her leaves. But after just one night of rain, she erupted into a brilliant, golden bloom. It was a glorious sight.
Though her season of blooming is brief, her message is eternal. She is a living sign of hope, renewal, and purification. In her quiet faithfulness, I saw her praising the Creator simply by being fully alive. Looking at that golden tree, Jesus’ words echoed softly in my heart:
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
In the face of my country’s hardships, I realized how often I allow doubt and sluggish faith to take over. Yet, just as the Padauk tree waits patiently for the rain, God does not rush me. He is endlessly patient, gently reminding me:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
With a grateful heart, I thanked God for opening my eyes that morning. The blooming Padauk was a gentle embrace from God—a reminder of His sustaining presence for me, and for all of humanity clinging to hope in the dark.
Like the Padauk tree, we too are called to bloom where God has planted us. Carrying this renewed energy, I pray:
Glory to you, Source of all Life, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
I am Noreen Mya Sie. I made my first profession as a Sister of Our Lady of the Missions in 1966. In our province here in Myanmar, I have been involved in teaching, leadership, formation, and at the Catholic Religious Conference of Myanmar (CRCM). I love it that I have been called to the world community of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, and with so many others am committed to bringing about the reign of God in today’s multi-cultural and globalised world.
At present, I am our Province Archivist, and every day I am enriched by learning more about our pioneer sisters, their different ministries and the hardships they endured. Their experiences encourage me to more forward freely and courageously. It is great that I can make this journey with so many others in this age of technological advances.
