I Believe 101

Becoming And Being An Anthonian

2010-07-28T06:50:00.004+08:00

Welcome Anthonians! Or should it be welcome to me? It is both. It is a welcome to me because of my arrival to St. Anthony (Catholic) School as the new Director. It is indeed a difficult task because of the great responsibility it demands. Add to that my being new to the ministry of managing and directing a Catholic school. But I welcome the mission. I see it as an opportunity to be a part of the formation and education of children who will eventually be the leaders and stewards of God's creation. Their young minds and bodies are open to all available knowledge and experiences. Our God, through the Faith and the School, should be involved actively so that His promise of salvation maybe fulfilled in them.

St. Anthony is a Catholic school. The stress here is in being a Catholic school. The Catholic Church, I believe, decided to participate in the field of education through managing Catholic schools for the primary purpose of producing graduates who have been informed of and hopefully formed in, and transformed by Christian values. While at present, Catholic schools, colleges, and universities are more known for their academic capacities and successes, their original purpose still remains. Catholic schools will strive hard to fully prepare their graduates academically. But they will strive much much harder to prepare them morally. In other words, then Catholic schools are a success if they have produced moral and formed graduates even if they are not academically superior. The Catholic schools will be more proud to recognize their graduates because they have become good citizens of our country and of God's Kingdom. It will not be a source of pride for Catholic schools to have graduates who are well known academically but are despised by society due to immoral actions and questionable integrity.

This is not an easy task. This needs the cooperation and unity of every sector in the school; teachers, administrators, maintenance personnel, students, parents, and even alumni are part of the whole effort to achieve this goal for the students and the school. The Vision-Mission of the school echoes and reiterates this objective. Every member of the school community takes this into heart. Everyday, before the community begins their daily activity, these are recited in order to commit oneself again to this cause. They are the source, sustaining force, and fulfillment of their school lives. At the same time, living them gives them joy and meaning.

I therefore enjoin all sectors of the school community to be a part of this journey. Through God's Will, I became a part of St. Anthony family. Together with the new members of the school, in my capacity as school Director, I embark on my own formation and education to be an Anthonian. I welcome it with great enthusiasm and excitement. I pray for that day when I can truly and profess with conviction that I have become an Anthonian.

I join you in Praying, Learning, and Serving with Passion!

Amen!

God's Ever Reliable Angels!

2010-07-24T12:54:00.002+08:00

Today we celebrate the feast of the Archangels; Michael (meaning "Who is like God."), Raphael (meaning "The Medicine of God."), and Gabriel (meaning "The Power of God"). Michael is known as our defender against Satan and all its evil angels. Raphael was the archangel who took care of Tobias in his journey and therefore our caregiver. And Gabriel was the one who announced to Mary that she will be the Mother of the Son of God and therefore our wisdom and source of courage.

The reality of angels is found in Scriptures. Jacob wrestled with an angel. The Lord Jesus' birth was announced by an angel and Paul mentioned angels in his teachings. From Genesis to Revelations, angels were always part of the message whenever relevant. Its reality was not just then but also now and in the future. Angels are God's messengers. They are God's communication to us. Through His angels, we come to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Through His angels, we experience God's loving presence.

Early catechism tells us that each of us had been assigned by God with Guardian Angels. They were meant to let us be aware and feel that God is with us and guide us. However, we need to respond to it. Recognition of and openness to it avails us of a unique presence of God. Many baptized, at a certain point in their life forgets if not dismiss the presence of these spirits of God's presence. Does it matter? Does it affect us? Definitely , yes!

Stories had already been told about some women who were in close danger of being harassed and harmed and suddenly found the courage, the action, and the words needed to ward off their attackers. All because they sought the assistance of God through His angels (Michael Archangel). Maybe coincidence or simple untrue to many, but to those who experienced it, it is true! It is faith! Another friend who was very sick asked the intercession of Archangel Raphael to help him be eased of the pain and inconvenience he was experiencing. He claimed he did go through his sick days not without pain but much much less of it! I, myself, felt God's wisdom in Archangel Gabriel when I was seeking my vocation. Inspired by Mary's Gabriel experience, I sought the Lord and He responded to me through Archangel Gabriel. The call of God became more clear and definite for me.

It is a matter of faith. God's ways are really mysterious and unpredictable. But we believe they are always the best. Others may have lived their faith without recognizing or maybe just accommodating the presence of angels. But, to many, like me, who are very aware of their presence and power, have a plus in the angels. Another way or added manifestation of God in His angels is certainly a welcome gift!

Hail to Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael!

The True Child Of God

2010-07-23T09:51:00.006+08:00

Children are wonderful. Their spontaneity and abandon express their freedom and vulnerability. In every child is always a potential, a development, and an accomplishment. As a new Director of our parochial school, I have decided to go around during breaks in order to meet the children. I am in great anticipation of the discoveries and joys in every encounter. One such school day, after their break, I saw a young boy near the canteen crying. I approached him and ask him why he was not in his class and crying. He said that the classes were too long and they keep changing teachers! It turned out that he was a grade one student and was experiencing a period of adjustment from his preparatory school where classes were relatively short and there was only one teacher in charge! I brought the boy to the Guidance Counselor's Office and they told me that it was a natural occurrence for grade one pupils.

In another incident, a grade three student was also crying. When asked why, he said that some of his classmates were spreading word that he has a boyfriend. I asked him if it was true and if he felt offended? He said it was not true and felt bad about them who he considered his friends. I told him not to take them seriously and that he just show everyone that he was not gay but was just being friendly to everyone, boy or girl. That if there was anyone who knows himself well, it was himself.

The innocence of a child! This lies at the heart of Jesus' message in today's Gospel. He used this to respond to the disciple's reluctance in accepting somebody who does things similar to what they do. But came the answer from the Lord that whoever is not against you is for you! The person is a child of God because he does good. He was not doing anything offensive to God. While the person of the person is important, what he does, that is, his way of life, is more crucial. That was our situation when we were children. As children we might have had some mischief deeds, naughtiness, mistakes etc., but we were always candid and free. There was always the intention to achieve the best and do what is good. Our limitations and weakness sometimes bring us to failures and worse, ill actions. Nevertheless, before the eyes of God, we are still good. Given ample knowledge and a formed conscience, we can be good!

God wants us to be perfect because He is perfect. But He only expects us to strive giving our best. He encourages us to make use of everything He had bestowed on us. He does the rest! As creatures, we are wanting. But our dependence on Him and humility allow us to be completed and complimented by God. With this attitude, we can never go wrong. We will never be against God. Our goodness which He gave from our birth remained. Let it loose!

Everything God Willed, Laws Included, Is Meant For Our Goodness

2010-06-13T13:00:00.003+08:00

January 18, 2011

Mk. 2:23-28

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is even Lord of the Sabbath." In this pronouncement, the Lord Jesus made clear that the welfare and salvation of man is the ultimate goal of any law. It is man who has a soul and is need of salvation. Man is God's greatest creation. In fact, he was created in God's image and likeness. The Psalmist says that man had been made a little less than a god and have lavished their hearts with God's love. Given with dignity and honor, he was given the authority to rule over all! What a privilege! Compared to a mere law (composed of letters and ideas), man is more important than any creature, hands down!

Sabbath had been designated by God as a "special" day. Not that it is longer, higher in dignity, or very different. It is just any other day save for the fact that it has a distinct purpose. It is separated because God wants man to have a time for himself and God apart from and without the concerns of work and other day to day activities. The separation or sacredness is not in the day itself but the very intent of that day. If man will just work and work, he might not have the time to relate with others and reflect on what is happening in his life. Sunday worship is very helpful here. It is the time to commune with others and God. It is a perfect activity for Sunday.

But Sunday should be celebrated in context and not just as it is. We come to Sunday mass aware that we belong to a community. We hear the Word of God and break bread together symbolizing our unity with each other and God. Vatican II had made a lot of headway in this aspect by making some changes in the way mass is celebrated. Now, there is interaction, exchange, and dialogue. It is hard to imagine a Sunday mass goer praying alone! It defeats the very purpose of the separated day.

There are those who take for granted the Sunday worship. They come in late. They do not participate in the singing and the responses. They do not pay attention to the readings. They do other things like texting, playing games, imagining, reading, and worse, sleeping! They attend just for the sake of it. Maybe to lessen their guilt about not doing something they have been asked to do since they were young. Maybe they are afraid of the consequences of not attending even though they lack belief in it. There maybe a lot of reasons but the fact remains; it is not truly and aptly appreciated. Thus, it is boring to some and optional to many.

The challenge is to know and live its true meaning in our lives. When we are asked to attend it, it is meant to help us be saved. We are not supposed to serve the mass but it must serve us instead. God does not owe us our attendance, rather, we owe it to God and to ourselves. Knowing, loving, and serving Him does not mean the same as we know, love and serve another. What God wants us to do for Him is actually for our own sake. Indeed, everything God commanded is for our good!

Openness Is Newness

2010-06-12T09:49:00.005+08:00

January 17, 2011

Mk. 2:18-22

Fasting was part of the spiritual life of the Jews. It was a form of sacrifice. It was an act of controlling one's desires and wants. In the religious context, it was a practice to atone for sins or presenting a sincere heart in prayer. In today's Gospel, Jesus was being questioned because His disciples were not fasting compared to John's who did. The answer of Jesus was a seizing of the opportunity to reveal who He really was and the "newness" He was bringing.

There are those who would easily welcome something new. There are those who would have second thoughts about it. There are those who would reject it outright. The newness Jesus brought was rejected by many especially those in authority. The simple, humble, and the common accepted it but not without some difficulty. The newness of jesus is not about something that had not been there before. Nor was it an improvement. It was a bringing back of what was there. That which was there was lost because of the succeeding laws and rules that those in authority had put. To be fair, the effort was to enhance and make effective the fulfillment of the law. Unfortunately, there was an emphasis in the external rather than in the internal. Accidents were given importance and front page treatment than essence. Thus, the coming of Jesus and His teachings were considered "new".

This was apparent in His two examples. New cloth will tear the old when sewn together. Old wineskin containers would burst when filled with new wine. The teachings of the Lord tore down the legalism and show off mentality of the Pharisees. Jesus' "newness" is actually a going back and bringing out of the true spirit of God's commandments and intentions. The Pharisees had gone used to their customs that they find it hard to accept any change or "new" ideas.

The best attitude is always to be open. Even if we are already comfortable with our present ones, the possibility of "new" ones may come up and we must be ready to incorporate them. Not without sincere discernment, of course. The biggest room is the room for improvement. There is always a space for advancement. In faith, it is more apparent because God continues to reveal Himself to us everyday. We can not say that we already know God fully. We can not say that we have loved Him totally. We can not say that we have served Him for with finality. God is much much greater than us. Newness will always come!

Pro-Life and Pro-Good

2010-06-12T08:58:00.002+08:00

January 19, 2011

Mk. 3:1-6

The Man With A Withered Hand

The Jews had a very high, if not an absolute, respect for their laws. These laws were derived and sourced out of the laws given by Yahweh to Moses. Jesus, as a Jew, knew all of these laws by heart and lived them to the full. His parents taught Him these set of commandments which they called the Torah. In the Gospel today, we can dispense the idea that Jesus was not aware of this regard for the Law which includes the law on the Sabbath. As provided in that law, no one is to make any cure on that day, among other things.

But Jesus took the opportunity here, in the case of the man with the withered hand, to bring firth the true and essential spirit of the law. He asked the disturbing question to those who around, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Here, he makes a clear distinction, maybe an exception? No, much much more. It is actually the rule rather than an exception. Jesus did not really violate the law but put it in proper perspective. The ultimate end is goodness and life! "Good" here is not the relative worldly good but the absolutely divine good. Life here is really more of life in the Lord than just mere breathing! In that case, it is not against the Torah but a deepening of it. It is not even a disrespect rather, an honor.

Those who are so tied down to the law, like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus, could not accept it. For them, accepting it means the crumbling of everything that they had believed and lived all along. What they could not see was the effort and offer of Jesus to help them transcend the law which they had limited to written and oral rules. Most probably, they felt the compelling message of Jesus behind those pronouncements and actions, but they decided to disregard it and cling to what is "safe" or legal! This attitude is quite prevalent today. Too much regard for the law at the expense of life and goodness!

Once I was in a retreat together with some priests from other countries in Europe, Asia, USA and Latin America, in Novara, Italy. It was in preparation for the formation seminar being given by the Legionaries of Christ to formators (I was then Dean of Studies in Holy Apostles Senior Seminary). Near the end of the retreat, there was an announcement that we would take a break after dinner. That was unusual! It was not part of the program. The reason was not announced. Some priests were smiling. I asked my Argentinian seat mate why. He said that it was because of the World Cup in Football and Italy was playing against Argentina! I could not believe what I heard! Later, watching them watch the game made me appreciate the decision even if I did not fully understood.

There was break from the rule, no doubt. But, as far as the football fans are concerned, it is "good" and maybe, their "life"! Only God knows whether it was reasonable enough or in accordance with the Spirit. I tend to believe it is. The message in today;s Gospel becomes clearer. Each of us, in our heart, has a good connection with God. The decisions we make are guided and influenced by various people, events, and faith. In the end, it is between us and God. As Cardinal Rosales once said, "With love and God, you can not go wrong." Goodness and life are testimonies of loving and a spark of the divine!

The Christian Always Gets Going!

2010-06-11T12:12:00.004+08:00

January 20, 2011

Mk. 3:7-12

The Lord Jesus became one like us in order to embrace humanity and effect salvation through living life to the full. During His three year ministry, He went around teaching and showing, through His miracles, the Good News of salvation. Whenever necessary, He will heal the sick. It was His best way of empathizing with us and communicating to us His power and love.

In the Gospel we have today, He was being sought by so many people. They were so many that the Lord was afraid that they would crush him...maybe to death! But He did not run away from them. Instead He instructed His apostles to put him on a boat so He could continue His mission. For the Lord, it was His mission first. For the Lord, there is nothing and nobody who could stop him in fulfilling His cause. The unclean spirits recognized it that they themselves, when they saw Him, will fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!"

As a priest for more than eighteen years, I have already realized the difficulty of being effective in the ministry. Preaching is not an easy task. So is pastoral work, What had consoled me many times in the past is that not everyone who had listened to the Lord's preaching and received the gift of healing changed. The Lord, and the preacher, could only do their best. In the end, the listener or the receiver is responsible. Priesthood may be frustrating. Ministering to the faithful can be very tiring, sad, and even psychotic! Without the necessary vocation and faith, the minister maybe led to disastrous and unwanted end!

But the Lord Jesus was clear in His mission. Salvation! That is much much more than any threat of frustration, sadness or craziness! It is enough reason for and against everything. When the going gets rough, the Lord and the Christian gets going! While it is true that many times giving up seems to be the best thing to do, the Lord will always come to us in and say "no". We never give up on Him and the mission in the same way that He saw through everything to the end up to death!

Grow up!

2010-06-11T09:59:00.003+08:00

Feast of the Sto. Nino

Mt. 18:1-5, 10

What about the children that Jesus gives importance to them by setting them as examples? Is it not true that children are sources of irritations because of their questioning without let up? Are they not always breaking, spilling, or deforming things? Are not their cries, tantrums, and rowdiness the cause of so many headaches and anger from their parents and elders? We can enumerate and cite lot more reasons questioning the choice of the Lord Jesus, but the fact remains that He did refer to the children as the greatest in God's Kingdom! (Mt. 18:2). Maybe, all of the complaints we have against children are acceptable to the Lord at their age. But in the Gospel today, the Lord Jesus refers more to the dependence, simplicity, and humility of children

Remember, the concern of the Lord is our salvation. If we are to belong to the Kingdom, we have to know our place before the Lord and have complete faith in Him. It is for this reason that Jesus took the children as models. In the same way that children are dependent on their parents for sustenance and formation, we must also be the same with God. In the same way that children recognizes their place before their parents and elders, we too must relate in the same way. Children rely so much on their parents. We must also rely on God in living our lives. Children know that they came from their parents and therefore their parents know better than them. We know that God created us and therefore should recognize that God knows what is best for us.

Jesus, Himself, was the best example. Though He was God, He willingly fulfilled His role as a child of Mary and Joseph. As an ordinary child, He was born of a mother, lived with His parents, helped them, visited the temple, etc. The Gospel writer and Apostle Luke saw Him growing in wisdom and strength! He did not remain a child, though. He grew up! He was not a"nino" forever. He later preached, made miracles, and suffered and died obeying His Father! He was a perfect Son to His Father. He showed the way to salvation.

Today's feast is not only a recognition of the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Today also is a reminder for all of us that we can achieve salvation with our humanity. We should also grow, in wisdom and strength. We should continue to imbibe the dependence we have to our parents and use it in relating with God. Let us not forget our being creature to God being Creator.

One thing about children, (this is true today as it was during our time), they do not hold grudges. They may have a fierce fight against each other, but they forgive fully! When they say "peace", they really mean it. After the reconciliation, they play as if nothing happened! I believe it will be accurate to say that it is not true with adults. The Lord Jesus is right! The Kingdom belongs to children!

God Needs No Ultimatum

2010-04-14T08:55:00.002+08:00

One of the most quoted Gospel passage is John 3:16, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life!" I remember one of our theology professor asked us the reason why God loved the world? We gave our answers in the best and perfect reason why God loved us so much. After we have exhausted all possible answers, he told us that our answers were excellent but the truth is, the passage did not say it. It only says that He loved us and that love is unconditional! God loves us! That's it. No ifs, no buts. Nothing we have or we can do that will merit us that love. Before and after our creation, he loved us! By virtue of that, we must busy ourselves thanking him for being so with us.

Also, we must be the same with him. Our relationship with him must also be unconditional. We do not relate to him just because we benefit from him. We do not pray to him because he grants our wishes. We do not love him because..... . We must love him, period! It is unfortunate if we attach conditions and when they are not met by God, our relation with him is affected. Worse, we wane or even abandon our relationship with him. We act as if we can live without him.

I remember when I was still a deacon and I was about two months before my ordination to the priesthood. My throat was weak. I could not speak for more than an hour. I brought my situation before the Lord. I told him how ineffective I would be if my voice will only be good for an hour. How can I preside in masses, give recollections, seminars, and retreats, etc.? I went to the doctor and I was told to rest my throat for a month! Well, it seemed I had no choice. But I kept on praying. Ordination came and I was still in the same condition. I was very sad but I got to resign myself in that situation. If it is the way God will make me serve him, then so be it! In my early years in the priesthood, I will always find myself arranging my schedules so that I will have time to rest my voice. A lot of times I would decline invitations to have mass or give recollections precisely because I will not have the voice to do them. Some people found it unusual for a new priest like me. There were some who were angry at me! They could not understand and believe my reason. It was painful for me. I really wanted to serve but I could not. but, God had given me his answer. I was once tempted to give him an ultimatum to stop my ministry if I would not have my voice. But he gave me the grace to be humble. And I realize that I could not impose conditions on him. It was the situation he had given me, I will serve him through that capacity. I knew that exacting conditions at him will go nowhere.

I continued to serve accordingly. But I tried to help myself by constantly going to the doctor. The doctor told me that I had weakened my throat due to abused talking in my previous years. Before I entered the seminary, I was a professor in a university. I remembered really abusing my voice during those teaching years. Now, I am suffering its consequences. The doctor told me hat I can recover if I will take care of my voice. I did. After some time, I just realized, I had recovered. Thanks be to God!

Had I stuck to my conditions and not proceeded in serving, I would have allowed myself (or the devil) prevail and I would not have served at all or worse, not entered ordination. Truly, trust in God should always guide us. He knows what he is doing. Our human conditions may tell us one thing. But the divine wisdom is always supreme. Truly, God's unconditional love deserves an unconditional faith response!

Sorrows Are Opportunities For Better Tomorrows!

2010-03-22T16:04:00.007+08:00

This feast refers to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God. They enumerate specific events in the life of Mary in relation to the Lord Jesus. They give the message that Mary, as a mother and a disciple, was not spared from pains and miseries. They give us the idea that if the Mother of God herself experienced them, we too, as children of God and disciples of the Lord will be subject to some sorrows in their following the will of God. But we know, as in the case of the Blessed Virgin, that these are not ends by themselves but opportunities to show our faith in God the way Mary dealt with them. These seven sorrows provide the milieu for the exposure of the devil's ways and how it will be defeated by faith and God;s power. In all of these sorrows, let us be reminded that Mary was encountering a lot of temptations to abandon the mission given to her by God. It was not easy for her. The decision to just get away from these sorrows was very attractive. But Mary endured them all. Mary stuck to her commitment that God's Will be done. And so, together with her Son, they came out victorious!

For purposes of further reflections, the seven sorrows are; (i.) the prophecy of Simeon while the Holy Family was in the temple on their way to offer Jesus. (ii) the Holy Family's flight into Egypt because of the threat of Herod. (iii) Jesus was lost in the Temple for three days. (iv) Jesus' carrying of the cross to Calvary. (v) Jesus' crucifixion. (vi) The taking down of Jesus from the cross and Mary carried the dead Jesus in her arms. (vii) Jesus was laid in the tomb.

I myself can enumerate my own seven sorrows. But just like Mary and most of us, we are not just talking about seven sorrows in our lifetime. Definitely, we will encounter and go through thousands of sorrows. but there are some sorrows which we can consider as critical and crucial in our lives. They can break or make us. Mary made use of those sorrows to show her faithfulness to God. We too must have the same attitude against those sorrows. Rather than be affected by them, the Christian will use them against the very source of those sorrows! One of those sorrows I had was when the donor of the main door of the church (which is all good wood and quite expensive) backed out because his requirement to put the names of his late relatives along the edges was not granted. He also wanted the size of the names to be an inch tall! I thought the donation was substantial and I really wanted to accommodate his request. I suggested a more conspicuous place for those names but he would not settle for anything less than what he already stated. I prayed over the request and it dawned on me that if I would agree to it, we might end up with a church full of names of donors, dead or alive! I called the donor and told him the sad news that I can not grant his request. He told me that it was unfortunate and that he will instead donate the money for scholarship. I responded that it might be a better idea.

I was not remiss in my responsibility to remind that prospective donor about the consequences of his request. That instead of being honored, his relatives might be dishonored by comments against the placing of those names. Also, I reminded him of the essence of giving; ask nothing in return and donate in thanksgiving to God for those gifts. The explanations were not enough for him. I was sad because we lost a donor. I was happy because we stood by our principles. I gave that donor the opportunity to do an authentically good deed. I gave that donor the opportunity to responsibly make use of the graces given to him by God. But he declined.

I did not lose hope after that. I knew that God will provide. I knew that there will be a way. And true to my hope, somebody approached me and told me that a group of people had decided to raise the money for the door among themselves. They heard about what happened between me and the donor. They agreed that the request of the donor must not be granted. And they agreed to provide the money needed for it. Sorrow turned into joy!

Visiting And Visited God

2010-03-22T16:03:00.020+08:00

This is a very touching story because it involves the bringing back to life of a young man by a widow in Naim. Touching because the widow during the time of the Lord Jesus lost her son who would not only be her companion in life but one who would give her representation in society. The patriarchal society prevalent during the time of the Lord Jesus renders this widow weak and outcast. Already devastated by the loss of her husband, now she faces the loss of her son! Jesus, fully aware of the situation, brought back to life the dead young man. This prompted the witnesses to the event to exclaim, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst!" and "God has visited His people!" These are two great statements any person can give to anyone at that time. The former is given only to prominent and credible people who had appeared in the streets of Israel and nearby villages. The prophet is an emissary of Yahweh! The former is another version of the latter but is more defined and divine. Jesus came to the life of this mother and son at the most appropriate time. And the Lord Jesus responded fully and with compassion!

People look for God in their daily lives. To some, when God does not appear to them the way they wanted or expected, would turn atheist. Others would not accept God's seeming absence or unwanted presence. But many are happy because God is very much present to them in their lives. They find God in the Eucharist, in the chapels, in their joys and sorrows, in their love ones and friends, in all the events happening around them, and in sickness, and in death. People living in the same place at the same time experience God differently. It is primarily because of faith. This makes the difference.

I noticed in my early years as priest that most of those who ask for me to give to them the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick were rich people. But when I was assigned in a parish relatively full of poor people, I discovered that the poor were even demanding for the presence of their priests during those moments of need. I was once called to give the sacrament to a very poor faithful in one of the depressed areas of my parish. It was raining hard and the flood water had begun to rise along the road. But the relative was determined to fetch me and give her mother an opportunity to reconcile with God and receive the anointing. When we arrived at their place, flood water had risen up to hip deep! I was very worried! But my companion was not. She was more concerned about her mother. I ended up administering the sacrament soaked in water. They elevated their mother by holding up her bed. It was difficult but I saw their faith. They could not endure having their mother go without God visiting her at all! I saw the calmness and peace in them while I was leaving. They thanked me but they thanked God more. One of the children said, "Salamat at hindi pinabayaan ng Diyos and nanay!" ("Thanks be to God because He did not forsake mother!"). They thanked me too for braving the flood. Deep inside, I thanked them for showing me their faith and teaching me about Gods' presence in the process.

I could have declined their invitation seeing the rising water. I could have told them I am not feeling well. I could have told them I have another appointment to meet. I could have told them a lot of reasons not to go. But I was glad and thankful I did not. Not only because I was able to minister to that mother. (Eventually, she died and I presided her funeral mass.) but because they had ministered to me and made me appreciate this great gift of God to me. God chose me to represent Himself to His people. Irregardless or including all my weakness, He made me His priest. Since then. my concern and awareness of my priesthood as a representation of God to His people had increased and deepen.

Thank you Lord for the gift of the priesthood. Thank you Lord for giving Your people a concrete way to see, feel, and hear You through us, Your priests. Thank You for visiting us!

Walang Utang Na Loob!

2010-03-22T16:03:00.018+08:00

This teaching of forgiveness was a very radical teaching from the Lord Jesus. It was one of the reasons why some questioned and rejected Him. But it was also for the same reason that many were attracted to Him. The teaching comes from the very essence of human life. The teaching comes from the Lord Himself who knows best whom He has created. The teaching comes from the ultimate purpose of salvation. The Lord Jesus knew it was difficult because of the common human tendency to retaliate when attacked, get even when abused, revenge when vilified. Then we had "an eye for an eye", now we also have "tit for tat", "a taste of his own medicine", etc. The Lord Jesus knew that these responses will amount to nothing better for everyone. The spiraling violence would just lead to more pains, destruction, and death. Such a fate was not part of God's plan when He created the world. Peace, harmony, bliss, glory, and the like are what He wanted for everyone. Therefore, FORGIVENESS!

There was a time in my when I thought I was already the worst sinner in the world. Not that I have committed all of the sins possible. I thought I have wronged so many people and had developed a very minimum regard for God. Yes, I believed in God, but it was merely in thought or a pronouncement from my lips. I still feared Him, alright, but not enough not to succumb to every temptation that I encounter. By God's grace, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I was given the courage to humble myself before the Lord and went to a priest to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After I had confessed my sins, I asked the priest if God can forgive me. He assured me that God had forgiven me because I was contrite. Just before I was leaving, I remembered somebody who had greatly offended me. I told the priest about it and the pain it was causing me. The priest asked me to forgive the person. I said I could not. I saw the wide surprise in the priests' face. He seemed floored by my answer. Then he reminded me about the forgiveness I just received from God. There I was very worried about whether God can forgive me, and yet, in spite of my many and grave sins, I was forgiven. But when it comes to the forgiveness of another person, I could not. Why? I want to receive forgiveness but I do not to share one. I want to enjoy being given another chance but I do not want to give another the same. Now, who is being unfair? Who is wicked? I felt ashamed.

One prayer that we always pray is the Lords' Prayer. In the last part it says, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us!" Put in another way, it means that we are asking God not to forgive us unless we forgive others. The prayer did not mean to attach a condition to Gods' forgiveness. Never does God give any condition to His forgiveness. We are forgiven once we admit our sins and resolve not to do them anymore. But Jesus, in teaching His apostles the prayer, wanted us to share the joy of forgiveness. He wanted us to live at peace and in harmony with each other. If we will continue to be divided even if we claim to be united with God, our joy will not be complete. The two greatest commandments are; Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as you love yourself." It means that our relationship with God must also redound to our relationship with others. So how can we accept forgiveness when we do not give it to others? Unless "wala kang utang na loob!"

With God, We Can!

2010-03-22T16:03:00.017+08:00

For the Lord Jesus to be amazed of the faith of someone, it is already amazing. For that someone to be a centurion, a pagan, it is doubly amazing. The Lord pointed out that He had never seen such kind of faith in Israel! Israel, according to God's plan, should be the one exhibiting such faith. And yet, the irony was that the very people He chose was rejecting Him and the very people He would address later were the ones accepting already Him! The centurion showed true faith by just relying on the word of Jesus. His response to our Lord Jesus had been quoted in the mass to prepare the faithful in accepting the Lord in communion; "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed!" For the centurion, physical presence is not anymore necessary for one who has faith. His experience as an officer, a person of authority, taught him that. Authority complimented with faith makes things happen.

The challenge of building a new church after it got burned was very daunting. To think that I was new assigned in the parish, merely a month after I took over and six days after my installation. The task of building the church was not a question. The question was how; how should it look? How will the funds be obtained? Who will design and construct it? Who will finance it? Specially the funding, the task at hand is a challenge to ones' faith. But that is the point of faith. To believe and trust in God in a situation like this. And trust and faith I gave. And trust and faith our faithful gave!

In one of the fund raising events we had, a dinner concert, the orchestra was playing and everyone was enjoying the performance. We were in the middle of our dinner when suddenly it drizzled. The event was being held right there in the ruins of the burned church. We did not provide a tent cover hoping that it will not rain. Besides, such an event is best experienced in open air. There were some who stood and find a place to protect them from the rain. But many stayed. It was still a slight drizzled. I just found myself bowed in prayer, to God, to Mother Mary, and to our patron St. Alphonsus. I sought Gods' intervention and the intercession of Mary and St. Alphonsus. But I was resigned to it in case it is really Gods' will that this fund raising event will be aborted.The orchestra continued playing. The music seemed a musical score to my prayer. But I had faith, a deep faith, that it will not be stopped. Suddenly, the rain stopped. Everybody went back to their places and the orchestra played more loudly approaching the climax of the piece it was playing. Everybody clapped their hands, both for the players and the rain!

We had many succeeding events to raise funds for our church. In all of those, problems and challenges occur. Every time, we have to rely on God to assist us. Every time, we have to summon the guidance of Mother Mary and our patron, St. Alphonsus. This has become a refrain in all of those events. I realized that life is very much like any fund raising event; never without God's presence and assistance. Yes, God had given us so many things and he had made us capable of achieving great things. But we can not completely be on our own. Our dependence on God is absolute. Our faith should guarantee that. Without Him we can do nothing.

The Cross Is Victory

2010-03-22T16:03:00.015+08:00

This was also called as the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross referring to that historical account of the bringing back of the pieces of the original cross where our Lord Jesus was crucified. King Heraclius recovered the parts of the cross from the Persians who stole them earlier. When brought back to its original place and was displayed for worship, many were cured of their sickness. Now called as the Triumph of the Cross brought its meaning not only to the recovery of the parts of the Cross but to its real essence of being the main symbol used by God in order to save us. The Cross, representing the most scandalous, absurd, painful, and difficult way to die, had become a symbol of love, life, and salvation! That which was considered a message of death and defeat was transformed into victory and life in Jesus! The Christians adopted it as their dominating symbol.

However, at present, it seems that the cross had been misused, abused, and over used. Worse, Christians themselves are guilty. The cross has been used more of a decoration rather than a symbol of love and triumph over suffering and death. The cross, because of its powerful message and its place in the Christian, faith had been used to attract people's attention to use them for their own purpose. The cross is being threatened again by being devoid of meaning or at least given a different and adversary one. This feast reminds us to rally the cross back to its significance in the Christian faith.

A miracle (at least for the faithful of St. Alphonsus in Magallanes Village, Makati City) happened when our parish church got burned. Almost everything, from the pews, ceilings, glass doors and windows, and the statues were gutted down by the fire. Except for one, The wooden cross located at the church entrance. The late Msgr. Nico told me that the place of that cross had always been an issue among priests and parishioners. In any case, it found its place at that door entrance. After the fire, that cross stood alone, not unharmed by the fire, but the main features were still visible. Many saw it as a miracle. It was another triumph of the cross against the fire. It was the triumph of the cross against destruction. It was the triumph of the cross for the faith!

While the new church is being constructed, it was placed in the bahay-kubo, our make shift church. It served as our cross for all the masses held there. Everyone going to mass, recognizing what it had gone through, would pass by it, utter some prayers, kiss it, or hold it. It became a source of strength for everyone. It became an inspiration for all the challenges and sufferings we encounter in life. The cross was a living testimony to the power of God!

When the new church was finished, it was placed there on a side where people can have access to it. It was a hard decision to determine its location. But where it is now, seems to be the perfect place. People continue to visit it and others, in fact, had developed a devotion to it!

Today, whenever I look at that cross, I remember the difficulties we had in the reconstruction of our church. The work of reconstruction was a big task to fulfill. Going back to those meetings and supervision of the construction made me ask myself how I was able to go through them. The cross gave me the answer. Sufferings, challenges, and even death are not the ultimate destiny of life. We will all go through all of them and more. In the same way that the Lord Jesus defeated death on the cross, we too, in faith and with the Lord, will also be victorious over all. The cross does not anymore represent defeat but triumph, not death, but life, not hate, but love, and not damnation but salvation!

Love Than Judge

2010-03-22T16:02:00.011+08:00

Do not judge! Such is the command of our Lord Jesus. Is this possible? Is it not incumbent of every human being to judge given that we see, touch, hear, taste, and feel? The mere use of our senses already make us guilty of judgment. As thinking people, are we not always guilty whenever we make an assessment, understanding, and conclusion of every situation we encounter? In other words, the only time when we can not make a judgment is when we are dead. And even that is questionable. So, what is the point of our Lord?

In the Gospel, His command goes further by telling us to first look at ourselves before we look at others. Is he against any criticism? Is He against any effort to try to help others to change. Surely, the Lord knows that we are not the best "judge" of ourselves. We need the other people to better ourselves. "No barber could cut his own hair!", the saying goes. So what is this commandment telling us?

There was a time when I was very critical of other priests. I was guilty of self righteousness. I look down on them and questioned God how He allowed them to be ordained to be His minister. I behaved as if I knew better and God was deceived. Until I was into deep formation work. As a formator, I became privy to the life and faith of seminarians. There I realized how human weakness seem to prevail at times over our will and noble desires. Then, during the renewal for priests, I was assigned as one of the Spiritual Directors who will assist and "direct" brother priests in their life and ministry. I heard their pains and joys, victories and defeats, loves and hates, etc. They were not perfect but they were sincere. They were not sinless, but they were struggling. They were not successful but they had given their best. After those heart to heart encounters, I found myself looking at myself. My own life and ministry. And I realized I was no different. We share the same challenges and temptations. I, too, had my own failures and guilts. I suddenly felt empathy. I began to judge less.

The point of the Lord in the Gospel was not to abandon our senses and refrain from criticisms. What He wanted was for us to see deeper and be aware of our limitations as human beings. We do not know the whole experience of the person before us. The first quality we have is that we are humans. We are creatures and therefore we are limited. At most, we only have our point of view or a part of the whole truth. Rather than be judgmental, we must be humble. The fact that we do not see what is in every one's heart, should remind us that we only know so much of the truth but never the whole truth. Only God knows that. but even if God knows everything about us, He would rather heal than destroy, love than punish, forgive than get even. Judgment is Gods'. Yet, He chose to love. That was why He went by way of the cross. Dying for us is the ultimate loving.

My formation in the Jesuit institution, San Jose Seminary, had given me a principle I would never forget but keeps me struggling to be humble and avoid making harsh and unwanted judgments. 'Always give somebody a plus sign." It means to give every one the benefit of the doubt. There must be a reason why he had done it. It is an attitude of trust in the person. And even after the truth is known and the person is "guilty", compassion rather than rejection should be the result. Come to think of it; that is how God is with us!

Thanks be to God!

Faith On Its Feet

2010-03-22T16:02:00.009+08:00

The Lord Jesus began His teaching today by reminding people that a good tree does not bear rotten fruits and a rotten tree does not bear good fruits. It follows that because we were created by God, then we have divine qualities. Qualities proper to our humanity. We acquire and cultivate it to perfection every time we follow His command. To be a child of God means to live according to Gods' Will. Then, to further guide His listeners, Jesus gave the parable of the house built on rock. It means that if we are to be strong, consistent, and stable in faith, we must found our life in the LIVED Word of God. Having read or heard the Word only accomplishes an encounter with God. By the grace of God and our persistence, He will reveal to us its relevance in our lives. He will help understand its meaning and purpose. If we still persist, we will make it applicable in our day to day living. It will not just remain a knowledge but it will become a way of life!

So many times we claim to know God and calls to Him in prayer. Many times He had answered us and told us what to do. But many times we reject what He wants us to do. Worse, we do the exact opposite of what He wants. So, why do we remain with Him? Why do we even call Him our God? What the Lord Jesus said is true; "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord', but do not do what I command?" For what is the relation we have for Him as Creator-creature, if we prefer to be in command and not Him? Would we rather that we exchange places with God? We command and He follows? Of course not! But here we realize the challenge of who we are, what we are suppose to do, and where we are going. God created us. God sustains us. God will welcome us in the end. We belong to God and therefore, we must know Him, love Him, and serve Him!

After the mass one Sunday morning, a parishioner approached me and told me that I repeated my just repeated the homily I gave last year for the same occasion. I thought about it and admitted to him that it was the same homily. I asked him if there is a problem. He answered by telling me that it seems I did not prepare and that I just rehashed a homily. He has a point but I believe that repeating a homily is not bad. In fact, the Gospels give a united message: salvation. The Word of God is communicate this message of salvation. The prophets used the situations in their time to enflesh God[s everlasting Word. Preachers today have the same task. Armed with the right interpretation of the Scriptures, they must be able to help the people to apply them in their lives. It is not about giving a new message but in having a new way of communicating THE SAME message. Further, the burden is more on the hearer. If given the right message, the hearer must go and live the message.

I looked at the person and answered him; "Yes, I admit I delivered the same homily, the same message. Have you lived it?" Surprised at the table being turned against him, he just went away quietly. Hopefully the message was clear to him. He may attend all masses and take note meticulously of the homilies given by whom, on this or that day, but the most important part is in the application of those messages in his life. All of those awareness and knowledge will amount to nothing if he had not verified and confirmed those truths in his daily life.

We priests who give those homilies are not exempted from living the message. In fact, our witnessing to the Gospel message is the best preaching. If people see in our lives the message, I believe, we may already be exempted from giving homilies at mass! The goal is for the message to be received as the Lord had given it. Words are a good medium. But those words becoming flesh in the life and ministry of the priest is the best! Just in the mere preparation of the homily, the priest is already confronted by the Word. More than anyone, it is the priest who is first faced with the challenge of the Word. In a way, the delivery of the homily is affected by how much the priest had been affected by it. Hopefully, the message is not only given but already testified to by the priest.

Blessedness Is Being With God

2010-03-22T16:01:00.006+08:00

Who is truly blessed? In the Gospel today Jesus enumerated them as the poor, hungry, weeping, hated and excluded, insulted, and denounced as evil. On the other hand, He gave His woes on the rich, the laughing, and those of good reputation. Is it not the other way around? Was Jesus mistaken? Then and now, this teaching would receive so much resistance and criticism, and ridicule. Indeed, during the time of the Lord, they find it hard to accept. Now, many belong to the Christian faith but these teachings are considered either irrelevant or optional. But Jesus knew what He was saying. He is the expert as far as blessedness is concerned.

The key to unlocking the wisdom of His reversal teaching is in the cause of the blessedness and the curse. Jesus points out that blessedness is achieved if the above situations occur because of Him. Poverty, hunger, weeping, etc. will be a blessed situation if we experience them because of faithfulness to the Lord. If in following His Holy Will we are put in those situations, then we are blessed! But if one, in his poverty, sorrow, and difficulties is unfaithful and resorts to sin, then, he is not blessed but cursed instead. Poverty or any merciful situation can not be considered blessed if experienced because of evil. Therefore, the rich, laughing, and those of good reputation are not absolutely and eternally cursed. They too can be blessed if they are faithful and good. Concretely, they attain blessedness if they share their gifts; the rich shares with the poor, the laughing sharing it with the crying, the healthy sharing it with the sick, or the powerful defending the weak. Any goodness and faithfulness merit blessedness as far as God is concerned.

Situations of dire need comes in every person. The temptation to take the easy way out of responding to it even in illegal and immoral ways is very strong. I was not spared of it. After I made an appeal for medicines for our parish medical clinic in one of my masses, one person approached me and told me that If I will write a letter to his brother doctor in the United States, he could send me a lot of of medicines. To make the long story short, the medicines in a cargo box addressed to the bishop (because I thought the cargo will be acquired easily if it was sent through him) arrived and was ready for pick up in the customs department of the international airport. Bringing with me the notice, I went to the customs office at eight in the morning and immediately on the first window, I was charged with an application form for twenty pesos without receipt! After that I was subjected to a lot of waiting, approaching one table after another, and talking to a lot of persons. To make the long story short (again), at three in the afternoon (a good seven hours!) I said enough. There is no way I can get those medicines today or even tomorrow. My paper was being processed very slowly. Reason? Because I was not giving bribe money to those persons. (Totoo pala yung bukas na drawer sa bawat table na dapat mong hulugan ng pera para umandar papel mo!) I refused to do so. It was immoral and as a priest getting the cargo of a bishop, it was unbecoming and unacceptable!

I left proud that I did not succumb to the temptation. I felt blessed in spite of not having obtained the cargo which would have been of help to many. But I was not giving up. I sought help from authorities and eventually, the cargo was obtained morally! Those people who are extorting and accepting bribes maybe amassing so much money but they are not blessed. Those people who are electing to bribe than go through the required process maybe saving so much time but they are not blessed. Blessedness is not in material things, power, fame or whatever this world could offer no matter how great. It is in having a good relationship with the Lord.

Happy Birthday, My Mother, My Model!

2010-03-22T16:01:00.005+08:00

She is the Mother of God. She is the perfect disciple. She is a woman of faith. She is a model of Christian living. She is one of us. She cares for us. She will not let us be separated from her Son. She intercedes for us.

The devotion to Mother Mary ranges from the most basic to the most sublime. Her being an intercessor goes as far as seeing her as a giver of grace, either from her own or from her Son. This is one of the reasons why other religions would attack our faith as idolatrous. While there are some truth to the accusation that there are some faithful who almost worship our Blessed Mother, the Catholic faith never teaches her as God, a salvific grace-giver, or a necessary conduit for the grace of God. That title and capacity is given only to Jesus our Lord and Savior! (Incidentally, at present, Bp. Ramon Arguelles, D.D. of the Archdiocese of Lipa is in Rome promoting and defending the possibility, maybe in a specific sense, of officially giving the title "Mediatrix" to Mary.)

Even as a priest, I would not consider myself as a "die hard" Mary devotee. My relationship to her is because of her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is clear to me that she can not save me, but she can show me the way to it. She does not give me grace but she can show me how to avail of it from her Son. She is not God but she bore God in her human womb. I do not look up to her in prayer but feels her by my side praying with me. In moments of need, sorrow, decision, failure and other dire situations, she would inspire me, comfort me, encourage me, and join me. She is a mother to me too!

As a young priest, I was once invited by a family who regularly goes to the Carmel Church in Lipa. It is the home of the famous apparition, Mary Mediatrix of All Graces through then Sister Teresing. That first visit to Carmel immediately attracted me to the devotion. Since then, together with that family, I would visit and go to mass at six in the morning. I would bring with me my personal petitions and the prayers asked for by my friends. Though it was difficult to wake up early, I always find myself preparing every first Saturdays. I have found consolation in the devotion. It had become a part of my spiritual life. I have not made an inventory of which petitions had been answered or not. It was not my primary concern. But what I know is that the regular monthly visit to the church had helped me go through all the challenges of my ministry and personal life. It made me at peace amidst some turbulent events in my life. I am always confident knowing that there is a first Saturday visit to Carmel where our Blessed Mother would join me in approaching her Son.

True, salvation is attained only in Jesus Christ. No more, no less. But Jesus Himself had entrusted His mother to us. For Him, His mother is a true model for she did not only carry Him in her womb, but also in her life. She lived her motherhood and her discipleship. Her being a mother to Jesus was not a reason for her to be complacent in her spiritual life. It was her life! So too with us. As children of God, as Christians (followers of Christ), we do not just wallow in our membership to the faith by virtue of our Baptism. Like Mary, we should also live it, to the full!

Happy Birthday, Mother Mary!

Jesus Prays! Why not us?

2010-03-22T16:00:00.011+08:00

The beginning of todays' Gospel says that Jesus departed to the mountain to pray. And He did not only pray for hours but spent the night in prayer to God! You ask; "Jesus prays?!" And why not? Prayer is communication with God more than an activity of a creature to its Creator. It is a person to person exchange. It is an exchange of "wills" if you will. The Christian is expected to pray always and more in serious situations. There is nothing important to a Christian than to know what his God wills and to express his will in the process. Jesus shows here his true humanity. He was the Son of God, true, but He was also the son of Mary and Joseph. He needed to pray, and pray, He did!

Incidentally, He did it because He was about to choose His twelve apostles. Men who will be witnesses to everything He will do and say. Men who will compose of the foundation of His Church. Men who will see to it that everything will be passed on from generations to generation. They were important men and therefore, He has to confer with God!

As parish priest, I get to choose also my servants. They are men and women who will be my co-operators in the ministry of salvation. Ever since I became parish priest, I have always looked for people who will be of service to the parish. And I invite them and even interview them to let them know what are expected of them and what service in the parish would entail. Every time, I will always find myself praying to God for enlightenment. I will also tell them to spend time in prayer before they make their final decision to be servants. Service to God is ultimately between them and God and not with me. In most cases, our decisions were stable and responsible.

Personally, I make it a point to be in prayer before I go out of my room in the morning for my ministry. I know that once I get out of my room, I would find it hard to commune with God anymore because of so many things to do and people to attend to. Before I retire at night, I pray again. So that I and God will always be on the same page.

Needless to say, prayer is the source of my spiritual strength. It is also my refuge during challenges and crucial decisions. If Jesus prays, much more should we!

Live To Love

2010-03-22T16:00:00.005+08:00

The Lord Jesus cured a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath. According to Jewish Laws, it is forbidden. But He did it not before He gave His teaching; " I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Jesus was a Jew, a very pious Jew. His parents reared Him as one. He was subjected to everything Jewish boy should undergo. He knew its teachings from His parents. He knew the Law on the Sabbath. But He was also God's Son. He knew the spirit of those laws. He knew the purpose and importance of the Sabbath Law and all Jewish Laws. He took advantage of this situation to show them the real intent of the Law which is to be a good child of God and to merit receive salvation. The Laws were not given only to be followed literally but to imbibe and live its spirit which will save.

In my ministry as a priest, I usually follow a schedule so that I could effectively attend to the needs of my parishioners and to give myself time to prepare well in disposing those commitments. Once I had a mass at six in the evening in our parish. Half an hour before the time I was already busy preparing myself. But just minutes before the mass, a call from my secretary came telling me that a woman was in the office asking for a priest to visit and give the Sacrament of Anointing to her dying mother. Immediately I told her to wait for me and I will go with her. I gave instructions to my secretary to inform the people at mass to wait because I would be attending to a dying person. I was hoping that they will understand. But even if they did not, going to the dying person was the right decision. It was not that hard for me anymore to make the decision. Although I was committed to the mass, the soul of a sick person took priority. I need not relate here in detail the sad story of a sick person I rejected when I was a young priest. In brief, what happened was I decided to preside over an scheduled mass first before going to that sick person. Unfortunately, the person died before I arrived. The family was angry at me but I was thankful that later they were able to forgive me.

After the visit, I rushed back to the parish to preside in the mass I left for a while. I was told that some left but many stayed and even prayed for the sick person. I was sad for those who left (unless they had important schedules too!) but I was happy for those who stayed and even prayed for the sick I visited.

We always hear some lawyers and even some non-lawyers cry out the Latin dictum, "Dura lex sed lex!", meaning, "The law maybe harsh but that is the law!" Whoever said that and whatever it meant to him, the truth about who the servant and the master still faces us. The fact that it is harsh renders it useless and illegal! For Jesus, the law is the servant and men are its master. Of course, the ultimate Master is God for He created everything. But according to God's purpose, the law must serve man. Man should not be enslaved by the law.

Out Of Court Into God's Kingdom

2010-03-22T15:07:00.002+08:00

2011 Sep 4, Sunday: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 33:7-9/Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9/Romans 13:8-10/Matthew 18:15-20

In one university in the early seventies, conflicts among fraternities and organizations were prevalent. Not a year would pass when there would be no riots or clashes by the members. Worse, many of their members would end up severely injured and in some cases there would be death. I was a part time professor in that university and it so happened that the dean of our department was the Professor-Adviser of these recognized fraternities and organizations. When the tension among these groups had become worst, my dean decided to meet with all their leaders, representatives, and elders. He believed that bringing in law enforcers would just aggravate the situation. This one, he told me could only be resolved by dialogue.

He set the date, time, and venue of the meeting. Then, he gave me strict instructions to give each participant something to eat and drink as soon as they arrive. I remembered being so afraid and tense for that meeting. These were warring groups and it was very possible for them to attack each other once they meet. But my dean knew better. And he was right. As each arrive, I could sense their anger against their enemies. When they began eating, the anger was still written all over their face. They even would give sharp and threatening stares at each other. But I noticed that as they continued eating, they begin to lower down their guards. Next thing some were already talking about their differences. Others had even reconciled! By the time dessert was served,almost everyone is already in the mood for dialogue. That was the time when my dean adviser arrived. Needless to say, the meeting went well. Everyone was cooperative. They were even laughing when they went out.

So that was the point of my dean. There is nothing that can not be resolved by dialogue. The food and drinks helped a lot in disposing them for it. That is also the point of Jesus' in the Gospel today. Why go to court when you can resolve it between the two of you? If necessary, get somebody you trust to be a go between. As a last resort, do it before a community. Harmony is free. If everyone is willing to listen and make sacrifices, jails, criminal courts, and lawyers would be obsolete. In a Christian world, dialogue more than legal battles prevail. To be united is the rule rather than an exception. We just have to be always open to dialogue and forgiveness.

God Rules The Rules

2010-03-12T09:40:00.005+08:00

2011 Sep 3, Saturday: Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Colossians 1:21-23/Psalms 54:3-4, 6, 8/Luke 6:1-5

It should not take a genius to know that if you believe in God, then it should be God who must prevail and be obeyed. However, actual experience seems to show that it is easier said than done. In so many instances, we still disobey God and let our will happen than His.

It was one of the main reasons why God sent His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Aside from the Father's intention of letting us believe that He is with us, He wanted us to see Him, feel Him, hear Him, and even have a taste of His love the human way. But another reason was to let us know the real intent and spirit of His commandments. Salvation should be the ultimate goal and not just doing what He commanded. Everything we do must advance our relationship with God. Everything we do must make us more divine and human. In the same way, everything we do must be a rejection of the attraction of evil. Everything we do must move us farther from the influence of the devil. Everything we do must be a defeat of satan. The laws were supposed to fulfill all of the above.

I was then reviewing for our final examinations in the seminary. One review evening, a fellow seminarian knocked at my door and invited me to pray with him in the chapel. He said he wanted company in asking God for an intention. It was a very tempting invitation. Prayer is a very holy action. I wanted to join him but I was having my review for the next days' examinations. Finally I told him that I could not go because I was deep in my review. If I join him and pray, I will surely risk so much and endanger my passing that subject. I thought that part of my responsibilty to the vocation of the priesthood was to pass my subjects. Had I gone praying and failed in my examinations, I would have done the expectations of a "good" Christian but may have been wanting in becoming a minister of God I was called to be. As the Book of Ecclesiastes say, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven..." (Ecclesiates 3:1-11). My decision was not because I did not want to pray nor that prayer was not a good act. It was a matter of choice between two goods. And the challenge was to choose God's Will for me at that time and place. It was my review time and not my prayer time. My passing the exams should take priority. It was God's Will for me in that particular situation. Prayer could be done at another time. Here, God helped me see through the invitation of my friend. At another circumstance, I would have easily gone with him in prayer.

St. Ignatius calls it "discernment". It is the capacity to see through things in terms of their apostolic value and salvific relevance. It helps us to do things not just for the sake of doing them but according to the intentions of God. Faced with a lot of rules to follow in our lifetime, we have to remind ourselves that those rules were man-made and therefore limited. The words and actions used to capture those rules were similarly limited. Only God, who is omnipotent and from whom those rules came from is perfect. Therefore, only God rules the rules!

Changing For The Better, Not To The Letter

2010-03-12T07:29:00.006+08:00

2011 Sep 2, Friday: Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Colossians 1:15-20/Psalms 100:1, 2, 3, 4, 5/Luke 5:33-39

Jesus came teaching and doing miracles. The people were astonished at the "newness" of those teachings. Some were able to accept them. But others could not. For the Jews, the Torah, the document that contains the laws given through Moses, was the standard. In the Gospel, the people were asking why the disciples of Jesus were not following the fast. He responded by pointing out that the wedding guests do not fast while the bridegroom is with them. Jesus is the bridegroom, so they do not need to fast. Jesus was not really teaching something new or going against any law. He was actually fulfilling the law in its spirit. But since the law was given to Moses, it had developed and multiplied. In the process, the spirit was lost and the laws had not served as intended. In the words of Jesus.

The intention of the law as given by God was to help man towards salvation and not merely to do them even devoid of its spirit. Jesus pointed out their need to go back to the spirit of the law. There is no one who knows the law better than Him. Jesus wanted them to "change", not to something really new, but to go back to the original purpose of the law. The parable of the old and new cloth and the old and new wine skin illustrates the tension He was creating with the leaders. The "newness" He brings will challenge the "old" they hold.

Once, when I was still in formation, a new Rector came and immediately made a lot of changes in our seminary life. Obviously, many of us reacted. We felt that he should have settled for a while first before changes were made. But because he is the Rector, it was within his authority to do so. Because we trust him, we tried to adopt to the change. At that time, I was the beadle (seminarian head) of the community. One day, I just felt I have worked and studied too much that I really needed a break. After an afternoon class, I asked one of my classmates to play basketball in a court at the back of our building. It was already 4;30 pm and our schedule requires that we must be in by 5:30 pm to prepare for the evening prayers. We thought we can easily make it. Unfortunately we did not. We were so engrossed with our game that we lost track of the time. We finished at about 5:45 pm. way pass the required time we must be in. When we entered the seminary, the Rector was there standing and staring at me. When we were closer to him, he asked why I was not following schedules and added that I was setting a bad example to other seminarians being the head of the community. I just told him that I was very stressed and I felt that I needed to release them. I apologized to him for the extended game.

I did not feel guilty about what happened. I needed that release very much. Schedules are guides in order to get the best formation. Being healthy (sane?) and conditioned are parts of that formation. I fully respect the schedule. But I believe, the situation was more in fulfilling the spirit rather than a violation of the law.

Jesus Says, Simon Follows!

2010-03-10T08:22:00.002+08:00

2011 Sep 1, Thursday: Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Colossians 1:9-14/Psalms 98:2-3, 3-4, 5-6/Luke 5:1-11

This may be the story of the call of Peter to the discipleship of Jesus, but in essence, it is every one's call to be a Christian. The circumstances of the call reveals to us who we really are and who Jesus really is.

Peter had just come back from an all night fishing job when he was approached by Jesus and requested him to put his boat ashore so Jesus can teach. I am sure Peter had heard the Lord talked. Am sure he was moved and touched by it so that when Jesus commanded him to go out again and catch fish, he wanted to follow Jesus saved for fact he knew there was nothing more to catch. Remember, Peter was a veteran fisherman. He had been in the job for so long. He knew his craft well. He knew the sea, the weather, the fish, etc. Later, however, he would realize that the Lord knew better. He was not able to constrain himself to question the Lord. But because of what he heard from the Lord's teaching, he followed Jesus' command. Proven wrong, Peter saw deeper in Jesus. Maybe a beatific vision that prompted him to kneel before Jesus and admit to his unworthiness.

Crucial to Peter's conversion was listening first to the Lord. It should be the same with us. Listening here does not mean hearing the spoken word but also understanding it. The Lord had spoken from the heart, therefore, we must listen from the heart.We must listen not only with our ears, but also with the heart. There may have been some questions or objections from the mind of Peter, but having felt and heard the Lords presence, faith rather than experience prevailed. The Lord's Will over his will. The Lord's authority more than his. In short, Peter simply put everything in Jesus' hands.

The miracle of the catch not only astonished Peter but also those around him who had also heard the Lord. It was enough for them to make a decision to leave everything and follow Jesus. It is symbolic of the fact that when we find the Lord, everything becomes dispensable. Having found the Lord completes us. We will never be wanting of anything or anyone. The Lord is our enough.

There was a time...

2010-01-04T14:48:00.002+08:00

The Feast of the Epiphany not only reminds us of the all-embracing love of God but also Jesus, the Word made flesh, as the Light as symbolized by the star that guided the Magi to the manger. Jesus had presented Himself in so many ways; the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the Healer, Master etc. In the context of the the Epiphany, Jesus is the Light of the World. Prophet Isaiah referred to Him as the Great Light seen by the people in darkness. He is the Light that shone on those who dwell in endless doom. Jesus brings hope and enlightenment.

The Light of Jesus is not just brightness. It is more of understanding the life which God has given us. A deeper and apt appreciation of this opportunity to grace the paths of this world. There was a time when enemies must be hated, hurt, defeated, and even killed. When Jesus came, He taught His followers to love them instead! What to many was an absurd response, was for Jesus the best! There was a time when forgiveness may be given once, twice, or even thrice. Forgiveness has its limits. When Jesus came, He told His disciples to forgive not only seven times but seventy times seven! Meaning, endless! There was a time when death is seen as a negative experience; an experience of total loss, hopelessness and desperation. When Jesus came, He challenged His followers to even embraced it; teaching that dying to self would make one bear much fruit! The resurrection was His answer to the fangs of death. The resurrection brought death to death itself! And many others like; poverty, sorrow, imprisonment, meekness, etc. Jesus brought to enLightened life so that it could be lived to the full.

As followers of Christ, the Light, we can never lost. The Light provided by the Word and Deed of Jesus would assure as being on the Way all the time. Through the darkness of life, Jesus, the Light will see us through the tunnel up to the end where God's Light awaits!

Without Limits

2009-11-15T11:00:00.007+08:00

I just saw this movie about the life and times of American long distance runner, Steve Prefontaine. The movie pictured him as a different kind of runner. One who saw running not only a sport but also an art; not only to win but to give one's best. "Pre", as he was called by everyone lived running. He saw it not only as a part of his life but the very way life should be lived. His coach learned more from him than he from his coach.

"Pre" had been quoted a lot by his coach, team mates, friends, and fans. He ran in order to achieve his full potential as a person. Once he had ran his best, his next goal is to run more than his best, "without limits", that is why.

I particularly liked what his coach said during his eulogy; " There are times when you win even though your mediocre; and you lose even when you have given your best." Therefore, winning is not the ultimate goal. Giving one's best is.

He died in a car accident.

Here are some of the words immortalized by the late Steve "Pre" Prefontaine;

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift."

"Somebody may beat me but they have are going to bleed to do it."

An anonymous sports writer once said, "When the great scorer pens your name, he writes not whether you win or lose but how you played the game!"

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself."

The Truth is the Truth.

2009-09-17T06:04:00.005+08:00

"Sala sa init, sala sa lamig." This was what Jesus meant when He quoted what children say to each other in the market place; "We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep." The scene was Jesus speaking before the crowds concerning John the Baptist and their doubt in Him. He could not understand the reactions they had given to Him and John. He said, "John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, 'He is possessed by demons.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners."

For His hearers then, the Lord saw that it was not really John or Him who were the reason for the people's rejection of their common message of repentance but their attitude towards them. Because they do not want to accept their sins, they resort to personal attacks or whatever reason they could give. Yes, it is important to be critical of the person saying the message. It is also important to understand the context or timing of the message. It is also important to know the motive of the message, but they should not absolutely determine the truth of the message. Otherwise, who then, can be believed? The truth of the message must also be examined. That was the mistake of the the hearers of Jesus. It was a mistake that we should avoid.

Whenever something is said and we thought it was said after the fact or long after it was relevant, the question, "Why only now?", always come up. There should be a lot of reasons why it only came up later. Granting that there is now a vicious reason from the messenger, it should not make us reject the message immediately. That is like throwing the bathwater with the baby. If all that is to be considered true are only those said by "credible" sources, then, nothing can be considered credible anymore. The Lord's point in the Gospel was to hear the message and discern its truth. We should not be influenced too much with personalities and circumstances. We have the responsibility to seek the truth amidst all of the doubts being cast around it.

Ask God To Free Us From The Fear Of Fear!

2009-08-09T09:10:00.002+08:00

Everyday and maybe for the rest of our lives we will be faced with fear. We fear that we might fail in our school tests. We fear the possible lost of our jobs because of the contingency of the world's economic situation. We fear we might get sick. We fear our business might go bankrupt. We fear the failure of our relationships. We fear death. We know that we can not always rely on our riches, power, authority, and other worldly things. There will come a time when we are left on our own. But actually we are not alone. There is always Somebody who is with us. In fact, His very name means to be "with us"!

And so we utter a prayer. We come before His presence and ask Him to protect us from the cause of our fear. Remove the sickness, help us to pass the test, maintain our good relationships, make our business good, help us not to die sooner, and other favors. Unfortunately, if and when our prayers are granted, our fears do not stop. They come one after the other, At times they come in clusters. Before we know it, we are back in the same situation. We are again in fear and we are again going back to God for protection.

The psalmist has a response to this. Instead of asking God to protect us from what we fear, let us the Lord to deliver us from all fears! "I sought the Lord, He heard me and delivered me from all my fears!" (Ps.34:2-9). It is an acceptance of the presence of fears. Therefore, what we should ask for is liberation from all fears so that whenever and if ever fear of anything comes, we can face them with the assurance of God's presence.

I read once that when we worry and our worries were not true, we worry in vain. And when we worry and it is true, we worry twice! Shakespeare was more clear and blunt. He said "The brave man dies but once while the coward dies a thousand deaths." What is worst than death is the fear of death. In one of the eulogies to the late President Cory Aquino, she was quoted to have said that the opposite of fear is not courage, but faith. Apparently, Tita Cory saw deeper and had conquered her fear through faith. Human courage was translated and associated with God's grace. Without God we are indeed nothing. "I sought the Lord, He heard me and delivered me from all my fears!"

Lord God, help us to face all our fears by giving us the grace to be free from them!

We Loved The Rain (When we were children!)

2009-07-20T10:35:00.003+08:00

Yes, we loved the rain when we were children. Even if we sang "Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day!"Or even if the late Karen Carpenter also sang "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." (Ha ha ha. For us priests, we love Mondays!) Nowadays, rains are dreaded. They are unusually strong and heavy. In fact, too heavy now for the designs houses now have. If one is going to construct a house or any building today, rain should be a very big consideration. Otherwise, the tenants would just find themselves either with leaks or runoffs or excess water due to the inability of drainages in coping with the great surge of rain water. Today, when it rains, traffic easily becomes heavy. Roads are quickly flooded. Everyone is cautioned not to be exposed to rains because of its acidity that harms the skin. While rains continue to be a source of water for irrigation, drinking, and cleaning activities, its quality and effects had drastically changed.

When we were children, the first rains of the month of May is anticipated. I have not really asked the reason why but I think it has something to do with "health". It is good for the body, at least for the skin. We would immediately go to our mother and ask permission to bathe under the rain. Because we still have to wear our shirts and shorts, we would bathe with nothing on! We would run around outside our house and periodically take turns in showering under the down spout. If a temporary pool appears, we would wade in it, or if our enthusiasm is just too much, we would swim in it. We would be like carabaos loving the rare chance of frolicking in water. We would go home not cleaner, due to the mud from playing in the pool of water, but very happy.

When we were children, we would always want to have the opportunity to bathe under it. My mother would always assess if it is safe. Lightning and thunderstorms might be present. But for us, we just loved the rain, lightnings and thunderstorms included. We would be very sad if we were not allowed and we would jealously look out from our windows at the children who were given that opportunity. We would call out to them and ask them if it feels good! Then we would participate in what they are doing from the window as if we are with them!

Once the rain stopped, we would immediately go out and see what the rain had done to our surroundings. Were there trees and plants that were destroyed? Were there flooded areas where we can wade? Were houses also affected? Were tributaries and small canals bigger or more active due to the rain water? Was the ground topography changed? And many more. As children, we were aware of all of these changes. We knew the effects of rain and flood.

We had a small canal in front of our house. After the rain, it will have more water and the flow is faster. We use to make small boats, made of either of paper, wood, leaf, or any material, and make them race against each other. We would be very happy watching the boats speed to the designated finish line. We would spend ours doing it and at times many of us would produce many different kinds of boats in a day!

After the rain, opportunities to hunt for play insects (yes, we hunt them!) like beetles and spiders are on. We would equip ourselves with empty match boxes (at times my mother would just see the matches scattered and the match box gone!) filled with cotton for the spiders. Then we will play games with them.

Clay abounds after the rain. The effect of water ton hard clay softens them. So, we would gather as much clay as we want and create figures out of them. The game we would play will depend on the figures we have created e.g. animals, war soldiers and arms, carpentry tools etc. Our clay may not be as clean, sticky, aromatic, and colorful as now, but we did enjoy forming them.

Lastly, I remember, at one time, we made "tsakads" (wooden stilts) in order to wade through the flood waters. Though we still make and enjoy them even in sunny or flood less days, it was more fun, thrilling and challenging with water. We would challenge everyone to cross a certain distance and even add some difficulties to it after everyone had crossed. Some would fall but it was accepted as part of the game. Definitely, everyone enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, some if not all of these are not anymore being done. Passe? Old? Crude? Maybe. But I believe, they are still sources of lessons in life like; determination, creativity, acceptance of failure, magnanimity in victory, development of skills, patience, teamwork, joy, competition, etc. The values gained are countless! I am sure, many of those values are still effective and present in the characters of those who lived by them! I am one of them and I am proud of it!

P.S. The rainbow is a welcome sight after the rains. Not only because its colors of ROYGVIB teaches us about colors but more importantly, it reminds us of the promise of God that as long as we see the rainbow, He will not repeat what was done to the people during the time of Noah!

WE EAT TO LIVE!

2009-07-17T12:34:00.005+08:00

"Many are getting sick" and "many are dying", I was told, not just once but many times, by some friends during the last few days. Indeed, it is true. News would come to me about an acquaintance who is sick and who had died. I would like to think that it is a regular grind of life; sickness and death comes to everyone specially to the elderly. But deep inside, something is telling me it is more than just the regular grind. There is a twist somewhere....I wonder what? This thought plummeted my reflective mind to investigate and analyze, not a ala Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes but a la Fr. Benny!

"Health is wealth." Very true. An actress was asked to choose between health and fame. She wisely chose health. She opined that with health, she can easily acquire fame. But the reverse is hard to achieve if not untrue. There are many factors to be healthy. I know that I am not a doctor and it is not my expertise. But I believe the following are important factors;

Environment! Today's generation faces the challenge of coping with pollution caused primarily by the burning of fuel. Add to this the pollution emitted by garbage, residues, by-products etc. All of these had grown too much for the atmosphere to process. In the end, all creatures great and small will inhale them! The prevalence of respiratory diseases attest to this. A parent said that if one wants to be a doctor, he should specialize in respiratory diseases. He will be a millionaire in due time! ( And I thought it was to help the cause of respiratory patients!). I will not be far-fetched if I say that common diseases had become harder to treat and new ones had developed because of pollution. Or there will be a time when we will have to carry oxygen tanks on our back because the available oxygen in the atmosphere had become too thin or had disappeared!

Exercise! Oh yes, we do have a lot of gyms now. Going to the gym had in fact become a fad. They are not only full after office hours but throughout the day. People had suddenly become conscious of glandic hydro emission. (sweating or perspiring lang yan!). It is good for health. Then, it was a normal body activity. But the advent of air conditioned cars, malls, rooms, offices, supermarkets, and even bowling lanes etc. had made this regular body activity a rarity and a luxury! Now, one has to shell out thousand of pesos in order to avail of the services of a gym. That is not including the paraphernalia and proper gears even. Badminton had become popular if only due to its capacity to generate profuse sweating! Then, we walk to church, market, parks, school, and maybe even to the office! "Exercise" was part of the daily activities. Sweating was acceptable! People then were more active and has more "galaw galaw".

Rest! By virtue of the demands of daily activities, rest now is optional if not unnecessary. While offices close at five, activities continue not anymore through the wee hours but twenty four hours! Now, we have twenty-four hour stores, restaurants, gasoline stations, offices, markets, etc. Then, only hospitals, police stations, fire stations and other utility establishments operate non-stop. The availability of whole day cable television and Internet made it worst! Sleep had become relative. Rest had become again not a necessity but a luxury. Work! Work! Work! Play! Play! Play!....Rest? Rest? Rest? Today, either we are eating, watching, playing, or shopping! If you notice, malls had dominated the city. Almost all places, even the least strategic ones had already been invaded by the malls. Before, mall owners would first consider if the place has so many clients who frequent them. Now, all you have to do is basically find a location and build the mall. People will come to the malls. Malls create the need of people. The consumerist attitude of people is a weakness that mall developers seize to establish their business. I wonder how many malls we have in Metro Manila alone???

Genes! This, the next generation could not do so much about. That is why the generating generation should strive to have a good one for the the benefit of the receiving generation. Medical findings had proven in a lot of ways that many of our sickness were congenital or hereditary. We inherit them form our parents or ancestors. While advances in medical capabilities had improved so much, there are still diseases that are beyond human control. That makes us always vulnerable. And that should be enough reason for us to be serious and generous in finding cures and preventive measures to respond to them.

Given all of the factors given above, I believe, the one really crucial factor then, now and in the future is food! There is so much truth in the saying, "You are what you eat!"The food we intake becomes part of our body. If our body could (and it has the unique and amazing capacity to do so) process them well, then good for us. But if our body systems could not cope with the demands of the food we eat, the problem begins. The field of medicine had been very busy coping with the arrival and developments of sickness in our generation. Younger people are now afflicted with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, organ failures, and other diseases which were normally mostly found in elders. With due respect to the existing gastronomic centers, the food that are being served nowadays are sickness generators more than health developers. A great percentage of food offered now are cooked in oil which contains a lot of fats (of all kinds!). Others are just too sweet or too salty. I empathize with young children now who grow up eating fast food products. Fast food restos had become popular because they are easily available aside from the fact that they had become cheaper. Other restos also follow by relying on taste, looks, presentations, and uniqueness and sacrificing quality and healthy offerings in order to lure patrons. Eating now has become a fad, status quo, and a "show" rather than nutrition! Unfortunately for us, the food that we eat would hit back through its effect in our bodies.

I could go on and on, but it will boil down to the same point; our food now is unhealthy. This maybe the reason why there is a "movement" to the production and patronizing of organic food. Organics are produced from ingredients that are "natural" and are free of chemicals. They are supposed to be healthy. But then again, we are not sure. Even fish and vegetables are now with unwanted chemical elements due to the absorption of the same from the soil and water which were recipients of previous interactions. In other words, it is now very hard to find an ingredient that is chemical-free! At most, we hope what we eat or produce has the least amount of these destructive chemicals.

So, where do we go from here? Participants to all of these must stop for a while and think about the effect of what they are doing to the present and succeeding generation. Rather than think of getting much profit, they should reconsider lessening it and strive to provide everyone with the best healthy food they could give without sacrificing their investment. Government, by virtue of its controlling power should assert it by providing laws and guidelines that will insure the availability and production of only healthy food. People, on the other hand, should patronize these cooperative restos and food establishments. Let us join hands for our sake and the sake of the next generation. remember, "we eat to live and not live to eat!"

On The "Old" Or The "Elderly".

2009-07-08T11:21:00.002+08:00

( I took this story from the book of Henri Nouwen, "Aging, The Fulfillment Of Life". He said this is an old Balinese legend which gives a strong message about how present society treats the old and the importance of imparting to our children the treasures of our generation.)

"It is said that once upon a time the people of a remote mountain village used to sacrifice and eat their old men. A day came when there was not a single old man left, and the traditions were lost. They wanted to build a great house for the meetings of the assembly, but when they came to look at the tree-trunks that had been cut for that purpose no one could tell the top from the bottom: if the timber were placed the wrong way up, it would set off a series of disasters. A young man said that if they promised never to eat the old men any more, he would be able to find a solution. They promised. He brought his grandfather, whom he had hidden; and the old man taught the community to tell top from bottom!"

Another Faith Story

2009-07-06T07:39:00.003+08:00

Once after a healing mass in a chapel in Makati, I was approached by two couples to ask for the healing of the wives. Both wives had terminal illnesses. I asked them if they have faith that God will give them the healing grace they need. They replied "yes" and I proceeded to lay my hands on both women and asked God to give them His blessings and healing. Both couples left immediately after the healing session. Since then, I went about doing my daily ministry and had forgotten that healing of the two women. Until I got a call one evening from one of the husbands. He introduced himself and I remembered him and his ailing wife. I asked him why he called. He told me that he was calling to thank me for the healing of his wife. His wife had been to the doctor yesterday and she was declared completely free from the sickness. He said it was a miracle! I told him that it was God's healing power and their faith in God that brought the healing and that he should go to the church and offer prayers of thanksgiving. He agreed and promised to offer prayers of thanksgiving. He said that one of these days, he and his wife would visit me to thank me personally. I replied that they need not inconvenience themselves but if they so desire, I would be happy to meet them again.

Some months passed and I got another call in the middle of the day. The man from the other line introduced himself as one of the couples who approached me in one of the healing masses I did in a chapel in Makati. I said I remember him and his wife and even told him about the other couple who was with them. I also told him about the good news of the healing of the other wife. He was happy to know about the healing of the woman and he told me that the reason he called was also because of the healing of his wife. "Wow!", I told myself, "Another healing?"I was very excited to know the healing. So I asked him what happened. He narrated what happened since that day. He told me they went home and had a very peaceful sleep. Day after day they would continue to pray and visit the doctor for updates in her sickness. But she grew worse. The sickness had affected her other organs and she was growing weak. All the time, I thought the story is more dramatic and big! Then he said that his wife was finally hospitalized and they were told that she would die anytime. Suddenly I felt weak. I thought he was going to tell me about the healing of his wife. Suddenly I was afraid of what he would say next. There was silence between us. Then when he had gathered all the courage he could get, he told me that his wife had died. But, before she died, she had gone to confession and had received Holy Communion. Apparently, his wife, at some point had lost faith in God. But the healing session brought back her faith, His wife felt loved not only by God but by everyone. She had a happy death. He was happy for her. She may not have the physical healing she was asking, but she was given a better healing. She was healed spiritually. She died in the grace of God. Her faith wrought her not healing of body but healing of soul!

It would not be fair to compare the two healings. It would be easy to say that the spiritual healing is better. Yes, by some standards it is better. But the physical healing is still a sign of God's grace. The physically healed may still transform it to spiritual healing. The more important point is that faith heals in the sense that it opens us fully to Gods graces. Life of faith is the constant disposing ourselves to God. When we do, we have allowed God's unlimited powers to enter our limited being.

True Faith, Saving Faith!

2009-07-05T21:12:00.005+08:00

True faith means fully entrusting one's life to God. No "ifs", no "buts". This is not easy. This is not just saying "I believe." or "I love You, Lord!" It entails the real and actual surrender of the will, mind, memory, and everything held to God. That relationship with God is what will open us up to everything He can do for us. Otherwise, we have made ourselves close and indisposed before God. God can not do anything for us. Yes, that is the "limitation" of God if we can call it as such!

This was clearly shown in the Gospel today, the fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Jesus went back to His native place of Nazareth to visit his kinsfolk and also to preach the Good News there. He meant to do everything there including curing the sick and other relevant and necessary miracles. In the beginning, the people were astonished as to what He said. But their familiarity with Him, His parents, and His "brothers" and "sisters" bred contempt! His fellow Nazoreans were blinded by their knowledge of Him and His family. Suddenly they questioned His credibility. They asked how He could say and do all those things! This resulted to their blindness of who He is. Further, it resulted to their lack of faith in Him. The worst consequence was He could not do any more miracles for them save for some! Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith! This is something very big. Jesus amazed? For anyone to amaze Jesus, it must be grand. And this happened in Nazareth. Unfortunately, the amazement was a negative one; lack of faith! Jesus had travelled in so many places and most probably, He had never seen any place with such a lack of faith, in His native place at that!

From Jesus' native place, we shift the focus to our faith. It follows that f God is to be effective in us, we must have that faith in God; it is an entrusting of our lives in the hands of God. In our present situation, are we on that level yet? Had we arrive at a point when it is God who determines everything in our life? Every Sunday, at least, we profess our faith in God, but is it effective and real too in our lives? There was this parishioner who asked his pastor if indeed "Faith moves mountains!". The pastor said "Yes, of course! With God, nothing is impossible for those who have faith!" The parishioner went home and seeing his neighbor's fruit rich mango tree, decided to test his faith. He wanted to move the mango tree from his neighbor's yard to his. So, he concentrated on mustering his faith. He closed his eyes, focused on God and his faith and willed that the mango tree be transferred to his yard. He was perspiring and shaking in concentration. He was praying and uttering words of praise and petition to God. He was summoning his great faith in God that the mango tree will be moved to his place. When he was certain he had arrived at perfect expression of faith, he slowly opened his eyes to see the result. Lo and behold! The mango tree was still in his neighbor's yard! It remained where it was! Then he said to himself, "I thought so!" ("Sabi ko na nga ba eh!").

All along he doubted God. All along, he was lacking in faith! The promised miracle did not happen. The miracle will not happen because there was lack of faith. We have to admit that this had happened to us a lot of times. We believed we have that full faith. We apply it to our lives. And when it did not or nothing happened, we say, "I thought so!" or similar words of doubt all along. The so called "limitation" of God was not really about Him not being able to do what He wanted to do but about us not allowing Him to do it to us. God always invites in love and man must respond in faith. Without that faith-response, there is no communication with God. Without the faith response, God's graces could not be received. In all the miracles of Jesus, Jesus would always ask the person if he has faith in Him or Jesus would praise the person for having faith.

Hopefully, next time, Jesus would still be amazed not because of our lack of faith but because of the fullness of our faith. Not because He would be able to do all the miracles we need, but that the main grace of salvation will be received by everyone. What greater miracle is there than the miracle of being saved! And what greater event would there be than receiving that miracle of salvation!

Who Needs Who?

2009-06-15T08:28:00.005+08:00

Corpus Christi, the last of the three feasts after the Easter Season was celebrated this Sunday. The feast recognizes God's everlasting love by instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist where the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. We remember from Holy Thursday that the Lord Jesus, on the night before He died, gathered His apostles for the Passover meal. It was traditional to the Jews in remembrance of the day when God protected Israel from the plague of death which was responsible for the death of the son of the Pharaoh who was obstinate in setting the Israelites free from Egyptian bondage. This time, Jesus intended it for the liberation of mankind from sin. He would do it later by dying on the cross. The Eucharist would be a continuation of the saving action done on the cross whenever it is celebrated (remembered).

In that institution, the Lord Jesus commanded His apostles to eat His Body (the bread) and drink His blood (the wine). Here, we believe that the bread turned into His real and true Body and the wine turned into His real and true Blood. Otherwise, He should have said "This is the symbol of my body." and "This is the symbol of my blood." In another scene with His enemies during the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus told His listeners to eat His Body because He is the living bread that came down from heaven (John 6:49-56). They were taken aback by the commandment. Bread was their staple food and they would easily understand if He took it as a symbol of His claim. But instead of being clear about it by claiming that He was the Bread of Life in the same way that the bread is their main sustenance for life, He told them to eat His flesh and drink His blood! Scot Hahn, a respected Protestant Scripture scholar saw this truth. He said that Jesus would have said "symbol" if it was the truth. That "truth" in fact was greatly responsible for His death. If He is to die, He should die for the Truth. But the Truth was what He said. He is the living bread that came down form heaven and whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood will have eternal life.

The Eucharist is the Church's treasure. The Eucharist is found in the mass. That is why the mass is the greatest celebration of Christian worship. The mass is a remembrance of the saving action in Calvary. Whenever we celebrate the mass, it is the Lord Jesus who is present in His Body and Blood. Not a symbol, not a sign, not an idea, but Him par excellence! Our belief on this rests our regard and respect for the celebration and the place. If we believe tat the Lord is really present there, we will just be too happy and excited to come to mass and meet the Lord! What religion could give you such a unique and prestigious opportunity? But God made it that way so that we will be able to respond appropriately.

But our ways reflect our taking for granted, neglect, indifference, flippancy, and disregard for it; lack of preparation, coming in late, not actively participating, not listening, and others. This once a week opportunity is sometimes compromised. Many who go abroad would give the reason that they were busy with the tour or that no church was available. I have been in other countries too and I know that a church is available if one will just ask! Unless we realize the importance of this encounter with God, we would not exert much effort to fulfill it. Unless we realize our need for it, it would remain just an option which we may or may not take. It should be interesting to note that there are places or peoples in this world that hunger for the Eucharist but they could not avail of it because circumstances would not allow priests to come to them. They would be without mass for days, months, or even years! In the recent pastoral letter of Cardinal Rosales, he made mention of a group of martyrs in Abythynia who asked permission to celebrate mass in prison because they say, "Without Sunday, we can not live!"

As a last point, it should be clear to us that the Lord Jesus being present to us in the mass is for our benefit. It is for our salvation. We are the ones in need of the Lord. We owe it to Him to have provided us with this act of worship. God does not need us to attend mass. At most, His need is for our own benefit. He wants us to be saved. He wants us to be with Him in His Kingdom. Therefore, let us live and act aware of this important truth. So much in our lives rest on believing this truth.

A Student For Good And For God!

2009-06-09T23:29:00.006+08:00

Once I wondered why the Catholic Church was into the field of education. Particularly, I am referring to establishing educational institutions like college, universities, and parochial schools. Today, all over the world, there are numerous educational institutions that are being ran by either Catholic religious congregations or by parishes. In the secular world, these Catholic educational institutions are known to give high quality education. They also provide good if not the best services available for their students; professors, facilities, buildings, books, laboratories, etc. They are the main reasons why they also charge a substantial amount of school fees. Catholic institutions are best known for skyrocket tuition and miscellaneous fees. The poor would have little chance of landing in a Catholic institution unless, maybe, because of a scholarship grant.

So, why is the Catholic Church into education? I believe it can be traced back to the medieval times when the Church, through religious priests, were at the of service of the royalty and were regularly relating with the rich and powerful at the time. The religious priests were considered with respect not only because of their status as men and women of God but also because they belong to the few learned kind. They saw the opportunity of influencing these leaders through their children, the future heir to the throne, the riches, and the powers of their elders. By offering them the best education, they can also integrate faith in the process. The ultimate goal is to have graduates who are not only intelligent and excellent in their field, but men and women of faith. They sought to relate everything to faith. They hoped that when these students finally assume the leadership and positions whom their elders occupy, they would be men and women leaders in faith! Thus, Catholic educational institutions were really intended to produce disciples of the faith. With them holding the key and powerful positions, propagation of the faith will be better if not easier. (However, once I was asked by friend about what is happening now to our Catholic education? Why is it that in spite of the Catholic education of many of our professionals who were graduates of prestigious schools like Ateneo, De La Salle, Assumption, UST, and UA&P, to name a few, corruption, deception, dishonesty, and illegalities still exists, and at a grand level at that! Much more, many of our government officials were graduates of respected Catholic schools and yet, un-Christian behaviors proliferate! Good question! I was caught flat-footed! I could not find a satisfactory answer.)

Last Sunday, we integrated the rite praying for a good school year for the students with the feast of the Blessed Trinity. The Trinity, being a community of love, is the best guide and protection for the students who will be facing a lot of challenges during the school year. We decided to do the rite for the sake of the students. They need a lot of prayers so that they will be protected and freed from the tentacles of drugs, lasciviousness, dishonesty, violence, diseases, abuses, accidents, and many more. We prayed that they will be focused in their studies and not be affected by the many distractions present around them.

In that celebration, I took the opportunity to remind both parents and students the real goal of education. Education, while it aims to acquire knowledge, has a very virtuous and serious goal. Having great knowledge provides one an opportunity to gain power, fame, and eventually, riches. For some, these are the main or ultimate goals of knowledge gained from education. But, as far as our faith is concerned, it goes beyond material or temporal gains. Its ultimate goal should be salvation. Whatever is learned should always be used for the greater glory of God. Education should lead to salvation. Education should not only make one rich, powerful, or famous, but more importantly, holy! Yes, holy! Unfortunately, to many, the word or the state of being holy is not achievable or close to being impossible, as if, Saints were created or made perfect from birth! Much more, that Saints were exceptional human beings. Actually they were not! They were just the same as all of us, until they attained the that distinct calling from God to turn away from sin and follow Him. Holiness, in other words, is a decision we make, not a hocus focus of God. We can be holy if we want to be holy. In the same way, we can be evil if we want to be evil!

I further pointed out in that celebration that parents should help their children realize this purpose. Parents should not be obsessed with just making their children get rich, famous, and powerful. The best result they could have for children is to be men and women of faith. They should be Christian doctors, Christian lawyers, Christian accountants, Christian teachers, etc. The stress is in the adjective Christian! This is God's expectation of their children and of them as parents. Other achievements fall below this main purpose. The Lord Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul!" For what is the best education if the educated will not use it for God's greater glory? Education, if use in accordance with God's Holy Will, is a gift and a blessing! But used against God, it is a gift that becomes a curse. The anticipated majestic and blissful climax hopefully will not be twisted to end in a tragedy!

(As a little note, I pray that students will study to learn and not just for the grades!)

The Sacrament Of Matrimony Is Priceless!

2009-06-02T23:55:00.004+08:00

In today's news in SAKSI (GMA 7 Evening News), it reported that more and more couples prefer civil marriage than "church marriage" or more appropriately called the Sacrament of Matrimony. The main reason given was financial. With civil marriage, the only fees being paid are about a thousand pesos. The presiding officer is not given any stipend. Mr. Steve Tamayo, a well known church wedding caterer, said that it will take about a hundred thousand to have a church wedding. It covers church fees, wedding gowns, the reception, etc. Bishop Broderick Pabillo, an Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila, was interviewed, but I believe his explanations were edited. I am sure he was able to explain it well, but due to the constraints of television, he was just limited to his sadness about the way the sacrament was being perceived. In fact, I received a text message from him early in the evening advising me of the interview and even requested me to pass it to others. It is my intention in this blog to shed more light on the matter.

Based on the report and the interviews done by the reporter, the nature and necessity of the Sacrament of Matrimony seemed unclear to many. The sacrament is seen as not different save for the "blessings" of the church or of God. As to its essential meaning and purpose, either they are very much wanting or they are not at all aware. Before the eyes of faith, civil marriage is not recognized as deemed by God. In the eyes of God and faith, there is only one marriage and that is the "church marriage." Civil marriage only makes the union legal but not the sacramental or salvific union. The church marriage is more than just a union of two people but a witnessing to the love between Jesus and the People of God. As baptized persons, it is only apt that they be united in the sacrament. As children of God, it follows that they should live together according to the will of the God they believe in. Their marriage in church affords them of salvation. The statements of those interviewed, which maybe considered as predominantly the view of many nominal Catholics, expressed that they are already contented or just settled for civil marriage because church marriage, allegedly, is expensive. They thought that civil marriage already frees them from their moral and spiritual responsibility before God. Maybe they were able to save a lot, but at what cost? Further, granted for the sake of argument, that it is true that the sacrament, which we believe to be necessary for salvation, needs to be paid, are we not going to do everything to have it? Are we not willing to receive it at all cost?

Let it be clear that the sacrament is never for sale or needed to be paid. It is not being offered in exchange of something. All it requires is our faith. If it is for sale, by virtue of its ultimate importance, it should cost us an unquantifiable amount! Megazillions of pesos will be too cheap for an act that will facilitate our salvation! Precisely, it is priceless! Priceless in the sense that nobody can buy it with all the riches in the world. And priceless because it is without a price. It is a gift from God!

Actually, the thousand pesos that couples spend in a civil wedding is much much expensive than the simplest of church weddings! What really makes a church wedding expensive are the non-essentials couples (not the church, take important note!) require or need. A church wedding can happen with only the following; Baptismal Certificate, Confirmation Certificate, Pre-Cana Seminar, the couple, the priest, a pair of witnesses, and holy water. Churches actually can accept even only voluntary donations from the couple. The "donations" are not payments (and therefore no demands may come from the couple and no commitments from the church). These donations will be spent as support to the maintenance of the church (electricity, water, cleaning materials, etc.) and salaries for its personnel. Even with nothing shelled out, a couple maybe given the sacrament. So what makes a church wedding expensive? Why is it expensive? Who makes it expensive?

If the couple wanted something more than the basic requirements mentioned in the previous paragraph like; reception, wedding gowns, flowers, red carpet, singers, air-condition, videos and still pictures, new and expensive rings, and other things, then it is really expensive. But take note, these are not required by the church. It is the couple who wanted them for themselves. The couple are the ones who are making their church wedding expensive. It is expensive because of their "ek-eks" or luxuries. The sacrament maybe celebrated, in fact best celebrated, without these luxuries. In fact they give the wrong impression that a luxury wedding will result to a beautiful marriage. Some couples have to admit it. Church weddings are good opportunities for them to have a"bongga" or grand wedding. Without making judgments, there maybe couples who do not really believe in a church marriage but still does it because the church and church rite are perfect for their purpose of maybe showing off their riches and popularity.

In my previous and present parish, I never encouraged mass weddings. Mass weddings provide opportunity for couples to receive the sacrament free. But they come across as less dignified because they are usually only for the so called "poor". It is as if the rich, who can "pay" the church, are the only ones who can marry on their own and mass weddings are for those who can not "pay".Although it was once made obligatory by the late Cardinal Sin, I told couples that they are entitled to choose their wedding dates and they deserve to be married alone, donations or no donations, "payments" or no "payments". Money is not an issue here. It is their faith in God and in the sacrament that is the matter. If indeed they are not capable of giving any contributions to the church, so be it. Money is not a requirement for the effectivity of the sacrament anyway. As a pastor, I am just very glad to minister to couples who want to be saved by availing of the sacrament. However, it is not appropriate if we will encounter a couple who would not give any donation to the church and yet will have their reception in a five star hotel, dressed in expensive gowns and tuxedos, adorn the church with so many flowers, and a videographer recording their wedding. In other words, they are willing to spend for some wedding luxuries but nothing for the support of the church which will be serve them! Besides, the "donations" (not payment) being given were to be used to sustain the utility and personnel maintenance of the church. The money being received is to ensure the basic services for the apostolate of the church.

Therefore, it is wrong to say that church marriages are expensive. What is true is that church marriages are necessary and are given for free. Rates are being given by different parishes in order to give the donors an idea of how much non-essential services may entail. But they are not required to give the suggested rates. If it is going to be expensive, it is because of the couple's preferences and not because the of the requirements of the church.

(Just to prove this, couples may go to any Catholic church and just be honest about their situation. The pastor should make every effort to help them receive the sacrament. If the pastor still insists on the "donations" even if the couple had already intimated their situation, the couple may go to the bishop and ask for his help. But I am sure, the pastor would be able to address the situation in his level.)

Never Challenge God's Presence (or Test God's Patience)

2009-06-01T12:54:00.002+08:00

In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus depicted so much violence. The owner of the vineyard sent his emissaries in order to ask for the produce of the vineyard from the caretakers. One by one, the emissaries were treated harshly and some were even killed. Finally, the owner sent his beloved son thinking that they would respect him. But the son was also killed. In the end, the owner vowed that he will render justice to these killers.

Jesus used the parable to remind the leaders of His time about what had been done to those sent by God to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and the need for repentance. However, we can not help but notice the seeming silence of God during those times when everyone He has sent including His Son were rejected or killed. Why was God not doing anything to address the crimes being committed against His very anointed? Why did He allow the killings to happen? Was He helpless against them? Definitely not. But we can not ignore the fact that the silence was deafening. What happened was just too much to be ignored or allowed. Do we really have an absentee God?

Even the evils that are happening in the present times are very dangerous, aggressive, massive, prevalent, and arrogant. Gone are the days when those who commit the crimes are afraid of being seen or caught. The criminals are not that afraid anymore. In fact, the victims are more afraid than the perpetrators. Now, it seems that crimes are easier to commit and when caught, easier to free oneself from. People are sometimes helpless against evil. These led many to believe that maybe there is really no God and He is just a pigment of the imagination. For it is true that if He does exist, then, these evil things we experience around us would not have been allowed. Where God is present, evil has no place. Since evil is everywhere, then God must be nowhere!

But we believe otherwise. We just celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, the day when Jesus fulfilled His promise to be with us through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's guarantee of His presence in the world. So, where is the Spirit? How is God present? But there is a more relevant question than these. More than these information, the key to understanding this seeming absence of God is to know who He is in the face of these situations. He is actually not absent. God deals with man's sin the way He sees effective. once when Jesus was passing through a Samaritan town on the way to Jerusalem, the people rejected them. The apostles, angry at those who disrespected and rejected the Lord, asked the Lord Jesus to send fire to the people. But Jesus did not agree to the proposal of the apostles which was out of impulsive anger. The Lord Jesus was patient. His way is the way of love, forgiveness, and compassion. The best way to win souls is not by punishment or revenge but with love. The best testimony to this was when He was put to death on the cross. He was without sin and He was with all the power to stop His crucifixion. But He did not go against the very will of His Father. Souls will be won through love even if it will entail giving up His life by dying on the cross.

If we stop and think about it, that is how God with us at all times. Let us make ourselves as examples. With the many sins we have committed, what do we deserve as punishment? What life do we deserve? What fate should we have? Is it not that the truth is that God had been super patient with us? Not that He would not render justice for every sin we have committed. That would come. Maybe here, or in the next life. Maybe now or later. Meantime, God's concern is to win us. Just like in the Parable of the Wheat and The Weeds when the field owner allowed the weeds to grow among the wheat and not to uproot them for the wheat may also be uprooted. The message of the parable was that God wanted to give the sinners (weeds) to change. Salvation is addition. Jesus promised to save everyone. No one will be lost. And so, He will do everything to save everyone.

It will do no good to keep on questioning God's presence. It will be an act of arrogance to test God's patience. Jephtah's story, Judges Chapter 11, should be a strong warning to us never to lose faith in God and never to offer Him anything in exchange for something we want otherwise we may lose even those things that are valuable to us. Facing a seeming defeat from the Ammonites, Jephtah turned to the Lord. In return for victory in battle, he vowed to God that he would sacrifice to God the first thing he saw on his return home. Jephtah won the battle and returned home. As he approached his house, his beloved only daughter ran out to meet him, which meant he had to sacrifice her to fulfill his promise. Jephtah need not bargained with God. God promised to be with him in battle. But he lost faith. He doubted God's presence. Worse, he challenged God. God taught him a lesson. Unfortunately, it cost the life of his daughter.

We have a patient God. We must acquire His patient attitude. Much more, we must exercise that patience to God's patience. Jesus already assured us of His present in the Holy Spirit. What we ought to do is to recognize His presence in the Spirit. "The stone rejected by the builders became the cornerstone." says Scriptures. Evil can never defeat God. Evil is afraid of God. Evil preys on us. If we do not allow evil, it can not do anything against us. If we recognize the presence of the Spirit, the evil spirit has no place in us. God prevailed then, He prevails now, He will prevail till the end and beyond time.

Why We Must Care For More Than Our Own

2009-05-30T08:49:00.005+08:00

"No man is an island. No man stands alone.

Each man's joy is joy to me.

Each man's grief is my own."

This is the first stanza of a song communicating the relationship of man and the rest of creation. There had been songs, movies, books, articles, plays and all other media in almost every language that had been created to share this message of "connectedness" among everyone and everything in the world. However, it seems that man, the center and appointed steward of creation seems to be oblivious of this truth and most specially its consequences.

Brazil is known to be one of the greatest sources of fresh air. People from nearby countries, Venezuela, Africa, Cuba, Mexico,and the United States, for example, benefit from the the fresh air being emitted by the forests of Brazil. Recent developments in Brazil, however, had affected this supply of fresh air. Brazil is now considered the third greatest supplier of carbon dioxide, (a gas which is mainly responsible for the creation of a film around the earth which results to global warming) because of its massive deforestation activities. Deforestation is a form of land clearing done by burning forests instead of the more expensive and time consuming cutting of trees. The activity maybe local, but the effect is global.

Global warming is another phenomenon when we can not just sit back because we believe we are not affected and not affecting others. The earth's condition is influenced one way or the other by every activity that happens in it, whether by living or non-living things. Even the the most simple breathing contributes to the earth's condition. God had created a perfect world in the sense that if each creation is let to live according to its nature, each will live long enough to achieve its purpose. Science had discovered the need for the earth to maintain its balance. Climate change, the effect of global warming , had affected different countries in varying degrees. Climate, as we know is vital to the lives of everyone and everything. Lifestyles, agriculture, economy, construction, health, and what not, will be affected. Unless a country is thinking of controlling its own climate by isolating itself, it can not help but be affected by this global phenomenon. And even if it can, it will only be fleeting, because eventually, if the all of the earth is affected, they too will be affected.

For so many years now, one of the dangers being posed before humanity, is the threat to health. While it is true that there had been plagues that had appeared many many years ago, it seems that they are appearing more and more at less time space these days. The development of wider and wider ranged anti-biotics will attest to this. There was the lethal ebola virus which has actually mutated a lot of times. SARS appeared in Hongkong. Now we have the A (H1N1), "swine flu virus". There are actually many more being discovered every week. Some are not that strong as to affect life, businesses, and homes. But they are there. We do not know how they will re-appear. We know that viruses are capable of mutating to a different strain. There is always a race between the virus mutating and scientists discovering the cure drug. We know that we are no match to them. Human lives would be sacrificed first before cures, if we are fortunate, would be discovered. In doing so, we spend so much time, talent, and money to do it. The question is, are we always willing to offer time, talent, and money? Last year, another killer virus called "Lujo" was discovered in Africa (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1794398/lujo_virus_a_new_virus_discovered_in.html) Maybe the authorities are still keeping the details of the virus but it is certainly present and ready to unleash itself unless we do something about it. The virus maybe in Africa but because of the constant, fast, and easy movement of people courtesy of advances in transportation and communication, they can easily be transmitted to other countries including island countries like ours. It will be more devastating if it had reached the human to human level of transmission. It will be at its height if it becomes airborne! In that case, a pandemic is inevitable. I can not imagine myself breathing myself to possible death! And I thought the World War II holocaust had already been condemned and stopped! Now, it seems that we are our own executioners!

All of these boils down to one common solution; cooperation and awareness of our connectedness. We are our brother's keeper. We can not just clean, maintain and sanitize our own home and backyard. We have to care for the home and backyard of our neighbors too! Rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other agents of virus transmission would not just limit themselves to your neighbor's unkempt place. They can invade other homes too. And the easiest way to spread viruses and germs is via these very active and constantly migrating creatures. We can not just fortify, beautify, and maintain our own. We just have to be committedly but respectfully involved and interested in others too for the sake of all.

The song's last stanza says all of these;

"When I help my brother,

Then I know that I,

Plant the seed of friendship,

That will never die."

If we love our neighbor as ourselves, death will not be seen as the end but as a part of living. If in doing anything loving for every neighbor is seen as a service to God, then death will be seen as the door towards eternal life. Be connected and live forever. Decide to disconnect, and be prepared to die forever!

Men Are Losers Too?

2009-05-23T22:00:00.004+08:00

In the Catholic faith, the sexual act done outside of marriage, even between consenting adults, is considered an offense against God. But what is interesting is that it seems that society, specially here in the Philippines, sees the woman as the more or the only aggrieved party and receives the greater humiliation and shamefacedness compared to the man. There is no doubt that the woman was pained, wounded and damaged by the act. How about the man? Just because he is a man does not mean that he comes out of the act undefiled or untarnished! While it is true that the sexual act is viewed by some as merely a physical issue, it is essentially also a psychological issue to many. To the Catholic faith it is a spiritual issue and therefore involves salvation eventually.

I know that the following reflection may be a vexation to some, will befuddle a lot, and pique many, but I believe I have to raise the thought and at least offer it as a question. My point is that in an illicit sexual act, why is it that it is only the woman who is believed to have lost, had been wrecked, or put to the disadvantage? In many cases, the woman feels more guilty about what happened to her. Society looks at the woman with more pity. On the other hand, the man seems to feel less remorse or very much wanting in self reproach. He is not also seen by society as having lost rather as one who had taken advantage of a "weaker sex". However, before the eyes of faith and God, he is equally guilty. He maybe physically unharmed, but he is definitely spiritually weakened. Therefore, there is no reason why he must have less contrition. Society should also look at him as another victim of the situation.

This difference in treating a woman from a man involved in a sexual act outside of marriage seems to convey the idea that it is always the woman who is more harmed while the man is not. This is not true and should not be propagated. The man should be made aware that he too loses something in a sexual act. He must be made aware that he would also be responsible before God. He must also realize that it will haunt him later in his life. On the other hand, society must also be reminded on the quandary of the man. Without neglecting and easing on the culpability of the man in the act (in case he was responsible for it), society should come to the aid of the man in realizing his situation essentially, psychologically, and spiritually.

I have heard of some lady legislators together with cause-oriented women's group lobbying for more laws against men who "victimize" women. I have nothing against punishing men who are guilty abusing women (and children). If they are guilty, so be it. But I believe that society and the men who are involved in these situations also need elucidation on the subtlety, gravity, and depth of the matter, much more the spiritual and moral damage it has inflicted. Men, after all are human beings too. The damage they have received may have been less than the women, nevertheless, it should be plain that they too needed care and assistance. It will be sad if we have addressed chauvinism but in the process had become ultra-pro feminist! Then, we have shifted from one extreme to the other. We are back to a situation where the problem was just reversed.

Hasta La Vista, Tita Cora!

2009-05-19T09:15:00.003+08:00

Tita Marina (Ilagan), one of the oldest member of our community, is a daily mass goer in our parish. If she happens to participate in the morning mass, Tita Cora (Padilla) would always be there to accompany her and attend to her needs in case she would need any. They will always be seated together in front. Every after mass, I would meet them and walk with them from the altar to the church door. Because Tita Marina speaks to me in Spanish, I would try to answer in my own smorgasbord Spanish. My Spanish would come from everywhere, e.g. "Si, Tita Marina. Las mujeres con todos los santos de las Islas Filipinas contigo. Entonces en seguida para per nalia aqui!" And then I would also recite with her the "Mi Ultimo Adios" of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. All the time, Tita Cora would be laughing at my Spanish which Tita Marina seem to understand! And all the time she would hold the hand of Tita Marina on the other side (the nurse on the other). When Tita Marina's car would arrive, Tita Cora will see to it that Tita Marina is safely in the car.

A member of the Catholic Women's League, Tita Cora has always something to share during meetings. She speaks her mind. She proudly and lovingly expresses her feelings. She would always be relied on to remind everyone of some important details or announcements. She criticizes constructively. She is a woman of concern and charity. She rocks! She is!

Yesterday at about quarter to seven in the evening, Becky, her daughter, came to the office and asked for a priest. She wanted her mother to be blessed. According to her, they were having a good day. In the afternoon, they just had a sumptuous meryenda (including some doughnuts courtesy of Aida Tieng). Tita Cora retired to her room after the merienda. Later, one her nurses heard a fierce ringing of her bell alarm. The nurse rushed to her room and there she was, motionless, still, frozen. The nurse tried to revive her by calling out her name. But she was gone. I arrived just as the 911 mobile arrived. The doctor was already attending to her. I waited until she was ready for the blessing. As soon as the doctor was done, we immediately gathered near her bed and I gave her her last rites and blessing. Tita Cora will now meet her Creator. Tita Cora will soon fulfill her dream. Tita Cora bade goodbye to earthly life to enter into eternal life. Tita Cora will now accept Jesus' invitation to paradise!

Adios y Hasta la vista. Au revoir! Sayonara. Arrivederci. Shalom. Selamat jelan. La revedere. Paalam!

Not The Right But The True Connection.

2009-05-10T10:34:00.005+08:00

On this fifth Sunday of Easter we have the parable of the vine and the branches. The Lord Jesus used the image of the relationship of the vine and the branches to show our relationship with Him. In the same way as the branches could not sustain itself if not connected to the vine, we could not also live if we are disconnected from the Lord. In the same way that the branches could not bear fruit apart from the vine, we also could not bear fruit apart from the Lord. It was God who gave us life. It is God who sustains it. It will be God who would bring and receive it in its fullness.

So many times in today's Gospel, the word "remain" was mentioned. It reveals the importance of remaining in the favor of the Lord. Anyone, no matter how rich, famous, or powerful is nothing without the Lord. Anyone, no matter how deprived in this world, would be complete if he has the Lord. The Lord is our enough. The world is never enough.

In another teaching, the Lord said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. In the last Gospels about the Good Shepherd, this was made clear. There are other kinds of shepherds whose caring and pasturing are wanting. In the same way, there are other kinds of vines which sustenance does not bring fruits. Only Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the "true" vine. He is the one who can see us through this life which His Father had created.

Genesis taught us that we were created in the image and likeness of God. It just follows that our fulfillment rests on living that image. No, it does not mean that we are God or we should become God. It means that God had shared Himself in a limited way to us and we have the responsibility to reflect them our lives. Kailangang magmana tayo sa Diyos! Because God was our creator, we are expected to exhibit His values, ways, most important, His Will. If dogs created us, then we can live like dogs. If crabs created us, then we have reasons to act like crabs. If we came from snakes, we should not wonder if we live like them. But as the Psalmist sang, "You have made me little less than a God and have lavished my heart with Your love. With dignity and honor you clothe me. Given me rule over all!" (Psalm 131). If we act other than our being, then we have degraded ourselves and we are not worthy of the dignity that God had given us.

Therefore, we must stay connected to God. Let us live in His milieu. Let our sustenance be His Word and His Deeds. And then, we will not only bear fruit, but much much more of them. Those fruits are what would form and develop us as children of God worthy of the Kingdom made available to us by the Lords death and resurrection. Those fruits will make our life complete. Those fruits will bring our life to its intended fruition.

(Let me share to you this story which is very relevant to the reflection above. There is a sad American Indian story about a young man who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eagle hatched with the brood of prairie chickens and grew up with them. All its life, the misplaced eagle thought it was a prairie chicken and did only what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat And it flew no more than a few feet off the ground with a thrashing of wings like other prairie chickens. Years passed and the unfortunate eagle grew very old. One day, it saw a significant bird high above cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared gracefully on its strong golden wings. "What a beautiful bird!" said the unfortunate eagle to its neighbor. "That's an eagle, the chief of the birds," the neighbor replied. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him." So the poor eagle never gave it a second thought and it died thinking it was a prairie chicken.)

Not a few people had lived their lives different from how it should be lived because they had been placed in an environment or they were "branched" to the wrong vine. The difference we have from the eagle above is that we are human beings. God had given us the capacity to make decisions and changes if we want. Hopefully, once we realize that we are in the wrong environment or are being influenced by the wrong vine, we will have the strength and the will to find the true one. If we are open and sensitive, we will find the Lord who is just there in our hearts! Further, hopefully, it will not be too late or we would not die with it just like the poor eagle.

Fifty-Two And Surviving!

2009-05-06T10:11:00.005+08:00

I could not believe it but am already fifty-two! To think that I could not have been more than forty or more years older? Yes, it is true. It is because I had a domestic accident when I was about seven. It was probably a Sunday morning then (because we were all home) when we were playing at the second floor of our house. The wooden "horse" used for ironing was located near the open window. I sat on the ironing horse to watch my brothers and sisters. At one point I was laughing so hard that I leaned back forgetting that I was sitting with the open window at my back. I fell down. I landed face down and my rib hit the hard ground. My heart may have gotten a shock and caused it to stop because I was not breathing when my father got to me. He immediately carried me and brought me inside the house where he tried on me everything he knew about first aid. The first thing I felt when I recovered consciousness was the splash of water on my face. I saw my mother and my siblings all seated on the stairs leading to our second floor crying. Maybe they thought I was gone. As soon as I regained consciousness, my father immediately brought me to the Rizal Provincial Hospital in Pasig. I remembered the doctor asking me to walk. I was a little "groggy" but I was very determined to show them I was not hurt and that I was good. Some more examinations were done to me and it was good. I had not incurred a brain damage (so it seems! Ha ha ha ha.), fractures and other severe effects because of the fall. After a week, I was back on my toes!

Another time, I was imitating Tarzan by hanging myself at the door. When I let go, I did not have the right footing for the fall. My feet slipped and I fell on my back. I was not able to protect my head so that it hit the concrete floor and was bouncing like a ball! I was vomiting hard after that and I was brought immediately to the National Mental Hospital (which was very near to our place). After some examinations, I was fortunate not to have incurred skull fractures and severe contusions.

One morning, I was reaching for the kettle with the boiling brewed coffee to fill my cup, when suddenly the handle broke and the boiling coffee spilled on my body. As soon as my father (again) saw me, he immediately rubbed my body thereby peeling of the burned skin! I did not really feel the pain of the rubbing because I felt more the pain caused by the hot coffee! I suffered second degree burns. Again, I was brought to the Rizal Provincial Hospital. Incidentally, the same doctor who took care of me when I fell from the window, again attended to me. My father told me that the doctor commented that I will not die of sickness but my being accident prone! Up to now, I still have the scar of that burning in front of my body. It is similar to the map of Luzon island!

Another afternoon, me and my friends were playing in a vacant lot full of trees, particularly bamboo trees! I can not remember the reason but I climbed the bamboo tree! The bamboo tree I climbed grew inside a drum which rim was already destroyed by rusts! Suddenly, I miscalculated my footing and slid down. My knee was caught by one of the protruding edges of the destroyed rusted rim of the drum. At first I did not feel anything. Then, I just felt blood flowing from my right knee. That was the only time I realized I got a cut! Blood gushed forth from the wood profusely. I went home and saw my mother washing our clothes. I told her what happened to me. When she saw my wound, she was frantic but maintained her composure. She let me lie down, got some gauges and agua oxinada and merthiolate. I think it is better known as iodine tincture? Anyway, she was able to stop the bleeding, cleaned it and put some bandages. It took more than a month before it got healed!

I had many more accidents. I think I have mentioned them in a blog I wrote earlier. But I am writing this because I came to realize and appreciate again how much God loves me and the mission He wanted me to do. As the kumpare of my father said, I still have a mission to do. Little have I known that it will be through the priesthood. The call of God to me was simple and direct. He inspired me to embrace the call. Like Mary, I was graced to say "yes" to the call. And so here I am, striving and struggling to do God's Holy Will!

Witness or Wetness?

2009-04-27T08:20:00.003+08:00

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He left His apostle a command to proclaim the Good News to all peoples. This was after He appeared to them a lot of times after His death. There were many accounts of His appearances before the apostles and at one time, He asked for something to eat sending the message that it was really Him they have met. He even let them touch Him to compliment their seeing Him. The mission of the apostle was to share everything that they had heard and seen in Jesus during His life and ministry here on earth.

It is interesting to note that after His death, the apostles were frustrated, dejected, and demoralized. They could not understand what happened to Jesus, to whom they had given and left everything just to follow Him. And then He died!? Is this the one who is going to free them from their oppression? Is this the one who would save them? Jesus, in His appearances answered all their questions and clarified all their confusions. What He had told them before about His suffering and death now has meaning and answer in the resurrection. Having seen the Lord changed everything in the life and faith of the apostles. Having seen the Lord made them ripe and very much prepared for the mission of proclaiming the Good News to others.

They will be "WITNESSES" of all that Jesus said and did. As witnesses, they will testify to what they had seen, heard and touched. They will be credible witnesses because they were there. Their experiences will speak for themselves. The account on the Gospels and the New Testament letters attest to that. What were written were what the apostles experienced. And as such, they are considered the Word of God proclaimed and borne out of faith. In other words, INSPIRED by God. Even in our daily life, the credibility of witnesses rests so much in their presence in the situation. No amount of hearsay can weigh more heavily than an experienced witness. The apostles were of those kind. Their personal accounts are considered Gospel truth. At the same time, one who had experienced the Lord can not but share that experience to others. The responsibility consists in faithfully communicating what the Lord Jesus did.

It is easy to understand this as the work of priests, nuns, lay workers and missionaries alone. That is far from the truth. Our Baptism makes us also responsible. As a member of the family of God, we share that responsibility. And so it should lead us to a reflection of how we have been a witness for the faith. The mass is a perfect example of how we can measure our witnessing. In the mass, we are supposed to have experienced the Lord; in the Word of God that was read, in the congregation gathered together in His name, in the priest who presides as a vicar of Christ, and most specially and perfectly in the Eucharist who is Jesus Himself made present in the form of bread and wine in the Spirit. Just like the experience of the apostles who became courageous and zealous in their witnessing after having seen the Lord, we too, after having experienced Him in the mass, should have the same attitude. After the mass, the priest would send us to mission by commanding as to "go and proclaim the Good News" or other similar words of mission.

But what happens after we "go..."? Do we reflect the image and presence of Christ to others? Do we get excited sharing to others our experience? Can we say that "We have seen the Lord!". Indeed, the mass should have given us an experience of the Lord. Unfortunately, the expected results were not there to some. Unfortunately, it was just a ritual which has little if not irrelevant in our daily life. Once I approached a son of a "religious" family in our community. I asked him why he was not going to mass with his family. His father told me that they were trying hard to invite him but he would not go. The son answered me with, "Father, if the result of going to mass is shouting at our household helps, cursing, dishonesty, quarreling, gambling, and even having illicit affairs, I would rather not go!" This response startled me. The son has a point. While the merits of the mass is not determined by the lack of witnessing of a couple, it should give us the message that what happens to us after the mass sends a very strong message to those who know we are participating in one.

And so the challenge is before us. Let us go back to our experience of the Lord. How real is that experience? How much do we believe in that experience? These are what will inspire us to go and proclaim the Good News. These are what will make us true and effective witnesses of our faith. Otherwise, we might as well be called, "WETNESSES", meaning we are doused with the cold water of passivity, fear, and cowardice rather than be inspired, moved, and inebriated by the Spirit.

Life Made Harder

2009-04-22T06:26:00.005+08:00

Always we would encounter a book, video, an article, or a suggestion on how to make or do things easier. And it is true. There are a lot of ways, techniques, systems, mechanics, etc. that can make things easier. Man, for so many years, had discovered and find ways to make life easier and faster. From the crude and primitive Stone Age, we have arrived at a very sophisticated and ultra-modern Computer Age. We are now hi-tech. However, on second thought, there are things that we have done that had made life more difficult for us that even sophistication and modernization could not do anything against. The ways of some had made life generally hard for everyone. Let me count some of those ways...

In spite of the availability of cell phones, fax machines, xerox copiers, and computers, it is very possible now to take you long to get necessary documents like birth certificates, pass ports, car registrations, baptismal certificates, marriage licenses, etc. This is because of the proliferation and availability of fake documents and to be protected against those who give wrong information or would want to have more than one identity. Using the very technology which were supposed to make life easier had made life harder. Apparently, showing yourself "alive" is not enough proof to give you your birth certificate. If your parents, relatives, or "kumadrona" had not registered you when you were born, and then you come to apply for a passport, you will undergo a lot of processes; get a certification from the National Statistics Office that you have no existing record, apply for "delayed registration" in your local civil registry (which has about ten requirements!), then apply to the Department of Foreign Affairs. In parishes, it is not surprising anymore to receive a letter from the Japanese Embassy sending a xerox copy of the Baptismal Certificate we issued and asking us if we issued such a certificate! Again, because of the prevalence of fake documents, the Japanese Embassy spends time in verifying the authenticity of the documents presented to them. I feel ashamed of the process, but they have their reasons for doing so. And in most cases, they are right, unfortunately! If people can only be trusted, things would be a lot easier. It used to be that applying for passports did not need the presentation of a birth certificate. As far as I know, there were a lot of countries, including the United States, when we were not required to get a visa. But because times had changed, meaning we Filipinos had become less trustworthy, we have to go through all of these scrutinies, interviews, presentation of documents, and even pay just to be accepted for application.

Travelling, specially abroad, had become so difficult. Because of the security measures existing now in air ports due to the threat of terrorism all over the world, you have to be at the airport at least three hours before boarding time, baggage now have a lot of limitations, you go through many check points from the time you enter the building to the plane (passport and ticket check, initial baggage check by a scanner/detector, metal detector, check-in check, baggage check-in check (remove your shoes, belt, cell phone, watch, keys, etc.), liquids must be limited to 100 ml, pass through a metal detector, manual checking by the guards, and visual checking by the flight attendants. Whew! In spite of those checks, sometimes, some things still go through! I agree that all of these must be done because of the the present circumstances. But precisely, if the present circumstances are not present, travelling would be a lot easier! We have made things difficult for ourselves.

Big bills have to go through a fake money detector machine (which I think are not perfectly reliable). If you happen to have a very old and crumpled bill, most probably, it will not be accepted. But the point is, because of the possible presence of fake bills, our cash payments had to be examined first. While on the "fake", now, even fake merchandises, when detected or recognized, would be a reason for one to be disallowed entry to a country (the US and Europe). It is very possible that when you arrive at their airports, your luggage will not only be examined for explosives or deadly weapons but also for imitations! All of these because of previous experiences involving counterfeits. Again, this added to our difficulties.

Cars now have different security gadgets; alarms, steering wheel lock, automatic lock, car safe, GPS, key lock, etc. All of these in order to protect the car from being car napped, "basag-kotse" gang victim, forcibly opened, etc. Houses also have their own security gadgets like double locks, alarms, electric fences (this is expensive!), close circuit television system (CCTV), motion detectors, and the human guards! So much expenses and efforts for security which need not be if only the threats were not present. Again, we have made our life difficult and expensive too!

City travel, in spite of the presence of many vehicles can be easier if (all) drivers, specially bus drivers, are disciplined. Traffic should be more tolerable if we follow traffic signs. In Metro Manila, we have more traffic signs because our traffic managers have to address the unique driving habits of Filipinos; road dividers (steel,plastic, and cement fences), instructional signs, traffic enforcers, yellow lines (for buses only), allotted stops (private, taxis, and buses), number (color) coding, free windows, truck bans, cameras, etc. So many things which would not have been necessary if drivers are disciplined. The most important benefit is actually less accidents and less lives lost or endangered. Again, we have made our life harder!

If we can address these things, is it not true that life can really be easier? Unfortunately, these things had emerged for some legitimate reasons. It only show that our efforts should be concentrated in instilling good values to each and everyone. Otherwise, we would all suffer the consequences. The saddest part of it is that even if we have all the high technologies and most sophisticated gadgets available in our time, life would still be difficult because we still have to spend everything we have just to address our lack of discipline and immoral intentions and actions. Which, if not for those human inflicted difficulties, we could have used to make life even easier, which was really the reason for their discovery or development.

How about you? Do you know of something that had made life harder?

(This reflection was inspired by observing a fellow bowler who plays bowling the hard way! Without explaining the mechanics of bowling, let me say that one of its most effective principle is; "the shortest way between two points is a straight line." This bowler would instead used a reactive ball (one that hooks) in order to down a single pin for a spare conversion. In the process, because of the unpredictability of the lanes (at times due to erratic oil distribution on the lane), he misses the pin by being too short or over. I thought he could write a book on bowling entitled, "Bowling Made Harder!" Who knows, it could be a bestseller here in our country !)

From Doubt To Faith, Doubt To Faith, ..... To Blessing!

2009-04-19T10:43:00.006+08:00

On this second Sunday of Easter we encounter another significant character in the life of Jesus and in the life of the Catholic Church, Thomas, one of His apostles, known for his doubting the Lord Jesus. In the Gospel scene in today's reading, he was not present the first time the Lord Jesus visited the apostles. When told about His visit, he did not believe the apostles and said that unless he puts his finger in the hole caused by the nails in the hands of Jesus and put his hand on the side of Jesus, he would not believe. To our surprise, (at least to my surprise), Jesus, on His next appearance to the apostles, this time Thomas present, allowed Thomas to do as he requested. Thomas then believed and uttered the most famous expression of faith, "My Lord and my God!".

To doubt is not immediately a sin. As human beings, we are not knowledgeable of everything. We have limitations. There are things in life and faith that we could not help but be tentative or doubtful of. If one doubts just for the sake of it and is not really interested in knowing and arriving at the truth, then it maybe sinful. Much more, if the doubt is just to create a issue about something which may lead to controversies and further confusion, then the doubt should rather be abandoned. But if the doubt arises from a sincere searching for the truth which includes openness and humility, then it is a very positive and a welcome doubt. Such kind of doubt would lead to being graced with revelations from God and deeper faith on the doubter! But it does not end there. A sincere searcher, after having been gifted with revelation, would still have doubts. Our relationship with God is a never ending deepening, knowing, loving and serving.

Do we have this kind of doubt with our God? Do we have this attitude towards God? A reliable survey was made about whether people believe in God. The response was an overwhelming ninety percent (90%)! There was not much question about people recognizing the presence of God. But the other relevant question got an alarming answer. As to whether those people who believe in God are willing to follow that God, the answer was positive for less than half of them. This, I believe is what is missing in our faith-life.A determination to follow the God we believe in. Why is it that we easily follow our parents, doctors, lawyers, and other experts we consult in life? By any standards, they are much much less than our God! So where is the fault? I believe it is in the real presence of God in our lives. The tendency is to regard God as somewhere out there. In many cases, God is really just an idea and not a "person" whom we can relate too really and truly as we relate with each other. There is a lack of if not a missing experience of God especially of the Risen Christ. We remember that the apostles, after the death of the Lord were frustrated, abandoned, and orphaned. One by one, they were going back to their original life. They thought that Jesus gave them too much expectation. But after their "experience" of the resurrected Jesus, things became different. In fact, everything became clear! Suddenly they were courageous, assertive, and bullish in their faith. Even death could not threaten or frighten them anymore. With Jesus risen they, they could not but go and share the experience. Were there still doubt in them? Definitely. But now, they have reasons to believe the resurrection, doubt included!

Our daily experiences tell us that the resurrection is possible. A beautiful, colorful, and full of life butterfly emerges from a corrupted cocoon. A seed has to "die" before it can be planted, grow, and bear fruit. Our person are not just bodies. We are not merely skins, organs, hairs and muscles. There is something in us other than our physical self. We have a soul. Our soul continues to exist even after we have died. Besides, life is so precious that it could not have a dead ending? As for you, what is your faith-experience of God? There must be. If until now you are in this faith because of your parents, then it is about time to stop and reflect on your own "whys". The answers to the your questions might lead you to a realization of your true self. If you find God, then all His promises will be a reality to you. If you don't, then at least you have freed yourself of the "burden" of the faith!

Just a last point. In the Gospel, Jesus gave special importance to those who had not seen and yet believed. He was actually referring to our generation. While it is true that having seen the Lord should make belief easier but not automatic, to believe in Him even if we have not seen Him as the apostles did, makes us more blessed! it means that we have the capacity to believe given our circumstances. And if we do, we are blessed!

Let us therefore aspire and be worthy of that blessing!

We Are People Of The Resurrection!

2009-04-15T08:26:00.005+08:00

Who does not fear death? No matter how courageous you are, no matter how contented you are, no matter how holy you are, no matter what, I suppose, death has a certain amount of sting in everyone. The fact that we are "living", gives death a counter-effect. At least, in this sense, the resurrection is very relevant. This is not to make the resurrection as an anti-thesis to death. Rather, death is part of the resurrection. Death is part of life. Death is part of living. While it is regarded immediately as a negative, an end, a failure, a frustration, or a "kill joy", it is actually and in reality a part of life! To live is to be aware of death. Life has so much meaning because of the truth and presence of death.

Death is earthly life's door to eternal life. Every Christian hopes to reach his final destiny with God in His Kingdom where he would spend after life eternally. Death provides the only entry towards eternal life. It is for this reason that Jesus embraced it too, willingly. Not that God glorifies death, but that through death, God, and later man, would be glorified! Death has really no power against God who is life. Death is even used by God to help man appreciate and understand His love. Death was used by God to lead us to Him. In other words, unless we die, we could not live! The life being referred to here is of course a life with God.

It is interesting to note that eternal life presumes eternal death. While earthly death leads to eternal life, if a person is not worthy of it, eternal death becomes an option. Eternal death means an after life spent in separation with God. Nothing can be more "painful" and "dreadful" than that! We are not anymore talking of physical pain here because we were done with it after we met our earthly death. We are talking of "spiritual pain". This is not just about the consequences of sin in the form of punishment, but what we are losing and not experiencing because we are not with God. The parable of the Prodigal Son is very applicable here. The younger son committed a great sin against his father when he asked for his share of his inheritance while his father was still alive. Then he left his father and spent all his inheritance. Living alone and away from his father, he was not only concerned about the hardship he was going through but also of what he was missing if he was with his father. In a way, the pain eternal death is the same. Essentially, it is more!

Death is dead. The resurrection removed its deadliness! Death still happens but only as part of life. That is what the Lord Jesus showed when He embraced it on the cross. It was not easy. His humanity offered resistance. But His divinity prevailed. At the garden in Gethsemane, He was tempted to forgo with it as planned. But His obedience to the Father prevailed. Obedience was the key. Obedience founded on trust. When life is at stake, our convictions are jarred. When life is at stake, our loyalty is challenged. When life is at stake, resolve begins to crumble. When life is at stake, our foundations tend to collapse. To whom do we turn to? Jesus turned to His Father. Just like His Mother, He saw that the only answer to the situation is, "Your will be done!" Later, St. Paul would see the decision of Jesus as a redemption of the fall of Adam who disobeyed God that led to the lost of Paradise. He referred to Jesus as the NEW ADAM, Mary as the NEW EVE and the resulting situation as the NEW CREATION. Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus and Mary succeeded! What Adam and Eve lost, Jesus and Eve recovered. What Adam and Eve violated, Jesus and Mary obeyed.

As a last point, Jesus' feat tops. Nowhere could we found a religion sect, group, or anyone who could lay claim to what we claim. Our God became one like us, lived with us, died, was buried and RESURRECTED! The first and the last are our greatest and important claim. The last one, the Resurrection, is our main claim. It is the very foundation of our faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, all of what we have done, are doing, and will do, have no meaning at all. It will be an exercise in futility. Death as an end will be mans greatest frustration. Indeed, if we do not believe in the resurrection, the best option to live would be to eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we will die. But we elect to pray, sacrifice if necessary, and do acts of charity. We are more than bodies. We have souls. We are meant for eternal life. The resurrection gives us that hope. The resurrection inspire us in this life. The resurrection will lead us through the door of death to life eternal!

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice"

Happy Easter!

Holy Week Through the Lenses!

2009-04-14T11:28:00.008+08:00

Celebrations were filled to the rafters!

Priest in pink on Laetare Sunday!

"Apostles" carry the cross to every station.

Nico sings ably the Responsorial Psalm on Holy Thursday

Server lights one of the twelve candles around the church.

Blessing of water for use in Baptism and blessings.

The Apostles awaiting the Washing of the Feet by the priest.

Ministers of the Word played a very important role in the liturgies.

Eucharistic Ministers in full force to assist in giving communion.

Faithful kisses the cross during the Good Friday veneration.

Priest leads the praying of the Litany before Baptism

A minister lights a candle for the renewal of Baptismal promises.

Christ our Light! Everyone danced during the Exultet!

Priest carry the ciborium to the Altar of Repose outside the church.

Everyone receives the Lord in communion.

Practices make the celebration of the liturgy fluid and solemn.

The Washing of the Feet is one of the main highlights of Holy Thursday.

Candles were lighted during the Holy Thursday vigil.

It Does Not End. It Never Ends...!

2009-04-11T08:09:00.008+08:00

Our Easter Triduum began with the Holy Thursday celebration. It's highlight was the reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles. The celebration is about the institution of the Eucharist and the Ministry of Priesthood. Below is a "remembering" of the homily I gave

From John 3:16, we can find a biblical summary of God's plan of salvation. God loved the world. He created everything. He also wanted that all Creation will join Him. He wanted all men and women be saved. He would do everything and spare no one for the realization of His purpose. And so, even His Son, was offered for our salvation. That mission to save man was inaugurated by the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ (The Incarnation). The unthinkable and impossible for man was done by God. The Word became flesh. God became man. God fulfilled His promise to save us and to be with us forever. Emmanuel ("God with us.") was the name that Jesus bore based on the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary. Jesus, in the three years of His active ministry proclaimed the Good News in Word and Deed. His mission culminated in His death on the cross. "Consumatum est!" (Everything is done! It is finished), were His last words on the cross. By virtue of that whole act of love of God from Creation to the death of Jesus, man was saved. The grace of redemption flowed from God who died on the cross! But it did not end there...

The night before, knowing that He would die, He instituted the Eucharist. That which every Jew does during the Passover, remembering how God saved them from Pharaoh through the Passover meal, was given a new meaning by Jesus. This time, it will be the Passover of all men and women from the slavery of Satan. The bread that they ate was His Body. The wine that they drank was His Blood. It is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant that will be shared for the purpose of salvation. Whenever it is done, we remember the Lord. Note that the remembrance here is not just an exercise of the mind. Jesus meant here that whenever the Eucharistic meal is being done, that which was available when He died on the cross is made available in the present!

The Eucharist is a bloodless Calvary. In the Eucharist, the victim continues to be Christ. The priest acts in persona Cristi, in the person of Christ. He represents Christ. That is why we refer to the priest as the Presider and not the Celebrant. In as much as in the Eucharist salvation emanates, it is constitutive of our Christian life. Our life revolves and finds its source in it. It is the Center of our spiritual life! We celebrate the Eucharist to offer our lives to God and to open that same life so that God can offer Himself to us for our spiritual nourishment. When we receive communion, we perfect the relationship we have with God and with one another. We become in communion with God and neighbor. And so, the Lord Jesus gave us the Way in order for us to benefit from His saving act which was done in Calvary. But, again, it did not end there...

How will the Eucharist be celebrated? Who must lead in celebrating it? How sure can we be that the intention would be preserved in every celebration? Jesus, also covered that part. When He commanded the apostles to do the Eucharistic meal in His remembrance, He entrusted it to His apostles. From His apostles it was passed on from generation to generation through the ministry o the sacred order or the priesthood.

There is only one Priesthood and that is the Priesthood of Christ. He is the High Priest who offered prayers to His Father for our salvation. We, on our own can not stand toe to toe with God. We on our own do not have the personality to deal with God regarding our salvation. The one must be God's equal. Jesus was the One! We also share in that Priesthood of Christ. Everyone of us received it when we were Baptized. Aside from the Priestly function, we also received also the other two functions of Jesus, the Prophetic and Pastoral functions. Both shared priesthood are active in the celebration of the Eucharist. The only difference is that the priest alone turns the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus, in the Spirit. All others, we participate by virtue of our own priesthood. We all give thanks, express our petition, offer gifts, and receive communion. In other words, we all exercise our priesthood in the Eucharist though in varying degrees and essence. The shared priesthood thus ensures that the Eucharist will be celebrated for all time. The ordained priesthood further guarantees it because of the commitment made by the candidate during his ordination. The ordained minister will be a priest forever! But again, it does not end there...

The Eucharist that is celebrated, in all its merits, is not contained in the celebration. At the end of each Eucharistic celebration the priest says, "The celebration is ended, GO..." There is the missionary aspect of our being Eucharistic people. Today's ritual of the washing of the feet reflects that message. Service is at the core of the Eucharist. The Eucharist we celebrate must find its fulfillment in the service of neighbor. The one who had experienced the Eucharist can not but be joyful in sharing it to others in word and deed. He reflects and shares Christ to others. Others must see Christ in him. But again, it does not end there...

In the next life, life continues. The Eucharist continues not anymore in the earthly context but in the heavenly bliss. The heavenly banquet will be celebrated in God's Kingdom where all will be filled by God's Spirit! And it never ends because its ETERNAL!

Change In Parishioners, More Than Of Priests

2009-04-08T10:01:00.009+08:00

Yesterday, April 7, our resident guest priest, Fr. Jimmy Segun celebrated his forty-seventh (47th) year in the priesthood (1962). I concelebrated with him to join him in his celebration. It was definitely a feat for him to have served for those number of years! I said after mass that I was merely five years old when he was ordained. It was the most simple sacerdotal celebration I have ever witnessed. Fr. Jimmy, I believed, did not even consider celebrating it until I joined him and told him that our mass will be for his anniversary. He was even wearing a violet stole and the books were prepared for the daily mass.

I know he had his reasons in the way he would want to celebrate his anniversary, but I thought that we owed it to him to at least honor him by offering that mass as a thanksgiving for the gift of priesthood. Some servants and parishioners were generous and considerate enough to prepare some gifts for him during the offertory. They applauded him after the mass as a mark of their appreciation of his presence and valuable assistance in the parish.

In his homily he cited the common tendency and need of people for change. He said that there are parishioners who, after having a priest for some years or have thought that they have had enough of their priests, move for a change of parish priest. He said that burnt out is not just for a priest but for parishioners themselves. Parishioners express burnt out for their priest. He criticized it by saying that such a move is not good a source of real change. Rather than a change of parish priest, he recommended a change in the parishioners themselves. He further said that a parish may regularly change a parish priest but if the parishioners would not change, then they will always experience burn out. And what if all priests had served the parish? Just a wild thought to drive home his point that more than the change of priests, what must happen is a change in the parishioner's attitude. Change of parish priest is relatively easier than change in parishioners. Ultimately, the change in parishioners would matter much in salvation while the change of parish priest has minute effects.

While he was giving his homily, I further reflected on his message from the point of view of the parish priest. After the new church had been built, there had been times that I wanted to be transferred to another parish, for some personal reasons. Unfortunately, up to now, it has not been granted, for some reasons too! But there lies the difference between the parish priest and the parishioner; priests have no choice but to stay while parishioners may opt to go to another church to worship. The priest had made a commitment. We have offered ourselves to God and the community. We had committed to be the vicar of Christ for everyone in order to ensure the perpetuation of the saving work Jesus had initiated and fulfilled when He died on the cross. The gift of priesthood that we share from the Priesthood of Christ is at the dispense of the the faithful for the purpose of salvation. And Fr. Jimmy, in spite of his unworthiness, weaknesses, defects, and even sinfulness, had fulfilled that commitment for nearly fifty years! No mean feat by any standards. I would be lucky if I even reach three-fourths of that!

Before the final blessing from Fr. Jimmy, I rose to congratulate him and thank God for the gift of priesthood. In behalf of all those whom Fr. Jimmy had baptized, married, confirmed, given communion to, presided mass to, anointed, and facilitated their reconciliation with God, I thanked him wholeheartedly! In forty-seven years, I know he had served many! Then, we prayed that he will continue to be a holy and good priest for God and for His People!

God bless you Fr. Jimmy!

Yesterdays Make Our Tomorrows!

2009-04-07T08:25:00.006+08:00

Lk. 13:18-21 (Parable of the Mustard Seed)

The parable may refer to anything, anyone, or any situation which believes in successes or achievements from simple and tiny beginnings. As far as the Lord Jesus was concerned, He was referring to the "Church" He was building that would journey towards the Kingdom of God. Beginning with the Apostles, He planned to proclaim the Good News to all the world. He likened the Christian community that He was establishing to the mustard seed which has all the potential to grow at a size unimaginable based from its original size.

The life of the Church is very similar to the life of every Christian. The best analogy for this is the present project of Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the PONDO NG PINOY (PnP). The PnP believes that small good deeds, if done regularly, would bring one to salvation. It particularly addresses the bad habits which need rehabilitation. It believes that bad habits were created because of a series of small bad acts. As one gets use to doing these small bad acts, one develops the habit of doing them and later imbibe them. Then, it becomes automatic or second nature to the person. Frequent doing of small bad acts had led the person to believe that it has become right or moral. PnP tries to reverse the process by encouraging people to do good deeds no matter how small they are. Hopefully, just as bad habits were formed out of small bad deeds, the person would imbibe doing good deeds and therefore create a good habit.

Saints were not Saints because of one act of martyrdom or charity. We believe that one could not easily be a martyr overnight. In fact, the martyrs, before that critical moment of decision, had first lived a good life and developed a faith and love for God. So much so that when the time comes, they were led to that decision to offer their lives in faith. Even Mary, the Mother of Jesus, did not say "Thy will be done!", out of the blue. Yes, she was graced by God, but she also disposed herself for that grace. The disposition to receive the grace was arrived at because of her being a good Jewish girl. She was prepared by God for the big moment. But she prepared herself by living her faith.

The stair analogy is very appropriate here. A high stair is impossible to climb with one big step. It is hard to climb if you will take two or three steps at a time. It is easiest to climb if you do it one step at a time. The impossible and the difficult maybe conquered by small steps, small victories, small deeds, or small actions. Come to think of it, life works in the same way. We were able to hurdle difficult moments in our lives because we have been triumphant in small ones! That is why we must welcome little challenges. In the future, our experiences in going through those little challenges would help us through bigger challenges. Or should I say, because we have been used to hurdling small challenges, big ones look smaller!

The Lord Jesus had seen that His Church will encounter a lot of challenges, rejections, and threats from the enemy. The parable is a reminder to the early Christian community that there is nothing they could not defeat. Not only because the Spirit will be with them, but that they had been gradually fortified by their daily triumphs of faith. The long history of the Catholic Church will show that. For the Church, it was not always laurels and roses. There were also thorns, failures, and dark times. There were lots and lots of small and big challenges to a life of faith. But every time, she would rise up in faith! Her destiny is the Kingdom. Jesus had made sure it would be so!

We Are Blessed By Monsignor Nico!

2009-04-05T20:52:00.007+08:00

"Is it alright with you if I assist you during your mass?" I asked Msgr. Nico (Bautista) after his mass the two Sundays past. I expected that he would decline my offer. Before even asking him, I had already prepared myself in case he would decline. "Yes, of course! You will be like a deacon to me?", was his answer. "Sure," I said, "I will gladly assist you!"

I thought Msgr. Nico needed assistance after receiving information and some complaints that he was finding it very hard to read and he was skipping some parts of the mass. While it was a real sacrifice for Msgr. Nico to celebrate the mass, it was, in a way, the same for the people attending the mass. There were suggestions not to invite him anymore but I was already decided that I will invite him as long as he wants to celebrate mass in our parish. Until that time when he himself will say he can not preside anymore or the Cardinal would tell me that he is not anymore allowed to preside, Msgr. Nico remains invited. It took a lot of courage from me to make him an offer of assistance. I thought that the fact that he was trying to commit himself to preside every Sunday was a clear sign that he can still do it. Nevertheless, I believed that I could still assist him without diminishing his resolve and commitment. After the first mass I assisted, I asked some people if they were distracted or bothered by my presence. And their answer was not at all. In fact, it was a sort of relief for them to see me guiding and facilitating things for Msgr. Nico. One even said that the scene of me and Msgr. Nico together was an inspiration to them about caring and loving each other!

I know that there will be people and priests who would not agree with this. Msgr. Nico, though loved by many, he was an irritant and a bother to the conscience of many others. He was known to have stood his ground against the Marcoses in the '70's. People even from afar would travel to St. Alphonsus Church to hear Msgr. Nico's homilies against the government of Marcos. This was the reason why even up to now, there are families not from the village or from the parish, who had made St. Alphonsus as their adopted parish and in turn the parish had made them as adopted parishioners. All of these had been revealed to me when the old church got burned.

I know that I will be criticized as somehow "sacrificing" the liturgy and the people for a priest. But that is not how I see how things are. I am sure, many in the seven-thirty (7:30) Sunday evening mass would agree with me. In the two Sundays I had assisted Msgr. Nico, I never felt that people were impatient, irritated, or distracted. Even Msgr. Nico intimated to me that he lauds the generosity and acceptance of the congregation. I thought that if he felt he was rejected by the congregation, he would have volunteered not to celebrate mass anymore. He knew that he could not make use of the Eucharist for himself. He knew how grave a sin that would be against the Lord!

So, why does Msgr. Nico continues to celebrate mass in spite of his serious condition? Your answer is as good as mine. I wish that I could ask him that question one day. At present, I am afraid to ask. At present, I believe it should not be asked. At present, I think it would be imprudent, ignorant, and insensitive of me. If we empathize with his condition, more than anyone, he should know. If we feel pity for him, he should also know. Maybe he wants to help the Church, particularly our parish, in proclaiming the Gospel that even his weak condition is not enough to stop him. Maybe he was trying to be faithful to his commitment as a priest. When we were ordained, we made that promise to celebrate the sacrament which is a sacrament of salvation. If salvation was foremost for the Lord Jesus, it is too for His priests. It is too for Msgr. Nico! Maybe it was his faith. He was showing us an example. He, who is already debilitated with his sickness still preside, how much more are we who are more healthy and strong? I believe this is the strongest message he is giving everyone. As a priest, it is not easy to preside in a mass. Attending a mass is much much comfortable and convenient. Rather than see his difficulty in presiding the mass as a distraction or degrading to the celebration, it should be seen as an inspiration and a source of a deeper understanding of the mass. To put it simply, Jesus accepted even death in order to save us and merit again for us eternal life. Msgr. Nico, even in sickness, continues the saving action of our Lord in every Eucharist that he presides.

Every priest is a vicar of Christ. We represent Christ in every sacrament. We have been ordained not for ourselves or for some groups but for all the faithful. When we were ordained, we have committed ourselves to the Gospel. When we were ordained, we had offered ourselves for the service of God. Msgr. Nico is just fulfilling the very reason for his ordination. Msgr. Nico truly represents Christ our Savior whenever he presides in the mass. Msgr. Nico was chosen by God for us, chosen by us for God, and committed himself to both!

God bless us for the gift of Msgr. Nico!

No Life After Forty?

2009-04-01T00:04:00.003+08:00

In today's episode of ABS-CBN's Correspondents by Ms. Karen Davila, she depicted the fate of workers, over forty years of age, who had been terminated from work. The program relates the predicament of those who will be out of work and are beyond forty years of age. Most factories and offices had limited (is this by law, by common policy, or speculative assessment?) their employees from as young as nineteen years to forty as the oldest. This makes those who are eighteen and below forty-one and above discriminated from earning a living in factories and offices.

Somehow I do not agree with this. While I would agree with limiting how young one should be able to work, limiting how old those who can work must consider other aspects like; experience, health, mental alertness (psyche?), motivation, and even responsibility (among others). I believe that we should be more considerate (or appreciative) of those who have had experienced working. Unless companies are more concerned about longevity, compensation, and strength, the mature workers are hands down better workers than the young inexperienced and less mature ones. Not that I underrate and disregard the younger workers, but it is very unfair to disqualify anyone because of age, much more of old but still capable age like those just above forty.

We always say, "Life begins at forty!". Just for trivia, John Lennon actually wrote a song for Ringo Starr when they turned forty in 1980 (Ringo in fact reached another milestone in fulfilling another song, "When I am 64", in 2004!). Lennon sung a demo of the song but he meant to give the song for Ringo who was then producing an album. Ringo was not able to record it and the death of Lennon in December 1980 shelved all plans. It was eventually included in John Lennon Anthology album. In the song, John correctly pointed out that "age is just a state of mind". It is a measure of one's life here on earth. Doctors, psychologists, and other experts may have theories and facts about the state of one's person at a certain age, but they are never conclusive for everyone at all times. It would be unfair, unscientific, and illogical to absolutely rely on those findings. At most, they should merely be guides for future decisions.

John Lennon even said, I think, in jest, that if life begins at forty, then he had been dead for thirty-nine years? While in the song he expressed his seeming regret for the years that passed and hoped that he life would be better after forty, we can all agree that reaching forty years is a milestone these days. Much more, to many, to be forty means basically lots of experiences, strength, lots of lessons learned, lots of motivations, lots of wisdom, vigor and vitality!

I juts hope that in evaluating employees or prospective workers, experience, health, maturity and other more important qualities to work would be given preference than age. "Life begins at forty." actually means that a person had gathered so much experience and had matured both physically and psychologically that he is very fit to work using his God-given and experience- developed skills. That, I believe is the best combination of the most efficient, productive, and reliable worker.

Love Saves, Law Enslaves!

2009-03-18T00:00:00.008+08:00

It was God who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. They were given to guide the Israelites towards fulfilling the covenant they had with God; Yahweh will be their God, and Israel will be God's people. God promised to love and protect Israel. In turn, Israel must worship only one God. Together with the ten commandments were other commandments that will further develop the love and covenant relationship between Israel and God. The fulfillment of the commandments lies in the faithfulness and obedience of the Israelites. It is a sign of Israel's continuous recognition of God. The goal is to establish a relationship that will later be governed by love and not just obedience of the law. God knew that man need to be guided in their relationship with each other and with Him. God hopes that man would recognize His own love in them. Having experienced being loved by LOVE Himself, God hopes that man would reciprocate in his full capacity to love God too!

The above is the spirit of the commandments. Following the commandments alone does not bring into fulfillment the purpose of God. Mere practice of the laws may bring man to righteousness. To set the laws as the only standard not only limits what man can not do but also what he can do. The laws are no doubt still the Word of God. But Jesus saw that they had enslaved rather than freed the Israelites, in our case, us. Obeying the laws should help us open more ourselves to the riches and depth of human relationship. Spiritual perfection is our ultimate destiny and not just fulfillment of given laws. Words are not enough to capture everything about human relations, much more our relations with God. After obeying all the given laws, we are expected to finally enter the law of love. The law had become love. The letter of the law evaporates into the aroma of love that consumes the lover and inebriates the beloved. The words of the law are not spelled anymore but lived.

The case of the rich young man comes into mind. He approached the Lord Jesus asking what good must he do to attain eternal life? The Lord answered that if he wishes to enter life, he must keep the commandments. The rich young man confidently answered that he had observed them all. Jesus then commanded the young man to sell all that he had and give them to the poor. We know the story. He went away very sad for he could not what Jesus finally wanted. He could not let go all his possessions. His possessions were more important for him than following the Lord. It turns out that he was not really following God, but merely doing the laws. He stopped at the laws. But the law could not save. The law could not bring him eternal life. It is God! It is Jesus. Afterwards, Jesus said to the apostles that it is easier for a camel to enter the needle's eye than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. The rich young obeyed all the laws but he realized that it was not enough. Jesus gave him the opportunity to go beyond the laws by following Him. Sadly, the young man did not take it.

This is what Jesus meant when He said that He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He is the fulfillment of the law. The law should lead us to the love of God above all things. Having experienced and tasted the beauty and goodness of human love, we should ache for the bliss and glory of divine love. Having realized the joy of being with God, we should aspire not anymore for the graces from God but for God Himself who is the source of all graces. In Jesus, all laws come second. In Jesus, all laws are fulfilled. In Jesus, all laws become love!

To Hate Or Not To Hate...?

2009-03-15T01:19:00.003+08:00

In the third week of Lent, the scene shifts to Jesus in the temple area. The first Sunday showed Jesus being tempted in the desert. The second Sunday presented Jesus on the mountain being glorified. This third Sunday, Jesus expressed His anger to the money changers and vendors of animals for offering in the temple area. Why was He angry?

He was angry because He saw that the people were more concerned with rituals than true worship. He was also angry because He saw the discrimination against the non-Jews (Gentiles). He was angry because sin was being committed right inside the House of God! He could not tolerate it. The very source and place of holiness is being disrespected by the proliferation of sinfulness. The House of God is being dominated by the presence of evil. The place to communicate with God has become a conduit for sins. They must go. They have no reason to stay. Out!

We can see here the hatred of Jesus against sin. Yes, He is compassionate. Yes, He is understanding. Yes, He is forgiving. But He does not compromise. He does not agree in any degree with sin. What is immoral is immoral. What is against God is against God. What is sin is sin. Either one is against God or for God. Many times we misinterpret or take this for granted. We claim that God can accept us with our sins. That is untrue. God accepts those who had repented of their sins. He could not accept it no matter how much He loves us. By His Holy nature, we must be able to accept that only our converted self can God embrace with compassion. Our sins must be left behind. Our sins must be completely severed from us. Our sins should be hated by us.

How are we so far with regards to hating sins? Do we regard more what others will say or feel than what God will? Do we allow even the smallest of sins thinking that it would not really harm us? The attitudes accompanying these questions are what the devil really wants to achieve. It wants us to compromise. It wants us to loosen our grip on holiness. It desires that we would rely on the love of God to the point that we would allow or even commit some sins. The Gospel today reminds us that we can not allow these attitudes. Sins, no matter how light or reasonable, are sins. Always and forever, they can not exist with God and His children. The least we could do is to be angry against it. That anger must be sustained and when the chance merits it, eliminate its presence. It must be nipped in the bud so as to cripple it and render it powerless. Jesus showed in the Gospel that against sin, anger is a worthy ally. Therefore, hate sin and fight it as best as we could and as thorough as we could.

It Is You, Not God!

2009-03-08T10:30:00.003+08:00

(It is worth the second look!)

Jesus had just revealed to His apostles His death. The apostles were taken aback by the revelation. Peter, in fact, was willing to offer his life against anyone who would harm the Lord. But it would not be. God's plan was for His only begotten Son to die for the salvation of all. The apostles, no doubt were devastated by the truth about Jesus' passion and death. They left their families, land, properties and all to follow Jesus. They believed He was the Messiah they were looking and waiting for. And now He was saying that He would die? They felt low. Doubt crept in them. Did they commit a mistake in following Jesus? Will they abandon Him now? What about the things He said and did that attracted them to Him? Who was really this man they are following?

Jesus knew what they were thinking and feeling. So, He invited the leaders of the apostle to accompany Him to the mountain. There the transfiguration happened. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in His divine self. They felt so good that they had suggested to stay there. They had forgotten everything. It was bliss and blessedness. They experienced a foretaste of the Kingdom. They were given the opportunity to know more Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God! Jesus gave them a shot in the arm. The transfiguration experience boosted the confidence of the apostles. It was a confidence they would need in the future. It was the experience they would need to cope with the challenges of Jesus' suffering and death in the hands of the Romans.

We can hear ourselves asking for the same experience. In this season of Lent, we need a boost in order to pursue our faith, our relationship with God which had been challenged time and again by the temptations we encounter and the sins we commit. Are all our sufferings and sacrifices worth it? The truth is, transfiguration experiences are everywhere. It happens all the time. In the Eucharist, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in all the sacraments, in every gathering in prayer and sharing, in every good act, in creation; the sun, the air, the mountains, the rivers, the human bodies etc. If we will pause and reflect on the things we see and experience, we can recognize God transfiguring Himself before us. Everyday He reveals His divinity to us. Unfortunately, we take them for granted. Unfortunately we see them as common events or things. Unfortunately, we fail to appreciate them as God's presence. Therefore, instead of asking for God's transfiguration, it is we who needs to be transfigured. Let us look again at things God had given us. Let us evaluate again the things we have experienced. Let us see, hear, and feel God's presence in everything. And then we can have the "mountain top" experience of the apostles where we will have a foretaste of the bliss of being with God. If the experience of the divinity of the Lord Jesus had given the apostles the conviction to follow Him all the way, we will also do the same. The experience of Jesus' divinity indeed gives us the best reason to go with Him all the way. The devil will be there too to confuse and distract us, but the devil can not offer what the Lord can offer. And therefore, we should be able to scorn and mock the devil.

Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 3, 1968, talked about his own mountaintop experience in what was supposed to be his last speech before he died. The speech paved the way for giving the black population the necessary confidence to pursue their goal of gaining equality with the white people in America. He said;

"Well, I do not know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it does not matter with me now. Because I have been to the mountain top. And I do not mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I am not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's Will. And He has allowed me to go up the mountain. And I have looked over. And I have seen the promised land!"

God had shown us the Promised Land. All we have to do is enter it by following Him.

Turning The Tables At Satan

2009-03-03T14:56:00.003+08:00

Lent is a time for reflection. It is a time to look into ourselves and look at what God had done for us. We reflect on how we have been living our lives. As we go on examining our lives and realizing how we have failed, we make decisions to do something about them. Realizing how we have "missed the mark", we realign our ways in order to walk on the journey towards God, our true destiny. Unfortunately, the process is not that easy. An enemy will make sure we stay out of course. In the first place, that same enemy was responsible for derailing us. Specially this Lenten season, the enemy will be very very very active. When we have committed ourselves to re-examine ourselves, the enemy will will also commit itself to befuddle and confuse us.

We always blame the devil for seducing us. We always fault the devil for our sins. We point to the devil for our miseries caused by sins. We wish to God to keep the devil away. We just want the devil to be out of our lives so that we can go on living our lives as smoothly as possible. Is that possible? Definitely. yes! The devil is dependent on our consent. The devil does not and can not force us. If and when we succumb to the devils temptations, it is because we have decided to want what the devil wants for us. It is because we have decided to agree with its proposal. It is because we have taken for granted our relationship with God which is part of the ultimate reason of the devil in tempting us.

The devil will never stop tempting us to be away from God. The devil will never choose a place where it will strike. The devil will not respect anybody it wants to tempt. The devil's goal is not to immediately make us sinful with one big sin. It will be contented, at first, with letting us commit even the smallest of sins as long as it becomes a habit. (Note that Pondo ng Pinoy also uses the same principle to bring everyone back to goodness!) It would prefer to hook us forever than just for a time. In his book "Screwtape Letters", C.S. Lewis, revealed to his readers the inner workings of the devil. In all the letters, Screwtape, the senior-trainer demon, would always remind Wormwood, his nephew and junior-trainee tempter, that "the safest path to hell is the gradual one."

But we are not always enslaved by the temptations of the devil. Temptations are temptations. They are potentials. Potential sins or potential goodness. It can actually come from the devil or the good spirit. The good spirit also "tempts" us to be away from the devil. It inspires us follow God's command. The devil (the bad spirit), on the other hand, lures us away from God. It is cunning and very shrewd. It is ready to use the "good" in order to lead us to sin. It is also willing to make us do good as long as it is less than what we can do. Mediocrity and lukewarmness are the devil's most effective weapon. If we are unaware of its tactics and techniques, we can just find ourselves victimized one day. That is why it is very important to know its ways. That is why it is important to stop and reflect at times in order to check how we have been victorious or failing in our battle against its advances.

Instead of being afraid of temptations, we must be confident against it. Our attitude plays a very crucial role in dealing with it. If we will always concede that we will fall, then the devil had controlled us. But if we see it as an opportunity to prove to God our allegiance to him, then we have a fight, we have a chance. If we see temptations as opportunities to turn the tables against it, then we have won half of the battle. Mockery is the devil's nightmare. It can not endure being jeered or scorned. If we see every temptation as a chance to out do it and slam back his advances it, then we have conquered it, at least for that situation. For as we know, it will always re-appear at a time we least expect it. Vigilance is our friend and its worst enemy.

Therefore, instead of being guilty of violating the God we believe in, let us be busy doing what the devil does not want us to do. If it does not want us to pray, that should be the time to pray. If it does not want us to make sacrifices, that is the time to think of one. If it does not want us to help others, that is the time to be generous. The tempter is now the loser. The hunter is now the hunted. The attacker is now the defender. Let us take the offensive. Just like Jesus who was ministered to by the angels when He was in the desert, we too would always have our angels to guide and protect us. Of course, with our cooperation!

Happy devil hunting!

I Was There! (Part IV)

2009-02-25T14:38:00.003+08:00

(February 25, 1986) At least we were alive! Yes, we could have died there in Santolan. If there was even a small spark of antagonism or violence, it could have erupted to a riot, chaos, or intense fighting between the people and the army. Any iota of threat would have developed into a bloody confrontation. This dawned on me while we were on our way back to the seminary. We were exhausted for the overnight vigil. We were all half awake throughout the duration of the ride. Hungry, tired, pushed, tear gassed, hoarse, lacking in sleep, and frustrated, we hope to rest and recover so that we can come back and continue the fight.

Upon arriving in the seminary, I took my breakfast, had a quick bath, and immediately hit the sack. I dozed off for about five hours. When I woke, I could not easily remember what happened the night before. When I did, I went to the chapel to pray. I saw other seminarians in deep prayer in the chapel. In these trying times, communicating with God is the best resort. Asking God's guidance was the best thing to do in this situation. I found myself entering in serious reflection of the events that had transpired. Where was our country going? What will happen to us, seminarians, who had actively participated in the People Power? I was even worried about the Catholic Church. Will priests be still relevant in the coming days, months or years? The future was both dangerous and unsure. The future was horrifying.

The bell rang signaling lunch. We all stood and prayed the Angelus. Then we went out of the chapel and proceeded to the refectory to take our lunch. The mood was surprisingly a little upbeat. Everybody was excited to share their own experience and story. We were deployed in different places the night before. Many were interested in what happened to us who were in Libis-Santolan. They heard news about our "encounter" with the soldiers. When we were done with lunch, a short meeting was held to ask how everybody was doing. There were really not much to talk about because everybody was interested to know the developments in EDSA. A sign-up list was posted on the board to indicate one's preference of "duty" for the evening. (Seminarians and religious were assigned to take the night shift.) I decided to sign-up for Channel 4 this time. Fr. Cal Poulin drove us to the place where I took my position at the corner of Mother Ignacia Street and Quezon Avenue. Channel Four became very important because there was an effort to capture it earlier. Many people were called to protect the area from government forces.

It seemed to be a normal evening. Food, water and drinks were coming from everywhere. Sandwiches and packed dinners were available from food stations. Groups of people were arriving and were very prepared to camp the night away. Suddenly there was an uproar near the station. Word immediately reached me that the dictator and his family had flown out of Malacanang. There was jubilee from all faces. Some were shouting with joy. Many decided to march to Malacanang. People were congratulating themselves. There were exchanges of "Never again!" Meaning we would not again allow a dictator. ( But what about now? With due respect to today's generation, in our time, the present government can not get away with what it is doing now.) Since the dictator had already left, I too left my post and joined the other seminarians in front of Channel Four. When all of us were already gathered, we decided to go home and just watch the developments on television.

Happily, we rode the seminary Fierra. Upon reaching the seminary, we gathered in the TV room to watch the latest events. Malacanang was the focus of the news. Many people had entered the place. It was literally mobbed! Many expressed their anger to the dictator by destroying some furniture, pictures of the Marcos family, and other things in the Palace.

It was all over. But we knew we were just starting a new chapter in our history. Recovering from the more than a decade of Martial Rule and dictatorship will not be easy. As would be proven later, the reaction was to adopt the stance of the other extreme. The devastation was so deep that they re-emerged again later in another form. The slaves of those days became the tyrants of the following days.

The Philippine People Power became known all over the world. It was known to be a bloodless revolution. Not a fire was shot. Not a life was lost. It was a victory for the People, the true owners of the Republic. We prayed that the transition will be smooth. We prayed that what we had gain would be preserved. We prayed that the change we asked for be first made to happen in each one of us. We prayed for a lot of things. We hoped we would finally rebuild our country and effect our way to recovery. Well, we hoped too much.

Fasting: Lead It To Its True Goal

2009-02-25T07:36:00.004+08:00

We have entered into the season of Lent. These are special days of reflecting on our lives; see where it had gone, what is presently happening, and where it is going. Socrates said that " an unreflected life is not worth living." Just like in any sports, there is a need at times to call a time out in order to rest, analyze the game, and think of strategies to apply to improve and win the game. Life, in a way, is a sport. We need to take time out. Time out does not mean that we stop living or stop what we are doing. Time out maybe a change in routine and in ways.

Our faith reminds us of this important time out. Lent provides us an opportunity reflect on our lives. How it is being lived? How is our relationship with God? Where we are going? Note that the season of Lent is a preparation for a very important event. In Lent, we anticipate EASTER. Lent finds fulfillment in Easter. Easter draws inspiration from Lent. Whatever we do in Lent is because of Easter. Whatever we celebrate in Easter is because of our preparations in Lent. There are three ways to celebrate a meaningful Lent. Our faith suggests praying, fasting, and doing acts of charity. The Gospel today cites these three ancient old activities of relating with God. They will be very useful in leading us from the Lent to the Easter of our life.

Fasting is one activity we are encouraged to do in Lent. We always hear the question, "What are you going to give up in Lent?" Whatever it is that we are giving up, we can not avoid to answer the question,"Where will it lead us?" So what if I give up chocolates, watching a telenovela, meat, rice, golf, tong-its, mahjong, or beer, etc.? As stated above, our goal determines a lot the value of things we do. We are encouraged to fast for so many reasons. One is to discipline our bodies. Fasting can train our bodies to continue functioning despite the absence of some things including things we crave for. That life goes on even in the absence of some of our wants. The discipline will be very handy in case the devil will use them to tempt us. But there is more to it. Fasting is essentially an offering. We choose to fast on something for the purpose of offering it to God. We see it as a way to participate in His work. The perfect and ultimate fast was done by Jesus. He chose His life as an offering to God for our salvation. It was His fasting. He was willing to give everything to His Father. He left nothing for Himself. In the process, He was given New Life! In losing, He found it! In the same way, our fasting should be made as an offering. Yes it is a deprivation, but we see it as an opportunity to give to God something as a sign of our dying to self. By making the offering, God gives us New Life.

So, we do not fast for the sake of fasting. Our faith reminds us, not obliges us. Do not do it because it is a fad. It may have other benefits, but let us not lose its primary purpose. Do not let it lead us to where it wants. Let us lead it to where we want to go or what we want to achieve. Intention counts a lot. Whatever we decide as our fast or offering this season of Lent, it matters a lot before God even if it may be insignificant to many. God sees what is in our heart. If we offer our fast for the sake of many and in recognition of God's love to us, then it has fulfilled its purpose.

I Was There! (Part III)

2009-02-24T23:58:00.007+08:00

It was definite, an army would be attacking Camp Aguinaldo via Libis and Boni Serrano at dawn. The army was already stationed somewhere in Ortigas. The time came for them to move sometime near the break of dawn. Information were being sent to us by some "friends" who were tasked to monitor the army. They were composed of maybe a battalion of soldiers fully armed and accompanied by APCs and tanks. The location of the soldiers were being announced periodically. When they were nearing the bend leading to the Santolan intersection, we formed many phalanx of chained human beings. We were determined not to let the army pass through the intersection and to Camp Aguinaldo. We later decided to lay prostrate while maintaining our chained position. As the soldiers drew nearer, we were praying the rosary. The first batch of soldiers we encountered were the "riot" squad. Their task is to disperse us so that their tanks can come in.

I was in the fourth row from the front. I was chained with Fr. Mat Sanchez, S.J., who was intensely praying. I noticed, those who were in the first three rows ahead of us where standing up. The soldiers were pushing them and slowly gaining grounds for the tanks that were behind them. I felt it was time for us to stand up. Else, we would be trampled upon by the soldiers and worse, be over ran by the tanks. In fact, only Fr. Mat and I were left prostrate in front of the soldiers. I told Fr. Mat that it was time to stand up for we were the only ones left. The soldiers were already thumping their shields and their baton giving the signal that they should be allowed to pass. But Fr. Mat was determined to stay. Later he told me that he was even willing to die! Because we were chained, I could not stand. I shouted for help from the other seminarians. I have to admit that I was very afraid then. Although, I was ready to stay if there were nobody who responded to my call to help me remove Fr. Mat. We have to literally carry Fr. Mat up so he could be removed from his position. It was just in time before the soldiers forced their way through with the tanks immediately behind them. To completely disperse us, tear gas were thrown all over. We were prepared for that situation. Immediately we took out our face towels and hankies and wet them. We covered our faces. We washed them too from the nearby gasoline station. But the effect of the tear gas as still there. This was a different kind. It sticks to the skin. The soldiers took advantage of our weakened position. They gained control of the intersection.

Once our line was crushed, the army was able establish their hold of the intersection. Those of us who had recovered tried to approach them. We stood face to face with them. We tried to talk them out of their mission. We begged them. Some even cried. The soldiers told us that they can not do anything. They have a mission to fulfill. We even asked them to abandon their commander and join us. It is the people whom they must protect and not one leader. But they would not listen to us. They were like robots who were just concerned about reaching their goal. Of course we knew that they felt for us too. They were Filipinos too. They knew what was happening to our country. But soldiers are soldiers. They must obey first before they complain.

Once they had taken the intersection, they stopped their advance for a while. Maybe they were waiting for further instructions. maybe they were waiting for the right moment. We took advantage of that situation to approach the soldiers. Some even climbed the tank to talk to the soldiers manning them. Some where given food or drinks which they courteously declined. Some were given rosaries. And some were given flowers. As we have agreed, no one will throw anything that will provoke the soldiers to retaliate or open fire. We tried to smile all the time. We tried to be persuasive in spite of the intense tension prevailing in everyone. We tried communicating to them that we are all Filipinos. They are not our enemies but the one seated in Malacanang. That they are OUR soldiers and WE are the people they pledged to protect!

At the break of dawn, they finally advanced towards Camp Aguinaldo. While they were on their way, news about Marcos finally leaving Malacanang came. I immediately grabbed my Walkman and listened to Ms. June Keithly who was broadcasting from an unknown place. There was rejoicing and shouting from all who were gathered there in Santolan. We told the soldiers about it. If they were happy, it did not show at all. However, while everyone was just starting to rejoice, June Keithly again went on air telling everyone that it was a false alarm. The dictator was still in Malacanang. The revelry was short-lived. Sadness gripped everyone. The dawn looked like dusk! How long will this ordeal be? Will Marcos ever leave? The future became bleak and uncertain. There was also the fear of being hunted once power is stabilized.

Camp Aguinaldo is now under siege. We had been over taken. The fight is in peril. God help us!

I Was There! (Part II)

2009-02-24T09:29:00.003+08:00

The "pow ow" (the term we use for our meetings), dealt with assessing the brewing critical situation. There were those who wanted to go out and be with the people in their protest and in protecting Enrile and Ramos. They believed that the the country is calling everyone now. They saw the situation as a very clear sign to have our formation and education right there in EDSA. They believed that the philosophizing and theologizing we have been doing can now find expression and concrete action. There are those who believed that we continue our schedules. Organize vigils and reflection times. If we abandon our studies, we might not be equipped to deal with situations. This is not yet the time. We will be there at the most opportune time.

We were united in saying that Marcos was not anymore governing well. The country had been in quandary. Graft and corruption had reached its ultimate. The civilian superiority, provided by the constitution, had been set aside in favor of military power. What we had was a heavily militarized government. Crimes were committed wantonly by those in power. Many disappeared suddenly and without a trace. Freedom of speech and action were severely curtailed. Basic rights were trampled upon. Communism had penetrated the professionals and the youth. Insurgency, specially in the south, was gaining much grounds.

In the end, we were told that it was our call. We were left to discern whether we will opt to stay and fulfill our regular schedules but be in tuned with the developments outside. Or choose to go out and actively participate in the "revolution". A show of hands showed that almost all wanted to go. Those who are going were warned that there are risks involved and that they would be responsible for themselves. There were the possibilities of being apprehended, interrogated, jailed, hurt, or even killed. The seminary fathers made sure that we were joining in with our eyes wide open. That night, some seminarians and fathers went out to join the people in EDSA.

The next day, February 24, 1986, Monday, there were reports that Marcos had already decided to attack Camps Aguinaldo and Crame. The crucial points were EDSA-Ortigas, Santolan, Boni Serrano, and Greenhills. We were assigned to block the Santolan (near Blue Ridge) intersection which leads to Camp Aguinaldo. After dinner, we donned our cassocks and rode to Santolan. There, in the Caltex station, we found many religious sisters and seminarians from other congregations, leading the people in praying the rosary. After the rosary, singing of some religious and patriotic songs, whiled away the vigil that was taking place. We organized the people for a common action. In order not to be deceived by mixed and misleading information, a system was developed on how to receive, evaluate, verify, and disseminate information. An orientation was also given on how to practice "Active Non-Violence"; that is, asserting one's advocacy without resorting to violence. We were asked to police our ranks. We had to see to it that no one will act on his own. The situation was so tensed that a single shout or violent action may trigger a riot, stampede, or complete chaos in the crowd. With thousands of people gathered and close together, many will certainly be hurt, and some might even die. A "leader" was assigned in order to have a voice that would lead everyone to what action to make.

Time passed and so was the evening. During those times, the "leader" would time and again make a command in order to practice everyone about our moves. At times, an update about what is happening around Crame and Aguinaldo, was being announced. Midnight passed and the wee hours were drawing near. No one was saying but we were all conscious of the escalating tension. We knew why we were there. Marcos' army will soon come. Marcos could not afford to let the situation go on.

Finally, we heard news that the attack of Aguinaldo was definite. The army had gathered somewhere in Ortigas and was on its way to Santolan via Libis (now the northernmost part of C-5). It was just a matter of time. The quiet night would soon be broken by the taps of boots marching towards our position. Suddenly, tension was high. What will we do? What will I do? The "leader" spoke and told everyone that we will hold our position and we will convince the soldiers not to proceed.

And the hours, minutes, and seconds ticked away towards that moment...

I Was There! (Part I)

2009-02-23T17:18:00.007+08:00

Twenty three years after it happened, it seems that very little grounds had been covered towards advancement of what many of us fought for during EDSA 1. Those four days (February 22-25, 1986) were the climax of years of fighting the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It should not have been a climax, but due to what consequently happened, it was indeed the climax for after that event, the expected result and change did not really happen. With the present state of things, it even became worse. It is really very very sad to accept that we had gone back (though with a different face) or became more decadent in spite of the much acclaimed and revered EDSA 1.

In entered San Jose Seminary in May, 1985. I was a late vocation, having finished college and worked for five years. In March of 1985, I suddenly became aware of the intense call of God for priesthood. I just found myself one day taking the entrance exam in San Jose. I passed the exams and the interviews. In April, I received the news that I was accepted for formation to the priesthood in San Jose. Just before the school year began, I was asked to report to prepare myself. I entered the seminary in May 21, 1985. Immediately we underwent orientation and did a lot of preliminary activities that will help us immediately integrate ourselves to the community.

While I was undergoing formation in the seminary, the political situation in the country was becoming more tense. The death of Ninoy Aquino and the massive and blatant cheating that happened in the recent election, where Cory Aquino, Ninoy's wife, "won" over Marcos in an "snap election", became the tipping point. Of course, the people were aware of the corruption and abuses by the government and the military. These were also crucial factors in the uneasiness being felt by the people about their government. During that time, the streets of Manila were always full of protesters from students, workers, teachers, farmers, and "leftists". President Marcos, through the help of the military tried to control the situation. Curfews were imposed. Checkpoints were placed in strategic places in Metro Manila. Abduction of some key people in the opposition were being reported. And there was a suppression of the media. The situation was so volatile that it only needed a little push or "fire" to be ignited and exploded. And it did!

The necessary push came from the defection of Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile. I came to know about this when I was already in my apostolate area. That was the night of February 22, 1986, Saturday. Incidentally, that afternoon, before I went to my apostolate area in Marcelo Green Village, Paranaque (Mary Mother of Good Counsel Parish), I attended the wedding of my sister, Emerlita to Jovencio in Our Lady Of Fatima Parish, in Mandaluyong City. It was also the birthday of my brother, Guilbert. Because I have to go to my apostolate area, I have to beg off in attending the wedding reception. I rode a bus from Mandaluyong to Marcelo. On the way, in Magallanes interchange, I saw on the other side of EDSA a lot of APCs (Army Personnel Carrier?) going the North direction of EDSA. I said, something was happening. It was about five or six in the afternoon. I reached the parish church and reported to the parish priest, Fr. Dennis Salise. Sometime that evening, a parishioner called our attention to watch television. President Marcos was on television revealing the alleged attempt on his life by a member of the Presidential Security Group (PSG). We turned on the television and we caught Marcos on t.v. presenting the supposed PSG tasked to assassinate him. I could not vividly remember what he said but I think it was about the failed attempt on his life and that he will do everything to find and punish those who were behind the failed attempt.

We left it at that. We slept. The next morning, February 23, Sunday, masses were held in the parish. People were talking about what happened the night before. After lunch, I went back to the seminary. I can not anymore remember how I was able to get back to the seminary. We were told that people had begun occupying EDSA. I believe that when we got to Crossing (EDSA and Shaw Boulevard), we were not allowed to proceed to Ortigas but were diverted towards Pasig. In any case, I reached the seminary in the afternoon. By that time, Enrile had camped in Camp Aguinaldo, while Ramos was camped in Camp Crame (?). Later, they joined together for coordination and stronger position.

An emergency meeting was called by the Rector of the seminary, in the evening, regarding our involvement in the events happening. In case, we are already sure of what we will do and what are our commitments.

Random Pictures, Random Thoughts!

2009-02-22T12:35:00.012+08:00

Wiped Out! (Mabilis na pangyayari!)

Health is Wealth

Shining Through

All Is Left And Right

Bridge Over Untroubled Water

Take Cover

Dream Pipes

Scattered Clouds of Unknowing

White Hats To Protect

Empty Pews Under The Sun

Finding In Losing

2009-02-20T18:21:00.003+08:00

Mk. 8:34-38

Jesus was controversial during His ministry not only because of His claim as the Son of God but also because of His statements. In today's Gospel reading He said, "For whoever wishes to save His life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel, will save it." (Mk.8:35). He also said similar statements namely; " Love your enemies." and "Unless a grain of wheat falls and die, it will not grow." These paradoxical statements reflect the true state of things. Jesus, the Son of God, knows best our hearts. These statements are what would really guide and lead us to our true destiny.

The context of His statements are always salvation. Difficulties, challenges, and hardships are not ends. They are means or stages of life's journey towards eternal life, the ultimate goal. They must be seen as opportunities of faith. God did not create us only for this world, or for this life. Christians see the whole of life pat of the next life. I have heard elders say, "Kahit naghihikahos, makakaraos, sa tulong at awa ng Diyos!" (Though we are experiencing a lot of difficulties, we will pull through with the help of God!") This is a statement of faith. The faith that sees earthly life as a prelude or part of life after death. Jesus, in his statement was referring to the next life. Life on earth, maybe given, for the sake of the Gospel and of the Lord Jesus. Relationship with God precedes everything, even our earthly life. That is why martyrs gave up their lives. They saw that life is not worth living separated from God. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul?" Even when life is given away, it is actually found and saved if done for the Lord. What is found is life with God. And life with God is all the life we need. Finding God is finding life. Finding (eternal life) is finding God!

City Rivers

2009-02-20T10:00:00.009+08:00

Rome (Italy) has river Tiber. Paris (France) has river Seine. London (England) has river Thames. Perth (Australia) has river Swan. Vancouver (Canada) has river Fraser. Lisbon (Portugal) has river Tagus. Cairo(Egypt) has river Nile. Baghdad (Iraq) has river Tigris. Hamburg (Germany) has river Elbe. Germany has the river Rhine as its longest river and has its source from the Swiss Alps. Berlin has river Spree. Vienna has river Danube. Almost all progressive and notable cities has a river in or near it. Rivers are great sources of livelihood and very convenient facilities for transport and other business activities. It is also a very good source of fresh water.

The river Tiber is the third longest river in Italy and flowing 406 kilometers. It drains a basin estimated at 18,000 km square. The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome, founded on its eastern banks.

The city of Manila is not an exception. It has river Pasig. I am sure in the early fifties and sixties, the river Pasig has been a cause for progress for the city of Manila. Local and international cargo vessels can enter the city through the river Pasig. I am also sure that it is a place of recreation to many. I am very sure that it is a good source of fresh water for domestic and commercial.

While it is true that it is still very useful today as a facility for cargo vessels, it is not anymore a place for recreation, much more an easy source of usable water. The presence of many factories which are making the river their sewage catcher and the homeowners along it treating it as their toilet, garbage, etc., had made it very dirty. We have lost an important source of water. The benefits we get from these factories along its stretch are not the lost of the river. Lots of concerned government officials and NGO's had conspired to rehabilitate it. One is in fact going on right now. But unless these factories would follow the law on how they must dispose their wastes, the river assistance made by government can not cope with the demand to process the wastes these factories and homeowners are dumping in the river.

Since the city rivers are crucial to the city, it follows that its condition and health determines the condition and health of the city! So, with the present situation of the river Pasig, no wonder, Manila is not in that very good condition. If the city id not in good condition, the people may not also be in good condition.

We Have Water!

2009-02-19T14:09:00.004+08:00

The earth is full of water! So why are there talks of water scarcity in the future? Where does the danger of having a water drought come from? What is the basis for such a "dooms day" scenario? Here are some basic facts about water on earth;

-326 million trillion gallons

-70% of the planet is covered in ocean

-average depth of the ocean is about 1,000 meters

-only 2% of the earth's water is "fresh", of which 1.6 % is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers

-0.36 % is found in aquifers

-0.036 % is found in lakes and rivers (equal to thousands of trillions of gallons)

-the rest are in the atmosphere and in our bodies (65% water), animals, and plants, and in our refrigerators!

The recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was created by the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC), categorically pointed to global warming as the reason for climate change and mentioned that one of its effects is the scarcity of fresh water in the future. Global warming would result to the melting of glaciers and polar caps which would increase sea water level and therefore invade aquifers which are some of our sources for fresh water. If this happens, the calculated predictions of the scientists of the IPCC would just become a reality.

How about the Philippines? We are composed of thousand of islands. Our land is perfect for agriculture. We have lots of rivers, lakes, brooks, springs, and almost every type of water source. We have mountains which are very important in maintaining the stability of water supply in a place. When hard times concerning water comes, the Philippines maybe one of the few blessed places that is last to be hit hardest. In other words, if and when we experience a drought or water crisis, the rest of the world must be in a worse situation.

The above should be good news to us. But why is it that bottled water proliferates here? Why are we buying water? With all our resources, we can afford to have fresh drinking water almost for FREE and with a lot more to EXPORT! The water coming out from our faucets are safe for drinking. The filtration and treatment processes the water companies are applying are way above standards. The "tap" water we receive at home are even more safe than many bottled water which we buy at a higher price. Lack of education? Bad experience? Poor advocacy or advertisement? Government should look into this. Unless it profits from the sale of these bottled water.

Lastly, bottled water, which are usually in plastic, is not healthy. maybe it will make us safe from bacteria or viruses, but not on toxins and other serious and long time side effects (sickness) that maybe acquired using plastics.

So, I believe it is opportune to call on our legislators and government officials tom preserve and defend these resources that we have been blessed with. Laguna De Bay, for example, a very good source of fresh water, was threatened sometime ago to be converted to an airport! We are willing to lose a bay for an airport? Also, at present, the said bay has become a big septic tank because of the amount of human wastes put in it. This is beside the fact that lots of illegal and legal fish pens are in that body of water. Undoubtedly, the Laguna De Bay is a potential source of the much needed fresh water. If this is how we are going to treat our resources, then, we might just lose this great advantage that we have.

Let us pray and hope that all of us will come to our right senses. As we say in the eco-community, let us do what we can now, for when it comes, we can not do anything anymore.

Waste Mismanagement

2009-02-17T11:22:00.005+08:00

Ever wonder where our wastes go? We don't see them at all after using the comfort rooms. We just assume that they go somewhere where they could not harm us. We think that they are taken cared of.

Usually, homes and establishments are equipped with a sewage system. The sewage system catches all of our wastes. But sewage systems are not bottomless. After some years, they over flow. If not managed, they seep through the soil around and most probably would find their way in aquifers. Aquifers are some of the sources of our water supply, including drinking water. Therefore, if we let our wastes mix with our source of water, dangers to health may occur.

Sewage companies offer the service of emptying sewage systems in homes and establishments. But what do they do with it? How do they dispose them. The best way should be to process them so that the water maybe used again. Solids separated from them maybe used as fertilizers. However, there were some reports and discoveries that they had not been disposed well. The sludge were being disposed in canals or rivers. The purpose is therefore defeated. The sludge will go back to the soil and to the aquifers.

(From left, Ms. Jhoanna B. Mendoza, Facility Manager, Fr. Benny Tuazon, and Mr. Rene Almendras, Group Director for Business, Manila Water Inc.)

I had visited two sewage treatment plants. And there, were shown how water from human wastes maybe processed and be used again. We were told that nature could actually do it. It can heal and refresh itself. But because of too much concentration of wastes in an area, the demand is just too much to address. Human intervention is thus necessary. Sewage Treatment Plants provide this assistance. Not only are we able to use the water again, provide good fertilizers, but also prevent possible diseases. So far, Manila is only recovering 16 percent of its sewage. The goal is 100 percent so that our system will be effective. I know that private companies are doing their share in this. Manila Water Company Incorporated had in fact made this as part of their commitment to its clients. So much investment had been flowed into it with little or no profit at all. Their concern for the environment is what inspires them to go on.

In the light of the importance of this activity, government should be the leader in seeing to it that our sewage system is effective. Citizen awareness must be heightened so that the work will be easier. Private companies must be responsible in disposing the wastes.

So, even if we do not see them, let us see to it that they are well taken cared of!

Water Matters

2009-02-16T18:40:00.002+08:00

We drink it. We use it to wash things. We use it for cooking. We clean our bodies with it. We relax in it by swimming or even being massaged by it. We clean a lot of things with it. We mix it with other liquids. We use it in so many ways, for so many reasons, and different forms. It is basic in life. We have an abundance of it. Our bodies, in fact, comprise more than ninety percent of it. It is a mere five-letter word, W, A, T, E, and R. Yet, it is necessary to live. We can only survive some number of days without it. We must have it to live.

I joined a whole day tour today with the Barangay Magallanes officials sponsored by Manila Water Company Inc. We went to the La Mesa Dam, New Balara Filtration Plant, Balara Pumping Station, UP Sewage Treatment Plant, and the South Septage Treatment Plant in FTI, Taguig City. We were educated on how, from the waters of La Mesa Dam, potable water reaches our homes for our use. The tour also informed us about the importance of gathering our water wastes for recycling. Based on the tour, water undergoes a lot of processes. It is longer in sewage waters. Thorough security is being observed to assure homes of their supply of this very important commodity. This only shows that water supply is not just business but a commitment as well. At the pumping station, for example, a five-minute delay would be tantamount to a thirty-minute delay in water supply in the homes. The personnel are reservists as well. They can fully defend the place in case threats were made.

Seeing water flow from our faucets had always been a regular sight to all of us. But having experienced and seen how it is processed created in me a different attitude and thinking. Water should be used wisely. Water, no matter how abundant these days, should be treated as an important thing. Water matters!

Through And True Love On Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T07:59:00.005+08:00

Roads, cafe's, parks, party places, and every activity nook would be super busy today, Valentine's Day! It is a very special day here in our country and to many other parts of the world. Love is in the air. This is a time for lovers. This is a time of focusing on the one you love. This is a time to deepen the loving relationship. This is a time for a very special expression of one's love for the beloved. Well, at least to most!

Never mind how it all began. A little mind on how it developed. What is important is how it is going to be celebrated today. And the best way to evaluate the celebration that will take place is to define what is love? The lovers definition of love will determine the kind of celebration they will have. Complication immediately begins when they have different definitions of love. Friction will exists if they have contrasting definition of love. So what is love?

Of course, the best definition comes from the source of Love Himself. In fact, He is Love Himself; God in Jesus Christ. For Jesus, love is the willingness to offer one's life for the one you love. The "other" includes even enemies! Loving entails our heart, strength, mind, and soul; with our whole person. Jesus showed this concretely through our His ministry. He signified it by washing the feet of His apostles. During His time, washing another person's feet is only done by the slaves. Humility is the primary character of Christian loving. He capped His love by dying on the cross. Loving is a relationship that involves the whole of our being

Now, maybe I am being philosophical, theological, and mystical about this thing called love? A spiritual writer, I believe caught most if not all of what Jesus meant by love. Scott Peck said that love is the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth." Aha! Very important here is the purpose of love which is spiritual growth. It is not just about feeling good or physical satisfaction or self-fulfillment. It is about whether both lovers, in the course of their relationship, would attain their spiritual goal? (Note that it does not limit "spiritual" to the Catholic or Christian faith. It just means any spiritual leanings of the lover.) The goal is beyond this life. The goal is eternal fulfillment. The definition also says "extend". Lovers should not only be contented with what they believe they can do but what they do after giving everything. There should also be an extra effort equivalent to more than what they think they can do. And then, that love comes from one's "will". It means it is a decision on the part of the lover. Not whimsical, romantic, boastful, or carnal. It comes from the heart with the purest of intentions. It involves the whole of one's self, nothing less, maybe more!

I guess, with this definition, I need not enumerate or express in detail how today's love day must be celebrated. No matter what religion or denomination you belong. No matter if you do not have a religion and profess yourself an atheist. If you have a (spiritual) goal, you celebrate today according to that goal. All other celebrations will be a neglect, much worse, a rejection of that goal.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Dress Your Best Not To Impress

2009-02-08T15:36:00.005+08:00

"Why regulate our dresses?" "Can we not wear what we want? God will understand!" "How could you dictate what is decent and what is not?" These are some of the reactions and question of some mass goers in our parish after we announced that we will implement a dress code next month. When I and the Dress Code Committee met, we anticipated those questions. We know that it be hard to set a standard for it. But we know too that there is a need to regulate what people wear in the church. Some parishioners had already made complaints about some people who were very indecent in their dresses. Maybe some think that they can just wear anything in church. But we believe that dressing is part of Christian responsibility and discipline.

So what is in a dress? Why dress up and why wear specific dresses for the occasion? In the first place, all of us were born without dresses. But because we belong to a society which requires a certain level and manner of dressing, we abide by it. That alone already limits our freedom about what we may or may not wear. But still, dressing up has its more relevant and important reason. It was not just done for the sake of doing it. We dress up because of respect. How we look is our expression of our regard for the people we meet. The more dignified is the person, the more we dress up. I believe that we feel respected when we meet people who are aptly dressed. We feel somewhat insulted when people face us poorly and improperly dressed. Somehow, the way we are dressed affect the way we will relate. Dresses may not be a perfect reflection of our inner self, but it does communicate who we are, in a way. If we are invited to an important function, say to meet the president or receive an award, we dress up. If you will go to Malacanang in maong pants to meet the president, I am sure you will not be allowed no matter how important is your business. Without saying any word, you have already disrespected the president. (I assume here that the person involved has a capacity to dress up. Farmers are, of course, are exempted because they are limited in their capacity to dress up.)

But our everyday affairs will also tell us the importance of proper dressing. Functions and activities have their own requirements so that people who will join these activities can participate better. In sports, you have a uniform from head to foot in order to perform well. You do not wear a barong or a tuxedo to run, jump or compete in these activities. You will not only be out of place, but it will be hard for you to perform well. In the same manner, you do not wear a bikini or swimming trunks in gala parties. You will be under dressed and may be a sore thumb in the midst of everyone. We dress up. We try to fit ourselves in those occasions not only physically and mentally, but also externally.

This brings us to the mass. It is the summit of Catholic worship. There we meet fellow Catholics and the Lord. The Lord is present in the community, in the Word, in the priest, and par excellence, mismo, in the Eucharist. In the mass, no less than the Lord is the host. How should we dress before Him? The Lord will understand? I think, He will not understand if we know we could have appeared before Him better dressed. That is why we are encouraged to be in our Sunday's best. It is not necessarily the best dress that we have but the best as far as worshipping is concerned. Here will come in our best judgment. If we are not sure, we should not be ashamed to ask others or be willing to be guided by authorities. This is not discriminatory nor oppressive. It is encouraging and challenging everyone to show respect and give the best for the occasion. In this case, the Mass.

My prayer is that people will be open and concerned. Other religions had been known to be particular about their dresses in times of worship. The dress might not be the reason why one will be saved or not, but it certainly will reflect the level of maturity and religiosity of a believer. It is not different for us Catholics. We must show to others and to our God that we have a sense of respect. And we can begin by being dressed for the occasion.

(See also the following relevant websites; http://www.rcam.org/liturgical_news/2007/proper_attire_in_church_posters.htm and http://www.rcam.org/liturgical)news/proper_attire.htm)

Live To Live To Leave

2009-02-06T14:30:00.005+08:00

John the Baptist's death came after the request of a child who danced before the king was granted. The child asked for the head of the Baptist after she was coached by her mother who was angry at John for crying out in the open the immorality she was committing with her husbands brother. Some would say that it was an untimely death. John could have done more. He could have been the instrument for the repentance of many.

Beautiful and attractive may have been the potentials of John, but the fact is, he had fulfilled his mission; to prepare the way of the Lord. Jesus had come and had been baptized by John signalling the end of the mission of the Baptist! He died a fulfilled prophet. This is not really new. Scanning the Scriptures would reveal that most if not all the prophets died young. They met their death fulfilling the mission God had given them, i.e. to bring the Word Of God to the people. Even the Lord Jesus died at the age of thirty-three. After three years of active ministry, He met His death on the cross.

This is so because God is concerned more on the quality of life. It is not the length of time that we have lived in this world that matters much than the way life was lived. You may have grown old but you still have not fulfilled your God-given mission. You maybe young and yet you had achieved much if not all of the things God expected you to achieve. A saying in sports says: "When the great scorer pens your name, he writes not whether you win or lose but how you played the game." So with God, when we face Him for judgment, it is not the length of time we had lived but whether we had lived life according to the His design.

A poem entitled, "The Dash" speaks of the dash sign between the year of birth and the year of death (e.g. 1901-1980). The year of birth or the year of death are not what matters in that script on one's epitaph. The dash is what matters. That dash represents the life the person who had died. If that dash had been spent according to God's will, that person had fulfilled his life regardless of his age.

So, the death of John should encourage us to look at our lives. What is God's purpose for us? What ought we fulfill? Let us not worried about how long or how short our life is. Let us be more concerned about what kind of life we have lived.

With Love, You Can Never Go Wrong

2009-02-04T18:02:00.003+08:00

Lk. 14:1-6

This was another healing of the Lord Jesus on the Sabbath. The Sabbath for the Jews was very sacred. There were few things they were allowed to do. It should be spent for prayer and acts of sacrifices. Jesus, a Jew, could not help Himself cure the man with dropsy. He was moved by the suffering of the man. Also, He took the opportunity to show to the people, specially the scholars of the law and the Pharisees, the Spirit of the law as received by Moses. It is interesting to note that since the receipt of Moses of the laws from God, so many additional related laws were created by the elders in order to fulfill the law. However, in the process, too much stress was made on the letter of the law than its essence. Jesus was aware of that development that is why He was very courageous even to earn the ire of the leaders in order to show the real intent of the laws given by God.

There is only one law; that is the law of love. With love, one can never go wrong. We refer to love here as a decision to intend the goodness of the other. The goodness here is to lead the other to salvation. That is the ultimate goal of our relationship with each other and with God. Anything we do or say must lead to a union with God. The laws given to Moses were given in order to give us a way to express our love for each other. Those laws were supposed to be the norms for loving, which is its Spirit. Salvation is not restricted to following those laws. The parable of the rich young man comes to mind. He approached Jesus wanting to attain eternal life. Jesus asked him if he had followed the commandments. He said "yes", since he was born. But Jesus did not stop there. He asked that man to sell everything and follow Him. The rich young man left Jesus, sad. Unfortunately he chose his riches than Jesus who can give him eternal life.

But that is the point of Jesus in today's Gospel. Is fulfilling the law the ultimate goal? Laws are limited. They do not capture totally the Spirit. To believe that salvation is achieved by merely following the commandments is a mistake. Through these laws, may we learn to love. Through these laws, may we see the Truth. Through these laws may we find the Way! In other words, the ultimate goal is God!

The question of Jesus to the scholars and the Pharisees was very revealing. His message to them was clear. That was why "they were unable to answer". Surely, they will seek the care of their endangered love ones even during Sabbath. Sabbath was made for man and not the other way around! They knew it and they could not help the embarrassment from Jesus.

The relevance of this in our lives is clear. The commandments are guides. What is important is our attitude towards others and God. Let us use the law and not the other way around. Always seek to love. Love is greater than the laws. Love will see us through. love will get us to heaven.

Texts In The City

2009-02-04T08:04:00.006+08:00

Since the advent of the texting era, we usually receive some forwarded messages about life and faith. I admit that making those messages takes some time and ingenuity not to mention its costs. The senders might have different purposes which they hope would be achieved. How do you receive those forwarded messages? Do you forward them too?

Ever since I use the cell phone, I rarely forward forwarded messages. By rarely here means as rare as it can be. Just so that I can not say that I did not. The reason is I find it too impersonal. I prefer originally composed messages. As long as it comes from the heart, even if it is just the simple "Good morning!" or "Hello!", it means a lot to me more than any forwarded message.

There are actually many kinds of forwarded messages. The common ones are "sayings" that deal and reveal life deeper. There are many of these. Many are worth saving for further reflection. I have saved some of them in my phone. There are jokes which are either dirty or corny but can still make you laugh or force you to emit a wry smile. There are "chain letters" which are really worth to break because they threaten people. Sad part is they make use of difficult situations in people, whether real or fiction, in order to make or should I say force people through the fear factor, to forward the text and keep the chain. Picture messages and canned greetings for every occasion will flood the text world time and again during birthdays, feasts, anniversaries, big events, etc. It is normal that in a big gathering, texting will even be impossible. Too much traffic! Etc., etc., etc.

Let me share to you some of these forwarded messages that I received. I think they are worth sharing;

These are titled, "Cool Church Signs"

(My comments are in parenthesis)

1. "How will you spend eternity? Smoking or non-smoking?"

(How about, "air-conditioned" or "hell-conditioned")

2. "Dusty bibles lead to dirty lives"

(How about, "Opening the bible is opening to God.")

3. "If you do not like the way you were born, try being born-again!"

(I really liked this one, but I like this one by St. Augustine better, "God created us without our consent. But God will not save us without our consent!")

4. "In the dark? Follow the sun".

(Seems like a Beatles fan? How about, "Confused? LET IT BE, God")

5. "If you can't sleep, don't count the sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."

(I say, "Do not count your blessings, count on God!")

6. "If you are headed on the wrong direction, God allows u-turns."

(I understand this as referring to someone who had already lived a life unguided anymore by God. Making a u-turn is always a good option, but it may just bring you back to where you were or still head to another wrong direction. How about, "Change driver! God knows the direction best and He has a license to drive life.")

As a bonus, let me add this "What's in a word?" item. This is cute but effective and very relevant! What do you think?

Ever look at "HEALTHY HEART"?

Dividing it can give us, "HEAL-THY-HEART"

Therefore, having a healthy heart means healing our heart from pains, resentments, grudges, revenge and other heart debilitating feelings and attitudes, we will have a healthy heart!

In the end, cell phones are God's gift to us. It is a product of our God-given gifts. It must be used to promote life and help us in our daily lives. But ultimately it is to advance our relationship with God.