And God will rise to live in us and among us!!
The “Lent” became a "GIFT"—a lasting gift of God’s presence in our humanity. The “GIFT” elevates us to the level of the GIVER—giving us the grace to see our Creator and Savior in everyone and in everything around us.
The challenge is how to allow God to be manifested through us and recognize God resurrected in our fellowmen and women.
Many times we do not recognize Him in our neighbor. Most of the times we refuse to see God in Creation. Almost always we deny God’s presence in our very own lives. And so we abuse the environment; we are indifferent to others; we throw away our dignity and squander our worth.
I hope to be a gift in return and give God a chance to be present in all.
Long Live the Risen Lord!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Some little Surprises in Search of the Lord
“The Bread of Life has been broken. The Cup of Life has been poured. Let us partake of the Supper of the Lord.”
It was the most striking line I imbibed in the long celebration of the Holy Eucharist which my family attended at the Church of St. Therese of the Child Jesus at UP, Los Baños, yesterday, April 9, 2009.
The Mass was the culmination of a Visita Iglesia, our short pilgrimage for Holy Thursday. We passed by all the churches along the route and had visited exactly 7 churches as is the tradition among Catholics. These churches are: The Chair of St Peter Church at Balibago, Santa Rosa, the St. Francis of Assisi Church at Cabuyao, St. John the Baptist Church at Calamba, St. Agustin Church at Bae, St. Anthony de Padua Church in Los Baños and Immaculate Conception Church in Los Baños town proper.
The Church of St. Therese played a special role in the life and history of our family for it was there that Rudy and I had our wedding in honor of St. Therese. She has been a favourite saint for her lessons on sanctification through little acts of holiness—like smiling and being nice at everyone even to the unpleasant characters in your life and picking up scattered things and placing them at their proper places even when one is feeling too lazy/heavy for it.
I was pleasantly surprised when upon seeing the face of St. Therese in a banner, for the first time, my daughter acknowledged what I have been saying and which she seemed not to have minded at all.
My only daughter, Maria Theresa, with an aura in her face which I seldom glean said: "Mom, you named me after her!”
Many surprises can happen in a journey in search of the Lord. Such as this pragmatic suggestion for a penance at the end of my meditation: Buy someone a meal or something to drink.
It was the most striking line I imbibed in the long celebration of the Holy Eucharist which my family attended at the Church of St. Therese of the Child Jesus at UP, Los Baños, yesterday, April 9, 2009.
The Mass was the culmination of a Visita Iglesia, our short pilgrimage for Holy Thursday. We passed by all the churches along the route and had visited exactly 7 churches as is the tradition among Catholics. These churches are: The Chair of St Peter Church at Balibago, Santa Rosa, the St. Francis of Assisi Church at Cabuyao, St. John the Baptist Church at Calamba, St. Agustin Church at Bae, St. Anthony de Padua Church in Los Baños and Immaculate Conception Church in Los Baños town proper.
The Church of St. Therese played a special role in the life and history of our family for it was there that Rudy and I had our wedding in honor of St. Therese. She has been a favourite saint for her lessons on sanctification through little acts of holiness—like smiling and being nice at everyone even to the unpleasant characters in your life and picking up scattered things and placing them at their proper places even when one is feeling too lazy/heavy for it.
I was pleasantly surprised when upon seeing the face of St. Therese in a banner, for the first time, my daughter acknowledged what I have been saying and which she seemed not to have minded at all.
My only daughter, Maria Theresa, with an aura in her face which I seldom glean said: "Mom, you named me after her!”
Many surprises can happen in a journey in search of the Lord. Such as this pragmatic suggestion for a penance at the end of my meditation: Buy someone a meal or something to drink.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I Wrote a Last Will During EDSA 1
EDSA is the Philippines—survivor, resilient, loved by the Filipinos, etched in the living history of the world, alive in the memory of God.
When the Filipinos heard the voice of the late Cardinal Sin on the radio on February 23, 1986, asking the faithful to go to EDSA; I personally felt that God was drafting us to fight evil.
But it caused me a heart wrenching dilemma. It was not easy for me to bring all of my four children—with ages 5 to 11. EDSA could turn bloody.
And so my husband and I decided to bring with us our youngest child who we felt would be most vulnerable if left behind. The three other children, Joey, Val and Therese were left with their baby-sitter, Evelyn with instructions to always stay close to one another, pray the rosary and leave the radio on--all the time even while praying.
I wrote my last will and testament stating my wishes for my three older children in case my husband, I and Marlon perish in the battlefield of EDSA.
The moment of goodbye was for me a most scary and solemn one. I looked at my children intently to immortalize them in my heart. But when we arrived at EDSA—just about 3 km from our house—all my fears vanished.
There was a mood of celebration despite sporadic screams and panic sweeping through the crowd from time to time. The big throng of people were marching jubilantly from all directions.
Marlon wanted to climb a parked tank and his Dad placed him atop one. As I watched him grinning, I prayed, “Lord save our nation for our children.”
Despite interrmitent surges of fear, I felt safe and calm. I felt united and invulnerable with the multitudes who have responded to the call of God and country.
EDSA will live in perpetuity. Always pulsating with hope. So does our beloved country!
When the Filipinos heard the voice of the late Cardinal Sin on the radio on February 23, 1986, asking the faithful to go to EDSA; I personally felt that God was drafting us to fight evil.
But it caused me a heart wrenching dilemma. It was not easy for me to bring all of my four children—with ages 5 to 11. EDSA could turn bloody.
And so my husband and I decided to bring with us our youngest child who we felt would be most vulnerable if left behind. The three other children, Joey, Val and Therese were left with their baby-sitter, Evelyn with instructions to always stay close to one another, pray the rosary and leave the radio on--all the time even while praying.
I wrote my last will and testament stating my wishes for my three older children in case my husband, I and Marlon perish in the battlefield of EDSA.
The moment of goodbye was for me a most scary and solemn one. I looked at my children intently to immortalize them in my heart. But when we arrived at EDSA—just about 3 km from our house—all my fears vanished.
There was a mood of celebration despite sporadic screams and panic sweeping through the crowd from time to time. The big throng of people were marching jubilantly from all directions.
Marlon wanted to climb a parked tank and his Dad placed him atop one. As I watched him grinning, I prayed, “Lord save our nation for our children.”
Despite interrmitent surges of fear, I felt safe and calm. I felt united and invulnerable with the multitudes who have responded to the call of God and country.
EDSA will live in perpetuity. Always pulsating with hope. So does our beloved country!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine Love in a Flash
Earlier at around 6:00 in the evening, I was dropping some lines for my third son, Val who is currently in Irving, Texas for his further career training.
I wanted to compose a special Valentine message for a son who was so far away I couldn’t hug him but at the same time was pressured by time to meet my 6: 30 P.M. date with my husband and only daughter, Therese.
Under time pressure, I opened my e-mail thus: “My dearest Valentine,” It just hit me that that could be the most compact and love-filled message I could send my son. All it needed was a hyphen and I reframed it as: “My dearest Val-entine.”
Swiftly and smoothly I was able to send my love to my son in a jiffy and still kept my dates with my daughter and husband on time.
May our jiffy messages on Valentine’s Day last a lifetime!
I wanted to compose a special Valentine message for a son who was so far away I couldn’t hug him but at the same time was pressured by time to meet my 6: 30 P.M. date with my husband and only daughter, Therese.
Under time pressure, I opened my e-mail thus: “My dearest Valentine,” It just hit me that that could be the most compact and love-filled message I could send my son. All it needed was a hyphen and I reframed it as: “My dearest Val-entine.”
Swiftly and smoothly I was able to send my love to my son in a jiffy and still kept my dates with my daughter and husband on time.
May our jiffy messages on Valentine’s Day last a lifetime!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Callused Soles vs Calloused Hearts
The emancipation of the tenants has been the battle cry of every Philippine administration and agrarian reform has been their centrepiece program.
Agrarian reform is meant to reduce inequalities as social justice demands. The intent of the Philippine Constitution and R.A. 6657 is crystal clear: the promotion of social justice through an equitable distribution of land by making it easier for the disadvantaged to be able to acquire land.
Why are the Filipino farmers marching all over the country for the right to own a piece of land? After losing at every stage of the battle against landowners, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials, the lower to the highest courts, they are now pounding every trail into the hot asphalt and concrete jungle of the seat of government—Malacañang—hoping that they can stumble upon a piece of a soft and caring heart.
In my morning prayers I touched the legs and feet of the farmers by massaging those of my husband that God may let them walk on soft soil with sturdy legs and strong soles. Then I laid my hand on my husband’s heart that the Lord of Compassion may soften our officials’ hardened souls.
Agrarian reform is meant to reduce inequalities as social justice demands. The intent of the Philippine Constitution and R.A. 6657 is crystal clear: the promotion of social justice through an equitable distribution of land by making it easier for the disadvantaged to be able to acquire land.
Why are the Filipino farmers marching all over the country for the right to own a piece of land? After losing at every stage of the battle against landowners, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials, the lower to the highest courts, they are now pounding every trail into the hot asphalt and concrete jungle of the seat of government—Malacañang—hoping that they can stumble upon a piece of a soft and caring heart.
In my morning prayers I touched the legs and feet of the farmers by massaging those of my husband that God may let them walk on soft soil with sturdy legs and strong soles. Then I laid my hand on my husband’s heart that the Lord of Compassion may soften our officials’ hardened souls.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
It's God's Decision, not the Lightning's Call
At about 12:30 this afternoon, a thunderous explosion engulfed our village and simultaneously shut off our electric supply. I heard splintering sound from our roof garden and dropping of some hard objects. Except for the falling debris, it sounded much the same as the past two occasions when on each instance a Meralco transformer in our subdivision was hit by lightning.
It turned out that, our house and only our house had the blackout. The lightning hit the tegula roof of our roof garden. Considering the exploding bomb-like sound, it was a wonder of wonder that only two tiles were blown off, splattered all over and leaving just enough gaping hole on our rooftop for us to see a small space of sky directly on top our head.
And the most divine wonder of it all was that the lightning strike failed to fry me while I was steaming fish in the kitchen and my daughter who was sleeping in her room on the second floor and closer to the blasted spot.
As I write this I still can’t fathom the enormity of the Protective Hand of God who shielded our house and us from the tons of electric volts which came very close to strike.
It turned out that, our house and only our house had the blackout. The lightning hit the tegula roof of our roof garden. Considering the exploding bomb-like sound, it was a wonder of wonder that only two tiles were blown off, splattered all over and leaving just enough gaping hole on our rooftop for us to see a small space of sky directly on top our head.
And the most divine wonder of it all was that the lightning strike failed to fry me while I was steaming fish in the kitchen and my daughter who was sleeping in her room on the second floor and closer to the blasted spot.
As I write this I still can’t fathom the enormity of the Protective Hand of God who shielded our house and us from the tons of electric volts which came very close to strike.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Praying w/ Val, My Third Child
My third child, Val–he’s now a dashing man of 29– slept over. Before leaving early this morning, we prayed together thus:
“Dear Lord thank you for this rare chance of sleeping together with my son in this home where the children grew up. And thank you for helping us get up with our faculties intact, with us capable of continuing with our dreams, with the strength and resources to pursue them.”
Mom: “Continue to cover my son with your mantle of protection and hugs of love and affection that he may feel your presence wherever he goes, whatever he does and make him feel he is always loved. Touch him with your healing love, every part of his body, especially his eyes and pancreas...and his soul... and bless him with the power to do what is right for himself, for his associates, friends, loved ones and all others..”
Val: “Amen”
“Dear Lord thank you for this rare chance of sleeping together with my son in this home where the children grew up. And thank you for helping us get up with our faculties intact, with us capable of continuing with our dreams, with the strength and resources to pursue them.”
Mom: “Continue to cover my son with your mantle of protection and hugs of love and affection that he may feel your presence wherever he goes, whatever he does and make him feel he is always loved. Touch him with your healing love, every part of his body, especially his eyes and pancreas...and his soul... and bless him with the power to do what is right for himself, for his associates, friends, loved ones and all others..”
Val: “Amen”
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