Blogger for GOD

ATE MARISSA: A WOMAN OF GREAT FAITH

2021-06-20T10:22:00.003-07:00

ATE in the Filipino language means, “older sister.” Growing up as a child, I would always look up to my older siblings. Definitely, I look up to my Ate Marissa. When I was young, I would remember her always accompanying me to Pasig supermarket where we would buy stuffs for me to sell. As a child, I already had this inclination to sell and save money. Maybe because I felt the need to do this being raised in a poor family. My Ate Marissa was always there to support me. I always look forward to our market day because she would always treat me for delicious snacks which I always felt excited about.

When we reached high school, I witnessed how she tried to explore teenage things which I found quite different but I never judged her at all. I was naive and shy then and I did not take the courage to ask and talk to her about it. I still see her as my Ate Marissa. She may have done things she wanted to experience at her young age but she never influenced or invited me to join her and do the same. That was a chapter in her life where she needed to change her environment, which by the grace of GOD helped her to be a better person. It was the time I saw her bloom like a beautiful flower where she discovered great things about herself which really changed her for the better. She gained many friends and at the same time she was able to establish meaningful friendships. Also, this was the time she experienced being liked and courted by the opposite sex. Honestly, it made me feel very happy and proud of her at that time seeing her change for the better. I even remember all the memorable pictures she showed me from a birthday party where she looked very beautiful as a young lady.

From that time on, she has developed a level of maturity as a person, which motivated her to help and support our beloved mother. We would wake up very early in the morning to buy food supplies at our favorite supermarket for our “karinderia” or mini-restaurant. We helped out in marketing, food preparation, cooking, washing of dishes, and selling of food until we closed late in the evening. We had to sleep only for few hours as we had to do it again the next day. It was a mundane activity that was quite exhausting and tiring but we did not have a choice because we needed to do it to help our beloved mother. My Ate Marissa cooked like a master chef. Our customers would always buy and ask the ingredients we use as they really found the taste very delicious, especially her goto. Ate Marissa never complained at all doing this laborious work to the point where she had to cook two to three times a day.

Finally, she was blessed enough to be given a chance to work as a professional since my Ate Marissa has earned a college degree. She had work experiences which I believe made her feel good and proud of herself as well. In fact, I remember the times where she would treat me during her payday. I deeply appreciated it a lot because for me it was an expression of love from my beloved, Ate Marissa. She did other menial jobs to earn money as a support to our parents.

Time flew very fast, as it seemed like in no time at all, she met her husband (Kuya Efren) in Batangas where she joined her friends for a summer vacation. Kuya Efren noticed her because he found her friendly and quite talkative which he said was his opposite. From that day on, he never cut the communication and let go of the opportunity. Distance was never been a problem at all as he would travel from Batangas to Taguig just to be with my Ate Marissa. Thus, they fell in love with each other and decided to tie the knot and raise their own family.

Just like other newlyweds, they had their own share of struggles and challenges but they were able to overcome it by God’s grace. Ate Marissa showed a great deal of perseverance, patience, humility, love and faith as it was very tough and hard for her together with her husband to raise their family. Having to make ends meet, her family was able to rise above all these challenges and they are living a better life now. Her eldest daughter and son are both working professionally while her youngest son is an academic achiever.

In the year 2016, Ate Marissa was diagnosed with colon cancer. It shocked the whole family as we never expected this to happen at all. Our family does not have any history of this dreaded disease. This is the biggest challenge that Ate Marissa had to face together with the whole family. Immediately, she had to undergo operation as we know how fast the cancer cells can spread. She had her operation in Tarlac City under the care of our eldest sister, Ate Aida together with the support of her family. After her medical operation, her life has totally changed. This was the turning point of her life where she surrendered herself to the LORD and eventually found herself leading prayer groups such as block rosary and the Divine Mercy. Also, she would not hesitate at all to share her experience to people because GOD performed miracle on her by letting her survive her major operations and other series of medical consultations and operations which she had all undergone with strong faith and joy from the LORD. Physically, she suffered much pain and fatigue but her faith in GOD made her believe that everything shall pass and she will be okay. She was able to display a very positive attitude with joy and happiness as if she was not sick at all.

Her faith in and love of GOD and her devotion to our blessed Mother Mary moved her to do noble things which she did not tell anyone at all including her family. She would go to poor places to share her blessings. Also, she would remember people without any occasion and would give whatever she could to help them survive even for a day. During Christmas seasons, she would gather children in front of her house and she would give them presence. She would always say, “GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES!” which became her mantra in life especially in helping other people. Through her great faith in and love for GOD she never got tired of reaching out to as many people and in joining them in their propagation and devotion to the Divine Mercy and our Lady of Fatima, which became her ministry.

Eventually, she influenced many people to love and serve the LORD through her ministry. In fact, a lady whom she invited to join the Divine Mercy confessed that she was a gambling addict. Through Ate Marissa’s persistence and invitation for her to join the Divine Mercy, she stopped gambling and had committed herself to the LORD by regularly joining the prayer group for the Divine Mercy. She inspired, encouraged and motivated a lot of people to pray the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet. I am a witness to how my beloved sister genuinely loved and served the LORD with all her mind, heart, strength and spirit. I am sure that she made our LORD very happy and proud of what she done in her life.

On April 5, 2021, my Ate Marissa joined our beloved Creator as she passed away with a smiling face, as if she was happy knowing that she would finally have a chance to meet GOD and MAMA MARY in heaven. She even said, “There is Joy in Suffering” that is why she mentioned to her children that may GOD give her more pain as she wanted to offer it to HIM.

Ate Marissa, I know that you have lived a good life. You may have done things which people may dislike but I have realized that you have done everything because of your great love for your family. For that, your husband and three children have loved you very much. I am very happy and more than proud of what you have accomplished here on Earth. You never complained and questioned GOD with all the pain and sufferings you went through. You showed great faith and love in GOD by loving, serving and praying for others.

I will surely miss you every single day Ate Marissa but I know in GOD’s time we will see each other again. I feel happy knowing that I have an angel sister now who will guide, protect and pray for me. Thank you for all the love and for every single moment we spent and shared together because I learned from it. Until we meet again, Ate Marissa.

Lessons of 2020

2021-01-06T14:36:00.003-08:00

What lessons did you learn from the year 2020?

Is this really a very important question to be asked after everything that had happened in the year 2020? Do we really mean it when we ask others this question? What about the lessons we learned from this past year that may be worth reflecting and sharing? As known to most of us, a lot of tragedies and tragic incidents took place this year- the bushfire in Australia, the Taal Volcano eruption, the explosion in Beirut, airplane crashes in Iran and Pakistan, the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, social unrest over the killing of George Floyd, and the series of typhoons that hit the country and most especially the unprecedented COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that has been affecting the whole world up to the present. These are just some of the many heart-breaking incidents that caused many lives to perish, which hammered hurt and pain in the heart and in the memory of many, especially those who were directly affected and became direct or indirect victims of these obnoxious events. Thinking of all these incidents, it is hard to comprehend how human beings were able to rise up from these challenges despite the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual traumas they have all face.

In retrospect, let us altogether narrate some of the many lessons that we can pick up from these unforgettable incidents which I believe we can really ponder and seriously consider applying in our daily lives, whatever we think is worth reflecting and sharing.

First, the love for Mother Earth that was clearly evident during the height of the pandemic. It was reported that our atmosphere was transformed for a while from being polluted to being clean and clear. Our planet that was created by our God Almighty for us to love and protect which the human race is slowly destroying and killing has been flashed in the mainstream news as a big revelation and reminder for all of us.

Second, the love for human life and health which many of us have been concerned about if not overly concerned about, where such love and concern were brought forth by this health crisis. Many people are now engaging themselves into physical activities and observing the food that they eat daily. For a while, many people have appeared to be hypochondriac. Just a simple cough and itchiness of throat, people become paranoid, thinking that they might have been infected by the corona virus.

The love for family and relationships which people have learned to value more and at the same time realized the importance of spending more and quality time with their respective family.

Ultimately, the love of GOD and loving others as central and core value of human life. People turn to GOD to pray and ask for protection, forgiveness from all sins, and blessings to survive and provide for their daily needs as many have lost their jobs and the lives of their loved ones.

You might want to reflect and think about the lessons you have learned from the past year. Lessons are intended for us to be reminded to do what is good for ourselves and for others. I hope that whatever lessons we learned from the year 2020, they will motivate and inspire us to do what is good and pleasing to GOD! Let us all continue to learn and gain lessons from the year 2020, which I sincerely believe, are telling a big message for all of us that we can capture as guides and codes to live by.

How about you? What lessons did you learn from the past year?

"New Normal"

2020-04-30T22:33:00.002-07:00

The term “new normal” is apparently the most popular and novel term being used nowadays brought about by COVID-19 pandemic. The so-called normal which means conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected has somewhat changed and it might change for a long period of time if not for a lifetime. The things we have been accustomed to do on a regular basis since the day we were born have seemingly changed. The way we do things from home, work, school and other personal activities we engage ourselves in have now likely changed to a “new normal.”

The preoccupation of people to this pandemic, from ordinary citizens, public servants, professionals, parents, students, millennial, Gen Z and to all people from all walks of life is going through a turbulent phase, a phase that many cannot adapt themselves yet to it. When COVID-19 became prevalent and started overwhelming the whole world, everyone was physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually shaken and challenged. It was like a roaring sound of thunder that reverberates to the ears, which made many people go frantic. As a matter of fact, it was reported that Thomas Schaefer, the finance minister of Germany’s Hesse state, has committed suicide apparently after becoming “deeply worried” over how to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Also, on March 25, 2020, after returning from Dhaka, a 36-year-old Bangladeshi man (Zahidul Islam, from the village of Ramchandrapur) committed suicide because he and the people in his village thought he was infected with COVID-19 based on his fever and cold symptoms and his weight loss (Somoy News, 2020). Due to the social avoidance and attitudes by others around him, he committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the village near his house. Unfortunately, the autopsy showed that the victim did not have COVID-19.

In this light, an article written by Leah Royden entitled, “A new normal: What does it mean to "get over" the loss of a loved one?”, she explains that almost anything is ‘normal’ following the trauma of losing forever someone we loved in life, and continue to love through the agony of their absence.

For most people, however, their "normal" (albeit incredibly disturbing and upsetting) grief symptoms largely dissipate within 18 months. While the griever has not necessarily ‘moved on’, the most acutely painful sensations have shifted. As researchers Jordan & Litz put it, over time, “The griever is able to come to an acceptance of irrevocably changed circumstances and re-engage in life.”

So if you’re grieving, know that you’ll most likely return to a place of psychological well-being and a "new normal" in time—but the key word here is "new." The truth in the phrase "you never get over it" lies in the fact that you will never again be the ‘old’ you—the person you were when your loved one was alive.

We are, to a large extent, created in the relationships we have with others. We bring forth different parts of ourselves with each and every person we share our lives with. We are a certain way with them, they are a certain way with us, and we are a certain way together. We mirror each other, we reflect one another back.

In essence, part of us have changed to a “new normal” as reality tells us that we cannot go back anymore to normal because of the physical loss of a loved one which in the process changes part of us.

Furthermore, due to the increasing negative impact of this pandemic to human life, academic and business institutions and religious practices and ceremonies have already changed as it has to consider the welfare of people. The normal way we do things in this regard has been changed to the so-called “new normal.” Let us try to decipher on the current situation happening at present as we live in this “new normal” era.

When the government started to implement various ways and means to protect the lives of people, a lockdown was instantly imposed. At the beginning, it was not that strict yet as people could still go out and do their normal activities. However, as the number of COVID-19 patient increases, the government realized that it has to implement strictly the lockdown and in a bigger scope. From community quarantine to enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine, experts and government leaders are giving labels as to how quarantine will be implemented to a certain district or region. Under these different quarantine strategy and mechanism, there are scopes and limitations people can operate and do in a specific area and time. In effect, people are somewhat complaining, squabbling, articulating, criticizing and reacting to this “new normal” that is inevitable which we all have to adapt ourselves to.

People are praying and guessing when this pandemic will be over. For now, we can only rely and depend on experts to tell us when this will be all over. Since this is still a big enigma for many, the Department of Health has just reminded us again of another “new normal” that we have to continue doing consistently on a daily basis which serves as preventive measures as follow: frequently washing of hands with soap and water, wearing of face mask every time you go out of your house and physical or social distancing (1 meter apart). All of us are still adapting and adjusting to this “new normal” and at the same time waiting for other precautionary measures and safety practices that we have to do while we are living and coping with this pandemic crisis.

The “new normal” is obviously here to help and support us as we continue to live our lives with hope and positivity that one day this pandemic crisis will be totally over. As we gradually submit ourselves to the “new normal” way of living, let us always be reminded that this is all for our safety and security. No matter how other people can’t understand and the worst accept this “new normal”, one thing is definitely for sure, we may or may not go back to our real and normal way we live our lives, hence, we should always be ready and open for a “new normal” to come into our lives.

COVID-19 Heals

2020-04-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a month since the Philippine government declared the whole of Luzon under Enhanced Community Quarantine or in simple term lockdown. At the early stage, I thought that this was something that would immediately disappear. I was even able to hang out and meet my friends to play badminton and do my regular work and church activities. However, I was taken aghast to hear in the news that this virus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, in the wink of an eye has turned into a pandemic, which means “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people.” It then dawned on me that this COVID-19 is a very serious matter.

Before this pandemic happens, people simply tried to live their life by doing things that would made them survived on a daily basis. Needless to say, everyone was concerned and preoccupied with work to earn and be able to provide for their personal and family needs. On a larger scale, big companies in the world continued to expand their businesses obviously to earn money and acquire wealth that perhaps would make them feel as little gods. Do you think they have thought or have given attention to the impact their businesses could have to human life? I remember the documentary film by Al Gore entitled “An Inconvenient Truth.” At the beginning, a very beautiful and breath taking picture of the planet Earth was shown. From the illustration, the Earth looks very clean and virgin as colour blue dominating the image of our planet gives a very relaxing and soothing sight and feeling. Thereafter, the film presents us with the current dismal reality: the air that we breathe in is very dirty and polluted and apparently human beings have already acclimatized themselves to this reality. Our flora and fauna are endangered and are slowly dying. The beautiful creation that was given to us to protect and love, we have abused and raped for clandestine reasons.

Our current generation has seen that human activities have greatly destroyed if not killed values and cultures that are supposed to be preserved with the hope of spreading and maintaining it as a legacy from our ancestors and pass it from generation to generation. The thinkers would say that everything in this world evolves that is why things change. I agree that things change because that is the only permanent occurrence in this world but the question is what kind of change is happening in this world? If you try to do your little research at the tip of your fingers using your mobile phone you would discover what actually is happening in the world. As a matter of fact, the Philippines has been number one in the following arenas: We are the number one country in terms of graft and corruption; teenage pregnancy; and now for COVID-19 infected cases compared to our neighbour countries in the ASEAN. Also, we have been declared as the texting capital of the world and a country that has more mobile connection compared to its population.

Globally, many things have totally changed. People from different countries have fought for what they call human rights because they believe they deserve to be recognized, respected, included and accepted in the society. Abortion, same sex marriages, divorce, territorial dispute, economic competition and turbulence, civil war, political dispute, and religious beliefs and practices are some of the many social issues that have totally changed which people have fought for and are still fighting for across the world. Leaders from many countries have approved and made legal some of these social issues to feed the so-called human needs and the ego-seeking mind of people for human equality and freedom.

Another equally important issue that needs to be mentioned in the open is the current status of Catholic religion in some European countries. In countries like England, Netherland and Switzerland they have converted their churches into mini-department store, theatre and skating area. In fact, some churches are treated now as tourist spot because of its majestic and archaic structure only good for selfies and groupies for many tourists. Have you heard of the terms Nones and Dones? Josh Packard, Associate Professor from the Department of Sociology from University of Northern Colorado introduced these terms. Nones are those who, when asked about their religious affiliation indicated that they had none. They have rejected a religious identity or affiliation while Dones, a less defined category, are those who consider themselves “done” with church. They have not lost their faith but no longer attend church. You may have had a conversation with people who identify as “spiritual but not religious.” Not to mention the increasing number of people who chose to be atheist or non-believer.

The great philosopher Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living!” Have we spent time thinking and reflecting on a deeper level why this is happening to us? Have we thought of the real reason behind this? What do we think are the lessons we can get from this unprecedented event? Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Do you agree that this is all written in the Holy Bible?

Whatever answer you may have to any of these questions, I would like to believe that COVID-19 is here to heal. Why did I say so? Allow me to share my reflections and insights about this pandemic crisis that the world is facing today.

For the first time, the lockdown implemented in all countries affected by the COVID-19 has helped our environment to be clean especially the air that we breathe in. People have noticed the clean and clear blue skies because now it emanates true and captivating colours as it was cleared from toxic gaseous elements. Also, the gigantic cross from Mt. Samat located in Bataan can now be clearly seen from Manila with the aid of binoculars. This only shows that the poisonous chemicals floating in the air were lessened because very few vehicles are allowed to travel every day. Isn’t it something that we really wanted to experience? Our atmosphere was reportedly clean for the first time. Giant companies and rich people manufacturing and acquiring a lot of vehicles hopefully can learn something from this positive change. It may sound crazy but it takes a virus to clean our atmosphere where we get our oxygen to breathe and survive.

People have started to become obsessive-compulsive as everyone was advised to frequently wash hands and disinfect all the things commonly touched by our hands to avoid contamination from the virus. Also, we need to wear face mask in order to protect ourselves from getting infected or infecting others in case we have acquired the virus. Needless to say, people all over the world have likely realized the importance of cleanliness both physically and environmentally. There is a saying that goes this way, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness!” A very important habit that we should all be religiously practicing but we only realized to do it now because of COVID-19.

With the preoccupation and attention given by people to all temporal things available around us, many have confessed that they have more time now with their loved ones. Parents have more time with their children and hopefully children have more time with their parents as well instead of indulging too much on their gadgets. Families keep themselves busy at home by trying to do family bonding activities like exercising, playing games, cooking and eating healthy food, watching movies through Netflix, and most especially praying intimately. They feel more bonded and closer with each other as they stay home together every day.

Death brought about by COVID-19 has been a very painful experience to many families. Losing someone you dearly love is far beyond words and human feelings, which is very difficult to comprehend and accept. Frontliners, young and old people alike, have been victims to this pandemic but the lives of these people especially those who died to rescue lives definitely did not go in vain. They are true heroes who are not dauntless to face the danger of losing their lives in the midst of helping and saving others’ lives. It may be a heart breaking experience for those people who lost their loved ones but in the process, it tries to heal a part of their inner being, which hopefully helps them to become a better, stronger and independent person as they continue to go on with their lives without their loved ones. Hopefully, people have realized the true importance of spending quality time with people dear to us while they are alive.

Finally, COVID-19 seemingly has sprinkled water to the spiritual dryness of many people. It is very rare that you see Facebook walls being flooded with messages and photos that inspire the soul. Normally, you would see pictures and videos about vacation spots, shoes, perfumes, clothes, inappropriate acts, Tiktok videos, and all sorts of seemingly egocentric activities. Apparently, COVID-19 has moved people to reflect and pray. Different kinds of prayers like prayer requests, prayer of forgiveness, prayer of supplication, prayer of gratitude, and other kinds of prayers are posted repeatedly. Also, pictures of Jesus, Mother Mary, Saints, Angels, and all other holy images can be seen every single newsfeed. Seemingly, people have realized that only by faith in GOD and constant and unceasing prayers will help end this pandemic crisis. However, do you think we would still see as much prayers and holy images on Facebook after this is all over?

The virtue of patience and obedience are likely to be very important as people during this quarantine period tend to get bored and restless. Surprisingly, there are others who are able to embrace and exercise these values but there are some who just can’t fathom the importance of patience and obedience even with the threat to life by this COVID-19. Hopefully, this COVID-19 has truly impacted and deepened the faith and relationship with GOD of people all over the world. After all, this is what we heard and continuously hear from people saying every day, PRAY, PRAY and PRAY.

It may sound bizarre or ironic but I believe that COVID-19 is healing the human race from indifference, eccentricity, lavishness and sinfulness. It bonds families, it teaches positive values, like generosity and compassion and love for health and life. I fervently hope and pray that after this is over, each one of us would be able to live with all our heart and soul the lesson this COVID-19 is teaching and healing in us. Let us not wait for another virus outbreak to attack us just for us to show how valuable life is.

In Psalm 121:7-8 it says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Stay safe everyone and may GOD truly dwells in our hearts all the days of our life!

Counseling: A Ministry Not A Job

2017-08-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

My career as a Counselor started way back 1997 when my professor in the graduate school invited me to apply as a University Counselor in one of the biggest universities in Manila. At that time, I just wanted to study because I felt bored in the mundane world of being an office employee. I never thought that I would end up working as a Counselor for twenty years now.

Looking back, I never realized that I would do this job of listening to people’s problems from all walks of life. When I was a high school student, I remember having the patience and perseverance to listen to different stories of people whether sad, happy, funny, and even the most inane story you could ever imagine. As I grow older, I was still caught in situations wherein I have to listen to people. I remember working out in the gym and the instructor ended up telling me his personal stories. With friends, they would usually confide to me their experiences whether good or bad. With all these things that happened in my life, I have come to a realization that GOD has actually prepared me to do a job which I actually see as a ministry.

One of the many inspiring experiences I would never forget was when I volunteered as a Counseling Psychologist in a drug rehabilitation located in the far-flung area of Bulacan in the Philippines. I would remember all the moments I had counseled every single drug dependent in that rehab center. These people who are labeled as addict, evil, rapist, murderer and all other pejorative and degrading words you could think of are now being seen by the society as useless human beings. These kind of people especially now in my country is seen as a menace to society and that all of them deserved to be killed. How I wish that you would have a chance to know and genuinely listen to their stories for you to understand why they do things that they are not supposed to do. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

One day my student was crying in deep pain sharing that he was expelled from school due to academic failures. He tried his very best to study well but sadly he was not able to meet the academic standards of his course. Also, I recall the time when my student confessed that her father attempted to sexually molest her. It gave me an indescribable feeling because it was first time in my life to listen to such a story and counsel a young girl who was going through a terrible and despicable experience of her life.

At the end of each day, I would always go to GOD’s chapel to pray and ask for HIS help as I know that I could not do it alone by myself as HE is my only ONE and TRUE Counselor who could help all these broken hearted and helpless people. In Isaiah 9:6 it says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Ultimately, I know that I am accountable to my Great Counselor above, whom I strongly believe has given me this ministry and the gift to touch people’s lives and to help them become a person that God wanted them to be through my counseling. It is my hope and prayer that by our personal experiences of GOD’s love and compassion, we may also be moved to counsel people around us who would be in need of help.

May GOD our COUNSELOR and KING be always our source of love, inspiration and wisdom in our humble desire to serve our fellowmen through our chosen ministry. Whatever you do, wherever you may be, there will always be people around you, who might be in need of your help.

May GOD bless your kind and loving heart!

I have CONTROL!

2017-08-18T05:19:00.003-07:00

Gluttony (Latin: gula), derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items. In Christianity, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food causes it to be withheld from the needy.

I believe that many of us have witnessed, know someone or perhaps you yourself is in this kind of situation whereby you don’t have control over consumption of food, drink or even acquisition of wealth items. Apparently, there is an issue of weak if not lack of control over these things. In psychology, the ego just wanted to feed the desire of the id that the super ego is weak and don’t have control over it. Needless to say, there are underlying reasons for someone to overly indulge himself to these kinds of material things.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that approximately eight million people in the U.S. have anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and related eating disorders. Eight million people represent about three percent (3%) of the total population. On the other hand, according to WHO, worldwide alcohol causes 1.8 million deaths (3.2% of total) and 58.3 million (4% of total) of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Unintentional injuries alone account for about one third of the 1.8 million deaths, while neuro-psychiatric conditions account for close to 40% of the 58.3 million DALYs. In this regard, the life of many people is in jeopardy as this phenomenon continues to rise.

The great Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology was once asked, “What do you think will solve the problem of people who are addicted to drugs and into other forms of addiction?” He replied, “The person has to recognize and be in communion with his Supreme Being for him to be able to control his addiction.”

In Proverbs 23:20-21 warns us, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Likewise, in Proverbs 28:7 declares, “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.”

I remember my personal struggle which I shared to my community where I have acquired a lot of shoes, clothes and watches. I am not proud sharing this but I know the reason why I have accumulated such a large amount of these material things. I also remember my counselee telling me that he hates his mother for being to obsess with branded stuff like Louis Vuitton, Prada and the like.

I know that many of us are exposed to all these material things which sometimes separate us from GOD. We cannot control our earthly desire to consume and collect as it gives us a good feeling and sense of pride as a human being. But with GOD, we all know that we can control everything if we truly put our mind, heart and soul into everything that we do. I remember the saying, “In everything you do put GOD first and HE will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”

Let it be our prayer and recite every day, “I have CONTROL because GOD is with me!”

Marcelo: My One and Only Uncle!

2014-06-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

Uncle, Tiyo, Tito, Tata are some of the endearing names we call our uncle in the Philippines. But for my family, we call our one and only uncle, Tata Elo or Telo for short. Tata Elo is the first cousin of my Inang (mother) as both their mothers are siblings.

According to my Inang, my uncle lost his parents at a very young age. He lived with his sister for a while but because of personal issues and conflicts my uncle had to leave. Thus, he walked for 5 to 8 hours going to the place of my Inang. Every time he would share it, he cannot imagine having to survive it and be able to walk for very long hours without eating and drinking at all. Tata Elo would usually share that vivid experience he had which will be forever in his mind.

Since Tata Elo only finished Grade 3, he can only land a job decent enough for him to earn for a living. He worked as a factory worker in a textile company near our residence in Taguig. I can say that he has enjoyed his work as he has showed his love and dedication to his job.

I will never forget the very first movie I have watched at Pinoy Theater in Pasig together with him. It was a very exciting and happy experience for me as it was my first time to be in a movie house. Also, he would bring me together with my youngest brother to a church in San Pedro Laguna, even if he knew that I would vomit because I usually get dizzy from a long travel.

Tata Elo as an uncle played multiple roles in my family. He would be a father and at the same time mother as well. I recall the time when I got sick and he wanted me to drink medicine. It was very difficult for me as he was instructing me to swallow it with a banana. I was crying like a baby while trying very hard to swallow it. When he asked me to put my tongue out, he got very mad because the banana was gone while the medicine was still in my mouth. Whew! That was a hard but loving moment I had with Tata Elo.

As I grew older, it was my chance to show my love, concern and service to him. I will never ever forget the time when I brought him to a public hospital for his eye cataract operation. We commuted going back and forth of the hospital. We have to ride a sidecar going out of the place. The road was like a moon crater flooded with water. The driver lost control of the sidecar and swerved down on the road with muddy water. I was shocked and don’t know what to do as I have to protect his eyes because it was newly operated. I felt very sorry for Tata Elo because I cannot give him the best service at that time.

Every time we would visit his doctor for his eye check-up, he seems to feel good and excited about it as Tata Elo is one person who loves to go out and roam around. Maybe because he was deprived of these opportunities when he was young. I felt good and happy seeing him enjoying every single fun time we spent together. He requested that I bring him to Manila Zoo and Luneta which I did together with my nephews and nieces. We also visited the National library and while we were moving around the museum, I heard a very loud sound like a big stone that fell from a tall building. I was taken aghast to see Tata Elo on the floor like a baby because he fell off from an elevated stage. Thank GOD he was not hurt at all. GOD must really love my Tata Elo very much.

Knowing how he lived a poor and hard life, it was my dream for Telo to ride in an airplane. I would narrate to him how beautiful the blue clouds and the big ocean and all other God and man made creation our eyes could ever see from above. Finally, the day came when I was blessed to have the means to give him his first experience to fly. I can see the happiness and excitement in his eyes as we got inside the airplane and slowly fly up to the air. My heart was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude as I finally realized my dream for Tata Elo. We went to the beautiful island of Bohol where we visited century old churches, the majestic Chocolate hills and had our first floating restaurant experience while listening to the angelic voices of the Lomboc children's choir. I never heard and felt my Tata Elo complain during our whole trip and he even said that he wanted to go to Palawan for our next trip.

With all the happy and loving moments I had with Tata Elo, I will try my best to emulate three things that he has shared to me. First, being happy all the time without complain. He has always been very happy and I never heard him complain about his condition in life despite his being single. Second, his unconditional love to serve us especially Inang. He never got tired of serving us until the time he aged. Third, his commitment and dedication to love GOD through his daily mass and praying of the holy rosary as his devotion to the blessed Mother Mary.

Tata Elo, you have shared your life to us and I will never ever forget every single moment I had with you. I am very thankful to GOD for having you in my life as you have influenced and inspired me in many ways. You are my one and only uncle that GOD has given me and for that I felt very blessed.

I know that in GOD’s loving time I will see you again Tata Elo and I can’t wait to hug and kiss you and spend happy moments together and hear you laugh and talk in your “ngongo” way. See you in heaven Telo. Thank you for everything.

Where Is Your Faith Now?

2014-04-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Faith simply means as confidence or trust in a person. In a human relationship, we can only put our faith and trust in someone we are interested in or experienced good things and kind treatment from that person. If things go wrong, then our faith slowly dwindles up to the point of losing our interest, love, and respect to the person we put our faith and trust in. Sometimes people even lose their sanity and ruin their lives because the faith they have valued, treasured and nurtured for someone they cared for was tarnished, broken or not reciprocated.

From a Christian perspective, faith is an act of trust and of self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of Him in whom they believe.

According to Lumen Fidei, it categorically states that faith illuminating life means Christ affecting our life and our convictions. Indeed a christification of our life and commitments, convictions and values are called for. It is in this sense, "Faith in Christ brings salvation because in Him our lives become radically open to a love that precedes us, a love that transforms us from within, acting in us and through us." (Cf. Chapter 1, no. 20.) The encyclical is clear: What is communicated in the Church, what is handed down in her living Tradition, is the new light born of an encounter with the true God, a light which touches us at the core of our being and engages our minds, wills and emotions, opening us to relationships lived in communion.

In fact, the heart of the message which Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith) communicates provides an assurance that both consoles and consolidates the faith community by calling its attention towards a genuine awareness of the gift of faith- who is Christ Jesus Himself.

As it is clearly defined and presented by the Catholic Church, the very core of faith is Christ Jesus himself. He is the ONE and ONLY reason for us to live a faithful life. In the holy mass, we are all called faithful that gather and pray together to declare and affirm our love and devotion to God, our loving and faithful Father.

In reality, faith seems to be a neglected and slowly dying gift instituted by God to humanity. People nowadays are likely to be succumbed to all forms of self-serving and self-fulfilling activities that only gives earthly and temporal pleasures and happiness. A lot of intellectualization and rationalization are consumed by human beings to explain their enormous and selfish desire to things they wanted to do not realizing that they are slowly walking to a path of oblivion. Seemingly, they are putting their faith to the outside world where GOD is out of the equation.

In my life, I have all faith in God that He will always provide and bless me and my family especially in moments of need. I have proven many times that God has always prepared something especial and great for me that I just have to patiently wait and work hard for it. God has impressed in my heart and in my mind that no matter what happens, His plans for me will always be wonderful. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says,” For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Now I ask you, “Where is your faith now?”

Are you afraid of JUDGMENT DAY?

2014-01-27T21:51:00.001-08:00

Judgment day, Dooms day, End of the World, the Rapture, Armageddon, these are just some of the many terms we associate in the second coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. These words obviously solicit different thoughts and feelings from people. Most of them express their feelings of fear because they think that it is the last day of their lives and death is inevitable. Rarely, I hear people say; “I am excited” or “I am very happy”. We imagine it as one scary scenario where there is no place for us to go. But why do many people afraid of the Judgment day?

For many Filipinos, singing is not just a hobby but a passion, a way of life. I remember myself at a very young age of four standing on top of a milk can holding a “sipit” (a long wooden object use for hanging clothes) as my microphone while singing the song “May Bagong Silang”. Eventually, I see myself joining singing competitions. I will never forget the first time I participated in a singing contest in my hometown. When the emcee was about to call my name, my knees were shaking, my tongue was getting dried as if I was choking, I wanted to go to the toilet to pee even if I know I don’t need it and my whole body was feeling weak. Finally, my name was called. I went up to the stage and belt out my contest piece. It was like the end of the world for me. Now I wonder if I would feel the same way when the judgment day comes.

Losing both my parents in the year 2010 and my uncle in December 2013, were the most painful and depressing moments of my life. I was heartbroken and I felt that it was the end of the world for me because the three most important people I loved and cared so much were gone. I have this feeling that I will never see them again for a very long time and that makes me feel inadequate.

Judgment Day! Now I feel blessed that there is “Judgment Day”. “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God”. (1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV) I feel blessed because this is the great opportunity for me to be commended by GOD and to see my loved ones again and most especially to be with GOD in heaven. Ate Lily, one of the holiest persons I met in my life who lives in the Philippines said, “We should have the longing in our hearts to see GOD and that will only happen at the end of this life”.

Are you afraid of the Judgment day? I can wholeheartedly say now that I am glad for this day to come. Everyone will have the opportunity to be with their loved ones again and most especially GOD who is the ONE and TRUE reason why we are all trying our best to live a good and humane life.

As we continue to live our life, let us make the most out of every single time we spend with people around us. When the judgment day comes, we can humbly face GOD with anticipation and say, “LORD, I am here your humble servant. I am ready to accept your judgment. I am not afraid because I know that Your will for me is to be with You in heaven”. Amen!

Thy Mercy

2013-08-15T23:51:00.002-07:00

It seems that for many Christians we have an understanding that heaven is only for the sinless and holy people. If that is the case, then only few or no one would be able to go to heaven and be with God for eternity.

I remember having a likely intellectual discussion with my friend about God and salvation. I have quantified the basis of God’s discernment for choosing someone to be with Him in heaven. However, my friend said that it is in God’s mercy that we can have eternal life. I was quite upset to hear it because it appears to be unfair for someone who is trying his best to be a good person by avoiding sins and temptations and yet it is possible for a sinful person to be in heaven because of God’s mercy and compassion.

Mercy is defined as love toward those that are miserable, those that are wretched, and those that need some type of help or assistance. Having compassion on those that are in any way hurting is only the first part of having mercy. Doing something about it, is the all important second part.

The Corporal Works of Mercy such as feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, comfort the imprisoned, visit the sick, and bury the dead while the Spiritual Works of Mercy like admonish sinners, instruct the uninformed, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, be patient with those in error, forgive offenses, and pray for the living and the dead are the ways by which God wanted us to show and share His mercy to our fellowmen.

The story of the two thieves crucified on the cross together with Jesus Christ is a perfect example of God’s mercy and compassion. When God said to Dimas, “Today you shall be with me in paradise,” is apparently a genuine manifestation of God’s great love and mercy to a sinner who at the very moment was blessed by God to be with Him in heaven. Also, when the blessed Pope John Paul II was attempted to be assassinated, he visited the person in the prison cell who tried to kill him and lovingly and mercifully hugged him and forgave him from what he did. It was truly a beautiful expression of God’s loving mercy.

Looking back at the sharing I had with my friend, I realized that God’s love and mercy is infinite and cannot be measured nor be quantified by space and time. It is endless and unfathomable that not even the greatest theologian in the world can ever comprehend.

It is my ardent hope and prayer that as children of God we can continuously live a life full of mercy and compassion especially to those who need most of it.

The 5^th Beautitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

P.S. I Love You

2013-08-15T23:41:00.002-07:00

Prayer as simply defined by Fr. Thomas Green, SJ in his book Opening to God, is “The opening of our minds to God.” If I may add, prayer is not only opening of our minds to God but at the same time lifting our hearts to Him as well. It is in prayer that we are able to communicate and express our deepest thoughts and feelings to God. It is where we empty both our minds and hearts so that the spirit and love of God may dwell in us. Prayer in its highest form is our way of communing to God for us to think, see, feel and realize what God wanted us to do in our lives.

Scriptures is one of the several names denoting the inspired writings which make up the Old and New Testament. The bible is a holy book where we can find all the stories about God from His commandments, teachings, miracles, sufferings, persecution and also stories of ordinary people just like us who have witnessed, followed and lived a life according to God’s perfect example.

It is through prayer that we offer and surrender everything to God and it is by reading the scriptures that we are able to get to know and discover our true God. Thus, we can say that prayers and scriptures are ways and means by which we can wholeheartedly fulfill our being of existence. We cannot just pray alone without getting to know who are we really praying for and we cannot just read the scriptures without emulating the life of God by living His holy teachings.

Every time I go to church on a Sunday, I consider it a blessed opportunity to be a part of a community of people that prays to God. As I pray with them, I can feel that there is great joy and love that overflows from each individual which I am very sure God feels very good about.

I remember in one of the books I have read entitled “Embraced by the Light” by Betty J. Eadie, she narrated how she witnessed people pray whereby she described it like a shooting star that goes up to heaven very fast in multitude because of millions of people pray. She said that our prayer can be immediately granted by God because He is bombarded with a lot of prayers. It will surely be an awe inspiring experience to witness how all our prayers go up to heaven being received by God.

On the other hand, one sad reality for many Catholics is that we rarely read the bible or perhaps we don’t read it at all. Maybe this is a reason why many of our fellow Catholics were converted to other faiths because of the lack of knowledge of who God really is in the context of our Catholic faith. Again, we cannot just pray without reading the Scriptures and we cannot just read the Scriptures without praying at all.

Time and again, we are all invited to get to know God deeply by reading and studying the Holy Scriptures coupled it with our sincere and utmost prayer to God that we may reveal through our words and actions that we really and truly love God above all everything.

P.S. I love you just like in a love letter will be our last but the sweetest words we will utter to God because we truly believe that He is alive as it is the ultimate desire of our heart and soul to be with Him one day in His beautiful place called heaven.

P.S. I LOVE YOU LORD!

A Disciple, A Learner, A Follower

2013-04-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

For me, to be a disciple is to be a follower, someone who is willing to commit himself and do everything for the greater glory and honor of God. That was my personal understanding of the word disciple. I did not realize that the word disciple literally translated from the Greek means to be "a learner." Thus, to be a disciple is to be a learner or student of Jesus. If that is the case, I have a lot of quizzes to pass, homework to submit, projects to accomplish and big exams to review for. I needed to do all of these if I want to pass as a student and impress my greatest teacher, Jesus.

Growing up in the Catholic faith, I remember learning the basic and fundamental teachings of my religion from my school teachers and my parents as well. In school, we would have our weekly catechism classes while at home I would remember praying the holy rosary with my family and join the block rosary together with the elders in my town where I grew up in. It was a start of my learning the A,B,Cs of my faith as a Catholic.

As I grow older, I felt that I needed to learn more about Jesus, thus, I enrolled myself in a bible class on my own expense just to learn more about Him. I remember having a lot of trivial and intricate questions that bogged my mind and shook my faith as a student. It was like trying to understand my lessons, struggling to review for my exams, and having difficulty doing my homework which gave me a very hard and tumultuous learning experience which eventually I have well comprehended by the grace of God.

However, being a learner of Jesus does not end there. This time, I needed to apply what I have learned. It is where I have to be a follower of Jesus and enter into a discipleship which is the process of learning about the teachings of Jesus, internalizing them and then acting upon them has to take place. This I believe is the greatest challenge for any student like me for that matter. It is where I have to take that internship or practicum of life by being able to apply everything that I have learned in the classroom of Jesus.

I remember being asked by my Grade 4 students the question, “What will make you happy?” I simply said, “To be with God in heaven together with my family and friends.” I truly believe that this can happen if I will do my best to be a good student of Jesus. Not just learning everything in the bible but also sharing His goodness and kindness to others.

In this year of Faith, we are all reminded to be faithful students of Jesus by being bright learners and humble followers. Remember, we are all doing this because we wanted to impress our Great Teacher and be accelerated to the ultimate grade level in life which is heaven.

I believe that as a student of Jesus, we can always do our best to pass all the quizzes, come up with great projects, submit our home works on time and get straight A’s in all our exams if we would always put our trust and faith in Him.

Pick up your bags, read your books and listen very well to our beloved teacher……..Jesus!

Life is a Choice

2013-01-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16)

I believe that the most difficult thing a person has to make in his life is to make a choice. A choice that all of us has to deal with and experience daily in our life. Even for a simple task of what clothes to wear for the day or having to decide which movie you have to watch with your family or friends, we always have to make a choice that sometimes give ourselves a headache. For many, choosing a boyfriend/girlfriend, a lifetime partner and even the vocation you want to pursue the rest of your life are some if not the most difficult choices one has to undertake.

I remember when I was still a student, I have to make a choice whether to study very hard or just enjoy and have fun in school with the company of my classmates. I vividly recall many times where my friends would coax me to cut classes and join them gallivanting. Also, I will never forget the most difficult decision of having to choose which course to take up for college. As I look back, I have realized that all the decisions I made was not at all my personal choice. It happened because it meant to happen. It was God’s divine plan for me.

But I think the most intriguing and esoteric question to ask is, “How would I know if the choice I am making is the choice I have to make? We all go through this kind of process. We have to feel good or feel bad to realize that we are making the right choice. We can be wrong the first time and failed but apparently this is all part of the process that we have to go through.

It is inevitable for any human being to be confronted with situations whereby you have to decide and choose which path you have to take. I never prayed to be a counselor but I was led to choose this profession which I consider my ministry. I strongly believe that this is God’s divine plan for me. He has prepared and designed everything for me to be where I am right now but it is still all up to me to make that choice.

As they say, life is all about choices. A chance to change is a choice too if you let it happen. Now I ask you, what kind of choices do you do in your life?

Ave Maria!

2012-09-11T21:26:00.001-07:00

Ave, ave, ave, Maria
Ave, ave, ave, Maria!

I vividly recall this song of praise to Mama Mary every time I join our old folks in my town as we pray the holy rosary to our Lady of Fatima. It was the beginning of my encounter with the blessed Mother as I try hard to memorize and remember all the mysteries of the holy rosary and learn how to recite it. Through the help and guidance of our elders, I was able to lead and pray the holy rosary at a very young age.

As I grow older, I was led to serve the Lord through the Legion of Mary that values, promotes, and protects the Catholic faith through Marian devotion and services. I heard a lot of people from different religion criticizing about the way Catholics treat Mama Mary. I have learned that there are three latin words that make the distinction with the way we worship God and venerate Mama Mary and the saints.

The first latin word is "Latria," which means worship to God alone. In Luke 10:27 it says, "You must love the LORD your God will all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind." This is a very clear message to all of us that God is the Supreme and Almighty God and no one else. The second latin word is "Hyper Dulia," this means veneration to Mary alone. The word veneration is a noun which means profound respect and reverence. As Catholics, we know that God chose the blessed Virgin Mary to play a very important role in the history of salvation and that is to be the co-redeemer of Jesus Christ in fulfilling God's plan. As such, we give high regard and reverence to Her role in redeeming the world from all sins by accepting and realizing God's plan and that is to immaculately conceive Jesus and be His mother. The third latin word is "Dulia," this refers to veneration to the saints alone. In Ephesians 6:18, "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." As ordinary human beings, we have to remember that the saints like us have tried to live a life rooted in following God's teachings and examples. As we try to emulate the faith and service they offered to God, we give our utmost reverence to all our saints as well.

Pope John Paul II chose as the motto of his episcopate and pontificate the words “Totus Tuus,” which means “All Yours,” as an act of entrustment to Mother Mary. Also, all legionaries in the world wholeheartedly recite “I am all Yours my Queen and my Mother and all that I have is Yours!” during the renewal of their commitment which is called Acies. At the same time, Doctor of the Church is a title that the Pope or an ecumenical council confers on certain saints to recognize them as eminent teachers of the faith for Christian of all times based from the teaching of the Church.

As we continue our journey in the Catholic faith, we are always reminded of the role of Mother Mary in the salvation of the world and I truly believe that our blessed Mother deserves all the praises and veneration as She is the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Ave Maria!

God is a Generous God

2012-07-11T10:13:00.002-07:00

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as I should,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and ask not for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your most holy will.

As a young child, I have to admit that I was deprived with a lot of things that I wanted and even sometimes needed in life. For many children, having a birthday party is the happiest and funniest occasion they look forward to celebrate together with their family and friends. Wearing party cups, playing with friends, eating delicious food, popping out colorful balloons, and receiving beautiful gifts are some of the fun and memorable events I wished I have experience.

One day, I saw many children on the street playing with this very popular toy called flying T. You have to twist the stick up and it will fly high like helicopter. I was very eager to have one and felt very envious at the same time. I cannot buy it considering that it was not really that expensive, thus, I stole the money of my mother. When she found out that her money was missing, I saw her crying in deep pain. It was her hard earned money from selling balut (duck eggs). I felt very guilty and I put back the money where I took it until my brother found it.

Also, I remember watching television in the house of my godmother together with my youngest brother. She was very strict up to the point of humiliating us because she didn’t like the way we sit on her sofa or the way we behave at times. My brother and I became insensitive to her grotty behavior just to finish the show we were watching.

As a student, I would remember my friends sharing their food during meal time. I would get a plate and they would put their share of food as my lunch. From elementary, high school, and college, I have lived that kind of life with my good and generous classmates.

Now that I am able to provide at least my basic needs and sometimes buy the things that I want, I just realized that all these significant events in my life have molded me to become a better and generous person God wanted me to be. I think that I would not be able to learn and acquire the value of hard work, perseverance, patience, simplicity, humility, and generosity if God did not allow me to go through all these challenging events in my life as a Christian.

I was inspired and still being inspired by my parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, friends, teachers, the saints, and most especially God to be generous without expecting anything in return. To share everything that I have in a cheerful way and let others feel God’s love and magnanimity.

Since the day we were created by God, He never stopped outpouring all His love and generosity to each and every one of us. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says; “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

“When will you start giving for God or will you just be content to keep everything that you have to yourself?”

Your Gift of Learning, Our Tool for Nation Building- A Commencement Address Delivered by Mr. Floro Fortunato Salvador at the RNHS Commencement Exercises, Romblon, Romblon, on Mar 29, 2012

2012-05-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

A female student comes to a young teacher’s office. She glances down the hall, closes his door, kneels pleadingly. ‘Sir, I would do anything to pass this exam.’ She leans closer to him, flips back her hair, and gazes meaningfully into his eyes. ‘I mean…’ she whispers, ‘…I would do… **anything**!!!’ He returns her gaze. ‘Anything???’ ‘Yes… Anything!!!’ His voice turns to a whisper. ‘Would you…… study???’

Maayo nga gab-i sa indo nga tanan!

Mrs. Donna S. Lim, Education Development Supervisor 2 (PES), Div. of Romblon, Mr. Danilo Padilla, Education Development Supervisor 2 (Elem Mathematics) and concurrent OIC- Asst. Schools’ Div. Superintendent, Division of Romblon, Mrs. Belinda Muros Mendoza, Secondary School Principal II, Romblon National High School, Mrs. Aleth Q. Madali, HT IV, School Curricular Coordinator, and Planning Officer Designate, the rest of the Head Teachers, Master Teachers, my former Mentors that I deeply revere, former colleagues, the rest of the Faculty, Employees, Dear Parents, members of RHS Class 1979, Guests, and the very reason for our convocation today- the soon to be ‘Graduates’ of 2012, Good evening!

First, let me ask you Members of the Graduating Class to do me a favor, just one thing: turn to the persons beside you, in front, and behind you and shake their hands firmly and say with sincerity ‘Congratulations!’. Do it now pls! Thank you!

Thirty three years ago, when I left the hallowed portals of this great high school, who would have thought that I would come back, first after 6 years, and second, after 33 years? While I secretly desired to be its Commencement Speaker, I did not pray for it but rather left it in God’s hand. But seemingly, in God’s design of the grander scheme of things, part of it is that, in His perfect time, I would be Commencement Speaker of the Romblon National High School. Considering the long history and rich tradition of my high school Alma Mater and the vast roll of outstanding graduates it has produced, you cannot just imagine how joyful and excited I felt when I got the news and those same feelings prevail now. Thanks to the Divine Providence!

As your Commencement Speaker, I am tasked to say something relevant to the theme, which is “Your gift of learning, our tool for nation building.”

Why is nation-building so important that it has to be talked about by all the Commencement Speakers in public elementary and secondary schools across the country at this time? It brings to mind this line from the Inaugural Speech of Barrack Obama as the 44^th President of the USA- ‘Your people will judge you based on what you build not on what you destroy.’ What is ‘nation building’? In its simplest sense, I would define it as ‘building a better society’, a society that enables people to live with dignity.’ How can young people like you, the adolescents, contribute to ‘nation building’? And what do you need our ‘gift of learning’ for? What or which gift of learning in the first place?

I am not the only person with the gift of learning to share with you. Your teachers are a ‘gift of learning’ to you and your parents are a ‘gift of learning’ to you, through the things that they tell you and things they do, as they are your role model.

What purpose do I serve now as your Commencement Speaker? I am just here to complement the gifts of learning that your good mentors have shared with you and your dear parents have inculcated in you. I believe they have taught you so much and what I will be sharing with you may just be an affirmation or a reminder to you, hoping just the same that they would be of added value.

I will not share with you my knowledge as it may not be something that would be of interest to you at this point. Besides, knowledge can be obtained from a lot of sources that are readily available and accessible now in our modern world. Ang ibabahagi ko ay ang aking karanasan at ang mga gintong aral na aking natutunan at ako’y umaasa na magiging gabay eto sa buhay na inyong tatahakin pagkatapos nyong lisanin ang paaralang eto at ang bayang eto kung saka-sakali.

Nuong ako ay nasa 3^rd yr. high school, sa Pilipino 3, natutunan ko kay Gng. Rizalina Festin ang diwa ng ‘sanaysay’ o ‘essay’ sa wikang Ingles. When I became a grown-up person, I realized that our life is basically an essay, except that unlike an essay, God writes how and when our life will start and end, but like an essay, we write what happens in between.

Hence, at this juncture, I would like to request you to draw a straight horizontal line on your paper. This line represents your lifeline. From the point where the line starts, write the word ‘birth’. A certain distance from that point, write age 7, then further along the line, write age 13, and a certain distance from that point, write your current age. From that point till the end of the line, I want you to write in bold upper case the ff. letters:

L-O-V-E.

What do you read? Yes, LOVE- L-O-V-E, LOVE. That word will serve as your CODE to live by and a KEY to doing your share in ‘nation building’. You may ask why not DISCIPLINE or PATIENCE or HARDWORK? The reason is that such words most of us, esp. young people, find as burdensome, unappetizing, because there is a certain amount of responsibility attached to it, some amount of self-denial. Whereas LOVE, besides being the pre-occupation of teenagers like you, is something that we do that we enjoy or rather we are suppose to be happy doing about.

Let me begin with the first letter- L

L as in ‘Live life to the fullest.’ By:

Living for the present. What do I mean by this?

At this very moment, don’t think about your future, otherwise, you will miss my speech. You will have plenty of time to do that after this ceremony. Meanwhile, cherish the moment, the celebration, and the adulation. This moment will never happen again. College Graduation is an entirely different thing. You may have been here sitting and listening for hours, perhaps sleepy, hungry, tired, but, please, I beg of your patience and indulgence. This is a moment of Victory for you, relish it until its very end. The very moment this Graduation Rites end, a chapter of your life is closed and a new chapter begins. So hold on to the last minute, like you do when you wait for the New Year to come while holding on to the last hours and minutes of the current year. Wait until you go home to think about what you will do in the future to make you happy. MEANWHILE, live for this very moment, as this moment of glory is REAL.
Learning from life’s painful experiences, letting go, and looking forward

Let go, temporarily or not, of your high school friends and adorable teachers, and look forward (of course as I said, ONLY after tonight) to new meaningful relationships in a new setting, while cherishing the good memories that past relationships bring. Let go of the hurts and pains that took place in your journey for 4 years in this campus and learn from them.
To our dear parents, learn to ‘let go of your children’ as they leave home to pursue higher studies elsewhere in the case of some, and as they enter the phase of self-discovery as adolescents in the case of most of them.

I remember, in mid May 1979 (You were not born yet then. Napaghahalata ho ang edad, hehehe.), as I was about to begin my college education, my Mother accompanied me to Manila to ensure that I would be safe and kept well. Maybe, she thought that young as I was and given my small size, I would not be safe traveling alone. She stayed with me for 2 weeks, then, decided to leave for Romblon. The day she left, I cried, quite painfully, because it was the first time for me to be away from her for a longer time. That was my first ever experience and practical lesson in ‘letting go’

Looking back with gratitude

I know that, without me saying, you will look back with gratitude to where you came from. As the saying goes “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, ay…”. Salamat po! Hearing that from you, I am pretty confident that you will look back with gratitude to your Alma Mater and do the best way you can to help your school. Whatever act of charity you do for your school, it will be an act of charity that you do for the high school students in the generations that succeed yours. It may even benefit your son or daughter or a relative of yours. I am sure that from this batch, we can rely on people who do not have to wait for their high school teachers to solicit donations but instead to take initiative to find out what the school needs. My dear would be ‘graduates’, I am sure you will complement our teachers’ generosity with your own acts of generosity. Let us bear in mind, ‘kung sino yung biniyayaan ng mas malaki, malaki rin ang ini expect na ibibigay nya para sa kapakanan ng iba’. It is not about the money, money, money, but it is about sharing your money, money, money. The more you share, the more your blessings will grow.

Living your success

Whether you acknowledge it or not, your life has been a series of successes. Treasure your moments of success in your heart and hold on to them as you face life’s adversaries, as they will help you make it through. That is the very reason why at the start, I asked you to congratulate each other, as this HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION is one concrete moment of success for you, in the same way, that your moment of birth, age 7, and age 13 are moments of success in your lifeline.

Letting God

I suppose every one of us here is a believer. While God expects us to do the best we can based on the talents and capacities that He gifted us with, He expects us as well to put Him in the center of our lives, of everything that we do. Hence, prayer is ultimate. When we pray, we are in effect letting God take over. Dear would be graduates, I encourage you to pray, pls. pray. Am I asking too much from you if I ask you to?
Our Dear Parents, I also request you to pray for your children all the time, for their safety, and for their success.

I would like to let you know that I am blessed by God with a very prayerful Mother. And I would say that it is her constant prayers that have been keeping me and my siblings safe no matter where we are and what we do. Dear Parents, when your teenage son or daughter is away from you, letting God take over is the best thing you can do.

Listening to your parents

No matter what our parents say and do, they do it out of concern and love for us. Parents may not say or do the best thing to us all the time, there is no doubt that they have the right intention in mind and it is always for our best interest. Ang ating mga magulang ay tao rin na may kahinaan, pero ang kanilang sinasabi o ginagawa para sa atin ay batay sa kanilang karanasan at wisyo o ‘wisdom’ na tinatawag. Parents would say “Ay iho o iha, papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako.” To some children, nakakaiirita sa tenga, pero, tumpak ang kanilang tinuran. So pls. my dear would be Graduates, listen to your parents and also to your elders.
Story

Background- Tell the Graduates what an ‘almirol’ is and its purpose.
My mother told me that one day, habang sya ay nagpapakulo ng tubig na may almirol na gagamitin para kumintab ang kanyang mga paplantsahing damit, andun ako aali-aligid at nakikialam sa kanyang ginagawa. She warned me several times na wag lumapit, pero di ako nakinig. Sa halip, pag talikod nya, lumapit ako sa kaldero, hinawakan ang sandok, at hinalo ang almirol. But since I was very little then, I did not know how to do it obviously. Tumilapon ang nasa sandok, at napunta sa dibdib ko. Nagkataon, wala raw akong damit nun. Nasunog ang balat ko exactly sa gitna ng dibdib causing a round scar as big as an old one peso coin. Everytime I see this scar, naaalala ko ang kahalagahan ng pakikinig sa sinasabi ng magulang.

(Go to the audience, away from the rostrum.) We now come to the second letter- O, which stands for:

Obedience

Listening to our parents is one thing, but obeying is another. We may listen but not obey. I do not mean here ‘obeying blindly’. We can reason with our parents with politeness and courtesy and insist on what we want, but when it comes to morals and our self-preservation, we must obey what our parents say. Pagdating sa mga bagay tungkol sa moralidad, kung ano ang tama at mali, at tungkol sa mga bagay na nakakabuti at nakakasama sa atin, sundin natin ang sinasabi ng ating mga magulang, dahil “Papunta ka pa lang… (ano po ang kasunod?)… I may not be a parent myself but I know how and what they feel as I have counseled and do counsel parents on a regular basis
Story

When I was working as University Counselor at the College of Engineering at DLSU, one of the most pressing concerns of students is academic performance. Marami sa kanila ang bumabagsak sa math lalo na sa first year. This is a very important subject as it is a hard prerequisite for engineering major subjects. Many of them get kicked out because of math subjects. I had one student who sought counseling with me for the same reason. He is from Cebu, of Chinese blood, and graduate of an exclusive school for boys in Cebu run by the Jesuits. One day, his Father popped into my office, and he flew all the way from Cebu to see me. When we were talking, I could sense his frustration about his son. Seemingly, his expectations from his son were not being fulfilled. So when I asked him what it is really that disappoints him, he bursted into tears saying “What should a parent feel when he knows that his son can give him a grade of 95 yet he is only giving him 65?” “What should a father feel when he knows that his son can produce gold yet he only cares to produce silver?” I did not know what to say. Humagulhol talaga sya and it was my first time to see a father crying unabashedly and unshamefully in my presence out of frustration, and I could feel the intensity of his emotion.

Optimism

Looking at the bright side of life all the time.

Demonstration (the ‘glass half full-half empty’ perspective)

We now come to the third letter- V, which stands for (ask them), what do you think? Yes, V for Victory! Sounds like we are part of the cheering squad, huh?

Do you believe that all of you are already a winner? Naniniwala ba kayo na lahat kayo ay panalo na? Let me tell you why.

Of the 200 to 500 million sperm cells from your father, only about 1 percent of them succeed in getting into the uterus of your mother and that is about 2-5M. In the end, while several sperm cells reach the egg cell at the same time, only one of them penetrates it, and that one sperm cell that got united with the egg cell became YOU. Come to think of it, if it were another of the several competing sperm cells that got into the egg, it could have been a different person. It could have been of a different gender to begin with. So your being YOU makes you a winner from the very start.

We are not born to lose, but what we do and not do makes us a loser.

Let me tell you a story:

THE CARABAO STORY

One day, a farmer’s carabao fell into a well. The farmer frantically thought what to do as the stricken animal cried out to be rescued. With no obvious solution, the farmer regretfully concluded that as the carabao was old, and as the well needed to be filled in anyway, he should give up the idea of rescuing the animal, and simply fill in the well. Hopefully, the poor animal would not suffer too much, he tried to persuade himself.

The farmer asked his neighbors’ help, and before long, they all began to shovel soil quickly into the well. When the carabao realized what was happening, he wailed and struggled, but then, to everyone’s relief, the noise stopped.

After a while, the farmer looked down into the well and was astonished by what he saw. The carabao was still alive, and progressing towards the top of the well. The carabao had discovered that by shaking off the dirt/soil instead of letting it cover him, he could keep stepping on top of the soil as the level rose. Soon the carabao was able to step up over the edge of the well, and he happily trotted off.

Lesson: Life tends to shovel dirt on top of each one of us from time to time. The trick is to shake it off and take a step up.

We should be VICTORS and not VICTIMS of situations and circumstances!

The last letter- E, which stands for:

ENCOURAGE

Every time you achieve something, no matter how small they may be, you give yourself a pat on your shoulder. That is your way of encouraging yourself. And when you encounter difficulties and challenges, encourage yourself and encourage others. I would like to let you know that you are a ‘gift of learning to each other’, and I would like to believe that no one here is a tool of destruction for the other. The power of words is tremendous, be it positive or negative word, hence, we should make it a point to say words that build and not destroy.
Story

Two Frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

Lessons of the story:

There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift him up and help him make it through the day. So be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.

ELEVATE

Our life is a cycle of ups and downs, that is the reality, whether we like it or not. When we fail to achieve our goals due to factors beyond our control, when a door of opportunity is closed on us, instead of putting ourselves down, instead of destroying ourselves out of frustration, let us elevate ourselves, by focusing on
another thing that we can do.

Story

When I was a college student, my goal was to finish with Latin Honors, at least a Cum Laude. I was doing pretty well in first year and in the first semester of 2^nd year. In the 2^nd semester of 2^nd year, we had the first typing class. That was my first tragedy. It was my first time to put my hands on the keyboard of a typewriter. All my classmates had typing subjects in their high school and I was the only one who was starting from 0. Expectedly, the teacher could not waste her time focusing on me during class hours. At the end of the semester, I got a grade of 1.5, which is equivalent to 75, and that disqualified me from finishing with Latin Honors. I was frustrated but did I dwell on that failure? No! Did I dwell on self-pity? No! I could just have let it burn, burn me, but I did not allow myself to burn, burn, burn. I knew for a fact that ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’, so, instead, I focused on co-curricular activities where I got active and I was able to build relationships and a huge social network within the university, while at the same time, not sacrificing my studies. That helped me become a better person, which would not have happened if I did not get disqualified for graduating with Latin Honors. After all, education is not just confined within the 4 walls of the classroom. There is more to learn in life outside of it. I also promised myself that I will finish with honors in my Master’s Degree, and I fulfilled it.

At this juncture, I want you to remember the code I gave you: LOVE.

My dear graduates of Class 2012, let me share with you a few of the many gifts of learning that my RNHS teachers bestowed on me, hoping that you will also learn from these gems.

In first year high school, in Social Studies 1, I learned from Mrs. Lilia Faigao that the ‘family is the basic social unit of society’. In Science 1, I learned from Ms. Henedina Arboleda that ‘matter is anything that occupies space and has weight’. In Math 1, Mrs. Llerina Ferrera introduced to me the concept of ‘integers’.

In second year high school, I learned from Ms. Veronica Fetalcorin who is now Mrs. Francisco that ‘the shape of the earth is an oblate spheroid’. I learned from the late Mr. Faigao in Biology that we ‘homo sapiens’ are the highest form in the animal kingdom. I learned from Mrs. Fely Rosales in Practical Arts 2 that ‘education embraces not just the theoretical but the practical components as well’.

In 3^rd year high school, I learned from Mrs. Ligaya Abrazado in Space Science that while we human beings are just a dot in the vast expanse of the universe, we play a very special role that no other elements of the universe can play. I learned from Mrs. Aleth Madali in Statistics that the ‘mean as a measure of central tendency is the average of all the scores in a particular measure’. In Social Studies 3, I learned from Mrs. Lilia Montojo the Malthusian Theory of Population. In YDT 3, I learned from Ms. Rosa Mindo who is now Mrs. Rosa Wagwag the value of martial arts in shaping the ATTITUDE and or character of the individual.

In 4^th year, in Physics, I learned from Mrs. Sylvia Solidum that ‘speed represents the distance travelled over time’ yet I also learned from her that ‘velocity pertains to the distance travelled over time to a particular direction’. In English 4, I was introduced by Mr. Jose Ma. Andres the concept of ‘arriba a bajo’.

From my teachers in Filipino- natutunan ko kay Gng. Pacita Madrona at Gng. Winifred Atienza ang simpleng kahulugan ng pagiging makabayan.

In totality, I learned from these MENTORS that:

… though we are just a dot in the vast expanse of the universe, we all matter, not just because we ‘occupy space and have weight’, but because, as the highest form of animal, we play a very special role in maintaining the equilibrium/balance in the universe.

… because we matter so much, we do not live apart from each other but part of a social fabric where family is the basic unit. What we do as part of our family can either restore or upset the social and environmental equilibrium.

… what we do affect the rest of the population and its collective performance. If all of us will give our best in what we do, the mean or ‘average score’ will be as high… the collective outcome will be excellent. Like the concept of ‘integers’, if we do something negative, we pull the summation of collective performance down. Conversely, if we all do positive actions, we will build a nation that will enable us to live with dignity, even if the population doubles and food production does not. I suppose that is one of the best ways we can manifest PATRIOTISM in our lives.

…life is ‘arriba a bajo’, a cyle of ups and downs, depending on what we do and we don’t do. And that since life is ‘arriba a bajo’, it is important to journey in life not just with the right speed but with the right speed and direction/ ‘velocity’, so that we will reach our goals efficiently.

… and lastly, since the shape of the earth is an oblate spheroid, it is not flat, hence, it implies that virtually, there is no dead-end in life but a vast array of opportunities that we can explore and benefit from, we just need to have the right ATTITUDE.

By and large, I learned from my high school MENTORS, as I had the chance for quite some time to observe the kind of life that they led before on almost a daily basis, that, when dealing with people, sometimes, being KIND is more important than being RIGHT, and that at the end of the day, it does not really matter how rich we have become, what our status in life is, and or what position we have in our job at the moment and that what really matters is that we have BECOME A BETTER PERSON.

Finally, I got to rediscover from my former colleagues in this institution (I cannot name them as they are many, but I know they know who they are.) that ‘experience is the best teacher’. When I joined the faculty of RNHS, I was 23, very young, and very idealistic, without any practical grounding. My colleagues, through their own unique way, helped me in many ways than one. Thanks to all of you for your patience, support, and understanding.

To recap…

As citizens of our country, we contribute to nation-building based on what do and what we do not do in our own lives. Along the same vein, you members of Batch 2012, as adolescents, contribute to nation building based on what you do and what you don’t as adolescents.

Hence, to be valuable contributors to nation-building, you all must live life with LOVE. Meaning, you must:

Live life to the fullest, by ‘living for the present’, ‘letting go, looking forward, and learning from life’s painful experiences’, ‘looking back with gratitude’, ‘living your success’, ‘listening to your parents’, and ‘letting God’.

Obedience to parents, in matters that relate to morals and self-preservation.

O-ptimism! Looking at life with the ‘glass half-full’ perspective.

V-ictory! To begin with, we are already a winner. What we subsequently do or not do in life makes us either a VICTOR or a loser.

E-ncourage yourself and others. Use words that BUILD and not DESTROY.

E-levate yourself. When you fall down, get up, and do what you need to do, even if you have to start all over again. Success is ‘rising up when you fall down’.

In other words, dear members of Class 2012, basically, whatever good thing you do to yourself, you contribute to nation-building, and whatever you do that destroys yourself, you also destroy your society.

Sideline Information

I cannot end this speech without telling you that I belong to RHS Class 1979, where your very own Principal is one of its prominent graduates, which also includes Mrs. Angie Las Pinas. I would like to gladly share with you that 33 years after we all left this school, and we were not more than 200 then I suppose, we have become more close, supportive, caring, and endearing to each other than we had ever been. As a matter of fact, some of them are here to support me and they are very happy for me. We have become a family that sticks together through thick and thin. Most of us are now in our golden years (50)… we may not be chronologically young, but definitely young at heart. We may be one of the wackiest batches to have ever existed in this school’s 100 year history, but we happen to be one of the most loving as well. At our age, we make it a point to capture the best moments that life has to offer. Hence, watch us out, RHS Class 1979 in the Grand Alumni Homecoming this coming May, for we will definitely make a mark in the Search for Mr. & Ms. Grand Alumni Homecoming 2012.

In behalf of RHS Batch 1979, I convey our ‘congratulations’ to you young boys and girls! Welcome to the colossal RNHS Alumni Family!

In closing, let me say this to you dear members of Class 2012:

I know I can count on all of you to do things that build instead of destroy. I know you will not fail me, I know you will not fail your teachers, I know you will not fail your parents, I know you will not fail yourself, and most of all, I know you will not fail God. And I know that you will NOT FAIL, because you are graduates of the Romblon National High School.

.. and lastly, remember that, “Life is an essay, God writes when and how it will start and end, but we write what happens in between.’

Maayo nga gab-i sa indo nga tanan!

Let Go and Let God!

2012-02-26T22:00:00.007-08:00

Letting go to know the truth
Is not so hard to do
It's the heart that's got the will
To open up for Him to fill
And trusting and believing Him
Is all we've got to do
It's just the heart that's got to move
For Him to show His love that's been there
Even when we never cared
Take hold of His hand
Let go and you'll understand…..

How can you let go of someone whom you dearly loved? How can you let go of all the thoughts and feelings you have for someone you loved since the day you were born? How can you let go and live life as if everything is just fine?

It’s almost two years now since my beloved Amang (father) and Inang (mother) passed away. It always hurts me every time I remember the sweetest and loving moments I had with them. It hurts me more when I remember the time they breathed their last and close their eyes as if they were saying goodbye. It hurts me every day thinking that I will never see them anymore.

Before I sleep at night and every time I wake up in the morning, I always say my good night and good morning to both of them. Losing my parents was the most painful and saddest moment of my life. I still hover on the thought and feeling of their loving presence every single day. I think that nothing can really fill in and heal the pain and emptiness I feel inside me every day.

When my friends talk about their parents, I tell them to change the topic because it makes me feel sad. Whenever I watch movies or TV shows with scenes about parents with their children, I just can’t help but cry. Sometimes I wish that time machine is real and that I have the power to bring back the hands of time so I can show more love and affection to my father and mother. But the truth of the matter is that they are both gone and I will never see them again for a very long time.

But as days pass by, I slowly feel that God is filling in the void inside my heart. God is surely healing my heart from the pain I am going through every day. He gives me hope knowing that the day will come that I will see my parents again in His loving time. Because of God’s great love, I am genuinely feeling and realizing that He is my One True Creator and Parent that takes care of me since the very beginning of my life.

God my loving Father, I thank you for giving Amang and Inang as my parents. You know that I miss them so much but in my emptiness and yearning to be with them again, I just have to let go and let You, my God to rule over me because if I let go then I will fully understand…..

In Praise of ME

2012-02-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

You are a strong woman.

You have everything in you, you have been equipped and you have already worn the armor of positivity, faith and love. Use this armor and cloak yourself from the challenges that have come your way.

Life is beautiful, you preach that therefore believe in it too. You have encouraged a lot of people in your life – you are a beautiful person – you have touched and moved the lives of many people – you are a child of God – you are wonderful person at heart – you have wholehearted intentions – you are courageous and spirited – you have knowledge of life above your age – you are an individual of unique distinction and kindness – you love yourself – you are gentle to yourself – you are connected to God and value your spirituality – you have kindred spirit and experienced insurmountable joy.

You are a loving woman.

You have experienced love more than you have ever imagined. You have been loved by lovers and have been faithful with them. You believe in the power of love. You believe in the power of letting go of the resistance. You believe that there is no bigger, greater and powerful force in the universe than the power of love. Love is selfless, love is joy, love is kindness, love is generosity, love is bliss, love is contentment, and love is peace.

You are a woman of courage.

There were many a stronger tides and waves that you have kept yourself afloat with. There were many stronger winds that passed that you withstood. You are a woman of courage, adaptability to situation and flexibility of nature. You have already strengthened your own boat – you have no fear for you know that everything happens for a good reason. Whatever it is, you have faith that it is for the good of all.

There is someone up there, looking down on me. There is someone who is with me, in me. Whatever it is – time reveals what is hidden. Patience, yes patience is indeed a virtue.

Where is God's Perfection?

2012-01-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

"I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

I am sharing this story with you which I received in one of the many forwarded emails sent to me every day. This story deserves a place in my heart with the realization that indeed God’s ways are not our ways, and He works in our lives in magical and inspiring ways.

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fund raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Ryan?

Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do.

My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?" The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query.? "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Ryan:

One afternoon Ryan and his father walked past a park where some boys Ryan knew were playing baseball. Ryan asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"? Ryan's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team.? But Ryan's father understood that if his son were chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.

Ryan's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Ryan could play.? The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates.

Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning.?? I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

Ryan's father was ecstatic as Ryan smiled broadly.? Ryan was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ryan's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.? In the bottom of the ninth inning, Ryan's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Ryan was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Ryan bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Ryan was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Ryan didn't even know-how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Ryan stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps closer to lob the ball in softly so Ryan should at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in and Ryan swung clumsily and missed.

One of Ryan's teammates came up to Ryan and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Ryan. As the pitch came in, Ryan and his teammate swung at the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.? The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman.?? Ryan would have
been out and that would have ended the game.? Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.? Everyone started yelling, "Ryan, run to first.? Run to first."

Never in his life had Ryan run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled.?? By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball.? He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Ryan, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball
high and far over the third baseman's head.? Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Ryan ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.? As Ryan reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third."? As Ryan rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Ryan run home."? Ryan ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

Funny how this is so true and shame on us!

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell?

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding God and something good, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me when I will forward this message so that HIS message be known to all?

POSTPONE IT!

2012-01-10T23:22:00.000-08:00

You have just powdered your nose and made the last twirl across the full-length mirror before heading out the door for a lovely date with your beau…

You cancelled your dinner plans with your colleagues because your friend would want to meet at the last minute before taking off for a long holiday back home…

You are drowsing and basically living on caffeine to stay up to finish an important presentation for work…

You have been saving up money, busy shopping for your annual leave and have been really excited and looking forward to go on a holiday to see you parents…

Then you get a call, an sms or an email saying, it’s POSTPONED!

Big or small, trivial or important when we have set our mind to do something particular, whether we have made ample preparation or a spur of the moment decision, when we have anticipated something exciting or not to happen and it does not… we get agitated or disappointed.

While it is true that we do not have control of things around us, we can only control on how we react with the things that would come to us.

People around us can easily call postpone things because of whatever reason, selfish or not.

So why not also POSTPONE being agitated or disappointed?

If it is possible to postpone events, spending and entertainment, why not postpone being disappointed, upset and angry?

After you have powdered your nose, cancelled your dinner plans, made your presentation or packed your bags and have just been 'POSTPONED'… best thing is to take a deep breath and say, “well if they can postpone this one, then I can also POSTPONE what I'm feeling right now.”

Focus on other happy things, after all what is life if we cannot POSTPONE :)

Jesus Needs Help!

2011-12-23T00:17:00.000-08:00

Are you willing to help? Are you generous enough to give everything to Jesus? Are you ready to share your blessings to Him this time? Are you serious prioritizing Jesus and give Him all the help He needs right now? Are you already prepared and decided what gift to give Him on His birthday?

I am quite sure that many of us have already bought our gifts for our family, friends, and godchildren. It is indeed a very benevolent gesture of thinking and preparing something special for the people dear to us. Jesus is truly happy for all our acts of generosity and thoughtfulness because we never fail to remember Jesus’s birthday through others.

This time JESUS NEEDS HELP!

More than the gifts we usually give during His birthday Jesus is appealing to us to extend our help to our suffering brothers and sisters in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and other affected areas in Mindanao due to the great havoc brought about by typhoon Sendong. All of us may have read, heard, watched, or witnessed the very depressing situation of our fellow Filipinos who are right now suffering from great hunger, thirst, obnoxious smell, missing family members, lost of properties, and death of a loved one. What have we done so far?

Every time I watch the news on television, I can’t help but feel very sad and at the same time guilty because much as I would want to help I am not doing anything at all. More than pity and prayers which anyone of us can do, they need all the help they can get from us. As Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of your brethren, you do it unto me.” Jesus needs help this time. He is begging us to share our blessings to our suffering and dying brothers and sisters in Mindanao. Jesus never fails to help us and He never gets tired of listening and granting our prayers every time we asked help from Him. This time Jesus needs our help.

It is never too late to send all the support that we can give and be an instrument of hope, love, and compassion to those who need it. I believe that Jesus never expects anything from us on His birthday but if we really love Him more than anything else, let us help Jesus now through our suffering and dying sisters and brothers in Mindanao.

Jesus needs help! Do you care enough to help Him?

Christmas Won't Be The Same Without You

2011-11-30T18:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas won’t be the same without you

Christmas won’t be the same if you go

All I need to see standing by my Christmas tree…. is Christ

Christmas won’t be the same without you

They say that Christmas is only for children. Others would say that Christmas is for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Many say that Christmas is the longest and most expensive season of the year. In the Philippines, Christmas season starts at the very first day of the so called, “ber months”.

For the past years of my life, I will never forget all the delicious food, new bills, brand new clothes, toys, hugs, and kisses I received from my parents, god parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. They have made my Christmas truly exciting and memorable. When I was young, Christmas is all about receiving and using everything that I got to make me feel good and proud as a child.

For many men and women whether young or old who are in love or broken hearted, Christmas won’t be the same without the person they truly loved so much. In fact, a good number of people have tried to commit suicide or ended up their life because of losing the person they love for menial or grave reasons. Obviously, their life and love was focused on one person only. Is that really the ultimate reason for this season?

What happened to the true reason why we celebrate Christmas? Why do we view it differently? Why do we celebrate it in a manner that seems to be full of materialism and earthly desires? If we say that Christmas is the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, how do you think He really wants us to celebrate His birthday?

When there is a birthday celebration, we expect to have a euphoric party full of fun and frolic. We wear our favorite, posh, and branded attire that we have. We bring the most impressive gifts that we can give to the birthday celebrant and we partake in the most delectable food that can be served for everyone. Now I wonder, do we think, feel, and do the same way during Christmas day? Have we truly asked ourselves what we can do best for this day? Have we thought of doing what we can really do to make our birthday celebrant feel very much loved and happy?

As the song goes, Christmas won’t be the same without you….. Seemingly, Christmas is deemed as a selfish way of thinking about oneself and one person only. It can never be that meaningful without the person you desire to be with everyday of your life.

I hope by this time, we have all learned our lessons very well. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He is the one and only reason why we celebrate this season. He is what I long to see standing by that Christmas tree and no one else. I can only hope that all of us would be able to transcend our thoughts, feelings, and actions toward the true meaning of this holy event in our life as Christians.

Christmas won’t be the same without you

Christmas won’t be the same if you go

All I need to see standing by my Christmas tree…. is Christ

Christmas won’t be the same without you

TEAM AZKALS

2011-11-19T17:19:00.005-08:00

The word “Azkals” was an improved version of the word “Askal” which means street dog in the Philippines. Of all animals, a dog is described to be brave, loyal, feisty, protector, and most especially a best friend to everyone. Thus, I believe this is the best choice and most fitting name given to the Philippine football team.

I have never been a fan of the sports because I find it boring, very hard and long to score, and at the same time anti-climactic. I would even ignore it every time I see it on television. But when it started to become popular in my country, it rings a bell to my ears but never had a chance to watch nor follow their matches until the Philippine Azkals Team came to Indonesia for the 26th SEA Games 2011.

Game 1 – Philippine vs. Vietnam (November 3, 2011)

My strong desire to watch their 1st game was honestly brought about by my innate love and loyalty to my country. However, I was not able to watch the game because I have work. Sadly, I heard that they loss their first match against Vietnam. I felt a bit sad because I know that the team carries with them a lot of energy and motivation to win and bring home the honor and glory for the country.

Game 2 – Philippines vs. Timor Leste (Novembe 7, 2011)

I was so excited to watch their 2nd game against Timor Leste, a small and autonomous country which used to be part of Indonesia. When I saw our players, I felt half-hearted because most of them do not look like Filipinos. They are half Filipino and half German, British, Spaniard, and other nationalities there is. I have doubts in my mind and in my heart that they will play as if they are fighting for the country.

Nonetheless, my love and loyalty to my country prevailed and I still showed my love and support to the players by shouting at the top of my lungs and leading my fellow Filipino teachers in cheering and boosting the morale of our players. After all the cheering, yelling, shouting, and praying the whole time our team loss against Timor Leste by two points.

After the game, I felt the excitement of my friends to meet the players. It was my very first time to see the very popular Azkaleros. They are all good looking and charismatic young men which makes them the most popular and sought after team by many especially the ladies and gays as well. Hahahahaha!

I felt their goodness and sincerity when they were apologizing to us because they loss the game. Honestly, I felt quite sad but I tried my best to make them feel good by cheering them up and saying words of encouragement to them despite their defeat.

Game 3 - Philippines vs. Laos (November 11, 2011)

This is a game that I will never ever forget. Our team is already down by a point and only few minutes remaining. Actually, I was already singing the song “There can be miracles when you believe," in a joking manner. To my surprise, I didn’t realize that miracle just happened. The Azkaleros made two points with few minutes left in the clock. It was indeed a miracle from God coupled with the fighting spirit and commitment of the players to the sports. The Filipino fans mainly composed of teachers working in Jakarta went berserk shouting and jumping for joy. I shouted up to the last voice I ever have. It was a tremendous and heavenly feeling that lifted me up so high.

We were all eager and very much excited to meet all the players to express our congratulations. This time, I had a chance to have pictures with most of them. We met Ginie who is the sister of OJ Clarino one of the players of the Azkals. Thus, we were privilege to meet all the players up close and personal in the hotel. We had a chance to talk with them and had more picture taking this time. It was indeed a rare moment to be with these celebrity players. Carlos de Murga, half Filipino–half Spaniard was a very cool guy. He was full of life and very friendly. He started to talk to me in Spanish and asked if I can speak the language. Roland Mueller, half Filipino-half German, the tall, fair, and handsome dude was very congenial. He has the charisma and zest of a person which everyone would enjoy talking with. I can say that he has the best personality among all the Azkaleros I have met and talk with. Well, it seems that we do not want to leave the hotel and spend the night getting to know more of them as we enjoy every single minute of their winning.

Finally, we have to say goodbye and we wished them all the good luck and blessings for their next match.

Game 4 – Philippines vs. Myanmar (November 13, 2011)

I arrived late in the stadium because I attended the anniversary of the Genesis Catholic community here in Jakarta. The game started at four in the afternoon and I left the place past three. It was raining hard and I was hoping and praying that I could make it so I can cheer for our team. I already missed the first half of the game and the second half has already started. Nonetheless, the most important thing was that I was able to make it. The score was 5 – 0 and this time I was literally laying my hands on our players together with my friends with the hope that they can reduce the margin and eventually lead and win.

Unfortunately, it was another day of defeat and disappointment. It was a very short and fast encounter with them. I felt their sadness and frustration and I did not bother to be with them and have the usual talk and picture taking. It was time for the exhausted and down hearted players to go back to the hotel and recharge as I went back home to rest as well.

Game 5 – Philippines vs. Brunei (November 15, 2011)

Final game, last hurrah!

We know that this is a non-bearing game. Win or lose our team is already out of the standing. It did not stop us from watching them play for the last time and show our love and support which they badly needed. The Azkaleros made the first point. We all jumped for joy, yelled, and cheered for them. As the game progresses, the opponent made their first, second, and third point. I never give up leading the pack cheering and boosting the morale of the players. However, I heard someone saying nasty words out of frustration which I find mean and inane. I told that person to stop saying such grotty and sardonic words because it will not help at all.

I was taken aghast to see the face of Jason DeJong full of blood. He never mind it, instead, he just crushed a pack of ice and put it on his face to stop the bleeding. After few minutes, I saw him run, kick, and chase the ball again. He has plaster on his face and a bruise on his right thigh but despite of it he was still fighting it out to win for the country. I felt the true spirit of a real player in him. Because of it, I have become to admire more the person and the sports because of what he has exemplified during the game. Jason DeJong is indeed a true man with a heart of a great player.

After awhile, Roland Mueller, the goal keeper had his share of bruise and pain. He was down on the ground and was moving in pain. We all shouted his name and cheered for him. Thank God, he got up on his feet and immediately showed his gratitude and appreciation by smiling and waving at us. What a kind gesture of a true player and gentleman.

Time is up! The team loss their final game! The players look all weak and devastated. I saw Jason DeJong crying like a child. I just can imagine the pain and frustration his feeling inside. He must love the sports so much as if he lost someone very dear to him. I felt sad and sorry for them because I know they wanted to win and make us all feel proud.

I bought some stuff which I intend to give to some of them as my expression of gratitude and appreciation for their kindness and for representing the country with goodness and kindness. How I wish I have more means to share something to each and every one of them as an expression of my love and support to the team. I shared a box of chocolates to Jason, Roland, OJ, Jeffrey, and Carlos for giving their heart out which I witnessed and sincerely felt.

It was sad seeing them loss the game while leaving the place in pain and sorrow. I could have followed them to the hotel with the rest of my friends but I decided not to go. I just prayed for them that they may all feel good and well. I waited for their bus to leave while I was holding a big cartolina with the word “Go Azkals! We Believe!”

Team Azkals, thank you very much for making me a fan of the sports which I find boring. Thank you for representing our country with all your power and might. Thank you too for the short but memorable time watching you play which gave joy and happiness to me and everyone else. Most especially, thank you for the chance and the opportunity to enjoy your company as well.

Till we meet again Azkaleros!

The Psychology of Prayer

2011-10-22T04:15:00.001-07:00

I have always believed that ‘prayer’ is a form of therapy. I am more inclined to believe as well that it is one of the best therapies out there. More importantly, it is for free. Hence, while I try to be scientific in my counseling by adhering to my counseling paradigm, I always conclude the session with my client, provided h/she is a believer, by telling her to pray. Why? What do we get from praying?

There are basically 2 reasons why we should pray, one reason falling within the scientific realm and the other in the spiritual realm. Doctors have observed that when we pray, we activate the chemical serotonin in our brain, and once it is activated, it relays signal to the hypothalamus in the form of neurotransmitters. Serotonin is known as the ‘happy chemical’, it is responsible in influencing directly and indirectly approximately the 40 million brain cells in human, i.e., brain cells related to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behaviors. This suggests that a balanced level of serotonin would influence mood in a manner that leads to happiness. Logically, an imbalanced level would produce the opposite outcome. As the hypothalamus is the ‘seat of all human emotions’, these neurotransmitters activate the emotion of happiness in the hypothalamus, making it possible for us to experience this positive emotion. Hence, just this notion or belief of getting connected or reconnected to God through prayer stimulates this kind of physiological reaction in our body that produces positive psychological effects.

In the spiritual realm, when we pray, we make ourselves an open vessel for the Grace of God, especially if we do it via the four ways: contrition, adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication (ACTS).

In that connection, to pray is to seek a ‘win-win approach’!

Quo Vadis

2011-10-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

People seem to be so consumed and preoccupied with work, vanity, sex, money, investments, relationships, and all other self serving desires and caprices available around us. Sometimes I wonder if they have thought that all of these things will go into past. These are just transient and that one day it will all end whether we like it or not. When that time comes, what will happen next?

When I was a child, I thought that life is about eating, playing, praying, sleeping, eating, playing, praying, sleeping, and eating, playing, praying, and sleeping again. Wow! Isn’t that exciting because everything is provided for you and you are free from all stresses and anxieties of life? It was like a never ending fun and frolic experience that I wish has never ended. I remember Inang (mother) would carry me at her back from our stairs just to bring me to our dining table so I can enjoy my meal with my siblings. Also, I vividly recall the time that Amang (father) would sleep beside me and make sure that I am having a good rest because he believes that I will grow faster if I sleep in the afternoon. Who doesn’t want to have this kind of life? It was indeed one of the most unforgettable experiences I will always cherish and treasure forever. If time machine is real, I wish that I can go back to those years of my life.

In life, I have met and talked with people who were confused about their course choice, career plans, gender identity, and spiritual beliefs. From my interaction with them, I have discovered that they just all needed to be cleared of what they really wanted in life, direction. It is definitely not an easy process but they have tried their very best to go to that path of life.

As I grow older and wiser, I have realized that life is not all about eating, playing, praying, and sleeping. I think that life is about finding meaning in everything that you do, otherwise, you are like in a trip to neverland and you don’t know where you are headed. Finding neverland will surely be an esoteric experience one would not want to travel. But where do I really want to go with all of this quest for meaning and pursuit for happiness which I always desire and long for? Honestly, I can intellectualize and spiritualize my answers to this simple but intricate question. Where do I really want to go from here?

Now that I continue to live my life, I need to be clear of what I want to do and where I really want to go. After all, I am the captain of my soul and the angel of my heart. I just hope and pray that at the end of my journey, I hope I was able to go and take the path that will lead me to the direction where I have to be.

Quo vadis! Where do you go from here?