Reflecting on the 3 F's of Lent

With the Ash Wednesday liturgy today, we begin our solemn, faith - filled 40 day journey of Lent.    During the 8am mass earlier at the EDSA Shrine, the celebrant, Fr. Benjo Fajola, talked about the 3 F's of Lent as shared in Walter J. Burghardt, SJ's book "To Be Just Is To Love: Homilies for a Church Renewing": Forgiveness, Freedom and Festivity.

http://www.deaconsil.com/catalog/media/0809140411.jpg

 My major takeaways from Fr. Benjo's homily are:

 1) Lent is a time for us to open our hearts, extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us or wronged us in any way and to ask forgiveness from those whom we have hurt or wronged. The Lord is asking us to take the first step, whether in extending forgiveness or asking for forgiveness, even if we find it difficult to do so. We ask the Lord for the grace to be like him, like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, who ran to his son, and even before his son was able to utter the words "Father, I have sinned against you.", embraces him and celebrates his being found. Taking the first step towards forgiving and being forgiven can be done - if we contemplate long enough on the cross where Jesus was crucified and realize the cost, the extent of His sacrifice, for the forgiveness of our sins.

2) Lent is a time for us to experience freedom from all that is weighing us down and burdening us, not allowing us to live fully in the Lord. As we reflect on the gravity of His sacrifice on the cross, we realize that He has won the victory over death and sin and we, too, must have the grace and strength to overcome such burdens and chains in our lives so that we may live a life of freedom, a life filled with the loving and encompassing Presence of the Lord.

3) Lent is a time to be festive, to celebrate. And what, you may ask, are we supposed to celebrate? Or are we even allowed to celebrate? We look at the cross and come to realize how much the Lord loved us, that He allowed Himself to experience the humiliation of being crucified.  Then, as I experienced earlier during the mass, how else can we respond but with gratitude and joy for the great gift He has bestowed on us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) 

As we journey in this blessed season of Lent, I pray that we may choose not to be like the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and waste the opportunities the Lord will give us to celebrate life, to be freed from sin, and to forgive and to be forgiven. Let us follow the example of God who ran to us and expressed His love for us by washing away our sinfulness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

He ran to me, He took me in His arms 
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again” 
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes 
With forgiveness in His voice He said, “Son”, He called me Son 
He said, “Son do you know I still love you?” 
He ran to me and then I ran to Him 
When God ran
(from the song When God Ran - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m-PF20bDlI)

The Promise of Reaping with Songs of Joy

http://img3.etsystatic.com

Well, I believe this is really ringing out loud and clear as the direction and disposition I need to take during this particular life episode in response to this question "When you meet disappointment and failure, do you press upon the Lord, like Simon, to hear his word and to receive his command?".

It's such a blessing to be reminded about being built for more and, in response, to give more. 
:-D

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Sowing In Tears
TGIF Today God Is First
<http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/blog/sowing-in-tears-2>

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." - Psalm 126:5

Psalm 126 describes an interesting process that goes against our natural tendencies when we are taken into a difficult period in our lives. Whenever we are hurled into a crisis that brings tears, our tendency is to retreat or recoil in fear and hurt. However, there is a better way that God tells us to handle such times of travail.

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:5-6). God is telling us that if we will do what is unnatural for us in these circumstances, He will make sure that what we sow in tears will return in joy. This is one of the most important lessons I have learned when faced with difficult circumstances. Rather than sit back and allow self-pity and discouragement to consume us, we should plant seed during this time. Reach out to a person who needs a friend. Invest in the life of another. See where you can be a blessing to someone. Give of yourself.

The psalmist acknowledges that we are doing this while we are in our pain. However, during this time we are to sow seed. That seed will return to us in another form. Here is what will happen when we do this. "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." We will receive joy and fruit from the seed that we plant during this time. Sheaves represent the fruit of a harvest. We will actually get a harvest from this seed.

"You must not let the circumstances destroy you! Too many in the Kingdom are counting on you to come through this because of the calling on your life!" Those were the words spoken to me by a friend one time when I was in the midst of a very difficult business and personal circumstance that was threatening to destroy me emotionally. This person saw what God was doing and the fruit that God wanted to bring from these circumstances. Sometimes we need others around us to push us through the difficult times. If you find yourself in a difficult place today, see where you can sow some seed. Soon you will be reaping songs of joy.

Praying for the Grace to be Faithful

“We are called upon not to be successful but to be faithful.” - Blessed Mother Teresa

www.bigredcustomrocks.com

"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." - Blessed Mother Teresa

excellentquotations.com

Lord, grant us the grace to be faithful in whatever You have called us to do as we pursue Your will for us each day. May our hearts be filled with the desire to please You and to love and serve You and Your people through the talents and abilities You have blessed us with, no matter how small they may be. We lift unto You our offering of our  five loaves and two fish, asking that, in Your great love, You may multiply these and allow them to be used for Your greater glory. Amen.

Prayers and Aspirations for the Year Ahead

As another year unfolds, I pray that the Lord will allow us to experience opportunities to love and serve Him and His people more!

I pray that this year may be a year filled with abundant blessings, joy and hope as we continue our journey with Him!

Looking forward to a great year ahead! God bless! :-D

livingwaterschurch.wordpress.com

 As the year begins, I am encouraged to aspire for great things this year, praying boldly for bold things to unfold in my life!

I am confident that the Lord will allow me opportunities to do great things this year all for His greater glory just like He did great things for me last year and even more.

My heart proclaims "The Lord has done great things for me and I am filled with joy." (personalized from Psalm 126:3)

gloriamarie.com

anextraordinaryday.net

 

Christmas Greetings 2012

It is my fervent prayer that this Christmas may be filled with gratitude to the Lord for loving us so much that He allowed His only Son to be born into this world so we could open our hearts, mind and soul to His loving Presence!

May the good Lord encourage all of us to celebrate His gift of love and may this inspire us to proactively find opportunities to share the joy of knowing Him and experiencing His guiding and loving Presence to others around us!

Have a blessing and joy - filled Christmas! :-D

homegrownfamilies.net

Simbang Gabi 2012 - Major Takeaways (Days 7 - 9)

On this last day of Simbang Gabi 2012, I'd like to bring the curtains down on my Christmas novena journey as I share my last three major takeaways. It has really been a reflective and spiritually uplifting experience for me as the Lord has personally dealt with me through each mass.  

7th day of Simbang Gabi at EDSA Shrine - Major Takeaway - The Lord encourages to seek two things as evidenced in the Magnificat of Mama Mary:

1) To seek to have depth in our lives - to be able to know our purpose and meaning of our lives, to know what direction our lives are headed and to have the foundation of our lives solidly built on the Lord. It is not about the height (or the desire for people to hold us in high esteem according to the world's standards) nor width (or the desire to accumulate wealth and have an abundance of material resources so that people will be envious of your situation) but a desire to put depth into our lives and, therefore, come to understand the Lord's will for our lives even more.

2) To seek to have overflowing goodness and possess an overflowing spirit - to be able to well up with joy like Mama Mary in her Magnificat and to share this joy with others around us. When Mama Mary expressed her Yes to the Lord and the Lord blessed her, she was overflowing with joy and gratitude that she could not contain with in herself so she had to share it with someone like her cousin Elizabeth. In every circumstance in our lives, regardless whether it is a blessing or a difficulty, we want to be able to express gratitude to the Lord for giving us to the opportunity to experience His generosity, His mercy, His love and His faithfulness.

And so just like Mama Mary, I sing with joy:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

blueeyedennis-siempre.blogspot.com

‎8th Day of Simbang Gabi (4th Sunday of Advent) at Ortigas Park - Major Takeaway - We hear the story of the Visitation again today. This story allows us to reflect and ask ourselves the following:

1) Do we still have room in our lives for the Lord or are we too preoccupied by the cares and the busyness that characterized this world? Can we still take time to come before the Lord in communion with Him and allow Him to fill our hearts and minds or is the hustle and bustle around us getting most, if not all, of our attention? The example of Mama Mary and Elizabeth allow us to see that the Lord was able to fill their emptiness (referring to their wombs) with fullness of life in the persons of their soon to be born sons Jesus and John the Baptist. Can we also empty ourselves so that we can be filled by the encompassing and loving Presence of the Lord?

2) When we experience blessings in our lives, are we excited to share these with others around us or do we just keep them (especially material blessings) to ourselves, for our own satisfaction? A proverb highlights that a joy shared is a joy doubled or multiplied. It seems that, with tragedies recently happening like Typhoon Pablo and the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings, a lot of people aren't experiencing a lot of joy but the Lord is challenging all those who have experienced blessings or have the opportunity to reach out and share, to go beyond themselves and experience their joy and their blessings being doubled or multiplied as they allow others in need to partake of the goodness they have received.

As we eagerly await the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest gift, blessing and source of joy we could ever experience, let us allow the Lord to fill us with His loving Presence and allow the blessings that come from Him to overflow and be shared to others around us. As He gave of Himself to others, let us also give of ourselves.

blueeyedennis-siempre.blogspot.com

9th Day of Simbang Gabi at St. Therese, UPLB - Major Takeaway - Zechariah's Benedictus is a testament of faith in the Lord and communicates a desire to bless the Lord who has bestowed bountiful blessings on His people. This includes the blessing of the birth of Zechariah's son, John, who is concrete proof that the nothing is impossible with the Lord.

In response to the exceeding goodness of the Lord, Zechariah also blesses his son and conveys his understanding of how the Lord will use John to be "the voice in the wilderness" that will prepare the way of the Lord, the Messiah. We also want to be used by the Lord in the same way as John - to lead others to the Lord as we share our faith experiences and encourage and inspire others to share their own faith experiences with others.

This video challenges us to be more sensitive to others in need around us and realize that even just one small gesture of sharing, one simple act of kindness can make such a great impact on the lives of others. :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU

May you experience the joy and hope of the Lord in this blessed Christmas season! 

Simbang Gabi - Major Takeaways (Days 4 - 6)

It's now time for the 2nd compilation of my major takeaways in Simbang Gabi 2012 as I share my reflections for days 4 - 6.

4th Day of Simbang Gabi at EDSA Shrine - Major Takeaway - The Lord desires for us to be like a spiritual drill; that in the changing of the seasons in our lives (Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time, Advent, ...), we may grow deeper in our relationship with Him and others around us. He desires that, like the wife of Manoah and Elizabeth, we may have faith in the Lord's goodness and faithfulness even in the most difficult or the hardest to understand situations in our lives. And as He bestows blessings upon us as we overcome these difficult and hard to understand situations, we are all the more grateful to the Lord who "remains faithful even if we are not for He cannot deny Himself."

‎5th day of Simbang Gabi at EDSA Shrine - Major Takeaway - The Lord is challenging and encouraging us to take on the disposition of Mama Mary when she responded "I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to Your word." She may not have fully understood what the angel Gabriel was talking about but she trusted that the Lord would grant her the grace to do His will and so she responded with her Yes.

I pray that we, too, may, trust in the Lord's goodness and faithfulness as we go through each day in our journey with Him. As the angel Gabriel assured Mary, we are also assured of the Lord's guiding Presence in our lives: "Be not afraid...for nothing is impossible with God."

howard-carter.blogspot.com

6th day of Simbang Gabi at EDSA Shrine - Major Takeaway - We are being encouraged by the Lord to be a joyful people and not just happy people. Like Father Dave Concepcion shared in his homily this morning, happiness is a disposition while joy is a gift from the Spirit. In order for us to experience joy, we need to be able to bring Mama Mary into our lives (our homes, our schools, our offices, our communities, etc.) and allow Christ to be born anew in us.

I am reminded of some of the words of a favorite Christmas song of mine, although it is not a well-known one:

I'll make my heart a Bethlehem
A place where love can dwell within
A place where hope and joy begin
This Christmas in my heart.

I'll make my heart a Bethlehem
That's open wide to welcome Him
A place where hope and joy begin
This Christmas in my heart, this Christmas in my heart.

Let us allow Christ to dwell within us that joy may emanate from us so we can recognize Him in every circumstance, listen and hear His Word and direction for our lives and act upon such direction. For this gift of love from the Lord is enough reason for us to be grateful and joyful! :-D

ibibleverses.christianpost.com

Simbang Gabi 2012 - Major Takeaways (Days 1 - 3)

It's actually the 7th day of Simbang Gabi today and the 3rd to the last day of the novena in preparation for Christmas. What I've decided to do for each of the remaining days of Simbang Gabi is to share my reflections or major takeaways from each of the masses. I have been posting these as FB status messages and I'm putting them together into three compilations of three major takeaways, thus adding up to all nine days of the novena. 

So here's the first compilation:

1st day of Simbang Gabi earlier at EDSA Shrine which happened to coincide with Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent). Major Takeaway - To experience joy is to recognize the loving and constant presence of the Lord in our lives. May we continue to be bearers of His love to others around us. :-D

2nd day of Simbang Gabi at St. Therese, UPLB. Major Takeaway - The Lord will use us as His instruments of love, joy, peace and hope even if we are ordinary, broken and sinful. All we have to do is open ourselves to be His vessels to reach out to those in need. Just like the Magi offered their gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh, we, too, can offer whatever we have to serve and love Him more.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish, UPLB (MCMIII)

3rd Day of Simbang Gabi at EDSA Shrine - Major Takeaway - The Lord, who is called Emmanuel, God is with Us, came into the world for us to realize that we can only experience fullness of life with Him present in our lives. And, as He is present in our lives as we go through each day, He is also challenging us to be present to others around us - our family, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our friends, those who we encounter who are in need. Thus, we can imbibe the ministry of presence through every situation we find ourselves in. :-D

shepherds-heart.org

The Blessings of Catchfire

Catchfire 2012 last November 25, 2012 was such a blessing - filled opportunity for me and thousands of men and women from different Catholic communities and groups to give our all for the King!

I remembered one of my Facebook status messages before that day which read:

Lord, in grateful response to your exceeding goodness and faithfulness in our lives, we will live our lives desiring to be like You every day, to seek You in all our decisions and plans and to serve You and the men and women that we encounter each day in our walk with You! 

Let's pray for grace and strength to be true to these promises made to You, our Lord and King!

I continue to pray for grace and strength so I could keep these promises I made to the Lord and which I expressed anew during the Catchfire rally. I know that it won't be a walk in the park but I am reminded by the words of the banner song of Catchfire 2012 (Blessings by Laura Story - 2012 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, the 1st ever winner for this category which was introduced just this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgxB82LgK7E) that all I need is to have faith and trust in You and Your will for me which is an expression of Your great love for me. 

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Reminiscing Catchfire 2011: One King. One People. One Mission.

As Catchfire 2012 approaches in less than a month, I decided to take a look back and reminisce on my Catchfire 2011 experience, one aspect of which was being asked to be part of the Catchfire Writers pool and getting the inspiration from the Lord to write the article that was shared on the Catchfire website last year.

This is the article which served as my personal reflection for Catchfire 2011 which hopefully was transformed into a communal reflection as people came to read and reflect on it.

CATCHFIRE 2011:

ONE KING. ONE PEOPLE. ONE MISSION.

One King

1 Chronicles 29:11 says “Lord, you are great and powerful. Glory, majesty and beauty belong to you. Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. Lord, the kingdom belongs to you. You are honored as the One who rules over all.”

These words breathe life into what every Christian feels in the very depths of his soul – the Lord is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and He deserves our worship. The psalmist declares “Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness (Psalm 96:9). We must never lose the splendor and majesty of the Lord in our very being. We are surrounded by countless evidences of His royal presence and remain in awe of His greatness and beauty. He is worth the praise and thanksgiving that we give Him because, despite His being a King, He was the one who reached out to us by giving His one and only Son to save us from the clutches of sin and inviting us to a loving relationship with Him. Imagine a King going against all protocol that the world has put in place and inviting us to be a part of His kingdom, a part of His family.

”Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28).

Indeed, we give thanks to the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings for consuming us with His fire, a fire that envelopes our lives and moves us to choose Him over the world every day.

One People

Yet, even if this invitation to be part of His family has been extended to us in love, day in, day out, we find ourselves rejecting this invitation by living our lives our own way. Yet, even if we let him down because of the choices we make, He remains steadfast in loving us.  He remains faithful, even if we are faithless, because He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2: 13).

Thus, we learn to open ourselves to the different manifestations of His faithfulness in our lives...

He leads His flock “to paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23: 3b). This leads to our lives being filled with purpose and direction.

Because Him, we lack nothing and our cup overflows (Psalm 23: 1, 5b). We realize how generous the Lord has been in our lives despite the many times we turned our back on Him.

And even if we face trials and difficulties, we fear no evil because the Lord is always with us (Psalm 23: 4a). We become stronger and more courageous as we face trials that come our way knowing that the Lord is by our side.

“God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is. This is what it means to be created in the image of God.” (John Piper)

The chorus of the song “In Your Loving Presence” brings forth the yearning to praise and honor the One true King and the desire to abide always in His Presence.

We will praise You, Lord

For Your goodness and mercy thrive

We will exalt Your name, our God

In Your loving Presence we will abide

This desire to abide always in His Presence is what motivates us to respond daily to His invitation to be a part of His kingdom, to be as 1 Peter 2: 9 – 10 proclaims:  “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

  

One Mission

The realization that we are His chosen people, God’s special possession, inspires each one of us to strive daily to obey and do His will and to please Him in the way we live our lives.

For freely I have received blessing upon blessing

So freely I should give everything that I am

That I may live a life worthy of You, Lord

Pleasing You in every way

Bearing fruit in every good work

Giving thanks to You day after day.

Indeed, we have received so much from the Lord! And how else can we respond but by standing up in faith for Him who loved us unconditionally?

Each day the Lord blesses us with opportunities to share the goodness and faithfulness we have experienced in our lives to all others around us -- in our families, in our workplaces, in our daily circumstances, and even through our social media, like Facebook and Twitter.  As Christians, we  recognize that the Lord has called us to be “in the world but not of the world”, to be examples of people living radical lives of faith, hope and love so that others around us may be brought out of the darkness the world has enveloped them in and live freely in the light and love of the Lord, our King and God.

We pray that we, as One People, shall commit to pursuing this One Mission --  to bring to others the Good News that we are all called to a loving relationship with Christ, our One true King. 

It is in Giving that We Receive

©iStockphoto.com/Mark Strozier

I was reminded this morning by a friend's FB status message that it was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi today. As I reflected on his life and his inspirations, what really came to mind was the song that was based on the Prayer of St. Francis and one rendition I found myself listening to today was that of the Philippine Madrigal Singers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9U38O0_IXQ)

Make me a channel of Your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring Your love.
Where there is injury, Your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in You.

Chorus:
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

(Chorus)

Make me a channel of Your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.


It is my prayer that the Lord may grant all of us the grace to be open to every opportunity that He blesses us with to bring His love, pardon, faith, light and joy as well as to console, understand, love and give of ourselves. Inasmuch as I have received from others who have touched my life, I desire to give of myself so that I may be a blessing to others around me - whether this is through giving my best in every lesson I teach, spending time with my students and brothers and sisters in Christ when the ministry of presence is very much welcomed or extending my prayers as one way for me to support and encourage those around me (especially at this time when it's nearing finals and exams and requirements tend to pile up into a tower seemingly higher than what even the UP Pep Squad could put together. :-D). May the example of St. Francis of Assisi inspire us to gratefully respond to the Lord's exceeding goodness and faithfulness in our lives by being His vessels of love, joy and peace to others around us.  

Trusting and Believing

As a miracle baby celebrated her 7th birthday recently, I came to reflect on the song and the MTV we did that shared her mom's story of trusting and believing that the Lord's promise of a child would come true (as well as other stories of trusting and believing).

The lyrics of the song continue to encourage me when I am faced with situations that are difficult, testing my faith and trust and sometimes (or most of time) lead me to wrack my brain in trying to understand why this is happening.

Lord We Believe

Lord we believe
That You are God
No other God can fill our hearts but You
Lord we believe
That You are faithful
Forever true, Your promises are true

* O God, our trust in You
the darkness won't subdue
Our hearts will ever more sing of Your goodness
No matter what may come
In You we shall be strong
As one, O Lord, hear Your people declare

**You are God, You are Lord
You are all our hearts' desire and more
Come, O God, let the veil be raised
Let Your people see your face


Lord we believe
That we are Yours
Created Yours, our lives we give to You
Lord we believe
That You are here
Holding us near, our spirits You renew (*, **)


You are God, You are Lord
Let Your people see Your face

Lord we believe
We'll see Your face
Lord we believe


Whatever we are facing right now, be it backlogs in school or at work, exams and requirements left and right, client demands piling up, disappointments in not getting the deal, contract or promotion, relationships being tested, or what have you, let us all be encouraged to trust and believe in the Lord who has promised: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God (Yahweh), the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint; and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31).

(Happy Birthday Janine Villamor! You are truly a blessing to your mom and dad and to all of us who are witnesses of the Lord's great love for you!) 

San Lorenzo Ruiz: A Thousand Lives, All for Christ

http://mmdelrosario.hubpages.com/hub/saint-lorenzo-ruiz

As I was reflecting today on the Feast of the first Filipino saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz (who will soon be joined by Blessed Pedro Calungsod who will be canonized on October 21, 2012), I came across the song "Sanlibong Buhay" by Bukas Palad (http://youtu.be/h0ZilfCpMIQ). This song was inspired by the words he uttered in response to his tormentor who asked if he would renounce his faith if he was allowed to live: "That I shall never do, because I am a Christian and I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them. And so do with me as you will please."

Sanlibo man aking buhay,
bawat isa'y iaalay
sa Diyos at bayan kong mahal,
'sasanggalang inyong dangal.
Isugo Mo kahit saan,
hamakin man ako't saktan.
Dalangin ko'y maging tapat.
Pag-ibig Mo ay sasapat.

Sanlibo man aking buhay,
sanlibo ring iaalay.
Sanlibo kong kamatayan,
sa palad Mo ilalaan.

Going through the lyrics of the song made me ask myself if I would be willing to lay down my life for the Lord. My initial response was "Yes" maybe because it was easy to say "Yes" immediately and not think of what will come with my saying "Yes". But as I reflected further, I found myself coming face to face with the realization that it's not as easy as I thought it would be especially living in the world we are in today. So many distractions, temptations, second bests that come our way make it a constant struggle to be true and committed to our relationship with the Lord.

Yet, I have hope that I will be able to commit myself to my Lord each day because of San Lorenzo Ruiz's example of an ordinary person with extraordinary faith. That is, relying on his love for His Lord and the grace and strength that came from the Lord to withstand even the temptation of the gift of life if he just renounced his faith. It is my prayer that I, too, may be able to offer myself "as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God because this is my true and proper worship." (Romans 12: 1b)

On his feast day, let us be encouraged and inspired by San Lorenzo Ruiz's example of unwavering faith in the midst of adverse situations that we may find ourselves facing and his dedication and great love for the Lord.

Jesus' Gift of Love through Mama Mary

Heard mass earlier at the EDSA Shrine and what I remember from the homily of Fr. Carlo is that we have every reason to celebrate the birth of Mama Mary today because through her fiat, her saying Yes to the Angel Gabriel, we have all been given the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as God made man. Through her opening herself to becoming the mother of Jesus, we have become recipients of Jesus' great love, a love that was willing to sacrifice and experience death on the cross. That exchange at the foot of the cross (Mother, behold thy son. Son, behold thy mother.) set into motion our journey as disciples together with Mama Mary. Indeed, we have become one family in our journey towards heaven.

One of my favorite Marian songs "Mariang Ina Ko" sung by Bukas Palad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceoyURdymJY) speaks of that journey with Mama Mary as we acknowledge the gift of love Jesus gave us before He breathed His last on the cross.

Sa 'king paglalakbay, sa bundok ng buhay, 
Sa ligaya't lumbay maging talang gabay. 

Koro: 
Mariang ina ko, ako ri'y anak mo, 
Kay Kristong kuya ko, akayin mo ako. 
Kay Kristong kuya ko, akayin mo ako. 

Maging aking tulay, sa langit mong pakay, 
Sa bingit ng hukay, tangnan aking kamay. (Koro) 

Sabihin sa kanya aking dusa't saya, 
Ibulong sa kanya, minamahal ko siya. (Koro)

I am grateful to the Lord for giving me this blessed opportunity to experience Mama Mary's guidance in my life journey with Him and, therefore, I (and, I believe, all of us) have every reason to celebrate the birth of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ today.

Prayer of Augustine - A Reflection

Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine, in the Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, Florida

Came across this praise-filled cover by Dan Purkapile while reflecting on St. Augustine's life and love for the Lord on his feast day today.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVaXeZVtjhg

"Prayer of Augustine" by Ed Conlin

Verse 1:
O Beauty ancient, O Beauty so new
Late have I loved Thee and feebly yet do.
Though you were with me, I was not with You.

Then You shone Your face and I was blind no more

Chorus:
My heart searches restlessly and finds no rest 'till it rests in Thee.
O Seeker You sought for me, Your love has found me;
I am taken by thee.

Verse 2:
I sought this world and chased its finer things,
Yet were these not in You, they would not have been.
My ceaseless longing hid the deeper truth,
In all my desirings, I was desiring You.

Verse 3:
Lord, in my deafness You cried out to me.
I drew my breath and now Your fragrance I breathe
O Fount of Life, You are forever the same;
O Fire of Love, come set me aflame.

We find ourselves living our lives perhaps not knowing where we are going. We try to find comfort in the things of this world. Yet, just like St. Augustine, we realize that there is a void in our hearts that only the Lord can filled - a God - shaped figure to make our hearts (and souls) complete. That is when we seek the Lord and desire to have Him at the center of our lives, inspiring and motivating us to love and serve Him and His people. Yet, surprisingly for us, He has also been seeking us and knocking on the door of our hearts, patiently waiting for the day when we will let Him in. That's how much He loves us - He will never force down the door of our hearts but when we do open that door, His love encompasses us and, like St. Augustine, all we can say is "O Seeker You sought for me, Your love has found me; I am taken by Thee."

 

I am truly grateful that that the Lord sought for me and that His love has found me! :-D

Men of Ligaya - 1

As this blessing - filled weekend comes to an end, I just want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to be guided and directed through His Word in the Ligaya Men's Conference and for the opportunity to experience the Men of Ligaya committing themselves to protect one another as we face the Enemy in our daily lives.

I'd just like to share this prayer that I came across and, as we fight side by side in Christ, let's us continue to pray for and encourage one another:

(John 14:14) Father, we come to You in Jesus' Name.
(Eph.3:16) We ask you to strengthen us with might by Your Spirit in our inner man,
(Zech.4:6) for it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts.
(Ex.12:21-23) We ask You to cover us with the blood of Jesus,
(Job 1:10) and make a hedge about us, for protection from Satan's attacks.
(Eph.6:11-12) We put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Eph.6:14-17) We stand therefore, having my loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And we take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,
(Is.58:8) and the glory of the Lord is my reward.
(Is 54:17) No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against us in judgement shall be condemned.
(2Chr.20:12,15,17) We have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know what to do: but our eyes are upon you. We shall not be afraid nor dismayed, for the battle is not ours, but Yours. We set ourselves, we stand still, and see Your deliverance.
(Jer.15:20-21) Make us as a fenced brazen wall, so that though Satan's hosts shall fight against us, they shall not prevail against us, for You are with us to deliver us out of the hand of the wicked one and redeem us out of the hand of the terrible.
(1Cor.15:57) Thanks be to You, O God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

On a lighter note, let us remember the words of one of the songs shared by the Blue Team:
We are Men of Ligaya who are ready to fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rivals
With our last ounce of courage we will do what is right
And our God will be pleased with the Men of Ligaya.

“Never lose hope, though everything's bleak, though you feel so weak. Never shrink back, never look back, especially when you know that you're fighting for the right reasons, for the right people.” ― Jawe Querimit

Let us remember that we are men who love, serve and follow a victorious God! :-D

Blessed Moments - 2

This second helping of stories of blessed moments focuses on my encounter with a book that strengthened my resolve to continue my teaching journey. At that time, I didn't even know the book was already popular and that the author was gaining wide recognition as a result. I was casually going through the bookshelves at National Bookstore Katipunan one afternoon a good number of years ago. Picking up a book here, scanning through another book there, not really putting too much emphasis on what I was actually doing. Until I came across the book.

I had never even heard of the author, Mitch Albom. What intrigued me was the title and the subtitle of the book. And so I decided to browse through it. And I realized that this was a book about the author rediscovering his mentor Morrie Schwartz from his college days and the experiences and circumstances surrounding that encounter that made it very special. That was enough to convince me to buy the book. And I guess that was one of the blessed moments the Lord wanted me to have that day. Because when I got home and started reading the book, I was hooked! I finished the book in one sitting, though at times I felt it was hard to go on because I was actually crying. Crying because of the impact on my life of the Tuesday sessions with Morrie as shared by Mitch and because of the sadness of losing a very special person who made a significant difference in Mitch's life.

And that made me reflect on both my teaching journey and my journey in my walk with the Lord. One very strong realization I had that day is "My life may be filled with uncertainties, difficult decisions, setbacks and defeats but, one thing is sure, I have Someone who will be there with me ever step of the way." Another strong realization was "Teaching is my passion; making a positive difference in the lives of my students is what gets me through the day, whether these days are filled with joy or sadness." One quote from the book sums up what I gained out of that blessed moment when I shared Mitch's Tuesday sessions with his mentor-friend Morrie as I read the book.

I came to realize that I had found where the Lord wanted me to be in terms of my career because teaching gave me the opportunity to devote myself to creating something that gives me purpose and meaning. This was a venue for me to encounter and make an impact on young minds, eager to learn not just the lessons in the classroom but, more importantly, the lessons in life.

One aspiration I have as a teacher and mentor is to be a "Morrie" to my students, not just dealing with feeding their minds but also nurturing their hearts and souls. And that means not just being there for them in the classroom but even outside the four walls - when they need someone to talk to, to share with, to cry with, to smile and laugh with. This aspiration spills over to my being adviser to my younger brothers and sisters in Christ in Christ's Youth in Action - UP Diliman. I just don't want to be an adviser who signs request letters or who coordinates schedules and meeting with them but I want to be their "Kuya Manny" - when they need someone to talk to, to share with, to cry with, to smile and laugh with.

That is why I desire to have the time to devote myself to loving others and devoting myself to the community around me. And those countless blessed moments that I have had in being a "Morrie" or "Kuya Manny" have encouraged and motivated me to continue this journey of ups and downs. This is where the Lord has planted me and where He has given me avenues to grow throughout the different seasons of life. I am a sojourner and this is my journey - a journey of discovering more blessed moments!