I Know the Plans I Have For You

Ave Maria:-)

It's 30 yrs since I heard the name Living Word from my late mother Lydia. The first time I heard it , was in the middle of Annie Batungbacal craze, Hotdog, nightlife (I lab the nightlife, I love the boogieee, remember that song hehe) jazz fusion, fashion statements of the 80's ( that was fun)  young love , blessed with stamina where you could go on 3-4 days no sleep,all hapi-hapi let's party, get bombed ... 

THEN GOD INTERVENES... buti na lang.

Lydia: Join the Living Word iday.

Maye: Living What, Mama.? what is that .. uy ha bagong pauso ka na naman Mama dearest. Well, it figures, after all you've tried Real Estate, Bag and shoes making (magandang idea yung straw material gamit mo Ma, sayang kulang ka sa marketing strategy) , runnin' a beauty parlor...and now this Living Word? Nice Name huh... probably stands for a health supplement business...Ma, you are soooo ahead of your time. Magandang raket yan.

Lydia: Iday , it's a charismatic prayer group..Catholic charismatic.... we  asked permission from the parish priest to form the group here at Mt. Carmel, kasama ko Sis. Dori....you join, I told them you would help teach their choir.. mga youth... you'll like it.

Maye: You what?!!! Ba't mo ako kino-mit... Mama..dapat you asked me first, and why should I teach them, ka anu-ano ko ba sila... at most of all..how can I enjoy...  naykupu, ngayon pa lang I can feel in my bones , utter disaster yang papasukan kong yan...busy ako...sorry. I am singing and managing a jazz band (yung tone ko ay parang sinasabi ko : I am the Prime Minister of Great Britain.)

Lydia:(walang narinig..grrrr....) Sa Sunday you start teaching them.

Maye: Mama!!!!!! (melodramatic rolling upwards of eyes, flaring nostrils, Maria Callas coloratura complaint) Thing is..... with Lydia Bardillon Gaviola, you don't win, kahit mag melodrama ka mag-damag dyan .PANALO SI WARAY.

WARAY-WARAY...MATIGAS.

That was 30 yrs ago...I learned it(Living Word) wasn't a health supplement business but that it did contribute much not only to my personal health but to the total health of many: family, friends..strangers..enemies --- watta strange business

  Additional discoveries...there wasn't only Living Word, there was El Shaddai, Loved Flock, Light of Jesus,Couples for Christ, EliM, Marriage Encounter,the Opus Dei... over at Greenhills, another beloved aunt was deep into  the Neo-Catechumenate.. elsewhere, you'd hear Focolare Movement...

As I started to swim the deeper waters of the Catholic Church..I discovered how vast were its treasures..how countless the avenues for spiritual formation, growth and continued sustenance.. those groups..and many mandated organizations provided other supplemental help to what the church would give on a regular basis.. shepherding from the priests..the teachings and guidance from the Pope and Magisterium ,holy mass, devotions, sacraments...etc. .. etc.... How God has poured His Spirit to build the Body of Christ.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me....

Now I am all of 53... somehow stating my age makes me feel victorious. 53 and still alive.. with plenty of lessons learned :merong the easy way-- lesson in  one-sitting-- lesson thru-the-years...lesson hard way practicum style --talk about the School of Life .. and yes..am expecting more precious lessons .... till my final hour,I'll bet... thank You Lord. And All for what?

what is the point of this whole exercise of living?

To glorify the Giver of Life...God ALmighty! Hallelujah!

The stint with Living Word turned out to be more than just music- choir practise... more than just prayer meetings.. more than seminars... more than just to pass away the time.. or because there was nothing better to do... IT provided a launching pad so I could give better in the other areas of my life -- ( how to be wife, mother, sister, employee, Filipino citizen, soon to be senior citizen hahaha)  it turned out to be a sure venue where I could meet Jesus Up Close and Personal... and them share Him

Some will wonder... isn't it boring.. won't it become a drag in the long run... don't you have anything more worthwhile TO DO.

DEPENDS  WHAT AND HOW WE VIEW OUR LIFE.

DEPENDS WHAT THE LORD WANTS YOU TO DO AT A GIVEN PHASE IN YOUR LIFE.

DEPENDS WHAT FOR YOU IS of  TRUE LASTING VALUE.

God invites us... to a life of grace...God initiates the Romance of All Time... He makes The Ultimate Move so that we can be reconciled to Him .. and this reconciliation opens the door for a life of grace, hope and love. A life filled with beautiful changes.

As God has gifted me with community life thru the Living Word..so does He gift you with something equally beautiful...right where you are, God can give that LIFELINE.God can send you Back-up ( angels, saints and real flesh and blood people) He can bless you with a parish..a group... friends who can journey with you toward the Lord. He can even arouse our hunger and need for Him..when we are too inutile to even know we need Him!

Living Word... CWL.... Lector's Guild... what does it matter? what matters is what happens in whatever group we are affiliated with - I guess this can be applied even to our political, social, business affiliations... what the connection contributes to our life... what knowledge is gained.. and the transformation that happens. 

Has it been an easy journey.?ARE YOU KIDDING???

No group is perfect.... But the One Who holds us together is Perfect..and his Love Perfects Us.

I am grateful for the time allowed to serve the Lord in this particular way...

Many times we ask Jesus... how can you put up with us LORD...

You deserve more committed souls.. stronger, loyal to You and sincere. Iba na lang kaya.... recruit others na lang."

But Jesus says :"YOU'LL DO..... TRUST ME."

here is a song that can answer a perennial question we have:

"Why is this happening Lord? What's in store for me? I am afraid... and I am not sure that following and obeying you is the right decision."

Savor the song and be immersed in its message.

Martha Munizzi "I Know the Plans I Have For you"

http://youtu.be/ygpcnB2WAZI

For I know the plans I have for you........ I know just what you're going thru...

So when can't see what tomorrow holds and yesterday is through, remember I know the plans I have for you.

this song so beautiful was inspired no doubt by Jeremiah 29:11.¹¹ 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.

We have plenty of outreaches  this last quarter of 2011:

Everyone can help out:

1) thru prayer -- be a valiant prayer warrior, pray to Jesus, Mama Mary the angels and saints for the graces we will need (offer mass, sacrifice,fasting that God prepares heart to recieve His Son Jesus Christ.)

2) actual presence -- serve in any of the ministries/committees

3) help in conducting the seminars ( you may donate bibles, rosaries, food pledges ,etc... contact Monch Cerezo -Lead Servant thru Facebook or Mary Margarette Pangilinan-Asst. Lead Servant.

God bless you............ waste not those tears and trials.. let us offer them to Jesus and ask Him to draw good out of them.God bless...Te Mye

DISABLED HEART

Ave Maria:-)

Suffering visits us in many ways: and don't just think of financial troubles, break-ups, death of loved ones..or severe illness... sometimes we must bear with brothers and sisters who are DISABLED.

Lest you think I am referring to amputees , the blind or those bound to their sick-beds..no... these have , for lack of a better term - the 'official' right to moan and groan and cry their hearts out.

those I refer to are the brothers and sisters in a time warp... EMOTIONALLY, SPIRITUALLY ,MENTALLY DISABLED...their soul, mind, body psyche contained / trapped in a certain time/situation of their life..whence they suffered so much rejection, humiliation, abandonment, persecution... you get the idea.This caused severe damage ..and served as their basis ON HOW TO VIEW AND ATTACK LIFE .

Perhaps this started way back in conception.. while in their mother's womb, the mother has tried all ingenious means to abort the baby, BUT BABY CLINGS FOR DEAR LIFE AND MAKES IT... a priest and a psychologist once commented that some with severe suicidal tendencies in their adult years can trace this tendency all the way to the time Mommie Dearest tried vainly to kick baby out of her tummy. So you are aghast at individuals who for all intents and purposes seem to have everything going on alright for them -- yet persist in unexplainable drunken or drug binges and then not caring at all if they drive into a wall or fall dead on the pavement - in Tagalog we have an apt description for these poor souls..elders say "SINUSUNDO NIYA SI KAMATAYAN"  He/she is fetching Death ( well, becoz at the rate they are going they could die violently anytime... a senseless death, a wasted life).

More on Disabled Friends...

We have our share of friends and family -- or hey it could be us

...aminin, aminin... Mr./Ms. Disbled who complains of family members or whoever is their current or permanent  enemy , relating to our bleeding ears for the nth time their woes, troubles and how everything is absolutely wrong with their life... how their percieved enemy is the devil in disguise..worst of all.. how God is oblivious to the whole situation.

( amazingly.. our disabled friend never thinks she/he did anything wrong..no sirreee -- it has to be the other person utterly at fault)... If you propose the It Takes TWO To Tango theory, FORGET IT... he/she will have none of it.    -- and you ... poor you... you are pushed against the wall especially when you're caught in the middle of perhaps a household chore, or about to leave for an appointment.. or blissfully relaxed and totally unprepared for ANGST TIME. Yet , who knows if the Lord has precisely allowed it to happen..that we be jolted out of our reverie and complacence... the better  to test and develop our patience..

and... yes---> hopefully... to grow a more loving heart.

You mumble to yourself: "Jesus , this is alright if it's like on a quarterly  basis ... but this person has been going on like this..ranting raving mad for like since Conan the Barbarian's time..and it is now the Age of Transformers... and still he/she will not stop... Lord, I'm afraid the other person won't be the one turning loca-loca...becoz I'll be the One Fully-Loca if this attack on my sensibilities does not stop...Helppp!"

BUT strangely ...  we are able to hold our anger, because we realize  how terribly hurt and emotionally disabled the other person is...Christ bestows His peace and wisdom to us...   since we cannot offer an immediate solution to their woes..our best effort is in listening and to listen with kindness.Oh God come to our assistance indeed. 

Lastly as we cannot enumerated one by one all items for consideration... we have the many characters in our blessed life who have taken an imaginary credit card to test our heart and mind.a Credit Card with no limit it seems!
Meaning... kahit ilang beses kang saktan..it is the most natural thing for them to do..with you as the most natural, top priority beneficiary of their vicious attacks.
Someone will say : So why suffer all these abuse?Fight back! Better yet.. leave him/her/them.

If it (the sufferings),  comes from the people we love .. or care for, the Lord gives us a long rope...and even if we suffer at the hands of those we don't care for, absolute hideous people.. yet when we suffer for the cause of Christ... still... we are given the grace to bear suffering.

Fr. Red once termed this as not suffering passively... but suffering for a cause... to win souls for Christ and His Kingdom.
so we grit our teeth, hold onto our hearts for fear it could crumble to pieces from the sheer weight of pain and inner turmoil --- and we stand our ground especially when it is the salvation of loved ones at stake.In our weakness, Christ's grace is at its strongest ... thank you St. Paul for this reminder.

We are not the one destined to save them..only CHRIST can save a sinner.. but our sufferings offered for their sake can help obtain the grace of conversion..the grace of enlightenment.One blessed day..the fog in their clouded mind clears..and they finally understand the purpose of earthly life. It could take a year..10 yrs...3 decades... oops we might even have crossed-over to the next life..and still in heaven we continue to pray for their salvation..but we doggedly pursue it..becoz divine love urges us on.

As I end this piece... conversations with dear friends/family/peers come to mind:
Ms. X : I don't know why he keeps doing this to me...I have done all I can for the sake of the family and the children but... but it seems all my efforts are wasted.what a brute/ingrate he is.

BBBB : My family is so dysfunctional... each one absorbed in his/her own selfish interest... nobody cares... why should I be the only one caring..why should I be the one bending and showing kindness when they are not appreciative at all.I can still recall how they treated me in the past... yet now, I am the one extending kindness and still they DON'T SEE IT. ( dear, acts of kindness lose their power when you keep pointing the finger at them.)

KKK: My children donot respect me..they yell at the slightest correction.. they hate discipline.. they will not join family prayer time... they are so disobedient...etc..etc...

To kindred souls.... love is never logical..nor can it be measured.
Love goes beyond our human boundaries.. and it is unmistakeable love when we offer forgiveness as many times as there are dawns and sunsets. We look  for a reason why we must forgive the unforgiveable.. we long for an answer to our complaint why we must be so singled out for this particular trial ... there is only ONE REASON... GOD HIMSELF HAS GIVEN HIS VERY LIFE TO SAVE US FROM OUR DISABILITY. If we find ourself capable of giving love, we have only Jesus to thank for...because by our vain self, we'd long be out of business.

Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose from the dead so that we could be healed from this disability to love and to do good unconditionally.

You and me---No longer Disabled but ENABLED, EMPOWERED BY CHRIST'S LOVE FOR US.  

Beware then of the disability that paralyzes us not only up to our bones but up to our very spirit.

May Jesus Saviour and Lord... reveal Himself to us ..help us understand and humbly yield to the power of His love and forgiveness. Heal us Oh Lord.
 ....................................................te mye 

Soul Sisters

Ave Maria:-)

What is something unbearable? that's easy ... how's bout  doing some kind of work that you absolutely detest...YET WORK YOU MUST, AND DO IT ON A DAILY GRIND.

Pinoys have a saying (we never run out of them do we?) "Walang trabahong madali! "
Meaning if it's real work, you stretch our muscles, sometimes break  your bones,---- your mind and heart and talents  could be squeezed for all they are worth... but hey..if you love the work and what's more if the rewards are worth it--- yippee, you don't mind the labours at all. Wish everyone on this planet loved their work.. loving the work you do... makes whatever sacrifices involved bearable.

But the above  Pinoy saying mainly applies to one's occupation in life --- so whether you're the boss , the owner of the business, the cook, the doctor, the traffic officer, a yaya... work is hard . You don't earn a peso or dollar without sweating and slugging it out.

This brings to mind our unsung heroes: Filipino brothers and sisters who work abroad to keep the family fires burning.
We have them in all profiles.those who are trained , learned and from the upper bracket of society who end up as doctors, scientists, businessmen  in other lands..who strike it rich and become oh so successful..

the middle-class who earn just enough to live decently, be able to send their children to good schools, own their homes..enjoy occasional  vacations (able to come home once in awhile not as often as the rich OFW's) 

and last but not the least..our poorer Filipino brothers and sisters who risk their lives, the unity of the family, unspeakable possible horrors awaiting them in the distant lands:loneliness, mental, physical/sexual abuse, low pay , injustice of many types, degradation that even dogs and cats would shun away from.


While we appreciate and respect the success of the two former classes of OFW's ..it is the last group that arouses our compassion  and admiration.  

 Yesterday... we recieved the wonderful gift of giving a formation seminar  for a  batch of OFW's.. fifty plus (actually there are about 300 of them in the agency that Sis. Dori is coordinating with. Sis. Dori our elder was also former head of a branch of Zonta  club, whose advocacy is protecting rights of women) 

Twas Mother's bright idea to invite the community to give a Life in the Spirit Seminar for the OFW's...Praise the Lord!

Meeting them, hearing their stories... sharing the Lord with them ..as they in turn  also shared their faith with us was an unforgettable experience.

Most of the women are young, married and with young children... and in this particular batch..majority were applying for work in an Arab nation (Kuwait mostly)  for the first time.
You could feel their fears, also pent-up sorrows ( family troubles, poverty, abuse .. the list goes on and on it's enough to make you lose your appetite).

Were they afraid to leave their family and homeland? Mostly , especially first-timers would say YES... but the fear will not stop them...the need to earn and support loved ones, the desire for a better, dignified life is stronger, more powerful  than the fear... GO, THEY MUST.

As it turned out we were a smaller team who showed up for the appointed day... students busy with exams, other members left to sing for the noon mass at OLMC parish..., others had prior appointments ...Jesus calls... and whoever shows up, is the one destined to serve in that particular way for the day. thank You Lord.

As the day unfolded (twas a Sunday) you could feel the Spirit taking over.

the openness and cooperative spirit of the participant OFW's was so inspiring.

It is hardest to bring Jesus to those who have suffered much in life as they are bound to wonder if there truly is a God who loves them and thinks about their plight.

But great is the Lord's love for those who suffer.. He had the sweetest blessing of a spiritual awakening , deliverance and empowerment for the Pinays.
We cannot possibly give dole-outs of dollars as pocket money, or promise good employers and high wages to these women.. we cannot issue guarantees that everything will be alright with their families while they are away..but WE CAN GIVE THEM JESUS. AND THAT MATTERS A LOT...Many will be wont to say:"It is all that matters..He is all that matters.." and in a sense , that is true....
 but we would need a separate e-mail for that .suffice to say: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth, and the soul  who has Him..has Everything.

That glorious Sunday, our Filipino sisters discovered their  worth in the LORD..They rejoiced that their sins could be forgiven..and what's more that JESUS can use them to be his apostles. It helped that Fr. Red Molina was too kind to not just celebrate holy mass, give the talk on God's love and Salvation... but to top it all, heard the confessions of all the OFW's .. a feat that would surely make any priest faint with exhaustion, but the Lord supplied him the the strength wisdom and love.
This paved way for a most joyous highlight of the seminar: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit ... Words cannot describe the joy and
fulfillment for both OFW's and Outreach Team .

Attaching a vid of the final song.... a song so apt for our missionary sisters.. may Christ  be your strength and your power in those distant lands. Pinoy Soul Sisters  -just click
God bless you............................................ te mye

Here is a verse dedicated to our Pinay OFW's batch 1, 2011 .... Fear not...Jesus will be with you. ..May the Lord use you to spread the good news of salvation.


And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father.

Colossians 1:10-11 NIV

It Doesn't Taste Like Coffee

Ave Maria:)

 Oh the  comings and goings in our life...

a Filipino priest  fresh from his overseas stint in Norway came like blazing fire..how good the Lord is..

how timely, this priest's visit.. we all need that occassional jolt, someone to knock us out of any actual or threatening complacencies or spiritual sluggishness. Last thing you need is someone sharing about the Good News but in a robotic , half-hearted or flimsy way.

We are sometimes tempted to claim: "But I'm doing my job..I have not deserted my post.. I'm still God's little worker.. without knowing our hearts have grown oh so cold , weary ..blase.

The Lord's antidote when we fall into that death trap of coldness and weariness is believe it or not: a healthy dose of good ole' trials: Big and small... sometimes one after the other, or one Big, intense Unforgettable , unbearable trial /problem/ challenge/ suffering ---  where you really rise up, all senses awakened, rubbing your physical and spiritual eyes -- the better to SEE WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS HAPPENING  in your life?And the better to hold onto your GOD.

,that is God in His infinite wisdom -- He knows when to send us wake-up calls..He does it not because He is cruel or He wants to play around with us, He does it to save us...He loves us!

Fr. Red gave a reflection on Colossians 1:15 -20............. this is a passage  that says it all as to the purpose and importance of Jesus Christ. When we wonder why our work or testimony for the Lord lacks power... when our efforts to evangelize boomerang or fall like a dud... when negativities overcome us so easily..and we don't even bother to put up a fight, it could be becoz we forget --- or we never fully  understood who Jesus is and what He has done for us. In fact He continues to hold all of creation in His Hands

Have you tried making coffee .. you have your coffee-maker, the sugar, the cream... boiling water.. cups and saucers.. but you forgot the coffee itself. then you will not have that coffee drink will you.

Or we hear questions like, how did this person turn out this way, he went to a Catholic /Christian school..  ? why is this priest/pastor/lay leader obnoxious.. so full of himself, so heavy-handed , so worldly, scaryyyy even .. why is it our religious community /organization is falling apart..eaten up by pettiness, adhering more to worldly methods than Christ's ways of doing things.  

All of the above is like making the coffee but without the coffee.

It is the same as we try to practise our Christian faith...searching how this faith can penetrate and sanctify our work , our families, our relationships, our principles, our very lifestyle --- we will not succeed if we donot have Christ in us. Knowing Him and submitting to Him...that is the core of the matter.

Will try to inject some of Fr. Red's sharings plus personal thoughts -- will also past a link to some videos of his talk

Colossians 1:15-20 His Person and Work

15^* He is the image^* of the invisible God,

the firstborn of all creation.^h

^{Fr. Red : Ever noticed how in other religions  , it is the people who exert all their efforts to find and grow close to their GOD? But in Christanity..Wonder of wonders..it is GOD Himself to finds the most radical way to be with us.. to be like us... thru Jesus, God has humbled Himself , the Creator joining His Creation  : This is the power then of JESUS and His eternal call to all who desire to serve Him.."Be humble for I am humble..."}

^{the greatest weapon of Jesus against satan was not  mere might ... but his humility!}

^{Hence if we want to taste the same power vested in Jesus by the Father, we must learn how to be humble..and to grow in humility each passing day.}

16For in him^* were created all things in heaven and on earth,

the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;

all things were created through him and for him.ⁱ

17He is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

It is Jesus who repairs all of mankind's wrongdoings, it is Jesus who raises us up from the mire of sin and presents us to the Father , restored, holy, without blemish. It is Jesus who gives meaning to all of Creation, which prodigal man insistently destroys and abuses on a daily, hourly basis. What we recklessly throw away , Jesus lovingly gathers and claims back for us. 

If only we could be more grateful to Him. If only we'd pay greater homage to Him than the powers we percieve in this world, whether they be men, riches , glories or ideologies. They donot add an minute to our life, ONLY CHRIST DOES. Yet we foolishly bother with them. Be careful who you bow to.

18He is the head of the body, the church.^*

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,

that in all things he himself might be preeminent.^j

^{Oh  that the leaders of our church from religious to lay leaders realize  the manner they lead the faithful. Jesus led by example and all the way to the cross..while we who attempt to lead unwittingly imitate more the Pharisees reeking with hypocrisy and double standards.}

^{Fr. Red.:  learn from the gospel parable about New wine not fit for old wineskins... if Christ  and the New Life and Salvation He offers be the new wine, our hearts the wineskins must be new as well --- for if we insist on mixing the old life with the new --- we'd burst...!}

^{Fr. Red: Faith and Life must be so joined together, not one over the other... for if our life and faith are apart then we'd be living Double Standards... and he who lives a double standard cannot evangelize at all.}

^{Phewwww, whatta knock-out punch if there ever was one.}

19For in him all the fullness^* was pleased to dwell,

20and through him to reconcile all things for him,

making peace by the blood of his cross^*

[through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven.^k

^{Let us be grateful that the Lord thinks we're good enough to be His foot soldiers, His messengers, His instruments  of reconciliation... it is not for us to worry about our inadequacies, our role is to simply repent of our sins daily, daily, daily and  Believe in Christ's Redeeming Love .... to cooperate with the Holy Spirit whose job is to purify and prepare us to be Christ's living tools.}

^{We never envisioned ourself to be hammers or chisels or saws... that can mold an ugly thing into a beautiful creation, but as Jesus is the Carpenter of all Seasons, we'd be wise to allow Him to hold us in His hands and to lay us where He thinks we can get a job done. After all we are His tools for carving and molding not furniture but souls destined to live an eternity in heaven.!Hallelujah!}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnV3MTLdrJ8 Christ's weapon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aauExECO0Ig Blazing Red

God bless us all......................................................................................te mye