the Security Blanket

Ave Maria:-)

Among the many treasured greetings I read was one that  a priest sent, he is formator of a Pauline Missionary Congregation 

and I thank him for these words...because it helps me reflect on my life,our family, our community... the lives of others, and mankind .

 For many Christmas must always be silver bells and Rudolph jingling... carols sweetly sung filling the air... gifts...gifts.. and more gifts... , Santa Claus with children lining up to ask the present they want this year... it is the golden opportunity to be with family --with friends..and even bonding with complete strangers -hearts made one by the season... it is a ceasefire in warzones - gee I hope this is still practised ... it is making endless long distance phone calls ... OFW's sending remittances , never mind if they suffer for as long as the family back home gets to celebrate Noche Buena - the Christmas feast.... and buy presents... 

It will be  priests doing the rounds of Simbang Gabi ... in the Philippines, some parishes have 2 dawn masses.. and also anticipated evening mass for those who still want to complete the Novena of Masses but can't attend dawn mass.  

The series of masses help the faithful listen to the Scripture passages with  priest, explaining , teaching, exhorting the people to yet again make a re commitment to God..to be reconciled to Him thru His Son Jesus Christ.

Many times we've heard... "Ay.. di naman bago suot ko... I don't have new clothes..and it's Christmas.." 

Oh may it be that any outward newness has a connection to our inner transformation.... removing ... doing away with the old sinful way of life... and make room in our heart for the King... Newness of heart then can be expressed  .. yes with a new dress and sparkling appearance, that's alright ..and more deeply... with new actions to interpret the peace, love, truth and forgiveness we recieve from the Lord.    

the recent calamity in Mindanao has changed the manner in which Christmas is celebrated...

How wonderful because many offices have toned done their parties... or saved the money for the exchange gifts and instead send whatever amount was gathered to the victims of the calamity.Wonderful.

But many will will find it hard to dwell on Christmas and its percieved joys ... if there is a financial crisis... if the family is divided .. deeply scarred by conflicts and age-old bitter issues.. how do we proclaim inner and outward peace to the world -- surely if one has sleepless nites there is no actual peace, is there?.. it is hard to accept Christmas if one is on his sick-bed.. or a loved one has 3 times a week dialysis or chemo treatments , and we must watch them suffer.... 

And How does one smile from the heart..when someone has pained you and will not , possibly not in this lifetime ever, ever ask forgiveness  -- ahhh yes ...we insist on our  terms for reconciliation : If he/she does not ask forgiveness first, I won't forgive  --- I will not be reconciled  to him/her.

a dear friend has suffered such brokenness thru the years ( as tho' she has recieved a package deal of troubles and sufferings)

her greatest challenge has always been not to check and see what happens at other's fences.... to check would mean having to see postcard-pretty families... a luxurious lifestyle... successful careers and  good health , and yes, they even have a beautiful  relationship with the Lord...and my friend would be tempted :"Dear God..must they have it all???"

  

Yet ..the years of walking with the Lord... studying , reflecting on Christ's teachings have made her understand that this very life of crosses is a precious, priceless gift... for when it helps us cling to Jesus... when it obtains for us such a sweet surrender to His Will , when our understanding of our faith is deepened.... we recieve treasures only heaven can give... a peace, a joy the world can neve take away... and that is not dependent on having all worldly and temporal security blankets ( fame, riches, loved ones, good health) -- for the Security Blanket becomes God Himself.  My friend slowly but surely becomes a woman of faith.. even a rock to those around her.. who cannot fathom how she can stand it all..yet retain graciousness..even true joy ---there is a calmness and hope that can only grow in the thick of suffering -- suffering united to our Lord and Saviour.

 Anuman ang pinagda daanan natin... naririyan si Hesus.. kusang bunaba  at nag katawang tao ang Panginoong Hesus.... by His Life, Death and Resurrection we are set free from all sin and death...and our inheritance as God's children is fully restored. 

Here then is a Christmas gift from our family to yours...Fr. Mark Grima's prayer... You be the one to see how the prayer can touch your life.

May you be blessed by a Christmas made possible, wherever you are in life and whatever life is for you today.

Christ is born today.

He brings HOPE in our misery.

He brings down power thru HUMILITY.

He is Love made possible.

Maligayang Pasko .........from Dilbert Maye and Joshua Puno

The Wildest Card

Ave Maria:-)

May peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through.

It is our nth Christmas dear brother and sister.. it is also a Christmas that has its unique flavor..unique set of of circumstances , environment, particular setting...status quo -- indeed every Christmas is different in the sense that we are older , haha... we may be with family or away from our homes, loved ones..hundreds of miles away from country and kin - perhaps in a place where people don't even know nor care about Christmas... situations , even our spirtual and physical  health varies... thank God, the  meaning and impact  Christmas  goes beyond all these things. 

Even if we be placed in the middle of a warzone.. be caught in the bitterest of conflicts and misunderstandings...still..Christmas remains Christmas because it is all about God's love for man..how He had thrown the Wildest card , the most Unimaginable , Unthinkable thing to do.,, the most Improbable solution for all of man's miseries ...God decides He will save us and clean up the mess we've made and which we are continuing to make each time we loosen our hold on the Lord.

Our capacity to sin and the depth of our brokenness has reached a scale where many would be ashamed to call himself a human being or a child of God. Individually, as a family..community, or as the whole human race we've unwittingly made a covenant with the devil -- it happens whenever we choose his principles over and above those that Christ  has preached to us. We settle for a compromise ... thinking the bargain we enter saves us from distress -- only to realize often when it's too late... it's the enemy laughing all the way to hell with our souls chained to him...And we lose everything of eternal value.

Here is a portion of today's gospel: Zechariah's (John the Baptist's  father)prayer : 

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

May Jesus The Word made flesh ease us out of the darkness and evil shadows that hound our lives. May we not be afraid to humbly acknowledge our sins.. to bare our inner wounds.. to confess our brokenness , our failure to love and to forgive... and to trust again. 

As we dwell on the image of our Lord... a babe in swaddling clothes carried by his young mother... with Joseph protecting them.. may this scene make us believe..it will be alright.... no matter what the gravity of life's troubles ... it will be alright ..God will see us thru safely becoz He has come for us through Jesus Christ . Any God who agrees to be born like his creatures..and who decides to offer His life in exchange for ours..is the truest, greatest Only God worth believing and dying for. 

      

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat................................................... Dilbert, Maye, Josh Puno

Luke1 :67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Stripped

Ave Maria :-)

Tis the season to be merry fa, la, la.... la..la..la! Merry because  without the tinsel, the shopping, the endless feasts, parties..merry-making --- we rejoice simply because we remember the coming of our Saviour.

A young relative was downtrodden..sad really and vowed..." it'll Christmas..kelangan magka pera...para sumaya." (I must have money so that I'll be happy this season)

I felt so sorry for this young adult --- the heart was still anchored on what he thought was the essence of Christmas -- that without the sufficient budget to buy gifts, to buy new things whether for one's self or for others... to probably gorge on the hams and lechons and yummies of endless gatherings - to enjoy the nightlife,mall and shop till we drop spend Christmas at cool Tagaytay or Baguio City for a change --- to do anything and everything one would deem joyous -- but to Not Do the Essential Thing -To recieve The Christ -child in our hearts.      

Beloved brothers and sisters..here's a gentle reminder of what starts this joyous Sunday Dec. 2, 2012

In the Catholic Church, Advent is a period of preparation, extending over four Sundays, before Christmas. 

 The word Advent comes from the Latinadvenio, "to come to," and refers to the coming of Christ. 

This refers, 

1) to our celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; 

2) to the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of Holy Communion;

 and finally 3), to His Second Coming at the end of time.

Our preparations, therefore, should have all three comings in mind. We need to prepare our souls to receive Christ worthily.

As we gear up... agreeing in spirit to be totally committed and immersed in the Spirit of Advent  , let's not forget how our dear Jesus, Mary and Joseph  themselves prepared. I can't go lengthily in reflection as will need to catch up with noon mass but may God help us out with this short reflection.

Whether it was Mary , Joseph, the apostles or any of the saints, including you beloved reader -- countless times over-- thru the years, we realize that in order to recieve Christ , His Kingdom , His forgivenss and love --His very fullness Itself - we must be stripped of every single thing, every idea , every entity that proposes itself as demi-god , a security blanket or false saviour or ultimate resource for us . ... stripped ...stripped of it all and more especially..stripped of our sins.

Come look back... take a long hard honest look at the different ways our Lord has molded you...sometimes in a happy painless way.. but more often in grueling,arrrrghhh circumstances. To have too much  of the world... of support systems.. to have easy access to material wealth.. to always be physically and emotionally strong and invincible..sitting on Top of the world... absorbed in our success ..can be a trap for our heart to not hunger for the Lord..to not seek Him..to not listen to His Word... to not Favor Him over everything else..because we foolishly think the All Else Counts more..tastes better... is painless and just soooo satisfying. How false these worldly attachments are..how decieving!

Joseph  had to give up his idea of fathering a child biologically, swallow his manly pride and pledge to care for a woman pregnant with SomeOne else's child.

Mary had to give up her youthfulness, all freedom from cares and instead embrace such an Unknown Future  -- if Mary were born in this century,she'd have to cope with nagging temptations of the embryo growing in her womb quite possibly an alien..yet she chose to take the angel at his word..... "You will be the mother of GOD." and that was that as far as she was concerned.

Apostles left their livelihood, their families..... once fishermen, Matthew - a tax collector ...... there was too a persecutor of Christians, this was Saul -who became the greatest apostle. He had to be blinded physically so that HE could SEE THE CHRiST.

Hence whether we experience physical blindness, affliction, financial crisis... broken relationships, loss of job, even loss of  our good standing in society... all these..all these will be well worth it--- if in exchange we recieve knowledge and faith in God Most High thru His SON JESUS CHRiST..for when we recieve Christ..we will have it all...His grace is sufficient..Amen all glory and honor to Him our Messiah..

Wishing all a lovely entry into Advent as we keep praying for one another...Come Lord Jesus ..come and reign in our hearts! Come oh Emmanuel and be with us...forever~

....................................................................................................................te mye

Wishing all a lovely entry into Advent as we keep praying for one another...Come Lord Jesus ..come and reign in our hearts! Come oh Emmanuel and be with us...forever~

....................................................................................................................te mye

Jesus said to his disciples:
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your headsbecause your redemption is at hand.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man."

Remembering Da King

Ave Maria:-)

We had a much loved actor..whom the people would nickname Da King - this was of course our action star Fernando Poe Jr ---incidentally his father too was an actor , tho twas Ronnie who ruled the movie kingdom for decades...he was the Filipino counterpart of John Wayne --- always taking the role of the underdog hero-- fighting ( most times )all by his lonesome self the hoodlum characters, evil crime syndicates --he was a cop, a cowboy..he was Juan Dela Cruz on the silver screen.. and oh how the masses loved him.

How they could relate to his sufferings, the rough deals he'd be subjected to, injustices served... his loved ones either killed , maimed, raped , robbed, ridiculed -you name it- they filmed it And they, the fans  would wait for the part when he'd finally say "ENOUGH!" and more often than not take the law into his hands because -- quite often the law enforcers themselves were corrupt or inutile.. Legend goes that in far away Mindanao, Muslim  Filipinos who too were diehard fans of Da King hated it, when the king would die in the movie. This was unacceptable... no..no..no! Fernando Poe Jr had to win all the time.. his boxing prowess speedier than Manny PacMan... and you could hear the uppercuts , jabs , knock-out punches when they landed on his enemies...bla..bla..bla...bog-bog-boom --boinkkkk How the audience loved it..how it made the people forget if only for 2-3 hours that they would have their sweet justice..their day in court..their sweet vengeance.

Ronnie got so popular he ran for president..and lost ...or did he?

He suffered a stroke..and many suspected, he could not take the loss..the possibility that he was robbed on his presidency.

So we did not have our Ronald Reagan.

I'm reminded of poor Ronnie because of his monicker Da King - how he was idolized... how he represented the people, especially the "voiceless" -- 

admit it... we hunger and search for our heros..whether we are aware of this or not..hence we look at super athletes... Obamas...(ok,ok  pls no violent reactions) ..we look at Nobel prize winners... we take long hard look at our gov't leaders..and then we have to take a 2nd, third harrd look at them -- finally , many will shrug and give up ..." H--k , there are no heros...forget it. " 

Some will try looking at the workplace...check the stuff that bosses are made of? Are they worth giving our full commitment and respect... our devotion and blood, sweat and tears. But even if they are not worth it..we are forced to obey them or we lose our jobs, hehe.

ahhhh but Fernando Poe.. was not Da King for all the success he reaped... riches, awards, the respect of his peers ... he was a good man... but not The King .

Because THE  KING  celebrates his feastday tomorrow.The glorious Feast of Christ the King.

Funny how we look for all kinds of excuses to celebrate whatever idea we deem is worth celebrating and remembering .. mother's day... Independence Day...Valentine's... there are official holidays as well as unofficial but romantic holidays nonetheless ..and we love to fuss about them.

Yet the feast tomorrow , if we dared to understand it changes our perspective of who and what we are. Holy Mother Church declares it as Feast of Christ the King.

If Christ is King..then He rules a certain kingdom ..and He will have His subjects or His own people. A people who love ,and respect Him, who wait and believe and hang onto every word He says..because His Word  is Truth, His Word is Eternal Life and Love.

Recalling all those fairytales of our childhood and even current adult fairytales (c'mon dear ...think..., Lord of the Rings, or Greek gods and godesses sagas filmed -- where Brad Pitt plays Achilles or where we cheer the 300 SPartans) 

We know that the people stand by their king. They work for their king, give offerings... fight and enlist as his loyal soldiers in whatever war he chooses to join... and if need be , they suffer and die on the battlefield. How we love these epic Braveheart type movies, we just drool over the heros -- so valiant, strong and true.

We don't have to rely on fairytale books, or movies.. to be satisfied of our longing for a True Worthy King, for there is none worthier than Christ.

And Jesus Christ is like no other..because He is a Shepherd-Saviour King ... He takes care of His people to the point that He laid down his life for us... His Blood the only acceptable Foundation for His Unshakeable Kingdom. 

May the Feast tomorrow open our eyes to the glory that is ours...simply because we choose Jesus as our King. We want to help build His kingdom...and we will not allow anything or anyone to destroy this Kingdom.

Christians/Catholics can be sweetly funny at times ... becoz we think that Kingdom exists only in heaven, and we get to be a part of it... to experience it only when we die.

Oh my dearest love... please, please understand that the moment we choose to take Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, repent of our evil ways..and rely on His grace to obey his commmands..then right then and there..right here and now..we are in His Kingdom. A Kingdom right in our heart... within us... for His Holy Spirit rests  in us, hallelujah!

Dwelling on that should make us jump and exult for joy... well betcha by golly wow... I belong to a Kingdom that lasts forever and where only God's goodness and mercy reigns forever... 

the fullness of this Kingdom of course unfolds to us when our earthly life ends and  when we enter heaven. How marvelous, how good God is!    

So..please...be happy..rejoice..let us celebrate our King Jesus...let us tell others about this Kingdom.. let us share the Good News! God bless you all.... te mye

   

The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.

Today's Mass establishes the titles for Christ's royalty over men:
 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him"; 
2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession;
 3) Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 
4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.

The Only One

Ave Maria:-)

Ah.. the holydays of All Saints and All Holy Souls Day are not without its benefits.

In prayer this morning , so thoroughly enjoying the quiet walk in our oh so short street named Yakal ( no doubt a sturdy Philippine tree) was so grateful for the empty street, the cooler air as November sets in and Christmas nears... slowly praying the rosary while walking ..it must be the most healing thing ever... physical and spiritual exercise at its best - I love the rosary because the mysteries contain what we need to know the most... of course there is the Our Father, the Hail Mary's , the Glory Be's yes... but the mysteries... that is what sets the pace -- that is where endless treasures can be found -- the most priceless wisdom freely given to us as we reflect on the Lord's humble life, and everything He went thru for our sakes. No wonder the BLessed Mother gave us this devotion.. it is not so much about her ..as it is a powerful and sure means to gain greater knowledge , faith and conversion to our Saviour -- she is a conduit -- she comes to us as one blessed soul who had first-hand knowledge of the gift of salvation and the Savior -- hence , rather than pick on her , and find ways to dishonour her -- tis better to simply thank her, thank Jesus for giving her to us as our spiritual  mother  ..and entrust ourself to her motherly care - Jesus benefitted from this ..surely He wants us to savor the same love and care. Amen to that.

Walks can either be boring, tiring -- or walks can help settle us , help us be in touch with our inner self..make us aware of surroundings and God's presence everywhere.

The Lord is so generous , He grants bonuses for us -- so that rather than we seeing ugliness and whatever is wrong with something, someone at a given moment - our heart and mind attunes instead to see only the beauty and goodness the Creator gives to His children. It is a positive preference, I guess. Praise the Lord.

the morning's treat for weary eyes:The neighbor's lawn has green velvety carabao grass, a neighbor has a tree that grows this queer seed-like fruit that in our youth at Biak-na bato, San Juan -we'd gingerly use for our "bahay-bahayan" games , for make believe cooking and all -- the blooms , little flowers really ---pop out of nowhere, begging to be noticed as they are also beautiful. Some days , if not most days --we can be in our typical rush -rush-rush ..trying our darnedest to catch appointments, to earn that buck- ---to accomplish, accomplish...accomplish -- hahaha -- we take ourselves too seriously becoz really even if we have built the highest skyscrapers in town --we can't take that to heaven can we? --- as for the gold and riches --as the good book warns us --- somebody else will surely inherit and use the treasures we painstaykingly accummulated thru the years --- isn't that life's perennial joke.? Vanity of vanities indeed.

By now we realize that if one wants to be remembered after death -- the memories that stick and will be cherished are the acts of goodness and love that the deceased has left behind. Thank God that for that -- one need not be a millionaire, the most learned or the most gifted to do these acts of love and goodness.One needs only the Spirit of God.

After the rounds of walking cum rosary, went home to the beloved garage, where the good ole monobloc grey chair was waiting...  ahh now it's time to reflect -- othertimes, I read /pray liturgy of the hours, a good book/pamphlet, devotional --thank God there are so many things we can use for prayer and growth.

Was led to just be quiet... it isn't always easy to be quiet... but there are moments like this when nothing stands between you and reverie... until an old faded picture of my father and me , at perhaps age 3 came to mind... we must have been at the zoo.. it's the most splendid picture ever because my father is at his prime - quite handsome, perhaps to me the most handsome man who ever lived, haha..and he had to stoop down as I was very little, so that the camera lens could frame us -- he totally shrouded me -- even now ..I'll cry again because the picture speaks of how my father loved not just me but countless other "children", my sister, my brother..cousins..his brothers and sisters..adopted sons and daughters - others older than him... so many men and women not even related by blood.

The real lover is the one who can make you feel the most special , the most precious, the only one at the time you are with him - this was a gift Danny had -- for the few minutes you were with him..perhaps just an embrace..an endearing word ..teasing or even scolding -- for that golden moment - you were the only one...the only one.

I am what I am because of this father's love... mother's love too (God is much too good - it is not as if I did not have my share of woes and pains -' could write a book on that but the love I recieved as a child prepared me for life's battles) .. we are who we are because of souls sent us by God the Father for us to stumble on the amazing truth  , that God does exist and that HE loves us  to the point of death ( not a pun -- but really twas what Jesus did for us on the cross)... 

We joyfully discover these realities and have faith in God because of these people who too loved us with an unconditional love...thru them we know God exists...because such love is never possible without a Source... and this source must be divine....and that what they give us is but a foretaste...just an appetizer of the love God would lavish upon us. 

and because They love us as God loves us -- with this love comes not just acceptance - but a wholehearted desire to ground us in what is good and true and pure -- with this love must come as well discipline and correction. Go thru the bible...read Old Testament accounts of how time and again... God the Father had to punish wayward, hardhearted, unfaithful Israelites -His beloved Chosen People who had this amazing capacity to choose other gods...false gods...this is real love , a love that will claim and rescue us from the devil's snares...... a love that brings us to our senses..a love that makes us painfully aware we are nothing without GOD --and how It Spells Death and Destruction to live a life apart from Him.

Some cousins were born rich..with vast resources at their disposal..some might have been materially poor..and yet the Lord made up for this by giving these cousins parents who were so strong in their faith with fervent spousal love..and who   were able to impart values that make them rich in the truest sense of the word. Some marriages have worked, even bearing sweet fruits of children, grandchildren... professional success... as some marriages didnot survive -- many have had their hearts broken over love affairs that remained purely affairs and never lifelong commitments... some remain single... some have migrated abroad... others chose to go home ....many endure hardships of all types... Today, the Lord asks us to stop and spend quiet time with Him.. to replay our life and to go thru it with Jesus by our side. To watch the people who have touched our lives..some with love...others passing thru our life with pain and malice.... 

We are who we are... we are where we are here and now..for a purpose ..and may it be so that we can be signboards that say to others:" GOD loves you... and God has a marvelous plan for you..one that ends all the way in heaven."

Danny towering and shrouding me was God the Father telling me...everything will be alright my daughter  for I am always with you...go then... Love others as I have loved you.

I remember you my dearest father Ramon, my beloved mother Lydia, Monsignour Nonoy, my Yaya Pilar and all whom the Lord has used to make believe  in a god Who is Pure love, pure forgiveness  , justice and truth.

Happy All Holy Souls Day to all.............................................................love and prayers... te mye