Just When We Needed You Most

Ave Maria:-)

Lightning strikes twice! After visiting Tagaytay with cousins few weeks ago.. got to return this time with brothers and sisters from the church group, Living Word.

Something is so special about mountains, elevated places..where nature's beauty abounds... take in the cleaner , cold air, blooming flowers, a volcano set in the middle of a lake..and a really beautiful venue -- be surrounded by company you've known for years (well..almost all..tho' there were a good number of attendees we met for the first time.) I could be in a tiny hut but situated in front of the lake and be blissfully happy, heaven na talaga.. perfect place to find our bearings in the Lord and with each other.

Jesus himself regularly took "time out"  .. whether He'd be preparing for a major outreach: healing, preaching... some major-decision making.. or after He'd be bone-tired from His work... He'd go to the mountain to pray, sometimes inviting His disciples...  So if our Lord did this..there must be something so valuable in it.

Studying at a madre's school gave me and schoolmates many golden opportunities to experience our first spiritual retreats, usually done before schoolyear ends.. something we looked forward to.. hahaha maybe not so much for the spiritual feeding but the teen-agers that we were, it was just so thrilling to be away from home with classmates.. we'd be giddy with happiness, excited ..laughing till we had gas pains... BUT.. when our retreat masters usually Jesuit priests would go for a "kill" ... meaning they'd  work on the theme.. preach the Word of God, help us get to know Jesus more..and help us understand how a relationship with Him ultimately affects  and improves our relationships with others.. oh boy... we had to have those box of tissues ready.. we'd bawl our eyes out.. no not from  grief... it was the sweetest mixture of enlightenment, deep realizations of God's love and experiencing the forgiveness He bestows thru Jesus .. it helped us be prepared for life outside St. Theresa's college... talk about entering the battlefield.

After STC... twas U.P. grounds for me.. and sadly I sort of "lost it" ... what spiritual wealth I accumulated from both school and family upbringing was sort of wasted and thrown away.. foolish as foolish can be... U.P. can be quite a challenge.. it's the place where your ideals and faith are questioned in-your-face talaga... wish I sought refuge at the U.P. Catholic parish chapel.. such a lovely church... but no was too busy  being foolish...tsk ,tsk tsk. Was not able then to find a support group... so this was like swimming shark-infested waters on your own and occasionally being the shark myself ... eiouwww

Fast forward to joining the Catholic charismatic renewal movement and slowly..but surely.. was sucked back into orbit... errr the good one Haven't we experienced times when we can't even help ourself  because we are must too immersed, shackled by whatever evil bondage it is....not even realizing we are enslaved in the firstplace and it is God who comes to our rescue? He can use people, circumstances or talk to us ,make known His will to us and our life's tempo and direction changes, we veer toward Him.Praise the Lord!

It's been years since we had a fellowship outing... outside of Manila..this was rather unique because..in the past it would be outright closed retreats, no children.. no outing mode -- or it could also be the opposite... pure pleasure trip..say swimming ... but this time, as God's grace intervened, we had a bit of both as only the Holy Spirit can make possible.

Original profile of those attending could not attend.. and we found ourselves wondering.. naku.. who will this outing be for? In the end, the Lord formed the group, fixed the elements ... senior youths bringing their children with/without yayas.. all our male musicians... lots of elders.. some new members ( this was great) ... it pays to just trust the Lord...He knows best.And He is the One Who makes it flow.. flow peacefully, joyously! thank You Jesus!

A small group served as advance party... hahaha lame excuse to simply enjoy the beauty of Tagaytay. It's wonderful to not be so used to lamig, air-con ... coz when pure chilly air hits you..it's just exhilarating!   divine even! Josh, Kuya Bong, Ivan who drove for us were the first ones to enjoy the kubo mini-winter temp.

The majority arrived in time for breakfast. Fr. Red was our guest priest.. God bless all priests..and God grant double portion of blessing upon priests who go out of their way to truly preach and share about JESUS... for whether it is priest or layman.. to proclaim Christ will always require sacrifice, never compromising His teachings yet doing this in the same spirit of love and mercy He gave.

Siksik..liglig apawww...God provided for everything.. He touched hearts... there was enough food for all, there was transport... He gave a venue that was just right, where we could listen to His Word , agape with each other, listen to each other..and watch the children roll gleefully on the grounds..He blew clouds away so that the sun would shine and so we could see Taal Volcano, stare, breathe and be quiet.. when hearts are in the right place..we don't even care to complain because we are just too grateful for what is given to us for the moment

After breakfast we started with meditative praying of the rosary.. then  had Sunday mass with Fr. Red.... after mass...Padre began hearing confessions at the kubo, hallelujah..many went to confession, ikaw ba naman ang may da best setting , munting kubo... ganda ng venue to pour our heart to the Lord... while confession was going on... we had first of two theme sharings.. parable of Ten Virgins and how this parable is so 2012... major dilemna -->to be wise or foolish .. you'd be surprised how we often opt for foolish time to wake-up, right?

lunchbreak and rest-time to take in the view, digest food.. patulan ang antok...small talk... ongoing confession pa rin sa kubo... pictorial galore... children staging mini-olympics... food trip.

After lunch, reflections by Jay, Gwen and Greta bout morning's activities , mass and module... then a Bring-Me game with a new twist ( thank you Gwen and Gret)  naku lumabas ang pagka bata ng lahat. and then the final module... defining and differentiating Joy and Happiness.

May  this happen again in God's perfect time ..I must confess I went thru alburoto, tampo, inis, frustrated, helpless , plain sungit mode but with Mama Mary not far behind to keep reminding:"hush.. it will be alright..it will be alright child..." that was an understatement dear Mother .

 Thank you Lord  for being ever patient with us.. always making the hundred steps toward us to make up for the 3 steps we walk toward You...You are an awesome God.. please continue to guide us... and bless  the seed planted during this fellowship  that it may grow as beautifully as the flaming orange tree in Tagaytay...........God is good all the time... te mye

enjoy the vidoes: No Compromises   the Power of Prayer  Pobreng Alindahaw.MP4

pix : Living Word Family goes to Tagaytay (2012). — at Tagaytay.

  

Isang Biyahe Lang Tsong - August 2006

Ave Maria:)

 

Swee'peas wag kayong magulat coz m forwarding to u an email w/c i sent to my classmates ng STC highschool.. we had a mini-reunion last Fri. kaya "lost" ako nung prayer mtg.one classmate arrived from the U.S. for short visit at instant tawagan for dinner together--i wasn't able to make it to our Silver Reunion yrs. ago so tlagang gusto ko naman silang makita.God our Father blesses us wd a big life... i don't mean big materially but He allows us to experience life in its different phases at dami tayong opportuities to meet people and develop friendships. .since ONCE LANG TAYO BIBIYAHE.. MAY WE EACH MAKE THE MOST OF OUR LIFE'S JOURNEY... it will be so incredible when we discover just how GOD enables each one of us (if we took up His challenge) how we can help one another ..and the little ways  once touched by God's grace become big , bold and beautiful... . enjoy the email--- shine-share ko in case u too have pending rendezvous or meetings wd old friends, kamag-anaks, workmates etc...take care !!!!! here goes........ 

 

surprise ,surprise sweethearts. .let me b d early bird sa email ng Section 1..hahahaha. .it's Maye...naku. ..AS IN... laking pasalamat ko, that I was able to make it last nyt for Cel's  pa-welcome at anu ba yon..pa-despedida na rin..grahbeh all in one sitting.... so by God's grace wala akong mental block..walang sumpong..walang sakit..walang trapik..walang inarte... VOILA !!!! YEHEEY ANDUN NA KO SA KUBLAI PAST 7..na-harass pa mandin ako sa parking..muntik akong maka-bunggo Teresita... grrrrrr... was backing coz puno na pala sa loob...inay. ..this tolonges driver(sori, LORd ) eh cgue pa ring abante, he was going to Mercury..i was backing di ko sya makita at me incline..plus hello??remember hindi ako six-footer/di ko sya makita sa mirror-besides which, passable lang pagmamaneho ko--hahahaha- -- when we finally parked , ngek..tinilian ako... EH ANO ISASAGOT NG DAMSEL IN DISTRESS:SORI POHHH..DI KO KAYO NAKITA...!!! in my pinaka-harassedever look...grrrrr. ..was thinkin' : "Good JESUS ...they r already making chikka there pls... wag mo naman permit na me trobol d2...and also patay ako ke Dilbert pag totoong nabunggo ko ds mama..".haaay Dios Mio... by a miracle inches lang tlagang bunggo ko na sya..kaya naman siya na-PRANING.. .. haay..! MORAL LESSON: SALAMAT SA MGA GUARDIAN ANGEL na ON DUTY 24 HRS A DAY...hahahahaha!  ThankGod tlaga!

so pag-akyat ko aba...ONGOING NA ANG CHIKKA...AMAZING GRACE.! GOD IS SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD...well major thanks to Lynn n Teresita... ang ba-bait nyo tlaga PEKS MAN ..at any rate how lovely naman to see u all...at IN FAIRNESS..ANG GA-GANDA PA RIN NINYO HUH..hahaha...ok i will not go into the wine as it ages tastes better. ..basta ...very gracious ang dating ng menopausal blues natin...look at ISA..trim na trim...naku ha...ano ba ginagawa mo dear... major fitness routine??...tampo sa kin yan kasi dami kong di sinipot na affairs sa haus  nya..sa werever..kung anu-ano... kasi ba--- forgive me...me mga taga-ibang section na kasama ..so kulang ang grasyang natanggap ko those times---hahaha- - ba't nga ba di ako nka rating??? wala lang ... hindi ako maka-bwelo nang attend.. bad girl tlaga gusto ko tayu-tayo lang , for starters that is--- basta me valid reasons kuno---eh kahit ngayon ko i -kwnto reasons syempre INVALID NA..hahahahaaa! 

 ACTUALLY  brimming with joy akong makita kayo... it was just FAB to hear VICKOY dish out her one-liners.. mga pambabara na di pa rin nag me-mellow  ...Vickoy...naku sya pa naman ang walang e-mail---ayaw ni Bill Gates ng ganyan 'day..... pero mukha sya talagang dakilang kabiyak... hahahahaha, wait how about naman our golden girls...naku VICKY AVES LAUREA JORDANIA AT NGAYON FREE NA...TALBOG KA NI MISS PILITA MIJARES---TAPS WAIT DI KO HAWAK MGA CALLING CARDS DIKO MATANDAAN SURNAME MO NGAYON, AT ANY RATE VICKY ....C TAPS FOR THAT NYT ANGTUNAY NA GOLDEN GIRL...  LOUD AMEN BA GIRLS?...ang ganda-ganda ng anak, kamukha ng ina...... 

 

si SYL  yes MARISYL yung idol ko sa mga CAT(our attempts at being prepared in case bumalik ang mga Hapon)... platoon leader di ba// sya first seatmate ko at Kublai--wow. ..Dr.. Sylvia na ang lola ko--fantabulous.... BOW AKO--- and i pray lalu pang gumanda future nyong pamilya if n when u move to the U.S>.... good grief.., back then i cud hardly keep up wd the military commands... i mean...pulutong something... at mga as u were!!!Dios ko..dun ako na-str-stress how to keep up wd d commands kc ewan ko ba..tagal ma-process ng mind ko...tuwing me isinisigaw platoon leader gusto kong sumigaw ng :"pakawalan nyo na ko... can i just do sumthin else , kahit tree-planting o ikebana wag nag ma march sa init ng araw... pa pa march - march ka pa --eh ang gusto kong gawin mag sway at mag-model--hahahaha kaya nga ba mas gusto ko P.E. ke Ms. Banaag ...oh my GOD remember her......?? ONE TIME... INIS NA TLAGA KO AT MAHILIG YON MAG BIGAY NG PUNISHMENT NA U RUN AROUND THE SQUARE FIELD 3X FOR A MISDEMEANOR. ..WHAT BA kasalanan like--- IF WE'RE LATE??? CAN'T REMEMBER...SO ONE TIME NAGKUNWARI NA LANG AKONG HIHIMATAYIN SA HILO...HAHAHAHA YEHEEY DI NAKO PINATAKBO... lusot sa Lydia de Vega punishment. 

 

gumugulong ako sa tawa recounting to Vickoy on our way home one field demonstration we had.... remember that di ba every year all year levels have to come up wd a major presentation sabay pa-contest-- - oh dear...! laKING pagkakamali ninyo dear classmates at ako pinag-isip nyo ng gagawin----I GO--- MAG-MUSLIM  MOTIFF TAYO--SINGKIL!!!!!  (  hmmmm great idea ba sabi naman ng mga unosenteng virginnal classmates until they discovered my brighter idea--hehehehe...kasi medyo inis ako na ako ang mate-tense mag-isip at kung matalo tayo ako pa ang me kasalanan,ganon? IDESPUES... hala...! since ako choreographer/ director mano bang ako na rin ang prinsesa at isakay sa ibabaw ng bamboo poles... poor Teresita --- galit na galit, kasi isa sya sa mga nagbubuhat/init- init ng araw at pls.nakakalaki ng mga muscles sa arms--rinig na rinig ko tili:'GAVIOLAHHHHHH. .....##%% %%****'!! !!"  Sagot ko naman:(wdout blinking an eye: "CLASSMATES. ..ONE MORE TIME...!!! i-perfect ito kung gusto nyo manalo..!!!!  miracle nga kung pano ko na-survive ngitngit nyo...hahahahaha!  VICKOY SAYS WE ACTUALLY WON THAT EVENT..HAHAHA I CAN'T REMEMBER BASTA ANG NA RE RECALL KO ONCE UPON A TIME PRINCESA AKO SA SINGKIL hahahaha.......ONLY IN HAISKUL, HONEYPOTS. SECTION ONE ST.THERESA'S COLLEGE.KEYZONH ZITTI.....  masaya ang block section ano? hindi ba tayo star section..meaning genio section...? UH  YEAH RYT..SLIM CHANCE BA?hindi bale m sure number one tayo sa hapi moments nuon. 

Isa ..shortly after u left we had an impromptu short speech bawa't isa thematic wuz: part A :say sumthin bout urself--part B  what's ur wish for Maricel, our gandang balikbayan.. ..she with the cleavage  inggit c Mitra.hahahaha

 

Even this was sweet-- kasi andun pa rin yung naiwang trust sa isa't isa-- i mean it's not exactly typical to just blurt out-- i got married/i got divorced /i had a sex change/ i jumped from a ten-story bldg and survived / i have a new boyfriend// etc..etc.... buti nalang pauwi na tayong lahat kasi kung matagal-tagal tym element  baka kung anu -ano pang naikwento

hahaha... and hoy hindi po ako naging JEHOVAH's Witness.... nagbigay lang ako sampol 2 start the ball rolling..... ISA ..wag ka mag-alala no one jumped from a 10-story bldg. 

 

why was that sharing a must?kasi life is so short... kasi we had the best ever tym shared together: our innocent youth... kasi so much time has passed by..and a lot of journeying done... maganda to keep in touch... in the truest sense of the word.

 

 

wala namang makapag sasabing "Alam mo mali ka.... u shudn't have done that......"  cause we don't have all the information nor the right to pass judgments ... what we had and thank GODstill have is a friendship sealed a long time ago... and which can GIVEN TIME AND EFFORT... grow deeper, truer-----hindi pala applicable lang for romantic love this old song but even amongst GIRLFRIENDS/ CLASSMATES: "LOVE IS LOVELIER THE SECOND TIME AROUND.!"

I'll venture a safe guess ...that all these years God has been so good to us all... hindi tayo pinabayaan ..and that challenges we've passed thru..we passed with flying colors, not bragging our own strengths but marvelling at GOD'S walang sawang pag-iingat sa atin. naku i have to end this kasi baka mabulunan kayo sa 1st episode hehehe... we have a parish community d2 sa Our Lady of Mt. Carmel , Proj.6...have been part of it past 2 decades- 25th yr na namin...grahbehhhhh...i cud spend eternity sharing about the community ..pero tama na to.... suffice to say... that seed of faith lovingly planted by the Belgian nuns found an oasis so that it cud continue to grow and be nurtured. I know God has also found a way to let u know how much He loves us all.... will be forwarding personal chika to u from tym 2 tym galing sa YAHOO grup ng community...  if Terry is sinipag to form Yahoo grup dats cool ..... ipagdasal natin yan.TAKE CARE........ ....let's pray for each other at salamat sa lahat ng naka-attend ... GOD BLESS!!!!... ......... ......... ......... .Maye   

 

TV FIX

Ave Maria:-)

Do you have moments when you're like on a binge... could be food binge....a trip to the gym and work-out... as for moi... sometimes I have to get my tv fix of  competitions.. nope not so much for sports, except when it's NBA season and I am rooting for a particular team.. initially I was veering more for singing talent shows.. followed American Idol, a little bit of the Voice ( tho' didn't enjoy so much the treatment of this show) then the X Factor of Australia, U.K. and U.S.A. .... had to do this the hard way...waiting for uploads on You Tube -- I just loved how contestants were picked in the raw.. or if they already had experience and the amazing talent, I loved how they would get a chance to show their wares, a chance to win and to have musical career- in fact many have won.. others just runners-up yet move on to become big names, conquering not just recording, performing..but even invading theater and the movies...think of Jennifer Hudson.. she is already an Oscar winner, and Simon must be regretting the fact he belittled her for being too fat... no star quality... was what Simon thought of her... and now Jennifer is beautiful, successful, is very svelte and sexy..she is  the singer they call to grace concerts that honor really really good singers .... caught a video of her singing I will always love you right in front of Whitney Houston (that's hard to do, nobody but nobody can outdo Whitney).. twas a jampacked theater -- and Whitney was so floored by Jennifer's rendition. Google this on You Tube..sobrang galing ni Jennifer, abuso her vocal pipes, her range.. and she has the heart when she sings.

Back to the competitions.. you may count in my growing fondness  watching  of late...chef's competitions... even if I am light years away from being a chef... haha... friends in the community say all I know how to cook are tacos hahaha...

at least may isang success na recipe.

then there are also models competitions..... last nite naman designers... and these designers had to use newspapers as the fabric for their creation.. they were given limited time to design, sex, paste cut the dress , they were each given a model who would wear their creation.. it's wonderful how contestants work under quite stressful circumstances with those truly talented shining to the fore... when it was time for the models to wear the outfits..it was just spectacular... you couldn't even tell that the fabric was newspaper... and the designs so creative... show-stoppers on the runway....

I love watching contestants grow.... week after week... discovering new strengths, talents, honing , sharpening skills along the way... i love how character is formed and tested... good and bad traits naturally unfolding... I love the humbling for those who start out too proud, aggressive and bully others only to find out the "little" ones turn out to be better than them...I love the friendships that develop along the way... seeing grace under pressure...

 I love how judges , especially those gifted with wisdom and experience  and who care about the contestants' future.. i love how they give their critique  constructively... how their affirmations or scoldings can help,make or break a contestant.

In all these talent shows.. it may seem as tho I were only there for the "fix" ...for pure entertainment... but many times...I am simply enthralled at God's generosity in lending us all this beauty, intelligence, abilities and grace. In a singing contest like X Factor or American Idol... the contestants are just so gifted.. it's a joy to listen to them...X Factor allows older-aged contestants to join and has produced world-class talents like Susan Boyle... Paul Potts... both aged almost lolo..lola ... but the voice and the music they create gives such joy and inspiration. When Susan sings you'd think she was 26 yrs old.... an angelic voice and infectious joyful character..hope she has remained sweet and unaffected.

Am also reminded of this passage many love 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 

that is our life....God is the Potter... we are His clay..and He molds us slowly thru the years until we become like his Son Jesus... when we don't grow this way... we are "broken" ...and God re-works us.... indeed as it seemed good to the potter to do.

It would be wonderful if all these talented people realize from whence their talent and beauty comes from..and to render thanksgiving and praise to their Father and Creator.

It would even be grander if they would offer their success and talents for the praise and glory of GOD.

Oh is that asking too much..... sadly many profit from their giftedness.... become incredibly wealthy , successful and powerful but utterly clueless about the One Who Bestowed these Favors to them. A heartfelt thank you Lord would go a longgg way

In the end all things must pass away... is it not?

the Giver not the gift.. is what our hearts should focus on.

  May the gifts we recieve not make us self-centred but may they help us consider just how much God loves us. And how God grants these gifts to be better stewards of this world.

May we humbly ask the Lord for the wisdom , prudence and love in the use and exercise of all our gifts and blessings in life. Father ..grow in us a meek and grateful heart, in Jesus Name we pray.    

I don't know if the Lord will ask me to cut down on stalking these shows... or if He'll ask me to watch instead  CNN FOX news TV Patrol or National Geographic? You never know...

Oops ... malapit na next season ng American Idol..... btw.... all these shows..whatever the shows... we must watch with a discerning spirit.... not everything we watch and listen to can be good for us. ...giving some links at the end enjoy the artists..................... God bless you .............. te mye

Here's a prayer before mass that we can pray.... Sunday nga pala tomorrow:

Prayer Before Mass

Receive, O Holy Trinity, One God, this Holy Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which I, Your unworthy servant, desire now to offer to Your Divine Majesty by the hands of this Your minister, with all the Sacrifices which have ever been or will be offered to You, in union with that most Holy Sacrifice offered by the same Christ our Lord at the Last Supper, and on the Altar of the Cross.

I offer it to You with the utmost affection of devotion, out of pure love for Your infinite goodness, and according to the most holy intention of the same Christ our Lord, and of our Holy Mother the Church.

O God, almighty and merciful, grant us through this Holy Sacrifice, joy and peace, a holier life, time to do penance, grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works. Amen.

Enjoy these songs

You Raise Me Up by: So Hyang +duet WhenYouBelieve w/Char

Misha B is Rolling In The Deep - The X Factor 2011 Live Show 1

Jennifer Hudson - "I Will Always Love You" - 2010 - (Live)

Cousins

Ave Maria:-)

As little children belonging to a big clan ... oh my in the olden days when the RH bill and contraceptives, one/2 children families were unheard of.. Filipino families were really BIG in number of children. A couple raising  only 4-5 children would be considered not really that abundantly  blessed with children.. 8 , 9 10 up to a dozen kiddies were norms of the day.

 How did they do it, families of old? Were we much richer as a nation? Not necessarily..( well but yes in terms of natural resources not yet abused and not yet sold to foreigners then yes in that light, we must have been huge on assets.) 

So ...Not richer materially then ..but infinitely WISER and more loving as a people.  And as the final dagger: we simply believed, loved and obeyed our God... as individuals, as families,as a community.. AS A NATION.

On my father's side.. Lolo Ramon and Lola Filomena had 16 children..  I am soooo tempted to ask my late lola the stuff of what her uterus was made ofbut only 12 survived. she was like the female Harrison Ford of the Raiders of the Lost Ark, swashbuckling with matching whip.. what are you a Spanish meztiza for hehe.... prayerful pero matapang, or else how do you discipline twelve little injuns?  Yep...12.

If I am wrong about the number 16, hope my relatives will correct, but this was the story I recall..as for the 12 ..of that we have birth certificates as proof.

that is as far as Ramon and Filomena are concerned... but both of them also belonged to big families... so whether we tackle Gaviola or Garces lineage... you'll have dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles reaching up to 4th degree ..and there's no stopping the counting.. so much so that in Ubay, Bohol.. my father's hometown.. the running joke is: Before you get married , be sure that person is not your blood relative. On my mother's side.. they were only 3 siblings.. but I'll still have lots of cousins , 2nd degree..3rd degree....

This scenario is replicated in many other provinces. It makes us wonder... if they succeeded pretty well in raising loving families, with children actually going to school -- remember how our public school system used to be so top-notch, you'd think the graduates came from colegios by the way they speak good English..and their substantial education... -- then how come in modern times , it is considered catastrophic to father more than one child.?

Those were the times..when families did pray together..the times when at the strike of the church bells, children had to be home for family prayer: the orasyon... the rosary.Families attending Sunday mass together.

the times when it was considered close to a crime to answer back in a raised voice at parents and elders.. Tragically these days.. our youth can't even tell elders from the youth .. consider parents as peers or even beneath them.. these are the times when to be young means to be brazen.. to shoot from the mouth invectives..to talk and let your mouth foam with the craziest- ever ideas.. without thinking first. Nakaka-iyak talaga.. it is not happening on a case-to-case basis.. for you will hear of stories where even among Christian families .. supposed Christians...  active in church.. that they suffer from this bondage. Heartbreaking but true. It is like a disease this spirit of rebellion and disobedience..as tho' Cain of the Old Testament rising from the grave again.

If I was a sociologist  or scientist.. would perhaps conduct a study from whence all these anger and nonsense comes from. I am so tempted to name computer internet games..those of the vicious, violent kind as steady brainwashers to their client gameplayers. How powerful these games are..the seed of anger, violence, automatic vendetta planted firmly strategically not just in the mind..but worse in the heart... in the gut.

then too of course the decline of faith and family life..what a killer.

and no matter if we send our children to the most expensive schools and they land the most high-paying jobs but if we are not able to impart Christ.. to really help our children develop a personal relationship with Him.. to be affected, influenced, inspired by Him.. and eventually live their life for Him... then all other things we give our children have no worth.No lasting, valuable worth...  For this we need an enduring spirit, and Christ's love in our heart... it is not easy and many times will require such sacrifice... but love...Christ's love prevails. 

In our youth we would love the summers... when we could have reunions.. for those coming from Luzon..this would be tantamount to landing in Mars.. becoz..it all looks, sounds..feels new... you hear the Visayan dialect.. get immersed in the culture.. was blest to taste both Leyte (Mama's province) and Bohol ( my father's) .. you see your relatives in the flesh.. play with them..learn from them.. you are restored and affirmed..strengthened as a person.. becoz it eerily feels like : you are -- say a doll... and there's more from where you came from... so maybe you speak differently, shaped differently but the common love binds you and makes you one. I would return to Manila after these summers feeling  invincible... as an only child then.. I thought to myself..I may be alone but I am not alone. Up to this time.. even if my family is far away... even if my sister and brother are in far-away Sucat... even if dear cousins are in the Visayas or abroad .. I am strengthened , restored confirmed by the knowledge of love and acceptance. This is what keeps us all going.. this and most important.. most essential.. the knowledge that you love each other this way because it is not plain blood ties that unite you... it is more then blood.. it is our common faith.. it is the the common hunger for Christ and the impelling desire to help build His kingdom... to show others the way to be a true member of this unshakeable kingdom.

My cousins have all grown up.... am so proud of them all. We've all gone thru the " gotta -find-myself... let me try this..., I'll bum around .. I wanna be wild... I'll go monastic... I'll fall in and out of love as many times as I want to.. I 'll be a mom.. I'll be a dad ..oopsss , yikes ang hirap pala.... I'll  migrate.. I'll go home (this must be Bluebird, Boting and Bernard, back to Bohol). I'll study hard ..be a professional 

and then I'll strike it rich.. so rich you won't recognize me anymore (huy..wag naman)  

The boys back then especially when they were teens and young adults had so much bravado.. mga frustrated Steve McQueen, Bruce Lee/ Bruce Willis all-in-one. Pa macho and all.. drinking too their cares away..as tho' this was the answer to their woes and confusion. The women.. moi included mostly prefered the long, hard route of love.... what started as fluffy, vain... self-centred women learned to become long-suffering , wise wives ... enduring, awesome  mothers ... let's see... we didn't think we had it in us... hahaha.. lahat ng ayaw nating gawin..pinagawa ni Lord.. at paulit-ulit pa lol... the men are older... have learned their lessons.. lahat sila the hard way... are more settled.. and many have found their peace and wholeness..their worth in Jesus... work in progress tayong lahat....

Faith is given to us on a golden platter.. even if yours was not a devout Catholic family ..or even if your family was not bible -thumpin folks... as a people as Filipinos --- our faith in Christ  has been offered to us on a Golden Platter. God loves us so much He has chosen to shed the light of faith upon our nation a special way... so special we have many times abused this great privilege. 

"But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

Let us be grateful... let us allow ourselves to be washed anew in the Blood of the Lamb who is Jesus Christ .. that His Spirit may lead us to true fulfillment.

to be a doctor..a nurse.. a successful businessman.. a family man, mother... preacher... clerk... all that will be fine for as long as we do it all... to fulfill our calling in the Lord...for if it is not aligned to Jesus.. if what we do makes no sense or does not add up to the mission that Jesus shares with us then we have no success at all.

Figure Jesus singing Every breath I take.. every move you make.... I'll be watchin ' you.

sharing video of a cousin who is now an Augustinian priest, Fr. LaRRY Garces... he didn't know I took the vid, doesn't even know I hear mass there regularly  a 2nd degree cousin who found his calling to be priest.. he had a cancerous tumor growing somewhere in his rib cage couldn't be opearted on.. but was miraculously healed.. many groups prayed over him.. His mother must have prayed hard..Tita Lidon.. twas she who succumbed to brain cancer a few yrs ago.. she must have died peacefully in the arms of her priest son. His homily is about the leper healed by Jesus... wonderful explanation.: http://youtu.be/HvXLfE4Z8hcRequisites to Healing Fr. Larry Garces.

  

Mark 1 :40-45 A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him, 
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.