Shed Your Light in Our Souls

Learning Ways to Deepen Our Christian Life of Prayer

2009-10-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Introduction

We can learn how to make our Christian life deeper by learning
more about meditation and contemplation from the tradition of
prayer practices by the Benedictine movement. This monastic
movement, founded by St. Benedict of Nursia, developed in the
history of our Church, and reached its zenith with the Cluny
monastery (ca. 908-1156), the Cistercians of Citeaux (ca. 1098
-1142), and the abbey of Clairvaux founded by St. Bernard (ca.
1113-1153). It is through them that we can learn the art and
practice of letting the scripture passages we read seep into
our mind, and let it discover hidden meaning and truth through
reasoning (meditation). Also, it is from them that we learn how
to raise our hearts in prayer until we go beyond our rational
faculties to attain a nonconceptual, thought-free state of being
in God (contemplation).

Prerequisites before meditation and contemplation

Very important in the practice of meditation and contemplation is
silence and stillness. In a very urban setting, what can hinder
us in our desire to deepen our life of prayer, is an environment
that is continually immersed in noise and frenetic activity.
That is why the monks choose a secluded or isolated area where
they are not disturbed by a noisy and frenetic state of things.
Instead of being immersed in the complexities of politics, trade
and commerce, they enter into a life of simplicity, moderate
asceticism, silence, introspection, and deep prayer. These monks
however did not have a pessimistic negation of life. Rather, they
move also towards the direction of praying for the good of all
Christianity and the reform of both the Church and the world.

Finding a place of quiet

To enter into a meditative and contemplative state, one very good
place to be is in the adoration chapel of a parish. If you are
easily distracted by people you know in your parish and who also
visit the adoration chapel, you can always go to another chapel
where you will not be distracted and can totally quiet your
soul and enter into interior stillness. This would prepare your
body, mind, heart, and soul to enter into a state of stillness
that is conducive to meditation and contemplation. If you bring
a bible with you, you can then meditate and contemplate on the
following prayer suggestions:

Two prayer suggestions

#1 Read Matthew 9:9-13
Points for meditation: Jesus came to call sinners, the unworthy.
God is merciful. Therefore none of us need ever be discouraged
or imagine that we are unworthy of being in the presence of God
and Christ. However, having received God's gracious invitation
and assurance of mercy and forgiveness, we now have the duty to
follow Jesus in His example of mercy and forgiveness toward those
who have offended us. This also means following Jesus in a life
of service and self-sacrifice.
Step to contemplation: Be still and be open to any insights,
desires, resolutions, peace, joy, or love that come to your
attention.

#2 Read Matthew 11:25-30
Points for meditation: Jesus gives us an example from His own
life of how we should pray. How much is this like our own way of
praying? Do gratitude and praise to God predominate our thoughts?
Do we show the same gracious acceptance of God's will in our
regard? What can we change in our present life to allow Jesus to
reveal Himself and the Father to us? How do we respond to the
gentle, loving invitation of Jesus to come to Him when we are
heavily laden?
Step to contemplation: Read these words of Jesus in the gospel
several times and then just be quiet and allow their meaning to
sink deeply into your mind, conscience, heart, and soul.

Lectio divina, the more formal prayer

In the more formal prayer of lectio divina, there other steps
involved before entering into meditation and contemplation. The
first step is already given in the prayer suggestions, that is,
making a prayerful reading of the gospel passage ("lectio").
Meditation is the second step. Then we can let the meaning of the
gospel truth enter our hearts and lead us into prayer - the third
step ("oratio"). From this state of prayer, we can then be open
to God, until He gifts us with a state of simply being aware of
His deep presence within us - a deep presence where all sense of
time and place are lost in His eternal reality ("contemplatio").

Books on meditation and contemplation

If you wish to learn more about meditation and contemplation in
order to make your Christian life of prayer deeper, below is a
link to Librarything.com which lists some 200 books - many of
which are on prayer, meditation, and contemplation. You may find
some ideas that can help you grow in your Christian life of
prayer.

This Part of the World in 2009

2009-09-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Since the filing of bankruptcy in September 2008 by Lehmann Bros.
and the global climate change documentary that made us aware of
what is happening now in our environment, life in this part of
the world is also suffering the effects of global uncertainty. It
is not only affecting businesses, but human lives and families as
well.

Stories of woe, tragedy, and death

The outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) in the local population brought
with it a death toll. Not as high as other countries, but also
causing an alarm to the whole country. Schools and universities
in June (and some even before that month when school begins),
began to suspend classes for about 10 days or more to prevent the
further spread of the virus. But another threat more lethal than
A (H1N1) is dengue. It claims many lives (mostly children) every
year - including the young daughter of a companion of mine in
communion ministry. We also add to dengue, the tragedies and
stories of woe wrought by the many heavy rains and storms that
enter the country. It has brought both loss of life and property
to families who were either caught up in flash floods, landslides,
and rivers overflowing.

Downsizing and closing down of businesses

Aside from A H1N1, dengue, and the state of calamities wrought by
storms, it is also sad to see businesses downsizing and closing
down. It is not easy to lose your favorite food service business
that you frequent often when you dine out. And as I make a
"market watch" by surveying how consumers frequent a certain
business, I see more stalls starting to downsize. with a smaller
space to rent, businesses can keep up with the cost of operating
their business products and services. Some business establishments
who used to have two branches in the same area, have also started
to downsize to one branch - integrating all the services from
both branches to fit one rental space.

On the brighter side

Although many business establishments have either downsized or
have closed down, many new businesses are sprouting up. We find
new business names, new products and services, more up-to-date
technology, and more elegant product displays. And despite the
A H1N1, dengue, and climate change, many Filipinos still practice
the cultural trait of "pakikiramay" (solidarity with those who
have suffered misfortune), "abuloy" (financial help to the family
who has lost one or two of its members), and "bayanihan" (families
supporting one another for the common good of the village or
town).

What meaning can we discern in this?

Even with the seemingly "apocalyptic" events happening in this
part of the world and in the rest of the globe (like the quake in
Indonesia and the storm in southern Brazil), the voice of the
Church resounds with a message of hope to all. And people also
don't give up. Resourcefulness helps anyone to find means and
ways to cope with every crisis that comes his way. Despite the
almost insurmountable obstacles in eking out a living for the
family in these critical times, people continue to work hard and
perseveringly - with a few noble souls who also go out of their
way to help other families to earn also.

Responding with faith, charity, and hope in God

As many of us act for the good of everyone in our part of the
world, we can also respond with a message of faith, charity, and
hope in God to those who are not part of our network of inter-
personal relationships. God has given man intelligence to create
a social communications medium whereby people on different parts
of the world can encourage and uplift one another (on the Web).
So even if the present state of things may tempt us sometimes to
feelings of despair, discouragement, meaninglessness, and an
overall sense of helplessness and powerlessness to the global
uncertainties, there will always be a "few good men and women" in
the state and Church - leaders who will bring the light of Christ
and the universal values of goodwill and peace to dispel the
darkness of meaninglessness and discouragement in our age.

Conclusion: the signs of the times

Every crisis in the history of a country or the world brings about
two things: either the worst of us (civil war or World War II),
or the best of us (national heroes and great world leaders). The
signs of the times calls leaders from every corner of the globe.
It calls those "few good men and women" to steer their country
and the world to what God wants it to be: to be saved (with all
humanity and life in it). These leaders whom the Lord calls need
not seek martyrdom. Just being firm, persevering, and solid in
the traditional values and ethics on which our civilizations have
been built is enough to show a good example. John Paul II has
paved the way for these leaders (in all sectors of society and in
the world) to follow in his program of building a civilization of
life, love and peace.

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day

2009-09-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

An anonymous poet wrote a poem that speaks wonderfully of the
intimate relationship between Jesus and His mother Mary. This
poem is one of the hymns suggested for the Morning Prayer of the
Liturgy of the Hours' "Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The
poem now exists in its edited form by the Dominican Sisters of
Summit (1972). The poems reads as follows:

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood;
Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the temple, Christ the temple's Lord;
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven's Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the mother's Son
By all things blest while endless ages run. Amen.

In just fourteen lines, the anonymous poet gives us a glimpse of
that deep mystery of the Incarnation. The poet aptly uses symbols
to express the wonderful intimacy of the divine to the human.
This is a very excellent poem to meditate upon when we like to
strengthen our devotion to Mary and Jesus. For those who who want
and pray to be given the gift to understand more deeply how Mary
plays a very important role in the mystery of our salvation, then
this poem will help when understood from the perspective the
gospels and the parables.

Many theologians and scholars who study the many aspects of Marian
devotion would probably want to see this poem also expressed in
the many expressions of religious art. Some religious art protray
only the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are statues or
paintings which present Mary alone in the artist's medium. Modern
theologians and scholars would prefer that religious artists
portray Mary and Jesus together in whatever medium they use (like
Mary holding the Child Jesus in her arms, or like the sculptured
image of the "Pieta"). This way of presenting Jesus and Mary in
religious art will help the faithful really see (as in the poem)
how Mary is related to the mission and ministry of Christ Jesus.

If we use our imagination to gather the fruits of our meditations
and contemplation on the mystery of the Incarnation, then we can
also add our personal spiritual insights to the poem mentioned
above. We can for example add:

Mary the ark, Christ the Rainbow's Promise
Mary the star, Christ the Newborn King
Mary the tree, Christ the Sacred Fruit
Mary the chalice, Christ the Eternal Spring
Mary the womb, Christ the Word Enfleshed
Mary the well, Christ the Living Water

If we read the books of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
(Secret of Mary and True Devotion to Mary), we will find in his
writings so many symbols and images that also present the close
and wonderfully intimate relationship of Jesus and Mary as in the
poem given above. Montfort is an expert in presenting Mary as
the best way to obtain Christ, the Eternal Wisdom of God. He
truthfully attests to a part of the Litany of Mary where Mary is
presented as the "Seat of Wisdom".

Sources of this blog post

The Who's Who of Heaven: Saints for All Seasons, by Msgr.
John P. Kleinz
God Alone, by Montfort Publications, Inc.

On the Ascetical Life and the Deep Mystic Life

2009-07-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This blog post will describe both the ascetical life and the deep
mystic life as it is lived and practiced in the tradition of the
Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church (with a special
feature on the Orthodox practice). The Orthodox faith sees the
ascetical life, as a life, were "acquired" virtues are obtained
thru personal effort, and accompanied by that general grace of
God, which the Lord grants to every man who seeks it. The
"mystical life" on the other hand, is a life in which the gifts
of the Holy Spirit are predominant over human efforts, and in
which "infused" virtues predominate over "acquired virtues".
Ascetical life is more active; mystical life is more passive.

An analogy

If we were to use an analogy to describe the difference between
the ascetical and the deep mystic life, the former is like rowing
a boat and sailing it. We would use the oar like we would spend
efforts to obtain God's grace for us. On the other hand, the
mystical life is like letting the sail of the boat, that is now
unfurled, to catch the wind so that it would sail smoothly. And
this wind we could roughly equate with the Divine Wind - the Holy
Spirit.

Ascetical and mystical life converge in the Prayer of
Jesus

In the Orthodox tradition, the practice of the Prayer of Jesus
("Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"),
is where the ascetical and the mystic life converges. Orthodox
tradition states that in beginning this Prayer of Jesus, we must
first lead a wise and abstemious life, avoiding all luxuries and
all carnal pleasures (asceticism). We must guard our sight, our
hearing, and our other senses, and limit our speech to what is
needful. In this ascetical stage, it is necessary to retire into
solitude: the solitude of the heart where we are secluded from
the influence of the world.

Orthodox monks' suggestions for asceticism

To have an idea of how the Orthodox practice asceticism, these
are a few spiritual exercises they perform:

they master their passions by frequent vocal prayer and
the praying of the psalms
they practice mental prayer
they seek lamentation - the sentiment of deep repentance
of heart, and sorrow for committed sins
they pray with penance to prevent spiritual illusions
they desire to be unknown and to leave behind worldly
vanity

Deep mystical life

Deep mystical life starts after we pray with much effort -
continually rejecting distracting thoughts and the attacks of
passion. This is the time after we labor to obtain God's grace.
We know that we have entered a deep mystic state when we start
to feel the Presence of Divine Grace. Our mind now becomes united
with the heart. Our prayer then becomes a 'Prayer of the Heart'.
This prayer becomes free from distractions and is accompanied with
tender, penitential tears. Sinful thoughts are purified from our
mind and our spiritual life runs on more serenely.

Asceticism-mysticism in our Roman Catholic faith

In our Catholic tradition, we also begin with the ascetical stage.
In this stage we practice fasting and abstinence - not only in
food and drink, but also in our other senses and appetites. Our
prayer at this stage is also laborious. We pray with a lot of
words, and our mental prayer is like what St. Teresa of Avila
describes in her spiritual writings: "like one who is drawing with
great difficulty, water from a very deep well".

However, if we persevere in this ascetical stage, we then move
gradually from an intellectual to an affective mode. Our thinking
decreases and the heart is aroused to fervor in prayer. We become
still and silent and our prayer becomes simple - feeling deeply
the presence of God within us and around us. At this stage, we
pray without words; we are just content to gaze in loving awe and
wonder at the goodness and mercy of God. This mystical prayer
leads us in all simplicity to be filled with God's life through
Christ.

What all these mean for us today?

Asceticism and mysticism has always been part of our Christian
tradition. But we should not relegate it to the past only - as
it was practiced more often by the monks of the middle ages.
Rather, we can practice asceticism and mysticism right in the very
contemporary life-situations we are in, and in the secular context
of our way of living. Lent and Holy Week are the best times to
practice asceticism. And this would not only mean abstaining or
fasting from meat, food and drink. It could also mean fasting and
abstaining from the many comforts our modern life is usually used
to: air-conditioning; shopping sprees; dining out; strolling in
the malls; leisure tours; and other situations that can lead to a
direction of luxuriousness or the whetting of sensual
appetites.

As regards mysticism, this we can do anytime of the liturgical
season. By slowing down our work pace, putting more time for
prayer and reflection, frequenting visits to the Blessed Sacrament
and reading more the Bible and other spiritual works; these are
all means by which we can enter into a deep mystic life where God
will help us profit with mystical insights into the divine
mysteries of our Christian faith. For those engaged in building
a family, a career, a profession, or a business, we can make a
sincere decision to make the weekends (even Friday night) as an
opportunity for more prayer and reflection. We shall profit from
this decision through obtaining a healthy balance in our work,
family life, and our personal spiritual growth. This balance can
lead us to moderation, and can prevent us from being tempted to
chase after the illusion of seeking extraordinary things, and
following our inordinate desires and ambitions.

Sources of this blog post

Our Catholic Prayer, by Therese Johnson Borchard
In Search for True Wisdom, by Sergius Bolshakoff and
M. Basil Pennington

9 Ways to Locally Survive and Thrive in the Global Downturn

2009-06-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I noticed how the global economic crisis
has been affecting Manila. Last time, I reported how even the
food industry, with its small food stalls, have started to close
down. And these are the inexpensive food items I patronized and
frequented. But this is only the local economic situation. More
issues have stressed and distressed some of us these last few
weeks of May.

In the latter part of May, I realized that even with reports in
the news that the local economy can withstand the global downturn,
it can still take its toll on anybody - including our family and
small business network. Money has even become tighter. And added
to this, is the stress of both one week of incessant heavy rains,
and the news report of influenza A (H1N1) virus eventually
entering the local populace.

In the family setting, many families have lost their househelps.
In our subdivision, we know of family friends who are suffering
now from the hardship of no househelp. Some of these househelps
have either left, to go back to their province of origin, or to
seek better financial opportunities abroad.

Another "sign of the times" experience, was when I went for
confession in a chapel I frequent. The priest-confessor assigned
for the time I went, was reported to be sick (and there was no
replacement for him). And the chapel, which I've always known to
be air-conditioned during office hours, suddenly had been turned
off - probably a move to save on electricity costs.

The "signs of the times" is causing stress and distress on many
people. The senior citizens and the more elderly ones, are
getting sick. Blood pressures of many have started to rise. And
as I drive along my regular routes, I often hear the siren of an
ambulance on the other side of the road, bringing a patient to the
hospital. There are also more road mishaps and accidents. I
recently witnessed a man riding his motorcycle fall down on the
street after being bumped by another vehicle. It's a good thing
he had his helmet on. He stood up after the fall and probably
just sustained a few bruises.

What are we to do during these hard, difficult and trying times?
First of all, I think we must prioritize our health - health of
mind, heart, soul and body. Second, for security's sake, we
should take extra care to guard our means of earning a living, and
never forget the strength we can obtain from God through a
disciplined prayer life. And thirdly, because of so many things
going on, we can just focus on the essentials and not to be
stressed and distressed by the many negative news details that we
hear around us.

Since it is really a difficult time to learn how to earn, we can
focus ourselves on doing our best to serve the family, our parish,
find means and ways to save on money, partially liquidate any
unused items we have in our home through a garage sale, work more
efficiently to avoid waste, and never neglect to win the trust and
confidence of our bank by paying our loans promptly.

In these difficult times, we can still be charitable. Doing so
increases our faith in the spiritual wisdom: "it is by giving more
that we receive more (from God)". We can be charitable not only
in terms of money, but also in terms of our time, some goods we
can donate, and the strength we can give in serving as an active
member of our parish.

"Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord"

2009-05-20T21:29:00.001-07:00

We continue reflecting on the poems used as alternatives to the
traditional hymns in the Night Prayer section of the breviary. For
this last reflection, we shall reflect on the poem of Gerard
Manley Hopkins, "Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord". This is the poem
for Saturday, Night Prayer.

The poem is as follows:

1 Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend
2 With thee; but, sir, so what I plead is just.
3 Why do sinners' way prosper? and why must
4 Disappointment all I endeavour end?
5 Wert thou my enemy, O thou my friend,
6 How wouldst thou worse, I wonder, than thou dost
7 Defeat, thwart me? Oh, the sots and thralls of lust
8 Do in spare hours more thrive than I that spend,
9 Sir, life upon thy cause. See, banks and brakes
10 Now, leaved how thick! laced they are again
11 With fretty chervil, look, and fresh wind shakes
12 Them; birds build - but not I build; not but strain,
13 Time's eunuch, and not breed one work that wakes.
14 Mine, O thou Lord of life, send my roots rain.

This prayer-poem reminds us of the situation of Job, when he was
tested by God. Lines 3 and 4 of the poem, is roughly equated to
Job's predicament of an innocence filled with suffering, while
"sinners' way prosper". However, in the beginning of the poem,
the poet makes an important statement of faith in God's justice
(line 1). He knows this to be true, even if disappointments
(line 4) are the results of his endeavours.

The poet's faith in the Lord's justice is not a naive faith.
Rather, it is a maturing faith that seeks a deeper understanding
of this mystery in human life. The poet questions and questions
(lines 3 to 13) in the midst of the pain he feels - a pain that
comes from his unfruitful efforts (lines 6-9).

This mystery of life that the poet experiences is also what we
ourselves experience in the world (at one stage of life or
another). It is so much a part of human life that even the books
of wisdom in the Old Testament speak about it very much. And the
basic theme these Old Testament passages tells us is: The just
suffer distress; while the wicked obtain prosperity. But the
wisdom books finally consoles the reader by saying that in the
end, and ultimately, the wicked will be led to ruin and
destruction, while the just's ways will be rewarded richly.

The poet in this poem seems to reflect a person who does not give
up in the midst of a seemingly meaningless pain. As the poet
pleads his case before the Lord (through his many questionings),
in the end, he still acknowledges God as the Lord of life, and
also prays that the Lord will "send his roots rain". (line 13 and
14).

We can identify with the poet's experience if we review our life,
and see those parts of our life journey when what we do seems not
to bear any fruit. And we wonder in pain why others prosper,
rather than us, who continually plead and constantly entreat God
for His favor - that we may receive success from the work of our
hands. But as we grow older and mature in spirit, we eventually
realize from the wisdom of our experience, that if we never give
up on our prayers, and entreaties to God, the situation will be
reversed in favor of the just: the wicked ultimately end in ruin,
but the just, after all their struggles and efforts, will be
restored to God's favor and receive His wondrous promise. And
if ever the just do not receive his rich reward in this life, we
know by faith that he will surely receive an even greater reward
in eternity. Faith will help us understand more deeply that the
Lord is really just (in reference to the book of Job).

Lead, Kindly Light, by J. H. Newman

2009-05-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

This prayer-poem by J. H. Newman, is an alternative to the hymn,
"Lord Jesus Christ, Abide with Us", for Friday, in the Night
Prayer section of the breviary. The poem has a somber tone because
it equates night to the reality of death. But as the poem ends,
it delivers a tone of hope, knowing that beyond death, the poet
shall see a morning filled with smiling angels - a longlast desire
that has been rekindled in the poet's heart.

The poem is divided into three stanzas, with a rhythmic refrain of
"lead Thou me on" - in reference to God as Light.

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead thou me on.
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those Angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

In the first stanza, the poet prays to God to lead him through the
dark night. Even though he knows he is far from home, he desires
not to hurry, but to take one step at a time - which reveals the
poet's wisdom of being careful in one's stride during the night.

In the second stanza, the poet confesses that he was very self-
willed and full of pride. He chose the path he wished to tread on
but now knows how sinful the path was - since He did not put God
in the picture. In his realization, he asks God not to remember
those past years, but now to lead him where God really wants to
lead him - to the morning where angels smile.

In the third stanza, after the poet's realization of his self-
seeking direction and pride, he feels that the Lord can bless him
and lead him now over all obstacles during the night. And when
this night has gone and the morning arrives, the poet anticipates
the joy of seeing the angels smile - welcoming him back to his
true home where the Light led him.

One lesson we can learn from this poem is to be open to God's
leading us to His Way, Truth, and Life. Often, our self-seeking
direction and our proud attitude of knowing what is best for us,
can make us stumble and fall - for our stubborness and proud self,
blinds us even more during the night. So, whether it is "morning"
or "night", it is always wise to let God lead us - to follow Him
as our Good Shepherd. And He will truly protect us, care for us,
nurture us, and lead us with others to the Light which will grant
us eternal life.

O Deus Ego Amo Te

2009-05-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

We now turn to the poem used as an alternative to the hymn of
Thursday, Night Prayer. The poem is composed by Gerard Manley
Hopkins, a Jesuit known for his highly descriptive and picturesque
style - so descriptive that it presents a complexity of beautiful
imagery.

In this poem, O Deus Ego Amo Te, Hopkins plainly expresses
his love for God, and shares how he sees God's love for him
through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

The poem is presented in just one long stanza, and ends with an
Amen:

O God, I love Thee, I love Thee -
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
In the everlasting burning.
Thou, Thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach thine arms out dying
For my sake sufferedst nails and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
And Thou couldst see me sinning:
Then I, why should not I love Thee,
Jesu, so much in love with me?
Not for heaven's sake; not to be
Out of hell by loving Thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that Thou didst me
I do love and I will love Thee;
What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?
For being my King and God. Amen.

If you are familiar with the poem of St. Francis Xavier, which
also is an expression of love for God, you might say that Hopkins
poem is similar in tone and spirit. In fact, Hopkins poem is
really a contemporary version and translation of Xavier's
original. When we read the original of St. Francis Xavier's poem,
because of the old English language in which it is presented, it
might be a bit difficult to understand at first reading that the
poet is seeking a personal reason for loving God. HOwever, in
Hopkin's translation, we can easily follow the order of thought
and meaning - until it reached the personal conclusion of
personal commitment to love the Lord as King and God.

In this poem by Hopkins, we can also reflect on our own personal
purpose for loving God. Since Ignatian spirituality (more
specifically St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises) sees
Jesus as King, it is but natural for both Jesuits (Xavier and
Hopkins) to have the image and model of King for Jesus Christ.
But what is our own model for Jesus? Who is He to us? And what
personal purpose do we have in loving Him? Perhaps by going thru
this poem many times over, we will be led to discover an image of
Jesus which would be the personal purpose and reason for loving
Him as God.

If, Lord, Thy Love for Me is Strong

2009-04-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

We continue reflecting on the poems used as alternatives to the
traditional hymns in the Night Prayer section of the breviary. For
this fourth reflection, we shall reflect on the poem of St. Teresa
of Avila, "If, Lord, Thy Love for Me is Strong". This is the poem
for Wednesday, Night Prayer.

The poem is as follows:

If, Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto Thee,
what holds me from Thee, Lord, so long,
What holds Thee, Lord, so long from me?

O soul, what then desirest thou?
-Lord, I would see, who thus choose Thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
-All that I fear is to lose Thee.

Love's whole possession I entreat,
Lord, make my soul Thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.

O soul in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain.
Save but to love, and love again,
And all in flame, with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again?

When reflecting on this poem by Teresa of Avila, I remember the
teaching of Jesus that "the kingdom of God is within you". This
kingdom that Jesus speaks of is a kingdom filled with the riches
of His love - the love that St. Teresa pines for in her poem.

The Lord's love for us can be strong, if we let nothing "hold" us
from Him. And once we possess that love, we fear losing it, for it
fills our soul so that it never thirsts, and it is "hidden from
sin". If we remember the previous poem of St. Teresa which
says:

Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.

St. Teresa has expressed this meaning again in the present poem
we are reflecting on:

What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love, and love again.
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again?

St. Teresa of Avila's message is clear. She wants us to learn that
there is only one thing necessary: to make God the center of our
life. With God as the center of our life, God's love will surely
fill us and empower us to be of humble service to our brothers and
sisters. Our ardent desire for God, a desire that is given
concrete expression in constant prayer, will make us all the more
seek Him always. This truth makes us realize that in God's love,
we have all that we need. We seek first His kingdom, and all the
other things will be provided for us.

Lines Written in St. Teresa of Avila's Breviary

2009-04-03T19:26:00.003-07:00

This third of a series of seven blog posts will reflect on the
poem of St. Teresa of Avila - said to be written in her breviary.
The poem of St. Teresa is the alternative to the hymn of Tuesday's
Night Prayer. The poem is as follows:

Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee;
All things are passing;
God never changeth;
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.

The wisdom St. Teresa of Avila expresses in this poem is
undisputed. It is a wisdom born from much prayer, contemplation,
and perseverance in doing God's will. St. Teresa of Avila lived
in a time when Spain's Catholic Church was very much dominated
by a male hierarchy. St. Teresa though heard and responded to the
call of God to reform Carmel and lead it in the direction of its
original spirit - poverty, simplicity, prayer and self-denial, but
she was greatly opposed by many for her efforts. Despite all the
opposition she experienced, St. Teresa continued on, and built
the mission entrusted to her by the Lord to reforming Carmel.

The poem above is a fruit of St. Teresa's spiritual experiences
and her work in the reformation of the Carmelite Order. Through
wisdom, she learned (as all those who seek God learn also), that
ultimately, only God is what is important above all others.
Possessing God's Spirit is the one thing necessary, and we are
called to be single-minded and single-hearted in our pursuit of
God.

With God in our mind and heart, nothing will disturb us. Nothing
will frighten us. We realize that all things are passing in
relation to One who is Eternal. And in our life and work, we will
be able to do God's will if we patiently endure. Our perseverance
will help us attain what is necessary for both our body and the
salvation of our soul. With God as our primary end, we will have
trust and confidence in His Divine Providence, and will never lack
anything we need to do what is required for us in our state of
life.

Three Degrees of Knowledge According to St. Isaac the Syrian

2009-04-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In the book, "In Search of True Wisdom", a character in the book
called Father Panteleimon, spoke of three degrees of knowledge
according to the teaching of St. Isaac the Syrian. These three
degrees of knowledge are in relation to growth in divine knowledge
of God according to the Orthodox spiritual tradition.

Profane knowledge

The first degree is called profane knowledge. This knowledge is
what we obtain as we pursue a university degree in the arts or
sciences. This knowledge is basic and very important because it
is the knowledge by which we can communicate with one another in
the world and learn to collaborate to build our families, homes,
communities and society.

Knowledge acquired through prayer

The second degree is the knowledge acquired through prayer,
watching, fasting, studying the Sacred Scriptures, and learning
from the Fathers of the Church. This knowledge awakens in us an
ever greater desire for things spiritual and divine. This second
degree involves a greater sense of detachment from the world and
its familiar activities.

Theoria

The third degree is what St. Isaac the Syrian calls theoria
- that divinely infused knowledge which is an experiential
connatural love-knowledge that only God can give. This third
degree of knowledge is a gift from God which we can receive and
have a glimpse of it, from its fullness, during a prolonged
retreat.

Conclusion

In today's global environment, made so because of our social
communications media technology, when people are busy working,
building families and homes, small businesses, or working at a
career, the teaching of St. Isaac the Syrian can in a way, still
be integrated with our life simply by following well the liturgy
and the liturgical calendar of the Church. In the weekdays, we
apply our profane knowledge to earn a living for the family and
ourselves, and to improve the quality of our lives and that of
others. During the weekends, we can take more time for prayer
and solitude - visiting the Blessed Sacrament and reading the
Bible as a spiritual exercise before retiring at night. And
finally, as the Lenten season arrives every year, we can take a
more serious prolonged retreat, where we can have the opportunity
to have that spiritual taste of "theoria" that St. Isaac the
Syrian teaches we can receive as a gift from God.

Can a Woman Forget the Child She Bore?

2009-03-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Linda (not her real name). She came from a
poor family in the province and migrated to the capital city to
earn a living. It was while in the city that she got married,
bore four children, and worked as a laundry woman to several
households.

An unfortunate thing happened when Linda was in the early years
of her marriage. Her husband got involved in a drinking bout,
which ended up in a brawl were he was stabbed to death. So,
widowed at such a young age, Linda had to take care of the basic
needs of her four children on her own. Because of her obedience
to her employer, before her husband died, she consented to
legalize her marriage. And so, after her husband's death, she
was able to claim the death benefit and other privileges that
are connected with a legal marriage.

Since Linda was still a young mother, she decided to enter into
a second marriage. In this second marriage, she bore two more
children. Now that she has a new family, Linda worked even
harder - without neglecting the needs of her children by her
first marriage (most of whom were already in their teens). The
children of her first marriage lived with her mother in the
province where they all went to school - provided by tuition by
Linda's double-time work and jobs.

As time went on, an unfortunate thing happened again in Linda's
life. Linda's second husband died in his sleep. It might have
been due to a rupture in one of his glands (since he had been
drinking the night before) - and which is locally termed at
"bangungot". This was a great stress and distress for Linda as
she is now responsible for two marriages without support from a
husband.

But Linda never gave up. She never lost her faith and hope in
God. And she never neglected her responsibilities as a mother
of six children. So even despite her now "tripled" job - serving
three families and households with her laundry tasks and other
househelp duties, Linda still faithfully goes to Sunday Mass in
the evening, praying to God for strength to carry the weight of
her responsibilities. Only her two daughters were able to finish
high school. (Linda herself did not finish elementary schooling).
One of her sons quit high school and just sought employment as
a driver. Her other son now joined his brother to obtain also
employment while the opportunity of a summer vacation from school
permitted him. Her two children from the second marriage are
with her mother also - with the youngest, a girl, suffering from
primary complex.

Despite all her problems and burdens, Linda never ceases to be of
good service to the households she serves. Because of the
difficulties of the time, she is doing many jobs - equivalent to
three personnel. Though she is highly compensated, her employer
always reminds the family members whom Linda serves to treat
Linda gently and not to put any additional pressure on her. In
these hard, difficult and stressful times, it is almost
impossible to get the services of the quality that Linda gives
to her work - a quality that is rooted in the love she has for
her six children.

Linda is made of the stuff probably similar to the stuff martyrs
are made of. Previously plump and a bit stout, because of the
stress of great losses in her life, Linda has become thinner.
Even when some of her elder children, her daughters who are now
also young mothers, had lost their jobs, she continues to support
them. She truly is an example of the scripture passage that
refers to God's love: "Can a woman forget her own baby and not
love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her
child, I will never forget you". (Isaiah 49:15)

A Hymn to God the Father

2009-03-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

We continue reflecting on the poems used as an alternative to the
hymns in the Night Prayer section of the breviary. The poem that
we will reflect upon is the poem for Monday's Night Prayer - A
Hymn to God the Father by John Donne

The poem is as follows:

Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin? and made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thy self, that at my death Thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now and heretofore;
And, having done that, Thou hast done,
I fear no more.

Night Prayer always reminds us of the sins we may have committed
during the day. It could be a sin committed by word or by an
action. And if we search also through the thoughts and feelings
that have ran through our mind and heart throughout the day, we
will be surprised how many times we have thought ill of ourselves
and others, and how many times we have allowed feelings of anger,
destructiveness, and selfishness dominate our heart and destroy
the peace we have in Christ.

This poem for Monday's Night Prayer makes us aware of sin in its
many dimensions. The first stanza of the poem speaks of both
original sin and personal sin. And it makes us realize how
sinful we really are, for even when God forgives, it seems that
"[He] hast not done", "for I have more" (our sins overtake His
mercy and forgiveness).

The second stanza of the poem helps us to realize that our sins
can also lead others to sin. And also, the sin that we have
avoided for a long time, can suddenly become a sin we have
committed many times over. We know that God forgives, but it
feels that "[He] hast not done" because it feels as if our sins
multiply in a way that overtakes the forgiveness and mercy of
God.

The third stanza of the poem teaches us not to fear dying in sin,
but to have access to Jesus' mercy and forgiveness. With faith
and trust in Christ's forgiveness and mercy - a Divine Mercy -
Christ will brightly shine with His great mercy so that the Light
of His forgiveness will finally conquer the darkness of all our
sins. And we need not fear losing the salvation of our souls if
we continuously and fully repent of our sinfulness.

Poems as Prayers in the Night Prayer Section of the Breviary

2009-03-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

This series of seven blog posts will review the poems in the
Night Prayer section of the breviary - poems used as alternatives
to the traditional hymns prayed at the closing of the day.

For Sunday, the poem given is "Abide with Me", by H.F. Lyte. The
poem is as follows:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

Hold thou thy Cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Thinking about the eventuality of our death often leads as to
see the wisdom of God more than the wisdom we have learned in
this world. As the day closes and we are led to reflect on what
transpired during the day, we sometimes fail to remember that
whatever gain or loss we had sustained, will really just pale in
comparison to the value of our eternal destiny of eternal life
with God. Sometimes we become so fixated at a loss that we fail
to see the greater gain we have achieved. It is like an ink blot
on a piece of white paper. We look too much at the ink stain
and fail to see the other parts of the paper that can still be
used and written upon.

To have a broader spiritual vision, we are called to seek the
Lord and to appeal to Him to abide with us always - especially
at the closing of the day. The poem by H.F. Lyte helps us to
pray for God's abiding presence at the end of the day when we
will retire and sleep. Since the symbol of night is one of
anxiety, desolation, and darkness, we need the Lord to abide
with us - and to be with us especially when we will be in the
throes of death.

In the poem, we are given a glimpse of the person of the Lord
through the poem's two descriptions of Him: "Help of the
helpless" and "Thou who changest not". And we are led to pray
constantly and see the wisdom of always seeking to be in the
Lord's presence, as the stanzas of the poem always end with
"abide with me" (three times).

When we always seek God's presence, we will certainly always
receive His unfailing help. And this is more certain and true
when the our of our death arrives. Even amidst dimness, the
passing away of earthly glories, and decay, God-who-never-changes
will be with us at that time. He will be the Light to shine
through the gloom around us and point us to the skies - our
heavenly abode - so that in life and even in death the Lord will
always be there for us.

Meditations for Lent, by John Garcia

2009-02-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

One of the best methods for helping us get into the spirit of prayer, reflection and meditation is spiritual reading. Most often, we are always on the go, meeting deadlines and finding ways to be on time. But Lent is a special season we should not miss in terms of the opportunity to put aside some time for spiritual reading and renew our faith and relationship with the Lord. It has been a traditional practice in the Church to read either passages from a classic spiritual book, or to read the whole book during the time of Lent.

There are many books on Lenten meditations. One book you can read during this Lenten season is the one written by John Garcia. John Garcia wrote a booklet that has meditations for each day of Lent - starting from Ash Wednesday. The meditations are brief and can be read easily - taking no more than 5-7 paragraphs with quotations from the Scriptures, the documents of Vatican II, and the writings of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.

For some idea of what this booklet contains, below is a quotation that sets the tone for the spirit of Lent. The title of the booklet is "From Death to Life: Daily Meditations for the Lenten Season".

A quotation by St. Josemaría Escrivá is given at the back of this booklet published by Sinag-Tala Publishers, Inc.

"We are at the beginning of Lent:
a time of penance, purification and conversion.
It is not an easy program, but then Christianity
is not an easy way of life.
It is not enough just to be in the Church,
letting the years roll by."
- St. Josemaría Escrivá

You may purchase this booklet at any religious bookstore in your area.

May this booklet help you in your Lenten preparation for the coming Easter season. If you do not have any more time to look for books for spiritual reading, then the best book to read during the Lenten season is the Bible. Reading the gospels for Lent for meditation will help us in our spiritual journey and growth to maturity in Christ.

St. Nilos of Soza's Teaching on How to Fight Evil Suggestions

2009-02-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

Introduction

This blog post is based on the book, "In Search of True wisdom:
Visits to Eastern Spiritual Fathers", by Sergius Bolshakoff and
M. Basil Pennington, OSCO. The book is filled with the spiritual
wisdom of the Eastern Church Fathers - many of whom are from the
Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions.

One method which these Eastern Church Fathers teach is the Jesus
Prayer (a prayer which is based on Scripture, specifically found
in the gospel passage on the healing story of the Blind
Bartimaeus). St. Nilos of Soza, one of the Eastern Church
Fathers, teaches how the practice of the Jesus Prayer can be
combined with his teaching on how to fight evil suggestions (how
to distinguish good thoughts from dangerous ones).

prilog

St. Nilos of Soza teaches that in our spiritual life, an image or
idea may appear in our mind and our heart. This is prilog.
The idea or image can be a thought suggested by the devil, who
tempts us to do one thing or another.

connection

Connection is the next stage. In this stage, we begin to
discuss with the appearing thought or image. If we do not resist
prilog, and begin to dialogue with the sinful suggestion
or idea, a connection is made.

fusion

St. Nilos calls the third stage fusion. After a
connection with the sinful image or suggestion, the
person may finally decide to do what the thought urges him to do.
This is called fusion. And fusion is of two types.
The second type of fusion is when the person, who has
decided to follow the devilish suggestion, but does not have the
opportunity to act on the suggestion, will really truly act out
the suggestion when the opportunity presents itself.

imprisonment

Imprisonment is the next stage of fusion. This
stage has two degrees also - like fusion. The first degree
is when the person is really overpowered by the devilish
suggestion. In this first degree stage of imprisonment,
through divine assistance, the person can still turn away from
the devilish idea and suggestion, and return to his regular
business of prayer and good works. The second degree of
imprisonment is when the person's mind is overwhelmed as
by a tempest or storm. The person then finds it very difficult
and impossible to return to his former quiet and peace.

Degree of sinfulness

The degree of sinfulness is measured by the way the person is
overpowered by the evil idea or suggestion. The person already
becomes a slave of the devilish suggestion. He is led to, as an
example, to a drinking spree, an act of fornication or adultery,
an act of stealing, or any act that makes a person commit a
serious or mortal sin that will weaken or destroy his relationship
with God.

How to fight evil suggestions

The best method to fight an evil suggestion from the devil, is to
cut off the very first prilog and to practice unceasing
prayer. At the first sign of prilog, the person must
reject it at once, and not enter into dialogue with it. The
prilog distracts us from our regular way of prayer and
good works. We must reject the prilog and look into the
depths of our heart and say the Jesus Prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

One wise advice from the Eastern Spiritual Fathers is to be
spiritually vigilant and alert. When an idea, thought, word, or
image presents itself to us, even if it appears to be a good one,
yet if we feel some uncertainty and hesitation about it, we must
reject the prilog at once. The key to overcome this
initial temptation is not to lose courage and persevere in the
Jesus Prayer. If the temptation persists, we are to continue not
to take notice of it, and pray and call on the Lord Jesus. If we
feel ourselves weakening or in despair, we must still call on
the Lord Jesus, asking for His help and never giving up prayer.
If we are firm in our prayer and our calling on the Lord, the
temptation will vanish.

A Reflection on "Laborem Exercens" (On Human Work)

2009-02-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

John Paul II wrote 14 encyclicals before he passed away last
April 2, 2005. Of his 14 encyclicals, the 3rd one spoke about the
subject of Human Work - "Laborem Exercens". This encyclical was
also written by the Holy Father in relation to the ninetieth
anniversary of "Rerum Novarum" (Of New Things) - a social
encyclical written by Pope Leo XIII.

In "Laborem Exercens", John Paul affirms that human life is built
up from daily work. Many people are able to support themselves
and their families through their daily jobs. And the successes
that are obtained from the work of human hands are ultimately
because of God's grace, help, and blessings. This is the side of
work where people benefit from their labors. However, there is
also a side of human work wherein people have to involve
themselves in a lot of toil, suffering, harm, and even injustice.
This we know through Christian teaching is part of our human lot
as a result of our first parents' fall from grace.

Although work has its downsides and may give us very heavy
burdens, John Paul teaches that it still remains a good thing,
because it increases our dignity as a people capable of improving
systems, transforming landscapes, or creating and innovating new
technologies. Through human work, humanity can transform the
world at a level of human life which is better than the past,
and which also transforms people with more knowledge, skills,
experience, and wisdom.

In his encyclical, John Paul teaches also that the family unit
is also important in the area of human work - it is the "first
school" of work. Parents teach their children the values that
will make them assets to their society and leaders that will
mold the society towards a direction of progress and peace.
These values that parents teach their children (not only by
word, but also by example), are Christian values that many of
us know are important in the field of human work: honesty,
diligence, integrity, and respect.

In our present times, when the tide of global economic crises
has swamped many economies, a lot of people are losing their
jobs. This loss of job is not only a monetary loss for the worker
and his family, but also, in the light of this encyclical written
by John Paul, a great loss of human dignity. It is the sign of
the times that we are meant to look at also with a contemplative
eye. Even if the present global crises may seem to be only a
matter of macroeconomics, there is always and will still be
an element of mystery, which can only be understood deeply
in the light of our Christian faith - especially in relation to
the suffering of the innocent (like Job in the Old Testament),
and the suffering of those unjustly treated (like our Lord Jesus
and His Cross).

If we read carefully the encyclical in detail, especially the
concluding section, we will see how John Paul teaches us the
value of hoping in God - more specifically, the Resurrection of
our Lord. If we also are familiar with the prophetic and
apocalyptic literature of the Bible, we know that it speaks of
a "new heaven and a new earth". So, whatever the whole of
creation is experiencing now (groaning in travail as Paul in
his Letter to the Romans tell us), the Spirit will always help
us in our weakness. For in God is our strength and our hope
for salvation.

Our Christian hope for a "new earth" is also directed towards
the building and development of God's Kingdom. The gift of
fortitude, long-suffering, patient endurance, and strength,
will help us endure the trials of the present, and if we also
get our inspiration from the martyrdom Christ experienced, in
fulfilling His earthly mission of directing human life towards
the Father's will.

The Prayer-Prose of St. Catherine of Siena

2009-02-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

The prayers of St. Catherine of Siena are in the form of prose,
yet its poetic spirit lies in the fondness of her repeating words
and phrases - addresses she makes to God. Some of her prayers
are published in the book, "Catherine of Siena: Passion for Truth,
Compassion for Humanity", selected spiritual writings, by editor
Mary O'Driscoll, OP.

Examples of her repetitive words are as follows:

Godhead!
Godhead!
Ineffable Godhead! (prayer 1)

Gentle Jesus!
Jesus love! (prayer 5)

O immeasurable love!
O gentle love!
Eternal fire! (prayer 9)

In your light I have seen light;
in your light I have come to know the light.
In your light we come to know the source of light...(prayer 11)

O eternal Trinity,
my sweet love!
You, light,
give us light.
You, wisdom,
give us wisdom.
You, supreme strength,
strengthen us. (prayer 12)

O Mary!
Mary!
Temple of the Trinity!
O Mary, bearer of the fire!
Mary, minister of mercy!
Mary, seedbed of the fruit! (prayer 18)

Twenty-six of these prayers of St. Catherine have been preserved
for us. It is said that these prayers were transcribed by one or
more of her followers who were present as she prayed aloud (refer
to the exclamatory addresses to God, Jesus, and Mary).

One can see the passion that runs deep in these prayers. She
intercedes and pleads passionately to God for all: for the world,
for the Church, for the Pope, for her friends and followers, and
all who are in need. This is one evidence of her spiritual
greatness.

The simplicity also of some of her prayers teach us to trust in
God completely and have confidence in His Providence for all that
we need. Below is an example of this prayer:

O Holy Spirit, come into my heart;
by your power draw it to yourself, God,
and give me charity with fear.
Guard me, Christ, from every evil thought,
and so warm and inflame me again
with your most gentle love
that every suffering may seem light to me.
My holy Father and my gentle Lord,
help me in my every need.
Christ love! Christ love! (prayer 6)

Living Ordinarily with Extraordinary Charity

2008-12-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

The hidden Christian heroes of today are the ordinary men and
women who live hidden from the world's public eye, but
nevertheless, live with extraordinary charity.

There is the story of a young grandmother. She married at a
young age, and her children also married at a young age. Because
of her great charity, even when her married children had no jobs,
she supported her children's family. She did all this and at the
same time was involved with an apostolate in the parish.

One time, she learned that her husband was playing around.
Because of this, she was distraught and was greatly affected
emotionally. She was brought to the hospital because she did not
take her medication for diabetes, and her blood sugar went down.
Her friends at the parish were very much concerned for her.
Through their moral support, they were able to help her overcome
this trial in her life.

Thanks to her renewed faith and hope, she is back again on her
feet, becoming stronger in faith after her experience. She is
serving again in the parish.

One will really admire this woman's extraordinary charity.
Despite having so many responsibilities already, she is also
helping shoulder the family of her brother who is in rehab.
This brother has no job and could not support his family. So,
with the overstretched budget she already has, she continues to
help her brother in his predicament.

Life is not perfect. There are many twists and turns in the road
to Christ. What is important is that we do not get lost but
rather go back to that straight road to the Lord. Also, the
support of Catholic friends is a blessing and a gift from God.
They are given by God to us so that we may obtain strength from
their spiritual and moral support. And when we are tried again
by the vicissitudes of life, God will again help us through them:
through their concern, and sense of Christian responsibility to
take care of their brothers and sisters in the faith.

On the Jerusalem Community's Spirituality and Rule of Life

2008-11-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

A book review on In the Heart of the City, In the Heart
of God by Pierre-Marie Delfieux

In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God is a very special
book on monastic spirituality. It is unique because it
describes the Jerusalem Community's rule of life - which is a
spirituality that speaks of monasticism "in the midst of the
world" - "in the heart of the city".

A brief introduction

The Introduction of the book has this quote:

"In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God is not
just the rule of life of the monastic communities; it is also
a "Book of Life" expressing the ideal lived by all those in
the Communion. It is a spiritual guide for both monastics and
laity, since their common baptismal vocation has its source
in the one Gospel and its model in the unique face of Christ."

A spiritually enriching book

Monastic spirituality is probably the deepest of the
spiritualities in the Catholic Church since many of those who
live this spirituality are in constant prayer and constant
contemplation. Even while doing some work, monastics always
place themselves in an attitude of prayer and contemplation.
The spiritual wisdom embedded in this book is thus very
enriching to the soul - especially to a soul who is constantly
bombarded by the noise of the city and his work environs. It
is indeed difficult to balance our attention between what we
do in the external world and in how we relate to God in our
spiritual life. Most of the time our attention, thoughts and
feelings get dissipated by the influence of the whirl of
worldly noise and activities. Reading this book will be
refreshing for such a soul. It will also be meaningful for
one in serious search of God amidst his duties to family and
his profession and work.

To get an idea of what the basic content of the book speaks
about, here are the titles of the chapters in the book:

Communities

Love
Prayer
Work
Silence
Hospitality

Monastic

Monks and Nuns
Chastity
Poverty
Obedience
Humility
In the Heart of the City
At the Heart of the World
In the Church
Jerusalem
Joy

Scriptural references

When reading the book, it is good to have a Bible at hand.
The book is written with scriptural references at the sides
of the pages. Since monastic life is very much rooted in the
scriptures, much of what is said of monastic life has a
specific reference to a scripture passage: either in the Old
Testament or in the New Testament. Therefore, to understand
the writings in their fullness, it would be to one's advantage
to have a Bible at hand in order to look up the references
connected with the subjects in writing. One advantage of also
having the Bible at hand is that one can have a good grasp of
how the Catholic spiritualities all have their rootedness in
the Bible, even though the monastic writings do not explicitly
use the very words of Scriptures.

A Music CD in Honor of the Athens 2004 Olympics

2008-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

A Music CD Review of Harmony: The Official Athens 2004
Olympic Games Classical Album

Two albums were produced to hallmark the Athens 2004 Olympic
Games: one with modern songs and the other with classical
tunes. This CD review will feature the review of songs in the
classical album.

A brief introduction

If you are an avid collector of elegant and classic music, this
CD is really a must-have for your CD library. Since the
highlights of the Olympic Games are the different peoples of
different cultures giving their very best in sports, this
classical album produced as the official Athens 2004 Olympic
Games album showcases also the best of the songs of the
different cultures of the world. To get an idea of what is in
the album, the list below will show the artist(s) who sang and
the title of the song:

Maksim: Olympic Dream (Eden Mix)
Adiemus: Adiemus
Sarah Brightman: Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro)
Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke band: Adje Jano
Placido Domingo: Maria Elena / Corazon, corazon /
Fina estampa
Andre Rieu: Romeo and Juliet: A Time For Us
Maria Callas: Qui Radames verra...O patria mia
Libera: Voca Me
Vangelis: Chariots of Fire
Vanessa-Mae: The 1997 Re-Unification Overture
Kiri Te Kanawa: Po Karekare ana
The Celtic Tenors: Mull of Kintyre
Charlotte Church: Pie Jesu
Julia Thornton: Sarabande and Variations
Izzy: Song of Our Homeland
Karl Jenkins: Agnus Dei
Helmut Lotti: Auld Lang Syne

Reviewing selected songs

Some of the songs are of Catholic tradition, like for instance,
Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei. The renditions of these two are superbly
solemn and truly soulful. One other song that is very inspiring
is the theme song from the movie "Chariots of Fire". The
instrumental song reminds one of how Eric Lidell did his very
best to win in the Olympic Games and how he decided not to
compete at a certain date because it went against his Christian
beliefs. There are two classic opera singers in the list:
Placido Domingo and Maria Callas. Their renditions are very
professional and truly world class. That quality is also
applicable to the flexible classicity of Sarah Brightman and her
rendition of Time to Say Goodbye. All in all the songs run 71
minutes and 49 seconds.

First impression

Children who heard the songs in the album the first time can say,
"what's that?" This is because for them the songs do not sound
as familiar as the sounds they regularly hear over the popular
communications media, broadcast media, and even over the
computer's speakers. In actuality, the songs are really unique
and of a special quality that is like age-old wine of a great
vintage. The only common thread that ties all these excellent
song renditions together is the perfection of each singer and
artist's talent and craft in the performance of his song. When
you hear the CD for the first time, you may find it interesting,
but when you play it more and over and over for many times, you
will see the depths of the soul in each song and in each artist's
rendition of the song.

"The Seven Storey Mountain" by Thomas Merton

2008-11-17T02:26:00.000-08:00

A book review on The Seven Storey Mountain by
Thomas Merton

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton is a novel that
would inspire any reader in search of God. The book is an
autobiography of Merton's own search for God before he entered
the Cistercian Order. This book would be a great help for anyone
deciding to enter religious life or the seminary. It is also a
refreshing reading experience for those building their
professional careers.

An autobiography

The Seven Storey Mountain begins with the story written in the
author's own words, of a search for God through the context of
a university setting. Merton was a student first and then became
a professor in the university wherein he graduated. He was not a
Catholic. However, in the course of his career, life events have
transpired which led him to seek God. Eventually, he had himself
baptized in the Catholic Church. Then, his first attempt at a
serious search for God was with the Franciscans. This did not
work out. Then, after much and many more discernment processes,
he finally entered the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict
Observance. This is a monastic order that has one of its vows, the
vow of silence. In this life, he has authored many books and one
of them is this popular auto-biography of which he is well-known.

Poignant moments

The book has some poignant moments that are deeply affecting which
one can relate with easily. Merton tells the story of how his
younger brother visited him one day to inform Merton of a decision
to join the Air Force. Merton then tells the story poignantly of
their meeting and of the time also when he heard the news of his
brother's death in the war.

A modern Catholic classic

The Seven Storey Mountain could well be considered a modern
classic that any personal library should have. It could be read
and reread as many times as one wishes, because Merton writes very
intelligently and gives many occasions to share his insight and
wisdom. There are many deep reflections and gems of truth
integrated within the autobiography. This could only have been
made by an intelligent mind imbued in the education-rich setting
of a university. For those in studies, this book would be a
refreshing experience and a break from the serious pursuit of
making term papers and meeting assignment deadlines. For those
pursuing professional lives and careers, this book would be
indeed a wonderful and refreshing break from one's work load
and schedule, so as to gain insight and wisdom that would be
good reminders of what really are the essential things in life.
If you need a great book to read and reread way up to your
retirement and leisure years, this certainly is a must-have.

On the "New Man" by Thomas Merton

2008-11-17T02:25:00.000-08:00

A book review on The New Man by Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton became a popular author in the 60s with his book
"The Seven Storey Mountain". In this book, he shares his
reflections on Christ, as the new man who saves us from the sin
of pride by his obedience to the Father. This book will be good
for college and post-graduate students who want to deepen their
understanding of Catholic philosophy and theology and help in
their pursuit of a college or post-graduate degree in Catholic
philosophy and theology.

A brief introduction

The book is very deep and needs a lot of re-reading in order to
fully understand it. It requires some background on Catholic
philosophy and theology on the collegiate level. Also, a better
understanding would be gained if the reader were to be patient
and persevering in his desire to understand the mysteries of
the Christian faith. But, the fruit of reading it is
enlightening and will help anyone truly determined to know the
faith in its rootedness in the monastic spirit of the
Cistercians.

Uniqueness of the book

What is unique about the book is that Thomas Merton, being
well-educated, also integrates Greek mythology in his
explanation of the "fall of man" from grace. He mentions
Prometheus stealing of the fire from Olympus that brought on
toil and sorrow in the world. He puts this in parallel to the
biblical story of Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating the
forbidden fruit that brought on destruction, death and sin in
our world. Thus, to gain a fuller understanding of the
contents in this book, a basic understanding of Greek
mythology is also needed. A good resource for understanding
Greek mythology can be obtained from the books authored by
Edith Hamilton.

Chapters in the book

There are only a few chapters in the book, but each chapter
is packed with rich wisdom and insight that can be obtained
through careful reading. This is a book that cannot be read
in one sitting but needs to be put down for some time so that
one can reflect on the content of the chapters and understand
them through reflection and deeper thought. This book is good
for those in studies to sharpen and hone their studying skills
and thinking capabilities. For those who want to sharpen their
thinking capabilities, this is a good book to use as a starter.
The following list shows the titles of the chapters of the book:

The War Within Us
Promethean Theology
Image and Likeness
Free Speech [Parrhesia]
Spirit in Bondage
The Second Adam
Life in Christ
Sacramental Illumination
Called Out of Darkness

The basic flow of the book

Though very deep and full of wisdom and insight, the basic flow
of the book still follows the core mysteries of the Catholic
faith: original sin and its being handed down to succeeding
generations; Christ as the second Adam who obeyed God compared
to the first Adam who disobeyed God; our salvation is in Christ
through our obedience to God; our being washed from original
sin and succeeding sins through the sacraments of the Church;
and our life in Christ through following his teaching through
the Church.

The book can be read from a very intellectual perspective and
context. However, to obtain the real spiritual fruits of the
book, the challenge is to read it with a more disciplined life
of prayer with a semblance to the author's life of prayer and
reflection as a Cistercian monk. Though it is not necessary
to be monastic to understand the book, it would be to the
reader's advantage to learn how to discipline his prayer
life that he may also understand not only this book, but also
other books that are written originally from a monastic
context of living.

This is certainly a good book to have also in one's personal
library. It can be read and reread for spiritual development
and enrichment until one's retirement age when one has more
leisure and has the acquired wisdom to understand the deeper
mysteries of life.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem - Music CD

2008-11-15T02:04:00.000-08:00

Music CD Review

A Music CD review of "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem,
Healing Worship" from the City of David with Paul Wilbur

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem is a music CD which any
charismatic music afficionado will really like and
appreciate. It is worship music and thus the style of
presentation is quite majestic and magnificent. The
rendition of the choir is very inspiring and uplifting
to the heart and soul.

A brief introduction

This music CD is probably one music CD any one into lively
worship music would really appreciate and have for his
personal library. Not only is the music very good and
excellent in its style of presentation, but it is also
very meaningful in terms of its subject and theme: a prayer
for the peace of Jerusalem. The cover design of the music
CD shows an Israeli soldier praying before the wailing wall
with a rifle dangling behind his back. And under the title,
"Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem", is found a dove presented
in a flash of white light passing through it. In the
background of both these subjects is the city of Jerusalem
populated by soldiers.

The lyrics of the song

Since the songs are an occasion to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem, much of the lyrics and words of the songs are in
Hebrew. However, the songs are not really in pure Hebrew.
It is more a combination of both Hebrew and English. The
resulting effect of this combination gives a sense of being
really part of the religious culture of the Jews and thus
giving occasion to really be serious in our prayer for the
peace of their city, Jerusalem.

The titles of the songs

The titles of the songs are given below:

Introit
Blessed Are You
Let the Weight of Your Glory Fall
For Your Name Is Holy
Baruch Haba (Blessed Is He Who Comes)
Ma Tovu (O How Good)
In Your Presence O God
Prayer For The Peace Of Jerusalem (Musical
Underscore)
Shalom Jerusalem
Kadosh
Show Me Your Face
Even So
Lord Take Up Your Holy Throne

A quote from the CD

This is a quote from the back cover of the music CD. We
quote it here to signify why it is important for our present
times to really pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

"Significant for the times, Pray for the Peace of
Jerusalem contains passionate songs of prayer that reveal
a longing for the return of the Messiah and peace for
Jerusalem. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who
love this city prosper. - [Psalm 122:6]"

"Hearts on Fire" - Prayer Poems by Jesuits

2008-11-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

A book review on "Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits",
edited by Michael Harter, SJ

This book is a very good meditative guide for a a spiritual
journey in line with the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises being
taught by the Jesuits to many of their retreatants. What is
good about this book is that the Spiritual Exercises are
translated into the more popular literary form of prayers
and religious poetry written also by saintly and contemporary
Jesuits.

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

The original Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
is written in a very terse and concise language meant mostly
for Jesuit spiritual directors or for lay people who have
been trained by the Jesuits to give the Spiritual Exercises.
Many people can understand much more the Spiritual Exercises
if they use this Hearts on Fire book. Since it is prepared
in the literary form of selected scripture passages, prayers,
and religious poetry, it is easier to understand both
Ignatian and Jesuit spirituality through this book.

The structure of the book

Since the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola are
divided into four weeks, then this book is structured in the
same way: the first week "helping us realize how much we are
loved by God and how much we have been poor in this response
to this love"; the second week helping us to contemplate on
the life and ministry of Jesus; the third week helping us to
contemplate on the Passion of Jesus; and the fourth week
helping us to contemplate on the Resurrection and the joy of
sharing in that gift. Instead of the original language of
Ignatius in writing these 'four weeks' of the Spiritual
Exercises, editor Michael Harter, SJ, compiled the many
prayers and religious poetry written by many Jesuits and
categorized them according to the theme of the weeks of the
Spiritual Exercises.

Featured Jesuits in the book

Below are some of the Jesuits whose prayers and religious
poetry are featured in the book:

Gerald Manley Hopkins
Saint Francis Xavier
Saint Claude La Colombiere
Saint Peter Canisius
Blessed Peter Faber
Saint Ignatius Loyola
Blessed Miguel Augustine Pro
Saint Alphonse Rodriguez
Saint Robert Southwell
Saint Joseph Pignatelli
Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Saint Edmund Campion
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith
Saint Peter Claver
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Saint John Berchmans

A Book on Contemplative Experience by a Vietnamese Cistercian Monk

2008-11-11T02:17:00.000-08:00

Contemplative Experience

This book by a Cistercian abbot and monk helps us to understand
what the contemplative experience is through three sources:
Scripture, the teaching of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and the
teaching of the non-Christian monks and spiritual masters.

The author of the book

The author of the book is a Vietnamese Trappist monk who has
been assigned to be the abbot of a monastery in Guimaras,
Iloilo, Philippines. This book that he writes was originally
intended for his brother monks, but which he also states may be
of interest also to others. He humbly says that it is a small
work that expresses biblical insight and the subtlety of
Oriental wisdom.

The contemplative experience

Many and most of us would probably not consider ourselves as
true contemplatives, given the very busy lifestyles we lead in
the world. However, as persons made in the image and likeness
of God, there is a basic contemplative core in each one of us
that we can always enter into and experience the divine. This
inner core or 'Ground of our being', as Joseph Chu Cong calls
it, is where we encounter God.

A very unique and special book

What is unique and special about this work is that it helps
the reader understand the contemplative experience from the
point of view of Scriptures [both Old and New Testament], from
the teaching and experience of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and
from the teaching and experience of the non-Christian monks
and spiritual masters. The blending of these three sources
has created a very unique context in understanding the
contemplative experience.

Topics

Below are the topics in the table of contents to help anyone
interested to know how the ideas and teachings in the book are
structured:

Contemplative experience - What is it?
Sources of contemplative experience

Sacred scripture: Old and New Testament
St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Teaching and Experience
The Non-Christian Monk's Teaching and Experiences

Steps leading to contemplative experience

Guest in host
Host in guest
Resurgence of host
Mutual interpenetration
Attained unity

Contemplative experience and activities
Mary - source and model of contemplative experience

Books on the Art of Meditation

2008-11-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Four books on the art and practice of meditation by
Fr. John Main, OSB

Meditation is for all people: even those who lead busy
lifestyles. Fr. John Main, OSB, teaches the practice of
meditation for both monks and lay people in these four
books: "Moment of Christ", "The Present Christ", "The
Heart of Creation", and "Letters from the Heart"

Fr. John Main, OSB

Fr. John Main, OSB, is the founder of the Benedictine Priory
of Montreal, a community of monks and lay people, which
initiated the translation of Benedictine monastic spirituality,
to a modern urban center. In these four books that present much
of his teaching on meditation, Fr. John speaks the language
of religious experience in simple concepts and ideas, concretely
teaching that such experience is made available to all, through
the simple method of meditation.

Meditation in context

The practice of meditation is part of the tradition called "lectio
divina". It is a classic way of praying that many religious and
lay people still follow today. Fr. John Main continues in this
tradition with a special focus on the method that he introduces
in the meditation part of lectio divina. He emphasizes much on
the praying of the mantra, "ma-ra-na-tha", which means, "Come,
Lord Jesus", during the meditation, and to seek much simplicity in
stillness and silence.

The four books on Fr. John's method

To get to the instruction proper on the method of meditation
used by Fr. John, the book to read is "Moment of Christ: The
Path of Meditation". This book is a simple and practical
guide to this Christian tradition of meditation. Fr. John
organizes all his teachings through the topics of: the way of
silence, of stillness, the way of the mantra, ways of leaving
distraction behind, of transcending self-consciousness, of moving
beyond techniques of prayer, of achieving fullness of life in
love and silence.

Another book, "The Heart of Creation: The Meditative
Way" also is an eloquent summary of Fr. John's teachings
and personal experience in the way of meditation. This book
continues giving much insight, both from practice and experience,
on what meditation is, and how it leads us to the center of our
soul, where the power of God's love dwells.

Fr. John tells us that in the way of meditation, our response
is with a reverential awe that demands much silence on our part.
At this point of meditating, our involvement with the mystery
of God is so close to us that even words and ideas do not matter
as much. We will - in Fr. John's words - "find our point of
departure and our point of convergence" when we have advanced
in meditation. He teaches this especially in the book,
"The Present Christ: Further Steps in Meditation".

The fourth book of Fr. John Main, which has a different format
from the way he teaches in the first three books, is
"Letters From the Heart: Christian Monasticism and the
Renewal of Community". This book is a collection of letters
written by Fr. John "to communicate the awareness that 'all
renewal - whether personal renewal in Christ or monastic renewal
in community - is born from an ultimate self-transcendence in
the reality of the present moment." If read reflectively,
much insight and spiritual depth can be gained from his letters.

Good spiritual reading

These meditation books by Fr. John Main are good spiritual
reading for those who read before resting at night. The
insights that can be gained from the books help in assessing
one's own experience of meditating during one's prayer
activities. It produces an inspiring effect on anyone who may
be seriously considering to commit some time of their busy
schedule to meditate during the day. The benefits of this
practice is the assurance of a religious experience of
stillness, silence, simplicity and knowing God's great love
- all positive and edifying energy to move anyone's activities
and work towards fruitful and productive results.

St. Benedict and His Way of Integration

2008-10-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

"Integration: The Way of St. Benedict" by Anselm Grun,
OSB

Introduction:

July 11 is when the Catholic Church honors the obligatory
memorial of St. Benedict of Nursia - one of the six saints
that was declared as patrons of Europe. The great influence
of St. Benedict comes from his monastic spirituality - how it
developed beginning the 4th century and how the Rule from which
it organized itself has been adopted by many religious
institutes since then. There is much to be learned from this
great spiritual man who discovered a way of integration, a
process of development, a way of self-realization, a manner of
individuation, and a method of journeying into his own unique
personhood.

"Integration: The Way of St. Benedict"

In this book by Anselm Grun, OSB, the author uses Pope St.
Gregory's biography on St. Benedict to re-read how the saint
journeyed into the full maturity of Christ's image - the end
by which we are called to grow into by virtue of our being
baptized into Christ's person. In the book, the author gives
us an example through St. Benedict, how we can: be one with
ourself; reconcile ourself with our evil side (our shadow);
integrate our anima (animus) - our feminine/masculine
psychological components; free ourself from our egoism; be
capable of dealing with people; and become one with God and
united with Him in much prayer.

A great help for midlifers

For those who need help with passing through their midlife
years, this is one very good resource to read, reread and be
informed of the mystery of human growth - both in its
psychological and spiritual aspects. In fact, the title of
the book itself, "Integration", is a term often associated
for those journeying into their midlife years - years filled
with reflecting on the experiences of youth and connecting
it with the coming years of old age when the fruit of
reflection and prayer over this special time is human
development in wisdom and the constant practice of prudent
judgment and decisions.

Topics and chapters in the book

To have an idea of what the book contains, below is a list
of the chapters and topics of the book:

Steps on Benedict's way

The first step into freedom

Separation from the mother

Solitary in the cave

Meeting with people

Temptation through recollection of a woman

The spiritual fatherhood

Collapse of the first venture

Dwelling within himself

Renewed attempt at spiritual guidance

The signs of the prophets

The old enemy in a new location

Marvels of knowledge

Marvels of deeds

Integration of the anima

The cosmic vision

The Rule as witness of Benedict's stature

The consummation

Benedict's continued activity: a healing in the cave

Some notes

The book can be read casually and when certain terms of depth
psychology or some deep spiritual insights are encountered,
this can be nonchalantly passed over at first reading and just
study it more in-depth over the next readings of the book -
accompanying one's reading with specialized dictionaries and
glossaries. On the whole, the book is not only fascinating,
but also filled with the great wisdom that only a man of such
stature as St. Benedict of Nursia could have achieved from
his plenitude of solitude, prayer, reflection, contemplation,
and wise governance of monasteries.

Related resources:

Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney

"A Year with the Saints" by Don Bosco Press, Inc.

"Doctors of the Church" by Fink

"Saints for Our Time" by Ransom

In Search of True Wisdom

2008-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

In Search of True Wisdom: Visits to Eastern Spiritual
Fathers, by Sergius Bolshakoff and M. Basil Pennington, OCSO

Introduction:

Christian spiritual tradition has a basic core and an
essential body of truths and mores, that even the major rifts
between the West and the East in the Eastern schism of 1054,
has not changed radically the common understanding of God
and prayer between them. Though the East has separated from
the Catholic West because of a theological dispute in the
role of the Holy Spirit, the Orthodox Church in the East
which grew and developed since that schism continued in
its spiritual traditions that have remained mostly unchanged
due to the monks who preserved the religious practices
associated with it. A book that can be read in relation
to this spirituality is "In Search of True Wisdom: Visits
to Eastern Spiritual Fathers" by Sergius Bolshakoff. The
author, Bro. Sergius, writes this book and speaks of his
experiences of learning the spiritual wisdom of the Eastern
fathers and monks.

Bro. Sergius Bolshakoff

As a young man in 1919, Sergius did not want to do anything
with the Bolsheviks. He settled in Estonia to pursue an
education to be an engineer. It was while he was in this
state that he discovered about Russian Catholics and their
communities outside Russia. An inspiration led him to
conceive a work for the unity of these Russian Christians
in the face of the Bolsheviks. Seeking advice, he was told
to get steeped first in his own Orthodox tradition. He thus
began to pursue theological studies at Pskovo-Petchersky
Monastery. The situation at that monastery led him also to
live in the West, at the newly established Latin-Byzantine
Benedictine Monastery at Amay - today's Chevtogne.

Over the course of years, Sergius became convinced that his
life is to be spent in the cause of Church unity. Christians
of East and West, especially monks, needed to share in each
other's community's life and search for God, the source of
all unity. And so, in England, on December 27, 1928, in
the Anglican Benedictine Monastery of Nashdown, Bro. Sergius
made a lifetime commitment [in the hands of the Orthodox
Bishop of Berlin, Tikhon Ljoshenko] to seek perfection
according to the Rule of Saint Benedict as a lay oblate and
to work for Christian unity.

This profession was quite extraordinary, since it was the
first time an Orthodox had committed himself to the Rule of
the Patriarch of Western monasticism since the Benedictine
monasteries on Mount Athos died out, in the thirteenth
century.

A travelogue of interviews with wise and holy monks

Bro. Sergius' lifetime commitment led him in a road
untravelled - one wherein he would visit the old monasteries
in the East, particularly within and around Russia - listening
and learning from the old and holy monks about a spirituality
that is rooted in the classic and sound traditions of
Orthodoxy. This book is very interesting: both in the
personages that are featured [the old holy monks], and in
the spiritual teaching they impart from both learning and
experience.

One great teaching these monks commonly share about is the
"Jesus Prayer", a prayer that can be used as a mantra in one's
meditation or prayers. The prayer goes like this:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

In one of his interviews with these holy monks, he learned
that the "Jesus Prayer" is the bounden duty of all Orthodox,
which they must not neglect. They also add that the prayer
must not only be prayed externally but also in unity with its
being prayed within us - in our mind, heart and soul.

Bro. Sergius is taught how to begin the practice of this
Prayer of Jesus:

we must first lead a wise and abstentious life, avoiding
all luxuries and all carnal pleasure

we must watch over our sight, hearing, and other senses
and limit our speech to the needful

we must also learn to live in a true solitude: the
ascesis of solitude of the heart and a true seclusion while
still living in the world

we must master our passions

we must do penance and have a true sorrow for our sins

we must have deep humility, humble wisdom, setting
our neighbor's good before our own, evangelical love of our
neighbor, desire to be unknown and to leave behind worldly
vanity

The book is truly a treasure of the great spiritual
teachings of the Eastern saints - often very contemplative
and who have led lives of intense prayer and solitude.
Whatever our state of life, their teachings are so basic
and so essential to being a Christian, that following their
counsels can set us on a journey to holiness in whatever
state of life or vocation we are presently in. For an
idea of what the book contains, the following list
enumerates the travels Bro. Sergius made and the holy
persons whom he had the privilege to interview about
Eastern Orthodox spirituality:

At the Lavra of Saint Alexander Nevsky: Father
Sergius

In the Tradition of Bishop Ignatius: Hierodeacon
Isaya Bobinin

Father Theophan and the Pskovo-Petchersky
Monastery

Hieromonk Dorofey of Konevitsa: The First Steps
on the Spiritual Journey

In the Far North: Hieromonk John of Petchenga

Hegumen John, Exiled from Solitude

The Tradition of Valaam: Hieroschimonk Luke

The Recluse of Uusi Valamo: Hieroschimonk Michael

Archimandrite Ilian, Hegumen of Aghios
Panteleimonos

A Good Monk at Dionysiou: Father Euthemios

A Monk in Exile: Father Tikhon Voinov

The Young Elder: Archimandrite Aimilianos

Stavronkikita: Father Paisios and Archimandrite
Vasileios

Archimandrite Sophrony: Disciple of Father
Silouan

Mount Athos in Boston: Archimandrite Panteleimon

A Noble Spiritual Mother: Mother Alexandra

As regards the Russian Orthodox terms which are
particular to Orthodox spiritual tradition, there is a
glossary at the back of the book which defines and
describes the meaning of these terms. There is also a
map of the Russian mainland to help locate certain
places where the mentioned monasteries are built. The
book is not only spiritually enriching, but is also
entertaining since it gives vivid imagery of the Russian
countryside, the freshness and tranquillity of the
Finnish lakes, the vastness of the forests, the giant
conifers and many more.

An Evening in December

2008-10-13T16:45:00.001-07:00

A Music CD review of "An Evening In December"

The majority of music CDs are recorded with musical
accompaniment. This music CD of "An Evening In December" is
a very beautiful and unique CD, because the music is sang
acapella - meaning without musical accompaniment or
instrumentation. It is recorded plainly and simply with
just the voices of soloists, or the chorale.

A brief introduction

At first hearing, one would not right away feel the
beauty of the music in the CD. It takes time before
the real spirit of the music sinks in deep down into
one's soul. When one is used to listen to music that is
accompanied always with musical instrumentation, then
there would be a big difference in listening with this
type of recording. The songs however, in themselves
are common Christmas carols, and one can relate to them
easily with old familiar memories of family and friends.
The style in which the carols are sang are also styled
uniquely as the vocal arrangements: with the background
vocals taking the place of instrumental accompaniment.
This is what makes the whole music CD special: for
Christmas carols are sung with voices in themselves
arranged to accompany the melodies of the Christmas
songs.

The Songs

Caroling, Caroling

Jesu Parvule

Carol Medley

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Angels We Have Heard on High

Away In A Manger

We Three Kings

While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks

Tennessee Christmas

Silent Night

Carol of the Bells

White Christmas

I'll Be Home For Christmas

It All Began In Bethlehem

I Heard The Bells

A good Christmas CD for one's music collection

This is one CD you will like to keep when you get accustomed
to listen and appreciate music sang in chorale and accapella.
It would be good to have as background music for Christmas
family get-togethers: looking at family albums, talking
about old times and telling stories of the family. It can
also serve as background music for the family as they
celebrate the Christmas meal. The quality of production of
this music CD grows more as one listens to it often. It is
not the usual popular or jazzy or rock-type music that many
Christmas songs are presently styled in. This music CD
produces an atmosphere of warmth amidst the cold. It is
the vocal arrangements and production of the songs that
give the listeners an opportunity to immerse themselves in
a soft-styled Christmas mood.

Anthology on Christian Mysticism

2008-10-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism

Edited and with an Introduction by Bernard McGinn

Christian Mysticism defined

Author John A. Hardon, S.J., in his book, Pocket Catholic
Dictionary, defines Christian mysticism as:

"The supernatural state of soul in which God is known in
a way that no human effort or exertion could ever succeed
in producing. There is an immediate, personal experience
of God that is truly extraordinary, not only in intensity
and degree, but in kind. It is always the result of a
special, totally unmerited grace of God. Christian
mysticism differs essentially from the non-Christian
mysticism of the Oriental world. It always recognizes
that the reality to which it penetrates simply transcends
the soul and the cosmos; there is no confusion between I
and Thou, but always a profound humility before the
infinite Majesty of God. And in Christian mysticism all
union between the soul and God is a moral union of love,
in doing His will even at great sacrifice to self; there
is no hint of losing one's being in God or absorption of
one's personality into the divine.

Excellent reference for Christian mysticism

A good book to learn more in detail about Christian mysticism
is, "The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism", by editor
Bernard McGinn. This book is an accessible anthology of the
Western Christian mystical tradition. It is very comprehensive,
apt in its selection of texts, and is intelligently organized
in one handy and easy to carry volume.

Book is divided into three main parts

In nearly one hundred selections spanning seventeen centuries,
the book explores how human life is transformed through the
search for direct contact with God. Uniquely organized by
subject, this book includes accessible headnotes for each
section, biographical sketches of the mystics, and a selected
bibliography. Part one examines the preparation for
encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer;
part two focuses on the mystics' actual encounters with God;
and part three addresses the implications of the mystical
life - showing how mystics have been received over time, and
how they practice their faith through private contemplation
and public ministry or apostolate.

Outline of the book

Part One: Foundations of Mystical Practice

Mystics featured in Part One: Origen, Gregory of Nyssa,
Augustine of Hippo, Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart,
Madame Guyon, Athanasius of Alexandria, Evagrius Ponticus,
James of Vitry, Catherine of Genoa, John of the Cross,
Ephrem the Syrian, John Cassian, Symeon the New Theologian,
Hadewijch of Antwerp, John Tauler, Teresa of Avila,
Guigo I, Aelred of Rievaulx, Miguel de Molinos, Richard
of St. Victor, Bonaventure, Marguerite Porete, Walter
Hilton

Section 1: Biblical Interpretation

Section 2: Asceticism and Purgation

Section 3: Prayer, Liturgy, and Sacraments

Section 4: Inner and Outer Practices

Section 5: Mystical Itineraries

Part Two: Aspects of Mystical Consciousness

Mystics featured in Part Two: Augustine, William of
Saint-Thierry, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Gregory Palamas, John
of the Cross, Bernard of Clairvaux, Francis of Assisi, Henry
Suso, Julian of Norwich, Simone Weil, Nicholas of Cusa,
Johann Arndt, Dionysius, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Gregory
the Great, Symeon the New Theologian, Hildegard of Bingen,
Hugh of St. Victor, Richard Rolle, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa
of Avila, George Fox, Angela of Foligno, John Tauler, John
of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, Maximus the Confessor,
Meister Eckhart, Macarius, John Ruusbroec, Francis de Sales,
Marie of the Incarnation

Section 6: Living the Trinity

Section 7: Encountering Christ

Section 8: Love and Knowledge

Section 9: Positive and Negative Ways to
God

Section 10: Vision, Contemplation, and
Rapture

Section 11: Distress and Dereliction

Section 12: Deification and Birthing

Section 13: Union with God

Part Three: Implications of the Mystical Life

Mystics featured in Part Three: Francois Fenelon,
Gregory the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart,
Catherine of Siena, Thomas Merton

Section 14: Mysticism and Heresy

Section 15: Contemplation and Action

Books and Resources on John Paul II

2008-10-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Books and Resources on John Paul II

For those interested in learning the spirituality of holiness
and mission theology of John Paul II, given here below are a
few books and other resources you may want to browse on, borrow
from a library or friend, or also have the option to purchase
a personal copy of it for your private library.

John Paul II: Go In Peace - A Gift of Enduring Love, by
editor Joseph Durepos

Crossing the Threshold of Hope, by John Paul II

John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language, by
Joseph Donders (the 1st 12 of the Pope's 14 encyclicals)

The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II: The Loving
Heart

The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II: Words of
Inspiration

John Paul II: A Great Pope Passes into History, Readers
Digest, June 2005

The Pontiff in Winter, by John Cornwell

Pope John Paul II: Champion of Faith, TV Guide Special
Tribute Issue, 2005

The Pope Coming From the East, by Teresio Basco, S.D.B.

An Intimate Portrait of Pope John Paul II, by Mark
Bakersman

John Paul II 1920-2005: Special Double Issue of Newsweek,
April 11/April 18, 2005

Special Report: The 25 Years of Pope John Paul II (VIS)

These are the sources from which the first six articles
published in this blog were based upon. Those six articles
covered the life and work of John Paul II from 1920-1990. The
seventh article, which is coming soon, will cover the life of
his missionary pontificate during the years 1991-1995.

After learning how the Pope was able to resolve the political
conflict between Solidarity and the Jaruzelski regime, the
eventual implosion of the Soviet communist system, and the
crackdown on dissident theologians in Catholic universities
(during his 1986-1990 pontificate), we will now examine the
highlights of his pontificate from 1991-1995. We are called
to remember that the World Youth Day (1995) in Manila, gathered
the greatest number of participants and set the record for the
biggest attended World Youth Day event so far (since the Pope
started the tradition in Rome).

If you want to know about the life of John Paul until he
passed away on April 2, 2005, bookmark our blog as one of your
favorites so that you will be updated on the next articles
about his life, work and mission.

Note: Aside from the series of articles on the life and mission
of John Paul II, I will be also publishing in this blog summaries
and abstracts of core ideas and articles that were presented in
the original Catholic Internet Mission site at:

www.pcentral-online.net

Choose Life

2008-10-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

It is good to know that in these times of dangerous crises,
it still brings out the best of the Filipino worker. Just a
few examples of these are:

a father who took the responsibility of assistant manager when
offered the position, even when his kidneys were already being
affected by his diabetic condition (he had an organ transplant
which was successful, and is now recuperating fast with his
family, so that he can come back to his work in about three to
six months time); then there is the young mother of two
children, who, already burdened by her children's educational
costs, still took the responsibility of caring for her mother,
who had to be operated on her knee caps, due to her athritic
condition (this young mother had to approach charitable
organizations so that her 55-year old mother could be well
again); then there is also the typical Filipino eldest son,
who despite having a family already and with three children,
still help his wife's sister and her husband, and also helps
his own sister and her husband, in earning a living for their
extended family system (the extended family system is not
always a mutually supportive and beneficial system; sometimes,
there is only one member of this system who bears the heave
burden of serving and leading the members of this extended
family system; a lot of this can be seen in the situations
of those who work abroad to support their family at home).

God offers us a choice: life or death. For the three examples
presented above, all three chose life: to save life - either
for their life (for the sake of the family and the company),
or the life of a member, or members of a family. The choice
of life or to save life, is a participation in the saving
mission and ministry of Christ. If we persevere like those
three persons presented above, and be faithful always to our
commitment to life in God, we shall receive the crown of
life - as St. Paul says also in his letters to the Christian
communities he founded. So, despite pain and suffering, and
the danger of death, Christ remains to be our hope, and our
salvation. Though we may suffer greatly by the extreme
hardships of the times and the uncertain stability of many
global economic environments, with Jesus as the source of
living water from which we get our drink, and with Jesus
as the source of living bread from which we eat, we will
be strenthened in body and soul, and we shall receive also
healing for our mind, spirit, and body. The Eucharist
remains to be the stable element in a Catholic's life -
for even when things doesn't always work or look good,
all shall be well if we only root our faith and hope in
God.

The prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 17:7-8.

"A blessing on the man who puts his trust in Yahweh,
with Yahweh for his hope. He is like a tree by the
waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when
the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays
green; it has no worries in a year of draught, and
never ceases to bear fruit."

Reading God's Word Prayerfully

2008-10-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

Reading God’s Word for Personal Growth and Spiritual
Enrichment

Introduction

Those who teach the bible often make reference to the
scripture as text not only to be studied objectively, but
also, and much more meaningfully, as a source for spiritual
enrichment and personal growth. Everyday, Catholics are
given the opportunity to be one with the Word of God through
the weekday lectionary readings of the Mass. For those
who are able to attend the Eucharist regularly, then the
gift of the Word of God becomes one's daily bread and
spiritual nourishment. However, for those who, because of
time constraints or other limiting circumstances, cannot
attend the Mass everyday, there is still the opportunity
to read God's word through the readings that are given in
the Vatican II Weekday Missal.

Spiritually reading the Scriptures

Sr. Barbara Bowe, rscj, a very good professor in
Scripture studies, always tells her students in bible
class that it is possible to truly benefit from God’s
Word if it is read in reference to one’s personal
situation. She teaches how this is done. As an example,
if we were to “read” this 3rd Sunday’s first reading on
the book of Nehemiah, and place ourselves in the person
of the people Israel whom Ezra, the priest, addresses,
we would then certainly feel much spiritual consolation
as Ezra says in the passage, “Do not be saddened this
day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!”
The spiritual method is to place ourselves in the people
Israel's "shoes", and receive the Word of God to them,
as a consoling and encouraging word to us personally.
And it could also be a way of reminding us to listen
and also do what is good, whenever the Lord speaks to
Israel about her disobedience to His commandments.

An Augustinian prayer method

This manner of “spiritually reading” God’s word is
often associated with Augustinian spirituality and
the Augustinians’ way of relating to the Lord using
the Scriptures. Although much of this technique is
very effective in Old Testament writing, such as the
passage from Nehemiah mentioned above, it can also
be applied to New Testament scripture and writing.
Though anybody can use this technique in their reading
of Scripture, the technique is even more effective
for those who are naturally more intuitive and
feeling-oriented. The technique is simply to read
God's Word, take it to heart, and let God's word
address oneself personally - as He speaks to Israel
(in the Old Testament), or to the apostles and
disciples of Jesus (in the New Testament). After
receiving the Word personally, one can then use one's
faculty of intuition to see the deeper meaning
behind it and the message God intends for one's
spiritual nourishment, growth, and maturity.

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

If you wish to profit much from God’s word, then
you can faithfully follow the Sunday readings in
the Vatican II Sunday Missal, and read it in the
manner taught by Scripture professor Sr. Barbara
Bowe, and those who follow Augustinian spirituality.
It is certain and guaranteed to help anyone who
wishes to be edified, uplifted, consoled, and more
importantly strengthened by God’s word to do what
is according to His plan and will. This reading of
the weekday lectionary and Sunday lectionary readings
can be most helpful, since you can reflect or meditate
on the readings before you go for the weekday or
Sunday Eucharist. Your own personal insights into
the readings can be enriched even more (through
integration) by the homily of the priest in the Mass.

Continuation at The Nexus Blog

2006-08-09T05:10:00.002-07:00

This message is meant for those who have come upon this
blog for information or content. The continuation of
this blog will be at The Nexus Blog. The url for that
blog is http://www.pcentral-online.net/blog3/ However,
to continue bridging the content in this blog with The
Nexus Blog, reference to this blog will always be given
as a source for information and content [archives].

Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera
Catholic Internet Mission
http://www.pcentral-online.net/
+63(2)7463751
email: admin@pcentral-online.net

Continuation at The Nexus Blog

2006-08-09T05:10:00.001-07:00

Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera
Catholic Internet Mission
http://www.pcentral-online.net/
+63(2)7463751
email: admin@pcentral-online.net

WebPoetry: A Method of Writing Poems Online

2006-03-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

WebPoetry: A Method of Writing Poems Online

Writing poems online can have many styles and methods.
The style and method this blog has used is the following:

1. Using a gospel scene as the context for writing the poem.
2. Placing oneself and imagining oneself to be the person of
one of the characters in the gospel scene.
3. Imagining what may be the feelings, thoughts, and actions
of that character.
4. Paraphrasing the words of that character, and developing the
poem as a dialogue between the character and other characters,
or between the character and Jesus.
5. Making the paraphrase based on the actual dialogue and plot
of the gospel scene, with creativity added to it but not
totally disengaged from the main plot and story line.
6. Writing the poem spontaneously, based on one's reading and
if able, based on a previous meditation on the gospel passage
and scene.
7. Keeping one's dialogue and framing of the poem, within the
limits of the gospel scene and passage.

This method of writing poems online is not new. It is actually
based on the Ignatian method of meditation. The only difference
is that the reading and meditation of the gospel passage is
enfleshed in the form of a poem that is written spontaneously.

The Call for Deeper Prayer

2006-02-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

In this time of much confusion and busyness, a recollection or retreat would really do us good. Especially in this time when Lent is fast approaching, we can take more time for prayer, for fasting and to do acts of mercy.

This coming Wednesday, March 1, 2006, is Ash Wednesday. It is a day of fasting and abstinence. By fasting, we mean less intake of food. And by abstinence, the Church teaches as the abstention from meat or meat-related food products.

If we can not set aside time for a day of recollection, then the place we can go to for an hour of silence and solitude is the adoration chapel. We can bring a bible with us or a prayer guide to help us pray as we adore the Blessed Sacrament as is exposed in the monstrance of the adoration chapel. For those of us who are on the go, and who are always "mobile", let us be aware of the churches in the routes we ply and take some time enter the adoration chapel, sit down, and quiet down the noise that is within us. Religious would often tell us about the "noise pollution" that is present in our modern times. I know they mean not only the noise from traffic and from the various media that present themselves to us, but also from the internal noise that is within our hearts and souls. Our task as Lent now approaches is two-fold: to heal ourselves from the noise within and to seek a place of solitude whereby we can listen to the Lord through His Word, the Sacrament, nature, and eventually, through His dwelling place: our own hearts and souls.

Long-Suffering and Perseverance

2006-01-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

Probably what is really needed in today's contemporary times is for breadwinners and wage earners to have the gift from the Spirit of long-suffering and perseverance. Economic times are not what they used to be. Families have to constantly struggle against inflation and devaluation. In the Philippines, many are forced to migrate to other nations in order to earn more for their families. Such is the situation for many nations in the southern hemisphere.

Even for those of us who have ventured on the Net, it is not easy to maintain and operate a web site and continuously have the resources needed to back it up. It really needs not only material resources but the psychological and inner strengths of long-suffering and perseverance.

In our group at SEO Techniques, we are taught ethical methods and procedures whereby our web sites can earn funds for our keep. With my site as an informational site and employing associate and affiliate programs to earn funds to maintain the site, there is a need to work extra harder and extra smarter in order to continue the Net mission and venture that inspired the web site.

But, as always, a solution enters the scene if we just have faith and do not quit. What is important is that we do not lose our grounding and foundation in the vision and mission that fired us in the first place. In case we do lose steam and get discouraged by certain situations, let us always remember that in order for the grape vine to bear fruit, it must be pruned. Let us therefore have faith that God is rightly pruning away some elements in our building of web sites so that it will bear the fruit that He wishes for us to bear not only for ourselves but for others also. And this is platinum martyrdom. Being the branches that bear fruit because of our connection with Christ. We need to suffer pain, trials, and hardships [the cutting away of 'twigs' and dried branches] so that the fruits we bear in Christ's name will be spiritual and material fruits that shall provide for many in our life network.

In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God

2006-01-06T03:26:00.000-08:00

There is a book I've read once and continue to refer to many times when I want to do spiritual reading. This book is called "In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God". It is a book on the rule of life of the Jerusalem Communities in France. The community is a monastic community but lives and works in the "heart of the city"

The book is really rich with much spiritual insight and wisdom. If you would like to learn more on monastic spirituality, then this is the book to read. For those who do not have the privilege or the luxury of times of meditation and contemplation, then it will take much more to understand what is written in the book. The book presupposes that you have dedicated a lot of time for prayer and have harvested much spiritual fruit in the process - the best of which is wisdom.

However, neither you nor me can ever achieve the level of spirituality that these monks and nuns of the Jerusalem community have reached and obtained. If they are indeed true to the teachings and rule of life that is written in this book, then they are truly as close to the stature of Christ as they can be. The stature of Christ in terms of His contemplative nature and humanity.

When we want the image of Christ in us to be formed more and more according to the image and stature of Christ Himself in his contemplative nature and humanity, then reading a book like this one will help us learn what is needed to do so. Although the book is written in simple words and language, there is a depth that sometimes one cannot really be able to plumb or fathom. It takes a gift from the Spirit to be able to understand some passages in their true and authentic meaning.

For a review of the contents of this book, you can check the link at the Catholic Internet Mission web site: In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God. There is a listing of subjects that are reflected upon in the book - subjects such as love, prayer, work, silence and hospitality. These subjects are treated with such seriousness and solemnity that you will indeed be awed by the commitment done by those who are living a monastic spirituality. It takes much humility to do so and this we can truly learn from them.

Watch! Stay Awake!

2005-11-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

"watch! stay awake!"

it is still far before the master arrives

"we need to be ready"
"he can arrive any time"

i will just bide my time
do not worry

"it's not that i worry"
"it's good to be prepared"

everything will take care of itself
there is a lot of time

"time is limited"
"let us remember what
he said about the wise virgins
and the foolish virgins"

i am not foolish
i know when he will arrive

"our knowledge and sense
are limited"
"we cannot know all"
"i will watch and stay awake"
"i will do his will"

i have done what has to be
done
is there something else to be done?

"as we hear his word,
we ought to do as we must,
and i want to do what he
says"

what did he say?

"that we ought always to
be prepared for his coming"

that seems sensible

"it is the wise thing
to do"

then i shall listen too.
i remember what he said
about the wise virgins
and how the foolish virgins
were not able to enter
the wedding feast.

"then let us watch and
stay awake"

listening to the master
saved us always in the past
preparing for his sudden coming
and hearing his word will
just as well save us today too

"it is the will of the master"

so be it.

The Image of Christ Within Us

2005-11-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

When God created man, He created man in His own image. However, this image was tarnished and tainted with sin when man disobeyed His will. Through baptism, the image of God is made more manifest as we are washed of our original sin. It is this image of God that becomes the image of Christ also as we contemplate more on His Word and frequent the sacraments and do the Lord's will through acts of service, love, mercy, and charity.

As Christians baptized in the Catholic Church, it is our vocation to follow Christ more closely each day. It is a challenge indeed to do what He teaches given the circumstances that act as obstacles in order for us to be really Christian. This is the reason why it is necessary to immerse our Christian life in much contemplation and prayer. Without these, our actions will flow from our own selves rather than from the spirit of Christ. Thus, when the time calls for us to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist, let us do so, for in this the image of Christ is made more manifest within us through Word and Sacrament that we receive in the celebration. Moreover, as we adore and contemplate more on the Eucharist as given to us in the Blessed Sacrament, we can reinforce our efforts so that in much prayer and contemplation, Christ will gift us with the gift of Himself in our prayer and contemplation.

When the Spirit of Christ is within us through our frequent of Word and Sacrament in the Eucharist, the more our actions and our work will flow from God's Spirit and not from our own or from the influence of what is unredeemed in the world. It takes a lot of discipline and commitment but it can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit who prays and intercedes for us to God.

The Last Shall Be First

2005-10-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

He spoke about the Kingdom
A kingdom of justice and peace and mercy
He spoke and many listened
He spoke and many believed
He spoke and many followed.
And He added,
"Enter the narrow gate"
Some asked,
"will only a few be saved?"
He repeated,
"Enter the narrow gate"
People told Him,
"Lord, we were with You,
listening to You and
following wherever You went."
And He asked,
"Did you enter the narrow gate?"
For My Kingdom is not of this
world. The Kingdom of God is
within you.
And the people realized
how much they did not
follow His will.
These repented and
changed their life.
They became last and least.
But the last shall be first.

Family Life and Earning a Living

2005-10-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Family life has greatly changed indeed since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The size of the family has decreased in number, women joined the workforce, and the whole family migrated to the cities where the industries are to be found. Most of the rural areas that were previously used for agricultural purposes have now been transformed into industrial lands. There are both positive and negative elements on how the Industrial Revolution has changed the life of the family and their way of earning a living. The article, Family Life and the Industrial Revolution can help one see what are the elements that have changed the way family life is being led since the shift from an agricultural set up to an industrial set up. There are reflections and some analyses done on this topic at http://catholic-articles.pcentral-online.net/industrial-revolution.html

The Industrial Revolution also has its own effect on the other particular and specific cultures and peoples of the world. In the Philippines, one effect that was seen for the Catholic family was the need for higher education. Since the industries in the country are often coming from corporations from other countries that have invested their business here, for the Filipinos to obtain a job in these corporations, a good education is necessary. And since the level of education that is needed in order to land a job in these corporations is high, then Filipino families really take extra effort and much sacrifice in working and earning a living so that their sons and daughters get a good education in order to compete in the job market locally.

At the present time, the job market is very tight and jobs are in high demand although the supply is low. Some Catholic families whose sons and daughters have graduated in Catholic schools, help their children go abroad in order to find better job opportunities there. The same goes true for every Filipino family who recently have had children graduate from college. Since the population of the country has greatly increased in size and the job market cannot contain all the graduates, then the best solution for Filipinos who have gained the education necessary to earn a good living, is to migrate to other countries in order to help their families cope with the demands of living in the modern world.

Quiet time, Quality time

2005-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Those of us who are working and are busy with earning a living, should not forget to take some quiet time and quality time before the Lord. Even if we do not feel like it. Even if we do not need anything. Even if we do not need to thank Him for anything. Or even if we have a very tight schedule and are called to do many things. Just some minutes or a half hour before the Blessed Sacrament will do. It only takes about 5-10 minutes of our time to quiet down our body and to help our breathing slow down and ease up the tensions in our nerves.

We find in the Gospels many references to Jesus going to a lonely place to pray. This was usually before or after a tiring day of ministry to the sick, preaching to the people and teaching about the Kingdom of God. We too must always take the opportunity to have some quiet time, some quality time for the Lord. The more we regularly do this, the more we shall be attune to His Spirit.

When we feel as if we are so active that we forget to take time for prayer, then that is exactly the right time to drop down everything and take some time off with the Lord. Noise around us and in our very activities drown out the voice of the Spirit of God. Only if we take time to pray and to give ourselves more to the Lord shall we be more attentive to the voice of His Spirit. Then when we indeed are able to attune ourselves again to God, we shall receive the consolations needed to be able to work in accordance to His Spirit and to do things according to His will.

Working harder and working smarter

2005-09-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

In these hard times when we see the price of a barrel of oil reaching the $70 per barrel cost (it's good that it has dropped these past few days), everybody in the world is really finding means and ways to either earn more income, scrimp and save, or both objectives at the same time: earning more and saving more (especially for rainy days and for harder times).

One good key strategy in earning a living is how to work harder but at the same time work smarter. It is not only that we need to work extra hard. We also need to sit down and think and to plan with members of our family or with members of our company in order to draft a plan that would help the family, the business or the corporation, survive the economic doldrums of the present days.

How do we work smarter? First of all, with the high cost of gasoline, it is best to plan our trips well. If we need to do three things or four errands all at the same time at one place, then we schedule a day for that so that we don't need to go four times at four different days to that same place. The same goes with our own physical energy. We need to save on our strength and to conserve whatever we can of our physical resources. For instance, instead of communicating personally to a client or business associate, we could just call on the phone, send a fax, or email the person stating the business communication we wish to convey.

But even with all our working harder at smarter "levels", we still must accept the fact that we need to suffer drawbacks or setbacks or delays or the need to make an extra trip even though it was not in the plan. Nothing is ever perfect even when we decide to work smarter. What is good though is that we learn in the process and that sometimes, the final result and outcome of what we had not really planned to do was even better than what we actually planned to do. It all goes back to where we should really place our trust: in God. Of course and for certain, we have to accept that there is a creative tension that exists between our trust in God and in the abilities, talents and capabilities he has given us to work smarter. But as lost as our trust in God is greater than our trust in our own abilities and in the abilities of those we work with, then for certain, the resulting outcome would be one that God has made possible given all the limitations and imperfections of our abilities and talents.

Then, there will also be times when we have worked so hard that we feel as if we can just drop down wherever we are: due to the stresses and fatigues that we never did expect would arise from our work schedule. Psychoanalysts and psychiatrists say that an average human being can at most only take and absorb the impact of two big stressors in a day. An additional stressor can have a great effect on our mental health, emotional health, physical stamina and energy, spiritual energy, and so forth. Though we cannot control the stressors that may come to us, we can prepare for them. Keeping to a very disciplined and healthy life schedule plus a spiritual schedule of prayer will give us reservoirs of energy and strength whenever a big stressor comes our way. What are these big stressors? One example is when the computer crashes or when our vehical collides with another vehicle. How about a mugging experience? Or someone stalking you? And what about a heated and violent fight with a loved one? These are all big stressors. The really big ones are those that give us an experience of loss: loss of a loved one through death, loss of a job, loss of a business, loss of a stable relationship, etc.

Whatever be the challenges that come our way, we can face them bravely and courageously if we are focused on Christ. When Peter was invited by Christ to walk on the water, he did so and was successful for a distance. However, when he suddenly lost his focus on Christ and paid more attention to the big waves around him, he doubted and began to sink. He cried out, "Lord save me." And the Lord Jesus reached out his hand to pull Peter from sinking into the sea. How are we like Peter? How often have we lost our focus on Christ? When we do so, when we take away our focus on Christ, we will notice the big waves around us and feel as if they would swallow us alive to drown us into the bottom of the sea. Faith is a gift of God that we must pray for regularly. And a faith that will help us through even though we have to undergo much suffering and pain. Following Christ will grant us indeed eternal life and fellowship with him in the Kingdom of God. However, we have to go through the pain of Calvary and share in the Cross of Christ before we gain the eternal crown of life. We need to go through a martyrdom in one form or another. But when we do go through our Cross. When we do go through our martyrdom of heart, body, spirit, or any aspect of our personal life, let us make it a "platinum" matyrdom - one that truly is a denying of self, taking up the cross and following Christ in the lay state of life where we need to join the rat race and to be fiercely Christian in a "dog-eat-dog" world.

Eucharistic Adoration

2005-08-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Probably the best way to receive the gift of contemplation is to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration to the presence of God in His most Blessed Sacrament has been a longheld tradition in the Church. This can be done individually or in community. Those in religious communities usually do their adoration and integrate it with their evening prayers in the breviary. Those in the lay state of vocation have more freedom in structure when it comes to this religious practice and spiritual exercise. They can employ many prayer methods in visiting the Blessed Sacrament.

The late Holy Father, John Paul II, in one of his documents, issued something on the Eucharist that says that we are called to be experts in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist. We are called then to be experts in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. What does this mean? I believe that if we are to be experts in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, then it could simply mean that we take quality time before the Lord so that His presence in the Blessed Sacrament may also flow into our souls and thus make us more unto His image and be the temple of His most Holy Spirit. This is simple but not easy when it comes to practicing it. It takes discipline, a lot of discipline, to take time out of our busy lives and visit the adoration chapel. And it takes more time to be still, to sit down or to kneel in adoration, before the Blessed Sacrament. However, it can be done and we can inculcate the discipline in ourselves. It just takes commitment and a lot of practice.

I have posted several methods of prayers before the Blessed Sacrament in the list, the Spirit's Love Leaders Corps. If you want to read them, you can join the list, check the archives, copy them and then exit at your own convenience. The url of the list is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thespiritslove/ There are many more posts there which you can benefit from. This list requires approved membership.

"Lord save me!"

2005-08-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

the fourth watch of the night...
silence...
deep mysterious silence...

a boat afloat...
apostles...onlooking
overlooking...the silence

came now a figure...
unknown...
coming nearer to the boat...

"It is a ghost!"
"It is a ghost!" replied another

"Be not afraid!"
"It is I"

"Lord, if it is really You,
tell me to come unto You."

"Come"

with sheer faith
and utter trust
Peter walked on the water
toward the figure standing on the water...

Peter moved on...
walked afurther...
waves are getting stronger...
and stronger...
and still stronger....

Peter forgot his focus...
he looked on the water around him...

"Lord, I am going to sink
I am going to drown!"

"Lord, save me"

And then the Lord Jesus,
took his hand and brought
him up from sinking into
the water.

"How little faith you have"

Trust more. Believe more.
And you shall be saved.

Making a Life

2005-07-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

In bookstores last year, the titles "Making a Life" seem to be popular. Even though I have not read the book, it seems that the title suggests that in our work of earning a living, what is important is really not just money, success, prestige, popularity, power, position and all that the world can give us if we are focused only on worldly acclaim - but a life that prioritizes more spiritual values and ideals and morals that will not tarnish nor fade away as do the other prizes and rewards we gain if we opt only for material things.

Opting for material successes is not bad in itself. It becomes bad when we forget that it was the Lord who gave us our abilities and intelligences. When we forget this, we make ourselves gods and forget that all power in life belongs to the Lord. Usually when we do indeed forget this sublime truth, our relationships will suffer and our relationship with God will be forgotten. So it is important always to humble ourselves in prayer and to be God-fearing - knowing that the Lord has the power to put both our body and soul into Gehenna.

So, "making a life", is really using the gift of free will the Lord has gifted us with in order to serve Him and to serve our brothers and sisters in our family, in the work that we do and in the communities that we belong. What is important in all this is prayer. We must never neglect a life of prayer. For only in prayer do we see the truth and we come face to face with the reality that we are creatures before a Creator.

Doubt not but believe

2005-06-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Days have past
and light has shown
clearly on His apostles

Peace has been received
with much welcome and
joy and gladness.

Such radiance and brilliance
has erased all doubt from them
but darkness still clouds a mind
- one who was not present
when Light bathed and Peace
breathed through the whole Cenacle.

"I will only believe when I see"
"It's true!" "He's alive!"
"Light has shone through the
darkness of our hearts.
Peace has entered our soul.
We believe. He is alive!"

"I will only believe when I see"

.......

Silence covers the Cenacle.
Prayer is the common language.
One heart, one soul, one mind.
Believing in faith. Yet one doubts.

"Light appears"
"Peace be with you!"
Thomas, come and see
the marks on my hands
and side. Do not doubt.
Doubt not but believe.

As Thomas saw and held,
Light flooded his soul
the darkness melted away
from his heart. And faith
shone brilliantly within him.
"My Lord and My God!"
he exclaimed. I believe in
You and Your Resurrection.

Happy are you Thomas for you
have seen the Light. Blessed are
those who have not seen yet
believe. For by their faith,
the darkness in their being
shall be dispelled.

The Interior Life Needs a Great Amount of Discipline

2005-06-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

Philosophy tells us that action follows being. Therefore, if we logically follow this truth, then if our actions are to be Christ-like, then our being must be filled with the Spirit of Christ. And we can only do this if we keep to a disciplined prayer life - taking care that we do not neglect to go within the interior part of our self where we can discover the Lord more if we listen deep enough and stay long enough in that encounter. The challenge is really great because the pull of outside obligations and activities tend to take us away from the more serious business of prayer and the interior life. For it is through our interior life that we learn that Christ is the vine and we are the branches; and without Him, nothing will bear fruit or be productive in our life. Our life will be empty and devoid of all spirit and elan.

If ever we have neglected or slackened in our spiritual exercises, then, let us not hesitate to come back to them. The earlier, the better. For Christ always wants his lost sheep to be gathered back to His sheepfold. If we are too busy to make a day or two of recollection, then we can do some spiritual reading - best of all is the Scripture. But other spiritual reading will also do. An article on spiritual reading can be found in http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/spiritual-reading.html

By far the best I can recommend is Eucharistic adoration. But if we can attend a Eucharistic celebration during the week, this is even much better. Otherwise, a short visit to the adoration chapel will suffice. It only takes several minutes to be still and know that God is present in the Blessed Sacrament. If we take time to do so, we will be filled with such an interior peace within our heart, our soul and our mind, that we will really say that it is a gift from the Lord. For the peace that we obtain in this world is fleeting; but the peace that comes from God is deep and filled with a joy that can never be equalled. If you are new to Eucharistic adoration, you can check an article on it at http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/adoration.html

Taking time to go to a quiet or lonely place to pray such as the adoration chapel or a solo visit to a place where nature is filled with beautiful scenic spots, will help us be in touch with the core of our being and discover in many ways how God is really present in our being and that He calls us to be like Him by following His teachings and His life of service and charity.

Sanctification of politics

2005-06-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

One of the vocations of the lay faithful is the santification of the political life of the community. This need not be at the level of government service. It could just be in the simple everyday and mundane relationships we have in the neighborhood, in the parish, or in the workplace. Sanctification of the political life means not letting power get into our heads. Rather, we must imitate the spirit of leadership that Christ has taught us: a servant-leadership; a good shepherd leadership; a leader who speaks not for Himself but for the will of the Father.

To those of us who relate a lot with people, it is important that the spirit of servant-leadership be reflected in our actions. Whenever we are tempted to rule it over our brothers and sisters in the manner of the 'Gentiles', then we lose the opportunity to be like our Lord who gave His very life that all may receive the fullness of life from God. Sanctification of the political life of the community thus means sacrifice and giving up our lives so that others may receive the services that will help them grow as better persons and as responsible members of society - upholding the traditional values of family and the Church.

My Body for you, My Blood for you

2005-05-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

My Body for you,
My Blood for you,
My Life for you,
My Love for you.

I wash your feet.
I give you bread.
I heal your soul.
I teach you life.

My Father is your Father
My Spirit shall I send
My Word shall dwell forever
forever in your self.

My Body for you
My Blood for you
My Life for you
My Love for you

I carry your burdens
I quench your thirst
I calm your fears
I give you strength

In you do I live
that others may live
Do this in memory of Me
till the end of your days.

Contemplation is a gift

2005-05-25T01:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when we become very active, we forget to take those quiet moments so that we can think deeply, reflect more, and look inside ourselves with the context of the present as our reference. It was easier to be contemplative when we don't have to do so many things and to attend to so many obligations. But we must not neglect our call to a contemplative life even amidst intense activity. It need not be anymore in the manner we did before when we can take more time to sit down and pray more ardently and intensely, but it could be in a manner that is still deep and of good quality despite the brevity of the prayer. What is important in that brief moment of dialogue with the Lord is a sense of union with God that makes us feel that we are still in His light and working along the direction towards His will.

Sometimes, in our very active life, we may be torn in two: the call of our duties in the world and the call of stillness, prayer, and quiet. If we are already very active in our life, then whenever we hear the call to contemplate, let us not hesitate but rather drop everything down and let us enter into a prayerful dialogue with the Lord. All action and no prayer makes Jack superficial and noisy. And Jacks we will all be if we neglect that call to deeper prayer and contemplation.

We can see the benefit of a life of contemplation when we parallel it with a process in life. For instance, when we want to find something, we usually look for it in the places we think we have placed them. But if we rush, or if we panic, or if we become too rapid in our searching, we will tire ourself physically, wear out our mind because of the stress, and eventually end up probably not finding it. But if we take our time, take things slower, step-by-step, moving in the direction that we feel we need to take in order to retrace back our steps, then eventually we will find what we have misplaced, lost or are searching for. The same is true in life. In contemplation, what we are really seeking for is the Lord: His presence in us and in our environment. When we are active, it is like we are seeking for something so fast and so rapid that eventually we will not find what we are seeking for. But if we slow down, take our time, go into times of prayer and contemplation, we eventually find what we are searching for; we receive what we are asking for; and we are able to enter into something we want to open: the mystery of God and the gift of life He gives us.

So, we can see how contemplation is really a gift from God. If we take this activity as something important, then we will truly see with God's eyes. And this is important in today's very, very violent and stressful world.

Importance of the Gift of Fortitude

2005-05-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

In hard times such as now, we sometimes forget to pray for the gift of fortitude and courage from the Holy Spirit. We often just grumble and complain and rattle here and rattle there about the hardships of life. But have we ever thought of praying sincerely for the gift of fortitude? I know I should. And those of us who never thought of it, should also.

Just this morning, I heard that a man threw himself at the LRT. Those at the train station just found a body that was run over by the train. And these are not the only news. There are so many news of mothers throwing their fetuses all around the city. Times must really be hard. Why would a mother throw her fetus in a wastebasket or flush it in the toilet? When we think so much of the difficulty of a responsibility or the hardship of an obligation, we tend to escape from it and always want to take the easy way out. One thing is for sure, there is no easy way out. Christ our Lord taught us that the only way to life is to carry the cross the same way that He did and to give our life for the sake of others just as He did.

We can overcome any difficulty and hardship if we pray for the gift of courage and fortitude from the Holy Spirit. If we rely on our own strength, this is good for a time being but it is limited and eventually wear out. We need to tap the source of all strength and power to endure the trials of life that we need to bear. And thus is the Spirit given to us as our consoler in times of sorrow, our comforter in times of loss and our strengthener in times of weakness. Though we may have a hard time earning our keep and work very hard to make ends meet, we will see that all this will eventually produce the income we need if we trust more in God than in money. If we trust in money, what will usually happen is that our vision will be narrowed down. And not only that, when the money is gone, we have no reason to live. But as the saying "in God we trust" is in many institutions, so should our trust be. If we place our trust in things other than God, then these shall all fade away and our anchoring in those things shall lose its moorings. And before we know it, we will hit rock bottom. But if we trust in God, He shall send everything that we need in order to stand the tests of time and to endure all the hardships that will come our way. He gave the gift of courage to the martyrs who had to face the lions. If we place our trust in God, He will send us the gift of fortitude and courage also to face our "lions" - the lions of bankruptcy, insolvency, despondency, desperation, currency crises, oil price hikes, and even the "lion" of war.

Holy Fire and Powerful Wind

2005-05-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

at a room upper
the Lord used to be
twelve with Him
now has been
more without Him
they wait, they pray,
they gather, together in unity...

pray as they ardently do
for the time they knew not
when holy fire and powerful wind
shall come to encourage and grant zeal
most intense, most tangible
within the heart, within the mind,
within the soul, an inner strength
reinforced by a unity among them...

they wait, they wait, they wait....

comes the day,
now the time,
after solemnity of prayer divine,
the holy fire and powerful wind
come to dwell within,
within, deep within, to strengthen,
to purify, to enlighten,
to brighten, to inflame
a love born of the gift of perfect faith...

holy fire, powerful wind,
come to us as You did then,
that by Your gifts we may be
as the Lord wants His followers to be
and to do as He did.

Sharing in Christ's Resurrection

2005-05-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

In our spiritual life, we have spiritual highs and spiritual lows. We experience spiritual lows when we feel the absence of God in our life. This is most painful even though we know that He indeed does care for us and knows how we are. Some call these periods a kind of spiritual darkness. It is usually experienced by those who have already travelled a long way and journeyed very far into the spiritual life already. They say that St. John of the Cross experienced so many of these dark nights. He even uses the terms dark night of the senses and dark night of the soul.

Those who experience on the other hand spiritual highs are experiencing the consolations of God. Usually, these consolations are given by the Lord to those who have some suffering in life. It could be a certain loss or a sickness or a sudden disability.

Whether a person experiences a spiritual low or a spiritual high, they still pass through a certain death that leads on to a new life in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is just different in these two situations. For the former, the fruit of the Spirit is greater than the latter. But in the first, it may taste bitter while in the second situation, the fruit is sweeter to the soul. The difference lies in the reality that in the former, the soul is able to understand why it is bitter whereas in the second situation, the soul focuses on the sweetness of the fruit and thanks the Spirit for it.

It is important that the soul experiencing spiritual highs must treasure and keep to heart these experiences. This is because when it will enter into a higher level of spirituality wherein the soul will experience the dark nights, it must try to remember those moments when it has experienced and relished and cherished the sweetness of the fruit of the Spirit.

Strength to endure the trials of life

2005-04-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

When I was still on mission in the urban poor areas of Navotas, I encounter many people who have suffered much in their poverty. In one of the bible sharing sessions, I was very much struck by a middle aged woman who shared in all simplicity and equanimity how despite the death of so many loved ones in her family - including her husband and some children and some relatives - she continues to have faith in God. I never seen such faith amidst tragedy and trial at the time. And she shared in all simplicity without much intense emotion or dramatic flair, but yet you know that she suffered much.

That area were I was on mission is an urban poor area where people have to work even on Sundays to get the bread they need to eat for the day. One Sunday, I was making my mission rounds casually, meeting people along the way and seeing children play and run around (it was a Sunday and there was no school). I suddenly saw a woman I know who was peddling sampaguitas - our national flower. She was selling on a Sunday. I asked her, "Did you go to Mass already?" She said simply, "No, brother, I need to sell these sampaguitas." And I could not force her to go to Mass. The poverty of her situation causes her even to work for a living on a Sunday.

That was the year 1996. Times were already hard during that time. I have not gone back to place again but I know it is experiencing even harder times. I hear of what is happening there on the news. The parish priest was killed. He was stabbed while riding on his bicycle. And the news said the motive was money. I could not imagine how such poverty already causes people to kill the ministers of God for the sake of money.

Sharing in Christ's Suffering and Passion

2005-04-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Becoming like Christ in our innermost being requires great fortitude and patience and forbearance for to conform ourselves more to the likeness of Christ in our the inner core of our self requires that we share in his suffering and passion. This is a must for we cannot follow the Lord fully if we do not deny ourself, take up our cross and follow Him. And this means taking all the sufferings we experience daily, offer them to the Lord and let is be part of the suffering He Himself underwent on His journey to Calvary. But let us not forget where all this suffering we experience leads to. Yes, we may share in Christ's suffering. And indeed we shall the more we commit ourselves to Him. But all this is in view of sharing in the glory that is to come with our victory over death and sin under His banner and standard.

We must constantly pray. And this is what the saints of our Catholic tradition always teaches. Constant prayer. For by constant prayer we will not be led into temptation. Especially the temptation to feel bitter or to rebel against all the pain and the suffering we experience. Let us humbly take them as part of our Christian journey and part of our fellowship and friendship with the Lord. Since He wants to share his Sonship and divinity with us, we too in turn must share in the suffering He had to undergo for us to be able to worthily receive our being children of God and sharing in the divinity we are meant for in the afterlife.

There is no need to be afraid of whatever sufferings that may come into our life. The Christian martyrs give us inspiration of how it is possible with the gift of fortitude and courage coming from the Holy Spirit how we can withstand all sorts of sufferings so that we can witness well to the love of Christ and to the glory that is in those who commit themselves to build the Kingdom which Christ started in His public ministry and continues today through the working of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

"Lord I believe"

2005-04-03T00:40:00.000-08:00

"no it isn't possible"

"yes it is"
"He is risen"
"we have seen Him for ouselves"

"how can that be?"
"seeing is believing"
"I shall not believe till I have seen"

"you will believe"
"He shall come back,
and show Himself again
to all of us."

quiet...

silence...

another day...

then suddenly
light!
brightness!
the room is filled with peace!

"Peace be with you!"

"Lord, how good of You
to come again."

"Where is Thomas?"

"Lord, here I am."

"Come, Thomas and
see the marks where
I have been wounded"
"Do not persist in your
unbelief, but believe."

"Lord, it is indeed true.
I believe. You are the
Christ and my Lord and
my God."

"Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet
believed"

Martyrdom depends on religious contexts

2005-04-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

The recent takeover by Muslim extermists of a local jail here prompted Catholics to know what martyrdom really is for them. For the Muslim extremists, they believe that martyrdom involves the taking of lives plus their own lives in the process. Since they believe in a concept like the jihad, a holy war, then the taking of lives and the loss of their life in the process would be martyrdom for them. These Muslim extremists who were killed when the government controlled the situation were honored by their fellow extremists and companions. However, those who knew that one of these Muslim extremists was responsible for the torture and death of a Filipino Claretian priest several years back, are upset by the fact that their martyrdom was more highlighted than the martyrdom of Filipino Claretian priest, Rhoel Gallardo. This makes us really reflect on how martyrdom can be seen in various ways depending on the religious context you are in. We also know of certain Buddhist monks who in protest of a certain injustice, would douse themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire till they burn to death. In that way, that is a kind of martyrdom too.

Our standard and basis for martyrdom is Christ since we decide to follow him and commit our lives to Him and the building of the kingdom. This martyrdom is a giving of our life for the life of others. It can be a "white martyrdom" in the sense of the religious lifestyle wherein religious give up family and home and enter into celibacy in order to be more available to all. It means a life of sacrifice: not entering into marital relationship, obedience to one's religious superior, and a life of poverty - not owning anything personally but only in common. Or the martyrdom could be the traditional martyrdom we have known since the earliest times of Christianity - when men and women literally shed their blood for the sake of the faith. But it was their blood that became the seed that grew into the Catholic church we now know of.

We have to see that martyrdom should be in the context of our Christian faith. Although we respect the Muslim extremists for what they believe and the Buddhists for what they do to make protests, our form of martyrdom is one that is like a seed that dies in the ground. As it dies, it soon grows and becomes a tree that is able to shelter many birds of the air. Martyrdom in this sense is a dying unto self so that life may grow and be nurtured into greater lives of quality. This is what Christ teaches us. By losing our life, we find it. That is the paradox and the mystery of our Christian faith. If we place in God's hands our life, then we truly as it were make ourselves potential martyrs of the faith - accepting all the sufferings, trials, hardships and difficulties that will come to us even if it does not lead to a martyr's death. Just by trusting in God totally and giving our whole mind, our whole heart, our entire soul and all our strength, we gain the promise of eternal life.

Contemplation is a gift that can be received

2005-02-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

When we pray, there are usually stages in our prayer. We start with words. We can read prayers or do spiritual reading. We can read the breviary or the Bible. Then after we read, we can meditate on what we read. Letting the words and the phrases we have digested take root in us and bring us certain insights and spiritual wisdom. As we meditate more and more, our meditation may bring within us a surge of feelings that can lead us to pray more intensely and ardently - as if expressing great affection towards our Lord. When we are at this stage, we can then suddenly find ourselves in a stillness - a still point - when we do not think nor we do not feel. Everything as it were stands still. And time has ceased to be. And we experience a certain oneness with God. This is what they call contemplation. This is a gift and we cannot attain it on our own but through the gratuitous grace and mercy of God. However we can dispose ourselves to attain this state of prayer whenever we wish to do so.

First, we need to relax ourselves and to ease and quiet our being. There is a technique used by religious in order to bring oneself to a state of relaxation and quiet. This technique is explained and described in Meditation Technique that Helps Us to Pray This meditation technique will help us enter into a state of quiet and relaxation so that we may all the more be predisposed to enter into a state of contemplation. When we relax all the parts of our body and regularly inhale and exhale deeply, we are brought to a state where we can easily be more attuned to listen. And contemplation is basically a listening. Listening to the stillness and to the oneness we experience with the Lord. There is another article that is written about contemplation and you can learn more about this art through the title "Contemplation if For Anyone Interested in the Art". It is found at http://catholic-internet-mission.pcentral-online.net/contemplation.html

We can actually predispose ourselves to receive the gift of the state of contemplation by proceeding with the meditation technique or by going through the lectio divina method as was described in the first paragraph. As we move from our very active state to a state of relaxation and meditation, we become more and more passive and more attuned towards listening. And listening is what is important in contemplation. So our passivity is not really total passivity since our listening is an active listening. We still make an action that predisposes us to receive the gift of contemplation or oneness with God in prayer.

A fountain He has provided within me

2005-02-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

The day has middled and
the warmth of the sun
gazes intensely upon the earth.

A well looms forth from
the distance. Ah! A source
to quench the thirst has
made itself known.

He went near the well.
And upon nearing the well,
a woman was nearby.

"Can you give ME a drink?"
"This must not be" "It is
forbidden for our races to
communicate"

"You probably do not
know who I Am"

"Sir, you do not have
a bucket" "How can
you get the water?"

"Do you know that
this water only quenches
your thirst for a time?"
"The water that I can
give shall spring up
in you like a fountain
to provide eternal life;
and you shall never thirst
again."

"Can you give me some
of this water, Sir?"

"Though this water was
first meant for some;
it is now meant for all
- all those who worship
God in Spirit and in truth"

The woman believed Him.
And her faith welled up
within her. She went to
her company and told
them about the Messiah
who gave her the gift of
faith - a faith like a fountain
within her leaping up to
provide her with eternal life."

The Valentine's Day Terrorism

2005-02-17T04:39:00.000-08:00

Last February 14, Valentine's day, early in the evening, three bomb explosions occured simultaneously at Makati, Davao and General Santos. The papers reported that 12 people have died from this explosions. And we get the report that the Abu Sayyaf announced their responsibility for the commitment of the terroristic act. Just imagine what people have to go through just to earn a living. We live in such a violent world already. It is so difficult to go out into the streets and work as we used to do. Before the September 11, 2001 attacks, people here in Manila were so free to enter the malls and the supermarkets without being searched. Not so anymore. Almost four years have passed since that event and Manila is just like any other city in the world. And we have the problem right here in our own country because of our Muslim brothers in the south. Fighting has been going on there for a long time already. Soldiers lives have been lost. And lives have been lost on the rebels side also.

I just contacted a client last February 15, exactly the morning after the February 14 explosions. She said she would not go to the office. I can understand her. I mean, if you commute via bus and last night a bus just exploded and killed people - who would not be more careful! Terrorism has been the great degeneration of the end of the second millenium and the beginning of the third millenium. What a way to bridge two milleniums! It is exactly because of this reality that we need to make the teaching of Christ more well known. Christ was a man of peace. He did not advocate war. In fact He said, "My Kingdom is not of this world". What He wanted to do was to save us from our sinfulness and from the darkness we are all immersed in. If we follow Christ and His gospel, we are assured that we will not be tempted to use arms and to resort to violence when the moment of truth for us comes. Thus we need to be as close to the Spirit of Christ as possible in order not to be tempted to use violence and to use weapons of war in order to create peace. The road to peace is not through war but through non-violent means. It is through teaching and education and through dialogue and peaceful co-existence. To reach peace, we must teach peace.

Will God Not Be Pleased if We Aim for the Top?

2005-01-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

We very well know Catholic culture and the spirituality of humility which pervades very much of the tradition of sanctity and holiness. And it is indeed true. Many of our Christian heroes and saints lived very holy lives as a result of their humble living and their fear of the Lord. Although humility is the main virtue by which all the other virtues hinge on, I believe that as long as you know that when you achieve success and when you reach the top, it is not really of your own doing alone but with the help of family and friends and most of all through the gratuitous grace of God. Success is really a gift from the Lord. Remember Peter? How when he and his companions were fishing all night and caught nothing? The Lord approached them and saw their predicament. And the Lord said, "put out into deep water and put your net over the starboard and pay out your nets for a catch" They followed and what the result was an overflowing abundance of fish caught that the nets almost tore. Success! They did their part of course. But it was the teaching and the direction of the Lord that led them to that success. It is the same with our lives. We go on working and working and sometimes we come to a point when we feel as if we have "caught nothing". But then when we keep still, quiet down, and reflect and put ourselves in the presence of God in a chapel or some sort of prayer room, our connection with Him spiritually makes us see things the way we never saw them before. Suddenly we get an insight. Ah! Maybe the Lord wants me to do it this way. And so we try. And true to our prayer, it works. The Lord's direction must never, never be put aside in our life and our decisions. It is He who makes everything possible and places us in positions of success. Whereas before when we tried to do it all alone, and nothing happened, now by going to the Lord in prayer, we get insights into our problems and dilemma and we are able to not only solve our difficulties but we may even surprise ourselves by what we are able to do (with the Lord's powerful help). So, it really is not wrong to aim for the top. And we know that there is not only "one top". There are many "tops". And when we aim for the top, what we are really aiming for is to be with the Lord "at the top." Otherwise, as they always say, we "will be lonely at the top."

There is a story of Elvis Presley who was so successful that before he started a concert the fans were already screaming so wildly and so loudly. But you know what they said. I read this in a book. He would go into his room and cry so intensely. Of course, we do not know the state of his soul and what his relationship with God was but that was what he did - really cried his heart out. Success can really be painful if we do not put God in the picture. And it is the same with failure. Failure is also painful if God were not in the picture. That is why we are always called to cultivate our times for prayer, meditation and contemplation where we can go deep down into ourselves and be still and be quiet. And in that quiet, we will experience God's love deep down inside us. And this is very, very important for without this experience of God's love deep down inside us, we won't be able to face the enormous challenges and stresses and pressures and tensions and anxieties of modern day living. The tip here I guess that we can always remember is that God is always with us. It is we who forget that. And it will be a problem for us if we never remember it. For the more we are detached from the contemplative experience of God's love for us, we will be swayed by the spirit of the world and we shall be lost in darkness and sin.

There are some articles I wrote which you might be interested to browse over. It is in relation to what I have just shared above.

To Follow Christ and His Gospel, http://catholic-church.pcentral-online.net/follow-christ-call.html

The Focus is Christ, http://catholic-church.pcentral-online.net/focus-christ.html

Contemplation is For Anyone Interested in the Art, http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/contemplation.html

Eucharistic Adoration, http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/adoration.html

Let us never forget that whether it be failure or success, as long as we put the Lord in the picture and make Him still central and the experience of failure or success relative, then we are assured of His salvation for us. He alone can save us. Not anything else. In Him do we live, move, and have our being. With the Lord as our Good Shepherd and Saviour, we can never be lost. He is always with us and will always be with us even though we are not always there for Him.

Blinded in order to See

2005-01-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

"take them away"
"no..." we shall not go...
Christ is our savior.
who is this christ?
he cannot save you...!
take them away

happy with his success,
he journeyed on,
miles and miles
in order to capture more
capture more for the Law

suddenly,
a bright light,
flash!
flash! again
three times in great intensity...
blinding flashes...!

ohhh! i can't see!
what happened?
where am i?

then a strong, serious voice sounded,
"why are you persecuting Me?"
"who are you?
what do you want?"
you are persecuting Me
with every man and woman you imprison Me.
who are you?
I am He who was nailed to the Cross.
persecuted too by My own people.
and you are nailing me to the Cross again.

Lord, if you will please make me see.
You are blinded that you may See in a different way.
stand up, and go to Ananias
and he will help you to See again.
Your blindness will lead you to a different way
of seeing.

And when you see, you shall see
Me as the Man nailed to the Cross
who rose again that others may
be blinded by their sin and see
again with My grace and power.

The Catholic World of the Lay Faithful

2005-01-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

The lay faithful are Catholics who are called by Christ to live out their faith in the world. This vocation is a very difficult vocation because they have to inculturate on their own the Catholic faith they have been taught in the many spheres of life they are engaged in: politics, economics, social life, cultural life, education and media. And just as Christ said "No" to the Evil One when He was being tempted, so too the lay faithful must say "No" to the Evil One when they are being tempted by the values that the world considered as good but which they know in their mind and their heart that it is against the teaching of Christ and the Church.

The lay faithful have the support of the Church and their families to be able to ward off and resist the many encroachments into their values systems - value systems that were built hard on solid rock by a serious relationship with Christ through the sacraments and through the teachings of the Church. That is why the family is being safeguarded also by the Church so that it will not be destroyed by whatever is trying to rearrange the traditional customs and values and norms it has always had since the beginning. And families in turn who are faithful to the Church also pray and volunteer their services to the Church (sometimes even sacrificing a son or a daughter to the Church in the priesthood or religious life) so that the Church as an institution may be strengthened in her workers and laborers "for the harvest".

The lay faithful have the duty and responsibility to safeguard what is taught to them by the Church and also have the responsibility to teach the children in their family whatever was taught to them. And the most valuable of what should be taught is not only beliefs, creeds, and teachings, but most of all prayer. For prayer is the bedrock of any faith. It is the one that connects as to the Spirit of God. And by our prayer, we are strengthened by the grace of God to be more of service to others through His Church and through the society and community we work and live in.

In these days of difficulties and intense and rapid changes, only prayer shall hold as steadfast in our faith in God and the Church. If we neglect our prayer life, then it is most likely that we shall be moved and swayed by the big waves and tides of the world. We will be, as it were, "tsunamied" by the values proffered by the world. So, even if the lay faithful do not have the same level and degree of responsibility as the clergy and religious, they nevertheless must take the initiative to lay the groundwork of the Church solidly and well. For without the lay faithful, the Church would not move from its roots. It is families that are solid and stable in the Catholic faith that keep the Church standing. And it is the hierarchy and the structure of the Church that guides the families more towards Christ and help them see the signs of the Spirit in the situations the world is facing today.

Prayer is the most valuable element that must not be neglected in the life of the lay faithful. Even though how busy they may be, they must take time to keep still and take some moments of silence. If it is possible, they should also visit the Blessed Sacrament whenever they are on the road. Just stopping by a Church or a chapel for a short prayer is enough to connect with the Lord and to ask His guidance for direction and for discerning a situation.

The Battle Within, The Battle Without Part III

2005-01-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of the World

The world was created good by God. In the book Genesis, we read that God saw what He created and He saw them as good. But why do we see the world with very many negative realities as we see it today? This has to do with the way we have stewarded the world. When mankind sinned, then his management of the world was tainted by that sinfulness. And so the unredeemed part of man was trasferred to his management of the world.

It is a fact that we need to be vigilant because the spirit of the unredeemed world - the world and all its values that run counterculture to our Christian values - are tempting us to see those values as good and thereby risk the status of our commitment to God. I guess, one way to resolve this problem is never to be too much engaged in the world and all its activities. We need to go out to a lonely place to pray as often as we could (just like Jesus did as expressed in the Bible) so that we may regain our bearings and not be carried away by the secular and consumeristic mentality of the world. The battle in this regard is not only outside ourselves. It also is within ourselves. And we must pray very, very hard so that when we engage in the battle within, we may be victorious through the help of God's grace. Battling the world outside of ourselves involves being also victorious in the battle within ourselves. Let us explore this further. When we go out to a lonely place to pray, although we are distancing ourselves from the world and its allurements, traces of the world and its allurements are still imprinted on our mind and our hearts. And so we battle with those mentalities in our thoughts and we battle with those things in our hearts that the world wishes to win for itself. Focusing ourselves on Christ and asking and crying out to Him to save us from succumbing to the clutches of the world will help us win the battle within. And if we do indeed win through the grace and help of Jesus, we shall attain an equanimity that shall be with us as we go back to the world and do the will of God by serving Him and His Church through the people we live with.

So, the best weapon for winning this battle is prayer. And much meditation and contemplation on the Scriptures or adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We must remember the injunction of the Lord. "You cannot serve both God and mammon. You will either serve one and hate the other." This is the battle within and the battle without. We must make a commitment to serve God and not the mammon of the world.

In Solidarity He Began

2005-01-11T05:47:00.000-08:00

In solidarity He began,
as it was and it should be...

from the crowd
a crowd listening
listening to the voice
crying, crying in the wilderness

prepare ye the way of the Lord
prepare ye the way of the Lord

and so standing out from the crowd
He came
forward He moved on
to the voice crying,
crying in the wilderness
prepare ye the way of the Lord...

He came,
and was baptized
according to what was written
for in solidarity He began
and in solidarity He will continue
until the end.

a Voice from the heavens
spoke,
of a Son Beloved to Him,
and a Dove descended
and alit
on the Son Beloved to the Father...

for Beloved He indeed is
since in solidarity He began,
in solidarity He will continue,
till the end He will be
in solidarity still
to save our humanity
from sin and evil.

Working is an Obligation

2005-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

Working is a human obligation. It is also our duty as Catholics to work and earn a living. The social encyclicals clearly state this so. Our present pontiff believes so much in the value and dignity of what work can give an individual. Thus, when someone is unemployed and has no work, the person usually feels less of himself than what he should really be. Therefore it is the obligation of governments, as the social encyclicals imply, to create opportunities for employment in their societies.

There are webpages which I have created that stress the importance of labor and work. These can be found in http://www.pcentral-online.net/cst.html

This is the main page of the social teachings of the Church. However, there are links to it that lead you to read and study what the Church says about labor and work.

To work is very important. Even St. Paul says in one of his letters, "he who does not work should not eat". And that was St. Paul. Society tells this of us also. As long as we are gifted with God with the a fairly good health and with enough abilities to do a certain task or job, then we are fitted to work and we can gain our keep. And in this world of work is where we make the sacrifices necessary in order that we are able to serve our fellowmen. Sometimes these sacrifices can be so great that it causes us intense suffering and pain. But this is part of being in the world as the lay faithful of the Church. We are called to deny ourselves many things despite being in the world. We are called to take up our burdens and then follow Christ along the way to Calvary until we ourselves shall share in that same "crucifying experience" that shall help and serve others and give life to others. These "crucifying experiences" are nothing more than the great fatigue we experience, the ailments and sicknesses we incur in the process of working hard or the physical and nervous breakdowns that may come as a result of too much stress and pressure at work.

Despite all the pressures and all the tensions we experience in the workplace, the workplace can still be a place which we can call our home. It is up to our attitude and how we view work. Although work is an obligation, it can be a rewarding experience at the same time especially if the work you do bears fruit and brings success with the great help and assistance of God. Actually, nothing we do will really bear fruit if we are do not attach ourselves as branches to the vine that is God. For God is the source of real life. Money may come to us and give us food temporarily but it is through the Spirit of God that we gain life indeed - and a quality of life that is unparalleled by any kind of life given by money, sex or power. These last three are the most common idols of a people who place too much importance on them.

So how do we approach our life of work? Simply, faithfully, and with generous and wholehearted service. If we do this then everything will fall in place. We may experience a bit of storm or tempest now and then in our work experiences, but if we are rooted deeply in a good relationship with God, we shall not be tossed away out into the sea and get lost or be "tsunamied" to death. We will rather ride the wave of pressures, tensions, conflicts and intrigues that commonly afflict any kind of working place. The Lord is with us. We have nothing to fear. And if we do feel fear, let us just cry out to the Lord and He will save us.

Greetings of a Happy New Year!

2004-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

To my friends-in-Christ online:

Happy New Year!

I will continue with the series the Battle Within, and the Battle Without next year. I think there is only the last part to be written.

Sometimes, the festivities of the Christmas season and the coming New year can take us away from our focus on the spiritual life. Too many external influences seem to be drawing us away from our center and our inner focus. Such is the challenge of the call to contemplative life.

I will be writing an article soon about the Contemplative life. I will entitle it Contemplation. I created a new template for Catholic Internet Mission and it is in this URL: http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/7-steps.html

This is the homepage of the new subwebsite of Catholic Internet Mission.

You can check it out. I have written two Catholic-related articles there:

Catholic Bible Study

URL: http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/bible.html

What I Need To Know About the Eucharist

URL: http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic-internet-mission/eucharist.html

The article on Contemplation will be within this subwebsite and using the new template.

Let us go back to what I said about being pulled away from our focus on Christ's call to pray and to seek His presence that always indwells within us. This is really the challenge of the season. We can socialize and greet each other Merry Christmases and a Happy New Year but let us not forget the real reason for the season. Let us not forget the Eucharistic celebrations this Christmas season. They will root us back to the very spirit and traditions we were formed in since our birth. We will realize indeed that if we pray intensely in thanksgiving to the Lord, He will bring peace, love and joy to our lives and to our families. He did not come with earthly power or with earthly riches. In fact, he came as a Babe. And in swaddling clothes! Truly defenseless and without money to back Him up. Just a good and chaste foster father and a beautiful, gracious and most devoted mother. How unlike is God's ways to the ways of the world. And yet it is a powerful witness to everyone in the world. Just imagine, the Spirit of God, the Creator of the universe, contained within that small Babe in the manger. No wonder so many people feel a certain fondness and liking to the Christmas spirit - a spirit of wonder and awe, of giving, of peace and joy and goodwill. Let us greet the coming New Year with much hopes that the Christ-Child shall again bring peace, joy, and love in our hearts as we receive Him in the Eucharistic celebrations of this Christmas season.

Happy New Year!

A Change of Heart

2004-12-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

"son?"
"yes, father."
"can you go tend the vineyard?"
"I can't father. i have other work to do."
the father's heart became heavy at his son's answer.
his face down,
eyes focused far,
wanting to know why,
such an answer,
to an honest request...
the son saw his father's countenance
dim with the daylight and felt
remorse.
his heart heaved and sighed
and went off to the vineyard.
suddenly light shone upon
the father's countenance once more
and he approached the second son.
"son?"
"yes, father."
"can you go to the vineyard too?"
"yes, father."
and the father's face gleamed
with the daylight...
but the second son never went...
the father look far to the vineyard
with hopes of finding his son at
work...as he scanned the field
in search of his son...
not a sight of him was
there...
and so his heart rent
his face dimmed
his eyes saddened
as the sun set forth
for the next day.
would his son go tomorrow?
the father shall ask the two again.
and he shall continue asking them...
and the father knows that his will
will finally be done as he continues
to ask and request his two sons.

The Battle Within, The Battle Without - Part II

2004-11-14T04:15:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of the Flesh

Oftentimes in our daily living, we tend to overextend ourselves in our activities. We get so absorbed in our work that we forget the importance of slowing down and praying. And we feel it sooner or later when our body breaks down from respiratory infections or from physical fatigue. Whatever it is in your physical system that tends to break down from too much activity and stress will surely happen if we do not slow down and take time to dialogue with the Lord within us - dwelling in us through His Spirit. We get so immersed in the spirit of the flesh - that desire to accumulate material securities: food, clothing, shelter and education for our children. These all are good but when they dominate our focus and make it veer away from looking and gazing at the face of God then we will surely succumb to the battle within. Our resistance to temptations that we usually are able to fight against will lessen and we are prone to not only commit mistakes but to commit sin itself. Our actions become hasty and flighty - sometimes even foolish because we listen to the spirit of the flesh already - a flesh that we have abused with so much work and a flesh that we do not take time to listen to when it is pressured, stressed and filled with tension.

Though we may have a very active lifestyle, this is no excuse for us not to listen to the Spirit of God. Once again, we are called to take more moments before His presence. We need to lengthen our time with Him again so that the battle within against internal temptations and the battle without against external temptations may be overcome. The Lord gave us the gift of freedom and free will to exercise it according to His will. So, even though we are called to a life in the Spirit, we need to take care also of our bodies - the temple in which the Spirit Himself dwells. The Holy Spirit shall not dwell in a body that is dissipated with much work or excess food and drink. The Holy Spirit shall dwell in a body that is taken care of with the right amount of work, food and drink and one that is steeped in much reflection, prayer and meditation.

We usually learn our lessons well when we finally get to that point where we can suffer a physical breakdown or from nervous exhaustion due to so many stressors and anxiety-ridden situations. If we keep to our center - that center where God dwells in His grace, strength, and power - we shall not lose touch of the balance needed to live a life according to His will. A life journeying in holiness and wholeness and healing. How privileged are we to be Christian! How even more privileged are we who are called to be Catholic! For in the Catholic spiritual tradition we have so many spiritual masters who can guide us in the battle within and the battle without. Let us not hesitate to search for the spiritual method that best suits our temperament. And we need not stick to one method all the time. We are dynamic beings. Always in flux in order to grow and to be more transformed into Christ. If the previous spiritual methods we were using are not anymore applicable to our present life-situation, then we can always adjust it to fit the present situation we are in. It is important though to keep the core of the basic method we are using still within that new spiritual form or method we are called to live out.

Sooner or later, we have to heed the call to be spiritual warriors and soldiers in the battleground within and without. That is why we need to arm ourselves with extra "spiritual weaponry" in order to win the battle against the spirit of the flesh that always seeks to keep out of our balance. Vigilance is important. And always being alert for that which can cause us to sin is very vital for us as spiritual warriors and soldiers of Christ our Lord. But one thing is important: it is God's strength and power that will win for us the victory. We can do our part as best as we could and work hard we can indeed do. But that little grace or spiritual power that the Lord will grant us is so potent and powerful it is enough to win the battle for us against the sins of the flesh. So let us always thank God for His love for us. How especially He wants us to see Him as our Good Shepherd taking us in His arms and placing us near His Sacred Heart - to show us that we are very dear to Him in a special way. He does not want anyone of his sheep to stray from His fold. Let us thank Him for He will never forsake us and He will always be by our side if we but acknowledge His presence and let Him dwell in the center of our being. Once within us, He shall lead us to victory in the battle within and the battle without!

The Call to a New Life

2004-11-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

Days and years had come to him,
and yet he continues in his journey of faith.

"Lord, what will I see there?"
Yahweh: "It will be the place of the promise."
"Am I not already in a way blessed by You."
Yahweh: "But you have to move on; you and your entire family and possessions."
"I am very old Lord, but if You say so, I will."
Yahweh: "You are my faithful friend who serve me night and day."
"A great promise awaits you."
"Go!"

Thoughts within his mind.
'The Lord is truly unfathomable in his divine will.'
'What seems impossible to man is possible to Him.'
'In Him shall I completely trust, for in Him I gain life.'

Feelings within his heart.
'I hope Sara shall be compliant to the order of Yahweh.'
'She is old and childless and feeling out of love.'
'I am happy this is a chance for her to dream again.'

Action:
I shall go.
I shall go wherever the Lord wishes.
Let Him say so, and I shall go.
I must pack up the things and
instruct the tribe.

Lord, when things seem like fading away,
you shine reality and make them sparkle
again.

You are the Giver of Light and Life.
I bow my head before You, Yahweh.

The Self-sacrifice of the Working Professional

2004-11-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

In today's Catholic society, we see the working professional as someone who tries to balance himself with his professional working life and with his ministry.

I know of a friend who is all a junior manager of a real estate development company, a father of two young children not yet in their teens and a communion minister in his parish. For a while, he continued his ministry with his parish but because of the demands of both family and work, he had to set aside this ministry. I believe his choice was good in the sense that his ministry and service will now be concentrated in two areas of his life: service to the domestic church, his family, and service to society, as a junior manager and engineer by profession. I knew he liked the ministry as a communion minister but because of the priorities he needs to make, he had to sacrifice that aspect of himself.

I know of another friend, and this man is in his late fifties. He is a security officer personnel in a pharmaceutical manufacturer corporation. He is already a grandfather but still works hard to earn a living not only for his wife and some children but also for the sake of his grandchildren. When we have an occasional talk, he would tell me and share with me how he often goes to the grocery and brings his grandchildren with him. They would tug at his clothing and ask him to buy this and buy that. Like the good grandfather that he is, he would do so. He told me he could not refuse his grandchildren. And to top all this, he is a committed communion minister, being in the ministry for more than 20 years. Imagine that. Such patriarchal spirit of commitment.

Working for a living is not as easy as it seems. You do not always get a profit nor get your full salary. I know of many friends who are employees whose pay salary has been deducted so many times over because of the cash advances they had to make for the sake of a sick child or a sick parent. Such is the self-sacrificing attitude of these people. It is a martyrdom, a kind of dying to one's self. All the work and energy you put in your job sometimes involves giving it all to your family - or to the company as the case may be.

When we ask ourselves, is martyrdom passe? Has the era of giving lives for the sake of the faith gone in our Christian era? I don't think so. It is still with us but in a different manner. From some of our overseas contract workers, we hear stories of how they risk life and limb by teaching others the Catholic faith in a country that is basically Islamic. So, it is not true that people migrate only for the sake of money. They also do so out of faith that what they are doing is part of loving God through their family members - and even their Church when they teach the rosary or part of the Catechism to a non-believer!

Let us pray that the Church may produce many more such people who are very self-sacrificing in their way as their expression of love for their families and for God. Let the Holy Spirit grant His gift of fortitude and courage to many people so that they may witness more courageously the love of God and how He desires to save all and to forgive anyone who has led a bad life. Let the Lord call such people to serve Him and His Catholic Church in the many ways they are able: through their families; through their workplaces - especially when they migrate to non-Christian countries for work; and through the simple witness of service and charity in everyday encounters.

God bless and have a good day!

The Battle Within, The Battle Without - Part I

2004-10-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

We often think that external conflicts are the hardest struggles to overcome and to be involved in in order that there would be peace. But, external conflicts can be avoided. All you need is get away from the person or the situation and the problem is temporarily solved. At least the "out of sight, out of mind" theory in this case works. The best thing to be done in this case is just plain communication. Openness and honesty and acceptance of the other party's point of view and respect for the other also are paramount and important so that the relationship will again be functional and smooth. However, what many people do not see is that these external conflicts are often the result of internal conflicts that occur within us. There is an internal strife within us that is carried out to the way we act in the external world. What forces are within us that can cause this strife? The spiritual masters and the mystics of our Catholic tradition speak about the spirit of the flesh, the spirit of the world, and the spirit of the Evil One. And there is the Holy Spirit too, on the other side of the battle. And what is the battleground? Our human spirit; our human soul. Whenever we are so engrossed with doing so many things in the external world, we often forget to take a look deep inside us and see what it is that is causing us to move the way we do and to act the way we do. We may not be aware of it but it could be one of the three abovementioned spirits that is influencing us to cause conflicts with others. Just imagine if we are being moved by the Evil One - such a destructive force can really damage not only feelings but lives itself and the faith of others in the goodness of reality. It is important then, from this point of view, to pray intensively to the Holy Spirit as often as we could so that we may be inspired by Him and not by the spirit of the flesh, the spirit of the world or the spirit of the Evil One. I will share more about this battle within, battle without in my next posting. And I will try to define in much more detail the spirit of the flesh, the spirit of the world, and the spirit of the Evil One.

The Better Part

2004-10-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

bethany.
still a mile's walk.
but rest is assured as
the company moves on...
in silence...in fatigue...
in a tiredness familiar to those
who see and follow a dream.

bethany.
the place is here.
a place of repose.
of rest...of prayer...
of hope for the coming days ahead.

bethany.
a place of work...
service excellence...
in all its diverse details
moving efficiently...
caring, nurturing, serving...

bethany.
a place to listen...
to have the better part...
to contemplate on the Word
before us and within - reaching
into our minds and hearts -
soothing and refreshing.
'come to Me all you who are
heavily burdened and I shall
give you rest'.

bethany.
the lesson gained.
to do the better part.
to listen...
to work and serve...
but to listen and listen and listen
for obedience is formed when
the listening is increased.

Of Service Excellence to the Family

2004-10-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

What better 'platinum' martyrdom can be performed than that of being of service excellence to the institution of the family?

In our secular jobs, we are often in a position to help and assist the breadwinners of the family so that they may secure their dependents and provide for their needs. It can be of many forms: clothing, shelter, food, security, and other material needs. Our desire to serve these families urges us well to give of ourselves completely in utter efficiency, excellence in performance, speedy responses, simple but great solutions to problems, and various other activities that aid and assist the family in their needs. It may give us pain, suffering, and even a 'heart attack', so to speak, but the end of this all is to preserve the family as a basic unit of life created by the Lord - which is continually propagated from generation to generation so as to order and recreate the earth according to the plan of the Lord.

But excellence per se is not the end of our desire to service the family. Rather, it is but a means we take in serving a God who wants only the best for all of us. He wants us to fulfill ourselves and others in such a way that it may also positively influence more families and peoples. It is not easy. And like all paths to love God, it will entail from us much suffering: misunderstanding from others, sometimes even envy and anger, or sometimes even destructive actions...whatever may befall us is the cross we have to bear and must carry all the way to Calvary in our following of the Lord.

The family is the basic unit of society. It is the oldest institution I know of. It is older than the Catholic Church (of which is made up of families), older than business institutions (which only came and flourished and mushroomed with the Industrial Revolution), and older than the Internet medium - which was created at the cusp of the Third Millenium. Thus, the family is the very foundation for all the institutions we know of in our present civilization. We are called to serve the family by helping it in such a way that it will not crumble down from the pressures of the present societal values being proffered as alternative lifestyles to the family. We are called to support the family - to help it materially and spiritually.

Helping the family spiritually is via Catholic Internet Mission. Catholic internet mission engagement in the family setting can be done through the Internet through blogs like this, through webrings of websites, and through lists and egroups. And what is good about this medium of the Internet is that it is able to reach as many people as it can - those who are Internet literate.

Helping the family materially is through the business that we do or through the job we perform in a company that serves the society and the economy. Usually, we serve families who are breadwinners and who are able to take jobs and earn a living.

Although Catholic Internet Mission is accessible only to the information-rich sector of world society, it nonetheless knows that there exist another sector of society - the information-poor. The information-poor society know very well the face of Christ. They know Him as the suffering servant - the God-man who was crucified and died on a cross. Theirs is a very rich spirituality. Their spirituality is one of total dependence on the Providence of God - for many of them live on a hand-to-mouth existence. These people are the anawim - the holy remnant - the People of God. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God. That is why Catholic Internet Mission is called to evangelize the information-rich society and remind them that Christ is the center of all that we do in the Internet. If Christ were not made central to all the work and surfing we do on the Internet, then for sure, the idols of power, money and sex will rear its ugly head for us to adore (which should not be the case and which would lead us to grave and mortal sin).

Service to the family despite hardship and suffering is a martyrdom in itself. We can do this through our secular jobs and through our businesses. And we can serve the family also through the Internet were we can pray for one another (despite wide physical distances) and support and encourage one another with words from the Gospel. Although we must also balance ourselves so that we may not succumb to illness or sickness, service excellence to the family is an ideal we can strive for in our following of Christ.

Undivided and One

2004-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

In our daily lives, because of the work or apostolate that we do, our attention is often dissipated and scattered in so many directions. We tend to lose focus on what is essential in life by the many petty concerns of the world. We, as it were, forget the "divine contextualization" of our lives. We only live, say at most 80 years, on this earth. That is, if we are strong as the Psalm says. And what about eternal life? Isn't it much more than those 80 material years? So if we are to strive for Christian excellence, let our striving be in such as way as to always keep our focus and gaze on Christ and the divine contextualization we are really existing - eternal life.

How do we strive for this Christian excellence - the excellence that makes for the stuff of our heroic examples in our Catholic society. One way and I guess the important way is giving ourselves fully - whole heart, whole mind, entire soul and with our whole strength to God. This giving of oneself wholeheartedly will flow to our dealing with our neighbor and ourselves. We will see the oursleves and the other as who he or she really is - a temple of the Spirit - a gift from God.

The way to unity - undividedness and oneness - in our relationship with God can only come from a life of prayer and contemplation. This is primary. No amount of work or service can take the place of a quiet time with the Lord. We cannot say that my work is my prayer. That is an escapist way of saying, prayer is doing nothing - it won't amount to anything productive. But that is wrong. We may not be doing anything in prayer. Just kneeling. Sitting down. Or quietly flipping over the pages of the Bible and picking a passage to read for meditation. But that is not the focus of prayer. The focus of prayer is the Lord doing His work on you. We are an ongoing creation. The Lord is still creating us to be what He wants us to be - servant-leaders excelling in the Christian life.

We will be surely journeying to Christian excellence and be undivided and one in our love for the Lord if we but assent and decide to join the process of letting the Lord work in us. Our response to His work in us is to be the best of ourselves in His sight.

Commitment in Blood

2004-09-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

You have seen...
from within Your divinity

How Your love
will be tested through
commitment in blood...

Oh, that anxiety -
it pains you deep within...

You gather Your friends
for their moral support
yet they fail you -- sleeping
when they must be praying...

Alone and in silence,
you kneel...you pray for
a will in line with the Will...
for you know the Will prevails
and would want only what is best.

I see Your prayer bring much
distress in Your face...
I am the only one awake with
your friends...

I pray with You -
seeing You being drained
of Your life's spiritual blood.
I trust in You and know
that You shall pass the test.

Why does Your apostles
and friends not care?
Have they no desire to
follow You in a commitment
in blood?

Yet you stand firm...
You hold strong...
in faith to the Will who
loves You.

This is the time...
this is the place...
This is the opportunity...
to be victor over death
by a commitment to serve
and save
in blood....

The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

2004-09-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

The Vatican came out recently with a document regarding certain things that should be observed in the celebration of the Eucharist. A part of this document speaks about the role of communion ministers. You can see it at my Catholic Internet Mission website at www.pcentral-online.net/index6.html.

In the Philippine setting, the ministry is restricted mainly for the men since the women fulfill already a lot of roles in the liturgical setting. However, there are exceptions to this rule and so in recent years, some women were also installed as communion ministers.

Much of the communion ministers in the Philippines are retired men. They have more time to devote themselves to the activities of the parish church. However, there are also men, single and married, who are at the same time working for a living, who also devote themselves to this ministry. This is rare since the work that they need to do already takes a lot of energy from them. It is truly a sacrifice - especially for those married since they need to take time off from their family even on Sunday just to fulfill their obligations to minister communion to the sick and to serve in the Sunday Mass.

I have a client in my business who is a junior manager in a developer company. He was for a time a communion minister and we shared about our being communion ministers. But because of the demands of his job and the fact Sunday is the only time he can spend for his family, he had to give up this ministry for the sake of his family. In my opinion, he made a wise and loving decision. The Church has always taught us that the family is the domestic Church. If one's ministry takes us away from our prime obligation and vocation to build this domestic Church then it is not really an authentic ministry.

Life in this new era of our Christian age has changed dramatically. In the previous centuries, life was simpler. People made a living in their farms. It was natural to have a large family as the children, when they grow up big enough to help in the farm, are natural assets for the upkeep of the family. But now everything is industrialized. People live in cities and make a living in very large corporations where everything is fast-paced and the pressure to be efficient and productive in one's work is paramount. The energy of working in such an environment takes so much of people's energy that they are drained and burned out when they go home to their families. And making a living is more difficult because both parents have to work to keep up with the expenses of the cost of maintaining and growing a family. Thus, many couples tend to limit their children to one or two children. The sacrifices these couples make to give their children all their needs is indeed heroic. Many have to work abroad because of the poor employment opportunities in the country. And their work abroad causes them to experience much isolation, separation from the family, and great loneliness not only of heart but of soul (especially if they work in a non-Catholic or non-Christian country).

Martyrdom need not be to the actual shedding of one's blood as what we have read in the lives of the saints. Martyrdom today is simply taking on the stresses of everyday living. And these stresses are indeed great: in the family itself, especially in the workplace, and in the many secular settings of the society where we have to deal with so many stressful situations. These stresses takes indeed a great toll on our health. Much of cancer cases are usually caused by stress.

The best way to keep up with living in such a stressful world is to maintain a disciplined life of prayer and work - both in moderation. Study is also important, especially in one's professional life and most of all as regards one's spiritual growth. If we but focus on a life that makes the Christian life the context of everything we do, then I assure you that whatever storm, or trial and all the everyday stresses and stressors we encounter will be defeated by a God who only wishes to give us life and love - not death.

Depth and Dialogue

2004-09-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

When Moses saw the burning bush, the Lord God asked him to remove his sandals. And so he did. For the sandals that Moses wore represented all his concerns in his worldly life. To be able to dialogue in depth with Yahweh, Moses had to shed of all these concerns so that he may focus his attention on the Lord.

And so it is with us too. We too have to remove our "sandals" - whatever it may mean for our own particular life. And this takes humility and fear of the Lord. We have to shed all our attachments to earthly concerns and business. And we ourselves can notice how we are still "wearing our sandals". When we come to prayer still dissipated in attention and still breathing shallowly - as if we are running after something and still too much in the "rat race" - then, we must humbly obey the Lord and remove our sandals. It will indeed be a hindrance in our dialogue with Him. We may never achieve depth in our relationship with Him if we think and feel the concerns that tie us down to our jobs, our family, our community, our friends, our volunteer work.

Shedding away our sandals is a task that can be done just by sitting still, breathing more deeply and focusing our gaze on the Lord (in the form we are familiar with). The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the best form of 'gazing on the Lord'. As we fix our gaze and our breathing gets deeper, we enter into a moment of intimacy - of depth - of loving attention and readiness to listen to the Lord...and indeed we shall see Him and hear Him as He is...not a physical seeing or an auditory hearing...but a spiritual seeing and a spiritual hearing...and we shall grow in our relationship with Him and stronger in our love for Him the more we take time in our lives for this depth and dialogue with Him.

The Will Within

2004-09-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

praying.
contemplating.
she paused and felt
a light

Light it was...
not mere light

startled she prayed
all the more.

words called her attention.
in full grace, she obeyed...
and at once,
- the Will within was conceived.

it was a Will that was good,
saving, redemptive,
and for all.

what blessedness was hers...
what joy...
what gladness...
for the Will made her
name blessed for all generations.

To The Shedding of Blood

2004-09-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

We all know how much our Lord has suffered in order to give life to us and to save us from sin. Just imagining what He has gone through makes anyone wonder how can anyone take so much physical and psychological pain with all of that? And for those who saw the Passion of the Christ and the scene of the scourging - you know what I mean.

The clergy and religious have given their whole life for the growth of the Church and the increase of its members. Some have given their lives even to the point of shedding their blood. We do not have to go way back to the time of the early Christian martyrs. We only have to look at this our time - when so many have shed their blood for the faith.

There is a Filipino Claretian priest who was a chaplain of a school in the southern part of the Philippines. As you may not know, the southern part of the Philippines is composed of both Christians and Muslims. And for a long time, there is much conflict between the two.

Several years ago, about the same time as the abduction of certain foreign nationals, this Claretian priest had also to contend with Islamic extremists who were intimidating his Catholic teachers and the children of the school. To make a long story short, the Muslim extremists abducted the priest, the teachers and the children. Because the priest was a leader and exercised much influence over the educational community there, they tortured him to death - with even a report of his nails being removed from his fingers. Eventually, they killed the priest and then next placed their attention towards the teachers. The ordeal was long but eventually the teachers and the children were spared from any harm or violence. But that Claretian priest truly shed his blood for the faith to remain steadfast and strong amidst intimidation and unjust violence. The name of that priest. Fr. Rhoel Gallardo.

You need not mention only the clergy or the religious. Even our lay faithful suffer in the hands of Muslim extremists in the foreign lands. The Philippines could not offer much employment to its citizens so many of our nationals migrate abroad - many to Middle East countries - in order to earn money for their families here. And imagine the beatings that they get from their Muslim bosses. Some come home in coffins amidst the terrible anguish and cries of their family and friends. To the shedding of blood. To the giving of one's life. This is what we are called to do when we truly love our faith and those we are close to.

But "to the shedding of blood" need not be literal. The everyday sufferings we experience: the delays, the time we have to suffer to be in line, the verbal abuse we get from our superiors, the misunderstandings we experience from our co-workers, the fatigue, the hunger, the stress and I say the stresssssssss - this is really "to the shedding of one's blood". We give our all not just so that we can earn income or be able to spread the faith to a community we are preaching a retreat to, but we give our all in the name of the Lord who has showed us what it means to live and how to live in the love of His Father.

But as we sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others, we share in the redeeming work of Jesus who became man through the Blessed Virgin Mary and who taught us the way, the truth and the life. All we need to do is to believe with a strong faith and embed in our hearts and minds the knowledge that what we will gain by losing our life for Jesus' sake is eternal life.

Spiritual Focus

2004-08-28T01:31:00.000-07:00

Much of our activity in daily life involves immersing ourselves in the world of family, work, and community-related tasks. When our activities get too much of our time, we often get dispersed in our thinking and relating that we forget the importance of focusing on what is really essential to be contemplatives-at-work: the focus on God and the openness to discern His Spirit always in every situation and action. No matter what others say, we should not believe them when they say, "my work is my prayer." Both are totally different. Work is physical activity. Prayer is of the Spirit.

Sometimes our work may take in so much of our energy that we can't even find an ounce of strength to focus on our prayers. This is also our responsibility - to balance both work and prayer. Too much work and we get dissipated and dispersed. Too much prayer on the other hand leads to inactivity and passivity. Balance and moderation and the golden mean, as they say, is the best. Let our prayer lead us to work and vice versa.

When in the parable of the talents, a man gave talents to three of his servants, we find that two of those servants put the talents to use and gained something in return for their work and the risk they took to make a profit. The third servant hid the talent given him. It is only one talent and he still hid it. It is akin to somebody being given the opportunity to work and he does not do anything about it. It would be to the detriment of that man's life for the decision he made to do nothing about his talent. Would we do our best to employ our talents and giftedness so that we can make a profit and do a service to our family? Or are we afraid to take a risk in employing the gifts God has given us because of failure and rejection? Whatever is our answer to these questions will decide what level of productivity and usefulness and fruitfulness we will have from our life from now on.

Prayer and work are gifts given to us by the Lord so that we can employ them to help us bear fruit in His name. Through prayer, we become branches attached to the Lord. By our being attached to Him always, we will eventually bear fruit - goodness, joy, peace, serenity...which all lead to relationships of goodwill and peace in the world of work. And in such relationships of goodwill and peace, we will be able to obtain the necessary connections, skills, resources and information we need to obtain an income or a profit in our work.

So let us never forget prayer in our lives. No matter how busy we may think we are, there is nothing which can take us from what is really essential in life - a life-relationship with the Lord. For the Lord is the Source and Author of life. Everything in this world, like work, is only temporary. Our relationship with the world and with the world of work is to say maybe about 40 years only...if we retire at 60. Or if we continue to work even way past retirement age, still our relationship with the world of work will still be small compared with the eternal-relationship of love we have with the Lord. It is a relationship which will span eternity. So, which is more important, the world or God? You know the answer now. Let us keep our spiritual focus always on Him.

Shepherd of My Heart

2004-08-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

O shepherd of My Heart,
you know I chose you.
You were the strong one.
Ready to fight and die for Me.
I gave you My keys.
And I know My church shall
be built on your rock.
I knew. You didn't.
I knew you. You know little.
What you did, has been blown...
it's all in the past...
a mission awaits us.
Strengthen your brethren.
Be their pillar,
be their rock,
be their stronghold,
with My Spirit as
your foundation.
I anoint you -
nurturer
nourisher
life-giver
of the Church.

Eight Days A Week

2004-08-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

Many of us who work for a living know the experience of fatigue, tiredness, and almost being bled out dry from all the efforts being made in earning income or making money. In my country, the people also work Sundays, especially the low-income citizens. For this is where they will get the food that they will need to eat that Sunday.

We know that Sunday is the day of the Lord. But how can we rest and take leisure and give respects to God through a Church service when we need to earn money? Actually, we can. It is just a matter of faith. If we think that we cannot make it through that Sunday without working, it means placing our trust in money more than in God. It's good to sacrifice ourselves for our family and loved ones. But when this sacrifice already involves an inordinate desire to earn money during the Lord's day, then I think the Lord will not be generous to us with His gifts.

But it is important to work hard. But to work hard during the days that we are supposed to work hard. Let us take the example of Peter and his companions. All night they were putting out the nets to get a catch of fish and they have gotten nothing with all their efforts. And then, the Lord entered the scene and ask them, "have you caught anything children?" Peter and his companions said, "None." Then Jesus said, "go out into the deep and pay out your nets to the starboard side." This the apostles did and after a short while they got such a huge catch that the nets were almost like tearing up.

This is a lesson for us not to worry so much about what we are to eat or drink or be clothed with. We just work as hard as we could and the Lord will enter our lives just at the right time to help us through various circumstances: a relative, a friend, a new job, a cash gift, or a great opportunity for greater income. He knows when we are down to our last resorts. He is very sensitive. Just like a Good Shepherd should be.

In today's Gospel, we find the parable of the man hiring workers for his vineyard. He hired several batches during the day. The final batch, we he hired about 5:00 in the afternoon, he also called to his vineyard to work. At the time of paying these workers, he called the last ones he hired and payed them a whole day's salary. The workers who started early in the morning were expecting to get more since they worked longer and harder. But to their surprise, when they were in front of the hirer, he payed them the same amount. They naturally complained. The man who hired them said that it was his right and privilege to do whatsoever with his money and to be as generous as he would like.

God is generous with us. Sometimes His justice is really a mystery that we cannot understand. Let us just take heart the consoling fact that even if we are called "late" to "work" for Him in His Kingdom and in the Church, He will still favor us well and grant us the generous blessings that is of His very nature. St. Augustine says, "Late have I love You." Though we may have been late in loving the Lord, let us be rest assured that He will still give us as much love as those who started "early" in loving Him.

The Flame

2004-08-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Fear within.
hearts down.
spirit faint.
everyone gathers.
come! call the others.
let us pray...
close the doors.
seal them tight.
put on the candles.
stillness.
silence.
a stillpoint.
.......
what's that?
what?
something stirring outside.
it's like a howling.
no it's something rushing!
whooshhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
whooshhhhhhhhhh!!!!
bang!
the doors open wide...
a great wind rushes in.
everyone's eyes brighten!
light filled the room!
and a life-wind entered.
may the Lord be blessed.
His Flame is upon us.
we feel strong and encouraged.
may the Lord be blessed.
may the Lord be blessed.
now and forevermore.
now and forevermore.

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2004-08-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

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Thursday, August 05, 2004

Help Make Blogs More Visible!

Help Make Blogs More Visible!NOTE: Be sure you paste live links for the Path List below.There are by some estimates more than a million weblogs. But most of them get no visibility in search engines. Only a few "A-List" blogs get into the top search engine results for a given topic, while the majority of blogs just don't get noticed. The reason is that the smaller blogs don't have enough links pointing to them. But this posting could solve that. Let's help the smaller blogs get more visibility!This posting is GoMeme 4.0. It is part of an experiment to see if we can create a blog posting that helps 1000's of blogs get higher rankings in Google. So far we have tried 3 earlier variations. Our first test, GoMeme 1.0, spread to nearly 740 blogs in 2.5 days. This new version 4.0 is shorter, simpler, and fits more easily into your blog.Why are we doing this? We want to help thousands of blogs get more visibility in Google and other search engines. How does it work? Just follow the instructions below to re-post this meme in your blog and add your URL to the end of the Path List below. As the meme spreads onwards from your blog, so will your URL. Later, when your blog is indexed by search engines, they will see the links pointing to your blog from all the downstream blogs that got this via you, which will cause them to rank your blog higher in search results. Everyone in the Path List below benefits in a similar way as this meme spreads. Try it!Instructions: Just copy this entire post and paste it into your blog. Then add your URL to the end of the path list below, and pass it on!Path List1. Minding the Planet2. Wireless LAN3. Writing Resources4. BillBoard5. Stock Quotes Stock Trading Stock Help6. Christmas All Year7. Quotes from Famous People8. Recipes at World Famous Recipes9. Jobs and Employment10. Quotes11. Jokes and Humor12. 480 Area Code Guide13. Phoenix Arizona East Valley Community Index14. HTTP in Phoenix AZ15. Daily Bible Verse16. Love Poems18. World Famous Recipes19. Recipes Recipe20. Members Space21. Search Engines - World Search News22. Home Improvement and Home Remodeling Ideas and Tips23. Famous Quotes And Famous Sayings Network Weblog24. Life Story Writing25. Links Page Link Exchange Manager Site26. Becoming Christ Within: Go for God!

27. (your URL goes here! But first, please copy this line and move it down to the next line for the next person).NOTE: Be sure you paste live links for the Path List or use HTML code.

2004-08-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Links Page Link Exchange Manager Site

Links Page Link Exchange Link site manager pages. Exchange links with partner sites which are posted here to increase link popularity and search engine ranking.

Contributors

Kathleen

Links Manager

Bill

doublelldesigns

Hands On Tutorials

Todays Ads.net Useful Links

East Valley Living - Phoenix dining guide

SEO Company - Search Engine Optimization Company - Arizona

Yahoo! Groups : love quotes

Love Quotes - Love Sayings

Arizona High Tech Directory Map - Arizona High Tech Talent Partnership - AZhttp SEO Company Search Engine Optimization

Ruffino Italian Cuisine community partner of EVLiving.com - Your Guide to the East Valley

Davitas Creations

This is a paragraph of text that could go in the sidebar.

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Thursday, August 05, 2004

Help Make Blogs More Visible!

Help Make Blogs More Visible!NOTE: Be sure you paste live links for the Path List below.There are by some estimates more than a million weblogs. But most of them get no visibility in search engines. Only a few "A-List" blogs get into the top search engine results for a given topic, while the majority of blogs just don't get noticed. The reason is that the smaller blogs don't have enough links pointing to them. But this posting could solve that. Let's help the smaller blogs get more visibility!This posting is GoMeme 4.0. It is part of an experiment to see if we can create a blog posting that helps 1000's of blogs get higher rankings in Google. So far we have tried 3 earlier variations. Our first test, GoMeme 1.0, spread to nearly 740 blogs in 2.5 days. This new version 4.0 is shorter, simpler, and fits more easily into your blog.Why are we doing this? We want to help thousands of blogs get more visibility in Google and other search engines. How does it work? Just follow the instructions below to re-post this meme in your blog and add your URL to the end of the Path List below. As the meme spreads onwards from your blog, so will your URL. Later, when your blog is indexed by search engines, they will see the links pointing to your blog from all the downstream blogs that got this via you, which will cause them to rank your blog higher in search results. Everyone in the Path List below benefits in a similar way as this meme spreads. Try it!Instructions: Just copy this entire post and paste it into your blog. Then add your URL to the end of the path list below, and pass it on!Path List1. Minding the Planet2. Wireless LAN3. Writing Resources4. BillBoard5. Stock Quotes Stock Trading Stock Help6. Christmas All Year7. Quotes from Famous People8. Recipes at World Famous Recipes9. Jobs and Employment10. Quotes11. Jokes and Humor12. 480 Area Code Guide13. Phoenix Arizona East Valley Community Index14. HTTP in Phoenix AZ15. Daily Bible Verse16. Love Poems18. World Famous Recipes19. Recipes Recipe20. Members Space21. Search Engines - World Search News22. Home Improvement and Home Remodeling Ideas and Tips23. Famous Quotes And Famous Sayings Network Weblog24. Life Story Writing25. Links Page Link Exchange Manager Site26. Platinum Martyrdom

27. (your URL goes here! But first, please copy this line and move it down to the next line for the next person).NOTE: Be sure you paste live links for the Path List or use HTML code.

Intimacy With the Lord

2004-07-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

To have a stronger relationship with God, it is important to take intimate moments with Him. This need not be as formal as an act of Eucharistic devotion, although that is what should be promoted, but it can be just a moment or two of reflective silence - even in the silence of your private space. It would help if you were really alone in a certain place for this prevents disruption and interruption of your dialogue with the Lord - but it can be just as intimate and as strong a dialogue if you can do it in the midst of people working silently around you.

Becoming like Christ in our inner self requires being truly open to His Spirit. If like the Blessed Mother and the apostles in the Cenacle room, we were to quiet ourselves and pray constantly in expectant anticipation of the Lord's Spirit, then for sure, and I guarantee you - you will have the privilege of the Spirit of God indwelling in you in all His fullness and without limit to His presence. As we achieve this state, a lot of energy is infused within us that impels us to move forward and to do good. And this is the opportunity we should take to do what the Lord really wills of us - to fulfill the personal vocation He wants us to perform for Him and His Church. We become not only contemplatives-in-action but contemplatives-at-work - really involved and immersed in the world we are in: marriage, family, business, politics, science and media, education. Although our common objective is to sanctify this secular realities (for this is the vocation of the lay faithful), our personal vocation is how we are to witness uniquely and personally that Spirit of Christ within us and to opt fundamentally for a goal that is of God.

Angelo de la Cruz

2004-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Overseas Foreign Workers

Many Filipinos are forced to migrate and work in other countries because of the poor employment opportunities in the country. These are men and women, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and close relatives, who decide to face the world of work in a different culture and endure the problems of discrimination and suffer isolation, abuse, mistreatment, just so that they can send money to their loved ones back here in the country.

The recent controversy and problem with regard to the Philippine hostage Angelo de la Cruz is a case in point. He is a father of 8 children; two of which have a disability. The reason why he went to Iraq was to support his family and earn in order to be able to build a house. Now that he has unfortunately been held hostage by Iraqi rebels, he has indeed put his life on the line. It is a great trial indeed and a test of courage and faith on his part. His case has involved not only the Philippine government but the USA government as well. The decision of the Philippine president to pull out the troops earlier than scheduled is a decision for the welfare of the overseas contract workers of which Angelo de la Cruz symbolizes. Even the Catholic Church in the country is for the pullout of the Philippine contingent so that the life of one man may be saved. The decision made by President Gloria was made in the context of the welfare not only of one man but of all the overseas contract workers whom Angelo represents. These overseas contract workers are our dollar earners. By their self-denial and self-sacrificing decisions, they have also indirectly poured in income in a very financially-strapped economy.

I can understand why the American government did not like the pullout of the Philippine contingent. They were looking from a global perspective - from the context of the war against terrorism and the global security of many nations. Perhaps the USA must understand that our country has not really achieved a global consciousness as most developed countries have already. Our leaders in government and business have already quite attained such a level of thinking but they are leading people who still are not attuned to that mentality. Foremost in the Filipino culture is the family. That is the reason why many families are also strongly Catholic.

In the family of nations, each thinks differently because of the culture that each people are living. The pullout of the Philippines contingent does not mean that our country is not in support of the USA in terms of its fight against international terrorism. This is a matter of culture, not politics. Perhaps, when the family of nations share a common global culture, then it will be easier to understand each one's decisions when it comes to the political scene.

Christ our Example Par Excellance

2004-06-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Becoming Christian in the World In these days of extreme secularization and the modern influences of technology, it is sometimes hard to close our eyes and ears to the elements from these realities that drown out the Spirit that was given to us at our Baptism. It is not only a problem for the lay faithful. Even clergy and religious also have to struggle with this problem. We get so engrossed with the activities and the external realities around us that we often forget to listen to the Spirit deep within us. But there is always hope. Even amidst all this material and technological noise, we can go to a secluded place where we can listen deeply within. All it takes is to drop down everything we "carry" or are doing at the moment and go to that lonely place to meditate and contemplate and to put ourselves in a state where the Spirit's flame will burn more brightly within us. Jesus our Lord did this in His lifetime. Usually, after a day's work and ministry teaching, preaching and healing, he would go all alone to the mountain to pray to His heavenly Father. If we are to become Christ within, we too must imitate our Lord. Even in our most busiest days, whenever we hear the voice of the Lord and the call within to pray, let us drop "our oars" and our "fishing nets" - all those elements we use to earn a living or that we use for our work and run...really run in spirit to that meeting place where we can encounter Christ. And for sure, this is the assurance: once we do take time to enkindle the flame within by letting the Spirit indwell more in us, we will have the energy, the strength, the peace and all that it takes to fulfill our particular missions in life. Whatever our state of life is, we are given all that is necessary by the Spirit - all the gifts proper to our state of life and our particular life-situation - to sanctify the family, the workplace, the parish community, the neighborhood, even the person next in line to us.

Introduction

2004-06-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Introduction I am writing this blog for the benefit of the majority of Catholics who are in the lay state and who decide daily to follow Christ by being of service to their marriages, their families and the people they encounter in their workplaces and in the world in general. The command of the Lord to "deny oneself, take up one's cross, and come follow Me" means to make great sacrifices and to suffer - sometimes in utter solitude and silence - for the good of a spouse, a son, a parent, a co-worker, a boss, or person belonging to another culture. In Catholic tradition, we refer to "red" martyrdom those who shed their blood in defending the faith. When the age of the Christian persecution came to an end, the trend was towards "white" martyrdom. These are the men and women who devoted their lives entirely for Christ by separating themselves from the world through the institution and charism of religious life. Now, we have come to the age of the laity. These are the people who give up their lives and making great sacrifices in their work just to help the family survive the demands of living in the present global financial system. Since lay people have to deal with the material world, I am coining the term "platinum" martyrdom to signify the heroic things they have to do just to earn a living in the most honest way and with all integrity.

Year of the Eucharist

2004-06-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Eucharistic Year The Holy Father announced that from October 2004 up to October 2005 would be the Year of the Eucharist. This is most opportune at a time when the world is reeling in disorder and chaotic political events. I truly believe that the Eucharist is a gift of the Lord to the world. Within its liturgical structure, everything is as it is: there is an order and a system of worship and all is in its place starting from the liturgy of the Word to the liturgy of the Eucharist. For people engage in the secular affairs of the world, they are immersed in the muck and mire of conflicting forces that shake their sense of peace and order both within their persons and within their immediate environment: sometimes involving environments as intimate as the marriage relationship itself or the whole family. It involves the workplace too - relationships with co-workers, with subordinates and with superiors. In political spheres, economic set-ups, educational systems, media outfits and other social organizations, the disorder of the present things jars our very senses to the wall. But this has to be. It is part of living in the world today. We cannot not escape being in the world and living out our faith in such a disordered environment. That is why I say that the Eucharist is indeed a gift to the world because it presents a reality that is of the Lord Himself - a peaceful and orderly reality - free from the conflicting forces in the world. So let us not take it for granted. Let us not just take it as an obligation to do. Let us see it as it is: a gift indeed...a balm that soothes our minds and our senses from the mire and muck of the world. It nourishes us with the peace that only our Lord Jesus Christ can give. The strength of the institution of the Eucharist is in the Spirit; but it is also in our seeing it as a gift to treasure and a responsibility to share with others who do not see it as we do. So it is our mission (those of us who realize the great gift that it is), to make the Eucharist truly a gift to the world by making it more known to others and by inviting those who already have gone lukewarm in their attendance of the Eucharist.

Introduction

2004-06-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

Introduction In our lives as Christians there is the contemplative dimension - the life of prayer; and there is the active dimension - the life of work, ministry and apostolate. This blog seeks to share reflections on how to integrate these two dimensions and make them one act of worship for God - one that fulfills a singlehearted purpose of doing God's will. We have often heard that very classic spiritual phrase "contemplatives-in-action". This is a term very often associated with religious life - a state of life that involves ministering to the poor or educating in their religious institutes or witnessing through a zealous missionary apostolate. In this blog, I will coin the term "contemplatives-at-work". These are the lay faithful who live out their Christian life in their families, in their neighborhoods, in their parish communities, and in their workplaces. I especially give more emphasis to workplaces because this involves the secular sphere of institutions like: government, business, media and education. A contemplative-at-work is thus a working mother, a politician-father, an editor, an actor (reminds me of Mel Gibson - he is really a contemplative-at-work), a teacher, a soldier, and all those who work in the world to make a life. And that life that they make is still a life in the Spirit. Even though people work a lot, they can still pray a lot. It is a matter of decision. A matter of commitment. Conviction. Perseverance. To be a contemplative-at-work is to become Christ within and to go for God!