Want to start this thread because i believe we are all blessed in different ways. So share your blessings and other religious stuffs here :)

The Interview With God

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity. What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered…
“That they get bored with childhood,
they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
That they lose their health to make money…
and then lose their money to restore their health.
That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present,
such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.
That they live as if they will never die,
and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked…
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone
love them. All they can do
is let themselves be loved.
To learn that it is not good
to compare themselves to others.
To learn to forgive
by practicing forgiveness.
To learn that it only takes a few seconds
to open profound wounds in those they love,
and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person
is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.
To learn that there are people
who love them dearly,
but simply have not yet learned
how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can
look at the same thing
and see it differently.
To learn that it is not enough that they
forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

“Thank you for your time,” I said humbly.

“Is there anything else you would like your children to know?”

God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here… always.”

For the multimedia version, go to TheInterviewwithGod.com.

MAY YOU BE BLESSED

May you be blessed
with all things good.
May your joys, like the stars at night,
be too numerous to count.
May your victories be more abundant
than all the grains of sand
on all the beaches
on all the oceans
in all the world.
May lack and struggle be always
absent from your life
and may beauty order and abundance
be your constant companions.
May every pathway you choose
lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.
May every doubt and fear
be replaced by a deep abiding trust
as you behold evidence of a Higher Power
all around you.
And when there is only darkness
and the storms of life are closing in
May the light at the core of your being
illuminate the world.
May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure
and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.
May you always feel protected and cradled
in the arms of God,
like the cherished child you are.
And when you are tempted to judge
may you be reminded that we are all ONE
and that every thought you think
reverberates across the universe,
touching everyone and everything.
And when you are tempted to hold back,
may you remember that love flows best when
it flows freely
and it is in giving that we receive
the greatest gift.
May you always have music and laughter
and may a rainbow follow every storm
May gladness wash away every disappointment
may joy dissolve every sorrow
and my love ease every pain.
May every wound bring wisdom
and every trial bring triumph
and with each passing day
may you live more abundantly than the day before.
May you be blessed
And may others be blessed by you.
This is my heartfelt wish for you.
May you be blessed.


©2006 by Kate Nowak. All rights reserved.

God’s Message and the Beatles
by Jun Asis

“If there’s anything that you want
If there’s anything I can do
Just call on me, and I’ll send it along
With love, from me, to you.”

I woke up with that tune in my head. It must have been a residue of the Beatles music I played last Friday in the office. Yes, young as I was in their heyday, I am a Beatles fan.

I mumble “Lord thank you for another day. This day is yours.”

Then it pops again.

“If there’s anything that you want
If there’s anything I can do
Just call on me, and I’ll send it along
With love, from me, to you.”

It must be one of those days when a song just keeps ringing in my head.

Fast forward my morning rituals ….

On the way to the office:

“She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah’

“Oh good!” I thought. It looks like my brain recorded the songs last Friday and is playing them out for me. This is going to be fun.

From the radio…

And He said, “Cast your burdens upon Me
Those who are heavily laden,
Come to Me, all of you who are tired
Of carrying heavy loads,
For the yoke I will give you is easy
And My burden is light,
Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

Wait a minute….That was not a Beatles song.

I thought deeper.

I usually talk with the Lord in my mind as we travel from our place to the office. Mostly, I do the talking and just pour out what’s on my mind and heart. This morning, my mind was still asleep. But the first two songs just popped in my head. There was an inkling somewhere at the back of my mind that they were from the Lord, though I nonchalantly dismissed it. The Lord talking through the Beatles. That seems far-fetched.

After parking the car, I decided to spend some quality moments alone (read: take a nap) with the radio on. And then Basil Valdez sings Lift Up Your Hands. It was a mellow song but woke my spirit and turned my dozing (slept late, as always) into meditation. God couldn’t have been more direct.

And He was talking through John, Paul, George and Ringo too!

In From Me to You, the Lord was telling me to ask from Him all my needs and he will give them to me, with Love. He was also telling me to ask mama Mary’s intercession for she love me dearly, even saying it three times (remember Jesus asking Peter “Do you Love Me” thrice?)…With affirmations (yeah, yeah, yeah!) to boot!

And when I brushed Him off, Jesus used the direct route, using His own words. “Cast your burdens upon me….Come to me and I will give you rest.”

I have several deadlines, a new project coming, errands to run, books to read, some writing to do (okay, lots), the help taking their day off, a spouse to support, kids to take care of, basketball, websites to update, and I know I am forgetting some important things.

“Just call on me, and I’ll send it along
With love, from me, to you.”

“She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah” (3x)

“For the yoke I will give you is easy
And My burden is light,
Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

Three songs. One message.

Love.

God’s Little Prophets
by Rod Velez


“Dad?”, my 3-year old asked.
“Yes, baby?” I answered as I carried him along the hospital corridors on the way for his regular checkup.

“Can I pray?” he said matter-of-factly.

I nearly stopped walking but I looked at him with a smile, slightly moist eyes, and said “Sure, baby. What did you want to say to Jesus?”

It turned out he had already decided what to pray for as he began his simple and touching litany, “God bless dad, God bless mommy, God bless Kuya Nate…..” This would be a while I thought to myself but it would all be worth it.

Two of the greatest experiences of my life are seeing both my sons being born. I don’t think my wife would share my excitement as she was then nearly passed out and panting but I’m sure she has her own stories to tell. From that moment on though, my kids have never stopped teaching me (albeit unknowingly) who God is and what it means to be Christian.

Prayer is one of those lessons. Just watching them go thru the motions of prayer convicts me and reminds of things I’ve often overlooked in my own relationships with God.

The story above speaks on its own about spontaneity. It doesn’t matter where or when, kids will sometimes just come right out to pray. It is such a far cry from the rituals, schedule, and motions of grown ups praying.

Ritual. That’s a big word for me and I realize its importance because it carries with it the traditions of faith for many people. But many of those people make the crucial mistake of thinking that the ritual of prayer is the prayer itself. My 4 year old has only recently learned how to make the sign of the cross. My youngest though still makes the sign of an M (or an E or an O, unfortunately) instead of the Sign of the Cross. But it doesn’t matter to them, when we ask them to pray, they just do it off the bat, with all sincerity, honesty, and courage. Isn’t that what prayer is all about? Attitude.

And while I’m already talking about ritual, there is one particular part of my children’s prayer life that I am very fond of. It is the closing prayer. No, they don’t have a closing prayer, instead they have a closing flying kiss. The twist is that instead of the usual boring flying kiss, they use sign language at the end to spice up the kiss. So one night, they came out and invented their very first version – the butterfly flying kiss. And it was all uphill from there. Every night they’d use their imagination and creativity to put on a very short show for “Papa Jesus” and blow Him their animal flying kisses (e.g., elephant, cat, tiger, mouse, you name it, they have it) or their appliance flying kiss (toaster, fridge, couch, ladder…) I get a kick out of that part of their prayer and it actually warms my heart to see them having fun in prayer. I’m sure Jesus looks forward to these moments too. I can almost see Him smiling. But let me ask you, when was the last time you had fun in prayer?

And speaking of attitude, my eldest son loves cars. I can’t stress that sentence enough. In fact, he loves cars so much that he even watches Formula 1 races with me. He actually knows the names of the main competitors. His toy box is full of, you guessed it, model cars! During his birthday last year, we bought him, you guessed it, a model car! It was a red battery operated model. My wife vividly remembers this moment because at the end of the day when we were all in bed (and had forgotten to sit him down in prayer, yes, yes shame on us) we heard his little squeaky voice blurt out in the dark, “Papa Jesus, thank you for the car.” My son had understood a fundamental truth; that although the gift was from mom and dad, the blessing was still from his “Papa Jesus.” I can never get over how forgetful I am about being thankful for blessings. That’s probably why some wise old sage invented the saying “Count your blessings” so we would always be thankful.

Children though are not only thankful in blessing but they are, just as grown ups are, prayerful in adversity.

My kids, as most other kids I suppose, are somewhat afraid of thunder. They understand that rain can sometimes bring the thunder and often when my kids say “Please Papa Jesus, make it stop”, you’d be surprised to know that twice in my presence, I have experienced the thunder storm just stop. Literally without any fanfare, it just stopped. It gives me goose bumps to think about it sometimes (and its tempting to ask them to ask “Papa Jesus” for a million pesos!) And when it actually does stop raining they start jumping up and down, clapping, and squealing with delight. Are you as envious as I am about their faith? I wish sometimes that I can regain that trusting faith and honestly believe that God does answer everything we hope for.

Pablo Picasso once said that “I’ve spent my whole life trying to learn how to draw like a child.” I am blessed to have my children. I am blessed to have little prophets running around my house and showing me lessons I have long forgotten. Maybe someday, as Pablo Picasso says about drawing, I will learn and discover the true meaning of how it is to pray. In the meantime, I have this cardboard box to work on; one car and one robot suit coming up….

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How would you feel if you were prevented from

going to mass
reading the bible
praying to God
Maybe if we realize what some people, especially Filipinos, go through to practice their faith, then we will appreciate how blessed we are with our freedom.

If you complain about having a priest who struggles with his homily, think about the person who has not seen a priest for several years. The next time you forego reading your bible because of a badminton game, remember your countryman who cannot even hold one for fear of retribution. Think twice before you skip mass to go malling or shopping and think about the OFW who doesn't have an Ash Wednesday, yet make the most of what they can to strengthen their relationship with God.

Celebrate your faith. Appreciate it. Love it. Live it.

(That's your C.A.L.L.)

Ash Sunday
by Rowin Santos

Four days ago was our Ash Sunday.

You see, in this part of China, our small community is not under any parish and is only visited by Fr. Adams, a volunteer priest from Hongkong, on every 1st, 3rd and 5th (if any) Sundays of each month to celebrate mass for us. So you can just imagine the adjustments in our liturgical year celebrations. We have only 2 Sundays of Advent. We have Christmas mass on the Sunday before the actual date. The same goes for our New Year mass. We will have Palm Sunday and Good Friday mass together during the Holy Week. So it is always a blessing to see Fr. Adams flexing, not only his tight schedules, but also the Sunday masses to celebrate the more relevant Catholic events that we will miss in the next 2 weeks.

So the idea of Ash Sunday simply follows this reality.

Anyway, Fr. Adams, during his homily, has added a golden spiritual nugget to the message of the Ash Wednesday, the start of our 40-day Lenten season. He beautifully expounded the phrase - "From dust we came and to dust we will return", by suffixing it with - "And with our dust we will glorify God in eternity". Returning to dust is not the end for us even for our physical bodies. It simply takes another natural form while it waits for the time that it will be raised up again during the resurrection of the dead. And with this same purified and sanctified ashes our "new body" will rise up to glorify God in eternity.

Pondering at Fr. Adam's reflection made me understand more about God's plan for us to have an earthly death. It is not to make the final separation of our spirit from our weak, withered, illness-battered physical bodies but to cleanse our bodies from all the effects of years of sinfulness before our spirit can rejoin it in eternal and heavenly praise of God.

Death, as we all know, is not the end.
It is the start of the consummation of God's divine plan for our salvation.
And on the first day of eternity, we will see and recognize each other in heaven - body and spirit together.

......I believe in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Catholic Church
The communion of saints
The forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.

May we all have a meaningful Lenten season.
God bless.

Forgive us Lord for the times we neglected the opportunities we have to celebrate the Eucharist, hear your Word and come to you in prayer. We resolve to appreciate these gifts to strengthen our relationship with you and with those around us.

We pray for all the OFWs who are prevented from praying and worshiping, specially in this season of Lent, that you may send your Holy Spirit to each one. Protect them at all times and give them your comforting Presence wherever they may be. Amen.

Thanks and God bless.

Rowin Santos and his wife Menchie are members of the Laguna Chapter of Couples for Christ ministry. They have been staying in China since year 2000. Rowin works as Project Engineer for a German trading company. Menchie is a full-time homemaker. They have 2 children - Zek and Maia.

An Arm and a Leg
by Rod Velez

It was a hot and humid Sunday afternoon in Makati and I had to work like all the other propeller heads in town. The Y2K hoopla was nearing and there was a lot of IT doodah that we needed to take care of. As 2pm struck, I realized I still had taken no lunch; so I started putting one foot in front of the other until finally, food! I bought a chicken meal at a fast food 15 minutes away. The sun was blistering hot as I hiked back to the office and I couldn't imagine how anyone could stay so long outside in that heat. There was little else in my mind other than the food in my little paper bag. And then it started...

On a seemingly deserted street, construction workers started lining up on the bare and unfinished concrete floors they were working on. There was a handful of men and you wouldn't have noticed them at any other time. But this was no ordinary time as they started making fox calls and shouting all kinds of jabs and insults. I looked left to right hoping to find the source of the commotion but there was nothing. As I turned to look straight in front of me, there I saw her at a distance, a woman; looking gloomy, covered in dirt and soot. She was heading straight for me, walking fast, and she was wearing nothing but lipstick, high heels, and a handbag. She caught me off guard, to say the least.


"Manong" she said, as she stared intently at my lunch bag, "akin na lang po iyan."
I looked straight into her eyes for about 2 seconds and said, "Oo naman", and raised the bag to her face.
"Sa iyo na din 'to" I said as I handed her my drink.
"Salamat po," she answered. As she proceeded to looked inside the bag, I could see her hands shaking with hunger.
"Bakit ka nakaganyan lang?" I asked but she walked away in the midst of the fox calls and the insults.

I went back to the office after that with an empty stomach, a confused heart, and a ton of work in front of me. I didn't eat again until that night. But I couldn't care less, I wasn't so hungry anymore.

There is this story I heard a few years back whose details I can barely recall. It was about this bombed out statue of a crucified Christ. The Holy figure had been so badly damaged after the war that when children saw it they asked their teacher why it was missing arms and legs. The teacher, wise as he was, said that it was because we all needed to be Jesus' hands and feet.

I've wrestled with that little episode of the woman for a few years now, trying to learn as much as I can about what God is really telling me. Here's what He's taught me so far:


Kindness needs a face – As far as I can tell, there are 3 kinds of Christians in the world; those who are reactive, active, and proactive about their faith. Mother Theresa said that holiness is everyone's duty. The keyword there is involvement. And involvement is an integral part of a Christian's life. I love the way Jesus puts it, how does it go again? "And the 2nd greatest commandment is…." What it all comes down to is how much we were Jesus to others. Kindness needs a face and we can show others that face by being Jesus' arms and legs


Kindness needs your help – I don't know if I did enough to help that woman that afternoon. I doubt it very much. There were so many ways she could have been helped; she had wounds in her mind, wounds in her heart, she was naked, she did not have a house, she was hungry, and she needed to be taken care of. So many people around her that day had a chance to help her but perhaps only a handful did. I've heard it repeated to me a lot of times in the past; that we are unique and that we were all meant to fulfill a mission on earth. "There is no one else in the world who can fulfill that mission but you," I used to hear Fr. Steve tell us. So, go ahead, don't wait any longer, give to that charity, volunteer your time, take a chance and unearth that hidden talent to help others, start at home if you have to. There are so many ways for kindness to show its face, we only need to play our part, fulfill our mission, and do what that popular shoe company says, "Just do it."


Kindness needs to spread – Who was it who said that the best way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. At the very least, we need to talk about the lives of saints. Not only saints who have been canonized by the Church but those whose lives plant a seed in our own lives to help us do good. The legendary lay brother, Rogel Plata comes to mind who used to say that he preached using 80% jokes and 20% teaching. "If there was only one thing you need to remember about this talk," he used to say, "remember that God loves you." Kindness needs the air time; discover the good that people do and tell others about it.


In this day and age, there is a deluge of financial products and services. We hear big words like junk bonds, private equity, and arbitrage. It can be very confusing but the basic principles of finance and accounting continue to stay the same. In this day and age, Christians need to take the frontline and teach the world the true meaning of investing; and it is building lives and saving souls. At the end of our lives when we are finally face to face with our Maker, He will not ask about hitting our office quota, or completing that document our boss was asking us to do, or how well we managed deadlines and office resources. Instead He will ask about the good we've done for others and in others. At the end of our lives, when that finally happens, I wonder for my own sake how much I would weigh.

May we all be true to our calling and be creative witnesses and entrepreneurs of God's mercy and kindness.


Rod Velez is an IT Manager and is a volunteer for Food for Hungry Minds. It is a growing global network of corporately sponsored middle school interventions dedicated to identifying the poorest children in a community for participation in a program of both educational excellence and leadership development.

MY LENTEN SACRIFICE
by Tina Matanguihan


Two years ago, I gave up boys for Lent.

My Lenten sacrifice usually revolves around meat, chocolates, watching TV and texting when I finally had a cellphone. But I've never really given up boys. For one thing, I'm not really boy-crazy, although I tend to get fixated on one of my "currents". Thoughts about this "current" may not be physically lustful, but they're distracting nonetheless.

So one Lent, I decided to give my "current" up.

But how did I come to my decision?

There was this guy I started liking a couple of months before 2004 ended. Truth be told, I really wasn't interested in him before, plus I just came from a really heartbreaking one-way relationship (by one-way
relationship, I mean: I like the guy, guy doesn't like me back, I hoped the guy liked me back SOMEHOW, but he never did in the first place. Oops, there goes a piece of my heart). I really didn't want to start liking anyone else; I just want to focus on God and my studies. Then I met this guy and my friends seem to think it was fun to tease me to him and before I knew it, I realized that I actually really like the guy.

Uh-oh....



But unlike the one before him, I was more careful this time. I didn't want the same thing to happen again, so I kept my distance. Yes, we're friends, but I was careful not to bring any meaning into this friendship. He was unbelievably nice, funny, cute...and what do you know, he used to want to be a priest! My "spiritual" eyes were seeing "Man of God!" in neon lights flashing all around him that I had unknowingly let my heart become attached to him. I still kept my distance, but I started seeing all his good characters and pray that if he doesn't end up with me, then just let him go back to his vocation (okay, that wasn't what I really thought then. What I really prayed was that I don't want to be an obstruction to God's plan for him. If He wants him to be a priest, then so be it. It would be okay for me, since he would be committing his life and be celibate for God, and there's no "competition." Not the nicest thing to think I know.).

And what was the ultimate "dream date" I want to have with him? To go to mass. Yes, to attend and receive the Holy Eucharist with him. Sounds good enough, eh? Not your typical "date". This should work out now!

It was the week of Ash Wednesday, and I was praying to God about this "date". I asked Him if He would please let the guy go to Ash Wednesday mass with me, and I will really, really be happy. But I also invited him to a mass that was sponsored by our organization the day before. He told me he'd come, and I was really expecting him to be there only to be disappointed to know that he forgot. Man, was I crushed.


He made it up to me the next day, though. He was the first one to ask me what time the Ash Wednesday mass was and told me to wait for him because we'd go there together. He even stopped by our booth to remind me about it! Of course, I was all hidden giggles and kilig at that but I had to be in control lest I wanted him to know.

And so off to mass we went, together with another friend, and during the mass, I suddenly realized how God answered my first prayer, about us going to mass together on Ash Wednesday. That sure made me smile. Come Communion time, as soon as I received the Body of Christ, a still small voice spoke to my heart: "What would you sacrifice for Lent?"

As soon as I heard that, I looked at the guy praying beside me and then a mental conversation popped into my mind:

Me: No, Lord, you can't be asking me to...
God: I'm not saying anything.
Me: ...
Me: But Lord, why him? Why can't it be someone else? Something else? Chocolate? Internet...no,wait, I can't give that up, I need that for school. Texting? Lord? You know I've never felt this happy before and --
God: My dear daughter, I'm asking YOU what you will be giving up for Lent. I'm not asking you to give him up. It will be on your choice alone.
Me: But why do I feel like if I don't offer this one up, anything else offered wouldn't be pleasing You.
God: My princess, as long as it comes from your heart, I will be pleased. I am giving you the power to decide what to give up for Lent this year.

And so that was why I still ended up giving up the boy. It was hard. Not only because I liked the guy, but also because I really didn't know how I was supposed to give him up. Should I avoid him? Should I stop talking to him? Stop texting him? But what about our friendship? How am I really letting him go? What exactly am I giving up?

Looking back at that moment now, two years later, I smile and remember how I struggled to keep him on God's altar as my offering. I always wanted to steal him away from Him, to claim Him as my own, but God would always send me little reminders (that comes in the form of a little ache in the heart) that make me give the guy back to Him. It's not easy; I always thought of what if, what if...and it hurts to know the fact that even after Lent, I'd still have to continue giving him up.

But the real lesson I learned in this sacrifice is, it's not about killing your feelings for the guy. It's not about not talking to him, avoiding him or any of those things I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Although those things I mentioned can be part of the sacrifice, that isn't the point at all. It's acknowledging that you have these feelings but still choosing to look and focus on The One who can not only return the affections I have for the guy but give so much more. Let me stress that: SO MUCH MORE. It's accepting that you like the guy, but proclaiming and believing that you love God more than you like human. It's telling God, "Lord, I like him. I really, really do. But I love You more. So I will choose to love You even if it means I have to let this guy and my feelings for him go."

Judy McDonald of Lifeteen.com says: "Lent is not about giving things up and making those around miserable. Its about looking at your life and seeing what is keeping you from Jesus. This Lent I am looking at the marvel that is and honestly asking, what in my life is keeping me from getting closer to Jesus?" I'm not saying you should all give up your crushes or love lives this Lent, of course not. But if that guy or girl you really REALLY like is keeping you from focusing on God, then maybe it's time for you to stop, do a feelings check and re-focus yourself on Him at this particular season. And I'm sure by the end of this Lenten season, you'll see and feel things a lot differently. :)

Have a meaningful Lenten season. :) Be blessed!

Tina Matanguihan works for a telecom company testing its products and services. She is a member of Singles For Christ (SFC) and blogs at Refineme.org. She recently launched a new blog with her friends focusing on the lives of young women at Godchicks.refineme.org.

What's Bothering You?

Once Bishop Fulton Sheen was instructing a woman
about the faith, and the current topic was Confession.
After finishing the session, the woman declared "I've had it.
No more lessons!" She was throwing a fit and it took about
five minutes to calm her down.

The wise bishop took her aside and said, "There is absolute
no proportion to what you have heard and the way you have
acted. You had an abortion haven't you?" To which the lady
said in anguish "Yes!" as she broke down and cried.

Another time Bishop Sheen had an encounter with a man who
stopped going to church. The man said he said he studied and
compared religions and beliefs and nobody could answer his
questions. His friends advised him go to the bishop so he did.
Again, the bishop might have seen through the man and said
"Before you ask any of your questions, I would like you to get rid
of that chorus girl you have with you in your hotel room, and then
come back and ask you." Throwing his hands in the air, the man
exclaimed, "Oh certainly. I'm trying to fool you as I have fooled myself."

These are two example of the persons trying to cover up their
conscience. You might say that they are in denial. They know
they have done wrong but are trying to justify their actions. They
were bothered by their conscience and were trying to run from it.
They were defending their wrongdoing, avoiding anything that
would remind them of the sin they committed. The man even
covered it up with so-called "studies" or "beliefs" he had formed
himself. Yet, with all the embellishments the made, they could not
deny their conscience.

We cannot run away from our conscience. No matter how much we
cover it up, deny it. It is in each of us.

Further, the bishop likened the conscience to government which has
the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Inside us is a congress, a legislative guide which tells us "thou shall
and thou shalt not." A guide that tells right from wrong. The executive
portion of conscience tell us "I saw you" or "I know what you did.". The
judicial portion either praises or admonishes.

But that is only half of the story.

In St. Paul's Cathedral, London hangs a famous painting, The Light of
the World, by Holman Hunt. It shows Christ with a lantern, knocking on
a door, waiting for it to be opened from the inside. We have to decide to
open it ourselves.

The other side of the story is God, who sent His Son Jesus, for the
forgiveness of our sins. We need God's mercy and forgiveness.
Let Christ into our heart. It's only through Him will we find a peaceful
conscience. That goes with it true joy and happiness.

This lent, take look within you. What is bothering you? Make a thorough
examination of your conscience this Lent and go to confession. Begin
the healing. Begin it now.


www.mabutingbalita.net
www.magandangbalita.com


--
Share the Good News, Live the Word

The seven last words Jesus spoke before He died on the cross reveals deep and rich meaning. Though many churches expound on it every Good Friday, we present here a mix of reflections and prayers on each word.

From an OFW, an IT manager, a mother, a young professional, a project manager, a seminarian and an events producer, we take a look at the Siete Palabras from their perspective.

Find yourself resonating with their thoughts. Pray with them as you read through the seven last words.
May you find Him speaking to you in silence this Holy week.

(You can view them online by clicking on the links below.)


Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

The First Word - (Luke 23:34) "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do".
- by Rowin Santos

The Second Word - (Luke 23:43) "Amen, I say to thee, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise."
- by Rod Velez

The Third Word - (John 19:26-27) - "Woman, behold thy son... Behold thy mother"
- Aly Placino

The Fourth Word - (Mark 27:46) - "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
- Tina Matanguihan

The Fifth Word- (John 19:28) - "I thirst. "
- Ele Laqui

The Sixth Word - (John 19:30) - "It is consummated."
- April Jerome Quinto

The Seventh Word - (Luke 23:46) - "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
- Jun Asis



Thanks and God bless.



Jun Asis. C3PO
www.mabutingbalita.net
www.magandangbalita.com

Pause a While

Pause a while, pause a while
In the humdrum of the city
And behind the cloister walls
In the early morning and when shadows start to fall
See creation bending to the Maker of it all
And all you have to do is pause a while
This is an old Catholic song we used to sing in high school.
I’ve never heard it since then but it’s message and melody
have been with me lately. It’s as if God want me to pause.
maybe He is telling you the same thing.
But with work and commitments piling, Christmas nearing
and the year ending, this would be the last thing on your mind, right?
Yet, these are exactly the reasons why you may need to.
If you are up to your neck with paper and appointments,
it’s time to reassess which are your priorities. Maybe there are
things that you can postpone or delegate or ask for help.
Pausing may give you a better way to do things, faster and
more effectively.
The year ends but a new one begins. Have you thought about
your goals for 2008? How have you done so far? What other things
can you still do? What are your plans for 2009?
You have been pre-occupied with the season’s rush. Gifts, parties
and midnight sales are all about. Yet, have you taken time to reflect
on the true meaning of Christmas?
Pause to look back, to gather your wits, to put things in perspective.
Give your weary body a little respite for a greater burst of energy.
Make room for a little peace and quiet for your mind. Strengthen your spirit
with a time for prayer and reflection.
Then come back ready and recharged.

A Pail of Water


I remember when I was a young boy when we were still living in our first house in San Juan Malolos, my kuya and I would occasionally fetch water from the nearby barrio deep well manual pump. As if carrying two pails of water at a time was not difficult enough, we had to balance ourselves as we walk through a narrow and rough “pilapil” or fishpond banks which was the only way to reach our house then. One careless mis-step would lead us downward to the murky water.

At first, I was very nervous to carry those pails of water so much so that whenever I reached home the water level on each pail would nearly be reduced to half due to mindless spills. But as time went by, I noticed that not only have I taken this task with ease and with minimal spillovers, I also realized that I am no longer afraid to do it.

The weight of the two pails never changed but I have grown muscles to confidently carry them.

As our family remembers tomorrow the fortieth day of Maia’s untimely passing away, my wife and I realize as well that the pain and depth of loss is not diminishing each passing day. She still wakes up in the early morning often with the melancholic feeling of losing our daughter at her very young age and I, at times, still catch myself staring into nothingness as I start to remember Maia in all her fondest moments and all my washed-away dreams for her. We still fight back tears whenever we talk about her and every time we see a girl toddler with a striking semblance to Maia’s physical features.

But the journey to our healing is on-going as well and we are developing spiritual and emotional “muscles” to help us move on and carry our heavy burden. We thank God for these “muscles-formers” like parents and well-meaning friends who keep us company with their presence, messages and prayers.

Everything is becoming clearer (and more personal) now about what Jesus said to those who wish to follow Him.

Mark 8:34 – “….Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

With our faith being furnace-tested, my wife and I are looking forward to that day when we can confidently say, “Where to now, our Lord? Here we are with our cross.”

Because by that time, we can never be afraid of anything else.

Nothing but love will stand between us and Him.

Thanks to my cousin, Ate Ela, for the inspiration to write this article.

The Different Faces of God
by Menchu Lacsamana

Every encounter that I have with people, young and old, I see the different faces of God. As I grow older and wiser, I can’t help but be amazed how wonderful God is. Wonderful in the sense that through the different stages of my life, with the daily encounter with friends, loved ones and strangers, His face changes.

I first saw the face of God through my parents. Their unwavering love, care, support that withstand the test of time. Through them, I have experienced and learned how compassionate our God is. My mother’s unwavering faith strengthens our family in the midst of life’s storm.

As a precocious child, I always wanted to explore and to get away once in a while in the clutches of my overprotective parents. Then one day I got lost in the mall when I had my tantrums. A kind stranger led me home. I saw the face of God on this stranger when she smiled and told me that everything would be alright. I felt that the world is not that cruel and bad at all. My mother hugged me and told me that an angel is sometimes disguised as a stranger. This experience led me to be trusting and to be friendly.

In my formative years, I saw the face of God through my classmates, friends and teachers. A smiling Jesus is the face that is imprinted in my soul. I saw in them God’s immense love and gentleness.

As I go along on my journey as a bubbly and carefree teenager, it was the sad face of God that I experienced. The sad face of God that can be seen and felt in the plight of the street children, the abandoned, the exploited, the poor and the homeless people. It made me to ponder the existence and purpose of life. God used this encounter for me to act and translate our university motto: “useful womanhood” in action. God sent people in my life to help me to lead the education students to form the catechists group. From the sad face of God, the happy face of Jesus emerged when we began to hear the laughter of the street children under our care. What was unique in our group is that we came from different faiths and beliefs. But it didn’t hinder us to be the hands and feet of God. The happy face of God I felt and seen in terms of solidarity and oneness of life’s purpose to love and to serve others regardless of faith. I saw God’s face in the many creeds and beliefs. In this, I fathom that there is only one universal faith and that is love. In this stage of my life, I saw God’s serene face exuding love when we understood each other as we shared our similarities and celebrated our differences.

When I entered adulthood, the face of God became blurred. His face is distorted like the way you view an image in shattered glass. I entered a dark night of the soul, hurting and disillusioned. Through hurt, betrayal, disillusionment I imagined His face in Gethsemane. God in His goodness, grace and mercy, sent human angels to guide me and to walk again in the spiritual realm. I rediscovered my faith. This time, God’s face revealed to me in the stained glass that we always see in the windows of the church. You can only see and appreciate it’s beauty when you view it inside.

As a professional, I can see clearly His magnificent face so radiant in the faces of my students. The laughing face of Jesus is revealed to me every day as I witness how they grow, learn and love one another.

At present, I am still completing my spiritual sojourn. Call it an epiphany, there is a paradigm shift that is happening to my interior self. Metanoia in spiritual parlance if one wants to call it. There is something inside of me that is bursting and ready to explode. It’s like a tempest in the sea that need to be redirected . I know it will be calmed if I will have an intimate and intense devotion to live my faith.

As I progress , may I not miss to recognize the face of God every day. He always give me a chance to recognize Him not by my eyes but by my heart and soul. Meeting people whether it is brief and fleeting serves us a chance for me to gaze and recognize His face.

________

I wrote this while passing the time as I was proctoring a two hour test. There was an inspiration that urging me to take a test too on my relationship with God.

Menchu is a teacher in a Catholic school in Antipolo, Rizal. She blogs at rizaltek.multiply.com and is passionate about her craft and learning.

Look to God for Good Things to Start Your Day


This morning, 5 good things happened. And guess what. My day turned out great. Though I goofed on one occasion, the greater part of the day was awesome. I was able to work more, be more perky and had more energy.

Traffic was bad. Cars were cutting in and out, buses were honking and piling. I was still on the road when I should have been sitting in the office checking emails. Nevertheless, even I was in a hurry, I made commitment not to lose my cool, be courteous and drive defensively.

I reached the parking lot and headed off to the elevators. I chanced upon a man gently, tenderly assisting his wife alight the jeepney. A smile formed on my lips and praised God for that gift. He was just starting.

Rushing to catch a closing elevator, but didn’t reach it. Out of the corner of my eye, a hearty “Good morning Sir!” boomed as i turned to see a smiling face. It was the lobby guard. That was very special for me since that guard never smiled at me before. I made it a point to smile and greet him everyday but all I got were blank stares. I think there were a few times hat the glared. I replied with a happy tone, as he pointed to another elevator opening for me to ride on. (Thank you Lord for #2!)

The floors passed and stopped at the 14th floor. Hurriedly, I clocked in and had 9 minutes to spare. And I thought I was going to get my first tardy record for quite some time. The Lord has never let me down when it came to his faithfulness. That’s Good Thing Number 3.

I placed my thing in my cubicle, getting ready for the day, opening my bible diary. An officemate comes bearing food tidings. Breakfast for me! She was thanking me for helping her and her mother to the hospital. I told her she didn’t have to but she insisted and was adamant that I accept. Not one to let a kindness done to me pass, I accepted graciously. Hurray for Number 4!

Then I remembered that a brother in our community who is helping us with the house repairs was following up and checking. Though he had other paying work and surely plenty of meetings to go to, he checked on how the work was going, and how the workers were doing and if what materials we still needed. This is number 5 but should have been number 1. But we are not really into ranking of kindnesses, are we?

Now as I write this, it occurred to me that God had given me good things as soon as I woke up. A good dream about looking at magnificent shooting stars and comets with Gina my wife, the hugs and kisses of my girls, a roof under my head, a job that sustains us, a car to use, running water, Rosary on MP3, food, clothes on my back, health, some savings, etc. I could go on, both small and big.

I started my day with a prayer of offering to God and sought to find the good He has planned for me. And good things, I had aplenty

“Recalling all that the Lord had done, he prayed to him and said: “O Lord God, almighty King, all things are in your power, and there is no one to oppose you in your will to save Israel. You made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under the heavens.” Esther C: 1 - 3

And now, I end the day having these good things in my heart.

nice thread...its a positive and a good way to start the year...

well, thankful ako kay Lord kasi kahit nagkakasala ako love niya pa rin ako..

at may dream ako na kahit di matupad eh dream ko pa rin..

kasi parang imposible.....

happy new 2k9 to all.....