In the 1995 film “Dangerous Minds”, LouAnne Johnson, a first-time teacher did something unthinkable to her tough and seemingly hopeless students given-up for by her predecessors. She started their term with each student earning an outright perfect grade of 100 and challenging them to see their inner worth by striving to keep that score. She slowly worked her way to gain their trust by letting them feel her genuine concern and changing their belief that they are not the failures of society.
More than 2000 years ago, Jesus, the first-time man-form of God, did the most inconceivable action for His stature. He sacrificed his earthly body to be dragged, chained, stripped, whipped, spat-at, wounded, mocked, speared, nailed and finally put to death so all of us can gain back the entry to His kingdom. He spent three public years to proclaim this good news of salvation and to give hope to all people especially the sinners so their eyes will be opened to the truth that they are not the failures of God’s people. The message is clear, Heaven will rejoice at the knowledge of one sinner repenting and being converted rather than the ninety-nine righteous already enjoying God’s grace.
This Good Friday, we should remind ourselves to throw away our erroneous belief that we are hopeless sinners with a hopeless destiny. Jesus our Lord paid the price for our sinfulness and conquered the fearing grip of death with His resurrection after three days. He gave each one of us His sacrificial score of 100 for us to accept and live in accordance with. This is His only challenge for us in exchange for what He did – that we live our lives as saved, forgiven and loved persons of God.
So what is my present life-score with the Lord and how can I make myself more worthy of His passion and death?
The Lenten week provides the best opportunity to seek the answer in the silence of our hearts.
God bless our Holy week.
2008/03/19
2008/03/18
Roadblocks?
There will always come a time in our life when we are hindered from taking the next step that we want for our lives.
We passionately wanted to achieve or reach something only to realize that it is already late and we missed the opportunity.
We hit roadblocks in our life.
During my first two years inside the seminary, I have wanted so much to leave because I never felt in my heart the vocation to be a priest but I was always prevailed upon by my desire to make my parents happy. On the third year in the seminary, I started developing and feeling the vocation (or at least that’s how I felt it that time) but the rector and spiritual director discerned otherwise and let me go after that year. I was actually given the option to come back after a year, with pre-conditions that I attend the monthly weekend recollections so I tried to meet the requirements. But every time I was there, the activity was either cancelled or re-scheduled and I lost the chance to return.
Entering college, I wanted so much to take Psychology in UST but I was only able to pass the blood-and-sweat engineering examinations from another school. During college, I wanted to pursue the Electronics and Communication field only to finally end up with the Electrical degree due to some grade average requisites that I can not meet.
I was beginning to entertain thoughts of going back to the religious life when I met Menchie, my soon-to-be wife.
I wanted to keep working in my first company, but uneasiness with financial aspects and career advancement led me to try working abroad. My first job abroad was financially rewarding but it folded after 18 months since we started working and with 6 months of backwages vanishing with it.
My wife and I wanted to have our first baby after 1 year but our little Zek came only after 4 years of long waiting.
My second job was excruciatingly time-demanding and I needed time for my new born son but the lack of alternative jobs forced me to stay put until the year 2005.
By my own definition, my very own goals have been missing their marks because of these “roadblocks”.
However, if I reflect on it nowadays, I can understand better what God wanted to show me at each roadblock.
Because on hindsight, they weren’t roadblocks after all.
They were directional detours and signs to which way He wanted me to go.
They were actually my roadmap!
Today, I am a happily married husband and a father to 2 lovely children.
I am working for a small trading company that understands my need for a balanced time for work, family and spiritual life.
This is the life-phase our Lord wanted me to be before my next trip down the road.
Thanksgiving prayer:
Thank you Lord for guiding me and nudging me whenever necessary.
Please go on with your divine plans for me because they are far better than my own.
Help me to always trust in You with all of my heart and never to lean on my own folly understanding.
We passionately wanted to achieve or reach something only to realize that it is already late and we missed the opportunity.
We hit roadblocks in our life.
During my first two years inside the seminary, I have wanted so much to leave because I never felt in my heart the vocation to be a priest but I was always prevailed upon by my desire to make my parents happy. On the third year in the seminary, I started developing and feeling the vocation (or at least that’s how I felt it that time) but the rector and spiritual director discerned otherwise and let me go after that year. I was actually given the option to come back after a year, with pre-conditions that I attend the monthly weekend recollections so I tried to meet the requirements. But every time I was there, the activity was either cancelled or re-scheduled and I lost the chance to return.
Entering college, I wanted so much to take Psychology in UST but I was only able to pass the blood-and-sweat engineering examinations from another school. During college, I wanted to pursue the Electronics and Communication field only to finally end up with the Electrical degree due to some grade average requisites that I can not meet.
I was beginning to entertain thoughts of going back to the religious life when I met Menchie, my soon-to-be wife.
I wanted to keep working in my first company, but uneasiness with financial aspects and career advancement led me to try working abroad. My first job abroad was financially rewarding but it folded after 18 months since we started working and with 6 months of backwages vanishing with it.
My wife and I wanted to have our first baby after 1 year but our little Zek came only after 4 years of long waiting.
My second job was excruciatingly time-demanding and I needed time for my new born son but the lack of alternative jobs forced me to stay put until the year 2005.
By my own definition, my very own goals have been missing their marks because of these “roadblocks”.
However, if I reflect on it nowadays, I can understand better what God wanted to show me at each roadblock.
Because on hindsight, they weren’t roadblocks after all.
They were directional detours and signs to which way He wanted me to go.
They were actually my roadmap!
Today, I am a happily married husband and a father to 2 lovely children.
I am working for a small trading company that understands my need for a balanced time for work, family and spiritual life.
This is the life-phase our Lord wanted me to be before my next trip down the road.
Thanksgiving prayer:
Thank you Lord for guiding me and nudging me whenever necessary.
Please go on with your divine plans for me because they are far better than my own.
Help me to always trust in You with all of my heart and never to lean on my own folly understanding.
2008/03/10
Billionaire Talk
Two years ago, Warren Buffet, the second richest billionaire in the world donated a cosmic 38 billion USD to the foundation of Bill Gates, who incidentally at that time was the richest person in the world. That 38 billion represented more than half of his net asset at that period.
But have you heard about the 2008 billionaire listing?
Warren Buffet, according to Forbes, is now considered the richest person.
He overtook Bill Gates who is now “just” third place in the list after 13 years on the top. A Mexican mogul is at second place.
How exactly did he get richer after donating such amount is a stupefying wonder for an average person like me.
In my own simple mind, however, I can understand why it happened to Mr. Buffet.
He gave much and so he is receiving more, shaken, pressed down and overflowing.
Skeptics (I am raising my hand as I write this) will contend that his donation, though in the billions, is nowhere near the exhortation of biblical sharing of giving your all, your total means of living, your bread for the day (read: Luke 21:1-4 The widow and her two coins).
But who can honestly say this to himself that, “On my next paycheck, I will give 50% of my salary to a friend who will visit the orphanage nearby.” (This time I am keeping my hands down firmly on my keyboard). His billions would help vaccinate children from poor countries and provide them with good education. His remaining billions is not on glass display either but is used to run his many businesses that employs and supports thousands of people.
Yes, Warren Buffet is rich.
But generosity is not a by-product of richness.
You can be a poor person and not generous.
You can be an average person and still not generous.
You can be rich person and still not generous.
Generosity stems from the spirit of kindness within us.
Warren Buffet is both a kind and rich person.
Let us give him that.
A short prayer:
Lord, please teach me to be more kind, to share my blessings to those in need whether I am cash-strapped or cashful. Amen.
But have you heard about the 2008 billionaire listing?
Warren Buffet, according to Forbes, is now considered the richest person.
He overtook Bill Gates who is now “just” third place in the list after 13 years on the top. A Mexican mogul is at second place.
How exactly did he get richer after donating such amount is a stupefying wonder for an average person like me.
In my own simple mind, however, I can understand why it happened to Mr. Buffet.
He gave much and so he is receiving more, shaken, pressed down and overflowing.
Skeptics (I am raising my hand as I write this) will contend that his donation, though in the billions, is nowhere near the exhortation of biblical sharing of giving your all, your total means of living, your bread for the day (read: Luke 21:1-4 The widow and her two coins).
But who can honestly say this to himself that, “On my next paycheck, I will give 50% of my salary to a friend who will visit the orphanage nearby.” (This time I am keeping my hands down firmly on my keyboard). His billions would help vaccinate children from poor countries and provide them with good education. His remaining billions is not on glass display either but is used to run his many businesses that employs and supports thousands of people.
Yes, Warren Buffet is rich.
But generosity is not a by-product of richness.
You can be a poor person and not generous.
You can be an average person and still not generous.
You can be rich person and still not generous.
Generosity stems from the spirit of kindness within us.
Warren Buffet is both a kind and rich person.
Let us give him that.
A short prayer:
Lord, please teach me to be more kind, to share my blessings to those in need whether I am cash-strapped or cashful. Amen.
2008/03/05
Share Hope to others
It’s in the news today.
A study shows that more than 1 million deaths annually are caused by suicides and have increased by 60% in the past 50 years.
It is staggering and at a really worrisome stage.
It would take a decisive effort from each countries government to implement measures to curb this trend.
But we can do our humble share to help reverse this hopelessness in many people.
Start with ourselves and make the commitment to never take that path where God’s love terribly lost.
Believe that God meant everything for good no matter how hard the present situation is.
Then look at your family foremost and at the people around you.
Support one another.
Lend a helping hand.
Be a listening ear.
Offer well-meaning advices.
Uplift the spirit of the people around us.
Encourage to do better.
Focus on their strengths.
Be deliberate in saying kind and thoughtful words.
Even if a person is unlovable, make the sacrificial gesture of being good and kind to that person.
It is not hypocrisy to do that.
It is love.
Our Lord did not come into the world for the righteous but for the sinners to feel that they are also loved.
So let us all be God’s extension in loving others.
Let us share hope to other people that life has a meaning and purpose worth living for.
God bless us all.
A study shows that more than 1 million deaths annually are caused by suicides and have increased by 60% in the past 50 years.
It is staggering and at a really worrisome stage.
It would take a decisive effort from each countries government to implement measures to curb this trend.
But we can do our humble share to help reverse this hopelessness in many people.
Start with ourselves and make the commitment to never take that path where God’s love terribly lost.
Believe that God meant everything for good no matter how hard the present situation is.
Then look at your family foremost and at the people around you.
Support one another.
Lend a helping hand.
Be a listening ear.
Offer well-meaning advices.
Uplift the spirit of the people around us.
Encourage to do better.
Focus on their strengths.
Be deliberate in saying kind and thoughtful words.
Even if a person is unlovable, make the sacrificial gesture of being good and kind to that person.
It is not hypocrisy to do that.
It is love.
Our Lord did not come into the world for the righteous but for the sinners to feel that they are also loved.
So let us all be God’s extension in loving others.
Let us share hope to other people that life has a meaning and purpose worth living for.
God bless us all.
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