Phototaxis

What does a moth, Adolf Hitler and the three wise man have in common?

A little background for us.

A moth (aka gamu-gamo) is an insect that is closely related to the butterfly species that is mostly nocturnal. Common moths have a life-span of just a week or two after growing their wings.

Adolf Hitler, was the Austrian-born German leader of the Third Reich whose racially motivated policies resulted in the deaths of as many as 17 million people, including an estimated six million Jews and between 500,000 and 1,500,000 Roma targeted in the Holocaust.*

The 3 wise men, traditionally known as Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar or the Magi, are believed to be important people (kings) from the East who visited the baby Jesus on the first Christmas eve, bearing gifts of gold (valuable item), frankincense (a perfume) and myrrh (an anointing oil).

Going back to our question - So what does a moth, Adolf Hitler and the three wise man have in common?

The answer is – Phototaxis.

Phototaxis, a scientific term mainly used in microbiology, is a kind of taxis or locomotory movement that occurs when a whole organism moves in response to the stimulus of light. Phototaxis is called positive if the movement is in the direction of increasing light intensity and negative if the direction is opposite.*

Moths frequently appear to circle artificial lights, although the reason for this behavior remains unknown. One hypothesis advanced to explain this behavior is that moths use a technique of celestial navigation called transverse orientation. By maintaining a constant angular relationship to a bright celestial light, such as the moon, they can fly in a straight line. Celestial objects are so far away, that even after travelling great distances, the change in angle between the moth and the light source is negligible; further, the moon will always be in the upper part of the visual field or on the horizon. When a moth encounters a much closer artificial light and uses it for navigation, the angle changes noticeably after only a short distance, in addition to being often below the horizon. The moth instinctively attempts to correct by turning toward the light, causing airborne moths to come plummeting downwards, and resulting in a spiral flight path that gets closer and closer to the light source.*

The light it is attracted to becomes the source of its own destruction.

The light it is attracted to is artificial.

The actions of Adolf Hitler during his Nazi regime suggested that he saw himself as the light of the pure race that should inhabit our planet. And so he started his ultimate dream of mass-annihilation which included even his own people who has shown opposition to his plan.

The light he was attracted to became the source of other people’s destruction and his own soul’s eternal damnation.

The light he was attracted to was the false light.

Now here comes the 3 wise men who saw and followed the light of the star that finally led them to a manger in Bethlehem where Jesus is born. Truly, they are wise for they are mostly likely rich and respected members of their society, yet they travelled far in order to find and give their gifts to the baby Jesus as they kneel (an indication of great respect in those times). Their valuable time, talent and treasures were spent to what they believe to be one of the most (if not the most) important journey of their lives.

All three gifts are ordinary offerings and gifts given to a king. Myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable item.The three gifts had a spiritual meaning : gold as a symbol of virtue and kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of priestship and prayer, and myrrh (an annointing oil) as a symbol of suffering and death.

The light that the they were attracted to is the True Light that will save the world, the Light that ultimately gave sight to the blind, capacity to walk for the lame, healing to those who are ill, comfort and hope to the desperate and forgiveness to the repentant sinners.

The light that they were attracted to is the light of God’s love incarnate.

A few days from now and we will all be celebrating Christmas. A lot of us have been understandably busy with all the modern traditions that goes with the holiday season – last-minute shopping for gifts and Noche Buena foods, lots of parties and get-togethers to go to, house-cleaning and final preparations.

On one side, these activities are important up to some level BUT as Edward Hays noted (writer of “ A Pilgrim’s Almanac”), the supreme trick of the devil is to have us so busy decorating, preparing food, practicing music and cleaning in preparation for the feast of Christmas that we actually miss the coming of Christ. Hurt feelings, anger, impatience, injured egos (my personal additions –unforgiveness, resentments, fears, unworthiness) — the list of artificial lights that busyness creates to blind us to the birth of Jesus in its truest essence.

Edward Hays goes on to remind us that we should "take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.

Jesus Christ should be the only life-saving and inexhaustible Light of our lives.

There was a story where, in a certain church, the parish priest was anxiously looking for an image of the baby Jesus that disappeared from their manger decoration. After his relentless searching he found a small boy pulling a plastic wagon with the image of the baby Jesus inside. When asked why he did it, the boy simply replied, “Well, you see Father, I have been praying to Jesus to receive this wagon gift and I promised Him that, if my wish comes true, I will give Him a ride around so He can see the whole church. And so I did”, as he carefully puts the image back into the manger.

Jesus has done so much by being born a human like us. So it is befitting that our greatest display of gratitude is that we put utmost importance to his birth by carrying Him in our hearts so He can meet and save more people.

Let us all pause to pray.

A Christmas prayer by Meister Eckhart (Living Faith)

Lord, we do far too much celebrating your actual coming in our hearts. I believe in God, but do I believe in God-in-me? I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in God-on-earth? I believe in God out there, but do I believe in God-with-us?

Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas and stay in me all year long.

Amen.

God bless and Merry Christmas to all.

40

Wow.

I am all smiles today because I just turned 40 years old.

And what amazing years it has been for me.

If I were to look back at each quarter of my 40-year life and select out my top 3 highlights, it should be these.

Years 0-10

1. I was born (yep, otherwise my 40 years in existence would have been totally moot) through my loving parents who guided and provided for me and my siblings through all these years.

2. I was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic religion which my parents have piously imparted through their devotions and integrity in both their public and personal lives.

3. I was untouchable, not because I was a toughie, but on the contrary, I was a sickly, asthmatically thin dark boy who shuffles from bed-rest to hospital wards with all kinds of ailments easily finding refuge in my weak body. This is why even the most despicable bully around would take pity on me.

Years 11-20

1. I entered the seminary for 3 years. On the first 2 years, I never had the inclination to pursue priesthood and instead willingly did or participated in unmeritorious activities, yet I was not expelled. On my 3rd year, I thought I felt the vocation only to be "regent-out" by the end of that school-year. I made a few half-hearted attempts to go back to no avail (Thank you, Lord for not choosing this vocation for me). Nevertheless, the training and experience there has been a good foundation for my present beliefs and thinking. And the friendship I established with some fellow seminarians have withstood the test of time.

2. I got involved and learned about a lot of adolescent stuffs and activities like - writing articles, reading books, playing table tennis (in 3 years of representing our class, I made 2 quick elimination round exits and managed a semi-final trip on my last), shooting hoops in basketball (I never made it to any varsity team though) and guitar playing (with our eventual garage band touring, well, inside the garage).

3. After 3 failed attempts to court 2 girls (yes, I was denied twice by the same girl, aaargh), I met Menchie and charmed my way (sorry, my article so my own interpretation of events ha ha)to her heart and we started dating when I was 19 years old and she was 16 years old (yes, I was guilty of brain washing a minor but for a very honorable intention, in my defense).

Years 21-30

1. My wife and I started our respective professional careers.

2. After 8 years of nurturing and enriching our relationship, we finally tied the unbreakable knot on April 11,1999. Oh, I will never forget the sweetest look and "yes" from my wife as we declare our solemn marital vows.

3. The first opportunity to work outside the country came and I took it with high-hopes that my wife and I can start our family in China.

Years 31-40

1. My wife and I were blessed with our first son Zek after 4 years of waiting. Our daughter Maia closely followed only to be abruptly taken back to heaven after just 22 months of her young life (it was our single most devastating and painful moment of our family life). Our youngest Aim is nearly 7 months old to this day.

2. As inspired by very good Catholic writers Fr. Jerry Orbos and Bro. Bo Sanchez, God's calling for me to use His given talent of writing to spread His message of love started. And so 4 years ago saw the birth of my blogging in "People, Places and Praises" that kept me writing my reflections and musings about God's personal messages in all the wonderful people I meet, in all the places and events that I continue to witness and be part of.

3. I enjoy every moment with my family (yes, including both ups and downs because as Rick Warren beautifully puts it, life is like travelling on a railroad track - one side representing good experiences and the other bad moments yet both essential to make the travel in this so called life).

Thank you, Lord, for the forty meaningful years of my life.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me all these years despite my iniquities and frailties.

Looking forward, my goals for the next 10 years shall be, but not limited to:

1. I will keep an open and obedient heart to God's prodding no matter how illogical it may seem, as long as it will serve His divine purpose for my family.

2. I will keep my family together no matter what.

3. I will grow my financial literacy to make a few sound investments that hopefully will grow so that my family can remain good stewards of His blessings to benefit others in need.

4. I will become a semi-vegetarian (means zero pork and beef already) to compensate for my lack of physical activity.

5. I will continue to write for God's glory.

Surely 40 years is not the age for the dreaded and cynically termed mid-life crisis but it is the beginning of great things and abundant blessings yet to come.

Here I am, Lord.

Purify my heart and intentions.

Lead me always so that I may be able to lead others to you as well.

PS

Just for fun, I googled-up some significant biblical events relating to the number forty and the results were:

- Before the temptation of Christ, Jesus fasted for "forty days and forty nights" in the Judean desert.

- Forty days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to His ascension.

- In modern Christian practice, Lent consists of the 40 days preceding Easter.

- In the Old Testament, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights in the great flood in which all land living being perished except those on Noah's ark.

It's a good company of number 40's to be with. :)

Fixing Time

It’s winter time again in China!

As usual, a lot of things inside our flat will change with the season. All warm clothes are out of the cabinet. Thick quilts and comforters are pulled-out from their boxes. Fan heater is on stand-by mode. And water heater is activated.

However, our water heater has a leak so I tried to device some ways to remedy it.

Remedy No.1: I put a pail under the leak! (This is the classic easy but lazy solution that I thought of. My bad)

Result: The pail easily gets full and I must pour it empty once too often

Remedy No.2: I tried to stop the leak by tying a cloth and plastic wrap around it. (My alternative choice in the absence of an elastic rubber band)

Result: The leak breaks into smaller water spurts that my pail can not even catch. The walls and floors became wet.

Remedy No. 3: I just tried to close the water valve after every use.

Result: Several times we were ready to take our shower and realized that the water valve was still closed so we had to open it again. It's an inconvenient way of losing time.

And so, after several days of watching in silent amazement at my "creative" ideas to solve this problem, my ever-forebearing and loving wife ( Thank God for her ) requested me to call the flat owner. Immediately he came, removed the defective valve and changed it with a brand new one – problem totally solved in a half hour.

Advent season has arrived.

It is 4 weeks of pre-Christmas spiritual preparation for the coming birth of our Lord.

Or in a more layman’s term – it’s fixing time!

Our brokenness.

Our weakness.

Our failings, our faults, our flaws.

Our sinfulness.

Actually, like the broken water valve, we can also find several excuses to dodge the inevitable fixing.

We can deny (“I am fine.”)

We can procrastinate (“I will do this some other time.”)

We can give-up (“I am not forgivable.”)

But the plain truths remain – everybody commits sin, nobody knows what will happen tomorrow and everyone is “fixable”.

We need repentance.

We need confession.

We need to do it now.

We need to call upon Him into our lives and let Him fix our lives, once again, for the nth time.

Be assured that He doesn’t mind doing this, no matter what apprehensions we have, because He only has unconditional love for each one of us.

As one robot character in an animation movie for kids said, “Why be you when you can be new?”. This year’s Advent season is now calling us, inviting us to be “new” in God’s eyes.

May we all have new and refreshed hearts come Christmas time.

God bless.

Semper Fi

My father, being born around the end-time of the Second World war, is a self-confessed war history buff. In fact, our eldest sibling's name came from a re-knowned general from the first World War. A lot of my early childhood memories included browsing through the pages of his thick World War 2 book looking at those pictures of brave men in uniform, either bloodied or dead, who fought bravely to defend their inalienable right to freedom and independence.

My father's interests in war-time history inevitably rubbed on me as well since I have always been fascinated with war movies, both ancient and modern. Even biblical accounts of fighting (who can ever forget Moses vs Pharaoh showdown or the David vs Goliath one on one battle), were well-worth of my free time as an adolescent. Of the modern military people, the US Marines have always topped my list of "cool" dudes. For me, they are, despite their limited financial budget, the most disciplined, well-trained, highly flexible and strike-anywhere men who knows how to make use of whatever resources are available at their disposal.

In 1883, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) adopted their Semper Fidelis as new motto which is Latin for "always faithful". It guided Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to their country under any circumstances. Living out their awareness of their motto day by day has made this more than just a team slogan of sorts - it has become their brotherhood and their way of life. In times of armed conflict, a Marine will never leave a wounded comrade behind.

In this times where war has evolved from just mere armed conflicts, our world is constantly battling wars brought about by the devil's destructive warfare of wrath, greed, lust, pride, envy, sloth and gluttony. The uncertainties in the world economy today are undoubtedly attributed to corporate and individual greed. The age of terrorism came from the deep hatred of extremists against the influence of the West. Lust for power and money has corrupted a lot of world leaders. And with apathy on the increase (I still can't believe a 2-year old hit-and-run victim bloodied and fatally lying on the street was just "passed-by" by the 18 people who saw her.) from ordinary people like us, there are signs that are arguably turning the tides in favor of the evil one.

This is why we Christians are more being called to sign-up for a lifetime of service to counter-attack whatever advances the enemy is seemingly gaining. What we personally lack to fight against his dark forces, God's promise of aid by the Holy Spirit by giving us wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord will suffice. For Catholics in particular, it is in living up to our Baptismal and Confirmatory vows that we can fulfill our Christian obligations to defend our faith.

CCC 1285 states that "Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."

Sounds like a tall order considering our own struggles and weaknesses?

Not really.

Time and time again, God has shown to us that He can use the "weakest link" among us to be His staunchest and most successful ally. We have all the biblical characters to attest to God's mysterious ways of recruiting defenders of His kingdom on earth and the communion of saints (whether canonized or not) to look up to and emulate. All He actually requires from us is that we remain faithful despite the disheartening and discouraging sights around us. All He actually expects from us is that we do not let a fellow human be left behind as we journey towards our destiny with Him.

Semper fidelis Deo. Caritas hominibus.

Always faithful to God. Charity to mankind.

This should be our stronghold personal motto.

Better yet, it should be our way of life.

The Blame Game

One unhealthy habit that our son Zek has more-than-willing-to indulged on is eating junk foods. And it does not help one bit that my parents has a modest sari-sari store which is also a mother lode of all those chicha goodies. My wife and I have resorted to all parenthood 101 tips in dissuading him from his eating habit with little progress. So one time I had to make it straight and firm in imposing a stop to his habit.

Zek instantly went straight to his grandfather who was staying inside the store and with his own version of strong advice told him, ”Papa, put down all your chicha goodies because my daddy says I can’t eat them anymore.” My father has a good laugh with him afterwards.


Man in the Mirror

My son, in his innocent reaction, has reminded me what most of us has been doing every time we commit sin – pointing the blame on others.

“He made me so angry so I punched him.”
“She gossiped behind my back so I spread tales about her, too.”
“He promised me that he will leave his wife so I slept with him.”
“He falsely testified against me before so I also make unfounded accusation against him.”

This reality was also biblically highlighted during the commission of the first sin by our parents. Adam pointed to Eve for prodding him to eat the forbidden fruit. And when asked, Eve pointed to the devious snake for deceiving her with lies.

A few year’s ago, I was in a similar dilemma when I allowed myself to have weeks of Saturday-night extra marital affairs with several women. No, it was not of the physical nor emotional nature but of the mental and visual one as I slowly learned to explore the sordid world of internet pornography. Extenuating circumstances may have contributed to my series of mistakes but it was only after I owned up to my sinfulness and weakness that I slowly turned things around and eventually break from that sinful habit-forming activities. I went to confession and put preventive measures to safeguard myself and my thoughts.

I could have blamed pornography. I could have faulted my extenuating circumstances. I could have pointed the finger at the dawning of internet age which created this easy-access. I could have blamed the porn-sites for creating the supply. Instead, I admitted and accepted that my actions and repercussions are of my own making and my sole responsibility alone.

And so, by God’s mercy and grace, personal change finally came.


A Nation on Spotlight

As a nation, we are now facing a critical crossroad that will lead us to either becoming a people who truly respects and fight for the right of one of the weakest part of our society- the unborn, or those who will support a national legislation masking our moral-justification for the termination of life at conception. Both pro and anti RH bill have eloquently interpolated their stands and compelling views with matching statistical data. However, in all its head-spinning and unbelievable twists and turns, in the end, the contentious legislative proposal really boils to one thing – our government leaders does not want to own up to their shortcomings and attempt to shift the blame on other factors as to why there are many poor Filipinos.

They blame the population.
They claim it’s the “outdated” natural family-planning.
They point to the Catholic church for pontificating abstinence and natural family planning.

Let us pray for our so-called leaders that they will have the needed humility and change of heart to realize and accept that as our chosen leaders, true change and prosperity will only come when they lead us with honesty and integrity. Let us continue to hope that they finally emulate their leadership with that of our Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd leads his flock to green pasture and protects them from vicious wolves. A good shepherd looks for, rescues and rejoices for every single lost and weak sheep and brings it back to his fold.

And as for us Christians, let our belief in the sanctity and preservation of life be heard.
If we keep silent, it will be construed as a silent concurrence to this evil scheme.

So let it be known – I am strongly opposed to the present RH bill.
I hope you are, too.

God bless.

Umbrellas and Rainy Days

In China, their rainy and typhoon season is squeezed between the end of spring and the beginning of summer. During this time, their western and middle provinces experience the brunt of flashfloods and a lot of crop and property destructions, notwithstanding the lives that tragically ends. Luckily for most southern and eastern parts, the floods are not a usual occurrence despite the equally strong rains coming.

Our workplace and my habitual residence are in this southern side.

In the past years, I have unpleasant experiences of being caught unprepared by a sudden downpour that this year I made the “perfect” plan to make sure I will be rain-proofed. First, I kept one umbrella in our workplace. Second, I set aside another umbrella in my residence. Third and as a final precaution, I saved another umbrella inside our regular company car that we use going back and forth to work. Yup, I felt safe and secured. Until, one day, for unknown reason, another car was lent to us instead. While inside the car the rain started to pour real hard. That is when I realized that my three umbrellas were all in other locations other than with me.

I was clearly mistaken to assume that I can totally avoid rain by having more umbrellas than necessary.

This reminded me the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-20, “…There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”

In striking similarity in our lives, we also have these “security-umbrellas” that comes in the forms of money, career, fame or power that we vainly try to accumulate in our pursuit of happiness and security. A lot of us are devoting more and more time gaining these “perishable goods” than to enrich our selves with what is of heavenly importance – to love and to serve others. What is more sad is that we already have all the historical and real-life accounts of those rich, powerful and famous people who have reached their pinnacle of success only to confess in their old age or at death-bed that their pursuits were nothing but a chase after the wind and that they have lived a life of regret. But it seems the message still has not sunk in yet into our consciousness and into our conscience.

So how we should live has been forthrightly pinpointed in Luke 12: 34-35, “Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

During the whole trip, amidst the pouring rain, I was worrying since I was as sure as daylight that I am going to be soaking wet later. It was raining for the duration of our 45-minute trip so how can I possibly even thought that it would stopped before I step out of the car in a few more minutes. But to my surprise, the rain started to drizzle down as we approached our factory area. Finally, when we stepped out of the car, all I felt was a few mists blowing into my face.

In life, we have a lot of rain, a lot of downpours that could easily cast a dark shadow of worry and anxiety in us. Some of these “rains” are failed marriages, an un-reconciled past, financial troubles and dire poverty, broken family, an addiction, untimely lost of a loved ones, critical or debilitating physical challenges and unfulfilled dreams and aspirations. Sadly, when others feel that their problems are far from being resolve, they start to worry. They started to despair. They regress. Then, they give up. They lose hope. And finally, they hide inside their inner shelves, closing the doors with an abloy padlock and throwing away the keys into the river for no one to recover.

But the right attitude was clearly proclaimed, amongst other biblical verses, in Proverbs 3:5-6 saying, “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Truly, umbrellas are always synonymous with rains yet neither one should distract us away from our life-mission.
We can do with one umbrella to keep us dry.
And we need not worry as to when the rain will end.

All we need is to trust Him because God knows exactly what we need in any given moment.
Now that’s a rain or shine promise He faithfully keeps.

Keep In Contact

We have a gas stove with its ignition spark induced by two pieces of type C batteries. Normally, these batteries must be replaced quarterly to keep the spark an easy-click operation. But one time, the spark was not really there despite replacing old batteries with new ones. I checked the gas supply system and it was also in good working condition so I focused again on the batteries. After a few minutes, I found the problem. It was not the batteries themselves but it was one of the battery terminals inside the stove. It was highly corroded that no electricity from the fully-charged batteries can pass to the circuitry and eventually to the spark mechanism. All I needed to do was to scratch and clean the contact plates to remove the surface corrosions. It worked fine afterwards.

This is also what happens when we sin. Yes, sinning corrodes our conscience and heart that we lose contact of God’s constant graces and blessings. Whenever we sin, we cover ourselves with the stained dirt, in effect, shielding ourselves from His all encompassing love. And the longer we stay in our sinful state, the more God seems distant and unconcern about us. We start to drift away from Him and His calling.

But there is hope.

God’s mercy and forgiveness, felt solemnly and efficaciously administered through the sacrament of Penance, cleanses and rinse away every single blot of sin that hinders our direct communion with Him. We will get back to our normal and personal contact with Him and we clearly hear again His voice and instructions.

Losing contact with the Lord lately?
Then go ahead and check out God’s red-light district – the confessional box.

He eagerly awaits for each one of us who needs cleaning.

In Good Times, In Bad Times

Last month, on my trip back to Philippines, I had an unusually pleasant experience on the way to the airport.

With our third child to be born the following day, I had to bring home more stuffs that resulted to two big luggage, 1 heavy back pack, a big and a small box separately. On the ferry terminal port and after the x-ray machine, one custom official, seeing the difficult time I have in bringing my stuffs, motioned to me to keep using the push cart up to the loading bay. Another loading bay staff, seeing that my big box has some small damage, offered a packing tape to patch it up. Still panting and gasping for air upon reaching the check-in counter in Hongkong, there was a long queue of student-participants for a sports-fest, but one local staff went over to me to assist me ahead of the long queue. He asked me if how many baggage I have and I showed him. He courteously prepared my papers and without even weighing my stuffs, proceeded to check them all by himself (I know I have at least 8kgs in excess and for which I have prepared the money to pay for). I looked at my passport and it was still the normal one but I felt like a diplomatic person at that time.

I thanked the staff and gave a silent thanks to God.

In contrast while I was in our country, the unpleasant incidents came piling up in one afternoon. I was in a rush-mode to finish a lot of things on the last week of my vacation. In the hospital, the parking area was full and I have to go around three times to find a slot. The hospital staffs were nowhere to be found and I have to wait more as they misplaced the document I came there for. Back in the parking lot, I know I was 2 minutes below the first free 30 minutes stay but the caretaker insisted that I was not. End of discussion – I paid and rushed to one government office to file the documents for our medical claims. I arrived 4:55pm but the guard stopped me dead-tracked on my way inside and said I must come back the next day already, even as I peeked inside and saw their staffs still inside. A deep breath, a deep sigh and off I went home somehow frustrated over the barrage of misfortunes.

However, upon seeing my family and my newborn son Aim soundly sleeping, I realized my blessings, changed my mood in an instant and gave a silent thanks to the Lord.

Rick Warren beautifully puts it - that life is like a railroad tracks and both good and bad things happens side by side. We only have to focus and appreciate the good side and view the bad things as an opportunity to grow in faith to be able to keep an attitude of gratitude towards God.

Indeed, in good times or in bad times, we must be thankful at all times and in all situations.
Thank you, Lord.

Prayer for Manny

Our present national icon will be going for another highly anticipated super bout this coming Sunday and safe to say, millions upon millions of Filipinos will be glued once again to their television sets to watch and cheer for him.

Boxing has been one of the most liked sports in our poverty-stricken nation and Manny's life and success story of rags to punching riches has served as an inspiration for a lot of youngsters and old folks alike.

But not for me (and a few others as well) and for one good reason.

Any sport that involves deliberate and intentional infliction of bodily harm to an opponent in order to be viewed as a winner is not a "right" sport to neither get involved with nor give support to. Most people only always pay attention to those lifting of golden title belts at the end of the game, the humongous cash rewards that came along with it, and the fame with lavish victory parades, yet nobody dares accept the fact that more than 1,000 annual deaths happen around the world during actual ring fights. And we are only speaking about recorded fights and casualties but a lot lot more happens in obscurity. And what about the undocumented long-term after-effects of those grueling fights. Casius Clay (aka Muhammad Ali) now has Parkinson's disease, which is medically viewed and accepted as mainly caused and induced early due to the many head injuries he sustained during his heydays.

So when the fight starts (even though I will not watch it), I will offer a prayer for both Manny and his opponent for their safety more than for their victory because both the winner and loser are fellow human beings who are endangering their lives by methodically beating each other black and blue, amidst the chants and cheers of an "entertained" crowd. My Filipino pride will be there if Manny wins but I wish for his safety foremost.

In summary, I support Manny but I have stopped supporting boxing (it's an unpopular choice for a few) or any other physically violent sports. It only brings out a certain dark side of our humanity.

On the other hand, this coming Sunday also, Manny will wear a yellow set of gloves which is a first for the boxing world. He dedicates this fight with yellow gloves to his life-time advocacy to alleviate poverty in our motherland.

Now this is Manny's fight that I hope every single Filipinos will really get into the ring for, to cheer and support and eventually to be champion themselves in their own noble and humble ways.

God bless.



(Below is an portion from an Phil. Daily Inquirer article by Philip Tubeza on the day of fight)

MANILA, Philippines—Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s bishop thinks boxing is un-Christian and has long advised him to retire from the ring. Punching another person, even for sport, is like “boxing the Holy Spirit,” according to Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez whose diocese includes Pacquiao’s Sarangani province whose lone district the boxing legend represents in Congress.

“It is un-Christian to hurt others,” according to the bishop who said Pacquiao is a friend.

According to Gutierrez, the Church considers a person’s body as the “temple of the Holy Spirit” which should not be abused or harmed.
“I don’t approve of boxing because you are hurting the other. Every person is a temple of the Holy Spirit. If you box someone and punch him, it’s like you’ve also punched the Holy Spirit, the temple,” Gutierrez said in an interview.
“What did the Lord say? Love your neighbor. That’s why I’ve never approved of boxing,” he said.

Many Catholic theologians share Gutierrez’s negative view of the sport. In 2005, “Civilta Cattolica,” a leading Jesuit journal in Rome that reflects the official view of the Vatican, said that boxing and the business interests around it was immoral.
Boxing is based on violence and run by business interests interested in making money out of the suffering boxers inflict on each other, the journal said.

For complete article, please click this link http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110508-335233/Bishop-Youre-boxing-the-Holy-Spirit

Labor of Love

One time I read a joke that the reason why Mother's Day is being celebrated in the month of May is that they are the only group of people who really understands the importance and essence of Labor Day.

Certainly, we all could agree about the nobility and divinity of her calling. For in her womb springs forth, with God's anointed blessing, a physical and spiritual life that she will nurture during her nine months of selfless inconvenience. If anybody thinks that her mission is over after child birth, then you have not seen how her time and attention are concentrated and focused in providing for all her baby's need from sunrise until sundown and even during the wee hours of the night. And when her baby is ill, her anxiety notches higher and she hardly takes her eyes off her child to make sure that the baby is recovering well. She feeds, bathes, clothes, massages, sing and hum lullaby songs, plays, reads stories, teaches her baby as he/she grows. Of course she finds time to rest as well but she often does that while she is washing, folding and ironing clothes, cooking breakfast and dinner, washing the dishes and bay bottles. cleaning the house, paying bills in the bank, buying groceries and some more other stuffs she can squeeze her spare time with. She brings up her child in knowing God and how to have a righteous and peaceful relationship with Him.

Proverbs 31: 28-29 beautifully tells us that "Her children rise up and praise her; her husband, too, extols her: "Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all."

True enough, being a mother, no matter how the modern society belittles and disparage her role, is one vocation that personifies God's love, albeit full of human imperfections. A mother's love is the closest one we can experience God's perfect love as Isaiah 49:15 highlighted that ,"Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you."

So for all mothers out there, thank you for all your years of laboring in love.
Happy Mother's Day and we love you.

PS1. If your mother is still alive today, please make her feel back a little of the vast love she has given you. A simple date, a simple flower, a hug, a kiss or even a phone call from afar would make her day memorable.

PS2. There are actually two ways to become a mother - by the womb and by the heart. Caregivers, caretakers and sisters who also labor in love to care for orphans, abandoned, abused, disabled and oppressed children around the world are as equally deserving of a mother's honor for their selfless and dedicated love to these children.Let us offer a prayer for them as well.If you personally know some of them, a personal mother's day greeting will also mean a lot to them.

To Live is To Believe

There was a high-wire acrobat who wanted to show his amazing skills by crossing adjacent towering buildings 30 meters apart by walking on a thin metal cable attached from both ends. The crowd held their breath as the acrobat carefully threaded the wire, pausing at times, whenever the wind showed slight gusts that could make him lose his precarious balance. After finally crossing the other side, all the people below clapped and cheered his feat. The acrobat’s assistant on the ground shouted that for his next trick, he would cross again on the wire while pushing a modified wheelbarrow. The assistant asked the crowd if they believe that he can do that and they all chorused in agreement. Once again, the acrobat successfully showed his incredible skill to everyone’s delight. At last, his assistant again shouted that for his last trick, he will once again cross on the wire with the wheel-barrow but now with a person riding on it. And the crowd went wild in cheering appreciation to show their belief that he can do it after having witnessed the first two acts. When the noise simmered down, his assistant, without batting an eyelash, asked the crowd if anybody will be willing to be the one to ride the wheelbarrow. A deafening silence came. One by one, the assistant approached everybody in the crowd and, one by one, each person approached walked away until there was nobody left in the crowd.

Today is Easter Sunday. Today is the day the Lord has risen, as prophesied in the old times and as shared by the Lord to His disciples on some occasions of misunderstood predictions. The agonizing suffering, pain and humiliation is over. The mission is completed. God the Father has glorified His beloved Son who have finally won our redemption. We are now fully liberated from the permanent effects of the original sin. Our heavenly inheritance is restored.

Our Lord is alive, historically and physically speaking, as testified by all those who witnessed His resurrected self.

The tomb is empty. The linen cloths are lying around. Mary Magdalene and the holy women were the first to witness the event. Peter and John followed. The apostles in fearful hiding after His arrests saw how Jesus appeared in their midst despite the closed doors. Thomas who was absent at the first meeting had his chance to cast away all his doubts after Jesus allowed him to touch all the physical wounds He endured during His passion. The disciples on the road to Emmaus conversed and shared a meal with Him. The events of first Easter transcended the common notion of simply seeing to believe because all those who witnessed the risen Lord were forever converted and empowered to preach and live a fearless life based on His preaching and His call to evangelize all men to the ends of the earth.

As Christians, we believe in all these biblical accounts and traditions told about Christ’s resurrection. But whether we have fully embraced this truth in loving faith and obedience is another question for us to reflect on. A lot of times, we preferr to be just cheering (at times, even rock-still) spectators of God’s works through other people. We are anxious and fearful of leaving our comfort zones. Just like the spectators of the acrobat, we believe in Jesus as long as we will not be disturbed in our daily lives. But as Christians, it is essential that we live a life of faith following Jesus’ lead – obedient to the Father’s will, lover of repentant sinners, opposition to sinfulness, just and merciful, healer of wounded heart’s and spirits, follower of the true laws of love, a good Shepherd to those in need of guidance. There is no other way for other people to see our belief in Christ than to see our faith lived well in accordance to His will. As it has been often told, the greatest and most influential bible that a person can see and be evangelized with is the imperfect and struggling yet focused life of the Christian to become holy.

Finally, for those who still have their doubts about accepting Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer, our prayer is that you will not postpone it any longer.
If you will do it sometime, why not now?
If you will do it somewhere, why not start in your heart?

A blessed and happy Easter to all.

To Pray - A Christian Battle - Part 4

Third Armor - Perseverance

Have you ever felt a time when praying seems useless since nothing is happening? Some people even claim that it is a total waste of time because God has a pre-ordained decision for us already. This is absolutely false.

The Lord spoke of a parable about perseverance in Luke 11:5-8.

"And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him, and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything. I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence."

If a person has been ill for many years despite praying consistently, there will always come a time when discouragement is a strong option for him. If a wife, beaten black and blue by his drunkard husband for years, has been faithfully praying for his conversion for a long time to no avail, she can succumb to deep depression and withdrawal of faith and prayer life. If a pornographic addicted person prays from deliverance from his habitual sins and yet still failing at the wily ways of devil's temptation to sin, he is likely to give up his fight and repel any prodding by the Spirit to pray.

But praying consistently is more about the Giver than it is about the "gift" that we wanted. And if the "gift" ever comes, this only means it is in accordance to His will and in His appointed time where we will reap the full benefits of the gift.

According to the life-story of St. Augustine, he was, before his conversion, a lazy and dissolute young man who pursued worldly pleasure and even joined the heretical Manichaean sect. It was, by his account, only because of her mother, St. Monica's unceasing prayer life that has contributed greatly to his life's turn around. All throughout the nine years that St. Augustine preached heresies, her mother persisted in prayer and in inviting him back to the Catholic fold. Tradition has it that St. Monica prayed for him for 32 years. This is why she is now the patron saint of mothers with waywayrd children.

Imagine praying to relentlessly to God for 32 years and how St. Monica has matured and grown in her personal relationship with God through all those years of constant communication with Him. Imagine how deep is her faith in the Lord who, after seemingly ignoring her for so many years, has rewarded her persistence by making her heretic son one of the well-loved and known doctor of the Church.

So all of us must persevere in prayer as well.

Because in the end, praying is not about transforming God to what we expect of Him but more so transforming us to what God has intended us to be.

Have a prayerful Lenten season.

God bless.