It's All In Your Hands

Many centuries ago, two teenage boys decided to play trick on one of the wise old philosopher who wandered about the Agora, or market place, of ancient Athens. They captured a tiny bird. Afterwards, they approached the wise old man as one of them held the bird in his hands behind his back where the old man can’t see it. Then approaching the old man he said,”Wise man of Athens, I have in my hands a bird. Tell me, is it dead or is it alive?”

If the old man said,”Dead,” the boy would open his hands and let the bird fly away, proving the old man wrong. If, on the other hand, he said,”Alive,” then crunch! The boy would squeeze the little bird to death and then hold it up. They were quite certain that they could make a fool of him either way.

“I have a bird in my hands. Tell us, wise man, is it dead or alive?” the two boys challenged the old man. By noww a crowd had gathered to watch this confrontation of wisdom and foolishness.

The old man thought pensively for a moment, then looking into the face of the lad holding the bird replied,”I know not whether the bord is dead or alive, but this I know: Its life is in your hands.”   (taken from Harold J. Sala’s “The Parent Map: Navigating the Way to Raising Great Kids”)

Dear co-parents, our responsibility to bring up our children is so tremendous it could mean their success or “demise” in this troubled world. It is even “non-transferrable” (hint: school, teacher, spiritual counselor) and “non-delayable” (hint: when he/she is seven or when he/she becomes a teen). It’s a daily nitty-gritty-grinding head-butting decision to be the “best” parents we can be to their impressionable minds.

Sounds scary? Not if we seek daily God’s grace and strength for our family journey. After all, it is God’s divine plan that our children become “our” children, so His grace is sufficient for each one of us. And whatever we lacked or over-looked, we still can pray that God blesses the seeds of love we have sown in their hearts to overcome those.

God bless us families.

Pencil Parable

Pencil Parable: Your goodness or true-worth is within.

She was short, wrinkly-skin and old. She was a foreigner without material wealth and lived in one of desolately poor part of India. But despite falling way below the wordly standard of success, she is mostly revered and admired by a lot of people and genuinely loved by those whose lives she has touched. Her beauty transcended outward appearance because of her inner beauty that vowed wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor. 

Her name was Mother Teresa.

Pencil Parable: You will need to be sharpened as you go through life.

He supported and fought for the end of apartheid. He was jailed for 27 years where he experienced all sorts of racial abuse coming from his white jail wardens. He persevered and accomplished his dream of a free African people by winning and becoming the first black president of South Africa. After his victory, he once again fought for peace and racial reconcilliation with their oppressors.

His name was Nelson Mandela

Pencil Parable: You will be in someone else’s hand.

It was the time of the pre-Nazi occupation of Europe and this young man was required to undergo military training against his will. Instead, he performed with various theaters where he hone his multi-language skills. As soon as the Germans occupied his homeland, he worked as messenger, quarry laborer, chemical factory worker because of threats of Germany deportation. Three years after and while the war was still on-going, he decided to enter priesthood and offered his life to God’s call to serve. And by all means, he did serve long and served well as the 264th pope.

His name was Karol Josef Wojtyla or Pope John Paul II

Pencil Parable: You are expected to leave your mark.

He lived at the time of oppressive British-rule. His nationalism and drive for their country’s self-rule has spurred non-violent protests and actions throughout their land that reverberated around the world. His truth-based peaceful civil disobedience despite the constant threat of jail and violence has become hallmark battle-cries of colonized and oppressed people and nations. Our very own People Power that brought down a tyrant dictator is without an iota of doubt, a replication of his initiative.

His name is Mahatma Gandhi.

In our own small everyday ways, we too can be a "pencil" if we believe in our inner goodness and persevere regardless of the trials and difficulties.

And if we do allow God to use our small-ness for His will, then the mark we will leave will surely lead others to our Creator.

God bless. 

References:

1. Parable of the Pencil – from James Feehan as shared in We Celebrate God’s Love

2. Biography.com for excerpts on the lives of Mahatma Gandi, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. 

The Return

Just like most Pinoys, I am a self-confessed basketball fanatic with immovable loyalty to my favorite teams since the first time I learned to handle the orange rubber ball.

For the local team it has always been San Miguel Beer and for the international team, I will forever be a Laker fan.

For San Miguel, it all started when the team was composed of the efficiently coached, solid core of Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, Allan Caidic while for the Lakers, it was always the fascination with the triumvirate of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy. Both were elite teams at that time.

As time went by, San Miguel declined with the coming of the dynastic Alaska Milk team, but I still kept rooting for the beermen. At the other side of the globe, the out-of-this-world insanely ridiculous exploits of the Chicago Bulls and his Airness has left everyone jaw-dropped and in awed but I stuck it out with the then struggling Lakers. Talagang matalo-manalo San Miguel at Lakers lang :D.

Before officially turning pro at 18 years old, I have already read some intriguing write-ups about Lebron James about his amazing hoop skills and how the basketball world have come in anticipation for him to enter the NBA. And so he did.

Alas, his colourful years have been a roller coaster of highs and lows (with mostly lows) as critics and fan alike magnified everything he did on and off the court. At times, he did seem to have committed blunders, most notably, when he decided to leave his hometown crowd after seven years of frustrations to seek his first championship elsewhere. Then, he started winning and kept on playing on the finals game in the next four years. With all the recent success and amidst the back-dropped of winning more championships in his present team, he seemed overwhelmed and content from the outside. But the “kid from Akron, Ohio” feeling the deep tug in his heart all those years being away decided, in his own words “ to return home and help his hometown win their very-first ever sports championship”. 

His demeanor and big-heart decision deserves admiration.

So whether his return will finally be fruitful or just another short-term crack at redemption before moving elsewhere again, he would be closely watched.

As I said, I will be a San Miguel-Laker fan for life but I will also count myself now as a Lebron-Cleveland fan for some feel-good years to come.

It’s a prodigal son-like storyline worth rooting for.

PS.

It’s crazy out there in Germany with all the World Cup frenzy and euphoria for winning the world’s most prestigious cup. Congrats to my German friends! 

Economics, Reproductive Health and the Integrity of the Family

Headed the Way of Greece  By Arland Nichols and Donald DeMarco

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 28, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The term “economic” is derived from the Greek oikonomia, pertaining to the management of the household. In this sense, the term has considerable breadth inasmuch as it deals not only with finances, but all the human complexities involved in managing and caring for all the members of the family.
Today’s economist is, in general, not particularly concerned with the family. He is not interested in those realities that are beyond the reach of data. At a macro level an economy is said to be “healthy” when GDP, interest rates, and unemployment stabilize at acceptable levels. In our modern use of the term, it is possible to have a healthy economy in a sick society. Thus, a “healthy” economy at the macro level can coexist with the use of contraception or abortion by families seeking to avoid another mouth to feed. 
The modern economist who restricts his professional interest to financial data displays a much narrower view of economics than has been characteristic of the Christian tradition. As Pope Pius IX stated in Quadragesimo Anno, “Economic life must be inspired by Christian principles.” This includes the reproductive realm. In writing Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI was guided by an ever-present concern for a “integral vision of man.” In section 7 of the encyclical, Paul VI writes:
The problem of birth, like every other problem regarding human life, is to be considered…in the light of an integral vision of man and of his vocation, not only his natural and earthly, but also his supernatural and eternal vocation.
From this perspective, Pope Paul accurately predicted what would happen if the use of contraception became widespread. He warned of a general lowering of moral standards throughout society, an increase in marital infidelity, a lessening of respect for women by men, and the coercive use of contraceptive technologies by governments. 
Leaving aside the obvious connection between this fourth prediction and the current “contraceptive mandate” in the United States, Paul VI could not possibly have predicted the radical impact “reproductive health” initiatives would have in changing the demographic and economic landscape through the world. For years the world has wrung its collective hands at the disastrous economic situation in Greece. Few know, however, that Greece is also demographically insolvent. Fertilityrates in this country have dropped from 2.2 children per couple in the 1980s to less than 1 child today. As Mark Steyn recently characterized the problem: “In Greece, 100 grandparents have 42 grandchildren – i.e., an upside-down family tree…if 100 geezers run up a bazillion dollars worth of debt, is it likely that 42 youngsters will ever be able to pay it off?” No amount of aid, restructuring of debt or infusion of financial capital can offer a long-term solution to the situation in Greece. Only human capital can remedy—perhaps “could have remedied” would be more accurate—the impending collapse. A vibrant economy is only possible through an “integral vision” of economy as oikonomia. In other words, Greece must address the family and demographic collapse if its financial crisis is to be ameliorated.   
Another country with looming debt problems seems insistent on pursuing a similar course as Greece: According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) of the United States the economy is projected to shut down in 2027 as the nation will be unable to meet its trillions of dollars in debt obligations. By the middle of the 21st century the CBO notes that interest payments on the debt will exceed federal revenues. The specter of collapse looms large. 
Clearly guided by a truncated anthropology and economic vision, political leaders in the United States have chosen to throw gas on this proverbial fire. Though the United States already gives birth to children at a rate (1.9) below replacement level (2.1), prominent political figures have decided that the solution to economic woes is more “reproductive health” i.e., more abortion and contraception. Nancy Pelosi gave voice to this approach when justifying the “economic stimulus plan” of 2008 that included hundreds of millions of dollars toward provision of contraception to the poor. 
In an interview with George Stephanopolis, Pelosi argued: “Well the family planning services reduce costs, it reduced [sic] costs. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crisis now.” Categorizing “family planning,” provision of children’s health, education, food stamps, and unemployment insurance together, Pelosi noted that these initiatives “are to help the states meet their financial needs…the contraception will reduce costs to the State and to the federal government too. No apologies, no…We have to deal with the consequences of the down turn in our economy…there is more bang for the buck [with such initiatives].” To put it simply, poor children cost the government money, and since we have the goal of saving money, we need the poor to have less children.
Contraception as economic stimulus was eventually removed from the economic stimulus that would pass in the United States Congress, but the prevailing economic and sexual ideology expressed by Pelosi has continued to hold sway in the debates concerning the economically strained health care industry. This ideology was apparent in the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs should be part of free “preventive health care” for all women. 
Their mandate explicitly forbade the use of costs as a justification for a recommendation. “Cost was explicitly excluded as a factor that the committee could use in forming recommendations, the committee process could not evaluate preventive services on the basis of cost.” It is of no little coincidence that the committee went on to argue the following to justify “free” provision of all sterilization and contraception: “contraception is highly cost-effective. The direct medical cost of unintended pregnancy in the United States was estimated to be nearly $5 billion in 2002, with the cost savings due to contraceptive use estimated to be 19.3 billion.” In other words, on a macro-level, children are an economic liability and the government has a vested interest in ensuring that on a micro level women (especially poor women) use contraception.     
Continuing in this vein, the argument that the HHS mandate is justified by economic benefits has been repeated on a number of occasions. President Obama noted it in his announcement of his “accommodation” that was anything but, and Kathleen Sebelius has asserted that “the reduction in the number of pregnancies is [sic] compensates for the cost of contraception.”
As we have seen in countries facing demographic collapse, preventing more births does not, in fact, buoy an economy. Aside from what has already been noted, contraception adds further strains on a country and the health care system in particular. Allow us to note just a few examples: 
Out of wedlock pregnancies and divorce rates in the United States are positively correlated to the increased use of contraception and availability of abortion. Yet we continue to hear the tired refrain that contraception brings about “stronger marriages.”
Further, the negative side effects of combined oral contraceptives creates a host of unnecessary costs. These negative effects include increased risk of breast, cervical and liver cancer, stroke, heart attack, and blood clots. As noted in a recent “LifeWatch” column, it is estimated that in one year 50,000 women experience blood clots because of the use of combined oral contraceptives. That’s one year alone and only one health issue! And aside from the obvious human cost, the economic toll is clearly staggering. 
Consider also numerous studies that indicate that contraceptives are correlated with the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, such as the study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases that indicated that women who use contraception and men whose partners use it were twice as likely to contract HIV/AIDS than non-users. 
The destructive impact that contraception has on marriages, the family and the health of women is well documented—if not well known. 
The ideology of certain members of the media and politicians has prevailed where it pertains to the importance of children for society, the economy, and families. Children are viewed as a liability to a thriving economy or robust family life, and contraception presented as the remedy. This is both misleading and dangerous. To strengthen the integrity of the family and economy we would do well to hold an integral vision of economics as oikonomia. The modern economist may not be expected to share this broad vision, but he is surely under no obligation to oppose it. Contraception is hardly a panacea. On the contrary, a culture of contraception carries a significant array of problems that warrant attention. Most fundamentally, however, we must cease to view children as an economic liability. Unless we relish the prospect of going the way of Greece and other EU nations reaping contraception’s demographic desserts, we must recognize children as the most precious good of the family and greatest treasure of a healthy economy.
* * *
Arland K. Nichols is the National Director of HLI America, an initiative of Human Life International. Donald DeMarco, PhD is a Senior Fellow of HLI America, and Professor Emeritus at St. Jerome's University in Waterloo, Ontario and an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, CT. Some of their recent writings may be found at HLI America's Truth and Charity Forum.

Vatican Approves Blessing for Child in the Womb

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 29, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican has approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb," which will be printed in English and Spanish, according to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
It will be published as a combined booklet and should be available for parishes by Mothers' Day.
The approval came from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.
"I'm impressed with the beauty of this blessing for human life in the womb," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the USCCB.
"I can think of no better day to announce this news than on the feast of the Annunciation, when we remember Mary's 'yes' to God and the incarnation of that child in her the womb that saved the world."
The blessing was prepared to support parents awaiting the birth of a child, to encourage parish prayers for and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society. It can be offered within the context of the Mass as well as outside of Mass.

- from Zenit. org

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.

The Not-So-Little Drummer Boy

So what's your favorite Christmas carol?

I remember how much I liked the song "Little Drummer Boy".The words and music to this Christmas song was composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958 with the lyrics consisting of no less than 21 rum pum pum pum (source: http://www.carols.org.uk/little_drummer_boy.htm)

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Recollecting back, it dawned on me how my childhood experiences took some striking semblance to the main character boy in the song. Our family, thanks to our loving and hardworking parents, were not really poor in terms of need but there were still some childhood insecurities that I experienced along the way. I have seen how my well-off classmates would bring to school their latest expensive toys compared to my dirty home-made or cheap ones. They would ride on their shiny new BMX bicycles as I walk further away before riding our "carabao" bicycle. They have all new clothes every school-year opening but I have only a new pair so I use the old ones until they either break-off along their seams or are totally unfit to wear.

So Christmas time for me was full of hope for material things that I can receive from my parents, uncles, aunts and god-parents. I would surely get new clothes, newest toys and crisp paper bills to show-off to my cousins on our traditional reunions.

As I grew up and learned about the Christmas story of our Lord Jesus of how ruggedly poor His initial conditions were at the scene of Nativity, I slowly learned to embrace my situation then and appreciated better my childhood blessings. I realized that my condition is not exactly "poor" as I perceived it to be. With my cheap toys, I never had any reservation to lend it to others and would have felt little sadness in case they are lost. With our old bike, I never had to worry about it being stolen when I park it anywhere. And as for my old clothes, well I don't mind sweating it all over as I played. And as for those rich kids with good toys, well, I became friends with some of them and I get to play with their toys as well.

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

Now that I am a grown-up man, a husband and father at that, our Lord still keeps on smiling at me even if I am still without any physical gold, frankinsence or myyrh to offer Him. It is my fervent belief that as long as I hold my drum and play my best drum-beat for Him, He will be smiling at me because He loves me and my drum, nothing more and nothing less.

During this holiday, it is my prayer that more and more people will also see it fit to play the only drum that matters to our Lord on His birthday.

This drum is our heart.
And our drum-beat must be our faithful and undying heart-beat for Him.

Happy Birthday to you, our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Short Story Re-told

There was once this indifferent man who never gave time to know God despite the regular pleadings of his priest friend to attend one of their bible study and fellowship.

”As long I do no harm to anyone and I live my own quiet life, then there is no need to waste my time with such things,” he surmised to himself, “It can wait”.

Now this same man has a 5-year old son whom he loves more than himself. All his attention and goodness are focused into making his boy happy. There is nothing in the world he will not do to make sure that he gets the best future.

One rainy afternoon, the father and son came home to find that the only pathway to their house was flooded and that only some scattered ground rocks present the slippery means for crossing through the dirty mud. The man went first while his son worriedly looks on. After a few skips and hops, his son exclaimed, “Dad, be very careful! I am following your footsteps now”.

The man paused and looked at his son.

The message was clear this time.The next day, the man is seated at the back pew of the church for the week-end bible study with his priest friend.