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Archive for introspection
Reminiscing AYD4
Ron and I went to the SCYM Office in Makati for the second to the last meeting of the SYM-PHILIPPINES delegation before the World Youth Day 2008 in Australia. When I arrived at the office, I remembered that there exists a DVD documentary of the Asian Youth Day IV - Hong Kong. Not letting the moment slip, I asked Dinvah if they have a copy of the DVD (and subliminally “Do you have an extra copy for me?”) - I’m so eager to see it because, according my AYD friends, there’s a clip of me there. I think she got the message, within a minute she handed me the DVD.
A glimpse of the cover, rocketed my consciousness back to a few years ago. My mind began flashing the images it saw during the AYD. Hope, again, rushed through my veins - and in my head rung the anthem “Youth, Hope of Asian Families!” - I am HOPE. HOPE!
True Love Waits Waits Waits…
Lunch time, I was browsing through the slides presented by Fr. Stephen Cuyos, MSC during the FaithCasting seminar he gave in the JP2 Catechetics and Youth Ministry Conference in DBTI Makati two weeks ago. Got stuck with one of the slides presenting the True Love Waits portal. I didn’t hesitate to pay a visit and realized how worthwhile it is. With a few minutes of stay I gained much insight and inspiration which moved me to write this post. Hay…
Love, I believe, is one of the most used and abused word. Much definitions are attributed to it. Thus, we are left with a crowded vista of love. We are as if looking through the woods, uncertain of what is before our eyes. Instead of seeing the big picture, stunning dazzle of light, we see glimpses, blinding flashes and streaks of that which is bright. What is love? How do we define love? Where do we find real love?
All I know is Deus caritas est - God is LOVE. Looking for love? See God. But one doesn’t need to look far for EMMANUEL - He is with US. He is in the midst of our relationships, He lives within our hearts. He is just there, waiting, patiently, faithfully, unconditionally - waiting… Waiting to be heard, to be seen, to be recognized.
I am a witness to HIS unfailing love. I appreciate much the Eucharist, I love being in the confessional. My God offers his life for me, shuns away all my short comings no matter how grave they may be. I often deviate from Him, deny Him, forget Him, leave Him, doubt His WORD, His call, His presence. Yet He is still there, waiting… just there, smiling, waiting for me to come and embrace Him and be enveloped once more by His exceeding grace.
God who created all of us is LOVE. We sprung out of love. We search for love in places away from ourselves; thus, we find the love that this world know rather than the love that is within us - the true love that would never stop waiting waiting waiting…
Looking for true love? Look within, see the light, clarify your path, listen to your heart whenever you are ready to do so… LOVE’s just there… waiting.
via et veritas et vita
The lyrics of the song Pass it on rings in my mind. “It only takes a spark, to get the fire going…” The Gospel today seems apt and timely. Darkness has been the attribution given to what we are undergoing as a nation. This dim vista is brought about by the confusion that’s been lingering around. This is where the question of truth, the question of life lies.
The news across the nation, for the past few months, contain these questions. We face the unending dilemma: “who’s telling the truth.” We are threatened by the seemingly lacking supply of food. And so the eternal litany of problems begin to fill our days - again, and again, and again. Overpopulation, corruption, destabilization, pollution, education et al - to many to mention. In darkness, we are indeed.
“…a spark, to get the fire going.” For F. Sionil Jose, one of our National Artist for Literature, that spark would ignite one bloody revolution that would eradicate the ongoing culture of unlove for our nation, for our countrymen. A revolution against self-exultation, against that love that knows no suffering (not quoted, my personal interpretation).
Well, for me, let that fire be love. “I am the way and the truth and the life (Jn 14:6, NIV).” When Jesus said that He is via et veritas et vita, I can’t but remember His suffering and death on the cross - the profession of His love. Thus, made me think, love is the way, the truth, the life.
And so the song goes on, ” That’s how it is with God’s love,/ Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;/ You want to pass it on.” Amid this anxiety and despair that we are in, Jesus reminds us that the sole solution to these problems is LOVE. If we only choose to love our neighbor, to walk the extra mile for them, to say the truth, to respect their rights, to eat half rice, to begin to think of our brothers and sisters (not only our relatives and friends but most importantly those who are set aside by the society), and to start suffering for them - I believe, this would get the fire going.
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Ready to tell the truth to the nation? This PR Agency in the Philippines might help you.
TIC: The Alabang Orientation
Yesterday we went to Alabang - Tuloy sa Don Bosco. It’s a street children village near the posh subdivisions and commercial centers of Alabang. The village is being run by Salesians and other volunteers from the religious and business sectors. We went there for an orientation to boot our teaching immersion with the kids of tuloy. Let me share with some of the photos I took while we were there.
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- Kerwin
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- The Future Salesian Educators
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- One of the Stations of the Cross
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- An angle of the chapel's sanctuary
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- Aries reads the letters on the wall.
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- Fr. Beng and my classmates
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- Fr. Rocky with my classmates
For more photos you may check this. By the way, TIC means “Teaching Immersion Chronicles.”
Praying with Psalms [1]: PSALM 89
Father Joseph “Joe” Fernandez, SDB, our catechist, shared to me his translation of Psalm 89. He told me that he just found out that it is a song of lamentation - the song of a king that has been defeated in a battle. Psalm 89 is somewhat related to Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ’s “I will Sing Forever” but unlike the song, this version of the psalm is less jubilant, rather, subtle and deeply emotional.
On reading this psalm, I can’t but be emotional. It evoked the feelings that have been lingering in my heart. It tells, in a profound and an almost exact manner the chorus of my journey toward His call (my name, in place of the pronouns, made it more personal).
Let me now share it with you! 
Psalm 89
The Psalm has two parts. We do not always feel consoled. Sometimes we feel God is no more speaking to us or supporting us. We can still continue to pray and to believe.
1 I will sing forever of how greatly you, God have loved me;
I must tell everyone how good you’ve been to me…2 I will let all know how God’s love never changes,
every star reminds me of how good God is to me…3 God told me, “I made an agreement when I chose you,
I made a solemn promise to you Jerome my son,4 “I will be with you forever and ever
and give you such strength so you can help so many”
5 The heavens praise all these wonderful things, O LORD,
In every Eucharist I am reminded of your love and protection.6 There is no one who can compare with God my LORD?
Can anything in any part of the world compare with His Love?7 The God who calls me is wiser than all the plans I can make;
he is more wonderful than anything I can imagine.8 O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?
You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness is my reason to believe.9 No problem is too great for you;
when difficulties come my way, you help me face them…10 You crush every evil spirit that disturbs me;
with your strong arm you scatter all my temptations.
Monthly Gist: MARCH08
I think I’m losing the hang of blogging. I’m having this habit of not blogging as often as I can. This brings me to, again, ask myself, am I beginning to give-up blogging? Hmm… No, I’m not. (That answer came out easily.) March has just been so busy. Jam-packed with so much of everything that blogging didn’t fit in. Allow me to give you a bird’s eye view of my MARCH08 through this first month ender of mine.
- HOLY WEEK. The seminary, as usual, was tasked to animate the Holy Week rituals and celebrations for the local community. I’ve been tasked to do a tarp announcing the schedule of services of the Diocesan Shrine of Mary Help of Christians that’ll be available for the people during the week. What took more of our time was the decorations for the different venues to be used for the services.
- SENAKULO (Passion Play, “Nakita mo ba?”). This is actually part of the Holy Week but due to its impact (hope to tell you more about this soon) it needs a separate mention. The play is the final requirement for our Theatre Arts class. The story is unconventional and it taps the concerns of our contemporary time, it challenged the audience to see the loving presence of Christ in every cross we encounter in our lives. I played the part of a very young irresponsible father.
- The FINAL EXAMS. Not so hard. :) That’s all.
These are all that I can remember so far. I’ll add the pictures and the other activities soon (hopefully later this eve…). My personal reflections will also follow. 
BTW, I’m not a car afficionado but I saw this new car motor and got amaze by its fuel economy features you might want check it out. Follow this link: Honda launches VCM 643.
live lent
A week to go before Holy Week comes. I was flipping through a coffee table book about the Lenten celebration in the Philippines a while ago and I felt a bit gloomed and saddened by the photos. The shots are well-composed but delivered a tear-jerking message. Melancholic. But is Lent really calling us to feel down and lonely? Look at this:
My Prayer
Not my contribution for the inter-faith rally that is happening in Makati, rather a fruit of solitude and prayer. Below is the introduction I wrote for our benediction yesterday evening.
While in colloquy with God, I reread it, reflected on it. Found out that there is so much of myself in it.
Read for yourself.
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We are often times blinded by the allurements of the world – so blind that we lose touch with God. The warring feelings within us bring about a sort of an eye-cataract that blurs our direct vision of God. Consumerism, materialism, and a lot more negative “–isms” fragment us and keep us out-of-focus. This disturbs us in prayer – in our communion with the Lord. We experience a sense of distance from our Heavenly Father – thinking that He is not anywhere near us; thus, our faith weakens.
In this solemn colloquy with our Lord, let us speak to Him earnestly, recall our blind moments with Him. By and by, let us ask for his mercy, for his grace, and let us pray that he may grant us a stronger faith amid our troubled moments, that we may again see His magnificence and be enveloped by His Unfailing Love.
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Btw, summer is just around the corner. Having your break in the Philippines? You might be interested to avail of Value Hotels in the Philippines.
cold days.
I have colds. Caught it two days ago. Maybe due to the sudden chill in the weather. The same situation is true for my blog. Not much action in here for the past week. It’s not that I’m quitting blogging. Nope. Nor my zest to write has ebbed. No. It’s just that the time to pause and rekindle my thoughts hasn’t gone by ’til this very moment.
Allow me to just write through the things that crowd my consciousness as I juggle keyboard and tissue on my hands.
I was very upset two nights ago. The unexpected happened. My laptop’s system crushed. *poof* After a series of reboots the screen went nil. No movement whatsoever save for the exhaust fan that sounded like a familiar requiem hymn to my ears. It happened when I was in the middle of finishing an important paper to be submitted the next day. It gave up when I needed it most.
But everything has to move on. I can’t just dwell upon and mourn over, the whole time, something I lost. Why not be grateful for the many someones around me?
This cold days has brought much warmth to me. Blessings abound. And these parcels from Kuya were hand carried and personally delivered to me by angels - the very persons I’m spending my life with. I feel truly blessed. Love spurs within me (take this also as an allusion to the recently concluded Heart’s Day *smile*). Beyond my sick facade lies a vibrant soul. Aside from the medication I take, this is what’s making me rise up from my bed. This is the fuel I’m burning for the things I’ve done so far.
Reminds me of Lent. Reminds me of Jesus Himself - He who never gave up the Cross, His Cross, the Cross where His battered body would be pierced and fastened. He never gave up. Never did He surrendered. All because of His immense, unconditional and unfailing LOVE.
My suffering is but a speck compared to His. It’s so banal and little compared to the tribulations of so many unnamed men and women who still chose to live and to love in spite of their cruel state. I hope I could keep-up with them.
moving
Yes. You are right. The title of this post says it all. Within the next few weeks we are moving to our new home - rather, host. Thanks to our friend, JM, who willingly endowed us with a portion of his humongous web space.
This isn’t only about my plan to move to a new web host. I’ve been, again, on an unprecedented hiatus. I was appointed head of the Multimedia and Designs Committee of the NÜV (an interschool dance and band competition) - one of the activities for our 45th Foundation Day Celebrations. This was enough to deprive me of my free time that I use for blogging. The whole committee and I were busy with pictorials, VTR’s and AVP production (below is the official 30-sec AVP promoting the event). I’ve been in the move lately - literally. The tasks to fulfill are enough to blow-off one’s head. Good thing I’m with a team. This collaboration amazes me.
Application. This idea is the one preoccupying my mind as of the moment. January is a significant event for everyone under the initial formation in our congregation. On the 31st of this month - Feast of our Founder, St. John Bosco - we are to submit the letter which would concretely express how we want to go on with our lives. To apply or not, that is the question.
Movements entail change. In my mind, now, runs, in rapid succession, a series of images - thumbnails of my experiences twined with nuggets of joy, sorrow, confusion, anxiety - sealed with love, understanding, faith, wisdom, happiness and strength. These images I fondly keep - treasure, and review - dwell on - from time to time to seek consolation, to see my self and be in-tune with my inner me.
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Moving
To move on I must look back.
To look within, I must.
To quell anger’s wrath,
To quench my drought…
To set afire love’s amber,
To grab a glimpse of Thine Light
Thine Goodness -
Thine Wisdom -
Thine Strength -
Within me.
I must look within. To move on.
