seek God

The video below is too powerful not to share. Let this song be our prayer for the week in desiring to seek God more. Let us not be blind to the wonders that the Lord continues to perform in our lives daily.

Jesus said to the blind man he just healed:

..."Do you believe in the Son of man?" 

He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you."

He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.

- John 9:35-38

Seek Him.

Be awed by His works.

Believe and respond to Him.

gift of today

It's unfortunate how sometimes we start the day flipping the switch for our routine the moment we open our eyes. That was almost the case for me today. Good thing I heard a line from this song in my bus ride to the office.

  Thank You for the gift of today!

P.S. I was not paid for posting the ad here. I wish. Credits to them, though, for the pleasant song and vocals.

P.P.S. Eating too much fast food is not healthy!

Are you alive?

Living out one's faith should not be isolated to just an aspect in one's life. Come to think of it, if it is isolated, it's not living out one's faith! (You can read more about a Christian living multiple lives in an essay on Filipinos and the seemingly split-level Christianity here. I'll probably tackle it in another post in the future.)

I'd like to make this point as I realize this applies to me very well. Many times before, I considered myself a Catholic, yet I did not attend mass - only when I needed to be saved from those F's on my Math and Operations Research exams. I professed I was a Christian, yet on some philosophical discussions with friends over a couple of beers, I would sometimes passingly conclude that in the end, as long as we do good, believing in the God or a god doesn't really matter. I would proudly declare that yes, I'm a Christian, yet I do not even participate in my parish or involve myself in communities that live and share my faith. The list can go on. Sometimes, even up to now I can still point out areas in my life which I see there might be some disconnect. The difference is that now I am more aware of what I should be doing and where I should be rooted. This awareness started when I committed myself to something greater than me. 

It is not what we say, what we proclaim, what we promise to do that matters in life.

It is what we value that dictates the decisions we make in life. 

- from a priest's homily in the Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace

This is probably one question every person has to answer before he can truly say that he is living out his life - What am I committed to do in my life here on earth? This may be similar to questions of finding out your purpose in life or finding out your core values. I suggest answering the question, however, as it answers not only the truths and values one holds, but also the work and actions living out those values entail. Most importantly, the question leads to an answer which highlights the engagement of the whole being to see that those values and actions are being fulfilled as declared. Without action, one is not alive. Without that radical decision to act, one becomes confused and is all over the place in "living" out one's life. 

Writing this post is a refreshing reminder of why I started this blog. This may not be my permanent medium, but for now, this will have to do in my commitment to encourage others to take up the act of love as how Christ took up His cross. 

coming before Him

I used to think that prayer was like leaving God a voice message over the phone. When I was a kid, there was a time when I struggled to think about how God could listen to each and every prayer being said and answer them accordingly. I could recall how it was in a movie where Jim Carrey's character, assuming God's role for a certain period, strained to organize all prayer requests and even thought of doing it through e-mail!

Now, I am just amazed at the mystery of how God works in our lives. He dwells in us (1 Cor 3:16). He is in the innermost part of our beings and we need only to come before Him as we are. I realized this tonight as I was struggling to center myself in prayer. I remembered how a spiritual director of mine taught me to be real with myself by knowing how and where I was before I came into prayer - how was I feeling emotionally, physically, mentally? This was what I did and I recognized how I was physically exhausted coming from weeks jam-packed with activities during and outside of work. It made me realize a lot of things, one of which was how God sustained me throughout the weeks, and this helped me to get myself into prayer.

Sometimes we focus too much on talking to Him instead of being with Him. God is with us when we talk to Him. He prays with us if we allow Him to. Praying with Him can only happen when we recognize not only His presence but also ours, and  recognizing our presence means being aware of where we are at the moment, how we are feeling and knowing whatever baggage we are carrying.

Prayer is a conversation with God.

Ang buhay natin ay parang bahay na naka-lock - nabubuksan lamang mula sa loob. Si Hesus ay nasa labas, naghihintay. Nasa atin na ang pagbubukas ng pinto upang Siya'y makapasok nang lubusan.

(Life is like a house locked from the inside. Jesus is at the door, just waiting. It is up to us to open the door and welcome Him so that He may go inside.)

- Fr. Allan, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish

constants

*insert quotes and cliches on change here*

There are only a few constants in this world: God, family, and change, among a few others.
Today, I'm sincerely grateful for the second one in the list.

Rexxie, Cynthia, Rey, Reggie

Ginikanan

It's refreshing to overhear people walking along the streets speaking in Cebuano! I was in my hometown for a few days to be with my parents a couple of weeks ago and for me, it's one of the things I really miss. Aside from that, it's hearing people sing Cebuano songs and most especially hearing mass spoken in Cebuano, especially the Gospel (and believe me when I say that I don't even understand some of the words)!

A reading for a day during that vacation was about the fall of man - of how Adam took a bite from the forbidden fruit and hence the separation of man from God's grace came about. What struck me was how the minister shared and discussed the passage talking about the original sin and how it came from our kin, our ancestor; the Cebuano word she used was ginikanan. I did a bit of researching and found this online:

Parent - Latin parentem (nominative parens) "father or mother, ancestor," noun use of present participle of parere "bring forth, give birth to, produce," -etymonline.com

The reason why I had to look this up was because the word ginikanan reverberated in my head. In Cebuano, we call our relatives ginikanan, not just our parents; also, we use the same word to mean the source of, or where something came from. (Example: Gikan ko sa balay. I came from the house.)

The use of the word ginikan in the sermon that day, given its definition and usage in the language, led me to realize how we are never to look at ourselves as the center of everything. The word reminded me of how I am connected by blood to my sibling and even my relatives coming from an ancestor from way back. Kauban sa atong mga igsoon, amahan, inahan ug mga kaparentehan, usa ra atong ginikanan. In theology, we look at our separation from God in the fall of Adam as the also the fall of man. Didto sa atong ginikanan kita natipas sa atong Ginoo. Most importantly, we turn to the one true Source of everything, recognizing our oneness in spirit with all the other souls in this earth and even with all creation. Usa ra ang Ginikanan sa tanan. 

I look into myself searching for answers to my questions. 

I look at others and realize I am not the only one looking for answers. 

I look up and I see the Answer we're looking for all along.

truthful Tuesdays

I figured since I already started Thankful Thursdays, why not do the same thing for another day? So here it is. Truthful Tuesdays!

It is but fitting that I set up this day not just to remind myself of the truths of my faith but also so that I may share with you, dear reader, the wonderful things about the Person I follow.

Entrance door of the Manila Cathedral

I was just led to a realization last week when I read Mt 7:7-12. In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples to ask, seek and knock and we will have our answer. How wonderful it is to have an assurance that God will never leave us hanging! However, I was further led to ask myself, "Is it also the case with me?" 

God answers us when we seek Him. Do we respond to Him when He seeks us?