Blessed To Be 1!

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him.” – Daniel 3:95

I know it’s cliché but I just have to say this: time does fly. Two Saturdays ago (March 9), Saturday Feast Alabang (SFA) celebrated its first anniversary. I just can’t believe it’s been a year since we started.  

It was one hectic year! Many times I felt like a triathlete as I raced against time to complete the tasks I had to finish. My days were crammed with things I had to do for SFA Events. Added to that were my responsibilities for the Media Ministry and extra duties thrown my way like assisting in the production of the Kerygma Conference Catholic Faith Stream and our upcoming Holy Week Recollection*. And of course there are also my family duties and work assignments for the magazines I write for.

I must admit that getting things done the past year was like swimming against the tide,  balancing on a unicycle and running on a sprained foot all rolled into one. But as the passage above from Daniel said, the Lord sent His angels to deliver me. 

How else could I have survived the year that was? There were various instances when the Lord sent me angels in the form of family, friends and co-servants who helped me do the job and get through some nerve-wracking glitches. There were also many lessons I learned through my “angels”. 

As for SFA, it continues to bless many people because about a hundred committed servants have entrusted to God their time, talent and treasure for Him to use in this ministry. SFA would not have made it to its first birthday without their untiring support.

Let me end by sharing the blessings we received during SFA’s first anniversary:

• The spotlights blew up a few hours before the event. Naturally, I was clueless about how to fix that. One brother from the community came early to take care of that. 

• Our program flow got really messed up because one of our speakers was delayed. But the rearrangements in the program worked for the better and the audience did not notice we had to turn things upside down. 

• It was a fun, fun first birthday party for SFA. Like the kids we were dressed as, SFA Builder James Nicolas, servants and attendees enjoyed the party fare complete with ice cream cart. In the beginning our Food Ministry head was afraid the food will not be enough but like the miracle of the loaves and fish, the multitude was fed. 

• The builders (Arun Gogna, Jonathan Yogawin and Mike Viñas) and pillars of Feast Alabang came in full force. We got a delightful treat with the presence of SFA’s very first builder, Makati Feast Builder Randy Borromeo.

• AND, we got a big surprise when Bo Sanchez graced the occasion. We thought he wouldn’t be able to make it as he had another appointment. 

Truly when we trust in God, He will deliver us from all our difficulties just as He kept Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego safe in the white-hot furnace. He even surprises by throwing in a couple of unexpected blessings.

*Be Still, Feast Alabang’s Holy Week Recollection will be on March 28 to 30, from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Filinvest Tent, Muntinlupa City.

The Gold Calling Card

What kind of man gives out a gold calling card? Not gold colored. Not gold leafed. A calling card made of one gram of fine gold. It even said so in the back of the card.

I had the rare chance to view this card in one of my interviews for Insight Magazine. The interviewee was the President and CEO of TAT Filipinas Golf Club, environmental lawyer Edna Paña. The calling card was given to her by her boss, the Japanese owner of the golf club.

So what kind of man gives out a gold calling card? Filthy rich obviously. Descended from the royal family. Owns a huge, authentic, centuries-old samurai house that dwarfs the other houses around it. Partly owns a leading Japanese car company, a construction company and a host of other businesses.

Is this gold calling card, patently a glittery show of wealth, ostentatious and sinful?

In his last talk for the series T3: Time, Treasure and Talent, Bro Arun Gogna spoke on “The Gift of Prosperity”. He said the Practical Gospel teaches that we should practice simple prosperity. A simple life is a happy life. A simple life gives two important benefits. It allows us to GIVE MORE and to RELAX MORE.

But, he says, the standard of simplicity is relative. We have to decide what simplicity means to us – an Innova instead of a Mercedes Benz, a Coach bag bought in Divisoria instead of the real thing? The choice is ours but the important thing is we are called to be generous.

Lastly, Bro Arun stressed that while the Practical Gospel teaches us to tithe, the abundance the Lord showers us with must still be cared for properly. We need to be good shepherds of our money.

So to answer my second question if the gold calling card is sinfully ostentatious, I guess it’s not necessarily so. Not if this man can actually afford to give out a 10 gram gold calling card but instead uses the cost of the 9 grams to help others or to preserve the bounty the Lord has given.

In TAT Filipinas Golf Club, it seems the “9 grams of gold” is being used to support Atty. Edna Paña’s worthy causes and advocacy. TAT has a Youth Development Program. Scholarships are given to talented but underprivileged children to hone their golf skills, develop their character and eventually help them rise up from poverty. TAT also builds the employees’ capacity by teaching other skills to enable the staff to augment their income during lean months. Instead of landscaping unused land, it is utilized as an organic farm where 100% of profits go to the employees who tend the land. More importantly, her boss’ “9 grams of gold” has allowed Atty. Paña to transform TAT into a sustainable golf course where care for the environment is strictly practiced.

After my interview, other questions popped into my head.

What will I do if I receive a gold calling card? Nothing much I suppose. The craftsy person that I am, maybe turn it into a bling or a bookmark.

How will I feel if I can afford to give out a gold calling card? If I were that rich, again, nothing much I suppose. To a fabulously rich man that’s just like giving out a paper board calling card with unevenly cut borders (I swear, my last batch is like this).

But the more important question is: What will I do with my “9 grams of gold”? For here lies the true gift of prosperity.

The Feast Alabang is held every Sunday. First session at 11:00 am and the second session is at 3:00. Venue is in the Feast Alabang Center, 2^nd Level, X-site entrance, Festival Mall, Alabang.

The Heart of the Blog

Early this morning, I received a text from my sister-in-law, Beth. She thanked me for my reflection in Didache today about this blog. Her words: “…very inspiring. I should also make a journal to appreciate (blessings) and have the attitude of gratitude.”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – God’s timing is perfect. Last night, I belatedly read an email asking me about the colors the Music Ministry members were supposed to wear last Sunday. The sender said in jest I was too busy writing my blog I forgot to send this out. “Color coding” is one in a myriad of tasks I do for the South Feast. I do this early in the week. Last week it was not done because my laptop was included in Typhoon Basyang’s death toll.

After re-reading my Didache reflection during my prayer time, I realized something. These 3 things – the text, the email, my laptop’s demise – were all timed to remind me that lately I had not been writing about the things I set this blog up for.

So, I return to the heart of the blog. As I write my B.A.G. of Miracles (write – as in pen on paper. Later, I will harass my son to let me use his computer) the words of the song Heart of Worship run through my mind. “I’m coming back to the heart of worship…” I’m coming back to praise God for His many miracles.

LAST WEEK’S SCENARIO:

1. We had two batches of balikbayan relatives to entertain in our maid-less home.
2. It was my younger son’s birthday.
3. Typhoon Basyang dropped in on a clueless Metro Manila. (May bagyo pala!)

My Bs:

1. The blessing of assistance. From my sons who cleaned the lawn and hauled gallons of water. From my cousin, Belle, who cooked kare-kare for the party (a dish I never cooked despite my late husband’s threat not to marry me until I learned how). From my parents who are still actively doing chores at 80. From outside helpers who cleared the rubbish from the storm.
2. The blessing of protection. Our roof hung on for dear life amidst Basyang’s howling winds.
3. The blessing of darkness and light – yes, the power outage was a blessing. No computers to zombify us, no TV to steal our time. My sons and I spent some quiet time sitting on my bed just chatting. And then there was light, in less than 24 hours at that. While most of the metropolis still groped around in darkness, we were pounding madly on our keyboards to beat deadlines. My son for his long delayed thesis and me for the South Feast bulletin.

My As:

1. Fed the multitude plus cooked a special birthday dinner without burning/ breaking/bungling anything
2. My first try with my tita’s caldereta sans tomato sauce recipe was successful. (I think the secret was in the pray-over as it simmered on the stove.)

My Gs:

1. Took time off from cleaning, cooking, serving to watch “Inception” with my two boys on the younger one’s birthday.
2. Made relatives from both sides of my family happy.

There you have it. A full B.A.G. of Miracles.