Dear Sir, I pray you’re dumb instead of twisted

An Open Letter to CJ Corona


Dear Sir,


I’m not a lawyer nor do I claim to have much knowledge of the law. I only had a couple of Business Law classes under you in Ateneo. What legal matters I know about your impeachment have been gleaned from my lawyer-father.


I’m writing this open letter to you because I am saddened about the images I have seen of you these past two weeks. I remember you to be a jolly person. Learning Business Law under you was quite fun. A terror professor you were not. 


I remember the last time I saw you was when my boss brought me on a client call to Combank to meet with you. You were still your jolly self even showing me that you kept your class record where my name was listed. And here’s what saddens me. You used to work in a bank so you can’t claim ignorance of the FCDU law. 


But if you misinterpreted that then I pray you truly didn’t know it rather than have you twist the law for your benefit. I believe the Lord looks more kindly on dumb people rather than on crooked ones.  


Now that the verdict has been handed down, I pray that you will find it in you to accept your fate gracefully for the benefit of our country. I believe this historic moment will start our nation in building up its moral integrity. Please don’t destroy it by having your team create a constitutional crisis with their legal maneuverings.


In Ateneo, we were taught to be a person for others. This is your chance to show how blue your blood is by doing something you have failed to do since you accepted your midnight appointment. Be a man for others. Leave your office with grace and dignity. Maybe, with your gesture, our country can start walking on the road to greatness. 


Sincerely,
Your student

Pampered by God (Part 2)

Blessing #2: Queen Margarette’s Asha Spa


Like I said in my last blog, our trip to Quezon was filled with blessings. Blessing #2 was our stay in Queen Margarette Hotel. What a luxury to be able to stay in Lucena’s finest. 


After lunch in Silangang Nayon, we went back to the hotel to relax. Belle and I discovered that the hotel serves a humongous halo-halo in their restaurants (Kimsuy and Emerald Garden Café) which was perfect merienda for a hot afternoon. Actually we also had it for dinner and lunch the next day. It was that good – even our kids enjoyed it.

Half  of the humongous halo-halo

My cousin, Edna Dy who owns Queen Margarette, had been inviting us to try out their new spa. So we (Belle, her daughter, my two boys & I) booked an appointment at 5:00 for some spa-mpering.


The lobby of Asha Spa was dripping with elegance – from the décor to the subdued lighting. After registering, the boys went on their way to the men’s section while we proceeded to the ladies’ changing room. It was another elegant room, so we couldn’t resist taking pictures even if we were already clad in the white robe and floral slippers they provided.

Elegant changing room

Actually we ran true to our Pinoy nature (you know that saying: whenever two or more Pinoys are gathered there’s picture-taking?) by having shots taken all over this stylish place to record our rejuvenating experience. 


We wanted to hang out awhile in the tempting waters of the jacuzzi but sadly we weren’t prepared and too modest to bare it all even if there were just the 3 of us. So off we went for our Royal Asha massage. 


After the 1hour massage that removed all the stress kinks from our muscles, we were ushered to the lounge for tea. We waited for quite a while – it’s a good thing the seats were so comfortable and the ambiance relaxing – because the boys took time to enjoy all the facilities (jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna) before their massage. 

Drinking tea in the comfortable lounge

Belle told me that she kept thanking God for this treat with every soothing stroke of the therapist’s hand. And I second the motion. It was God’s pampering for his tired servants. 

My blessing: Asha Gift Certificate No. 001

Pampered by God (Part 1)

May 6, 2012 


Blessing #1: Lunch in Silangang Nayon


The cool sea breeze and blue waters welcomed me like a  hug from God. It was an answer to my prayer for a vacation with my sons. We haven’t gone on a family outing for quite a long time and I prayed for this time together. 


It wasn’t even an official vacation.  We were going to apply for new passports in Lucena and thought we’d turn the trip into an outing. 


Orchestrating this wasn’t a snap. There were schedules that didn’t match (my community service, their work) and health concerns (my elder son had fever 2 days before). My cousin Belle and her family, who were coming with us, had the same scheduling and health problems. But with prayers, it all worked out and here we were in Quezon. 

When I first came to Silangang Nayon about 2 years ago, I wished I could bring my children to this seaside park and restaurant. It’s a treat we city folks don’t often get: enjoying delicious native cuisine like sizzling scallops as we lazed in a “bamboo” cottage perched above the sea on the side of a cliff. 

While waiting for our order, we went down to the bridge connecting to the huts in the middle of the sea. I showed my niece, Angeli, the small plane on cable that brought food to the guests who preferred to dine over the water. After lunch we relaxed and enjoyed a bit more of the scenery. 


What a blessing it was for us to unwind from the rigors of work and community service in this place. More blessings were in store for us later in the afternoon and the next day including a hassle-free time (no appointment, shorter lines) applying for our passports. 


I can’t thank the Lord enough for this treat.

Love Someone Today Lesson 1

God Has a Great Purpose for Your Life

I spent the better part of my morning rummaging through old issues of Kerygma Magazine. There’s this story about a disabled girl I was looking for. 


I can’t recall what her disability was. All I remember is that she can’t move around like a normal person does. What was remarkable about her was that she blesses so many people from her bed. She is a prayer warrior. People text her their petitions and she prays for them. That’s what she spends most of her waking time on.


I wasn’t able to find the article. It’s a good thing this month’s (May 2012) issue of Kerygma featured another amazing girl with a disability, Jessica Cox. Jessica was born without any arms but she can do everything a person with hands can do. More than that, she plays the piano, has 2 black belts in Taekwondo and is listed in Guinness as the first armless person to get a pilot’s certification.  (I have two hands and forearms and triceps and biceps and I can’t do any of that.)


In the KMag article by Tess Atienza, Jessica admitted she did go through times when she questioned God and pitied herself. If I remember right, the other girl did too. But they did not waste their time whining about their lot, throwing tantrums when they can’t have their way (read in the article how Jessica dealt creatively with her desire to have a TV) and cursing the womb that bore them. Instead they rose above their disabilities to serve as inspiration to others.


Lesson 1 of Bo Sanchez’s book Love Someone Today is “God Has a Great Purpose for Your Life.” God has a plan for you no matter what shape or form or color or status you were brought into this world. Just look at these two girls. 


Bo said: “I believe your most important purpose is to be one with God – because from your oneness with God, you’ll be able to share His love to the world through the gifts and talents He has given you.” No matter how physically, economically, emotionally challenged you are, YOU HAVE A GIFT AND A PURPOSE. 


Some friends and I faced a challenge this week via a barrage of text messages. I’ve said it before and I say it again: God uses ingenious ways (yes, even exasperation) to inspire my blogs. These are some thoughts He prodded me to write:

The acceptance of your disability, character flaw or misfortune in life is the start of accepting yourself. Once you learn to accept yourself, you can start “fulfilling God’s design for your life.” The feeling of rejection comes from focusing on your neediness for other people’s acceptance. 

When you look beyond yourself and serve others with joy, other people will naturally gravitate to you. A person who exudes love for others is easy to like and difficult to reject. Looking outward (what can I do to make other people happy) instead of looking inward (what should other people do to make me happy) is the key to acceptance and the antidote to rejection. 

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For my cyber-friends to whom I dedicate this LST series to, let me share this tip from the book: “As you begin your relationship with Jesus, start with J.O.Y.


Join a weekly Prayer Meeting (such as The Feast) and Small Groups for personal discipleship.


Obey God’s Word by reading the Bible every day. You may use the assigned Mass Readings of the day or read 3 chapters of the Bible daily.


Yield to the Holy Spirit so you can share Jesus to others.”

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By the way, thank you Jennet (one of the cyber-friends I mentioned in my last blog) . I made this Strawberry Cheesecake with the luscious strawberries you sent.

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Postscript:


I found the KMag article (April 2007) I was looking for thanks to Tess who also wrote it. The  differently-abled girl's name is Ann Martha Padilla and she has cerebral palsy. She is “a prayer warrior of the Regina Rosarii Contemplative Association.” 


Like Jessica, she uses her toes to do things particularly texting her advice to the many people who send her messages. She said, “I would ask God what he wanted me to do given my condition.” Through her disability, she is performing God’s great purpose for her life – to “offer encouragement and prayer for His troubled people.”



Photo of Jessica from Jessica Cox Motivational Services http://rightfooted.com/photos/

Let Me Love You Today

I have a confession and I hope none of my community elders will read this. I’m being disobedient about something we were instructed to do. But before I get booted out of the community for being pigheaded, let me explain (or justify) my insubordination.

THE MISSION

The Light of Jesus Family’s mission is to “Make Disciples”. Our leader, Bo Sanchez, wrote the book Love Someone Today, a One-to-One Discipleship for Catholics. This is the tool given to the servants of the Feast to use in our evangelization. It’s a small but powerful book that can and is already touching lives.

We were given marching orders to seek one person to love and eventually disciple. This meant approaching a Feast attendee, starting a relationship and going through 7 lessons with her (or him for the brothers).

THE PROBLEM

Easy enough? Not quite. Last night in our meeting, we were grouped and asked to discuss our experiences in doing one-to-one discipleship.

True, there were inspiring stories from some members. Without a doubt, there are disciples in the making.

But there were stories not shared in the assembly but only discussed in the groups.

A brother shared that he was totally ignored by an attendee he tried to connect with. The man pointedly kept his earphones on.

A sister sensed that the person she tried to disciple got freaked out. Initially, the woman tried to hide from her during the Feast. Eventually, she stopped attending altogether.

And my personal problem? I just haven’t had the time to scout around for a prospect much less squeeze in a face-to-face encounter over a cup of coffee or tea (for me, since I rarely like coffee). Considering the myriad of duties I have, I may never have time to sit and talk.

MY SOLUTION

During our Love Someone Today (LST) workshop, I already knew I wouldn’t be able to do this. I lightheartedly said that I will just blog about it.

But seriously thinking about our mission, I felt that we each have our own way of making disciples. Since I’m a writer, my blog is a tool I can use to accomplish the task I was given. (I sometimes kid that if I get mad I will duel with my blog as my weapon of choice. Since this time it's all for love, it will be used to reach out and hopefully touch lives.)

Considering the advancements in technology, it is no longer strange to form relationships in cyberspace. My niece, for instance, met a guy from China online. Their romance blossomed via the internet. Now she’s married to him and awaiting the birth of their first child. So who’s to say disciples can’t be made online?

FINDING FRIENDS ONLINE

As a Didache and Gabay* writer, I often get messages from people who were touched by my reflection. Some have become cyber-buddies that I exchange emails with.

So here’s what I commit to do. I will write about each chapter of the LST booklet and do online discipleship. (I’m not encouraging others to do this. This is just me because writing is my gift. I say, “Go find your own thing” :) lest I be taken to task for being a bad influence.)

It may not exactly be what we were tasked to do but I feel I have God’s blessings on this one. I got His confirmation just this morning as I was praying about my plan:

“Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” – Acts 5:20

The passage said “take your place” and my place is to write…here in my blog. I take it that “this life” refers to the life in community, a life following Jesus.

By writing about the lessons in this book I hope to deepen friendships with 3 ladies I met online:

I got to know Jennet because she would comment on my articles in our now-defunct website, Proudly Filipina. We reconnected through Didache and became online friends. I regularly send her my blogs.

May sent an email to all Didache writers about her job problem in Australia and I responded. After an exchange of emails, she visited us in Feast Alabang when she came home. She got a wonderful miracle a few weeks after – she and her husband got jobs in the U.S. We kept in touch for a while after she left. I hope through this online LST, we can continue the friendship.

I “met” Erma also because of my Didache reflection. She is planning a trip to Manila soon and I’ve invited her to visit me at the Feast Alabang. In the meantime, I have connected her to Feast Cagayan de Oro.

But I’m not limiting the interaction to these three ladies. If you can relate, become touched or would just like to reflect on what I will write about the LST, be my cyber-friend and drop me a line.

See you all soon for my take on the Intro to Love Someone Today.

*Didache and Gabay are daily bible reflections for Catholics.

Spiritual Warfare

Two years ago, I wrote the following reflection about a spiritual warfare that we in the Feast Alabang Media Ministry experienced. It was featured as the April 2 reflection for Didache 2012.

“BACK OFF!”

“Here is my servant, whom I strengthen.” – Isaiah 42:1

“Back off!” Piurie heard a male voice from out of nowhere. It was Saturday night. She was alone editing the video to launch the Caring Groups at our Feast the next day. This was the last incident in a string of spiritual harassments that our Media Ministry experienced that week.

Osy, who conceptualized the presentation, figured in a three-vehicle smash-up. My monitor, which was working fine, suddenly flat-lined. Our videographers with their high-tech cameras and our talent were unavailable. One member was hospitalized due to asthma and severe back pains.

The thought that we were being attacked by evil forces to prevent the video from being used to harvest souls was chilling. But God provided and God protected. Tin, usually busy, was free to make the presentation. She roped in her friend, Piurie, to volunteer. Mike was able to borrow a camera. AJ from the youth ministry agreed to do the funny poses we needed to shoot.

When we asked for prayers, we were assured that God had sent His angels to cover us. Backed by the strength of God’s forces, it was our turn to say to the devil, “Back off, we’re showing this!” And we did.

The night before the reflection came out, our AVP Team Head Noemi texted me to ask for prayers. She was making the Awesome Kids AVP that will be used for ASK, our Holy Week Recollection.

Technical problems were hampering her efforts. Not only that, she felt a presence when she was typing in the words “Who is God for you?” She decided to stop.

She later said that when she attempted to do it again the following night, her son asked her to sleep beside him. He felt someone touching him when there was nobody there.

When I got her text, the first thing that popped into my head was that my reflection was coming out the next day. It was creepy that it was happening at this time. I prayed a spiritual warfare prayer for Noemi.

Things like this are scary especially because when you serve God you are in the forefront of the battle.

But it is also a firm affirmation of two truths. One: that the devil is also afraid of us, of the things we can do as warriors for the Lord. Two: that the Lord is our vanguard and our rear guard in this spiritual warfare. When you have the most powerful force with you, how can you lose?

Noemi’s story ended like Piurie’s. She too completed her task by the power of prayer. God will always help us to be victorious. All we have to do is ASK!

ASK, Feast Alabang’s Lenten Recollection, will be held on April 5, 6 & 7, 2012 (Holy Thursday to Black Saturday) from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Bellevue Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Entrance is free, so if you’re free, come and join us.

A Memory Loss

So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in condemnation…” – John 8:25-26

Sometimes we experience temporary memory loss at the most embarrassing times. You meet a person you know and when you attempt to introduce this person to your companion, you draw a mental blank. You absolutely cannot remember his or her name and you cannot do the unthinkable and ask, “Who are you?”

This happened to me a couple of times. The most embarrassing was when I remembered the name of the person I met on the street and forgot the name of my companion. I had to endure the embarrassment longer as we were taking the ride home together.

Physical memory loss, at most, is just embarrassing. Spiritual memory loss is tragic as you lose more than just your “face”. What causes spiritual memory loss? I’d say pride does.

Let me tell you 2 stories to illustrate my point:

• My Papa had a town mate who knew him quite well. She even used to call him kuya. Papa was a friend of her sibling. She migrated to the U.S.A. and made it big there. When Papa introduced himself to her when they saw each other again in the States, she said, “Who are you? Do I know you?”

• I have a friend who used to be thoughtful and nice. As he rose in stature, he seemed to have experienced a severe memory loss about how he got to where he was and the other people who made a mark before him. Now I want to throttle him until the bad spirits depart and ask him, “Who are you and what have you done to my friend?”

There are times when we act like the Pharisees, like we do not know Jesus at all. We fail to recognize His hand in the good fortune that comes our way. We forget that all the success and blessings in our lives came from Him. Let us always remember who Jesus is and live like Him so that when we meet Him at the pearly gates He will not ask, “Who are you? Do I know you?”