277: On my birthday and on Ignatian Spirituality

My good friend Monique is the first person to give me a cake. YAY.

I've turned 26 today! It's amazing to be 26, although at one second I realized I am 4 years away from reaching my 30th. There was some sort of an alarm when that thought crossed my mind. I hope by that time I have a wider experience in terms of life, career, and spirituality. There are many things that I am grateful for, but what I am ultimately grateful for is how my faith turned my life around. The drastic change with my relationship with God had made me feel at peace. There are still uncertainties with the future (of course) but I actually don't feel threatened, nor afraid for what the future awaits for me. What had helped me build my relationship is this book written by Fr. James Martin - The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything:

I accidentally saw this book in the religious section in a bookstore. What caught my attention is its title. I thought why not try to be inspired living life according to the teachings of St. Ignatius, besides he is the founder of Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and it's the religious order of Pope Francis?

There were so many revelations when I finished the book. The things that I learned in the book resonates so much with me that I want to carry the messages all through out my life, that's why in the picture you can see that I had written a lot of references.

What I love about the book is that it was written simply, and the examples that Fr. James Martin made it easy for me to relate to. The book taught me about the different approach of praying, how to see God in everything I do, handling relationship with others, being detach from things that does not lead me to God, and basically almost everything. This book helped me improve my relationship with God that led me to be at peace.

If you are wondering what's Ignatian spirituality, it's hard to lay out because it's huge, but here's how Fr. James Martin said about (Ignatian spirituality):

So if anyone asks you to define Ignatian spirituality in a few words, you could say that it is: Finding God in all things Becoming a contemplative in action Looking at the world in an incarnational way Seeking freedom and detachment.

 I definitely would recommend this if you want to be in relationship with God ala Jesuits style.  I am actually excited reading further. I really want to be closer to God as much as I can. :)

"Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God." - Pope Francis

The beautiful Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. First time to visit this yesterday after the concert.
I was lucky enough to witness a wedding, and I was able to pray to Mother Mary before they closed the door of the church.
I hope to see Her closer soon, and I look forward in attending the mass too.

Watercolor students for the day. I am glad that I gave this one a shot. I enjoyed and learned so much.
Thanks to Liz of Project Vanity for teaching us, and Tin Tin for inviting me to join.

My simple pleasures: random toys and figures. Hoarding more curiosities and tinkeries in the future.

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275: How Do We Help?

Image From: https://fullydevoted1011.wordpress.com/

A week ago, a man got into the bus that I was riding on my way to the office and spoke out loud in the middle saying that he needs help to pay for his badly injured leg due to an accident. To prove that he wasn't lying, he showed his wound, and the smell of a festering wound surrounded the enclosed bus. You cannot imagine how a festering wound smells like.

Learn how to cry for the Poor

While he solicit coins, Pope Francis' message in UST echoed in my mind. Here is the man who needs help, how can I help?

[...] There is a worldly compassion which is useless. You expressed something like this. It’s a compassion that makes us put our hands in our pockets and give something to the poor. But if Christ had had that kind of compassion he would have greeted a couple of people, given them something, and walked on. But it was only when he was able to cry that he understood something of our lives. [..]

I may be rushing on my way to the office, but here is my opportunity to practice my being a better Christian by reaching out, but one cannot help but wonder: how can someone who's a middle class worker, who's in the rush to reach to her office, who currently has no influence, no power, no position can help?

But besides, the helping, you cannot imagine how bad I feel for the guy. You can feel how much he was unwanted in the bus because of his wounds. I didn't want to add more injury to the guy, instead of wincing on the smell, or showing grossed out by evading his outstretched hand, I stretched my hand and handed him some money. The only consolation I can offer at such limited time was my sincerity, so I looked at him straight in the eye, smiled, and nodded.

It was the only thing I can do at the moment. I hope it was suffice, but a week after, I am still disturbed that it felt like I fell on the category of those people who just gives money on those who asked. I seriously hope I have done something else that would have told the guy that there is still some people out there who are not indifferent on his sufferings.

If I can go back at the moment, I would have reached out, grabbed his hand and say 'I will pray for you'. It may be some of the last thing that he needed, but a sympathy from a stranger might at least a balm on his soul. I wish I have done this, but I am glad that this came to me, I'll do this when I get an opportunity in the future, and I hope that in spite of my limitations to help, I may have done something.

274: It's Lent Season!

Image from http://www.holyfamilysisters.org

It’s Lent Season! This is possibly one of the biggest event for Catholics, next to Christmas. To say, this is the first time that I am actually excited. I never really cared much about Lent because I found it too melancholic. For those who do not live in Philippines, during Lent you can really feel that the nation is in mourning. There are little, to no regular TV programs, most especially during Good Friday to Black Saturday. The retail stores are closed, the people are in their own respective houses praying, meditating, and simply savoring the silence. To me, it’s too bleak. But of course, while others are doing vigil, there are those who spend the Holiday in beaches. It really depends. But where I live, it’s evident that we are in vigil.

You might wonder why I suddenly had a change of perspective. With my renewed relationship with God, this will allow me to go deeper with my reflections and meditations. I want to spend the Holy Week meditating on God‘s love to save us. For me, this is an opportunity to further deepen my relationship with Him, and I’d also like to reflect on my own sinfulness and what can I do to in return for God’s love for me.

CONFESSION. Funny moment. Like what I have said, I never really participated that much during Lent so this is actually my first time to do fasting. I thought that the fasting would start next week, so earlier I enjoyed eating hotdog and egg during breakfast. To my regret, I was told that actually, the fasting starts today. You cannot imagine my confusion with what to do with the hotdog and egg that I ate. I asked my mom if I have to poke my throat so I can throw up the contents of my stomach. On the other hand, I thought I’d confess it to the priest, but then saying ‘Father I have sinned, I ate hotdogs and eggs when I should be fasting’ sounds ridiculous.

Actually, I still do not know what to do with the hotdog and the egg. But yes, I’m actually fasting, I’ve given up Facebook and Twitter, and will reduce my eating to only one full meal in a day.

You, what are you going to do this Lent?

By the way, if you have tumblr. Can you please follow the two blogs that I have created?

http://weareromancatholics.tumblr.com/
http://longlivepopefrancis.tumblr.com/

272: An antithesis of what Love and Hate can do

First and foremost, I really had to delay posting my real post because it feels so insensitive on my part to check how my January went by when we are still mourning of the injustice of how our fallen heroes were massacred. It seems my rants were so small and insignificant, that I have no right whatsoever to rant when I should be grateful for what I have.

The past few weeks had been a roller coaster for our nation. Two weeks ago we celebrated Love, Mercy, and Compassion while Pope Francis was here. We were a nation united by Love then. We have united ourselves through Christ's Love. During that time, we witnessed a leader who had braved the storm to comfort, and to show solidarity. We have witness an embrace, tears of joy, laughter, humility, and most of all Love. We rejoiced.

A week after, we were terrorized: We saw massacre. We witness hate, tears, wives being widowed, fatherless children weeping, and heard of lies, of doubts, of different stories. In all of this, we saw what a man can do to another man who knew nothing of Love.

A juxtaposition of week. An antithesis of what Love and Hate can do. A leader's love to comfort. A leader's hate to massacre.

Rest in Peace to our fallen heroes. You are never a number, you will never be forgotten.

"Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters." - Pope Francis

 

 

271: How God reached out to me thru Pope Francis

 

I am still reeling from the fact that a little while ago I was two - three steps away from Pope Francis. Who would have thought that I would have this opportunity? 

--- Well apparently, God. 

Last January 11, I dreamed of seeing Pope Francis live. In my dream I got to see him so close, but before I had the chance to know if I will ever have the chance in touching him, I woke up. I was so amused and at the same time thrilled by my dream, I wrote it in my status on facebook.

"hihi dreamt of Pope Francis. Back to sleep."

A few days after while I was on my way to go the office, I was reading a passage in bible and I ended up reading Matthew 1:18-25 ( it was basically about the angel appearing on Joseph's dream). When I got to the part where Joseph woke up from his dream and he did what the angel of the lord commanded him to do, I ended up thinking if it was a sign that I should see the Pope in any way that I can. 

I never really thought hard about it, because I thought that my chance of seeing him in real is rather slim to no chance at all. I mean, how can I see him when there's so many people who's probably more aggressive in actually seeing him than me? I was so indecisive because there were so many things I was worrying about, like I thought about stampede, security, and just being disappointed because I wouldn't see him. I, honestly, want to give up on the idea.

But early morning today, I decided to give it a go and I mumbled a silent prayer that I hope to see our Pope. But I already had conditioned myself that whatever happens I'll just enjoy and experience what it's like to actually wait for him. 

And to my surprise, this happened:

So what does it have to do about God sending his message to me thru our Pope? If you read my entry 'Be Brave' I reached to the point asking if God is still listening to me because He seems to be indifferent on my sufferings, I felt so defeated when I felt that He wasn't listening at all. So I stopped asking for His intervention on my dreams. I ended up just asking for God to strengthen my faith.

And this granted opportunity to see Pope Francis and his message on Meeting of the Families was just the answer.

First, the appearance of Pope on my dream, and the gospel I came across (Matthew 1:18-25) -- This tells me that I need to have faith on my dreams.

Second, the fact that Pope also discussed about the power of dreaming (I didn't know that Pope talked about the power of dreams because I was on my way home when the Pope talked about it during the meeting of families. I got to know about this when someone commented on my Facebook post that 'Pope just talked about the power of dreaming')

If you're familiar with my entries, this means a lot to me because I have many aspirations, and dreams. Last year's setbacks almost had me questioning if God is still there. He answered me thru the Pope's chosen topic: Dreaming! Coincidence? Of course not! Plus, he discussed about it right after I saw him in the flesh! What a right timing!

I almost strayed away from God because of my disappointments, and how He seems to ignore me, but He used the Pope -- His chosen shepherd -- to bring me back to His loving arms.

Thank you, God. Thank you, Pope Francis. ❤

Welcome Pope Francis

so overwhelmed by your presence. ❤