These Little Wonders

Years ago, I told Tito Ernie Maipid that for me, the two letter 'S' in the word MISSION stand for "serve" and "surrender."  Today, Fr. Benedict affirmed that when he shared about the Gospel and his new assignment. In the Gospel, Jesus was resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem. When they were not welcomed in a Samaritan Village, James and John asked Him if He'd like to call down fire from heaven to consume the people there, but Jesus rebuked them and journeyed to another village. He did not have time for that because He is focused on getting His mission done.  The mission is urgent. And just how Jesus did it, we really need to FOCUS... on the immense LOVE of God and on the intensity of the mission entrusted to us. The key is SURRENDER. After experiencing God's love, comes mission. There is an overwhelming voice of fear but more than that there is also an overwhelming sound of God's loving presence in our lives. Let's choos...

Today is Thursday but our priest celebrant during the noon mass was Fr. Benedict. He shared how the invitation came to him as a surprise and how he truly believes that God is a God of surprises.  I believe so, too. :)  Last night, God surprised me big time when I received an early birthday gift from my two brothers. LA bought me a new phone while AR bought the SIM. Since I won't be in Manila on the week of my birthday, they already gave me their presents. I was really overwhelmed at how the Lord answered my prayer through them. And His answer was way better than what I have asked for. Truly, God is a God of wonders. Great and wonderful is He! In awe, I asked the Lord, "What have I done to deserve this?"  He didn't say a word, but He smiled as He embraced me. And that was more than enough for me to realize that there is nothing I could do to ever deserve God's love. As Fr. Benedict said in one of his homilies, "Ang kagandahang loob ng Panginoon a...

Today's Gospel is an affirmation for me. And I truly believe that Fr. Ruper's homily is God's way of consoling me. :)  Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:1-6. Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,  and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.  And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them." Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.  From the homily of Fr. Ruper Solis:  There are three things that we learn from today's Gospel.  We are MESSENGERS . We are being sent to spread the M...

Things, like people, always come and go. Truly, nothing is permanent in this world. Whether we like it or not, we would always need to deal with a lot of "letting gos" and "moving ons." That's just the reality of life.  Just last night, I lost my phone to some teenager who must have needed it more than I do. My co-passengers advised me to report immediately to the nearby police officer because the suspect was just walking across the street (it happened in Anonas). So I got off the jeepney and started looking for a police officer or at least a barangay tanod. However, I did not find one. With legs shaking and a heart pounding so hard on my chest, I decided to just go home. Everything happened so fast but that incident taught me valuable lessons that I would carry for the rest of my life.  1. Nothing lasts forever. As I said, things, like people, come and go. So, first of all, don't get too attached to the temporary. Part of my presentation for...

"Ate, gising na. Late ka na!" I heard my brother say this morning, and with a heavy head, I got up and said, "Wag mong sabihin yan! There's power in words." I left the apartment quite early than usual and I was a bit confident that I won't be late. It was such a beautiful morning, the sun is up, and I enjoyed walking along Karangalan Drive all the way to Gate 1.  After 10 minutes of waiting, I finally got to ride a jeepney bound for Mc Do Marcos Highway. From there I rode a jeepney bound for LRT (that's after intense running after the jeep and pakikipagbalyahan ). When I reached LRT Santolan, I exercised by brisk walking and jogging just so I could catch the next train to Recto. I took the stairs because the escalator is jam-packed. Thank God I arrived at the platform just before the door of the train closes.  I rode the jeepney to the Global Mission Center and arrived a minute before the end of the grace period. In short, I wasn't lat...

Buti na lang Sabado bukas.  Buti na lang nakauwi pa ako kagabi at nakapaglaba bago bumuhos uli ang ulan. Buti na lang idineklara na walang pasok ngayon (dahil hindi talaga ako makakapasok gawa ng pinagsamang baha at dysmenorrhea). Buti na lang hindi nawalan ng kuryente. Buti na lang may load pa ang broadband stick ko. Buti na lang may signal kahit paano.  Buti na lang hindi pa ubos ang gasul at nakapagluto pa ako.  Buti na lang may iluluto pa akong ulam at isasaing na bigas. Buti na lang may tubig pa akong iinumin.  Buti na lang hindi nawalan ng tubig at nakaligo pa ako. Buti na lang mabait ang kapitbahay namin at ibinili ako ng Milo at itlog.  Buti na lang kahit nasa trabaho ang kapatid ko at nasa Iloilo ang mga magulang ko, hindi kami nawawalan ng balita sa isa't isa dahil sa teknolohiya.  Buti na lang nag-desisyon na ang organizers ng Blogapalooza na i-reschedule ito sa ibang araw. Buti na lang mas kaunti na ang mga gamit namin ngayon...

We have such a beautiful First Reading today which both serves as a reminder and a challenge for me.  Since Couples for Christ announced its theme for 2015, God has already started preparing me for it. Ever since I joined the community back in 2006, my journey had always been one with CFC's journey. From Lamentations when I had nothing left to do but just hope, to the call of loving one another especially one's enemies, to moving forward in Christ, to experiencing the fullness of life, to putting on the full armor of God as described in Ephesians, to proclaiming the greatness of the Lord, to obeying and witnessing, and now beholding and pondering... CFC's story has become my own story as well.  Next year, we are called to LOVE MORE inspired by John 21:15-17. And to me that means forgiving, sacrificing, and dying more ! But that would also mean living more ! As what Cardinal Tagle beautifully explained, "When we do not love we do not fully live because the d...

An officemate saw my Google Chrome screen and commented, "Wow naman! May 'Good morning, Aiza' pa talaga!"  I smiled and said, "Yes, I need that to remind me that it still is a good morning." :) Even if you waited forever just to get a ride... Even if you were stuck in traffic... Even if you were two minutes late... Even if you were greeted by issues at work... Even if you need to deal with difficult people... Even if you have a lot on your plate and you just don't know how and where to begin... Even if you feel responsible for everything (because no one else wants to take the responsibility)...  Even if you take all the blame (because nobody wants to take it)... Even if you have so much financial obligations that need to be settled all at once... Even if you think it is a bad day...  ... truth is...  It still is a GOOD MORNING!   Because GOD IS GOOD!   :) And there is always one thing to be thankful for every mo...

Nowadays, people would no longer just ask, "How are you?" More often than not, they would ask, "How's your heart?" ("Kamusta ang puso mo?") Most of the time, I would answer, "Tumitibok pa naman." (It's still beating.) :D On a serious note, God is really asking us everyday, "how is our heart?" Because to Him, that is the thing that matters most. In the Biblical perspective, the heart is the core of the man , the seat of his intelligence and decision. It is what defines him.  Photo Credit: Etsy.com And because heart matters* , it also matters that we regularly check the condition of our hearts and assess if we still have the following:  A willing heart like David 's After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do .’ (Acts 13:22) A trusting heart like Mary 's “ I am ...

I'm still finishing something, but since I no longer had company, I decided to stay at the GMC lobby where the guards can easily see me. :) I usually do this on Fridays when people are leaving early and I am staying late because of the following reasons:  I don't have internet at home. And Fridays are my days (or nights) to create powerpoint presentations or other extra work for the ministry.  I don't have anyone to go home to. My parents are already in the province and my brother comes home late because Fridays are his "Fridates" with his girlfriend.  I just love to work on Friday nights! :D Friday nights are my most productive work nights. :) Tita Ana just came from Singapore for Sam's ballet competition and she brought some pasalubong contained in an "I ♥ SG" plastic bag, which I used today to contain my baon and other stuff. Kuya Randy noticed it and commented (addressing Kuya Manuel), "Kaya pala tayo malapit sa puso ni Ma'am ...

I remember a brother shared the four elements of discipleship : (1) encounter, (2) conversion, (3) commitment, (4) surrender. In today's Gospel, those elements are very much present. I have previously posted a reflection on the same reading months ago and to highlight the four elements mentioned, here's the original text:  Verses 1-3:  People come because they want to experience Jesus, they want to hear God's word, they want to be blessed. God called us for a very special purpose - that is to love Him and to make Him loved. Our mission is to share Christ and to make others experience what it's like to be loved by Him.  (Encounter) Verses 4-5:  We are here because the Lord told us to do so. When the Lord tells us to do something, we need not argue, we can ask, but we simply need to obey and trust that Someone greater is in control. (Conversion) Verses 6-7:  When you say yes to God, expect two things: struggles (because we are following a man in con...

Very timely message. :) Thank You, Lord! ♥ Divine Mercy Daily Reflections Day 45: Strength for the Task at Hand Meditation: One time during the novitiate, ... I was very upset because I could not manage the pots, which were very large. The most difficult task for me was draining the potatoes, and sometimes I spilt half of them with the water ... . I complained to God about my weakness. Then I heard the following words in my soul, From today on you will do this easily; I shall strengthen you. That evening, when the time came to drain off the water from the potatoes, I hurried to be the first to do it, trusting in the Lord's words. I took up the pot with ease and poured off the water perfectly. But when I took off the cover to let the potatoes steam off, I saw there in the pot, in the place of the potatoes, whole bunches of red roses, beautiful beyond description ... . [Then] I heard a voice within saying, I change such hard work of yours into bouquets of most beautifu...

And I thank God I am. ♥ Saw something online that reminded me of my Princess Diaries experience. :)  This goes to all the women who might be needing some affirmation of their beauty and dignity:  I am a woman.  Created in the image and likeness of God, I was carefully designed as... a mystery to be revealed, a relationship to be pursued, a beauty to be unveiled, God placed in my heart the desire... to be romanced, be pursued, to play an irreplaceable role in a shared adventure, to unveil beauty. God is my... Lover who pursues me and satisfies my longings, Partner who fulfills my desire for a true, perfect, intimate relationship, Warrior ready to fight for me and rescue me from whoever wants to snatch me away from Him.  I am a woman and there is immense dignity in my being one because I reveal God to the world. :)  Hugs to every beautiful woman out there! We are God's princesses and we are deeply loved! ♥

"To love God is to be determined to do what God wishes at each moment of our lives. What God wishes of us regarding our neighbor is that we render loving service and forgiveness." :)  I received an email from a sister who is on an emotional high - in a negative way. She was asking for my advice as to how she would deal with the people who keep on bothering her despite her efforts to avoid them. She said she's already tired of being mad at them, tired of seeing them, tired of all the issues related to them. She said she wanted to heal and that she never want to have to deal with any of them ever again.  I pondered on her sharing and tried my best to put myself in her shoes. I asked God for the best possible advice I could give. Then instantaneously, I found myself typing the following:  Just let things be, Sis. You cannot force healing. At kahit anong iwas mo, since we're still in the same community, makikita at makikita mo rin sila once in a while. We al...