These Little Wonders

Breakfast for one. ♥ So I uploaded this photo on Instagram with a very long caption which, unfortunately, was not posted. Pang-blog daw kasi sa haba. Haha.   Anyway, here's the story behind that photo.  It's the least wonderful time of the month again, and it's when I most miss the love and care of a mother. I woke up with two of the things I hate the most: migraine and dysmenorrhea. Instead of just staying in bed the whole day (like I used to do when Mama was still here), I had to prepare my own breakfast (that photo above), heat water (for bathing and for hot compress), and try to distract myself from the pain. Not only that, I had to go to work because I have already used up all my leaves.  Good thing I have Mama Mary, my Spiritual Mother, whose face alone gives me comfort and consolation. Thank God for Mama Mary who is ever-present and ever-caring as a real mother. And thank God for Mama who showed me the example of unconditional love and genuine c...

On the second Sunday of Advent, Bishop Broderick Pabillo exhorted us to take away the hindrance that blocks Jesus' way: SIN.  He beautifully related it to the readings: First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14 Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 Sin can be translated into these three Filipino words:  1. Pagmamalabis (Greed/Covetousness) 2. Pagkukulang (Shortcomings) 3. Liko-Liko (Crooked) As written in Isaiah, we are to prepare the way for the Lord by: 1. Making straight in the desert a highway 2. Raising up every valley 3. Lowering down every mountain and hill  In other words, we make amends for our sins by:  1. Making straight our crooked ways (Ituwid ang mga liko-likong landas.) 2. Breaking down our walls of greed and possesiveness (Tibagin ang pagmamalabis.) 3. Making up for our shortcomings (Punuan ang mga pagkukulang).  We learn from John the Baptist three characteristics that would help us avoid sin:...

Journal Entry for 30 November 2014 #LatePost Happy New Year! :)  Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical calendar for 2015. As we bid farewell to the Year of the Laity, we welcome the Year of the Poor , which is consistent with the theme of the Papal Visit this January, Mercy and Compassion .  In today's Gospel, the Lord tells us to be watchful, stay awake, and be alert, because we do not know when the time will come.  I attended the mass at Monte Carlo this afternoon and the priest, Fr. Freddie Penoliar shared a beautiful reflection on the Gospel and the Advent Season in general. He began by telling a story. A bishop and a newly-ordained priest went to Vatican. They stayed in the same room, on separate beds. Before they went to sleep, they both said their prayers. The bishop told the Lord, "Dear God, I am a bishop and the person I am with now is a newly-ordained priest. I will pray longer than he does so that he would...

♪ all I want for Christmas is... ♪ Please vote for my dream board! ♥ Click here . :) I was about to sleep last night when I received a text message from Ate Chie telling me that my dream board was one of the finalists in the Canon and Belle De Jour Power Planner 's Dream Board Contest . I was so elated at the good news but since I don't have internet connection at home (we live in a cave! :D), and Facebook is blocked in the office, I told her to like the photo so that I could have at least one like before I could check it out maybe this weekend. :D (But since voting is until December 15, only, I need to make my move now!) I know the other bellas submitted beautiful entries too, probably a lot more beautiful than mine. I must admit that the only reason why I bothered to create my own dream board (for the first time!) was because I so wanted the prize ( Canon Selphy ). :D Dream Board. 2015 and beyond. :) I first saw that beautiful little thing back in 2012 whil...

Source: Department of Education Aside from the items listed, there's one thing more important to do: to seek the protection of our God who is bigger than any storm . And so we pray: Oratio Imperata (Obligatory Prayer) for Deliverance from Calamities  Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part, for Your providence that sustains us in our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe. We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation. We have not been good stewards of Nature. We have confused Your command to subdue the earth. The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference. Typhoons, heavy rains, floods, and other natural calamities  occur in increasing number and intensity. We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins. We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard-earned possessi...

And now [God] says to us what he has already said to the world as a whole through his grace-filled birth:  "I am there. I am with you. I am your life. I am your time. I am the gloom of your daily routine. Why will you not bear it? I weep your tears -- pour yours out to me, my child. I am your joy. Do not be afraid to be happy, for ever since I wept, joy is the standard of living that is really more suitable than the anxiety and grief of those who think they have no hope. I am the blind alleys of all your paths, for when you no longer know how to go any further, then you have reached me, foolish child, though you are not aware of it. I am in your anxiety, for I have shared it by suffering it. And in doing so, I wasn't even heroic according to the wisdom of the world. I am in the prison of your finiteness, for my love has made me your prisoner. When the totals of your plans and of your life's experiences do not balance out evenly, I am the unsolved remainder. And I kno...

We had the privilege to attend the recollection led by Bishop Ambo David to the members of the CFC Board of Elders and the International Council tonight. Thank God for the gift of technology we were able to watch it live via UStream. :D  Bishop Ambo talked about stewardship as discussed in the pastoral letter ( Stewardship: A Disciple's Response ) on the topic released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  According to the letter, A Christian steward is one who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others and returns them with increase to the Lord. From that statement, we derive the four characteristics of a Christian steward , namely:  1. Receives God's gifts gratefully .  "For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (Matthew 13:12)...

Let us pray:  Dear God, I am full of wishes, full of desires, full of expectations. Some of them may be realized, many may not, but in the midst of all my satisfactions and disappointments, I hope in You. I know that You will never leave me alone  and will fulfill Your divine promises. Even when it seems that things are not going my way,  I know that they are going Your way,  and that in the end Your way is the best way for me. O Lord, strengthen my hope,  especially when my many wishes are not fulfilled. Let me never forget that your name is Love.  Amen. *prayer by Fr. Henri Nouwen

One of the blessings of mission is the opportunity to explore and be awestruck at the beauty that the place has to offer. On our last day in Maasin, our generous host brought us to a holy place called Monte Cueva , officially known as the Diocesan Shrine of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus and Our Lady of Assumption .  Entrance is free as it is maintained by the Diocese of Maasin but you have to pay a minimal fee for the use of the toilet. (Sorry, I was not able to ask how much.)  Monte Cueva is truly a sanctuary of prayer. By the time you enter its gate, you know you are standing on holy ground. We did not count but we were told that we are to climb 400 steps up to the peak of the sacred mountain. To me it seemed like the stairway to heaven because with every step, I truly felt closer and closer to the Father. The way up was both a physical and spiritual exercise. Aside from the stations of the cross, there are beautiful reminders posted around the mountain....