What Christian Love Is ♥

"True Christian love is generous and tangible," says Fr. Ruper Solis, SVD.

He further explained what it means in his homily.

Generous.

Loving is giving. We cannot love without giving. But giving is not necessarily loving. Because one can give without actually loving.

Speaking of sincere giving, I have learned time and again that it is truly in giving that we receive. The one who gives more, receives more.

Just this afternoon, I decided to pay half of my office mate's merienda. Wala na kasi siyang barya. After he had eaten, he went out and came back with this, saying, "Mas masarap yan (baked ziti) pag may kasamang ganito."

Dahil "special" daw ako. :D

I noticed the message on the wrapper: "May pasobra dahil special ka!"

Loving is giving generously, sincerely, cheerfully! :)

Also a week ago, I gave macaroni salad (which I personally made) to Kuya Elmer and Kuya Edward (guards on duty). Two days after, Kuya Elmer knocked on our door and gave me this:

Toasted pastillas, in exchange of the macaroni salad. :)

Truly, God can never be outdone in generosity. The more you give, the more you will be given. The more you love, the more you will be loved. (Well, not always with human love. But with God's love, YES!) ♥

Tangible.

Love is not only expressed in words but in concrete actions. Fr. Ruper used Eat Bulaga's Kalye Serye as an example. Alden and Maine often exchange messages and sweet nothings but Alden goes beyond writing words. When Maine got sick, he sent her fruits and flowers. He was even willing to accomplish the tasks set by Lola Nidora. All for the love of Maine. :)

Today's Gospel gives a beautiful example of what true Christian love is:

A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' (Luke 10:30-35)

The Samaritan was moved with compassion. He acted and treated the man with mercy, lifted him up, took him to an inn, cared for him, spent for him. He was generous of his time and treasure, and he expressed his love in concrete actions.

Jesus also showed us the perfect Christian love by giving His all, His whole life, for our salvation. He was the ultimate expression of the Father's unconditional, merciful love for all of us, unworthy sinners that we are.

During the Prayers of the Faithful, we respond: Lord, let us be courageous in love. With the grace of God, and with the examples of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, the prophets, the saints, and the holy people who have gone ahead of us, may we truly be able to love - generously, and in concrete ways! ♥

Comments

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place? Photo Credit: http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan." He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3. So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here .

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to. So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :) I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :) H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend? Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit? First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts receptive

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :) Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year? A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females? A: Nails And the final question is... Q: According to Box Office Mojo what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire That's all

These Little Wonders

Search This Blog