Celebrating Life on the 65th

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I have noticed how I hate others for the very things I hate most in myself. Often, I would see the evil or wrongdoings in others but remain blind to my own. I would sometimes allow the anger and bitterness to fester and nurture the hurt and pain they cause. In the process, the foul odor and the stench spreads into my words, my actions and in my being. And like a festering wound, rot begins and the negativity rankles within me.

I can choose to do otherwise. When I choose to see the goodness in others, I affirm and proclaim the goodness that is in them and in me. And what I affirm in myself, I see become reality in others and in my relationship with them. I reap what I sow. If I sow love, I harvest the fruits of love. If I plant goodness, I am rewarded with good fruits.

I do not even have to do anything heroic. I can do the smallest or the simplest of things. And when I do them with love and generosity, I am always amazed by the fruits they bring. It is my birthday today. And Jane was in our room early with her boxful of presents for me – her doodles and drawings, shaped into hearts and things, colored with a rainbow of love. Nothing fancy. But she gave it and dit it with everything she had and was capable of. It moves me how she can show her love with everything she’s got and capable of: unbidden, not prompted, all out of love for Lolo. She took time out of her precious play time to make those things for me. In the process, she has learned a lifelong lesson of giving of herself to a loved one, of nurturing and nursing a relationship, of sacrificing some things for the sake of another. She is getting ready for life.

Last week, I planted some sunflower seeds. They had hard shells. Yet in a few days of germination, tender shoots have broken through the hard shells, the beginnings of a new life. How life can grow out from such a hard and seemingly dead seed! The seed breaks and dies and then a new plant emerges that gives beauty through its flowers, food and nutrition through its seeds and shelter from the sun to small birds and bugs through its shade. Nothing fancy. Such a simple thing. Unheralded. Ordinary. Just being themselves. And yet plants of various sorts give food to men and many living creatures, shelter from the elements and even clothing for them to wear.

As I celebrate my 65th year, I thank God for the goodness and the beauty around me. I am specially grateful for the simple and ordinary things in my everyday life. it is out of these that true meaning, the real truth, comes from. I thank God for the abiding presence in my  life.

Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:1-5

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Of Portals and Thresholds

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Image

We live at the threshold of a new world.
We live in in-between times – between the already and the not yet.
We are always just a step away from portal of our fondest hopes and dreams.

Man has a paradise on earth but it can often be lonely.
We long for a place where light pierces through and dispels the darkness.
A place in the sun where the warmth of love never dims.
A cool refreshing spot where care never chills the soul.
Just a step across the portal and we are home
Where we truly belong.

I have seen glimpses of that place.
It is somewhere and yet nowhere.
But it is in fact everywhere.
It can be anywhere.
I have seen it in people whose love brings smiles on the faces of others.
I have seen it in people who work for peace and unity.
I have seen it in the people who live lives of selfless service to others.
I have seen it in the innocence of children who still remember
Our true home where we are all coming back.
Yes, we are already there.

And yet, we are not yet there.
There is still a lot of anger and hatred in the world that make people cry.
There is still a lot of selfishness and greed that make people go hungry.
There is still a lot of divisions and dissensions that pit us against one another.
There is still a lot of abuse of children that destroy their innocence.

We are physical bodies tied down firmly on this earth.
But we are a consciousness that can travel across the universe among the stars.
We live in time and for a time on this planet.
Yet we are always standing at the threshold of eternity
We eat that our bodies may live.
Yet we have a spirit that lives at the portal of immortality.

We have been already been redeemed by Christ’s death and love.
But we have not yet come to the fullness of this redemption.
We still need to eat in order to live.
But we shall one day partake of His body and life and live forever.

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”
John 6:51

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Being like Birds and Wildflowers

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Spirit Moments

ImageThere is a lot about the past I am truly grateful for. I have been so blessed I relish going over memories that have joyfully brought me to where and who I am today. But dwelling too much in the past can sometimes lead to depression. I have had my share of regrets, failures and disappointments. Thinking too much of what-might-have-beens can give rise to bitter regrets and ultimately lead to depression.

There is a lot about the future I am excited about. If my past is any indication, then the best is yet to come. But the future is also fraught with a lot of uncertainty. I do not really know what tomorrow my bring. And seeing how fragile or fleeting life can be, how perilous the times we are living in are, the future does look grim and dreadful. Worrying too much about the future can make one anxious and apprehensive.

The present is the only time I really have. It is in the present that life takes place, not in the past nor in the future. The present has enough blessings to make me joyful. If I can catch the joy of the present I can store that as another joyful memory in my past. If I can truly relish the present, I can look forward to more similar moments in the future.

I am both a history and a promise. I am here because of my past and I am the beginning of a future yet to be born. But it is by working on my present that makes my past meaningful history and my future a promise that will be fulfilled. The birds of the air live for the day, not burdened by a yesterday. The lilies of the field bloom in beauty for the day, not anxious about tomorrow. If I but live fully for today, I shall have done justice to my past and unlocked the full potential of my future.

“For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.” say the Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.”
Matthew 6:24-34

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Hearts and Treasures

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Everyday, billions of dollars are gained or lost in the stock exchanges of the world. A rumor can send the stocks of Apple into a tailspin dive, making its stockholders poorer in billions of paper losses. And yet, nothing significant may have changed in Apple itself. Oracle shares lost ground yesterday because it did not make enough money to satisfy investors. The corporation did not lose money. In fact, it made billions in profits but it was just not enough to satisfy the avarice of people. During the 2008 financial meltdown, bankers and financiers created billions of dollars worth of investment instruments out of nothing. And when their bubble burst, millions were left destitute, having lost their homes and their retirement funds.

Wealth and money are an illusion. A thing has value only when people say so. Seashells were a valued currency in some societies in the past. Wages used to be paid in salt; thus, the term ‘salary’. There was a time in the Philippines when big fishing cannery ships used to dump and throw away the heads and tails of their catch because these could not be processed by the canning machinery of the ship. Till some resourceful persons thought of cleaning and grilling these and they became a prized and valued delicacy.

Wealth is what the human mind sees and defines to be of value. And value is what the human heart desires. Many sees money as an easy way of assigning values to things. But sooner than later, we realize that there are many things of value that cannot be denominated in terms of money. How much, for example, for a mother’s love? It is precious and beyond being valued in terms of money. I would trade everything I have for the love of my mother. How much for a granddaughter’s affection? Last night, Anabelle and I had a movie date with Jane, complete with drinks and popcorn. It cost me a few dollars but those moments we were out enjoying the movie with Jane were priceless in terms of money.

My treasures are where my heart is. And my heart is not in the money that I have but in the people around me. It is in their love and affection. It is in their caring and sharing that I feel like a rich man.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Matthew 6:19-21

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Relishing A Prayer

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Our Father: Your Son became one of us and gave us the power to address you as He addressed you: Abba Father. And because He became one of us and made us His own, we join Him in calling out to you lovingly and with complete trust: Our Father.

who art in heaven: You, who are the source of all the beauty and goodness around us, must have a place in all of this grandeur. I do not know where it is. I am not even sure it is a place or that you can be confined in any space. But wherever you are, I call that heaven.

hallowed be thy name,: Anything I do in your name becomes holy and sacred and the place where I stand at that moment is hallowed ground; for it has been sanctified by your name and presence.

thy Kingdom come: I see the unfolding of your creation. It took billions of years for the paradise that is earth to be ready for men. But in the fullness of time, in Your time, your kingdom did come and you populated it with people. In my own life, I see your handiwork unfolding day by day. I welcome your Kingdom into my life.

thy will be done: You only desire is love and goodness for us. It is your will for us to be loved and showered with all your goodness. You have filled the earth with good things and beauty. It is your will that happiness and joy will be ours – in Your time – and yes, indeed, Your will be done.

on earth as it is in heaven: There is more to life than what our senses perceive. You have given us the gift of imagination to see what else is possible. You have given us a beautiful earth. With our imagination you have made us imagine there is something more. Your will reigns supreme over all the cosmos.

Give us this day our daily bread: we have our needs – some real, others imagined. And you know what we need even before we ask for them. But still we cry out to you, like a needy child towards his loving Father, give us what we need for today. In trusting dependence but not in greedy acquisitiveness. In humble supplication but not with prideful entitlement.

and forgive us our trespasses: We are sinners and we fail you often. We determine to do good one day and the next day we are back to our sinful ways. Just as we need our daily bread from You, we also need Your constant mercy and forgiveness for we are weak and are often wrong.

as we forgive those who trespass against us: Even as we ask for your pardon and mercy, may we be ready and willing to give pardon and mercy to those who have offended us. May we be as forgiving unceasingly as you are so totally forgiving of our frailties.

and lead us not into temptation: We know the good things that we should be doing and the bad things that we should not be doing. But because of our fallen nature, we tend to gravitate towards what we should avoid and avoid what we should be doing. Give us the courage and strength to steer away from what will keep us away from You.

but deliver us from evil.: The devil is for real. He would have us believe he is not. I have seen enough of life to know that evil exists and can destroy man. Deliver us from death and destruction. Deliver us from the evil one.

The first part of the Lord’s Prayer defines my relationship with God: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind – submitting my will to His will and and myself to His Kingdom. The second part describes how I should live with others: Love your neighbor as yourself – praying not only for my needs but for our daily bread, forgiving so that I am likewise forgiven and not being a temptation to others.

Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’
Matthew 6:8-14

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There is Good in the World

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Today, I thank and praise God for all the parents who raise their children in the anonymity of millions of homes, expecting neither praise nor rewards but only striving that their off-springs have a better life than their own.

Today, I thank and praise God for the many health workers and caregivers who anonymously put in long hours so that the sick may be healed and those afflicted with severe illnesses may have more years of life and comfort.

Today, I thank and praise God for the unsung teachers and educators who have chosen a life of making lives rather than a life of making money so that the youth may have someone guide them as they discover their talents and who they are.

Today, I thank and praise God for neighbors reaching out to other neighbors in solidarity and community realizing that it takes a village to make a man, away from the limelight and fanfare of our pleasure-driven society.

Today, I thank and praise God for the many people of goodwill who go good even in the face of the terrible onslaught by the evil forces at work in the world.

Today I thank and praise God for the sensitive souls and artists among us who celebrate the hidden beauty and goodness around us through their songs, poems, paintings, performances and expressions in simple and hidden places.

Today I thank and praise God for the billions of anonymous persons who in their unheralded and ordinary lives give witness to the truth and goodness of our existence that poets and artists celebrate in their works.

Today, I thank and praise God that there is more good done that does not make it to the news than all the bad press that we read everyday. It is these small anonymous acts of love and kindness that keeps the world going for otherwise, with all the horrible stories we hear or read in the news, this world should have been long gone.

Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your alms giving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Matthew 6:1-4

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Love in Ordinary Times

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I choose to see all the love around me. A son, burdened by his own personal concerns and anxieties, reaches out to a parent and checks out on how the parent is doing. He stays with him. A parent, caring for a sick child, would gladly take on the pain of the child. Since pain is not transferable, the parent chooses to bear with and suffer with the child the pain he is going through. He stays with him.

A teacher nurtures and teaches her students with dedication and devotion as if they were her own. She gives without computing for the cost/benefit ratio. A doctor spends long hours caring for a sick child, not her own, to make sure he makes it through the night into the morning light. A stranger gives food to a hungry homeless person and relieves the grumbling in his stomach.

To give we must first have something to give: food, clothes, medicine, money. But when these are gone or not available, we realize we still have something to give – ourselves. Then, we realize we have kept the best for last. For in the end, beyond all the things we can give away, the gift of self is the best we can give others in love.

How often I forget these simple lessons on love. How often I measure my giving in terms of material things. How often I choose to give things so as not to give of myself. How often I forget that the currency with which I give of myself is the time I spend with the persons I love and hold dear.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48

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Groanings on a Monday Morning

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I recall a mental exercise we had with Fr. Decaestecker in our Metaphysics class.

If I had just one arm and one foot, would I still be a human being? Yes, for these missing extremities do not define my essence although they are part of my experience and existence. If I were missing a vital organ, would I still be a human being? Yes, medicine can keep me alive in existence even without these organs but they still do not define who I am (essence)? In the same manner, my shape and form are part of my existence but not essential to it. For the form I come in does not define the substance of who or what I am.

Extrapolating, can I live and be without the material possessions I have today? Yes, for I have lived for years with but a fraction of what I have today. Can I survive without the modern conveniences I enjoy today? Yes, for I came from an age when these gadgets I routinely use today were stuff from the most far out science fiction. Yes, I can live without a lot of what I take for granted these days.

Extrapolating still, can I imagine a world where people seek not revenge but gladly forgive those who offend them? Yes, I have met a man who said to love my enemies and He lived out His words.  Can I imagine a world where no one goes hungry because people share what they have? Yes, I have seen people inspired by this man to love and serve their fellowmen. Can I imagine a world where strangers are welcomed and everyone is received as a brother or a sister? Yes, for I have been part of a community that includes everyone and welcomes all specially the poor, the disadvantaged and the underprivileged.

Yet, in the reality of the world I live in, there is a lot of anger and hatred that seeks revenge and violence. There is plenty of hunger and want because people take and keep more than what they need. There is exclusion of those who are of a different color, or a different language, or a different behavior, or just looks different. There is greed and suspicion and pride. Why can’t we just join together and celebrate our common and shared essence – our humanity?

Lord, listen to my groaning.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.”
Matthew 5:38-42

Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

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With the Trinity for Eternity.

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Spirit Moments

ImageWe are stardust.
This may sound like a romantic expression of who and what we are.
But it is a scientific fact.
Amazing how we have emerged from that primeval explosion of a single particle.
In that primal moment were embedded the seeds of who we are.
We are meant to live forever.

When I am asleep I am dead to the world.
With my senses all shut down, the outside world is shut off.
And yet, I am not dead.
My body is busy cleaning itself up of the toxins I have accumulated during the day.
Damaged tissues are repaired and sick cells are made whole again.
My mind is clearing my psyche of all the anxieties and pains of the day.
My memory is re-ordered and the chaos of the day that was, processed.
I may be dead to the world.
But it is also probably the time I am most truly alive.

Jane gave us a command performance of songs and dances yesterday afternoon.
She topped her show with a quiz portion giving away gifts galore.
The show is over now but it is still playing in my mind.
And whenever I hear the songs she performed for us,
I can conjure up that afternoon all over again.
It is alive in my memory and in my being.
It was but a moment but it did change me – forever.
It will always be a part of me now.
It will also be part of Jane now – for always.
In those moments she was performing for us,
She was defining herself, discovering her talents and describing in actions
what she wants to be and will be in the future.
That Saturday afternoon is now part of eternity

Nowadays, I learn new songs mainly through Jane’s singing.
The songs of my youth rarely play on the radio nowadays.
But whenever they do, they bring back my past
And remind me how I got here.
I realize the songs have not gone.
They now form part of the soundtrack of my life
That will forever be playing in the background for as long as I am alive.

It took billions of years for the stardust to become me.
And now that I am here, I know I will outlast the stars.
I see so much of Tatang and Ima in me.
And I will also live forever in Jane and the next generations.
My life has been lived out with a beautiful melody in the background.
That is just a drift in the hymn that the universe in singing to its Creator.
I see dimly now.
But even in the shadows, I see the beauty that is in store for me.
Yes, on a clear day I can see forever.
Through the window, in the distance,
I can see the eternity that God has made for me.
The one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things.
God is above all things as Father, for He is principle and source;
He is through all things through the Word;
And He is in all things in the Holy Spirit.

Glory and praise for ever!

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
John 3:16

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Words

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I love words. I love stringing them together to express an idea or to describe an emotion. I love words put together as an inspiring poem or as a compelling story. I love them even more when words are put into a melody and become a beautiful song. Words can inspire and move me. They can move me to tears or send me into fits of laughter. Words can hurt me in ways that no physical object can. And words can heal me and make me whole like no medicine ever can.

Words can be cheap. I can say words without really meaning them just to curry favor or to avoid fault or to get what I want for the moment. But words are really life. They express what is deepest and most authentic within me. With words, I can tell others of my love for them. With words, I can tell my loved ones of my commitment to them. With words, I can communicate and create community with people. Through words, I am able to build and nurture meaningful relationships.

Words are very powerful. They express the ideas churning in my mind. When spoken, words become the template of potential reality. The spoken word, when backed by action, bespeaks of physical reality. Idea becomes word. And word becomes reality. This is how it is even in the ultimate reality of things. God is love. Out of love, God speaks the Word and the Son is. In their love for each other, the Spirit is. This is the Trinity whom we celebrate this weekend. The God of Love and Creation says the words: “Let there be light” and light there is.

I shall treasure my words and will not speak them out carelessly, or even less to hurt or destroy others. I will hold my tongue and not say words in anger or hatred or judgement. I will make my “Yes” mean “Yes” and my “No” mean “No”.

You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the Evil One.”
Matthew 5:33-37

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