Love Transcends the Seasons of Life

We live in dreary times when every phase of life is calculated in monetary value. Death is viewed as a cost-cutting measure or an escape route to every kind of problems - poverty, environmental, self-esteem and whatever. Although wrapped in good intentions, it is a sad thing. It destroys the very beauty of life and love that transcends the seasons of life.

Kiss the Hands of Your Mother

Kiss the Hands of Your Mother

Kiss the hands of your mother-
wrinkled and dry;
The hands that changed diapers,
wiped and cleansed.

Roughened by time and labor,
cradled you to sleep.
Hands that tried to give comfort
times you were listless.

Kiss the hands of your mother,
praying to God in tears.
Your safety and your welfare,
is always in her plea.

The hands that had to let go,
so you can grow.
Arranging mementos of you,
all she has now.

Kiss the hands of your mother,
cherish and caress.
The hands brought you this far,
in love and sacrifice.

Kiss the hands of your mother,
while it is still warm.
Place your hand in her hand,
Thank God for mothers.

Choice is always News

One country after another legalizes same-sex union. Even cardinals seem to be in support of it, but not Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Andre-Joseph Leonard and yet he was the one subjected to attack and humiliation by TOPLESS Feminists who claim they are for RESPECTING CHOICE except for the choice of the archbishop not to support homosexuality.


Sometimes the best way to read the news is through parody Atheists to issue NUDE calendar. Laughing our way to the craziness of life.

Yet, we still need to hear the truth pointblank Gosnell Case: AbortionISM vs LifeISM.

With the things happening around, it is a good question to ask Does the TRIBULATION begins in 2013 Even in our small worlds have its minor tribulations like Jennifer Fulwiler's crazy life but home crazy home is still HOME sweet home.

Yet, life isn't finished until it's finished and we can always come to that beautiful moment when I CHOOSE LOVE, and it's all worth it.

Worth It

G.K. Chesterton wrote "if it's worth doing, it is worth doing poorly". It would seem like a formula for mediocrity when it is often said that "if you can't do it well, don't do it". Yet, as always, there is so much wisdom in Chesterton. It is a good parameter for discerning what is truly important to us.

Most of the impotant things in life, we begin so poorly. Marriage, child-rearing, caring for the elderly, and our attempt at holiness, all these important undertaking are difficult at first. Yet, we don't give up. We persevere until we grow better. And grace do come if we are willing to stay on. Commitment is, thus, borne knowing it is worth it and it is where God has called us to be.

And this is what love is all about, knowing the worth of it- people, endeavours, things and having them in its right order. If it's worth it, we commit to it through grace and effort, and that is what growing in love is all about.

Worth and that is what dignity (dignitas) means. It is finding a gift and turning it to a treasure until we finally come to know and live out our precious worth and treat others the same. Love is worth it and love means worth it.

Getting Real with God

There was a period in my life when I don't want to go to mass and try to avoid the thought of God. And I would tell Him, "I am not ready to face myself."

I think it was St. Augustine who said, "to know God is to know one's self". In our relationship with God, our true selves come to fore. When we talk to God, we tend to become honest, maybe because we have an inate knowledge that He knows us through and through. Even more than what we dare want to know ourselves.

If it is so, then, why do we avoid God? Because knowledge demands a response. It brings to our consciousness our responsibilities. It is so much easier to sleepwalk thru life. We deactivate that gentle force of change that brings us to fuller life. We desensitize ourselves with what is good and what is evil. We numb ourselves to pain.

Yet, no matter what our beliefs may be, there will always be a longing to know love, to receive love, and to give love. Unfortunately, when we numb ourselves to pain, we also numb ourselves to love. Numb to the point of settling for poor imitations of love.

It takes courage to face God and to face one's self. But when we do, we would realize that we do not have an enemy within. We have a loving God who is willing and desiring to journey with us until we reach that place of etetnal love.

If I Were There

If I were there
would I rejoice with Mary & Joseph for the newborn Jesus?
If I were there
would I smile at young Mary's lullabye as she cradles the Babe?
If I were there
would I joyfully laugh at Joseph fretting around to give mother and Child comfort?
If I were there
would I wonder at the tiny hands of Baby Jesus and see the wonders He will do?
If I were there
would I believe if Angels tell me that the Messiah would come thru this humble family?
If I were there
would there be awe for a God who would deem make Himself as vulnerable as a Child?

Here I am and I still could....
marvel at the Mysteries of Life.
Here I am and I still could
be amazed by the Splendour of such Love.

The Street Person - The Independent

People do admit that conception occurs during fertilization but they reason out that the fetus is completely dependent on the mother and thus, has no right yet.
We are all dependent in some way to others in different stages of our lives. Even the rich may not be able to make it on his/her own and would probably not make it without his/her gadgets or househelps.
We are not absolutely dependent and not absolutely independent. If independence is the measure of personhood and quality of life, the street person would rank the highest. He is not dependent on the climate. He can eat or go hungry. He can take a bath or not, it doesn't matter. He is not dependent on the economy or whoever is elected. Yes, the street person is free, absolutely independent... because he doesn't care. He doesn't care who lives or dies. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. He doesn't care.
And yet, this street person who is so independent when picked up and brought to the shelter by Mother Teresa and her missionaries, this street person was willing to give up his independence. He depended on the sisters for food and bath but he was happy. Even if Mother Teresa would talk about the loving God in heaven, the street person was interested in living. Why? Because he wants to be with her.
The street person received care and became capable of caring. He lost a part of his independence but he learned to be connected with other human beings.
Loving entails losing a part of our independence but it certainly is worth living for.

The Apostle of Love

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Oh St. Paul, you are so demanding. You mean angelic tongues does not necessarily mean the person has love. Well, yes, there are many people who can talk eloquently of love and beauty but would turn out to be mean and capable of doing so many bad things against others. So, we are reminded to walk the talk. Ok, love is more than great rhetorics, pep talk, and inspiring speeches. LOVE is MORE.

If I have the gift of prophecy,
Hold on, St Paul, I hear so many people say, "how blessed they are," and it would seem like they are highly favored by God. And, wow, even special gifts like prophecy may not be a manifestation of loving. Oh yes, being blessed may not necessarily make one a blessing for others. Some people may be so gifted but they can use their gifts for evil. LOVE is MORE than the gifts.

and know all mysteries and all knowledge;
St. Paul, you say knowledge isn't enough, too. So reason and intellect may not bring forth love. I can accept that, too. Children can be most loving though unreasonable and the uneducated can possess much goodness. So the saying, to know you is to love you, is but a partial manifestation of love. Knowledge like the gifts and the angelic speech may be used for the detriment of others. LOVE is MORE.

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Now, this is getting harder, St. Paul, you are saying faith is not enough. Luther insisted on faith alone. Alright, he just added the word "alone". But isn't believing the beginning of living. Well, alright, majority of the people of this pilgrim world are believers and yet there are wars, killings, and slander. Oh, St Paul, one can have such strong faith and still be nothing. This is hard, love is more than faith. LOVE is MORE.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor,
Actions like giving and feeding do not necessarily equate to love? Well, corrupt politicians can be quite giving yet stealing. But how about feeding, Jesus had taught us to feed the hungry. Still, it is not the be all and end all of love. Denouncing materialism to the point of giving up possessions and coupled with good intentions and still not love. LOVE is MORE. It is more than the actions and intentions.

and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NASB)
St. Paul, giving up something may still have an absence of love? Even giving up one's life to be burned? Some do give up their families for another person and some give up their faith for fame. Okay, not all giving up may not make love. LOVE is MORE.

Good words, good actions, good thoughts and intentions, good talents and power, good knowledge, good belief, and good actions may not by itself equate to goodness or love. Love is more than each one of these.

Then, you went on with specific things, St. Paul. You began with patience. Yes, patience can be manifested in words, actions, surrender, thought, reason, faith, and intentions. And so are the other virtues.
So, love is integrity - a wholeness of the person that bears and rejoices in truth in all that who we are. Love isn't duplicity or worst multiple personality. It is faithfulness to God who is Truth whether we are alone or with people. Whether we are at work or on vacation, in the dining room or in the bedroom. Truth in thoughts, words, and action.

In spite of, love being universally sought; It takes a lifetime to learn the ways of love. It takes a lot of grace and work to be a loving person.

Ok, St Paul, love is free but LOVE isn't CHEAP.

Presence Sets Us Free

The most difficult part of caring is just to be there.  Nothing more. A mother to a toddler or a daughter to a sick mother would be placed in such a situation for long periods of time.  Without love, one would feel locked up in the trappings of their situation; And many have succumb to such feelings that they opted for paid baby-sitters or caregivers.
It is hard, indeed, to live out one's life so closely knitted with someone else.  You only have one person for your audience who probably wouldn't even appreciate your presence. There is the surge of energy that wants more activity. There is the clamor in the world to make a difference.
Yet, it is a part of loving- to give one's presence to another.  To just be there and be a part of a quiet, inactive life. It requires the total acceptance of the situation and without conditions of reciprocity. To find joy in the simplest of moments - of simply being together.
In the most important phases of  Jesus' life, He offered the same invitation for all of us, just to be there with Him. He came as a Child. Mary and Joseph accepted to be there for Him. And on the Cross, the same invitation came and it was Mary and John who stood simply there.  Jesus allowed Himself to be in a passive state of Infancy and a Crucified Messiah.  And after His Resurrection, He became the Living Bread in the Holy Eucharist, often left in the confines of a tabernacle or a monstrance.
Why must it be so? Sometimes, it is in the silence and stillness of life that we truly come to know each other.  It is then when we come to terms with who we are and who the other person is.  When we give our presence to someone else, it isn't just the attractive or diplomatic part of us that comes out.  The imperfections and brokenness in us become present as well.
How difficult it must be for those in the contemplative life or even those laity who spend hours in front of the Holy Sacrament.  To be there for Jesus and with Jesus.  There is the initial challenge of having a presence of mind and heart. And even after that had been overcome, we come face to face with the nakedness of one's soul. 
It would seem that the baby  trapped in its infancy, the sick trapped in his/her sickness, or Jesus trapped in the Holy Host are the ones who are helpless. Yet, it is actually us whose presence is asked that becomes vulnerable. In the process of allowing ourselves to "just be there", we are actually being freed to truly love.  We are becoming whole in the process. And in a seemingly unequal state of being, we are being given more in the process of giving. That is what love is all about- a giving that doesn't diminish but enriches.  In the distressing disguise, we could easily miss out on a great opportunity to learn to love - the gift of presence that sets us free to love and be loved. 

Much Ado about Miss U

"Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not?" Supsup answered, "If I would have to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is God, who created me." "I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. If the person loves me, he'll love my God too."

It wasn't an entrely difficult question. An atheist, pantheist or a Moslem would have answered the same. An atheist would not give up his/her atheism for his/her beloved.

Perhaps a more telling answer could be had with a question like "would you give up the Miss Universe Crown for the man you love?"

Back to the question. Definitely giving is far more easier than giving up. It's a good question to ask one's self, what would I give up for the people I love? Work? Ambition? Drinking? Smoking? Buddies? Television? Internet?

And what would I be willing to give up for God who is my number 1?