Metanoia

Recently, I have attended the Peace Forum here in Davao City organized by the BISHOP-ULAMA Conference in Mindanao (Christian-Muslim Ecumenical Dialogue) sponsored by the Ignatian Institute of Religious Education, Foundation. During the talk, it was brought into discussion the conflict in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao between the Pseudo Muslim (as I described this group) and the government which caused division and war in the Western areas of the Island. As of now, almost thousands of people being displaced in their homes just to bring them out of the problem. The most affected are those innocent civilians who don't deserve in all of these miseries. It led me to realize, that the call to go beyond the peripheries must be executed not only by the Church leaders but also with the whole congregation - the people of God. We must extend ourselves to serve the least of our brothers and sisters who have suffered a lot of today's reality. This situation in Mindanao can be ...

My encounter with God was quite and serene and full of love... I imagined myself with God at the peak of the mountain. It was only me and God. I saw God staying with me.. His presence was ever dominant.. I felt so secure.. He was there.. I felt our intimate connection with God. I tried to direct my attention to God. I saw His brilliant face.. I saw the illumined light. The moment I tried to look at God, I saw a loving face.. A shimmering eyes.. seeing me with fond and happiness. His eyes was awe-inspiring.. Every time I looked at His eyes, I was attracted to look intently again. I asked God to let me see myself - He did. I asked Him to allow me to see myself with love.. He did it. I was amazed in God's love and favor to me.. It was constant..ever faithful.. it secures me.. There was a moment that I intentionally looked myself differently but God was always looking at me so lovingly...reminding me.. " Son, I LOVE YOU... YOU ARE MINE".. see it clearly.. see yourself...

St. Ignatius of Loyola is best known as the person who founded the Jesuits and whose spiritual insights gave birth to  Ignatian spirituality  and the  Spiritual Exercises . A lesser-known fact is that the cannonball wound he received in battle is actually what led to his conversion experience. Without this conversion, there would be no Jesuits, no Ignatian spirituality. Listed below are seven more fun facts about St. Ignatius of Loyola that you're unlikely to hear in general conversation about this 16th-century saint: He once allowed the donkey on which he was riding to determine whether he should follow and murder someone he thought had insulted the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Fortunately, the donkey chose the path that led away from the insulter.) He thought that his leg had been set poorly after the cannonball incident and that, as a result, he wouldn't look good in his courtier's tights. So he had a doctor rebreak his leg and start ove...

BIBLICAL PASSAGE : Luke 15: 1-3,11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have mor...

Matthew 21: 33-43, 45-46 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:   “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretch...

Most of us have experienced being sick. We all know that sickness is a condition that affects our whole being. It sometimes accompanied by pain and anxiety which would eventually weaken our body. We are lucky that we have our family to take good care of us in all our needs. Every time we experienced the goodness of our family and friends, we also feel the presence of Christ. For an instance,  allow me to share my experience of helping my sick mother who was diagnosed with Pneumonia last year. At first she was hesitant going to the hospital, thinking everything seems to be ok.  Then days passed by, she just informed us that her situation  wasn't  good. At that moment, we immediately rushed her to the hospital and found out that she had a lung infection caused by bacteria. This experienced somewhat surprise our family. At the back of my mind, my mother was still in good hands because of our loving presence during her difficulties. This led me to think and a...

A Native American Cherokee Story – Two Wolves One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. “One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. “The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you fed".

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 20-26 Jesus said to his disciples:   “I tell you,   unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother,   Raqa ,   will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown ...

GOSPEL READING: MATTHEW 6: 7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “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. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” SHEDDING THE LIGHT "The mercy of God is beyond description. While He is offering us a model prayer He is teaching us a way of life whereby we can be pleasing in His sight. But that is not all. In this same prayer He gives us an easy me...

We Are Not Trying to Change the World The first thing that I discover as a new member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is that if I want to help the poor and expect to be thanked for it, then I am working for the wrong charity. Everyone in the group is a volunteer. We have no executive director, no volunteer coordinator, and no recognition dinner at the end of the year. We do have an elected president, a vice-president, and a secretary, each of whom carry the responsibility of filling out and archiving the mountain of paperwork involved in running a nonprofit. These additional burdens are considerable, and no one expects the officers to stand at the door at closing time to shake our hands in gratitude as we leave for the day. What’s more, the people we help are not usually having the best day of their lives when we meet them. They walk through our door seeking assistance with an eviction notice, a utility shut-off, or a prescription medicine they can’t afford, and they...