Arriba Jesus!

A blessed feast day of the Birth of St John the Baptist! In the Church's liturgical year, we celebrate the birthdays of three important people: Our Lord (Dec 25), Our Lady (Sept 8), and St John the Baptist (June 24).

St John the Baptist is my special saint because he is the patron saint of my Alma Mater, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. This year is special because the college is celebrating its 400th foundation anniversary.

One may ask, why San Juan de Letran and not San Juan Bautista? Letran obtained its name from the Archbasilica of St John of Lateran in Rome, the "Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World". Lateran (Letran in Spanish) was the surname of the family who once owned the property where this beautiful basilica now stands. I have been there twice and really loved that place. There one could see the cathedra (seat or throne) of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. 

Anyone who has passed through the august walls of Colegio de San Juan de Letran wouldn't fail to hear, say, and cry Arriba Letran! (Up, Letran!). It is a cry of inspiration, encouragement, affirmation, and support, especially during big events such as the NCAA games and commencement exercises. 

As Letran celebrates its 400th anniversary, I would imagine our patron saint crying Arriba. But his cry does not just point out to Letran. Nor does it just point out to Patria (country). Ultimately,it points out to Deus (God).

Like the best man in a wedding, he would call our attention to the bridegroom. Like the forerunner of old, his cry awakens us for the Lord who is to come. All through his life, John did not hog the limelight. I remember Ms Andrea Flores, my Religion teacher in Elementary, who reminded us in one of her lessons about the humility of John: He (Jesus) must increase; I must decrease. (John 3:30). Indeed, John's cry is Arriba Jesus!

As Letran ushers in a new chapter in its life as an educational institution, may it revisit and draw inspiration once again from St John the Baptist. Mirroring our patron saint, may all Letranites (as well as other devotees of the saint) always seek to celebrate, promote, and uphold Jesus in whatever walk of life they lead. As Fr Edmund Nantes, OP, (a fellow Letranite) once told us in his homily : Manalo, matalo, kay Kristo ako. (Win or lose, I'm standing for Christ).

Happy birthday, St John the Baptist! Continue to pray for us.

Arriba Letran! 

Arriba Filipinas! 

Arriba Jesus!

Put One's Foot Down

Decisions, decisions, decisions. A day won't be complete with making a decision. What to wear, what to eat, where to go on weekend, etc.  Sometimes, making a decision is easy. Other times you have to delay, such as when you have to wait for another person's action.  

Take for example checking of students' assignments. Usually, when a student has missed out something like a completed table of results (from an experiment), I will try to get hold of them to give me the missing requirement. I feel it would be unfair if I penalize them straightaway for what might be a minor requirement. Generally, when tracked down, students oblige. 

However, college is on Easter break these past two weeks!

As I look at the enormous pile on my desk and the certain impossibility to chase up students, I have to put my foot down. I proceeded to mark the assignments as they are presented. For some, I felt good because the students have understood and provided what was required of them. For some, I felt bad because the work wasn't up to standards. Feelings aside, at the end of the day, students have to be assessed based of the quality of their work. At the end of the day, the job has to be done.

This hold true too for an editor. Some articles may have been submitted on time, others past the deadline, still others not submitted at all. There are also articles which may need minor cosmetics or major surgery. At the end of the day, articles have to be vetted. At the end of the day, worthwhile ones have to be published.

Putting one's foot down can sometimes be difficult, especially if you are the type of person who wishes to please everyone. In reality, we cannot please everyone. We cannot always please our kids, our students, our colleagues, etc. Putting one's foot down can cause some angst, but it is only temporary. It is actually liberating!

Recently, we just called to mind how one man put His foot down to save us all from sin. By asserting His love for all people, He stirred the hornet's nest among the powerful and influential in Israel and died on the cross to reconcile us with the Father. By taking a firm stand, He crushed the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). Next time we are tempted to dilly-dally, let us think of Him and ask for the grace to become more assertive as individuals, as a people, as His followers.

United in Christ

Over the past few weeks since February, our web was busy preparing for its annual Holy Week special The Seven Last Words. Priests, nuns, members of religious congregations were invited to write the reflections this year because it's the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. Members were tapped to do this or that task. As the weeks gradually led to Holy Week, preparations were taking shape and people who knew about it looked forward when it becomes 'live'.

Last week saw us all focused on a lot of religious activities. For our web, it was this time of year again to hold The Seven Last Words. It is heartwarming to see people coming together, contributing in their own special way to make our online devotion a success. Way back in 2005, when this devotion begun in our web, we started with our own members. Over the years, more people from outside have been involved. This, in spite of our distances.

What brought us all together? Perhaps it is our Lenten panata. Or our desire to share the Gospel with others. It could be our way to be more 'online' during Holy Week, For me, what brought us together is actually a 'Who'. It is Christ. As St Paul writes: "But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13).

As we celebrate the great feast of Easter, join us in offering praise to our Risen Lord for making all these happen, for uniting us all. Together, let us bear in mind how Jesus joined us together this Holy Week. Together, let us bring further His Good News to all, Holy Week or not.

Thank you for your unrelenting support. God bless you all.

Happy Easter!

Feedback Wednesday

A few Wednesdays back, I returned students' assignments and asked them to have a look at their results. I told them too to read my feedback which was written on some parts of their assignment. Not long after, a student raised his hand to say "I do not understand your handwriting!" I must admit that my handwriting isn't really good and so I sat next to the student to read for him what I wrote and to explain further. Later, I saw myself moving from one table to another to talk to students. 

After lunch break, I had another lesson, but this time with two colleagues observing me. Everything has been planned beforehand: register, experiment handouts, etc. However, the technician was absent. Hence, no experiment was prepared. Just the same, "the show must go on". I have to rejig the lesson plan and made it more interactive. A group of students have to complete the missing words in the experiment handout, another group have to put the experiment method in logical order, and another group have to design the experiment. I felt as though my plan won't work, that students would complain, etc. I was amazed, especially with the last two groups, for being proactive. As I move around the classroom, I was able to see how they work, ask questions, and give feedback based on their answers.

After those two sessions, tiring as it may be talking to students one by one and oftentimes repeating myself, I felt satisfied. I may not have taught the students principles and theories, but having that conversation with them was truly a learning experience.

Feedback is a useful tool in teaching because it allows teachers to guide their students and prepare them for their summative assessment. In other fields it is also necessary. Customers feedback a company on the service they provide. Managers feedback staff on their performance. I remember our Faith Section Editor Ana Balla, during the early years of my editorship, to give feedback to our writers because, according to her, it was a way to further develop them. Indeed, it is a useful tool to highlight a writer's strengths and areas for development. For sure, they have appreciated it.

As the Teacher Himself, Jesus gave feedback to people. Remember His conversation with the rich man who wanted to gain eternal life? Or perhaps His comments on His apostles who argued as who is the greatest in God's kingdom? Or how about that exchange of words between Him and the Syro-phoenician woman? 

Some took His feedback to heart, while others scoffed at it. Worse, those not satisfied with it plotted His death. Indeed, not all feedback would be heeded. Lazy students won't be bothered to shape up. Companies may not care about clients' views. Workers might take their boss for granted.  

Holy Week is dawning upon us! I think, Jesus' best feedback was delivered as He was crucified. If you want to know more about it, then please join us in our online devotion The Seven Last Words starting 25 March, Palm Sunday. 

Mama Mary

One of the amazing things I have experienced having friends is being welcomed into their families as though I was one of them, and vice versa.  And being Filipinos, the terms of endearment we use at home applies elsewhere. Thus, we call our friends’ older siblings as Manong and Manang, or Kuya and Ate. As for their parents it’s Tito and Tita or sometimes, Daddy and Mommy, Papa and Mama, or Tatay and Nanay.

I don’t know about you, but it felt good to have that rapport (up to a certain degree) with friend’s families. I remember two friends, Art and Vlad Reyes (They’re not related!), whose moms we address as Nanay Espie and Nanay Remy respectively. Both have been warm and welcoming to me and other friends. I must say that I wouldn’t have known and understood more my friends had it not for their mothers.  

I have another friend whose mother loved her son through and through. A mom who helps me to know and understand more her son. A mom who provides that strong link between my friend and I. A mom who continues to accept, admonish, and love me in spite of the many times I have hurt my friend. This friend of mine is not just any ordinary friend. He is a friend, Teacher, Healer, Savior, Lord, and God rolled into one. He is Jesus. And His Mother is Mama Mary, "the kindest and most loving of all mothers". 

I often wonder how (and when) we Pinoy Catholics learned to address the Blessed Virgin as Mama Mary. While the English would address her as Our Lady and the Italians as Madonna, we have called her in an informal yet intimate way. We have called her as though she was family.

A few weeks ago, I had an interesting conversation with an expatriate. She and her family are active in their parish so I thought of inviting them to come along to our group's Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help in our parish. She politely declined and explained to me that she and her husband are on a spiritual journey. She admitted that she used to have a deeper relationship with Mary (deeper than her relationship with Jesus in the past) and used to pray the Rosary, but learned that she could directly pray to God and would like to focus on building a relationship with Jesus. She hopes that in God's time she will be enlightened. 

I felt sad when she told me her experience. What caused her to abandon her long-held Marian devotion? Did she feel that her deeper relationship with Mary hinders having a sound relationship with Jesus? I explained to her though that our group's focus is also on Jesus and that Mary, being His Mother, serves only as a way to Him, a companion in our spiritual journey and deeper relationship with the Lord. I closed our conversation by assuring her of my prayers.

Perhaps some of us may have had a similar experience. Regardless, I would like to offer three quotes for us to ponder: 

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” (St Maximilian Kolbe)

“Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.” (St Bernard of Clairvaux)

"A Christian without Our Lady is an orphan." (Pope Francis)

As we celebrate Mama Mary's birthday on September 8, let us ask for the grace to have a deeper relationship with her, our spiritual mother. Let us also ask for the grace to appreciate that we are part of a family - God's People, the Church - and actively contribute to its growth. With the many tribulations the Church, our country, the world have to face, we need her more than ever. Through Mama Mary, we will be able to reach "the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son” (St Louis Marie de Montfort).

Happy birthday, Mama Mary! Thank you for your love and guidance. Help us to always listen to Your Son and to love one another as He has commanded us. Continue to lead us to Him. We love you!

Overtaken

You were driving comfortably on a long stretch of road when, suddenly someone overtook you. No signal lights flashing. No nothing. What would be your reaction?  Annoyed, yes? Swore at the culprit, perhaps? Put your foot down the gas pedal to chase up and overtake the other driver, no? Or simply remained calm, minding one’s driving and the safety of one’s passengers (if any)?

I guess the last option would probably be our last option.  For one, the other driver didn’t have an ounce of respect for other drivers.  Should we go down to their level though?  Come to think of it, if we resort to swearing or getting even, it shows how we used such an ‘embarrassing’ experience to fuel our hurt ego. 

St John the Apostle warns us “Walk while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you.” (Jn 12:35). Of all things that would overtake us, this is something we should be wary of. I would like to think of the seven deadly sins as examples of “the dark” mentioned by St John. In our Catechism, we were taught that the seven deadly sins are: pride, anger, lust, envy, gluttony, avarice, and sloth.

Pride. In our life as individuals and as a community, pride has been lurking around.  At times, it may have overtaken us. Take for example two neighbours.  One purchased a new television set. Feeling overtaken or nasapawan, the other decided to buy a new (and much better) one too, even if it was beyond his means!

Anger. All of us may got angry at one point or another. But what if it got the better of us? I remember years ago, when I was still in Manila. Every morning, between 7:30am and 8:00am, garbage trucks roam around large streets to collect household rubbish. Sounding off the horn is normally done to let people know that it’s time for them to bring out their rubbish.  Unfortunately, that fateful morning, an irate man woke up at the wrong side of the bed and, in his rage, gunned down an innocent garbage collector. 

Lust. In our faith, sex is considered an expression of love between husbands and wives. But what if lust overtakes love? Think of the news of young girls and women being raped. Worrisome isn't it? There is no more respect for others. When I was in New York a few years back, I felt bad hearing on TV that a woman was raped in Central Park. Not only that. The crime was done in broad daylight! Overtaken by lust, sex and persons have been downgraded as tools for self-gratification. 

Envy. Whenever someone we know of (family, friend, colleague, etc.) has achieved something, be it a promotion at work or having a new car, etc. what is our first reaction? Are we happy or are we envious? If such blessings were posted in Facebook, would we like what was posted or not? If we are overtaken by envy, we will do everything just to be at par with the person we are envious of. If that is impossible, we'll resort to backstabbing, slander, or even murder. Look at what Jesus' contemporaries did to Him! 

Gluttony. Mr Gregorio Prado, my former Mathematics teacher in high school, once stressed out to us the difference between kain (eating) and lamon (gluttony). Eating is necessary, but it has to be in moderation. (Ditto drinking.) As Mrs Estrella De Leon, my philosophy teacher in UST, once cited "We eat to live, not live to eat."

Avarice. How do we use God's blessings? Do we share it with others or keep it to ourselves?  If avarice (a.k.a. greed) overtakes us, we would be so attached to our possessions as though we can bring them to the after-life. We can't. Never. Everything in this world is on loan.

Sloth. As Christians, we have duties to fulfill, e.g. respect for one's parents, care for one's children, attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, etc.. If sloth overtakes us, we would stop doing those and other duties. Remember the Lord's parable of the rich man? He went to hell when he died because he failed to care for Lazarus, the poor man who waited for some scraps falling down from the rich man's table.

How can we avoid being overtaken by these seven deadly sins? Here's what St Paul has to say: "Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise." (Phil 4:8).

A Moaner's Prayer

During the past few days, most of the UK have sunny and warm spells.  Most people have been out and about enjoying the sun.  A neighbour, just a few houses from ours, was having a barbecue with his mates, complete with singing and dancing. The one next to us was mowing his lawn at almost 9pm!  Having a glorious weather in this often rainy country is a blessing indeed! Unless you are a moaner!

Years ago, when I was still in university, Mrs Estrella De Leon (my teacher in Logic) told us that when it rains, people would pray "Lord, please let the sun to come out. We cannot manage to be in a wet weather!" When the sun did come out, people would pray "Lord, please send in the rain. It's too hot!" She concluded how baffled God has been because it's difficult to please people.

Are you a moaner? Someone who would easily whine when something happens, regardless if it's just a minor glitch or not? Someone who grumbles in every action another person does or in any blessings the other person has?

The late Fr Erick Santos told this story about moaners' views of their priest: "If the priest is seen to be with people of the same sex, he is gay. If the priest is seen to be with people of the opposite sex, he is a womanizer. If the priest is with the rich, he is an aristocrat. If the priest is with the poor, he is a communist." Similar to Ma'am De Leon's lesson,  Fr Erick concluded that the priest is at a loss at pleasing everyone, most especially the moaners.

During Our Lady's apparition to the three shepherd children at Fatima on 13 July 1917, she taught them this prayer: Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Our Lady taught this beautiful prayer when she encouraged the children to make sacrifices. One hundred years since then, this prayer is still relevant. I think it would be a good prayer especially when we are tempted to moan about anything. So the next time we are stuck in traffic, soaked in rain, melting in the sun, running low in cash, or getting impatient with an annoying significant other, let's not rant. Rather, let's say: Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Sacrifices can make a difference, be it for yourself or for someone else (moaners included!). Moaning leaves you empty.

***

Talking about sacrifices, there is one person in our lives who have shown us the value of making sacrifices: our fathers.  I would like to tip my cap to all dads out there, especially to my father Mario, on their special day today. Thank you for going the extra mile just to make sure that we have a better future. Thank you for overcoming what seems to be a mountain of challenges. Thank you for the love you have shown us. God bless you all! Cheers!

***

My piece won't be complete without paying tribute to my Lolo Paul whose 106th birth anniversary is celebrated today. His natal day this year coincides with two important celebrations: the Feast of Corpus Christi and Father's Day. He was a lover of the Eucharist - he served as an altar boy when he was young and then later I was blessed to have witnessed him do the readings and lead in the singing in the Mass. My love and devotion to the Mass was because of his and Lola Piling's example. He was a loving father who was no stranger to sacrifices and who faithfully provided for the well being of his family. God bless your kind soul, Lolo Paul! Happy 106th birthday! 

The Fourth K

What could have prevented the two disciples from recognizing the Lord on their way to Emmaus? Perhaps the experience of Jesus' shameful death on the cross was still fresh in their minds. Perhaps the loss of such a good friend and Master was still painful deep inside. 

The experience of these disciples was similar to that of Mary Magdalene when she thought of the Risen Lord as a gardener (John 20:11-18). As Mary Magdalene recognized the Lord when He called her name, the disciples would later recognize their travel companion in the breaking of bread.

The month of May is a time when fiestas occur in many parts of the Philippines. And when we talk about fiestas, the first thing that comes to our minds is sharing a meal with others.  Here in the UK, our group of friends gather for a meal every now and then, especially after our monthly Mass and Novena in the parish. Sharing a meal is an opportune time to the endless three Ks: kumustahan (greeting), kuwentuhan (storytelling), and katuwaan (banter). Sharing a meal breaks loose our stifled spirits, our stressed out minds, our restless hearts. I guess those three Ks were present during that evening meal in Emmaus. And it was made more special, more meaningful because of the fourth K: Kristo (Christ)!

As we share a meal with family, friends, and even strangers, as we share that great meal in church called the Mass, may we recognize the Risen Jesus' presence in our midst and bear witness to that presence wherever we may go.

Talking about the Mass, Pope Francis tells us "There is always a Word of God that gives us guidance when we slip; and through our weariness and disappointments there is always a Bread that is broken that keeps us going on the journey." 

***

May brings to mind two of my heavenly patrons: the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph. May is Mary's month and so we bring her flowers to express our love and gratitude. Interestingly, the first day of this merry month is dedicated to her husband.  For me, it tells us one thing: if we would like to know more about Mary, if we would like to love her, if we would like to follow her footsteps, we have to go to Joseph! If anyone (apart from Jesus) would have known, loved, and followed her it would be St Joe. This year is really special because we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary when Mary appeared in Fatima. In one of those apparitions, St Joseph appeared with the Child Jesus blessing the world. So let's ask St Joseph to help us in becoming good children of Mary, of becoming doers of "whatever Jesus tells us" (cf. John 2:5).

New Hands

Think of a challenging time in your life. You felt both helpless and hopeless, right? Suddenly your mother sees you and offers her hands for you to hold on to. How did it feel to hold on to your mother’s hands? It felt good, isn’t it? You feel consoled. You feel ready to face your challenge because you know that your mom is there for you.

Now look at the beautiful picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Look at how she offers her hands for the Child Jesus to hold on to. Strong was Mary's influence on Jesus that during His 3-year public ministry, His hands brought healing and forgiveness to all. 

It's been said that the hands are the most active and restless parts of our body. From the time we wake up till we go to bed, our pair of hands have been busy with a lot of things. We use our hands to work, to nurture our family, to tend to the needy, to communicate, and so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, there have been moments when these same hands have inflicted pain on others. We have used our hands to unjustly accuse others, to spread lies against them, to disrespect them, to point people away from the truth. 

This Lenten season, let's thank God for the gift of our mothers in whose hands we have found peace, strength, and hope. Let's thank God for the gift of our hands and ask Him to forgive us for those times when our hands caused suffering instead of blessing to others. Finally, let's ask for the grace to be the new hands of Jesus for a world in dire need of His love.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us.