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.

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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!

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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! 

Alone with Our Lady

2017 is a special year for Marian devotees because it marks the 100th anniversary of Our Lady's apparition in Fatima, Portugal. An indulgence is granted by Pope Francis throughout this jubilee year (which began on 27 November 2016 and will conclude on 26 November 2017) to: 1.) anyone who would visit Our Lady's Shrine in Fatima f; 2.) anyone who prays before any statue of Our Lady of Fatima solemnly exposed for public veneration in any church, oratory or proper place during the days of the anniversary of the apparitions, the 13th of each month from May to October (2017), and there devoutly participate in some celebration or prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary.”; and 3.) the elderly and infirm to pray in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima "and must spiritually unite themselves to the jubilee celebrations on the days of the apparitions, the 13th of each month, between May and October 2017."  

Our parish here in Bulwell is blessed because there is a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the Poor Clare Monastery Chapel where people who are unable to make a pilgrimage to Fatima during the jubilee could pray and venerate Our Lady's statue.  The Poor Clare sisters, described by Fr John Martin (our new Parish Priest) as "a powerhouse of prayer", have been kind enough to welcome visitors who would like to avail of the jubilee indulgence.

One sunny afternoon, I decided to pay Our Lady a visit. Mother Lilly, the Monastery abbess, opened the door for me. The chapel was empty. As I knelt before Mary's statue, I thought to myself, "I have been to this chapel many times, but it was only now that I had a look at Mary's beautiful face!". It was neither happy nor sad, in keeping with how the three visionaries Lucia dos Santos and her cousins (now Saints) Francisco and Jacinta Marto described her.

I felt at ease with Our Lady's aura and spent a few minutes pouring my heart to her. Beneath her pedestal was a box where devotees could place their prayer requests. I turned left and right to look for a piece of paper and a pen to write my petitions. Luckily, there were sheets of paper and a pen at the back of the chapel. I wrote a handful of requests, I thought of people who need prayers. Later, I approached the statue and placed the sheet of paper in the box. I held Our Lady's left hand, looked once again at her beautiful face, and (because I was all alone in the chapel), sang this popular Marian song:

As I was getting ready to leave, Sr Francis came into the chapel. I thanked her and the rest of the sisters for welcoming me. 

Two things on prayer struck me in that visit: space and specificity. We all need that space to be alone with God, with Mary and the saints in prayer. In a rat race culture we're all in, this could be a challenge. But, as I have seen from some people's experience, if we ask God to give us that space (and time), He'll grant it! 

Being specific with what we pray for is also good because it keeps us focused on what we need, on what frustrates us (be it events, people, or ourselves), and on what comes from the heart. Writing it down especially when you're running out of time helps a lot because it allows you to let go and let God do the rest. It is also heartwarming to know that someone else, like the sisters, are praying for your requests too.

I felt good making that visit to Our Lady. I am happy thinking that she will always be here to guide and protect me, to guide and protect all of us, her children. We need Our Lady, we need the message she gave in Fatima 100 years ago. Entrusting ourselves to her is the way forward if we wish to follow Jesus and obtain the peace which we badly need (Think about Manchester, Marawi, London, Syria, etc.) and which He alone could give. 

Our Lady of Fatima

It's the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th of May. Of all Marian apparitions accepted by the Church as true, Mary's apparition in Fatima, Portugal is considered our contemporary; it occured at the beginning of the 20th century.

Mary appeared to these humble children six times beginning the 13th May 1917 and every 13th of the succeeding months. Her final apparition in October featured the miracle of the sun.

There have been a number of messages of Our Lady like the devotion to the Rosary, doing sacrifices, etc, but what struck me were: "Stop offending God for He is already much offended."

It was a mother's plea to her Son's enemies to put a halt to what would hurt her beloved. It was a mother's plea to her other children to make peace with their wounded brother.

The beautiful image of Mary immaculately garbed in white, with a crown on her head a rosary on her arms, and with hands clasped in prayer has been one of the popular iconography in most homes and churches - the St Rita Hospital Chapel where I once served used to have a large image which is venerated especially in May and in October. Her message has been kept alive through the weekly praying of the Rosary in various homes via the Block Rosary groups in many parishes in the Philippines and elsewhere as well as the pilgrim image being brought to all parts of the world.

When we visited the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome last year, we saw the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima being venerated in one of the side chapels. As we went out of this famous basilica, we met a Filipina nun who was distributing a religious magazine published by her congregation. She noticed Nidz to be pregnant then and suggested that we name our baby Fatima. We simply smiled as we have already made up our minds of what our baby would be called.

As we went back to the UK and got ourselves ready for Chiara's arrival, we were hoping and praying that she be born on the 8th September, Our Lady's birthday. The 8th came and went, but no signs of the baby being delivered. Chiara was actually delivered on the 13th. I suddenly remembered that Filipina nun we met in Rome. I suddenly remembered Our Lady of Fatima. For the 13th of September marked her penultimate apparition. Apart from the date, our baby saw the first light on a Saturday, a day very special to Mary.

We have a picture of Our Lady of Fatima in our study and everytime I bring Chiara to that room, I don't fail to bring her to that picture. More often than not, she smiles and coos before that heavenly photo.

We may not have named our daughter Fatima or Maria, but I am pretty much sure of one thing: Mary, our beloved mother, never forgets us.

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I'm very pleased to hear that former President Cory Aquino has already been discharged from hospital after being under the knife. I'm upset though that this revered icon of Philippine democracy, has been used as a showbiz item in talk shows particularly in the shows that Kris, her youngest daughter, hosts.

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Maligayang pista to all our kababayans in Gagalangin on the 17th of May! May St Joseph continuously pray for you.