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.

Silence

I woke up last Sunday without my voice. I don't why or how it happened.  I struggled to talk. I couldn't sing during the Mass. During our night prayers, it was only Chiara singing the Salve Regina. When I went to work the following day, our team leader wondered why I was silent.  Someone called and I have to pick up the phone. Luckily, the conversation wasn't that complicated. I didn't go to work for three days.

I slowly gained my voice as the days go although it's still husky (and couldn't sing!) as I write this. In a way, I accepted my 'silence' as a Lenten penance.  As a member of the Apostleship of Prayer, I offered it for the Sacred Heart of Jesus' intentions and those of the Holy Father. On the bright side, silence meant that I could focus on what I am doing be it at home or at work.  It also meant to listen attentively to the one you communicate with, otherwise you'll end up asking (read: talking) for more. Silence also provided a way for me to be careful with the words I say, to speak with tact. 

But there is more than these to silence.  Hidalgo Del Arrabal, one of our contributors in the web, wrote this last year:

Tanging sa katahimikan

Diyos nakikipagtalastasan;

Tanging sa mapagkumbaba

Poon nagbibigay-biyaya.

Purihin ka, O San Jose

Pinakinggan mo ang mensahe

Mag-inang sa Ama nagbuhat

Pinangalagaan mong tapat!

(Only through silence

Does God communicate;

Only to the humble

Does He give grace.

Praise you, O Saint Joseph

You listened to the message

Mary and her Child who came from the Father

You faithfully looked after!)

It's nearly the feast of St Joseph. This humble carpenter from Nazareth was known as a silent worker, someone who would prefer to work in the background.  Both the poor in the Philippines and the religious worldwide (2015 is a special year for both groups of people) can draw inspiration from St Joseph. 

For the poor whose abject condition has silenced them to the whims of the powers-that-be, this great saint comes as an example of complete trust in the Lord and working diligently. St Joseph lived in poverty too, but didn't buy into any shortcuts or 'instants' (instant rich, instant ginhawa, etc.).  

For the religious, St Joseph is a very good example of following the evangelical counsels - poverty, chastity, and obedience. Through their faithful witness to these three vows, they offer the world something different, something of more value, something that isn't just a fad, but has lasting character.

May St Joseph's silence inspire us in our Lenten journey to become more attentive to that message which God is conveying us. May his silence transform us into faithful stewards looking after those who were entrusted to us - family, community, environment, the poor and needy.

Mabuhay si San Jose!

***

It's Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday) here in the UK tomorrow. My fervent prayers and best wishes to all moms, especially to my wife and to my mother, on their special day.  May St Joseph watch over you. May his silence encourage you to keep up the good work and become more open to God's grace. Happy Mother's Day!

It's In Your Hands!

Bawal magkasakit was the battle cry that one pharmaceutical company based in the Philippines used to advertise their products. Indeed, nowadays it’s almost a ‘sin’ to get sick; sickness equates to loss of time, effort, and money. The last one particularly applies to those who are employed on a ‘No work, no pay’ basis.

As a parent, I have always prayed and strived to keep myself healthy. But there have been times when ‘I did my best, but my best wasn’t good enough’. I had a cold two weeks ago and, sadly; Chiara got one too - from me! Parents could pass on anything to their kids, be it their name, their values, their virtues and vices, their strengths and weaknesses.

This coming Monday, the Filipino electorate will be selecting our leaders for the next six or three years. We have always considered the Philippines as our Inang Bayan. No pun intended, but we seem to have abused how we regard our country as a mother. It’s like a ‘give and take’ relationship - with us on the receiving end almost all of the time. Our country gives us natural resources but we consume them as though they will not run out. She gave us laws, but we (most especially those who should uphold them) have devised ways of getting around these regulations.

I think it’s time we think of our country the way we think of our own mothers. Incidentally, it’s Mothers’ Day on the eve of the elections. As we honor our moms by thanking them and treating them like queens even for a single day, let’s also give something special to our country by choosing the persons fit to lead us, persons who will whip the country into shape.

On another angle, it might be beneficial if we consider the country as our own child. A child that needed to be looked after so it grows pleasing in the eyes of God and men. A child that deserves nothing, but the best!

In the past, we have seen how those we elected have made a mockery of justice and truth. We have witnessed how our leaders have abused their authority at the expense of poor Mang Juan De la Cruz. We’re still seeing them masquerading like clowns during the campaign period.

We have seen how our country has suffered like a helpless child inheriting its parents’ debilitating diseases: injustice, poverty, graft and corruption, debt servicing, environmental degradation, etc, etc, etc.

If you want the best for our country, if you want the best for your children, please vote wisely. The country’s future is in your hands!