My Christmas Wishlist

1. A silent retreat, preferably for eight days.
2. A spiritual director - URGENT!
3. A religious community.


..and these are a few of my favorite things! When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!

Sunday Rest

Sundays are my rest days. Although I still do my school works on this day, I could still find time for me to sit back, relax and 'reorganize' myself. I could read the books I love (and need) to read, and I could sleep more. Sundays are the best!

This morning I "chatted"  my Phatmass phamily. It was my first time to chat with them since I seem to be the only phatmasser who live on the eastern section of the globe, and that means I am a hermit when I go to the chat room. Now I got the "Phatmass" fever, and it's true: Phatmass is addicting. Beware!

This evening, I started reading The Ancren Riwle. This is the only "free" internet copy I found in Google books. Now I wonder why other Internet copies of The Ancren Riwle are not available for full viewing. So far, I am enjoying the literature.

Now it's night and I have to sleep now. This week will be a busy one.

God bless you!

An Afternoon with the Little Brothers

If I were in this picture, I would be that man at left!

I spent the afternoon with the Little Brothers of Jesus yesterday. It was the 94th death anniversary of Blessed Charles de Foucauld.

I wasn't able to be with the Brothers at the Mass, but anyway, I joined them in their Evening Prayers + Adoration. It was so wonderful. It was my first time to pray with them actually.

Although I could hear the neighbors talk and feel the cats walk nearby, I wasn't really distracted by them. We prayed the Evening Prayers (or Vespers) in Filipino, and it was so inspiring. I appreciated my native tongue more. I realized that it is really beautiful to pray the Hours with a community. I was able to focus well on the Psalms when we were reciting them together. I felt so united with them. I felt we are one in prayer.

Brother Patricio, LBJ brought me to the village's greenhouse and to the Brothers' farm. My, FarmVille became so real! I was so amused to see the greenhouses, the gentle sprinklers for the seedlings (Brother told me that those sprinklers send out smoke-like water, probably just like a cloud, so the seedlings won't get hurt), and the irrigation system (I don't know if that's how we should call it). I became so interested in farming. Brother Patring harvested some peanuts too. He took the whole plant out of the soil, and that was so amazing! There were other crops, like tomatoes and corn. I cannot remember the names of other vegetables, but there were plenty of them. 

Farming is a very contemplative work and I understand now why monks prefer this work. The farm is so conducive to prayer. Also, I learned that farming requires not just bodily strength, but also knowledge about the work. Farming isn't just about planting. It is a real science. Br. Patring would point a crop and say it is sick. Well, yes, the leaves of the cucumber plant has big spots on them. When he was harvesting the peanuts, I noticed that the leaves were somehow dry. Brother said it's a sign that the peanuts are ready to be harvested. I also noticed that the distance between plants are the same... and I realized mathematics would follow me even at the farm!

At supper we didn't eat any luxurious food. Rather, we had dried fish and beef soup, of course with rice, at the table. Their simplicity and poverty just hit me. The house, the environment, the chapel, their work... everything is just so simple. I was so ashamed of myself. I was living so comfortably and taking my life so granted- complaining about the food I eat, complaining about little discomforts. I realized that when we live simply, we'll be able to appreciate life more. We'll appreciate Jesus more as we learn to surrender to Him everything. We'll appreciate Jesus more because He is Life, because we have nothing but Him. Simplicity of life detaches us from the world.

My heart was filled with gratitude as I went home. 

Retreat

I want to rest for a day. I just want to be free from all my duties just for a day so that I could rest.

I want to get away from the news in the television, from the empty chats and silly boastings! I want to get away from the noise and hurries.I just want to be in silence and simplicity.

I just want to enjoy profound silence. I just want to enjoy the singing of the birds, the dancing of the leaves and the embrace of the gentle breeze! I just want to breathe!

I just want to do all these things because I want to be happy. I want to organize my life, to forget all the pains, and to find myself.

I just want to be what I want to be.

NEW Look

It's been a month since I last updated this blog. I have so much to put here, but I don't have the time. Anyway, I decided to change the look of my blog, and I added new pages as well. To my followers and readers, thank you for visiting this simple blogsite. May God bless you!

Ghost Pictures

I don't believe in ghost pictures. But when I was a child, they used to scare me to death!

I remember when I was in first grade, we had lessons about computer. So obviously we had computers during classes. When we were asked to do something, we try to finish it right away so that we could view the GhostPic slideshow.

My, I couldn't sleep the first time I viewed that slideshow. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I just can't move because of fear! I felt someone like the black lady in the slideshow was behind me. Then I became afraid of dark corners, thinking ghosts would pop out. I was so afraid to look at our blank television screen. I was afraid I would see the devil in the picture.

More than a decade later, I laugh at these silly ghosts moments.

But I don't think we should laugh at the fruits of these ghost pictures.

Kids are very curious and want to prove something. Seeing at these ghost pictures, they would love to take their very own.

Then they resort to channeling. Then to Ouija boards and other forms of divination.

How did I know?

When I was in third grade, a classmate taught us a form of channeling done by her brother. If I remember it right, we would think of a dead person, pray a Hail Mary (I'm sorry dearest Mother!) then ask a question, and listen to the response. Then we did this in groups, and how excited we are to get answers! One classmate learned that we were doing this thing, and reported to our class adviser. How I hated him! But now I thank him for saving us from this practice. Well actually I carried this practice before I entered high school.

When I was in sixth grade, our classmates taught us another form of divination. You'll make 16 cards, number them from 1 to 13. The remaining cards would contain "YES", "NO", or "MAYBE". We'll ask a question answerable by yes or no. I won't give the details because it would be tiring, and kids may do this after reading this entry.

Other kids did Ouija boards, cards, even with coins and ballpens just to "make contact" with these sort of spirits.

It's alarming, isn't it? We must do something to save our kids from such demonic practices. I am afraid they would grow up still doing such practices, and even pass these to their children. I am sure kids still do those channeling things, and what makes it more alarming is that there are lots of New Age resources available now. Some are even cheap and some are just a click away. Some are in form of novels, some are in movies. Some are in newspapers, some are on billboards.

Surely we need to pray a lot and arm ourselves with knowledge. There are also lots of resources that would help us know the why's. Catholic Answers is there.

If you are from the Philippines, I recommend the book "Exorcism" by Father Jocis Syquia. It's not just about how exorcisms are done, but it gives a lot of solid Catholic teachings, telling us what's wrong with new age.

So, now we pray:

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares

of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the Heavenly Host,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

I thank God for saving me from "juvenile" New Age practices. Please, Lord, do the same to other kids. Amen.

October

It's October 21, almost 1 month after I posted my last entry about the anchorites. This week has been a rainy week.

October is very special to me. It's a very unique month for me. It's the month of Saints Therese, Francis, Bruno, Faustina, Mary Soledad, Teresa, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Luke, Paul of the Cross, Simon and Jude. These are some of the saints I really admire, and out of the goodness of God, He placed their feast days on a single month!

But this October has been so sad. It's all over the internet. But I am sure God will do something good out of our tears and pains. God will do some exciting things for sure, and I am really waiting for them!

Obedience is the greatest sacrifice, the greatest prayer a soul can offer to his Creator.