Jump at the Sun: Seriously Speaking

Showing posts with label Seriously Speaking. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Don Alvaro

The first Prelate of Opus Dei and successor of St. Josemaria, Alvaro del Portillo will be beatified on Saturday, September 27, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. My father and sister will be there to witness this special event while the rest of my family, including myself, will be seeing it live via cable tv.

Just to share - I am very grateful to him for interceding for me in so many ways. For one, I saw my vocation on the same day he turned 80 years old way back in 1994. It was the perfet timing! And more recently and more significantly, he had given his love by helping me and baby Joaquin through the whole pregnancy ordeal last year which I and the baby miraculously survived. Thus, I believe to this very day Joaquin and I will not be alive right now if my family had not gone to Don Alvaro and asked for his help.

Now on the centenary of his birth, by the grace of God, this year also marks the year of his much-awaited beatification. He will be raised to the altar as among those who are called blessed.

Don Alvaro, please guide us from heaven to be faithful and serene children of Christ, just as you were.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Good bye Ninang

My Ninang, and later on my step mother, suddenly succumbed to a stroke and passed away last January 23, 2014. It was just a few days short of her 69th birthday. The picture above was the last picture I have taken of her. This was on December 25, 2013, Christmas Day, when she and my Dad visited me and Joaquin in the hospital.

May the Lord welcome her with open arms into His Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Destructive Yolanda

I pause for now to contemplate the devastation that my country is facing at the moment.

Typhoon Haiyan ("Yolanda") took the Philippines off-guard last November 8, leaving a deep mark in the lives and property of our co-Filipinos. No words can actually describe the fate that this disaster has brought into the people of the Visayas.

On my part, I may be able to send only whatever I can to help materially but for sure God will hear our prayers that will help sustain the spirit of those so badly affected.

Photo credit here.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Girl Interrupted...

...by some pregnancy woes.

Had been put on bed rest and home confinement since October 22 due to Placenta Previa Totalis. Really, my diagnosis sounds like the end of the world. But I think I just got to learn to accept it, internalize that this will be the case for me until I am due to give birth around the 1st week of January and pray that it will be something the baby and I can overcome easily.

While there are so many things left pending...at work and other matters...one thing I will do now is to rest until my baby reaches full term. I am praying to both our Guardian Angels to guide us through this critical 3 months. May they help us manage all the inconveniences and struggles that goes along with this case.

I am also asking whoever is reading this site to please pray for me and the baby. I can't wait to hold the baby, beautiful and healthy, in my arms in January. Meantime, let's hang in there!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

March 11

March 11 marks a very special day for me. It's a day which I celebrate my vocation and by God's grace, it also specially coincides with the birthday of a very honorable priest and bishop, Venerable Alvaro del Portillo.

It was on his 80th birthday then and I woke up very early to go to mass and to pray especially for him. I think God gave me a special gift that day, trickling from the many other people who had prayed for this man on that special day.

Now that was 19 years ago and Don Alvaro would have been 99 years old this year.

And since he is already in Heaven, Don Alvaro would be able to work better in helping us bring to God all our hearts' prayers. Don Alvaro - please help and guide us from Heaven. Thank you for showing us a good example and for being an inspiration for us to continue to be faithful to God amidst the daily struggles.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

I'm Praying for You.

You will not be forgotten.

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th pope, a position in which he serves dual roles as Sovereign of the Vatican City State and leader of the Catholic Church. WikipediaBorn: April 16, 1927 (age 85), Marktl am Inn

Full name: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger

Nationality: German

Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)

Siblings: Georg Ratzinger, Maria Ratzinger

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

On This Day

Today, 111 years ago, a baby was born in a place called Babastro in Spain. He was registered with the names of José María, Julián, and Mariano. He was just like any baby. But then as he grew up he became a good man, a man of God. I owe him a lot because he paved the way for me to see what my life is for and what my vocation (the greatest gift of God to me) really is.

Thank you, St. Josemaria.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Through Thick or Thin

I received this special gift last month from my circle group. It's a picture of the parents of St. Josemaria, or who we fondly call "Abuela and Abuelo".

If you watched the movie "There Be Dragons" you will see there a snippet of the simple lives of Don Jose and Dona Dolores Escriva. They were a Catholic couple whom God had chosen to be seedbed for the vocation of a great saint. They had filled the Escriva home with love and cheerfulness that even though God had sent them many trials and hardships in life (at one point, they lost their 3 younger daughters and went bankrupt). It was almost unimaginable how they faced all these problems with a lot of faith in God and serenity.

Reflecting on their lives, I would naturally would go to them for inspiration (and ask them for favors!) especially whenever we feel the pinch. I would think about how the Abuela maintained her dignity and elegance amidst severe money troubles and the lack of even the family's basic needs. I would also imagine how the Abuelo, while he lost his business and received the ire of many, continued to work and find ways to fend his growing family with true trust in God.

Their example alone gives my husband and I the strength to carry on our duties to our family. And like them, we rely on the grace of God to help us with our needs. :-)

Friday, September 30, 2011

Zoe and Family

I received a priceless gift from my daughter this week.

She came home the other day with a "card" for Mommy. She said, "Mom, this is our family. This is me, Luixx, you, and Dad." Awww, it was so cute.

At the back of the card is something that made me think.

If you can't decipher, the card goes:

Dear Mommy
I love you Ate Cat
I love you Mom
I love you Dad
I love you Lxxxx
From: ZxxxVxxxxx

I noticed suddenly that it was a "Dear Mom letter" but then the first line in the body of the message says "I love you Ate Cat." Hahaha! Whether t'was intentional that she wrote her Ate Cat's name before me doesn't really matter since I am no longer a sour-graping Mommy like I used to be. The fact that she is very thoughtful and caring to all of us in the house makes me happy, regardless on who takes, like in a movie title, the top billing. :-)

The card did teach me something more -

Our family is very important. God willed that each human person enter the world into a family. When we teach our children how to love, that same kind of love is something they carry within themselves and poured out to the other people around them.

As St. Josemaria says in "Christ Is Passing By" -

...theirs is a home full of light and cheerfulness. The unity between the parents is transmitted to their children, to the whole family, and to everyone who is involved in their life. In this way, every truly christian family reproduces in some way the mystery of the Church, chosen by God and sent to be the guide of the world.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

I finally got my first million.

It's a great, great feeling.

But you know what? I learned that being "rich" is actually still not the best feeling in the world. I realized that having much money is nothing compared to happiness from having simple life with a great husband, heaven-sent kids and best of all, the grace of God.

Thank you, Lord, for all these super-duper great blessings.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

“Keep calm in the face of worries”

I got an email message today with this title.

“Keep calm in the face of worries” - that's what saved me from crying when I viewed our latest Meralco bill online today.

I honestly don't know where we're gonna get the money to pay this month's bill (I felt like being robbed in broad daylight). BUT (yes there's a but)... But I know that God will take care of it.

Enough of those worries. I entrust it all to Him.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Doing the Right Thing

As I have been blogging here a few weeks ago, my husband has finally decided to resign from his current job. We thought it would be a very difficult decision but, somehow, God paved the way for him/us to see clearly the right thing to do. Therefore, in the end, resigning did not mean a lose-lose situation but more of a win-win situation for us and for our family.

We realize now that there is more to life than working for that company. There are endless possibilities around that can offer better compensation and a better life for us. Similar to the case of people who want to advance in their jobs, some stop awhile to study, review and get certifications such as becoming a CMAS, my husband now has his hands full learning and re-learning how to nurture his skills further in order to do a more specialized job in the future. And with His help, things are bound to look up.

Sometimes, when you come across a similar crossroad in your life, the tendency really is to panic and lose your trust in the One above. But you know what, I have realized for myself that you do not control your life. It is God who controls it and you only have to pray to him for guidance and direction so that the decisions you make in your life are in consonance with what He wants you to do. And there is only one direction He wants you to take all the time: the right direction. You have to have it clearly in your mind and heart that you always have to do what is right amidst the hardships, even the calumnies and false accusations. And when you do that, God will always be on your side. That's how it works really and I have no doubt that He is and always be on our side as long as it is to Him that we are loyal to and not to any human being who shows even the highest authority here on earth.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Looking at the Positive Side of Things

You hear people saying sometimes that there are fewer miracles nowadays. Might it not rather be that there are fewer people living a life of faith? God cannot go back on his promise, 'Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.' Our God is Truth itself, the very foundation of all that exists: nothing takes place independently of his almighty will. (Friends of God, 190)

These words struck me today. Amidst the perceived troubles and difficulties associated with a current development in the family/work front~ all, I believe, is for the good and will become better in the long run. Besides, God will not forsake those who love Him and strive to follow Him.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Celebrating Palm Sunday

Just sharing a couple of pictures of Zoe and myself over the weekend.

We snapped these pics as we headed to go to Sunday mass. It was Passion Sunday or more popularly known as Palm Sunday. This day commences the Holy Week for the Catholic Church. Holy Week is a time for remembering the passion and love of Christ for the people of God.

Anyway, let's all hope to celebrate Holy Week this year in a holy manner. :-)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Our Lady of Lourdes

Today, the Church commemorates the 151st anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette Soubirous. I just couldn't let the day pass without a short commentary about my gratitude and devotion to Our Lady.

I was fortunate enough to visit the apparition site of Our Lady of Lourdes in France some years ago. I wrote her a long letter then to express my thanks and requests for the health and safety of my family. I handed the letter to the people who were volunteering there and it was safely tucked in one of the creases of the grotto. And as a tradition, I also splashed my face and body with the water from the spring of Lourdes and asked God to heal me from any infirmities (and to make my pimples disappear --- and He did!).

The number of sick people of different races who were there in Lourdes to ask for God's healing is really overwhelming. I remember joining the huge candlelight procession wherein the rosary was prayed in some many languages. It was a great experience and what good it did for my soul. The next day, my friends and I woke up very early in the morning to attend the mass that was held right underneath the grotto. It was freezing cold that morning. I still vividly remember feeling my face so cold but my heart was sort of burning with love and devotion for Our Lord. You could feel and almost touch the faith of the people around you because it was so real. I really cried out of happiness after that mass.

Anyway, to end, let me share to you a prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

O Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Mercy,
you are the refuge of sinners,
the health of the sick,
and the comfort of the afflicted.
You know my wants,
my troubles, my sufferings.
By your appearance at the Grotto of Lourdes
you made it a privileged sanctuary
where your favors are given to people
streaming to it from the whole world.
Over the years countless sufferers
have obtained the cure for their infirmities -
whether of soul, mind, or body.
Therefore I come to you
with limitless confidence
to implore your motherly intercession.
Obtain, O loving Mother,
the grant of my requests.
Through gratitude for Your favors,
I will endeavor to imitate Your virtues,
that I may one day share in Your glory.

Amen.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Other Night...

...I dreamt of my mother.

I admit that I seldom dream about her ever since she was gone. But when I do, my dreams seem to be very vivid, very real.

In this particular dream, I saw myself with some relatives and friends. As I had really had been planning, in my dream, I had organized a small intimate party to remember my mother's birthday. My tito and tita from the States were there plus our next-door neighbors. I also saw Zoe holding hands with a smaller girl in a cute dress (which is I think supposed to be our baby#2). Suddenly, as the party was about to start, I hear from the folks that my very own Nanay was there standing infront of our house. So I rushed to embrace her as the other people looked on. I hugged her tightly and kissed her many times on the cheek. She was wearing her brown and flesh blouse and pants set. She didn't say anything. She just stood her as I kept saying "I love you Nanay" and "Don't let go!".

In my mind, I thought that if I let go of my embrace, she will disappear. I was feeling her energy slowly fading and that she was drifting away. Then suddenly, I wake up. It was morning.

The next day (February 1) was her birthday. She would have been 62 years old. We woke up early that day to go to mass. We offered mass for her soul as well as for my grandparents and uncle whose birthdays also fall in the month of February. After mass, we headed to the cemetery to visit her. Silently, I said 'hello', 'happy birthday' and 'thank you'. You see, the last time we visited her was on Christmas Day. Hubby and I particularly asked her to intercede so that we will have another baby soon. She answered our prayer by New Year's. Galing noh?

We prepared a simple lunch that day. We had spaghetti, fried chicken, grilled bangus, lumpiang shanghai, and barbeque. My tito (my mother's brother) and his family plus other close friends of my parents arrived to celebrate with us. Of course, my Tatay was there too. It was great to remember her that way.

By the way, here is the yummy cake which we ordered from Estrel's. I asked them to put violet and pink flowers on the cake (since my Nanay's name is Violeta and violet is her birthstone color).

In the afternoon, I was particularly touched because I got a call from Mrs. Picadizzo, a co-teacher of my mother. She said that she just wanted to greet my mother happy birthday. With her was one of the 'alagas' of my Nanay in the school where they used to teach. This boy (nicknamed Erap) also talked to me on the phone and told me that he wished he could go visit my Nanay's grave that day. He added that for him, my Nanay is the best teacher ever and that he is sure that my Nanay is very happy with God because she was very mabait to him and to many people. I said thank you to both of them for remembering even if my Nanay has been gone for almost 4years already. Grabe talaga my Nanay. She's really something.

Happy birthday dear Nanay! I love you. I hope I make you proud.

Monday, January 5, 2009

And Now For Some BIGGER News...

Guess what Hubby and I received as a gift for Christmas?

...

TWO PINK LINES!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The race to Christmas has been long and dragging for most of us. Intermingled with lots of shopping, gift-giving, parties, food and gatherings, Christmas sometimes becomes a purely commercial thing. But for us Christians, Christmas should essentially be centered on the birth of Jesus and how important this event was and is to our history of salvation. When you talk about Christmas, where the rubber meets the road really is on how we have strived to find, know and love Christ.

Advance Merry Christmas, everyone!