Be a Community Helper

Today, my 4 year-old son had an assignment to go to school dressed up as a Community Helper.  We thought of many things; doctor, fireman, police among others. We ended up with...musician. So Sev brought to school all his musical instruments; a flute, a ukulele, a toy xylophone, and a small bongo. Although being a musician is not the typical concept of a community helper, but then i thought that if no one actually wrote songs or played music for the community, then we would be like robots without artistry, expression, and emotion. Without musicians, then we would have not much entertainment (clean entertainment, that is) that can relax us from a hectic day and refresh us for the next. So we figured, a musician is a community helper.

Are you a community helper? How is the product you are selling or your field of study benefiting the society? More so, are you helping build a Christ-centered society?  I believe that whatever profession or business we are in, we can all be community helpers.

But then, let us not also be blind if we know what we are doing destroys community.  There might be things we are involved in that are environmental hazards and yet we are more concerned of profit.  What are the values that our work or product promote?  Are these products helping others become better people?  Are we justly compensating workers?

As community helpers, we are concerned with justice, love, and peace. 

Justice according to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 201 (CSDC) states, "According to its most classical formulation, it consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor ." As a community helper, we give what is due.

When we do things out of love for neighbor, we are building a "civilization of love." Again, from the Church's Social Doctrine (580), "Christians must be deeply convinced witnesses of this, and they are to show by their lives how love is the only force that can lead to personal and social perfection, allowing society to make progress towards the good."  Are we helping the community out of love or out of mere duty?

Peace is the fruit of justice and love (CSDC, 494).  Without justice and love, there will surely be crime, violence, and the failure of peace which is war.  Therefore, as Community Helpers who work towards a Christ-centered society, we carry justice and love as our virtue and our posture.  May our day-to-day work lead us to God's will for our society.

A Thousand Lives

September 28 is San Lorenzo's feast day. The first Filipino Saint. Before his death he said, "Isa akong Katoliko at buong pusong tinatanggap ang kamatayan para sa Panginoon, kung ako man ay may sanlibong buhay, lahat ng iyon ay iaalay ko sa Kanya." (English: I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly accept death for the Lord; if I have a thousand lives, all of them I will offer to Him.)

 Along with him in his martyrdom were about 50,000 other Christian Martyrs (source). Today, the subject of dying for one's faith is hardly talked about or even entertained in our minds. Here we see the saint's conviction. How is our conviction for our faith? How many times have we denied our faith in the face of simple peer pressure? 

Is Christ truly worth sacrificing our own lives? The answer is yes. It all boils down to knowing the truth about our lives.  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live (John 11:25).  Martyrs understood this truth. Lorenzo Ruiz got it as well.

But we are also called to live for Christ. How do we live then?

1. Live with conviction.  The Apostle's Creed is our conviction.  The first line says, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty."  Believing in God makes us live our lives with meaning.  When we acknowledge God, we know that there is Someone bigger than us or Someone more important than anything we hold dear.  God is Someone we offer our lives to, even a thousand times over.

2. Live a life of prayer. Being in constant communication with God leads to become focused and directed to our mission.  It is easy to forego prayer, because no one checks on us if we pray or not. Prayer time is a test of our integrity.  One who prays acknowledges that he or she cannot do without God for the day.  Prayer makes our conviction strong and helps us to be emboldened to serve our Lord.

3. Live a life of service. The act of breathing is to, "Breathe in and breathe out."  Try breathing in continuously without breathing out and we find ourselves in need of release.  Service is about giving and it is necessary for a healthy life. Without service, we are sure to die of our own greed and depression.  Helping the poor will teach us things no other formation module can give us.  To share your life through service is a way to live life to the full.

May we live our lives with conviction, prayer, and service. May the martyrdom of San Lorenzo Ruiz inspire us to stand up for our faith and encourage us to give our all for Jesus. 

To Be A Follower

Following Jesus is no walk in the park. He didn't sugar-coat it. In Luke 9:57-62, he was direct and upfront about the hardships in being a true Christian.


The Would-be Followers of Jesus.
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “[Lord,] let me go first and bury my father."But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”[To him] Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”


Christ requires us to sacrifice, surrender, and be single-minded for Him.

Sacrifice is born out of love. We are willing to be inconvenienced, disrupted, and disturbed for the sake of God's call.  The test of service comes when it is tempting to make excuses just to do away with a service offer.  When it becomes too far, too long, or too expensive, we start to think if there are other choices of how we can help. It is contrary when we say, "I will follow you wherever you go" then we say, "But Lord, this is where I want to go." We sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed.

Our surrender makes God number 1 in our lives.  Surrendering does not mean neglecting our families or our livelihood. Surrender means not to make our families and livelihood as an excuse not to follow the will of the Lord. God gave us our families and our jobs to be good stewards, but for the purpose of God's will. We then ask, "How can my family and job help me do God's will?"

Being single-minded is to get rid of distractions.  While technology is a useful tool, many are enslaved or addicted to it. I am not implying to get rid of technology in our lives, since it can also be a tool to evangelize and an aid to our work. But try to measure the number of hours we spend on our hobbies (like games, movies, social networking, etc.) as compared to praying, serving, and doing something productive for your family and country. In more serious cases, these hobbies can even be a source of our sinfulness. Single-mindedness is to be focused on the Lord. "What are the things that distract us from our service?" It may be an unmended relationship, hurts, frustration, anger, laziness, or even our pride. These things are usual causes of "back-sliding."

We follow Jesus not with fear and hesitation but with love. We are able to sacrifice, surrender, and be single-minded with the power of the Holy Spirit. He will not call us to follow Him without His help and if we were not capable to do so. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (John 14:26)."

Faithfulness Amidst the Storm

The storm surrounds us.  Strong winds blowing, rain pouring, streets flooding, trees uprooting. It's "Pedring." My wife said, "What's the purpose of a storm? Surely everything has a purpose."

In our lives, storms arrive. Most of the time, it's unexpected. Some storms are the result of our sinfulness. But some storms just come, and we ask, "Whatever did we do to deserve this?"  Job certainly went through "life's storms" like no other. Everything was taken from him, he even had boils. Yet, he was faithful and at the end the Lord gave back more than whatever he lost.

Not all things that happen to us can be explained by man's limited knowledge and wisdom. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom...(1Cor 1:25). But we hold on to God's truths.

1. If we are faithful, God will bless us.

Storms are tests of our faithfulness. We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We cannot rationalize everything that happens to us.  We just need to know that there is a purpose behind it, and we have to be firm in our faith. Blessings are not always monetary, God's blessings are what we need. It might be blessings of virtues we have developed through the storm like forgiveness, love, and patience.

2. If we are faithful, God will strengthen us.

Our purpose on earth is to do God's will. Each challenge is meant for us to go from strength to strength with the Holy Spirit. One who does not go through a storm will find it hard to obey when much is demanded from us.  God will not lead us to something we cannot bear.  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:19).

I remember "Ondoy." It was the worst of storms but it brought out the best in the Filipino. We became brothers and sisters to one another. We visited homes and helped the victims clean the mud, we gave food, and the nation prayed along with the rest of the world.  Let our faithfulness shine amidst the darkness of the storm. Let us not resort to blame and frustration, but seek hope in the great God who created us for His purpose.

The Least of All

Is it our concern to be great? I do not think the saints and even John Paul the Great was concerned about being  great. Our concern is to be like a child, a servant, a shepherd.  To be the least, so that Christ will be great.

An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a child, stood him by his side, and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, also welcomes the one who sent. For the one who is least among you all is the greatest." (Luke 9:46-48)

The problem with pride is no matter how much we conceal it, it's nature is to surface in the open.  Pride is full of hot air and it's tendency is to rise, making us shallow.   The practice of humility is one of temperance and invisibility. Humility is from the word "humus" means earth. Humility brings us to the ground and leads us to a life of depth.

Family on Mission

My family and I, along with Msgr. Allen Aganon, just returned from an 8-day mission trip to Brunei and Miri, Malaysia. We were blessed to have been invited to CFC Brunei's 17th Anniversary.  Here are some of my mission reflections:

1. Expose your family to mission.  On our way to Brunei, my wife Michelle asked my 4 year old son Sev, "Are you excited for the mission?" He answered, "No, it's not mission mom, it's a vacation." After 8 days on the way back to the Philippines, Michelle asked Sev again, "So Sev, did you enjoy your vacation?" Sev replied, "It was a mission mom!"  Sev may have just played most of the time with the other kids while in Brunei, but he was conscious that we were already doing mission. I also witnessed my one year old daughter, Kaitlyn, raising her hands and closing her eyes, mimicking us in worship.  These little actions are already part of her consciousness and will be a seed of faith that will blossom as she grows.   It's hard to let our kids understand mission by just describing it, they have to experience it.  "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6)."

2. Nurture old friendships. One of our good friends whom we visited was Bishop Sim. Michelle went on mission to Brunei back in 2003 for a Kids Conference and bonded with Bishop Sim, who was then a Monsignor.  It was good to catch up on life and get guidance from him.  Great things happen with strong, genuine friendships. Friendships also go through a time of testing, but it is for the purpose of strengthening and deepening. Friendships are our lives' treasures. Many are willing to go forego friendships because of a hurtful experience. In friendship there is love. But love has three kinds. The Eros, the Philia, and the Agape love.  Eros is more of the joy of physical attraction and Philia is about the joy of togetherness. Both can fade and be replaced. We are to strive the Agape love in our friendships, wherein love is sacrificial and is about the joy of seeking the true good of the other. We learn to love someone despite of and not only because of.  Old friendships go through a time of testing, until our love becomes agape.

3. Your community is your family. We were hosted by gracious families. It was a blessing to have shared each others' lives in our stay with with them. Opening your home is like saying, "You are family to us." Being in a community like Couples for Christ brings us to understand how the first Christian community lived. "The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common (Acts 4:32)." Our hosts would always tell us, "Feel at home, tell us if there is anything you need." I believe that hosting should be a practice a Christian community should not lose. It is convenient to send our guests to a hotel, thinking that they will be more comfortable there. But we lose the essence of being community and being a family.  It doesn't matter if you have simple food or limited space, what matters is that your house is open to your brothers and sisters and that we break bread with them.

We thank God and our bretheren in Brunei for the outpouring of love upon us.  We pray for all Christian communities all over the world who share in the conviction of mission, nurturing friendships, and building more communities for Christ.

The Power to Achieve the Impossible

We had a planning session today. It's amazing when hearts and minds meet and are led to a common purpose.  How powerful it is for the burning passion of individuals to combine and create a blazing fire of will!  Some call it synergy, I'd call it the power of the Holy Spirit.  

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us (Luke 24:32)?"

If you really look at the great commission, it's humanly impossible. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... (Mt. 28:19)."  But what gave the first Christian community the zeal and commitment to do this?  

a. The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The disciples lost heart and were fearful without their leader, Jesus Christ.  But Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit, "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven (Luke 24:49)."  And so when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, their fearful hearts were filled with courage, confidence, and boldness.

b. The Good News

 "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all (Acts 4:33)." Christ resurrection was too good a news.  One cannot just be passive about it, specially the apostles.   If one kept it inside, he would surely burst.  The message was so great that it will fill the earth.

c. His kingdom on earth

The apostles were to build a community of believers, the Church.  "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had (Acts 4:32)." They were determined to establish Christian communities throughout the world.  Paul was most passionate in his missionary work and brought Christ to many places despite perils and dangers of death.

In serving God, a person needs the Holy Spirit. More so, we need a community of believers empowered by the Holy Spirit. Imagine what a group can do, knowing fully that no less than God is giving them the power to achieve the impossible.  Let us then desire His outpouring upon us, and let the blazing fire of the Holy Spirit fill us to do His holy will!

She Said Yes

September 8 is Mama Mary's birthday. What can we recall about her to honor her? For me one of the most significant things she did was when...

She said, Yes.

"Be it done to me according to thy word (Luke 1:38)."

Do we say yes to the Lord everyday? The daily gospel, "Thy Word," challenges us to yes to the Lord through its message. But how can we say yes if we do not know what the Lord asks of us today?

Three things can happen:

1. We miss out on God's question and challenge for us.
When we don't open our Bibles or when we are not in reflective prayer, we miss the opportunity to know what He asks of us.

2. We say no to God.
We know His will for us, but simply ignore it, delay it, or run from it.

3. We say yes.
Christianity is a daily yes for the Lord. Our yes to the Lord is a process of being sensitive to His will and having the courage and the obedience to do His will.

Mary's "yes" is the opposite of Eve's disobedience. And through her yes, our Savior is born and gave us new life. "And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Cor 15:22)."

Let us pray to God using Mama Mary's intercession for the courage to say yes even if the cost of following Christ is high.
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In Honor of Bro. John Niniku

Today I heard the sad news that Bro. John Niniku, a CFC leader of Couples for Christ in Papua New Guinea passed away due to cardiac arrest.  Last February, in my mission visit to Papua New Guinea, I was able to spend a whole afternoon with him in his home in Port Moresby.  We shared a lot together.  We had the same passion for songwriting and he sang to me some of the many songs that he wrote. I could see the love of God in his eyes and how passionate he was to evangelize people. I honor him for his dedication in serving God through Couples for Christ and his parish and his great love for his family.

He will forever be remembered by our bretheren in CFC Papua New Guinea and to the people who knew him.  In the short time I spent with Bro. John, he was able to make a significant impact in my life. We will miss you brother.  Thank you and may the light Christ shine upon you. Now, you are one with Christ and singing songs of praise to Him face to face.

The Value of Evaluation

To step back and evaluate is an act of humility. Whether personal, family, or business, there are things that seemed so right when we were planning and implementing years ago. After many activities and observations, we have to do some aligning and correcting. Evaluation is a painful process. It is more comfortable to just keep doing what we are doing.
If we do not evaluate, we face the following dangers:


A. The danger of recurring patterns of wrong systems and behavior.

Patterns are hard to break specially if coming from a strong precedence of habit and sets of responses.

Evaluate on the faithfulness to our vision, mission, values, and goals. Disrupt and align through new leadership or having willingness to adapt to new systems.


B. The danger of a decline in effectiveness and performance.

We can do things efficiently but towards the wrong goals and direction. We end up getting tired, like running a marathon without the idea where the finish line is.

Evaluate on efficiently doing the right things which result in increased effectiveness.


C. The danger of doing a series of half-baked programs.

To go on to the next activity without realizing the learnings from the previous one will leave a trace of unrefined templates. We will be producing half-baked programs.

Evaluate on re-implementing the activity with the revisions and enhancements. Re-evaluate again and re-implement until the optimum result is achieved.

Evaluate basically means "to fix the value or worth." To revisit the value of what we do is important. We cannot be good evaluators if we are on a defensive stance. We must be open and think of the higher objectives. The key is to be humble, so more value will be added to what we do.

They That Hope in the Lord will Renew their Strength

There are times of dryness, days of seeking, moments of emptiness, as if there’s a void inside of us.  What is our posture or attitude in these times?  Here are some things that can help and guide us.

a.       Seek for the Lord
We are brought to a point of emptiness so we can look for what can truly fill us. “I sought the Lord, He heard me and delivered me from my fears (Psalm 34:4).”


b.       Endure in Faithfulness
It is easy to be tempted to draw away from God in these times.  More than ever, we have to be faithful. Sin separates us from God. Do not be tempted to be lazy and put off your responsibilities. It is best to go to mass and confession to receive His graces so we can endure.


c.        Await for His message
The Lord speaks powerfully when you are in your “desert.” When we are fully surrendered to God, it is when He fills us with His wisdom and power.


d.       Ask for an In-filling of the Holy Spirit
By the power of the Holy Spirit, our spirit is renewed. Ask your spouse or a friend to pray-over you so your strength is renewed.


“They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint (Isaiah 40:31).”


We are to hope in Him by seeking, enduring, awaiting, and asking for His power.  The Lord shall renew our strength and become even stronger than before.

The "Change Begins with Me" Mind-set

Last Sunday, we went to the 1st year anniversary of the Holy Mass Celebration in a place where we used to live in Taguig. My wife Michelle initiated in arranging for that 1st mass, and I assisted in the choir. During the announcements, I was delighted hear that a Christian Life Program of Couples for Christ will be conducted for the residents starting on Sept 9 in a nearby clubhouse.
We are happy that our simple efforts were blessed by the Lord to bear fruit that remains.

Here are some of my reflections on Initiating:

"If not you, then who?" Everybody is just waiting for somebody to start it. If you really believe in something, might as well be you who should initiate.

"If not now, when?" Procrastination is an element of sloth. There is no better time to start but today. Start to do the little things that will lead to your goal.
Launching something takes much energy and effort. Just like a rocket shuttle, most of the fuel and energy is consumed at launching. But when it is already up there, then it will continuously run with lesser effort.

"Change begins with me" should be the mind set of every Christian. Initiative is a value we hope to develop in the new generation of Christians. We are living in a world where evil is very aggressive. We cannot wait for others if the Lord's call is clear to you. "Here I am! (Gen. 22:1)"


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"Past" Forward

Lately, I find myself watching the History Channel a lot and reading books about the past.  There's just so much  nuggets of golden learning from our history.  The best way to really move forward is to understand the future in the context of the past.  Well, the past can either drag us or catapult us forward. 

What is about the past that can drag us?  It is when we cannot accept our failures, when we do not learn to forgive (others and ourselves), and when we miss to see it as something that will prepare us for the future.

What is about the past that can catapult us forward?  It is when we pause and reflect of our learnings from a mistake, when it humbles us, when the compounded experiences are translated into applied wisdom.

In the Holy Bible, the whole Old Testament is in preparation for Who is to come, Jesus Christ.  It is a vital element to understanding the fullness of the New Testament. Otherwise, we will not be able grasp our salvation history.  He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21).”


When Steve Jobs resigned from being the CEO of Apple, I was able to review his Standford Speech to graduates. He enumerated many of what seemingly were failures, but instead became the reasons for his future success. He was an adopted child, a college drop-out, ousted from Apple in the 80's and back again, and had a rare type of pancreatic cancer. But these sad experiences led to studying calligraphy which became the reason for clear true type fonts of the Mac, finding two companies (neXT and Pixar) that contributed greatly to Apple's innovations, and a passionate outlook to live each day as if it was his last.  He mentioned about "Connecting the dots," and that you can only connect the dots backwards.  So as you read this blog post today in whatever seemingly hopeless situation you are in, it is going to connect to something great in the future, as long as we keep our faith in Him strong.

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope (Jeremiah 29:11)."

Those who are great visionaries have a deep appreciation of the past and have a good sense of the present.  Let us then gain from the experiences of those who have gone before us.  Let's reflect on our own mistakes and do better next time. More importantly, look to the future with the humility Christ has shown us.

Invest In What Appreciates Over Time

A good friend told me, invest in something that appreciates in value in years to come. Gadgets are good, but they depreciate really fast. He advices, "Invest in things like watches and jewelry, they increase in value over time."

In our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life, what are the things that increase in value over time?  Here are some that I can think of:

a. Relationships (emotional investment).  We have to put our time in relationships.  This we often take for granted.  During the ins and outs of the day, we schedule our work at every hour.  We also have to schedule our relationships.  Over time, relationships will help us to be strong. A simple hi through a personal message online will go a long way. A 2-hour visit to relatives over the weekend will keep the ties closer. A regular date time with your loved one will help build trust and nurture love through the years.

b. Reading time (intellectual investment).  Having time to read makes us sharp and attuned to ourselves, the world, and to the Lord specially when reading Scripture.  Just like muscles need to be flexed so it will gain strength, so does our minds.  Reading will help push our mental strength to its limit and breakthrough to a new level of thinking.  Over time, we would have gained a good stock of knowledge that will be helpful in all fields of our lives.

c. Regular prayer and Sacraments (spiritual investment).   We have to strengthen the spirit through time spent in prayers and  receiving of graces through the Sacraments. If we do not invest our time in prayer, our life will become meaningless and our emotional, intellectual, physical, and even financial lives will be highly affected.  For our spirit and body are one.  We are Spirited Bodies and Embodied Spirits (Theology of the Body, JPII).  To neglect the spirit, we will be like "walking dead."  A life spent in prayer and meditation will bring us to our core, and often we are reminded of the right path to take.  This leads us to better decision making.  Over time, we gain depth in insight and the grace of peace in the Lord.

Let us then be wise investors. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mt. 25:29).  The Lord has given us our friends and family, His wisdom through the Bible and other books about life, His gift of prayer.  Let us use these gifts, invest in them and present them to the Lord having twice as much as it was given us.

Ethics and Ethos

I learned today, from a Theology of the Body course given by Fr. Joel Jason, about Ethics and Ethos. Simply stated, ethics is about what is written or the 'letter of the law.' Ethos is about the intent, desire or 'spirit of the law.'
An example could be, motorcycle drivers on the ethics or the written law on 'wearing helmets.' Many of them wear it because it is the law and they will get caught if they will violate it. But the spirit behind it, the ethos, would be about the wearing of the helmet so that the motorists will be protected and safe from an accident impact.
Another example is about the Ten Commandments. It is the written Law, a covenant with God, the ethics. But we have to follow these commandments at the Ethos level. The spirit behind the law is more important. On the commandment, Thou shall not steal, at the ethics level, we follow this because the law will have consequences if not obeyed. But we have to bring it at the ethos level wherein there is a genuine intent not to steal at the heart of man.
Thinking and abiding at the Ethos level will make our lives richer, more meaningful. We also have to look at our laws and it's real intent. Some laws do not conform to God's intent and natural plan, like many anti-life laws.
A good example given was about chastity and abstinence. Fr. Joel laid down this principle: "Not everyone who is abstinent is chaste, and not everyone who is chaste is abstinent." Abstaining is about the external action, while chastity is about the purity of our thoughts and feelings. It doesn't always mean that our thoughts and intentions are chaste when we abstain. Someone who abstains from pre-marital or extra-marital sex might also be addicted to pornography. For the reversal, those who are not abstinent, like married couples may be having intercourse but yet do not have chaste minds and may be using each other as mere sexual objects. To be chaste is to bring it at the ethos level.
Do we follow God's commands and our obligations at the Ethos level? Let us regard the rules and laws that put our lives in order at it's intent, at it's spirit.
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