Too Many Books, Too Little Time

Truth is, we can't learn all the knowledge that the world has to offer. Just step into a library or a bookstore and one can sigh, "Too many books, too little time." Since this is the case, it is important to understand that we ought to learn things that is in line with our personal calling and mission. Yet, few even bother to realize the importance of their own vocation that will help realize one's mission. Our vocation comes in three-fold: our calling as Baptized Christians; then our vocation whether single-blessed, holy orders, religious, and marriage; then what we are called to do in that state of life whether engineer, doctor, lawyer, employee, businessman, teacher, administrator, volunteer worker, etc. So, how do we proceed to choose what we ought to learn with the few years we have on earth?

1. Choose books that will help you become excellent in your field. This is quite obvious, but often we settle for "cheap knowledge". Invest in the books that matter, even if expensive at times. At the end of the day, you don't want to accumulate books that you "trust less."

2. Take delight in your daily reading time. I spend 30-45 minutes to read in the morning before work and about 30-45 minutes before I sleep -- and I enjoy it! Reading is not punishment, it is pleasurable and enlightening. Oh okay, many won't agree with me, especially those who say, "Reading isn't just for me." You may try to read the books you really like, then advance to the "hard core" books.  Often, it takes a certain foundation building to appreciate the more difficult ones.

3. Remember that your knowledge ought to help spread the Gospel. As you strive for excellence in respective fields, you become a good model and a credible witness. Always permeate the Gospel in your decisions, in your dealings, in your relationships, and especially in your attitude. The Gospel is compatible with any field, even in Science and Technology; since all knowledge and wisdom come from God, there is no conflict -- but there should be continuous dialogue towards the truth. As history would tell as, at first there was a seeming conflict between faith and reason or faith and science; but since these all come from God they all find their way back to God.

Just remember that: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." (1 Cor. 1: 25). Choose your books wisely and gain the specific knowledge aligned to your vocation; for we have a limited time on earth to do the mission God has set for us: to reveal to others the Good News of Salvation in Christ Jesus.

Remember Your Destination

Being on a 13-hour trip to the northen tip of the Philippines, Cagayan Valley, it allowed me some time for myself. Travel situates thinking time and more so, a super extended personal prayer time. This is I believe is one of the great blessings of mission. As we journey to our destination, we are led to also journey internally, to the depths of our minds and hearts.

Life is one big journey. Often, many are swayed by the evil one to forget that heaven is our final destination. Everyday, in this journey of life we are to take time for ourselves and be in God's presence. We are to search from within and continually ask Jesus, "Lord am I still on track?" If we feel the peace that we are still on a ride towards heaven, then praise God! But if we are detoured, side tracked, or have made a u-turn to the opposite direction (hell bound), then prayer and God's mercy will open our eyes to heaven's road signs.

By God's grace, we shall reach heaven. May we fix our eyes on Him!
 

Father's Day in Heaven

We're missing you much dad
And all the good times we had
Your words I'll always remember
And our moments together

We now just have pictures
We're Imagining your gestures
You were so strong and tough
But you sure knew how to laugh

Who I am and what I do today
I say thanks for showing the way
Pray for us when we weaken
Oh my dear father in heaven

I just wish there was more time
To say these words of mine
In spirit I hope you'll know
That I love you dad, I love you so."

Happy Father's Day.
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"Re-treat"

The word retreat is often referred to a weekend stay in a reflective venue, usually a retreat house or maybe a countryside. Retreat also implies to get back to ourselves, and draw strength from the Lord once again.

I'd also like to see it from the point of view from the word "treat." When someone treats us, we are pampered by not having to pay anything for special attention. People would usually say, "Don't worry, it's my treat."

Now, i'm in Batanes and I'm experiencing a "re-treat." The Lord is giving me a treat...again. When we come to him in generous prayer, he lavishes us with His grace and awesome presence. This is a treat that is inexplainable, beyond measure, and priceless.

Amidst the busy life of unending deliverables, let us not forget that the Lord wants to treat us again and again. We need only offer a generous time of prayer and wait upon His grace to rain upon our souls.
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Dare To Trust

To trust is not as simple as it sounds. Trusting is an act of faith.  It involves risk.  But in exchange of the risk we take in trusting others, there is a heightened sense of empowerment for the entrusted.  Jesus exemplified this when he said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12)."


The same is said in one of General Patton's quotations:

 Once in Sicily, I told a general who was somewhat reluctant to attack that i had perfect confidence in him. To show it, I went home.
Never tell people what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. (General George S. Patton)


Imagine. God entrusts us fully to continue the work He started. He even went home to His Father.  Whether at home or at work, how do we build trust with the people God gave us under our leadership?


T - Train with them
To give someone such a big responsibility without preparation or adequate training is like letting your friend pilot an airplane without going to flying school. It's bound to crash. With the training comes the discipline and expectation. With this you are positioning them to be trustworthy.


R - Respect their gifts
Each of us are endowed with talents.  By acknowledging a person's strength and matching it to the right task will help build up confidence.  By respecting their God-given gifts, they will do better than expected.

U - Understand their situation
Genuine empathy will help them realize that you care.  As John Maxwell says, "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."  To doubt the validity of their reasons for being absent or failing to deliver is an indicator of a weak foundation of mutual trust.

S - Space to grow
Give them room to initiate and innovate. If you are there to meddle at every step of the way, they won't feel that they have achieved something.  Without creative space, there is no true empowerment.  A smaller tree cannot grow under the shade of a bigger tree.  Trees are planted at a distance from each other so they can have sufficient sunlight and water.


T - Time for bonding
The more time you spend with the people you trust or hope to trust, the deeper will be the foundations of trust.  Time is also about attention.  It makes the other person feel important and listened to. Trust is built over time. Recall a person you trust.  Your cherished memory of this person will most likely be your times of bonding.


More than 2,000 years after Christ's death, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Christianity continues to grow because the He entrusted to us His mission to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:19)."  He also said, "As the Father sent me so I send you (John 20:21)."


Jesus trusted His apostles like no other.  Although some of them betrayed Him, His love for them remained unchanged. Let us dare to trust like Jesus trusts.

Time to Serve

October 27 (thursday)
One of the brothers in the mission said, "There is no convenient time to serve the Lord." At any phase of our lives, we will always be busy. When we're young, we are busy with school. When we graduate, we're busy with work. When we retire, we're busy vacationing. And later at the final years of our lives we realized I should have spent time in knowing, loving, and serving God.

If you are reading this, now is the time to serve the Lord!

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.