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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Listening Builds Trust

Today me and my wife spent the day listening to each other. Over coffee and cake, we had a pleasant afternoon revealing how we feel without judging or being defensive. Listening builds trust (B. Tracy).

Some tips I learned from Brian Tracy:
1. Do not cut the other person's sentence, instead pause after he/she speaks before you reply. This way the person you are talking to knows that you are thinking about what was said. And you actually get to sink in what was expressed to your heart and mind.
2. Ask Questions. To clarify by asking who, what, when, and where helps in getting the message right. It also signals the one you are listening to your genuinely being attentive.
3. Paraphrase. In your own words, tell the person what you have understood. Through this, he/she is convinced that you understand the explanation or the narration.

The ratio of listening to speaking should be 2:1, since we have 2 ears and 1 mouth. This way, we care, we learn and we gain wisdom.

Is our listening to others sincere? How much time do we spend listening to God?
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