Self Reflection

reflection before sleeping:

Did I find God today in what ever I have done?
Did I offer whatever I have done good to God?
DID I THANK GOD FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY? den mar

Peace

drawing inspiration through my senses
feeling the harmonized heartbeat of the entire universe
seeing them moving in grace in their respective orbits...
dancing into the rhythm of nature
acting as one: though, cannot be counted by my lifetime
capturing all of them and painting them in one word--
"PEACE." den mar

God made me to be ME

the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has given Himself to me not to be Him but to be ME-- a brother to Him... a brother to all... an adopted child of God through Him, with Him and in Him. den mar

Unity in Diversity

faith is like music... it is universal.
but, when you play the music according only to your desired key
you will destroy the entire harmony for your note will just become a noise
to harmonize different pitches we need to agree on a certain key so that all of our voices, though many, would become one

in real life, the right key is always love--
...for faiths and religions to become one
...for closed hearts and minds to be opened
... for all of us to be reconcilled. denmar

January 15, 2015

Pagbabagong Loob

lumilipas ang panahon
ang umaga ay nagiging dapit hapon

ang masiglang katawan ay kumukupas
kasabay ng paglaho ng mga ala-alang lumilipas

isang araw uupo rin ako sa silyang de gulong (wheeled chair)
o tutuluyang hihiga sa kama dahil hindi na makabangon (paralyzed)

kaya ngayon, babaguhin ko ang buhay ko
magpapatawad at mas magmamamahal ako. den mar

January 12, 2015 

Confession

yes, i am a sinner; still, I am a child of God

to be a child of God is not my decision, it is God's will
He called me son, he embraced me as His own.
He wants me even though others hated me
even others cursed me, God still calls me by my name.

I learned to love Him not because I have no one else to go
I was converted not because of fear of hell
but because I felt that I am loved
...for the first time in my life

I used to be so bad just because I thought no one cares about me
I thought life was so empty and, at times, meaningless
until I met the loving Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
He becomes my compassionate Savior and my living God.

Spread the love...
be like angels...
a messenger of God's love. den mar

Pagbabagong Loob

January 11, 2015

sa mass, after makinig ng homily ng Pari

napagtanto ko
na lagi pala akong nagku-kuripot sa pagbibigay sa Diyos
ang ibinibigay ko lang kasi
ay ang mga kasobrahan ng aking pagkatao
kapag may time lang tsaka magsisimba
kung may problema tsaka lang makaka-alala sa pagdarasal

pati sa mass offering din ay nadala ko ang attitude na ito
kasi, yung mga sobrang barya ko na nagpapabigat lang ng aking bulsa
ang aking pawang lagi na ibinibigay sa kanya
kung magbigay man ako paminsan-minsan ng papel
ay talaga namang kinukwenta ko agad
at kulang na lang isumbat ko ang lahat ng aking na-abuloy
sa mukha ng Panginoon na nakabayubay sa krus

natauhan lamang ako
nung tinanggap ko nang buong puso ang Panginoon
sa Hostiya na tinanggap ko sa aking dalawang mga kamay
kung saan nahawakan kong ganap ang Panginoon
na nagbigay ng Kanyang sarili ng buung-buo...
nang walang sumbat... nang walang pagtutuos
tahimik lamang at totoong nagmamahal

patawarin mo ako Panginoon,
dahil napakadamot ko pala
ang mga ipinagdadamot ko sa Iyo
ay ang lahat ng bagay na mayroon ako
na sa Iyo lang din naman nagmula. den mar

New Year's Resolution

January 3 at 8:39pm 

there's a part of me that can't let go

that's still wants to dance in the rain only with you

but my time has come and i really need to go
i won't be seeing you; but i will always remember you

i know, this is painful; but, this is freedom
i know, you will miss me; but, we need to move on. den mar

Silence

January 2 at 10:00pm · 

i realized that 'silence' is the most meaningful action. den mar

Nazareno

Ilan lamang sa mga katanungan pa sa mga Katoliko patungkol sa Poong Nazareno:

1.Sinasamba ba ang imahe ng Poong Nazareno ng mga Katoliko?

ang imahen po ng Nazareno ay hindi po sinasamba. Ang imahen ay picture lamang ng totoong Hesu-Kristo na nasa langit. kapag ang picture ng nanay natin ay binastos ng iba; nasasaktan tayo, hindi ba? bakit tayo nasasaktan, kasi iyon ang sumasagisag sa ala-ala ng nanay natin sa atin kaya makahulugan iyong picture na iyon para sa atin. oo, ang nazareno ay hindi ang mismong si kristo hesus, pero katulad ng picture ng nanay natin, ang imahe ng nazareno ang larawan ni kristo na sumasagisag sa totoong panginoong hesukristo na nasa langit. sa pamamagitan ng imahe ng nazareno, nakakadaupang palad natin si hesu-kristo sa ating buhay. at malinaw sa aming mga katoliko na hindi namin sinasamba ang imahen dahil ito ay larawan lamang. ang larawan ang nagbabalik sa atin ng napakahalagang ala-ala. marami nga sa atin, sa kanta pa lang ay naalala na ang mga mahal sa buhay natin. samantalang ang nazareno ay ang larawan mismo ng pagpapakasakit ni kristo habang buhat-buhat ang krus para ating kaligtasan. nakakalungkot, dahil hindi ito nakikita ng iba, hindi sila nakakabalik sa napakahalagang kasaysayan ng sangkatauhan kung kailan tayo ay iniligtas mula sa ating pagkakasala dahil sa pag-ibig ng Diyos

2.Yung sinasabi ba sa Bible ay nagbabawal sa Nazareno?

hindi. kasi, sa verse 3, Nazareno is the icon (picture, sign) for Jesus, hindi ba Dyos si Kristo-Hesus? sa verse 4, ang binabanggit diyan ay tungkol sa mga false idols tulad ni Baal na diyos-diyosan at iba pang mga diyos-diyosan na sinasamba tulad ng mga taga Ehipto- palaka, ibon, etc. na pawang mga diyos-diyosan na ganid sa dugo at buhay ng mga inaalay sa kanila. si Kristo, siya ang nag-alay ng buhay para sa atin. yung bayani nga, may monumento na nagpapa-alala sa kanila, si Kristo pa kaya na niligtas tayong lahat? sa verse 5, ang mga larawan nga ng mga namatay ay nilalagyan ng kandila kapag inaalala or yung monumento ng mga bayani ay inaalayan ng bulaklak, ang larawan pa kaya ng Diyos na sinasagisag ng Nazareno. sa verse 6,Nazareno, ibig sabihin, "iniaalay ang sarili or itinalaga ang sarili sa Diyos." e inilay naman talaga ni Hesu-kristo, na Diyos Anak, ang sarili niya sa 'will' o kagustuhan ng Diyos Ama para sa kaligtasan natin dahil sa pag-ibig ng Diyos sa atin. wala naman akong nakikitang problem, unless hindi ka naniniwalang si Kristo ay Diyos; at unless na ipipilit mo na sinasamba namin ang nazareno. walang ganun po sa aming mga katoliko. magandang panahon po ito upang maunawaan din po ninyo ang pinaniniwlaan naming mga katoliko. salamat po.

====

well, no problem naman pala. dahil ang Nazareno ay ang picture ni Jesus Christ, si God. hindi naman sinasamba ang Nazareno, dahil ang larawan nito ay ang nagpapaalala sa mga katoliko ng kaligtasan mula sa pagkakasala dahil sa pagtubos sa ng Panginoong Hesu-Kristo sa kasalanan ng sangkatauhan. sa nakikita ko, may problema lang kung hindi tayo naniniwala kay Jesus Christ bilang Diyos; at kung ipipilit natin na sinasamba ng kataliko ang imahe dahil hindi naman pala talaga.

salamat po.

===

sa buhay na ito gumagawa tayo ng mga simbolo o ritwal na magsisilbing inspirasyon natin dahil ito ang gagabay sa ating buhay upang tayo ay manatiling buhay, nananalig at umaasa sa Dakilang Lumika. katulad na lamang ng mamang ito:

"Nagkaroon ako ng problema sa pamilya. Iyong tali na ito ang simbolo na mabuo ulit ang pamilya namin. Sana mabuo na talaga ulit." 

mula sa: Meet the People of #Nazareno2015 here:http://bit.ly/Nazareno2015

Change Your Ways, the Kingdom of Heaven is Near

Mt 4:12-17, 23-25                                                                

There are so many lights that we can draw from our reading today.

Just like the Holy family’s flight to Egypt in the foreseen danger for the child Jesus when Herod, the Great, ordered the massacre of infants; another flight from danger was done by Jesus himself, this time, Jesus left Nazareth to withdraw into Galilee after the arrest of John.

Somehow, we can say that mission is also strategic. There is no room for personal pride to fight and to die as heroes; but, most of the time, to live in order to do the will of God among His beloved people; since, after all, this mission is not ours because the mission is from God. Somehow, this ‘living’ of service for others leads us up into self-giving that is so painful— for to be a co-worker in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is a need to emulate the works of Jesus Christ—teaching and curing the sick... a life of giving ourselves to others which is the fruit of our metanoia, our change of hearts and minds. An outward change of paradigm from loving ourselves to a paradigm of relationship that leads us to love others.

The Eastern Orthodox Church has this term to “Christify.” In the Mass, everything we offer is Christified. Christify is to turn into Christ. The water and wine we offered in the Mass is turned into Jesus Christ Himself. And perhaps, in our daily living, just like Paul said, ‘it is not me who live; but the Christ who dwells in me’ is a Christified life. Our own life becomes a life of Jesus Christ for others. 

To see Jesus Christ from the others is another challenge for us. We need to see and love using the eyes and heart of God for us to transcend for us to really love like Jesus Christ himself. The question, “where is Jesus?” is answered by Jesus Himself... “When I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was a stranger you welcomed me, when I was naked you clothed me, when I was sick you healed me, when I was in prison you visited me.” From this, it is clear that Jesus is present in the poor who is hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick and those who are imprisoned.   Indeed, Jesus told us that whatever we have done to these least beloved people of God is also done to Jesus himself.

As I realized this New Year, for me to become a Christified person is also to embrace a change of heart and mind. It is not enough for me to give my life to God; for I also need to cooperate to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I always believe that the grace of God is always sufficient for me to change; but sometimes, I admit, that my rationalizations and pride, somewhat, hindered me to fully love the community that God has given me in this point of my life. With this, let me humbly say sorry to all of you who I have hurt this past 2014. I realized that repentance is incomplete without a real change of attitudes and behaviour in my part and with this I want to thank you for always giving me a chance.

This experience of being forgiven--as always and as untiringly-- has, perhaps, made me to personally encounter the Kingdom of God through all of you as a Kingdom of Love... a Kingdom of Mercy and a kingdom of Compassion.  Amen.