journal: Rebirth of the Eagle

journal: Rebirth of the Eagle: This is the story of an eagle The Eagle has the longest life-span of it's species It can live up to 70 years But to reach this age, the ...

journal: High Expectations

journal: High Expectations: During our diaconate ordination last year, our superior announced our mission assignments. i was assigned in Gapok, Sultan Kudarat while my...

Rebirth of the Eagle

This is the story of an eagle
The Eagle has the longest life-span of it's species
It can live up to 70 years
But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision
In it's 40th year its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food
Its long and sharp beak becomes bent
It's old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to it's chest & make it difficult to fly
Then, the eagle is left with only two options: DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE which lasts 150 days
The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on it's nest
There the eagle knocks it's beak against a rock until it plucks it out
Then the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out it's talons
When it's new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking it's old-aged feathers
And after 5 months, The eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years
Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present.

High Expectations

During our diaconate ordination last year, our superior announced our mission assignments. i was assigned in Gapok, Sultan Kudarat while my companions were assigned to other places. some in the island and mountain areas and one in Thailand. Our assignment was no big deal. we were young and brave so we were really fit for any mission assignment. after we had our vacation with our families, we were then set for our mission.

I arrived in Gapok last April 15, 2 days before the Holy Week celebration. i was never assigned in Gapok before so i had little expectations for any welcome celebrations on my arrival. It was drizzling outside and the weather was not so good as a welcome. When i took off the van, one of the passengers pointed to me the huge Church uphill and said that it was the Gapok Church and the convent is at the back. So with my heavy bag i started to walk going to the Church. after few steps, i happen to meet 3 people whom i believed were parishioners. they were carrying some plates and bowls with food. i greeted them and smile. but when they saw me, they never uttered any greeting in response. instead, they hurried to go to the convent. i just smiled of what happened. "Who am i that people will greet me?," i thought.

then i saw the convent. i sensed that there were many people inside. i then thought that they must have prepared some welcome party. when i was already inside the convent, the people were silent as if they were dismayed. i thought that it would be best to confirm their sad feeling.

when i was asked to introduce myself, i said to them, "Because of my name, I am very sure that you thought that i am a foreigner - Rockmoore Saniel, but when you saw me you must have said, "opps, he's just like a native." They were laughing. Then i said, "I know you thought that my skin complexion is white, but not really. They were still laughing. You must have thought that "opps, he's not really white, in fact he's skin is dark." And they were laughing. "And finally," i said, "you must have thought that i am tall, but when you saw me, you were dismayed because i am not. You must have said, "Oh, i thought he's tall. now i know he's petite, like a dwarf." they were laughing in roars.

on one hand, sometimes, too much expectations can make us desperate and discouraged or dismayed. it's better therefore to always expect the worse so that whatever may happen you will not be caught off-guard. on the other hand, every encounter of discouragement and failure can always turn into a triumph.

In 5 minutes it will rain

one afternoon, as i walked through the hallway in our provincial house i saw one of our old priests looking at the sky with his curious face. So i approached him and asked what he's doing while looking at the same direction where he was looking. then he said, "it will rain in 5 minutes." "Oh, really?" i asked. "Yes," he answered. "It will rain in 5 minutes, but i don't know where," he said with serious tone. "It could be in US, in Manila, or anywhere." I just laughed and even after a couple of minutes, i was still reminded of his simple but humorous answer.

We don't need big things and ideas to find fun and happiness. even in our hallways, in the streets with people around us, we can always find and make the flavor of happiness, in humor and fun.

The Story of a monkey

There was a family who had a vacation in the beach. As they went home with their car, they met an accident. Their car fell on the bridge. They were then brought to the hospital. after a while, a police officer came over to investigate the accident. He came from the accident area to ask for information but in his dismay, he could not find any witness. When he went to the hospital, he learned that all the  family members were in coma. "Where can i get some information?" he asked himself. luckily, he was told that the family has a pet monkey who survived the accident. this monkey is special. he  can communicate to people through gestures. so the police officer looked for an interpreter to communicate his questions to the monkey. then the officer asked the monkey, "what were the children doing inside the car before the accident?" the interpreter made some gestures to communicate the question to the monkey. then the monkey scratched his head and then jumped as if portraying that he is playing. so the police learned that the children were playing. then he asked another question, "how about the mother? What was she doing inside the car before the accident?" After the interpreter communicated the question to the money, he again scratched his head and then shouting as if he was nagging. so they learned that the mother was nagging. "How about the father? what was he doing?" asked the police officer. Again, the interpreter relayed the question to the monkey and then the monkey scratched his head as if he was thinking. then suddenly he clasped his fingers and pretended to hold something and acted as if he was drinking while holding a bottle. so they got the idea that the father was drinking while inside the car before the accident. then out of curiosity, the officer asked the monkey, "How about you? What were you doing inside the car before the accident?" after the interpreter did his job, the monkey scratched his head then immediately clasped his hands and moved the as if holding the steering wheel. so they got their information. it was the monkey who was driving all along that is why they met an accident.

The question is, who drives your life? If we let other people, or even our own selves drive our life, we will never reach our destination. desperation will always be in the finish line waiting. but if we let God rule over us, control our steering wheels in life, we are guaranteed of a safe travel. yes, sometimes our roads may have ups and downs, humps and rocks may be there but we are confident and unafraid because our captain, our master, our driver is God.

Would you like to take my place, Brother?

i was watching over an old priest in the hospital one evening when i heard that he was always complaining to the doctors and nurses about their cruelty. i heard that this priest would try to remove the intravenous hose attached to his body. so the doctors and nurses decided to tie his two hands on the side of the bed to stop him to cause further damage and inconvenience.

one time, while watching, he was really complaining and yelling "they're cruel Lord, they are cruel. Please help me Lord." He would repeat those words looking above the ceiling with his tears flowing from his sad old eyes. i was beside him watching him and when he saw me, he asked me to release the tie on his arms. he said that he was really tortured by what the people are doing to him. "They are cruel. they are cruel," he repeated. out of pity and desperation, i tried to comfort him. and so i said to him "Father, it's fine. You'll be fine. i know that in your suffering God is also suffering with you." then suddenly he looked at me straight in the eye and said, "would you like to take my place, Brother?" i was speechless. i didn't know what to respond with his question. "Would you like to take my place, Brother?" these words were like swords in my heart and mind. i realized that i was actually spiritualizing his suffering. i was never comforting him actually.

the lesson in the story is this: it is very important not to skip our sufferings, emotions and immediately jump to spiritualizing or moralizing. Our experiences serve some purpose not to be belittled or abandoned. if we can apply that to our own lives, then that would be easier for others.

Enjoy your life at every moment

Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking his beedi. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?
Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?
Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.
Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?
MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.

Keep your dream

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I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’
“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all.
He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”

Face difficulties positively

Face difficulties positively   56 comments

Posted at 10:28 pm in Moral stories

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This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!
This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him . . . all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.

A Glass of Milk – Paid In Full

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One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:

“Paid in full with one glass of milk”

Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.

Value

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.  
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it!

THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand.
             Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

BUTTERFLY

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

self-gratification

where i am now is another long story of faith and disbelief, of insecurity and safety, of fun and boredom. where i am now is what i have been waiting for for a while. where i am now is not possible if not of the days and nights i have struggled and succeeded in life. 

you know, when we are tested by fire and cold, the best result we can become is the least we expect. in such kind of life, you know how to survive, how to find ways to live. but it is also true that in such kind of life, we also succeed in finding a desired castle of hopelessness and desperation. 

when we are caught up in this situation, the last and first person we seek is yourself. We try to preserve what we have acquired for years, what we have been struggling to fight throughout our life since a child. we seek our own passion, need, including greed for satisfaction, lust and self-gratification. yes, this is the truth. we can loose everything, everyone in an instant but with a single small option, if given any, we will always start with our life. 

this is certain for all of us. even how much excuses you make, i cannot make believe what i see in every human life.  you may say " Oh, so how about compassion?" certainly there is compassion. it flows in our veins and our spirits are not foreign to it. in fact, they are visible in our lives; it causes us to give what we have to the needy; it gives us the idea that we have to respect others of their rights to live and exist. but i am not questioning its existence but i question though how it operates in our lives. 

John 5: 31 - 47 Reflection

"He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light."

Reflection

it is easy to believe something when we are able to witness how it happened, meaning, when it is logical. logic is one of the many reasons why the world is going round. it makes our steps in place, our words precise, decisions and thoughts viable. 

we are easily brought to this world belief that when something is logical, then it must be true. but in our experience, we encounter many instances where things become valid and true even illogical. one of these is love. love can survive a relationship even if it seems too hopeless. Even how cruel a person, because of love, he/she can still care for his family and friends.

Similarly, faith sometimes does not follow certain logic. it moves mountains, separates seas, heals the ill for decades, and raises the dead. this is what Jesus wanted us to understand - that we only need to have faith in Him who can make the impossibles possible. 

we have believed in the prophets to be the light who gives us counsel in life; we have followed our teachers and leaders for their decisions and wisdom; we have risked our faith to those who taught us how to believe. yet, we must remember always that Jesus surpasses all these people. He alone can lead us to the right path. he alone can give us enough light on our journey to faith. he alone is the source of life we have been searching for to live and believe. If only we have this faith in jesus and knowledge of who he is in this world, then it would be easy for us to live.

JOhn 5: 17-30 reflection

"I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me."


Reflection

Our gospel today gives us the idea of how close Jesus is to His Father. Their bond is limitless. Their love is eternity. Jesus' life is not of himself alone, as He said. His life is of His father. therefore, we can make a clear conclusion for the reason why Jesus was so convinced and certain about his mission and his future. He carried all through his life the mission entrusted to Him by the father for he knew exactly that He will be taken cared of. 


For our faith as Catholics, we are guaranteed with the fact that once we are united with the Father, nothing can harm us. We might pass the roads of persecution and danger but we are assured that in the end, the Father's love will remain the victor.


this is our faith. this is our mission. As we believe in the power of the father's love for us, we are commissioned therefore to help others believe what we believe. People through our preaching and evangelization, hopefully may be transformed from being unbelievers. 

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journal: Matthew 6: 7-15 Reflection

journal: Matthew 6: 7-15 Reflection

Matthew 23: 1-12 Reflection

Gospel Mt 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Reflection

Why do we have to be humble? Isn’t it too demeaning at times when people simply look at us as weak, fearful, indecisive individuals because of humility? Well, because that’s what God is and He wants us to be like Him.

                                                                                        

We are told not to be called ‘rabbi’ or ‘master’ for only God bears these names. Yet, why are we at times tempted to be recognized as ‘rabbis’ and ‘masters’? But why is t too hard for us to be simply humble? Well, because these titles could mean a lot to us; they make us powerful, influential - they literally make us humans.

We usually understand “titles’ as having control of everything. And as human beings, we want something or someone behind us, or below us. These are our source of power against insecurity. And we give our best to bring together all titles that we can get. These make us more human. In this way, we fulfil the longing of our human desire. Unfortunately, these titles cannot really make us human, they dehumanizes us in a way. For when we are too focused on our own future, that’s when we forget the needs of other people.

Matthew 5: 20-26 Reflection

Gospel Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven."

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

The tone of our gospel reading today captures one of the most basic themes of Lent: reconciliation. It calls us not only to be reconciled with our enemies, but moreso, with our own (lost) selves and with God. Certainly, there are many junctures in our life that we encounter “ruptures” that need reconciliatory actions. They vary depending on our level of spirituality, personal knowledge, wisdom and faith, and the intensity of the situation. But in reality, really, there are times when we are caught up in difficult moments in choosing our available options to get reconciled.

Looking at the life of Jesus, we will be amazed how his life became our way to be reconciled with the Father. Though we were sinners, God, in Jesus Christ, favoured to become like us, except sin, to initiate reconciliation. Even how much infidelity, greed, and pride we make, God never lost the courage to find and search us. He has found himself always wanting for us even amidst our unworthiness. Everyday He comes to us with open arms, nailed on the cross for our sake.

Today, in this season of Lent, may we be reminded once again what reconciliation breeds – it brings us back to the HEART of God. Let us imitate Jesus by becoming beacons of reconciliation in our own families and communities. It must be difficult but God never said it’s impossible.

Matthre 7: 7-12 Reflection

Matthew 7:7-12
7 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good  things to those who ask him! 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Reflection

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” This Golden Rule is the most basic ethical rule that exists in almost all religions, philosophies, and cultures. It teaches about “reciprocity” or “mutuality” – how we should treat others as we would have wanted others treat us. This Golden Rule is in active form such that the means is always to “do” and not to “omit” or miss. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus uses the analogy of a father who even in his sinfulness still capable of giving what is good to his children. If a human father can do that, how much will the Father in heaven show His generosity to those who ask and come to Him? Isn’t this a great assurance? Jesus tells us that the Father will give everything to us, our needs and prayers and intentions that we may also do the same to others especially to those who are in dire need.

This season of Lent, may we learn how to give to those who asks for us for love, patience, compassion, understanding, love, care, prayer, trust, faith, and even life.