The god stealer

I was cleaning my room and that included my cabinets. I have boxed some of the books I am not currently reading before to lessen my clutter and I thought it was just safely placed in my closed cabinets. As I was cleaning, I decided to move the box at the end of my cabinet. I don’t usually move it since I would just wipe the outer portion where it gets dusty. I was so shocked to find that box eaten by termites… Ayyy!!! They were moving still feeding on my books I had to get a huge plastic basin where I could place them so I could move them downstairs while I clean the cabinet to make sure that they have not eaten the woods.

My books! My books! They are books by Merton, St. Ignatius, Pope John Paul, St. Therese, Scott M. Peck…they were mostly books on spirituality but there were also books on poetry and one local book which is a collection of short stories of F. Sionil Jose which I bought a long time ago, I think long before he became a national artist. The book was “The god stealer and other stories.”

I was looking at it with the cover still intact but the inside pretty much eaten by the termites. I was rushing in cleaning up the termites’ mess but at the back of my mind I was thinking about the book title “the god stealer” and thinking further that these termites are God stealer! They have devoured some of my best books!

My sister-in-law and later my friend were kidding me that they were spiritual termites. I could only smile a little when I heard them. I still feel bad. It was really a waste that I wasn’t even able to share them with others. I have lent some of my books to friends and officemates but I found out that they are not really keen on the books that I read.

My friend was consoling me that they were just things. Actually they are not really just things – physically they are but their contents are not. But yes I somehow feel consoled… consoled not because they are just things but consoled that I have read them and though they are gone, I believe that their ideas and reflections are somehow a part of me also. So the termites maybe god stealers but they haven’t really stolen GOD.

The Holy Trinity

Today is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity.
Three Persons in one God.
God the Father,
God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit.

I suddenly remembered the mural I saw while I was in Victorias City, Negros Occidental last April. We stayed in the Victorias Milling Company compound and I was able to visit the church of St. Joseph the Worker commonly known as the church of the Angry Christ.

I don’t really know why they call Him the Angry Christ because when I looked at His face, He didn’t really seem angry. But His outstretched arms show strength and power that you could probably associate with anger moreso since the figure was highlighted by the bright color combination.

Anyway, a lot of people focused on Angry Christ. I did too. After all it was on the altar and that's how they tell you when you visit. But after looking at Christ I looked at the cubes in the ceiling and I immediately exclaimed the HOLY TRINITY! I could see God the Father on the first and outer layer of the cube as depicted by the EYE. Then the second layer shows the INRI which was written in Jesus Christ's cross and the last layer was the Dove which is the Holy Spirit.

I found it great the way it was done because You could only see All the Three depicted at a certain distance only. I am not sure if that was the intention of the artist but that's the thing that came to me immediately when I saw it. I visited other blogs to confirm if my reaction was correct but I have not read them in other posts. Enrico Dee and Dong Ho had informative posts on the mural plus nice photos too! You have to visit them to appreciate the mural since the shot from my celfone was really bad. Dong had a better view though of the second panel depicting Jesus Christ.

Three Persons One God. It is awesome!

A Funny Affirmation

In an earlier post on Passion, I mentioned of the Eucharistic celebration concelebrated by 8 bishops. At the last part of the celebration, the main presider- archbishop asked all the other bishops and priests to give us the final blessing. I was thinking how blessed I am for so many bishops and priests giving me blessing all at once.

Now, one of the bishops present is actually the bishop in my diocese. I’ve seen him since he had a big picture outside of our church. And just last week when I attended a Saturday noon mass in our parish, I didn’t leave immediately and just stayed in my seat for some silent prayer. I was looking at the cross in the altar but got distracted when a small man with white hair and faded short barong and black body bag passed me by as he approached a popular old lady in the front seat. I’m not really sure who the lady is but I notice that many priests and church people come to her after mass. I was about 3-4 seats away. I thought he seemed familiar and he talked cordially with the popular lady as I tried to go back to my prayer. Then after a while the old man turned towards the door and when he passed me, he stopped and asked me “how are you?” I was surprised when I was sure who he was! He was our bishop and I said, “Okay father,” then he said “Always pray ha!” and added “Pray for priests!” and I told him, “Yes, bishop!” then got his hand and kissed (actually it was more a hand bless “mano” than a kiss) on his ring. I thought it was a bit funny that he would approach me and tell me that because earlier at the mass just before consecration when the priest was praying for the living then the dead, he made an introduction to each… he started by saying “let us pray for the priests” and he said the prayer starting with the prayer for the pope then down the line. And when he said this I immediately thought that there were not many people praying for the priests and they sure need our prayers especially with the different scandals going on right now…

And now, the bishop affirmed my thought earlier. I should continue praying for priests!

I said earlier that it was funny, I do not mean it being a laughing matter but that God could be funny in showing me stuff… in affirming things… in answering my questions and concerns… in protecting me… in unexpected ways. And such thought certainly made me smile.

Passion

Yesterday, I attended a jubilee celebration – diamond, golden and silver of several nuns of a congregation and it started with the Eucharistic celebration which was concelebrated by 8 bishops which was of course great. But what really struck me during the whole celebration was the conductress (that’s the term right?) of the choir of nuns from the congregation. She was old but boy oh boy you should see her conduct… it was with PASSION. The voices of the choir could not match her lead but she did not mind. She was giving it her best!

I was seated from a distance but I had a good view of her (I thought advantage of being tall) and I sang on all the songs that I knew as I followed her beat, even following how to form my lips… following her lead to sing softly or to sing with force or to stop abruptly. I wanted to sing with passion too!

After the celebration I got to talk with some people and they too noticed her and like me they too followed her beat.

I was reflecting on this and realized that if you have passion for your work and people see your passion they can’t help but be affected by it too. I wish I have the same effect on people too!

First Electronic Vote in the Philippines

Election Day. Finally!

Mama was excited to go to the precinct to vote and prodded me to go with her so we could already vote. Told her we should wait for my brother so he can take us by car. Nope she said she could walk to the school where we are to vote. I finally gave in. that was around 9:00 am. We went out of the gate, there were a lot of people outside since the school just beside our home is also a polling center unfortunately that is not where we are to vote. The people told mama that it would be difficult for her since the line was long and it was very HOT…. Geez too hot if you ask me! I told her I’d go ahead and see how it goes before I come back for her and she gave in.

So I went and there were people everywhere. People were giving sample ballots and even fans to all passersby. It shouldn’t be so but it always happen. Someone gave me a fan of one of the party list. I took it. It was so hot I had to fan myself even if I would not be voting for it. There were a lot of people in the school but they have tarpaulins of the school layout with the precincts indicated in the rooms. There are now several precincts in one room. I took hold of the number of our precinct, we noted it earlier in the online site of Comelec. Four of us are all under one precinct. Went there and of course there was long line, I had to take a number so it would be organized and would just have to come back later. Oh well our place is not too far from the precinct, the number being served was in the one hundred. I got numbers for all of us – it was in the two hundred seventy plus. And I went home.

When the other siblings had taken their late breakfast and prepared we went back at around 10:30… mama did not want to wait any longer! The same thing lots of people, mama had difficulty walking but she made it alright. When we got there we asked the number being served it was 230 ahhh a bit longer still but it was okay, then somebody told us that Senior citizens can go straight in and I asked if the companion could go to and they said it was okay. SO while the two siblings waited mama and I went in.

There were a lot of people to assist and point direction. First they asked our number and precinct and we gave them, they got the list, the voters had their thumbprint and picture in them and it was easy to find ours, then we signed and they gave us a paper with the word ballot and we presented it to the person holding the ballots and she gave us a copy. We sat and we shaded the oval box of the candidates, geez I did not realize the letters and the box were small and with the pen it was hard not to go beyond the oval box but we tried our best. It was fast. We then proceeded to the PCOS machine and inserted our ballots. Mama was first and she was excited when the machine said Congratulations (no voice, just on the screen) then inserted mine and it was done. The girl there placed indelible ink on our fingers and we went back to the person holding the voters list and signed and we were off.

Voting in our place has always been easy. I have been voting for a long time and even observed some proceedings and there was never any untoward incident that I have experienced. This is the first time we have voted electronically, I have been hearing on TV of glitches and problems in some area. Good thing we did not have such problem. It was quite nice to finally have the electronic voting implemented, there might be problems this year but for sure in the next years it will be very smooth.

Now, just hope that the counting process is successful and that we get good officials to serve our country. On that… God help us!

Terry's Mother's day surprise

My sister Terry beat me to this...



She posted mama's picture in her facebook account!
I don't have a facebook account but I was looking at her photo while I was in her room earlier and wanted to put it here in my blog. My mother is one beautiful woman. Lots prettier than I am! and she is still beautiful up to this day.

The posting in her facebook is not the only thing she did ahead of me too.

The other sibling and I were talking about what we were going to serve tomorrow (oops it is today already) for Mother's day and we were even wondering if Terry was coming around. Instead she and her kids came tonight with a lot of donuts and surprised all of us. The kids (nieces and nephews) were happy because they are always excited when she comes plus she also brings along her children and they are also excited to see their Kuya Jigs!, the siblings and I were happy and of course the most important thing --mama was happy. She actually was already in bed when they came since she called it an early night but when she heard them came, she got up and was wide awake. And while the kids and Jigs were in the bedroom with their computer (well after they took their donuts), Tin (Terry's older daughter) and the rest of us were in the dining room's round table and we were talking... As always... with Terry starting showing off her facebook then eventually talking and we were all listening to her, laughing and sharing our own views. If she is in the mood she is one good story teller. And there were lots of stories tonight plus coffee too since it went well with the donuts. I can see how mama enjoyed it that she lost her sleepiness.

It turned out to be an advance mother's day celebration. Food is not really the important thing in a get together but the stories, the bonding and the feeling of family. We had all those tonight and it was really good.

Terry really got one (well actually two) over me... BUT I sure appreciate it.

A surprise get together is always good...

And it makes you feel really light hearted and you feel so thankful that despite being so imperfect, we are a family and we know it... so that means we are really blessed. :-)

More blessings and happiness to my beautiful mama, and of course to the rest of the mommies in my home and everywhere else!

Happy Mothers' day!

Bloom from non-green thumb

I saw the flowers bloom in our very small garden yesterday that I got so excited and called everyone at home to take a look and see! It doesn't seem a big thing but it sure made me happy -- ME, a Non-green thumb who had several attempts in planting but oftentimes fail and now had a plant that had flowers! And they are pretty and there more shoots coming in!!!

I was also excited because I remember how my friend was so sick from her cancer when I visited her before and saw the plant in her vase. It had flowers when I came and I told her it was nice and she gave me some to take home and said that it was easy to grow and that I just have to place it in a vase or just stick it on soil and it will surely grow. I had doubts that I could make it grow and bear flowers but I was excited when she gave me some of the greens. I placed some in the vase and some in our garden. That has been in December last year.

It has taken a long time to really grow and bear flowers but it finally did! And they are such lovely joyful flowers. It is not only because of seeing the flowers that made me excited but it was also because of the memory of my friend. She died in January this year after her struggle with the disease. She was such a green thumb! Her home is full of plants both inside and out. The plant and now the flowers are her legacy to me... they are a gift of friendship... the nurturing of life!

And I could not contain the join in myself that i did not only share it with my family but also told my other friends... and they too want a part of it... not just a photo but also part of the plant which they too want to plant in their home and allow to grow and flower and bring joy as our friend... our sister has brought joy and life to us!

I am looking forward to more of my Sis Baby's happy flowers!