PARADOXICAL

The other element of Advent is detachment, as reflected in Mary's virginity.

Fear has another dimension - attachment.

If you are attached, you are not available as God's vessel. If you are not free, you don't hear God.

We all need to be virgins, i.e., to be free from any attachments.

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:18 PM 0 Comments

I have met wonderful, wonderful people from this org. They are such an inspiration especially those who have given up the secular life in favor of single blessedness and semi-religious life, or even those who are deep in the world but struggling so very hard to be not of it. I'm sure they won't remember me because I am such a low-key guy (in a very negative way), but they have surely influenced my life in a profound way. If I haven't already been called to an org of roughly the same nature, I would've sought the company of people in Lingkod, now comprising (how many?) chapters scattered all over the country.

Happy 20th Anniversary, ALNP! May the Lord continue to work in you as He continues His work of bringing Christ in the workplace through you.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:24 PM 0 Comments

The Mother Ignacia Healing Center of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) congregation will finally be blessed at 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 27 with a concelebrated mass by Bishop Tobias and two Jesuit priests who were healed from cancer. Everyone is invited.

Strangely, the Novaliches center was built totally by people who were healed. No one asked them to help. There was no campaign for funds. They offered on their own initiative. As one devotee put it, the center rose from the ground by sheer will of the Lord with no one lifting a finger.

It all began with an architect who was healed. He saw the makeshift healing center with canvas as roof, open to wind and rain, where people got wet or perspired in the scorching sun, with the cramp space, and the wheelchair traffic jam. A site for healing deserved a better place, conducive to prayer and meditation, he thought. After all, this was sacred ground where the Lord come to heal His people. And so he envisioned a healing center that could be erected at a nearby open space. He put it in color on a large canvas and mounted it near the future site for everyone to see. People looked at it and asked when it would be built. The answer was always nobody knew. It was just a vision of one who was healed by the Lord.

That was when the technical specifications were done by an engineer-contractor who was healed. He drew the blueprint, and gave a list of what was needed in detail, how many hollow blocks, steel bars, sacks of cement, volume of sand, and so on. He gave the plan and the list to Sister Raquel Reodica, RVM, who was the Lord's instrument to heal cancer patients.

People who were healed asked about the nice painting and they were shown the blueprint and the list. On their own, with no one asking, they offered to give an item or two. One offered to take care of the sand, another the hollow blocks, another the steel bars, another the laborers. The people the Lord healed, strangers to each other, never meeting one another, became a powerful force in the building of the healing church.

In no time, the structure rose from the ground. People were impatient seeing the unfinished work. More offered help, the paint, the roof, the finishing materials, the tiles for the floor, more labor. It was taking shape and acquiring color on its own with no one in charge. Someone donated the huge expensive glass mosaic, a replica of Mother Ignacia. Fine arts students from the University of Sto. Tomas painted the murals. The statues of Mama Mary, St. Joseph and the Christ Child, and the Sacred Heart all came from donors.

It is reported that Our Lady of Medjugorje gave a message saying that the Philippines will one day be a global spiritual center. It is hard to imagine how a poor Third World nation, 70% of whose populace live below the poverty line, would be a spiritual mecca for an ailing world full of wars and chaos. But if you consider that the Lord chose sinners to be His apostles, if you consider how His lineage is from King David, a murderer and adulterer turned prophet, then you can begin to see perhaps how His ways are not our ways, His wisdom not our wisdom.

Is the healing ministry of Sister Raquel and the RVM sisters the first step towards fulfilling the Medjugorje message? Nobody knows. There are other healers at the center, who prefer a low profile, like Sister Gloria and Mother Remy. It is not important to have expectations. But it is good to be aware of things that may come.

Mother Ignacia, who founded the RVM order in the late 19th century, is being considered for beatification. A papal committee came to investigate last year. If she will be beatified, it will be partly due to all the healings of the RVM sisters attributed to her, who is invoked in their healing prayers. She will be the first woman in the Philippines to be beatified, if she indeed will be.

Many people claiming to be visionaries have approached Sister Raquel. A French woman who sought her years ago said Marian groups nationwide will converge and work for her healing ministry, and that this ministry will spread across the globe. Sister Raquel laughs, a skeptic about purported visionaries. She says if it will happen, it will happen, but she has no expectations. She says she is simply an instrument of the Lord, nothing more.

But it is truly spreading. Sister Raquel has made half a dozen healing missions to China, Korea, Japan, Europe, especially Spain, Canada, and the US. Because network coverage of the healing center by ABS-CBN and GMA 7 and RPN 9 reach California and New York by cable, many balikbayans now troop to the Novaliches center. This article, which appears in the BusinessWorld website, is also read worldwide. The author has received inquiries from Bahrain, Kuwait, Switzerland, and other places.

Here is a letter from Saudi Arabia. "Hi, good morning. I have been your subscriber for quite sometime now. I am here in Saudi Arabia with my husband and two kids (ages 5 & 4). I would like to ask your help on how I would teach catechism to my children while we are here. As you see, it is not allowed to practice the faith here. That is the reason why I appreciate your e-mails. (I send free-subscription short prayers and meditation posters, Weekly Food for the Soul, to thousands who inquire about healing.) To tell you the truth I don't even have a Bible here. A friend tried to send me one thru mail, but it did not reach me and maybe it is the reason why my mails then were opened. My only consolation is having my rosary in my bag everyday. I do get asked by my son sometimes 'Mama, bakit si Jesus nasa kuarto lang?' He is referring to a crucifix given to us by a friend who went home for good. We get to pray together as a family every night before we sleep. Would appreciate any suggestion. Many thanks. D."

Once a dying 67-year-old mother from Bulacan came. She was almost falling off her wheelchair and could not even talk. Sister Raquel asked why they had to bring her to the center if she was dying. Sister, scared of people dying at the center, kept pleading to the crowd, "Paki-usap ko, mga kapatid, huwag magdala rito ng mga nasa coma na at baka maging period, e, hindi ko alam ang aking gagawin (Please do not bring people in coma here as they may become 'period' and I do not know what to do)."

The woman pleaded for Sister to bathe her. Sister could not refuse. She went over the bathing area and bathed her and her family while the rest of the crowd waited in the church. Sister poured buckets and buckets of water at her request. Later, as she was squeezing off water from her hair, she told her family, "Sabi sa inyo dito ako gagaling (I told you I will be healed here)."

Sister Raquel says the Lord is the Healer, not her. She knows she has no right to size up the situation. She has to leave that to the Lord. She says she has to surrender everything to the Healer who decides whom to heal. She is a mere instrument. It was the strong faith of the sick which healed them in spite of Sister Raquel's fears. It was the same strong faith for one who had been deaf for four long years. They said they came to Sister because they have no money for hearing aids. They had no hesitation, no doubt that he would be healed. Today, his hearing has been restored. Sister Raquel is amazed at the faith of the people who come to her. She says, "We do not explain. We only experience God, and His power over us and our illnesses."

Thinking of the Medjugorje message, I thought how much we Filipinos can really be the center of spirituality. We are the only Christian country in Asia. The churches in Spain and even Italy are tourist centers, ours are still prayer centers. We may be poor, but our wisdom and wealth are of the heart. If the Lord wants a Christian mecca in a world of wars, He must have found a perfect place. For those who need healing or want free subscription prayers, send your requests at the e-mail address below or text 'JESUSHEALS' to 2355 for Globe phones, and 'mytxt(space)JESUSHEALS' to 211 for Smart phones.

Bernardo V. Lopez
eastwind@edsamail.com.ph
Business World

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:14 PM 0 Comments

It's Chiara Lubich's and the Focolare movement's experiment. Will it be the answer to the need for a new temporary utopia?

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:13 AM 0 Comments

(Excerpts from Celebrating the Gift of Community by Dorothy Garrity Ranaghan, Word Among Us, Sept. 2004)

Jean Vanier is the French-Canadian founder of L’Arche (French for “the ark”), an international association of 130 communities in 30 countries that serves individuals with developmental disabilities. Established in 1964, L’Arche is strikingly different from similar groups because the ‘disabled’ are not considered clients but core members. Hinged on the “folly of the gospel”, the beatitudes, L’Arche is all about “living with”, and not just “doing for.” Their “caregivers” are called assistants, and they work and live with the core members. Some assistants have made a commitment to be permanent members of he community, with some opting for celibacy.

L’Arche Canada Charter


Strength in Weakness

Vanier and L’Arche believe that strength does not come through independence but in community, and that the strength of each L’Arche community is to be found in its weakest, most vulnerable member. In the last book written before his death, Fr. Henri Nouwen describes and delights in this central truth. Nouwen was a renowned, revered theologian and author of many books on Catholic spirituality. After an exhausting year teaching at Harvard, he moved to Daybreak, the L’Arche community in Toronto, to test what he had come to feel was a call to find the “downward mobility of living with the poor, and not the ‘upward mobility’ of the academic world.”

He was assigned to do the daily personal care of the most profoundly disabled member of the house. Adam was mentally challenged and used a wheelchair, someone who might previously have been thought of as “useless”. But it was Nouwen who felt useless. Intellectual discourse, lectures, and teaching had been his life. All were useless here. What was needed was skill at very physical tasks in caring for another grown man, in bathing, feeding, and intimate personal needs. He felt helpless. In the language of L’Arche, he discovered “that we are all handicapped.”

In his rhapsodic, love-filled book written on the death of Adam – Adam, God’s Beloved (Orbis) – Nouwen reveals that in learning to love and serve Adam, he came to a new reliance on God and understanding of his own role in loving and ministering in, with, and as Christ.

When you first encounter L’Arche’s concept of the centrality of the weakest members, it can be jarring. In my own experience, I thought I knew all about community life. I have lived in a different kind of community for over thirty years. It is an ecumenical, charismatic, covenant community. However, when I went to visit the L’Arche community in Rome, where my daughter, Susan, was an assistant for three years, I was jolted when she said, “Luca has such a charism for community.” I simply could not fathom what she was talking about. Luca didn’t look like any member of any community I had ever known. Luca is a young core member of L’Arche who is blind, unable to walk, and mentally disabled.

Seeing my confusion, Susan simply said, “After dinner, just watch.” Dinner itself was a fun, if slightly rowdy, affair during which I noticed that Luca must have had a very good sense of smell. Though bind, he was quite deft at knowing where the meat platter was and could spear some for himself. After dinner, he was placed in the center of the room. During recreation time Susan nudged me and said, “Watch, he becomes a love magnet.” That was what she meant by a charism for community, and it was quite evident. Both assistants and core members took turns showering him with affection, including him in conversations and songs, even lifting him out of his chair and placing him next to them on the couch to join in whatever activity was going on at that moment.

Luca’s laughter and delight was contagious. He was loved. He was at home…

***

More Jean Vanier quotes:

"Weakness and vulnerability in a person, far from being an obstacle to union with God, can foster it. It is often through weakness, recognized and accepted, that the liberating love of God is revealed.”

“I think as a young man I had overdeveloped my intellectual and rational capacities or my powers to control and to organize, but I had underdeveloped my heart. So I have been led little by little to understand this relationship of love, of communion.”

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:35 PM 0 Comments

Forgot to post this one, but it's timeless anyway...

Monday, October 04, 2004

Meditation
Galatians 1:6-12

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. (Galatians 1:6)

What “different gospels” might tempt us to turn from grace? And how does the witness of St. Francis of Assisi—whose feast we celebrate today—point to the remedy?

According to the “Prosperity Gospel,” God guarantees blessings to his followers. Trials are seen as God’s punishment for our sins. But listen to Francis, captured in battle, joyfully singing through a long imprisonment and lingering illness. He heard God’s invitation to follow him not despite that suffering but because of it.

According to the “Utilitarian Gospel,” any means is justified if the end is holy. Francis sold his father’s merchandise so that he could use the money to rebuild a church. But when the bishop called this theft, Francis returned not only the money but even the clothing he wore. And in so doing, he moved to a deeper level of dependence on his heavenly Father.

According to the “Bootstrap Gospel,” we need to work hard in order to earn salvation. But see Francis, at the end of his life, apologizing to his body, which he had called “Brother Ass,” for being perhaps too hard on it.

According to the “Arrogant Gospel,” we are not bound to obey flawed human authority, whether lay or ordained. But Francis advised his brothers to submit to every local bishop where they preached. “Let it be your singular privilege,” he told them, “to have no privilege.”

According to the “Minimal Gospel,” God can’t possibly want me to do that impossible thing! But watch Francis overcome his revulsion and kiss a leper, releasing joy and healing for both of them. See his gentle persistence result in the near conversion of the Saracen sultan. By holding fast to the true gospel—the same one St. Paul defended—Francis discovered the secret of being empowered by the Holy Spirit. And as a result, he was able to do the impossible and leave the outcome to God.

“Lord, I have accepted your grace as my salvation, but the path has not always been straightforward. I am so often tempted by variations from the truth! But today, just as St. Francis did, I turn to you and give you my life. Jesus, you are my God and my all!”

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:30 PM 0 Comments

it is so hard to forget the sins of others against us

it is so easy to forget our sins against others


eastwind [x973]

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:28 PM 0 Comments

I have been hounded by this contradiction for so long. I've learned the key word is balance. And balancing is an art. ; )

Lord, keep all the other cars an inch away from me.

So goes a favorite prayer of people who do a lot of driving. In some ways, this prayer is similar to what Jesus is telling us in today’s passage. He tells us not to worry, that he will give us the words to speak when we are experiencing trouble or persecution because of our faith. But then, right after telling us not to worry, he tells us that we’ll only be safe if we endure and persevere. So which is the right strategy? To rest and relax or to plan and persevere?

The traveler’s prayer above assumes that the driver is using his own common sense and good driving habits, even as he is depending on the Holy Spirit to guard against unseen dangers. Likewise, we all need to have a good balance as we move through our daily lives. It can be very easy to get wrapped up with “doing our own thing”—even good things—without looking to the Spirit for wisdom, guidance, and strength. Of course, we need to work hard, but at the same time we need to draw on the power of the Spirit. We can’t do one without the other.

As we grow in our Christian lives, we recognize more and more how this marvelous relationship works. It’s an integral relationship between our perseverance and divine intervention. Whether it’s prayer, family, work, money, or even recreation, we need to work hard. Yet when we factor in the power of the Holy Spirit, the true greatness of the Christian life unfolds for us—even in times of difficulty!

Experience may teach us devastating results when we have one without the other. St. Augustine is said to have encouraged people to work as if everything depended on them and to pray as if everything depended on God. As you try your best to make decisions in union with the Holy Spirit, you will begin to see how closely these two dimensions of life work together. And then you will become an instrument of God’s amazing grace at work in this world.

“Come, Holy Spirit; be present in all I think and do. Teach me how to make decisions that allow God’s grace to flow as I go through the pursuits of this day.”

Source: http://www.wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=11&day=24&year=2004&x=0&y=0

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:44 PM 0 Comments

(Notes from Bishop Chito Tagle’s advent recollection. 11. 22.2004. Greenbelt Chapel)

Advent is all about waiting.

Life is constant waiting. Who has not waited among us? I wait for the time I’d get rich. He waits for better times ahead. You wait for the results of your bar exam. She waits for someone who would love her; she’s been waiting for all of 70 years!

All of us wait one way or another. To live is to wait.

Advent is ushered in by commemorating the Annunciation. It is thus interesting to dissect Mary’s reaction to the angel’s announcement of God’s plan in her life.

Fear

There are three elements of advent. First among these is fear.

When the angel of God appeared to her, Mary’s first reaction was fear, a sense of trouble. “How can this be when I have no man?”

There are three expressions of fear. Paralysis. Withdrawal. Violence.

Today we are paralyzed in almost every conceivable way. There is a strong sense of despair in this country, as though everything is hopeless.

The past few days, we are paralyzed when we hear the news about the outbreak of this disease called meningococcimea. All those who had money had to hoard this antibiotic rifampicin. Result? Those who need it the most, those most vulnerable to fall ill, are left with nothing.

Fear grips us in a way we may have never imagined. Some, in total helplessness, revert to the fetal position. Some go to war out of fear. We hear the news and we focus on the bad, the ugly, the negative, because we fear. Everywhere we look, we see expressions of fear.

We view the world not with sunglasses but with fearglasses.


***

Reflection:

How do you express your fear? Is it by being paralyzed? By withdrawal? Or by being violent?

***

From another viewpoint, fear is but a form of protecting ourselves.

However, we might be protecting ourselves but we might end up rejecting God’s plan.

Fearfulness can be selfish. When fear leads to rejection of the will of God, it’s a deadly kind of fear.

***

Anticipation

After her initial reaction, Mary’s next response was one of hopeful anticipation.

And she hoped because there was a reason to – Jesus, the God who saves.

One of the marvelous things about us Filipinos is our ability to laugh in spite of it all. Isn’t this a sign (more) of an expectant faith (than a kind of fatalism)?

If we are caught in panic, advent doesn’t make sense. If we have given up all hope in favor of despair, in favor of desperation, it must be that we have stopped being expectant, we have given up on waiting.

If we no longer expect, it is because we don’t want to wait. We want to be in control. “My plan” instead of “God’s plan.”

Fearful people cannot wait.

***

Cooperation

Mary, of course, ultimately cooperated with God’s plan, in spite of all the unbelievable things told her. (“You shall bear the Son of God.”)

At first Mary feared because she had her life laid out before her. “I am about to marry this man and suddenly God is asking me to bear a child?” But before long, there was a shift from “my plan” to “God’s plan.”

“Be it done to me according to your word.”

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:24 AM 0 Comments

"Generosity is not about how much we give (and we often give from our excess, anyway) but how less have we kept for ourselves.

-from a Mass sermon

posted by Resty Odon  # 5:38 PM 0 Comments

He brings you strength in your weariness
He heals you in your infirmities
He is the deluge in your drought
you hear His whispers amid the roar of thunder
so silently He is in you amidst your storms

eastwind [74/pp3]

**
careers and fortunes are small victories
big battles are with people and relationships
a humble home of harmony
is better than a palace of discord

eastwind [x962]

**
the lowliest sinner can soar to the skies
king david the prophet
was once a murderer and adulterer
yet the roots of the Jesus are traced to him

eastwind [x955]

an e-ministry in behalf of sister raquel
who heals cancer in the name of the Lord
inquiries eastwind@edsamail.com.ph
or text 'JESUSHEALS' to 2355 for GLOBE
text 'mytxt(space)JESUSHEALS' to 211 for SMART

please pass and spread the Word.
BOOK VERSION of these poems available by email order.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:07 PM 0 Comments

Life is full of twists and turns. Learn to enjoy the ride no matter how bumpy it is, for in every twist and turn a blessing is always given in return.

Life becomes wonderful even if there are struggles and difficulties because we have a God so loving and inspiring who heals the pain and keeps us going.

A star has five ends, a square has four ends, a triangle has three ends, a line has two ends, and life has one end, but God’s mercy has no end.

May God stand by when you are down and out, guide you when you think of quitting, inspire you when things seem confusing.

“His power has no limit, His grace has no measure, and His love has no boundaries. For out of His infinite riches in Christ, He giveth and giveth more.”

This morning, may your burdens be a little lighter, your pockets a little heavier, your smile a little wider, and your heart a lot fuller.

Giving of yourself, learning to be tolerant, giving approval to others, remaining flexible enough to mature are the qualities of a rich and beautiful life.

When you share your life with others, life begins to find its meaning. The time you touch the lives of others is the moment you truly start living.

Be grateful that you don’t have everything you want. That means you have the opportunity to be happier tomorrow than you are today.

Today I lift you to God, your intentions and cares. May he sanctify your life, work and relationships.

God gives us precious moments: Morning brings us hope. Afternoon brings faith. Evening brings love and night brings rest. Wish you find them all today.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:30 PM 0 Comments

(A classic in proactivity and positivity)

by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:18 PM 0 Comments

Life is not fair, they always say. But no, I believe that in the end, life is fair. And I’m not being eschatological here.

Why is someone like Angelito Nayan being held hostage by Islamist rebels in Afghanistan? Why is someone like this person has that disease? Why do people known to be good get struck by tragedies nonetheless?

It’s unfair at first glance, but no, I say everything is only fair. Everything happens for a reason, and it may not be the one we think.

The key is expanding our view of the picture - not in the way that only God can see everything, but by exerting an effort to see beyond what’s apparent. Then our view of the world changes drastically.

Imagine ourselves as spirits unfettered by the boundaries of time and geography. Imagine ourselves as spirits looking back, unreeling, as it were, a filmic record of our familial histories, and things suddenly become clearer. If only we could add up the things our ancestors did to the whole picture, we might see why, but, well, we can try.

We might see people committing mistakes or doing good, and thereby cursing or blessing their descendants for it respectively. We might see curses and bondages being heaped upon the innocent, and blessings and favors bestowed on the seemingly sinful, just as we see worse bondages and more punishments on the already accursed or punished, and more blessings and favors to those who already have these in surplus.

We might begin to understand why a certain tendency or weakness happens in people who never ask for it or even decide against it. We might begin to see why certain people are bound to carry the balance of other people’s debts for their whole lives while others seem to have it so easy. We might begin to see why certain diseases and types of death and misfortunes afflict entire families and generations of the same clan, with the same regularity. That clan may have someone cursing the innocent souls yet to be born in their family line by committing some terrible trespass on someone, like cursing and not forgiving someone who had done him or her some wrong.


The good thing is, life is not a cul-de-sac or a blind alley. There is a way out, or a way in. It’s eventually up to us, how each of us responds or decides on the matter of our present ‘fate.’ That is the only ‘freedom’ that matters in life, the freedom to choose freedom from the oppression of both generational and personal sins.

We can decide to continue cursing ourselves and our children to a never-ending pain and imprisonment. Or we can decide to ask to be set free. We can decide to let go, to forgive everyone who had caused or has caused offense down the line and, the harder part, to ask forgiveness on behalf of those who have failed to do so. We can decide to reject what is evil.

We have the choice to plead for the remission of sin, for plenary indulgence, for favors and absolutions, pleas and petitions totally unmerited but readily available if we but ask, if we but work a little, if we but believe. We have the choice of turning all our crosses into crown, our pains into joy. This is basically the good news of the resurrection, the freedom from oppression from our self-imposed curses and guilt. In the end, everything will be fair. If you missed that, nothing else, no other great news, follows.

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:01 AM 0 Comments

Gratitude... is important. When we begin to presume that we deserve (our gifts and blessings), we begin to be (guilty of) pride and arrogance.

While we should never demand recognition for what we have done, except to attribute it to (God), we should also try to be grateful for all that is done for us.

(Companion, Nov. 2004, Shepherd's Voice)

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:39 PM 0 Comments

the most astute mind
is puny compared to
the heart of a child

eastwind [x966]

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:38 PM 0 Comments

in the lowliest crevices
are the loftiest virtues
in the loftiest towers
are the lowliest vices
fret not over stature
rather over sharing

eastwind [x964]

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:34 PM 0 Comments