Life Isn't by Chance

Purpose. This is what life is really all about.

If you haven't found yours yet, don't be so hard-pressed in finding what it is. It will come to you. Purpose in life is sought out or sorted out. It simply finds you wherever and in whatever state you are.

I was five years old when I had this sudden feeling of panic. I was so young then but when I gazed upon the setting sun through a window of our small Makati City apartment, it hit me -- "What am I here on earth for?"

The sun, so big and majestic on it's heavenly place, represented the mighty Creator. It seemed to look down upon me. I imagined the billions of people on earth who might have thought the same. The sun looking upon each and every being on earth. Amazing how God saw us on an individual basis!

If that was so, would life unfold just by chance? Could we really do anything and not be noticed? Not a chance for sure!

Everyone and everything that we do MUST have a purpose. Even the people we meet and make part of our lives have a reason.

There are no mistakes in life. They normally are planned bumps on life's road or in many instances, detours. Happy victories are not because of our individual circumstances or by coincidence. They are part of the plan. You see, if you believe in a Supreme Being who has created each and every cell in your body, then you should wonder "for what purpose?" He has a plan -- an individual plan, that is.The only thing that will make things go "wrong" is when we defy "the plan."

I have always believed that the most important thing created in us is the heart. This is where the "will" resides. The "will" is both God's will and our own that drives us to our direction. I believe that God's plan and timing are ALWAYS PERFECT. Nothing He does will be by accident. So we are definitely not here by accident. We just need to examine our heart more to know of our purpose. Remember, God resides in and speaks through the heart. Listen.

Our conscience is our compass. It is not connected to our brain but is wired to our heart. It works on a database of experiences and learnings. Thus, if we just meditate and pray for wisdom and discernment, we will definitely know where and when to go. As timing is also crucial, this bit has to be specifically prayed for as well.Just remember that prayers are always answered. We just have to accept the answer even if we don't agree with it.

Choices. Why are we always faced with crossroads? This is the exciting part of life. This is also a gift that God has given us. We are free to choose what door to open or what road to take. Scared to choose which door to open or which road to take? Pray. Listen to your heart. Besides, even the angels had their choices, right? One chose to be king and above the Creator and was given the key to hell.He should have stayed loyal to His Creator instead.

So life which resides in all of us isn't by chance. Let's not wait till we're in mid-life to ask ourselves "where to?" but instead always pray and seek your heart on "where to now?"
It's the "now" that's really important. Yesterday ended last night and tomorrow may never come.

Throw the dice away. You don't need it.

That Joy You Bring

Joy is the word I would describe
The way I feel about you.
It might be because of your charm
That accompanies your smile,
Or the way you do your hair
That captures me to a constant gaze.

You astonish me with your wisdom;
And the strength of your soul
Encompasses my world,
As nothing in me and within me
Escapes the aura of stillness and calm
That you bring into my life.

I am enchanted by your inner being.
Happiness rules your life.
Your faith and will are impregnable.
Your naive but complete honesty
Betrays the innocence of your heart.
There lies the strength of your character.

Tomorrow may bring sadness,
But surely it will never overcome
The joy you continue to bring into me
Tomorrow may bring sadness,
But surely it will never overcome
The joy you continue to bring into me
For there will always be more days
Of sunshine than rain
Knowing you’ll always be around.

(a poem I gave my wife Jinky for our anniversary in 2006)

Pagiging Tuso Papuntang Langit

Luke 16: 1-8

“...Pinuri ng panginoon ang mandarayang katiwala dahil sa katalinuhang ipinamalas nito. Sapagkat ang mga makasanlibutan ay mas mahusay gumawa ng paraan kaysa mga maka-Diyos.”

May isang Hapon na nakakaalam ng “Yamashita Treasure,” ang pumuntang Maynila upang ito ay makuha. Sa kasamaang palad, may mga masasamang loob ang nakatunton sa kanya at pinagbantaan siyang papatayin kung hindi niya sasabihin kung nasaan ang kayamanan. Dahil hindi naman sila marunong mag Niponggo, kumuha sila ng tagapag-salin o interpreter na Pinoy.

“Sabihin mo sa Hapong iyan, kapag hindi niya sinabi sa amin kung saan nakatago ang Yamashita treasure, papatayin namin siya!” sabi ng mga lalaki. At ito rin naman ang sinabi ng interpreter sa Hapon sa salitang Niponggo.

Sa salitang Niponggo, nagsumamo ang Hapon na huwag siyang patayin. Sasabihin na niya kung nasaan ang kayamanan. Sa salitang Hapon, sinabi niya na ang kayamanan ay nasa likod ng simbahan ng Malate sa Maynila, limang hakbang mula sa pinto ng Sacristy. Anim na talampakan ang huhukayin upang ito’y makuha.

Ang sabi naman ng Pinoy na interpreter sa mga lalaki, “Pinasasabi po ng Hapong ito na matapang siya. Handa raw siyang mamatay!”

Kung pera ang pinag-uusapan, maaari tayong maging tuso. Bakit kaya sa mga bagay na ukol sa ating kaligtasan, tila hindi tayo tuso?

Hindi naman itinataas ni Hesus ang sinungaling na katiwala sa ating nabasa sa Lukas 16, kung hindi sa kanyang pagiging tuso. Hindi Niya sinasabing maging sinungaling tayo. Naghahanap Siya ng lubos na katusuhan o galing upang tayo’y makapunta sa Langit.

(Isinalin mula kay Fr. Bobby Titco)

Pagnilayan:

Sa anong paraan natin magagamit ang ating talino upang makarating sa Langit?

Give Back, Find a Friend

In true friendships, one has to know when to be the giver or the recipient.

Love is the foundation of friendship. It is like water that needs to be poured into a glass, represented by the heart. There has to be careful balance. When you keep on giving love and nothing comes back to you, you feel empty.

Be sensitive to the needs of your friends. If you are the type who's always in need of love and attention, you will soon find out that your friends are diminishing. You would have sapped all of their love that nothing's left as you don't give anything back. They'll have to find that love from someone else.

If you've been deeply hurt from past relationships or were abandoned, and haven't really been able to recover from it, you would've have failed to love yourself. You will be lonely. The solution? Love yourself first then it will be easy to love others. You cannot give what you don't have.

God, the giver of life, wants us to love Him back. That's the sole purpose of our existence. As we are made from God's love, having the same love for others means bringing the love back to our Maker. The circle of life is the circle of love.

Thus, true friendship is all about filling the other person with attention, fellowship, encouragement, care, trust, and even touch. Connecting, like love, is two-way. If you get a simple "hi" or a forwarded message from a friend, a simple "thank you" would be enough. You have to make your friend feel that you care as well.

Isn't it that whether you laugh or cry together with a friend, you feel refreshed? Or when you share a story, a reaction of a nod or smile is fulfilling enough? That's because the communication is shared. There is a connection.

That is why whenever I would find someone who wants to give more than he or she would take, I would want that person to be my friend. I know I can give back something, anything.

It is easier to love a friend who loves you back. It makes the relationship last. Find a friend who can love you back, you've got a friend for life!

Looking for more friends? Give something back.

Can We Be Real Friends?

I always ask myself this question whenever I invite or get invited to be a friend with someone I’d “virtually” meet online. I have more than 600 friends in Facebook, more than 300 in Linkedin and a couple more in Friendster. I’d say, of almost 1,000 friends – social or professional – I have personally met only 100 of them. Is that a bad thing?

Technology has driven the way we communicate and associate with people. When what was supposed to create more time and space for us to be “free” has actually caused us to cram more things into our lives. Now, our lives are so cluttered that we don’t even have real time for real people.

Time is a valuable commodity. Sadly, it’s not renewable. We can’t even buy it. No matter how much money or connections we have, we simply can’t influence time. True to the old adage, time waits for no one. Thus, given just a few minutes to socialize, we meet, greet and keep our friends in online space. Then again, are they real friends?

We have used the online social and professional networks to connect and reconnect. We’ve found former classmates, officemates, friends, and maybe even lost loves. With photos and albums galore, we have found a way to share our lives to others. We have found virtual space to share our trials, triumphs, notes, journals, status, availability, ability, faith and hopes. These are the things that remind us of our needs as human beings.

I love coffee shops. They were made for personal conversations. They were created so we can just sit around, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch people and the world go by. Like the coffee that warms your lips, coffee shops make you feel the warmth of people around you. Friends that you make over a meal or a cup of coffee are seemingly for real. Yes, they can also break your heart. But they’re for real. What you see is what you get.

What about my online friends – are they for real, too? I’m talking about friends whom I have never personally met in my entire life. It’s either I invite them or they invite me. After which, I say a casual “hi” or greet them on their birthdays. I also comment on their notes, blogs, journals or status. I just want to somehow interact with them, even if it will only take me a few seconds or minutes of my time. As long as I have shared a bit of my time with them, I consider them as friends. Well, I am for real. I don’t really care if they aren’t.

Guess what? I have made some real friends online. I have even been invited to their birthdays, weddings and family gatherings. I’ve even godfathered some in their weddings and children’s Christenings.

Technology may have changed the way we interact with others today. What hasn’t changed is the need (read as: urge) to genuinely connect. Hopeful that every human being we meet online is the real deal, we’ll never stop connecting and reconnecting. We were wired to be social beings. That’s who we are. So, I guess it won’t really matter if my online friend is genuine as long as I know I am. That is my nature. Maybe even human nature. That is what really matters. I have a conscience. I have a heart. Most of all, I have a soul. Now that's for real.

Kapag Nais ng Diyos, Huwag Matakot

Lukas 5: 1-11"Huwag kang matakot. Mula ngayo’y mamamalakaya ka ng mga tao."

Ano ang iyong reaksiyon kung si Hesus mismo ang magpapagawa sa iyo ng isang gawain? Hindi ba’t kaagad kang kikilos ng walang atubili?

Ito marahil ang naranasan ni Simon Pedro at ng kanyang mga kasama nang sila’y nangingisda buong gabi at walang mahuli sa Lawa ng Genesaret. Nagmamasid noon si Hesus sa kanilang ginagawa nang lumapit Siya sakay ng isang bangka at sabihing “Pumalaot kayo at ihulog ang mga lambat upang manghuli.” Para ko na ring narinig sina Simon Pedro na nagbubulungan ng “Eh ano naman kaya ang alam ni Hesus sa pangingisda kung Siya’y isang karpintero?” Ngunit sa pagkakataong ito sinunod nila si Hesus. At hindi naman sila binigo Nito nang halos masira ang lambat nila sa dami ng isda na kanilang nahuli.

Iyan ang malaking pagkakaiba kung si Hesus mismo ang nag-utos, Sunod agad tayo ng walang dalawang isip.

Sa ating buhay, lalo na sa pagsisilbi sa Diyos, importanteng kumonsulta muna sa Kanya bago gumawa ng mga bagay-bagay. Alam naman nating perpekto ang mga plano ng Diyos. Lahat ng Kanyang pangako, tinutupad Niya.

Kaya naman sa mga pagkakataong tayo’y nanghihina sa serbisyo sa Panginoon, dapat tandaan ang Kanyang mga salita, aral, utos at pangako. Hindi dapat matakot lalo na sa pagharap ng mga pagsubok sa buhay. Kung tayo’y nalilito at nangingimi sa ating pagsunod, tandaan lamang ang sinabi Niyang huwag matakot. Mas malaki ang Diyos kesa sa ating mga pagsubok. Siya ang kapitan ng ating buhay. Bakit tayo matatakot?

Kung masasabi nating nakilala na natin ng lubos ang Diyos, at tayo’y may personal na relasyon na sa Kanya, nararapat lang na ibahagi natin ito sa iba.

Iba’t-ibang talento ang mga ibinahagi sa atin ng Panginoon. Bawa’t isa sa atin ay may kanya-kanyang paraan kung paano maibabahagi ang Mabuting Balita ng Kaligtasan sa iba. Ito ang misyon natin. Hindi natin ito maikakaila.

Pagnilayan:
Anu-ano ang dahilan ng aking agam-agam o takot na maibahagi ko sa iba ang aking pananampalataya?

Dasal:
Panginoon, nawa’y mapalakas Niyo po ang aking pananampalataya nang maibahagi ko ang Inyong Mabuting Balita ng kaligtasan at buhay na walang hanggan. Amen.

KOMITMENT: PAGBIBIGAY NG BUONG BUHAY SA DIYOS

Mateo 10:37 – 11-1

“Ang umiibig sa ama o sa ina nang higit sa Akin ay hindi karapat-dapat sa Akin. At ang umiibig sa anak na lalaki or babae nang higit sa Akin ay hindi karapat-dapat sa Akin. Ang hindi nagpapasan ng kanyang krus at sumusunod sa Akin ay hindi karapat-dapat sa Akin. Ang nag-iingat ng kanyang buhay ay siyang mawawalan nito, at ang nawawalan ng kanyang buhay dahil sa Akin ay magkakamit nito.”

Sa mga panahong ito, mas madaling iwasan ang komitment kesa tuparin ito. Sa lakas ng salitang ito, tila kumikitil ng laya. Sadyang taliwas ito sa buhay na makasarili at lubhang mahirap pangalagaan at gawing pang matagalan. Para kasing taliwas ito sa malayang pamumuhay at sa kasabihang “sarili kong desisyon at gawa.” Animo’y nakakasira ng pamumuhay.

Sa salita ng Diyos sa Mateo 10:34 (at sa sumusunod), mabigat ang pananaw ni Hesus ukol sa pagpapahalaga ng isang komitment. Sinasabi din dito na dahil sa pagsunod kay Kristo, makararanas ng paghihirap, sama ng loob, persekusiyon at iba pa. Sadyang hindi madali ang maging disipulo ni Hesus. Subalit nangako naman Siya nang walang hanggang buhay sa kabila ng lahat ng paghihirap na ito. Ito ang mas mahalagang pagtuunan ng pansin.

Ito ang hamon sa atin sa pagsunod kay Hesus. Maaaring di tayo lubos na maintindihan ng ating mga mahal sa buhay man o kaibigan -- tila laging may di pagkakaunawaan. Lalu na kung ang isa ay lubos ang dedikasyon sa pagsunod kay Kristo at ang iba ay hindi. Nagiging tila kaaway tuloy ang turingan ng magpapamilya. Hindi kasi lubos na maintindihan ng iba ang tunay na responsibilidad ng isang tagasunod ni Hesus. Ang nagyayari tuloy ay bumibigay na lamang ang isang disipulo at tumitigil sa kanyang gawaing ispirituwal.

Sa iba naman, mas nagiging mahalaga ang kumita ng pera na kung tutuusin nama’y biyayang kaloob ni Hesus dahil na rin sa serbisiyong ipinagkakaloob sa Kanya. Habang lumalaki ang kita, lumalaki na rin ang distansiya sa pamilya, sa mga taong sineserbisyuhan, at higit sa lahat sa Diyos. Matapos makamit ang biyayang inasam, ang komitment nila ang humihina. Mas maraming na silang dahilan.

Ang pagpasan ng Krus ni Hesus ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat. Tinuturuan Niya tayong unahin Siya kesa ibang bagay. Mabigat man dalhin ang kanyang Krus, kasama naman natin Siya sa ating paglalakbay. Iba na dapat ang ating pananaw simula nang tayo’y mag-komit sa Kanya.
Ang hamon sa atin ay ang kung paano natin ibibigay ang natitira pa nating buhay sa serbisyo sa Panginoon. Ito ang nais ng Panginoon. Nangako naman si Hesus na “sa Aking kaharian, maraming mansiyon.”

Iba na dapat ang ating pinapahalagahan. Buhay ng iba kesa sa sarili natin. Tutal, dumaraan lamang tayo sa mundong ito. Di naman natin alam kung bukas o sa makalawa’y buhay pa tayo. Sayang naman ang panahon.

Pagnilayan: Nasaan ba ang aking priyoridad mula nang ako’y mag-komit sa Diyos? Handa pa rin ba akong tanggapin ang hamon ng pagpasan ng Kanyang Krus?

Tagapag-gawa ng Tulay (Bridge Builder)

“Supreme Pontiff” ang isa sa mga titulo ng Banal na Papa. Ang Emperador ng Roma ang original na may titulong “Pontifex Maximus” dahil sa nais niyang ipagbuklod ang lahat ng lupang kanyang nasasakupan, maraming tulay ang kanyang pinagawa noon. Kaya naman sa Italya, maraming tulay, malaki man o maliit. Nang si Constantine ang naging Emperador, ibinigay niya ang kontrol ng Roma sa Banal na Papa at mula noon, “Supreme Pontiff” na ang tawag sa kanya. Kung iisipin, ang Papa ang siyang naging malaking tulay sa lahat ng Kristiyano.

Naintindihan ni Pope John Paul II ang pagiging “bridge-builder” kaya naman ang pag-alok ng kapayapaan sa ibang relihiyon ang kanyang ginawa sa pamamagitan ng World Day of Prayer for Peace noong October 27, 1986. Ginawa ito sa Assisi kung saan iba’t-ibang lider ng mga iba’t-ibang relihiyon ang pumunta gaya ng pinuno ng Church of England at ang Dalai Lama ng Tibet. Naroon din ang mga katutubong relihiyon ng India at ng mga Indian ng Amerika. Paano nga kaya nakapag-dasal ang Banal na Papa kasama ang mga taong may tinaguriang ibang diyos?

Ang inspirasyon ng Papa bilang isang taga-gawa ng tulay ay matatagpuan mula pa sa panahon ni Hesu-Kristo. Sa Mark 9:38-40, ipinakita ni Hesus ang Kanyang bukas na puso para sa lahat nang sinabi Niya sa Kanyang mga disipulo na hayaan ang ibang tao na mag-paalis ng demonyo sa Kanyang ngalan kahit di siya kaanib ng mga disipulo. Sabi ni Hesus: “Huwag niyo siyang pagbawalan, sapagkat walang taong matapos gumawa ng kababalaghan sa pangalan Ko ang agad magsasalita ng masama laban sa akin.”

(isinalin mula kay Fr. Domie Guzman)

Pagnilayan:

Ano ka – taga-gawa ng tulay (bridge-builder) o taga-gawa ng bakod (fence-maker)? Bakit?