Papa Francisco

Pope Francis is visiting the Philippines. He arrived on January 15 and will go back to Rome on January 19. 

I have been blessed and privileged to be part of the OneBillionStories team in the Philippines covering the papal visit. These are some of my kilig moments.

On the first day of Pope Francis' visit, our team was stationed at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Roxas Boulevard. People had been waiting since early in the morning even though the Holy Father's ETA was past 5 pm. 

Vangie Dadula, for example, originally from Tacloban, stayed at nearby Luneta Park with her common law husband from 1 am. They took turns sleeping and endured the cold January air with one jacket between them. Vangie hopes that the Pope's visit will somehow help in the restoration of those affected by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

People stayed for hours just for a glimpse of the Pope. Of course, when that moment came, I hoped to capture it with either a picture or a video.

When the moment did come, I was so overwhelmed, I did not know what I was doing. When I previewed what I had shot, I was disappointed to see that my hand had unconsciously adjusted from a horizontal axis to a vertical one. What a major blooper! 

But when I got home and downloaded the video, it turns out it was a divine correction because the unconscious adjustment resulted in a video that can be viewed correctly---precisely during the moment the Holy Father was passing by.

All I can say is thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have a memento of Papa Francesco's visit to the Philippines. Feel so blessed!

*****

On the way home from the second day of coverage, I took a jeep to Pedro Gil, then walked to Quirino Avenue. I decided to grab a bite to eat at Jollibee before proceeding. I found a seat facing out of the store. It had a nice view of the street, which continued to fill up with people hoping to see the Pope. It was not my intention to try and see the Pope again because we already did during the coverage... but God had something else in mind.  

My teammates from the media coverage were all high and excited after seeing the Pope. I did not feel the same. I wondered what could be wrong with me. But I did not say it out loud. I just kept quiet and focused on whatever task was at hand. 

As I ate my dinner and observed the crowd, I realized there was a real chance of the Pope passing by as he returned from the Mall of Asia. I hoped I could see him again before I went home. And this time, I decided I would just be completely in the moment and no longer reach for my camera.

Request answered. Some time after finishing my meal, Pope Francis did pass by and I did see him. The crowd inside Jollibee and the larger crowd on the streets roared in excitement as he passed by. And in his wake he left a re-energized, renewed crowd. As one participant said, "all your tiredness is gone once you see him."

It was a glimpse... a brief fleeting glimpse. But that unplanned glimpse outside of my assignment was the one that gave me goosebumps. Oh! So all I needed was to be outside of work mode and just let the grace come flowing in.

Thank you, Lord, for letting me experience different moments of seeing St. Peter's successor. May it be a seed which will bear your good fruit someday. 

Fever

My father has been in the hospital for over a month. My mother has been keeping watch the whole time. We, their kids, just take turns keeping them company, preferably during the night so Nanay can sleep. Last night was my turn.

During my watch, Tatay had a fever but thankfully slept through most of the night. He needs sleep rather badly. He hardly slept at all the night before.

When he woke up past 4 am, we took his temperature, which was at 38. After a sponge bath (per advise of the nurse), his temperature actually rose to 38.2. He drank some water and we prayed the chaplet to the Divine Mercy. The nurse comes in soon after, checks his temperature and it's 37.8. 

Thank you, Lord, for baby steps to recovery. Please continue to bless Tatay so he can come home soon. Please restore him to good health. In the meantime, please pour out your gifts of faith, hope and peace into his heart to strengthen him during this time of trial. May your love wrap him in quiet assurance that everything will be okay. 

Thank you for being Nanay's strength, patience and service. Please bless her so she can find rest and refreshment. Bless her health. 

Thank you for my siblings. Please bless us and enable us to ease each family member's burdens. 

Thank you for the gift of life. Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain wisdom of heart. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Balance and Support

Whoa... no blog entry for two months! It does not mean there were no blessings... it's just that I have been on the brink of falling/failing—trying to keep my balance at the edge of multiple things.

The first balancing act involved walking the line between friendship and romance without hurting anyone. Hmmm... from a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say the pain level had initially been a low 4—tolerable. However due to its persistence and increasing intensity, I have been worn down to my limit. 

The second was balancing my thesis, library and journal work against financial and emotional resources—which was being taxed by the politics of holiness and infighting in the community, among other things. Add the possibility to be involved in media coverage for the upcoming papal visit and things get more exciting. The crucial element here was doing what one was supposed to do without snapping people's heads off. Epic fail.

The third is a recent addition—seems the balancing act is turning into a juggling act. It involves a family member's health. He has been in the hospital for two weeks now. Hoping for the best.

*****

Three Saturdays ago, had a heart-to-heart talk with Sis B. It was the talk that released me from my toxic guilt like no other. What an unexpected relief!

*****

That evening, we celebrated our father's 70th birthday. The buffet was overwhelming in its abundance—everything from Japanese food to Filipino, wonderful desserts, and unlimited iced tea and juice (like blue lemonade, which I had not tried before). But what would all that food be without people to eat with? It was such a blessing to celebrate with family and friends (a good number of those since high school—that's maybe 54 years?). Super thank you, Lord!
. 

*****

N does hospital duty. I am assigned more on house duty. Two Thursdays ago, while I was on house duty, R came by to keep me company. He brought a pork dish and a chicken dish. I cooked the rice and we had a nice dinner. After that, we watched The Book Thief on television. It turns out my sister had not yet eaten dinner so she had a nice meal too when she got home. Yay!

*****

At the peak of my worries, a friend called me. Though the signal was choppy and we could not communicate properly, his virtual presence and prayers was a big source of comfort and strength. 

*****

Last Friday was the Christmas party of the seminary. I did not feel like going but ended up at the party anyway. I got a lot of hugs and concerned inquiries. Turns out I'm not very good at handling inquiries—cried a lot; but it was nice to know a lot of people care. 

*****

Yesterday, I discovered a fellow chico monster. Aside from giving me my favorite fruit, CM kept me company during lunch, and later helped carry my bag to the bus stop. 

*****

Thank you, Lord, for friends who support us through these times of difficulty. Their acts of kindness, listening, prayers and patience ease our physical and non-physical burdens. When we think we are about to fall, they hold out their hand and we can regain our balance in the chaos. Please bless them a hundred-fold.

Also, please bless T & Fr. S, Chef J, Sir G, and D on their birthdays. Thanks po.

In a special way, we lift up family members who are sick and recovering from operations. Please touch them with your healing hands. And if you should allow them to suffer, may they remember to offer these pains up to you that even in their difficulty, they may participate in your plans for the redemption of all. But if you will, please console and comfort them; allow their pain to decrease and their health to increase. Grant them full recovery.

For those people who keep watch over them, may you be their strength, presence of mind, and merciful patience.

For those of us who feel helpless, may you honor whatever everyday acts we do as an offering for our prayer intention. May they be acts done with love and united with the love of Christ.

All this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Nourishment

Today, a friend from the Feast treated us out to a yummy lunch at Kenny Roger's. Eating with friends who accept you for who you are and with whom you can share your struggles without fear of judgment fills up not only the tummy but the heart as well. 

It is also heart-warming to receive totally unexpected ube bread from OSJ seminarians.

Thank you, Lord, for free food, whether it is from remote givers who share from a distance or friends long-missed with whom we can share good food and candid conversation. 

But most of all, thank you for being the living bread from whom we get our strength. You know our weaknesses and our struggles sometimes get the best of us. Please help us through the coming week. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Kahit ano pa...

Matthew 6:25, 31-33

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ... Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

As I live on a very modest income as a part-time library assistant, every purchase outside of food and transportation is thought over many times. This weekend I was telling myself that I really, really needed to get new underwear--even if it meant dipping into savings yet again. The most practical plan was to buy at the mall where I would normally catch the bus on the way to the second phase of our bible study (Jeff Cavin's Matthew). 

Before I could implement my plan, however, my mother comes up to me and says, "I wonder if you would like this..." and hands me a box of new undies. 

Wow! Guardian angel coordination strikes again!

Thank you, Lord, for providing for all my needs--kahit ano pa siya. All I can say is wow! Superthanks!!!!

Christmas basket in September

An unexpected bag of groceries awaited me upon my return to Tagaytay this week. As part of the SVD family feast celebrations, the seminarian-organizers decided to pool each group's resources and give each co-missionary (i.e., the workers) an early Christmas basket. I feel so blessed!

Thank you, Lord, for generous hearts that put practical ideas into action. Please bless our future priests that they may continue to be a blessing to those around them. Return to them a hundred-fold what they have given. Watch over them always and keep them safe. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Close calls

As I was washing the breakfast dishes this morning, I miscalculated and accidentally hit the dish rack with a just-washed glass, which then shattered into so many little pieces. 

While I swept up the little shards of glass, I wondered whether God was trying to tell me something. Was it a punishment because I was weakening in a specific struggle? Or maybe it was a warning?

But then I realized how blessed I was that none of the shards got into my eye. I had closed them just in time--some shards had hit my face and the glittery dust was left as evidence on my black shirt, but I was okay.

Later in the day, my mother and I were having lunch and she shared that she almost hit a car as she was backing out of the grocery parking lot that same morning. She could no longer recall what got her attention but she stopped backing up just in time to avoid a mishap. 

Thank you, Lord, for protecting us, whether we are aware of it (though mostly not). Please continue to keep us and our loved ones under the shadow of your wings. You are our refuge, our sanctuary.