Friday, March 25, 2016

Daily Manna: “Why do we forget?”

Date: March 25, 2016
Sharer: Karen Bajador
Title : “Why do we forget?”
 Today’s gospel narrates the last moments of Jesus prior to his persecution at the cross. It started from his arrest by the betrayal of Judas up to his burial wherein he would rise again in three days. The narration encompasses a lot of events and all of them give us a notion to reflect on as Catholics. However, what I do want to reflect on is when Peter disowned Jesus three times.
 In our everyday life, we tend to focus on the things that we usually do. More often than not, most of us forget to take a step back and reflect on the blessings we have received. The demand of accomplishing a day’s task usually requires a lot of our time and energy; and by the end of the day, all we want to do is to rest.
As children, we were trained to at least pray before we eat and before we sleep. It was easy to do back then as children do not have a lot of things to do in a day. But growing up is different, the older you get, the more task require your attention and energy. I personally, would attest to that. I would go as far as saying that some of the time, I feel so tired after a day’s work and would not have the energy to even pray and talk to God. I do feel guilty as I know how blessed I am for all the things I have received until now. I have gone through a lot, both the good and bad; but one thing was constant all throughout; it was that God has never abandoned me. And believe me when I say that he has, and never will, leave your side. Life is a cycle and things will never be good always; time will come wherein we will be at our lowest. But let me tell you that in our lowest point, it’s usually the best time where we can feel God’s unwavering love for us.

Going back to the Gospel, we can almost compare ourselves to Peter because in some way, we are just like him; we often tend to ignore, and sometimes, deny his presence. We are usually overwhelmed with the things that we have accomplished and received that we forget to respond whenever he calls for us. God does not require us to exalt before him for a whole day, nor does he demand to give back something equal in return; all that he asks of us is a small amount of our time. He just wants us to have a moment with him, just like what we do with our parents or partner whenever we get home from a day’s work. And this Lenten season is one of those times where we can do so. I encourage you my brothers and sisters to take a step back, reflect and have a moment with him during this season.

Sharer: Karen Bajador

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

He affirms!

He affirms us in many ways. We just have to see and appreciate how great His works are. For me, the sunset expresses the feeling of calmness, joy, peace, promises to look forward to and His assurance for the next day. Thank you Lord for today and always! You are amazing! ♡♡♡♡#iamBBM #belovedChild

Status: Affirmed! <3

Friday, February 5, 2016

Delight and ASK (Ask, Seek & Knock)

http://b3-dailymanna.blogspot.ae/2016/02/delight-and-ask-ask-seek-knock-0205.html

Gospel for the day: Mark 6:14-29

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[a] “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[b]; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of[c] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. ~Mark 6:14-29

Reflection:

In the Gospel, we have heard that John the Baptist was a prophet in which others also called him as Elijah. He was a righteous and holy man and King Herod liked to listen to him. On the King’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced and pleased the guests in which the King promised an oath. Herodias having a grudge on John took that opportunity to kill him. The daughter of Herodias then requested to have John’s head on the platter. And because of the King’s words which he did not want to refuse, he made orders to fulfill the request.

Many times in our life, we have this word of honor that whatever we say, we need to do it. We were raised by our families to practice and do what we say. Same as like in today’s gospel: The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” It’s also the same as to when God speaks and answers our prayers. Our God is a very generous Father who’s willing to give everything to His children as long as it is for the good purpose. God knows when to say yes and when to say no or maybe.

I have 2 favorite Bible verses from Matthew 7:7-12 (Ask, Seek and Knock) and Psalm 37:4 (Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you your heart’s desire). I must say that 2015 has been a great year for answered prayers which I never expected to all come true. God surprised me with a God’s gift and a better opportunity at work. God entrusted me a bigger service in KFC ministry. God assured to provide me with all I need and even allowed me to go home twice this year. It was only December in which 10 years we waited to be complete for our family reunion. We celebrated birthdays, wedding anniversary, Christmas, New yearYear and vacation holidays. We had our first complete family photoshoot and we travelled a lot together. God blessed me and my family so much and all the struggles we had were worth it. God heard my prayers and fulfilled them in His perfect time.


As I journey with the Lord this 2016, all I want is to give back the glory that belongs to Him. I am still a work in progress and I will strive with all that I can to become a better me. As the line from Kuya Noli says: “The reward for more blessings is more service!” Lord, let me serve You with joy and gladness and not treat the service as a burden. Let me inspire others as how You inspired me. Allow change to mold and transform me to be like Jesus. I will always delight in You and will continue to ask, seek and knock. Lord, may Your will always be done. Thank You for everything and may Your name be praised! Deo Gloria! :)

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Work in Progress

All of us are a work in progress.. 
Messy, broken, unorganized, out of focus, lost and imperfect..

We are a craft in the making..
A butterfly (err caterpillar) in a cocoon..
A baby starting to walk..
A chick in an egg shell..
A beauty in our unique ways for God has design us perfectly. 

God is our maker, our designer and our potter.
We have to believe that He created us amazingly as we are.
We have to accept what He has blessed us with..
We have a time to bloom in our own ways...
We can embrace change to improve ourselves..

Sometimes we just have to patiently wait for the right timing for he will reveal it to us unexpectedly. 
Remember that you are God's masterpiece and His plans are yet to unfold in your life. 
Just wait, be patient and have faith..

The work is still in progress.... and God is in control..
Keep calm.. Hold on and be patient..


Lalalala Hugoooot! Hahaha 
-my *edited* post during our exhibition (last ADIPEC, Nov 8-12)

Sunday, October 25, 2015

A love that endures

“What is family?”
We pondered and ask ourselves what family meant for us. We mentioned words that relate to “family” and we agreed that the word itself has a lot of meaning. We concluded that family means God’s gift, belongingness, happiness, blessing, comfort, love, faith, trust, peace, purpose, guidance, strength, unity, forgiveness, home, church, marriage, providence, sacrifice, relationship, communication, time, treasure, community, work, effort, distance, responsibility, blood related, sweat, rivalry, hurts, under progress, third party, mistress, abortion, emotional baggage, selfishness, separation, brokenness, defense mechanism, pain, misunderstanding and the list goes on. We realized that family can be defined simply as love.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
-1 Corinthians 13:7

How wonderful and powerful true and genuine love can be? For it is by love that God sent his Son to save the world. It is by love that he has called us and even blessed us with a family we can call our own. It is also by love from our parents that we are here enjoying life by living on earth. We don’t choose our parents and neither do they choose their children. The family is a manifestation of God’s great plan and love for mankind.

A family is not referred to as blood related only. Any person can be a part of a family no matter what their circumstances may be. Belonging to a community, to a workplace, to the Church, to friends or even housemates is already considered as a family because we are building a relationship with them. Being migrant workers in a foreign country, I believe God provided a second family for us to share and enjoy our life even if our biological family is away from us.

The fruit of a family is a blessing of a relationship and a love that is shared between them. It is the love that binds and unites them like a rope tied by connecting each member together. The love continues to grow stronger and blazes like fire burning with passion and desire that nothing can stop it. The relationship built flows deeply more than blood, sweat and water as time passes by. We all have good and bad sides and when there is love and acceptance, the heart is freed of any guilt or bad emotions and the desire to change to become better is there.

The family nowadays is being attacked and we should always remember that no matter how hard and difficult the situations may be, as long as there is love, relationship and a commitment to hold on to then definitely it will withstand all the storms that life may bring. The vibrant colors symbolize the ups and downs of family life. It shows that family will always be the reason for us to love and they will always be our home when there’s no place that we can run to for comfort. Love endures and therefore our family should endure because they are God’s gift to us. Our family and our love to them is always worth fighting and enduring for!

This entry is dedicated to all our family and friends who are gifts from God and we praise the Lord for they are our treasures! They are a God's masterpiece in our life. "Thank you and We love you!"

Dubai Chapter 3B3: Thank you Girl power!
Sarah Lauren Lim, Karla Mae Gabion, Vaneflor Olesco, Leah Joy Lingat, Madonna Cabalona and also thank you for the support from members of Chapter 3B3



Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Funny convo of Me and God


A funny convo with God that's a bit melodramatic yet somehow was an eye opener for me and hit me with a big realization. I was praying for something to happen and I was doubting if it was really meant for me. Truly He answers us in ways we couldn't see but in circumstances we can really feel. He hears our every cry and no silence escapes Him. You are indeed a great God. Thank you for your confrontation and for making me see the blindness I refuse to unveil and discover the lies that held me captive. Allow me to break free and to stand up slowly but surely. In your name, I trust. May your will be done. AMEN.
(written last year when I was discerning to go for RECON but failed to do so)

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AKO: Ano bang gusto mong gawin ko?

SIYA: Ano ba ang kaya mong gawin para sa akin?

AKO: Aaaahhh…. Ummm **isip** Hindi ko alam? Marami?!? **duda mode**

SIYA: Bakit naman? Pinagdududahan mo ba ako o ang sarili mo?

AKO: Nagdududa ako kasi alam ko capasidad ko. Basta ang gulo kasi!

SIYA: Isa lang naman ang pipiliin mo at ako na bahala sa ano pang kailangan mo. Manalig ka sa akin!

AKO: Paano eto……. Kasi may ganito……. Tapos ayun….. Haaaay buhay napaka complikado…. Puro na lang problema. Nakaka stress na!

SIYA: Ikaw lang naman nagpapa complikado ng usapang ito. Oo o hindi lang ang isasagot mo pero nagdadahilan ka pa ng kung ano ano. Oh kay tigas nga naman ng ulo mo.

AKO: Kasi naman takot ako… tsaka maraming duda sa kung ano ano.. hmmm maraming iniisip na d naman kelangan.. haay napaka advance pa ng utak ko… kasi maraming dinadala at kinakarga....tsaka maraming inaalala at alam kong nakaka abala na talaga.. Haaay napaka worry freak lang ng peg ko.. Grrrrr kainisssssss!

SIYA: Sumasakit na nga tenga ko sa kakapakinig sa lahat ng litanya mo kahit na paulit ulit na lang ganyan. Wala ka bang tiwala man lang? Nasaan na ba ang dating “ikaw” na walang takot hinaharap ang mga bagay bagay, ung dating “ikaw” na di basta basta sumusuko kahit lubog na lubog na, ung dating “ikaw” na malakas ang loob at may tiwala sa akin, ung dating “ikaw” na hindi ng aalala sa mangyayari bukas, ung dating “ikaw” na wagas ang ngiti kahit may pinoproblema, ung dating “ikaw” na kung makapagsabi ng OO/YES ay papanindigan kahit gaano kahirap, ung dating “ikaw” na may disiplina at hindi pabaya tsaka ung dating “ikaw” na kilalang kilala ko mula noon. Anyare at bigla kang nagbago at lumayo???

AKO: .......................................................... Alam ko..

SIYA: Anyare?

AKO: Nagpadala kasi ako sa kahinaan ko, sa pagiging makasarili ko, sa kalungkutan ko, sa pangungulila ko, sa kakaibang emosyon ko, sa sari saring iniisip ko at sa kung ano pang nararamdaman ng puso ko. Akala ko tama ung ginagawa ko pero nakakalimutan ko na at sa mga yun dun nagsimula ang unti unti kong paglayo. Hinanap ko ang mga bagay na mgpapacompleto sa akin and magbibigay saya sa akin. Kaya nakalimot ako at dun nawala na ang lahat. Kaya eto ako ngayon, hirap na hirap bumangon ulit. Ung mahinang ako na nauubusan na ng lakas ng loob at laging takot. Ung ako na d ko inaasahan na bibigat at lalapad ng ganito. Ung ako na mahina, mapagduda, makasarili at ngpadala sa temptasyon. Nagsisisi ako at ngayon gusto ko ng itama ang mga mali ko. Gusto ko ng bumalik sa dati kaso ang hiraaaaaaaaaaap pala.

SIYA: Magiging maayos rin ang lahat Anak. Tandaan mo na ang mga nangyayaring ito ay may rason. Kapit ka lang. Pagdaanan mo lang kasi ito ang magtuturo sayo ng tama kesa sa mali. Matututo ka Anak. Wag kang matakot. Tumayo kang muli. Mag-umpisa ka sa sarili mo, sa dasal, sa tiwala at isipin na makakayanan mo rin ito. Kasama mo ko at d magtatagal ay magtatagumpay ka din.

AKO: Panginoon, turuan mo akong maniwala sa di kapanipaniwalang bagay. Alam kong walang imposible sa iyo at alam kong malalampasan ko rin ito. Itinataas ko na ang lahat sa inyo. Oh Diyos, kayo na po ang bahala sa akin. Kailangan kita at maraming salamat sa lahat. In Jesus' name, Amen.

SIYA: AMEN!

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God speaks in different ways. Are we listening when he speaks?
Or are we busy talking the whole time in prayer?
Reflect and listen well.
Are you?
 

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Obey, follow and witness Christ!


Daily Manna sharing
Date: Sept. 30, 2015
Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus (Luke 9:57-62)
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 
Reflection:

The word “follow” has a lot of meaning and can be defined as to obey, to imitate/copy, to act accordingly, to understand, to carry out and to become an example. To name a few, Mother Mary and Jesus are the best examples that we all should follow and strive to become. With how they said “Yes” and allowed God to work in their life was a testimony on how they trusted and had faith with His plan for them despite the unknown circumstances.

I remembered in a previous conference when a speaker told us that we are an “OFW” and everyone agreed. We were thinking that OFW means “Overseas Filipino Worker”. In fact he was right because in the eyes of our loved ones and fellow Filipinos – we are OFWs! We are the new heroes of our nation. Well in contrast to what we know, the speaker gave us an uplifting meaning of what an “OFW” is. He said that we are an “OFW” and we should be “Obedient Followers and Witnesses of Christ”. From what he said, everyone pondered and realized he was right. God sees us differently and we must be confident knowing we are His sons and daughters. We were called for a purpose and He wants us to live our life as an “OFW of and for Christ” to others who are the least, the lost and the last.     
 
In the Gospel when Jesus said, “Follow me”, He did not literally mean to just keep following him and do nothing. What He wanted us to understand is that in following Him, we have to deny ourselves, we have to trust and do what He ask us to do regardless how easy, difficult or conflicting the task will be. Jesus affirms us that in following Him, He will also take care of our needs. He assures us that whatever we ask in His name will be granted in God’s perfect time. So when He tells us to go, let us be confident that He knows what He is doing and He believes in our capacity.
 
Brothers and sisters, we are destined for greater things and God continues to knock in our hearts. Let us answer the call and become His instrument to others. Let us set aside our unworthiness, be healed of our pains, ask forgiveness, be renewed and be empowered by His mercy and grace. May we prepare our hearts to love others more just as He first loved us. In our journey as followers and servants of God, our mission is challenging and difficult but He affirms us that we are not alone. When we need Him, let us come to Him through prayer and rest. As one Church, together let’s work and strive to become obedient followers and witnesses of Christ wherever we are and even to the ends of the earth because we were created to be like Christ! With God’s grace, we can!
 
And with this may God be praised! Deo Gloria!
 



Guide question:
How can I be an obedient follower and witness of Christ?



 

 

 

Monday, August 31, 2015

Make it Right

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
(Matthew 5:23-24)


My Child,
I want you to keep short accounts. That means I don’t want you to be mad at anyone for long. I understand people get on your nerves—brothers, sisters, friends and enemies. But I want you to be at peace with those around you. If you feed the homeless, you’re nice to the kids called nerds, and you wear an “I love Jesus” shirt, but you hate your big brother because he made fun of you, how are you worshiping Me?

You show your love for Me by loving and forgiving the people around you. If you have to choose between writing Me a love song or apologizing to someone, I want you to apologize first. Then the love song you write will flow from a heart of love. I care about your relationships, and I want them to be right.

Your friend,
>God

(from the book - Emails from God by Cloninger)

Monday, August 24, 2015

Heavenly Peace: Me & Jesus

Last April 11, 2015, I had the most uplifting, empowering and spirit filled experience with Jesus. If I were to describe it then it has to be an encounter full of peace, serenity, overwhelming yet being still before God.

I was able to sleep well the night before and upon waking up, I felt great and recharged. I had plans to do and was able to achieve them all with God’s grace. Yipey! I cooked my meal, squeezed the juice from a kilo of lemons and was able to prepare a healthy pancake for snack which I just experimented hahaha (fyi: the ingredients were banana, black sesame powder, flaxseed oil, peanut butter mixed with chocolate, oatmeal, eggs, flour, cooking oil and milk…whew that’s a lot) I assure you it’s healthy and yummy at the same time hohoho!

I prepared myself for the Holy Mass and confession since our Baptism was on that day itself. I need to prep myself for the spiritual battle since this is one of the highlighted events in the CLP. Praise God so far I didn't experience any major harassment that day or even the days/weeks before. I guess it was all minor struggles knowing that God is always with me and that I’m not alone for I have my loved ones and friends with me. Everything feels like smooth sailing and I always feel being embraced by God and how great and wonderful it is to experience that kind of love being expressed to you.

The homily was about faith amidst doubt, worry and fears. It was also the time when Jesus breathe on them the Holy Spirit. It also spoke about doubting Thomas, him not believing until he saw and touch the wounds of Jesus. He was a man of faith upon experiencing and seeing Jesus for he uttered words with conviction “My Lord and my God”. He was a changed man and Jesus in turn said in reply, “blessed are you who have not seen but believed..”  


Hmmm God is indeed a great God. Everything happened for a reason. I learned as I held on to my faith and prayed more than before. Slowly and surely, He is fulfilling His great plans in me. Oh Lord may you change the worst of me to become the best of what I can be! Mold me, use me and lead me. Thank you for making me feel and experience a piece of heaven, an assurance of your promises and a fulfillment of your plans. Have your way in me! :)