Thursday, February 28, 2013

Real Missionary


A real missionary is the one who is true to himself and real in front of God. He or she has no pretensions whatsoever for there is nothing to pretend to an all-knowing God and we are all a work in progress anyway.

It does not mean though that we settle for less for we always strive to be good, however we don’t need to pretend that we are if we have not attained it yet. Being real is being able to accept our shortcomings and stand up again to do better.

We strive to be good because our God is good. 

by aats

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Missionaries


Missionaries are trailblazers. They just don’t stop on sustainability; they set a new road and carve a new path. They never stop looking ahead and making a difference. For them, life is a journey full of adventure because they dare to be themselves. Boring life are for those who are contented of just what they see within the vicinity.

So while we are aware of our environment, we need to look beyond and be excited of what lies ahead. We dare to dream and listen to others dreams, share it and making it happen. The Lord has so much in store for us, unleashing them for the good will make humanity see the face of Christ.

by aats

Monday, February 25, 2013

Just a Dream

Lord, it seems like Canada was but a dream. It seems like I just woke up from a deep sleep. If that was a dream, what an amazing thing it was. Being here too is like a dream. Is life but a dream until we wake into reality which is heaven?

Let me find You more deeply in this pilgrimage. Let me know You more intimately. Let me feel Your assuring embrace. Let me see the future full of hope You have in store for me. Amen.

by aats

Sunday, February 24, 2013

The Reunion


I was trained for Fulltime Pastoral Work of Couples For Christ in the year 2004. We were around 35 YFCs trained to serve in the ministry. A bunch of new university graduates who went “crazy” for the Lord, surrendered their career and followed the path of mission. Nine years after, last night we had a reunion. Around 20 were present. It was timely that other batchmates also came home from missions from other countries and others also came from other places. I believe the Lord wanted us to be in the same place and time for a moment to be re-affirmed of His love. To put it into words, one sister said, “This reunion is an affirmation that when we answered the call years ago, it was not a mistake.” Come to think of it, nine years have passed and we can really see and feel that the Lord took cared of us. We were happy to see batchmates bringing along with them their husbands and wives, kids and others brought there fiancées and GG’s*. It was a night filled with laughter, sharing, updating and re-affirming one another of the love of the Lord and the blessing of friendship built over time.

What was so amazing was the fact that years had passed and yet we looked back with thanksgiving, no one regretted going fulltime, in fact everyone agree that that was the best decisions they’ve made. If I can sum up the night, it was a night of gratefulness. We are grateful to the Lord for giving us the privilege to served Him in the mission, thankful for the friendships made during the training and above all thankful that after all these years, faith, passion and conviction to live out the kind of life we have answered as FTPW is still there. We have this common bond, the passion to serve, the conviction to follow and the joy to witness Christ to others.

Can there be stronger bond than the one bonded by the blood of Christ? Thank you Lord, for nine years of friendship, brotherhood and sisterhood, may we grow in Your love and in the love for one another. May this love radiates and makes a difference to others as well. Amen.

*Gods Gift, a community’s terminology of boyfriend or girlfriend.

by aats

When Missionaries Gathers


We just had the Fulltime Pastoral Workers Conference last week. Around 180 missionaries of young ministries of Couples for Christ attended. There is something different when missionaries gather together, sharing stories and worshipping as one. There is this common bond that is beyond language. We can look at each other’s eyes and know even without saying a word what we feel. Perhaps because we have answered the same call, the same yes and the same craziness to abandon it all and so shares the same joy and pain in the mission, but most of all because we have this common love for the Lord and His mission.

The gathering for me is an affirmation of the call we have answered. After two consecutive years of absence because I was in foreign missions, being there re-affirms my call and fuels me further to serve. Talks after talks, reflections after reflections, sharings after sharings, games after games, presentations after presentations, there was just endless joy in whatever we do. I believe this is what makes the mission contagious, the overflowing joy that we radiates to one another. I thank the Lord for the gift of mission and the privilege of serving Him.

by aats 

Friday, February 22, 2013

On Priesthood


I was attending the CFC Singles For Christ* International Conference last weekend. There was three masses, one each day from Friday to Sunday. The stage where the priest presides for the mass was very big and wide. After communion of the first mass, I was looking at the priest alone cleaning the Eucharistic table in the vastness of the stage. It struck my mind, how solitary the call they have answered and how heroic they were in responding to it! Seeing him alone in that table made me exclaim what a lonely journey they have taken! Well of course this is the reaction on the human level, though I know they are not that alone. But still, I honor them; they are one of a kind!

Alone in the table of the Lord, reliving His passion, death and resurrection, O God bless your priests and grant them the joy in there call. Amen.

*The Couples For Christ ministry for young adults.

by aats

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Choose To Love


Choose to love. In the end, it is better to love than to be right. We might argue of who is right or wrong, and there are plenty to argue about, however the better way is to love. Love will lead us into truth.

by aats


Monday, February 18, 2013

Of Chaos and Solitude


We can always something good in whatever situation we are in as long as we open our eyes with faith. With craziness of traffic in Manila, I actually ended up telling a fellow missionary how much I missed it. I missed not just the traffic but the noise and cacophony of so many people in one area. Adapting to this kind of environment is not just a way of surviving but actually acknowledging the good in the seemingly chaotic situation believing that God is still very much present.

On the other hand, it does really stretches my patience and I thank God for this, because it’s a good grounding for me.

In the midst of traffic and noise, I realize also how much I value solitude. I love being with people however I find my reservoir of strength in solitude. It is in the silence of solitude that I come face to face with myself. A self that is always in need of redemption and forgiveness. Redemption and forgiveness comes from a compassionate heart. Compassion is what we all in need and we can only be compassionate when we realize how we need it ourselves.

by aats

Inspiring Presence


One of the blessing of Fulltime Pastoral Work is the relationship formed over time. Being in fulltime mission for almost 9 years now allowed me to know and build friendships with my co-missionaries. There is this bond that is beyond words.

It is just quiet reaffirming that after all these years the relationship continues to deepen. Perhaps because the bond that unites us is the love of the Lord and the passion for His mission. Seeing my batchmates after being away from foreign mission is such a powerful manifestation of Gods faithfulness. There presence is an inspiration, it fuels further the conviction to serve. I thank the Lord for love and friendship built over the years.  Lord, may each other’s presence fuel us further to love you more. Amen.

by aats

Monday, February 11, 2013

Learning Languages


I’m here at Taoyuan Taipei Aiport in Taiwan on the way home. It feels so good to hear directions in Chinese but what amazes me is actually the voice over in the airport teaching people Japanese. I kind of reminisce my university years when I took a course on Japanese. I like the Japanese language. How I wish I continued it beyond the requirement of my program. Arigato, Sumimasen and more… There is something about languages other than what I know that excites me. It’s the thought of learning other culture, understanding their way of life and appreciating the beauty of the people.

There is always something good in all cultures that we can learn if we can be open enough to immerse. Openness is important if we want to learn and learning is our way to grow and growing can mean increasing our capacity to help others.

(written yesterday at the airport)

by aats

The Pilgrimage


I am writing this while on the plane to Taipei from Toronto. This will be my first going home after almost 3 years of mission. I am excited to see family, friends and co-missionaries however at the same time I am aware that I have to be conscious as always that I am going there as a pilgrim. Yes, I am taking this homecoming as a pilgrimage. My hope is that it will benefit my soul, strengthen further my spiritual life and make clearer the future He has in store for me.

May this journey be fruitful, joyful and meaningful.

1.    Being fruitful is different from being productive. Productivity focuses on quantity while fruitfulness on quality. We can be productive without being fruitful.
2.    Being Joyful is different from being happy. Happiness depends on what is happening. If I plan something and it turns out well, then I am happy however when it is not then I am sad. Being joyful on the other hand depends on God. We have joy when we are connected with Him and nothing can take that joy away no matter what is happening in the surrounding. Our martyrs of faith who were joyful even in the midst of suffering best exemplify this.
3.    Having meaning is different from having a definition. Definition is very technical while meaning is more spiritual. We can define words, activities and things and nothing more but knowing what’s behind the words, how these activities are done and why things are like that, adds spiritual dimension. To find meaning in all things allows us to know deeper the God who puts meaning into our lives.

This is what I like about travelling actually, it allows me to step back and look from the outside what had become of me, what were the learnings I missed and what can I do to push further. There is so much to learn that not seeking is such a wastes.

I am forever grateful to the Lord and to the community who has been an instrument of Gods providence to me. Lord, may my presence be a fruitful encounter, a joyful memory and a meaningful exchange to others lives. Amen.

by aats

Sunday, February 10, 2013

What Do You Find?


The gospel reading from Luke 5:1-11 tells the story of how Jesus told the disciples to cast there nets into the deep and the disciples after a catchless night was suddenly overwhelmed by the large number of fishes caught.

What do we find when we cast down our nets into the deep? We will find our sins, but not only sins, we will also find love because when there are sins loves also abounds. The love of the Lord means grace overpowering sins. Gods love is irrevocable, it does not change with feelings and emotions. He will always love us, even in the midst of our seemingly catchless night. 

by aats

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Snowstorm


 

I got another experience of how compassionate still a Canadian society can be. We were driving to church for a mass only to find that it’s cancelled. We are in the middle of the snowstorm and the road was already very bad, we can hardly move at times because of piled up snow. The snowstorm seems like not going end soon. When we were driving back home, we saw a man without a toque and gloves. He was holding something he just bought from the supermarket, shivering while walking. So we stopped and offered him a ride. He went into the car and we can tell he has a hard time talking as he was still catching his breath. It’s a good thing we passed by because his house was still very far and I could just imagine how he can survive that walk. In the end we were able to drop him off and he was very thankful.

Along the way too, car after car stuck in the snow, however men after men also came out from other cars to help out. This snowstorm really brings out the best in every Canadians. It’s funny how usually good character is brought about by bad weather. If food brings Filipinos together, it’s snow that brings Canadians together.

My hope is that even without snow everyone can be compassionate with one another.

by aats

Good Oath, Bad Request


Today’s gospel reading from Mark 6:14-29 tells how King Herod admired John who though because of his boldness and honesty told him it is unlawful to marry his brothers wife. Despite of this, he ended up ordering John to be beheaded on the account of his oath.

This I think is a good example of how we have seen and acknowledge good people doing good works and yet have no courage enough to protect them because we fear of losing stature in the society. Herod who happened to make an oath does not want to break it in front of his people. No matter how good our intention is in making an oath if the request is bad then it should not be carried out. If the fulfillment of our oath means murdering someone, then it is no good oath at all. This is the reverse truth of “The end does not justify the means, “ here we can say, “The means does not justify the end.” The oath “the means” does not justify at all the carrying out of a bad request “the end”. 

by aats

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

What is Courting for a Fulltime Worker

 

Love Honor Respect

I always love having conversation, lively conversation; I look at it as a great exercise of the mind, stimulating you to think more, process thoughts and assess it with how you live your life. I was privileged to have a very wonderful conversation with a fellow missionary and we come to a point of sharing thoughts on courting. Well, love life seems to occupy a big part of a teenage life, and since I’m serving in a youth ministry, it sounds lively to me. Then a question was asked, what is courting for a Fulltime Worker?

First of all, courting is unique. Not a single one has the same style of courting. You can even ask those who are married already, for a billion people of the world, no love story is the same. I think that’s a great affirmation of a God who loves variety and randomness. I could just imagine how boring it is, if everything is predictable.

Love is the character of God and so we can always point to God if we look for a guide on how to love. Courting being part and parcel of it, has to be patterned on a Christian loving. What is correct courting? What is wrong courting? You know, it’s so easy to put on lists of do’s and don’ts, but it does not work that way, as unique as love is, so does the application of it. I would say there are no specific do’s and don’ts of courting, though I firmly believe that we can set a parameter where an environment of Christian love can flourish in that process. In so doing, creativity is not compromised but within the bounds of what love is, as God wants it to be. Creativity, by the way, is a product of an immense love. God loves us so much that he creatively made us, beautifully molded and patiently guided. Creativity has to be there in courting, not to be stifled with the likes of do’s and don’ts, after all, true love liberates. I call it Christian Creativity.

What then are the parameters? I would say love, honor and respect. There is in fulltime work an unwritten rule that says, no courting for at least two years after your fulltime training. I find it very hard to understand before. But in my almost 9 years of fulltime work, and seeing fulltime workers including myself, dealing with it, I can fully say, there is wisdom behind it. One, it actually protects us from unnecessary pain that it may cause. Second, it allows us to grow more focused on the Lord, who after all is the greatest lover of all. And third, it allows us to achieve a balance from our demanding work schedule. But I see it beyond numbers, I see it not so much as counting days or years, but as an underlying principle on how mature we can take on relationships, two years, being such a flexible yet reasonable guide. I would say, in general, it takes us at least two years, to fully grasp the fullness of the mission work of a fulltime worker. Only fulltime worker may know this. You may believe it or not, but the mission that you entered requires a big amount of commitment and it means sacrifice, let me say, beautiful sacrifice, because it makes you more beautiful as a person. A person of discipline and self-control, as what St. Paul’s exhorts Timothy in 2Tim 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” I believe this is a wonderful pre requisite of a person, wanting to court someone. He must be prepared himself first. Fulltime work is not a joke! And so is serving in different levels of community life.  He must be ready of hurts and pains that love entails and not just imagining the joy and the exhilaration of yeses. After all, the ultimate goal of loving can crucify you a thousand times. In your daily journey in life, are you ready to see the bad things, weaknesses and reality of the person you love or you just see the good things, the strength and facade of the other? Isn’t it what love is? To be crucified like Him!

So then, if we say we are ready, how can I love, honor and respect in courting? We set a parameter where courtship can take place in the context of God’s love and where man and woman can have an environment where they can know each other more, in the spirit of love, honor and respect for one another.

How can I love a woman? By allowing her to be herself, the way she is, a woman, who has all the potentials in the world. Like flower that is still to bloom, taking care of her and loving her with pureness of intention. A real man looks at women as meaningful pursuits rather than disposable objects. How can I honor a woman? By being responsible of my actions, and by being responsible of my actions means enrolling the family of the woman in my courting by asking their permission, that’s the highest honor and respect I could give to the family and sure of accountability of my actions. How can I respect a woman? By accepting her response with a grateful heart, especially if the answer is no. If yes, then I thank the Lord for the gift. If no, then I’ll be grateful to the Lord for the experience of it, for courting is blessing in itself.

How can you love a man? By being honest, honest with what you feel. Don’t go around the bush; tell him directly and in a clear way. Playing with emotions is a lethal game! If no, then let it be a no. Don’t give false hopes, false hope kills. No man, in his right mind, will continue pursue a hopeless case, unless he sees a flicker of light.  If yes, then let it be a yes, a resounding yes, and doubtless yes! How can you honor a man? By not manipulating him into something that will just lead to ruin and hurts for one another, for there is always a tendency for manipulation. A woman can influence man, they say, women have the power to influence or manipulate, but love does not manipulate. Lead him instead to love God more, for a real man loves God above all. By not manipulating him, you are honoring him, because he showed the pureness of intention. How can you respect a man? By allowing him to do his own way of courting, his own style, and allowing him to be who he is and not expecting him to be whom he cannot be than himself, in this way you will know the real him.

It is never wrong to love. Love is of God. But, do we love like God?

You can also read: Real Love Waits and Flirting with Pain


by aats

Just a disclaimer, I'm writing this, not with a self righteous heart, but with a heart that fully recognizes my own shortcomings in all areas of my life as a fulltime worker. So, in saying that, I am journeying and learning, and definitely also a work in progress. Praise God!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Natural and Simple

 
A sister asked me, “Kuya, what is your opinion about piercing?” I replied with a question, “Ear piercing for girls? It’s okay with me.” “No, its nose piercing,” she said. To which I answered, “I don’t like it. Personally it doesn’t look good to me.” She asked why and I said, “Because you don’t need to have one to look beautiful for you already are.”

How many of us need to put some extra things into our body just because society is telling us it will make us look more beautiful? I think we should rise above what society is telling us what is beautiful or not, because we already are.  Of course we will take care of ourselves and be tidy as possible, however we don’t need extra. The most beautiful are the natural and simple. 

(with sisters permission to blog this conversation)

by aats

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Love Never Fails

 
The second reading today is from 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV), Saint Pauls, I would say ultimate homage to “Love” who saved and made him passionate about the mission. He may well be an apostle of love. He articulately describes and defines love in a beautiful way. Let the following letter be an inspiration to us who are on the road to love ourselves.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Lord, many times we fall short to love but You always carry us so we can continue loving. Thank you. Amen.

by aats