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It's New Year's eve. For most this is the time for reflections on the year that is about to end and formulating resolutions for the coming one. 2012, for me, had been a good year so allow me to focus more on 2013.
So what will be my plans for next year? I'd like to make it simple and I hope you too will consider these "resolutions" as well.
27 He (Jesus) answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Luke 10:27
I believe these two commands are the perfect resolutions anyone can make. Let's break it down to understand these words better:
"Love the Lord your God". Sounds easy, right? I mean how can we not love God, especially knowing how much He loves us. He cares for us so much, He died a most painful, agonizing death so that we won't have to. Knowing also that He is there for us not just 24/7 but every second of our lives. How can we not love Someone like that? And yet….
Not everybody loves God, not with the kind of love He desires from us. There are four aspects to this kind of love:
1. "with all your heart" - these are our emotions. For many this is the kind of love they know. This is the overflowing feeling that makes us want to be with the object of our affections every single moment. But for a lot of people, emotions come and go depending on the situation or the prevailing mood. God wants us to love Him even when we feel down or beset with problems. As a matter of fact that is the best time to show Him our love because He is our Comfort and Peace.
2. "with all your soul" - these are our spiritual sides. The special connection we have with God. Some people only get spiritual on certain days of the week - often on Sundays when they go to church. The rest of the week they return to their carnality (the opposite of spirituality) concerned with the mundane affairs of their world. Our souls should always be connected to God and be constantly in love with Him.
3. "with all your strength" - these are the physical aspects. How do we physically love Someone who is not physically present? By obeying His laws. By getting on our knees and praying to Him. By worshiping Him in song, in giving, and through helping others.
4. "with all your mind" - these are our intellects. For many this is not easy. For them God is merely a concept. For others God is out there in the heavens detached from human activity. But our God is none of these. He became human and experienced all that we experienced - and more. He knew what we go through as we live our lives here on earth. Loving Him intellectually is knowing all these, all that He had done for us, of being aware not only of His existence, but of His presence in our lives.
Finally, the second command tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Loving ourselves is already a given. We are born that way - seeking glory for ourselves, wanting the best for ourselves. But God tells us to love others the same way. He asks us to humble ourselves and put others first.
Tough resolutions, aren't they? But think of the rewards we will reap if we follow these commands. Once we start loving God above all, at all times, we will have unspeakable joy and peace beyond understanding. Loving others will become much easier, too.
I am determined to accomplish these resolutions not just for 2013 but for as long as I am here on earth.
A blessed new year to you, my dear friends.
It was with a bit of hesitation that the man put up a "for sale" sign in front of his house. After all, it has only been recently vacated and there are some things he still need to do with it. "But I have to get on with my life", he thought, trying to convince himself.
It didn't take long before there were some who showed interest in the house. The owner would look at the prospective buyers, talk with them, and more often than not, he would tell them that the house was already taken. With some of them who looked like they would take good care of the house, he would allow them to peer through the windows to have a glimpse of what the inside of the house looks like. But he never let them in. He was afraid that they would remodel the place to their own taste or make it a place just for vacationing and never call it their home.
Then one day, there was someone who inquired about the house and so he let this person peer through the windows. The prospective buyer saw some cobwebs and the dust that have gathered but she also saw the sturdy architecture and the fine furnishings. As the buyer was looking through the windows, the owner felt in his heart that this is someone who will love living in this house and will be taking good care of it. For the first time, he opened the door and invited the interested person to come in and have a better look. He then pulled out the "for sale" sign from the front yard. Yet, somehow, the buyer was still hesitant to get in, perhaps fearful that she would see clutter and disarray within and thus destroy the beautiful image of the house that she had seen through the windows of her mind.
Come in, Cynthia, and make my house your home. The cobwebs will be removed and the dust will be swept away by the brightness and purity of your love.
written in late 2003
Once there was a bird that lived in a gilded cage. This bird was so sad because his mate went to bird heaven not too long ago. So gloomy was he that the owner decided to open the door of the cage to set him free. Yet in his sorrow even when he knew the cage door has been opened, he dared not and cared not to fly out. He just sat there brooding in his unshared loneliness.
Then one day, from out the window near his cage he heard another bird singing in the branches of a tree. He listened and was enraptured by the beauty of the song. It had been a long time since he heard this song. And the more he listened the more convinced he was that the song was being sung for him. His tiny heart raced. Hesitatingly he warbled a few notes. Soon they were singing together, making such glorious melodies. He wanted to fly out of his cage to be with the other bird and yet, somehow, his wings were not strong enough to carry him through the air. He had been confined for too long that his wings had grown weak. Still the other bird sang to him every morning bringing joy to his soul. With an effort he flapped his wings with the firm determination that one day his pinions will carry him out of his cage, out of the window, up in the air and then beside the lovely bird that gave him a reason to once again soar into the blue skies.
Thank you, Cynthia, for singing to me every morning! I am still flapping my wings and they are growing stronger each day.
...written in the last few days of 2003
Those four words summarized my experiences this past weekend. And it's all about relationships.
Saturday morning my wife and I were at the Lourdes church. We were here to attend the funeral mass being held for my departed cousin, Ate Meding. When we visited her last Monday at the hospital she was already in a life support system, her breast cancer sadly winning the battle for her life. Berting, her younger brother who was at the hospital at that time, told us that the family had decided to bring Ate Meding home so that she can spend her last moments in the presence of her family.
After the mass ended and we have said our prayers for the eternal repose of Ate Meding's soul, I mingled with my relatives, many of whom I haven't seen in about 30 years. Tiya Upeng, mother of Meding and Berting, was already in a wheelchair, and didn't even recognize me. Tiya Josing, once Dean of Psychology and Guidance Counselor at St. Theresa's College was now bent from apparent osteoperosis yet still possessing a brilliant mind. Then there were my cousins Doris, Tessie, Ray, Beth and Berting. We are third degree cousins (our grandfathers were first cousins) but they are my closest blood relatives, aside from my own family. We all promised to meet again in "better" times to recollect and reconnect. Unfortunately Cynthia and I could not stay for the burial ceremonies because we already had a prior commitment.
And that was having lunch with our birding friends, Tina and Wency Mallari. It was supposed to be an early birthday celebration for both Wency and myself because we share the same birth date. The earlier agreement was that we will "treat" each other to lunch, but I got pre-empted by the quick-on-the-draw Wency. The Mallaris are relatively new friends, having met them only last year, but they have become quite close to us because we share the same passion for birds and bird photography. Lunch at C2 in Rockwell was elegant and delicious. I don't know about you, but for my wife and myself, having a meal with dear friends enhances the taste of food.
That evening it was another "eat" date. This time it was with Cynthia's family. Two of her daughters, Jenn (Oct. 12) and Darrell (Sep.21) decided to celebrate their birthdays together with a grand buffet at Yaki Mix in Tomas Morato. My wife's children and their families were there to enjoy the sumptuous food and joyous company. It was a Korean/Japanese style buffet where the diners grilled their food right on their own tables. Everybody, including the grandchildren, had a great time cooking different types of seafood and meat and enjoying the products of their culinary endeavours. As if that wasn't enough, we all had coffee at the Coffee Bean afterwards courtesy of Patrick, Cynthia's only son. Did I mention that food, and that includes coffee or its derivatives, tastes a lot better when you're in good company?
The following morning, I was with my son Eumir, his mom and his fiancee. We were going to Cavite for the traditional Filipino "pamanhikan" (betrothal). Eumir and Lain were planning to get married in December and we, his parents, will be formally asking Lain's Uncle and Aunt (her father passed away two years ago and her Mom resides abroad) for her hand in marriage. Our trip to Silang, Cavite was temporarily halted by the excessive traffic we encountered at the Coastal road. There was an early morning marathon which had just ended and everybody was getting ready to leave or loiter around or filling up the scant restaurants in the area to satisfy their hunger. After about an hour we finally were on our way. The folks in Cavite were very hospitable. We had an early lunch (a reprise of good food and good company) because we needed to get back early in case we encounter another horrendous traffic situation. The pamanhikan was concluded when Lain's grandmother and matriarch of the clan, gave her blessings and prayed for the two people who love each other very much to have a happy married life.
Unlike the movie with a similar title which was all about the main character's self indulgence, my weekend of pray, eat, eat, love was all about relationships and its importance to one's life. Life on this earth is not all about me. There are people in this world that I care about, relatives and friends, and I know that there is always joy and gladness in interacting and being with them.
