Silence

1And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Matthew 17:1-9


During the old days God speaks to the prophets in mountains or somewhere in seclusions, away from preying eyes. God gave to Moses the commandments in Mount Sinai. He was alone. Remember the times that our child is busy playing and every time we interrupt him to be hugged or kissed he resisted and continues on what he was doing. God is also like that. He thirsts for our presence and love, away from the company of men. Sometimes He shut the doors so that we will be confide to ourselves and will have the time to speak to God. In solitude with God we will loose all earthly desires and find peace and tranquility.

Lead by Example

1(A)Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus (B)from Jerusalem and said,
2"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they (C)do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4"For God said, '(D)HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, '(E)HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.'
5"But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,"
6he is not to honor his father or his mother[a].' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8'(F)THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS (G)DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'"
10After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand.
11"(H)It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
12Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"
13But He answered and said, "(I)Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.
14"Let them alone; (J)they are blind guides [b]of the blind And (K)if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

Matthew 15: 1- 14

The most effective way to rule is to lead by example. Your actions speak louder than your words. There is this preacher who always teaches about forgiveness and loving thy neighbor, yet when he becomes angry he shouts to people and curse them. An effective way to know if a preacher is true to his words is by examining his life outside the ministry. He teaches about the life of Jesus yet he lives in a life of vices, excessive wealth and hatred to his fellowmen. Be vigilant also to some who doesn’t really care about your soul but only your money. Sometimes it is not miracles that are needed for us to believe but the everyday scenarios that is normal and visible to us.

A Little Prayer for a Little Faith

22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

Matthew 14:22- 36

“A Little Prayer for a Little faith”

Lord, Glory to thy name. Thank you for all the abundance and protections You are giving to thy humble servant. Forgive me for all the sins I have committed. If this is thy will may ask to strengthen more my faith. That I may show you my deepest love unto thee not only in times of happiness and prosperity but also during trials and anguish. Let me willfully carry my cross with cheerfulness and trust unto you Oh Lord. Amen.

Plentiful Earth

13When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18He said, Bring them hither to me.
19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Matthew 14:13-21


I always believe that the world is very perfect, that every good things in it overflows in abundance. That God created this perfect world for His beloved children. For how many is the population of this world the natural resources will always be sufficient. God will not continue to create human beings if he stopped creating resources for their needs.

Then why is it that many are dying of hunger. I know that you could also see what is happening globally. Many have enough but still want more. And those who has less power will have the smallest share of this earth. When is enough and the start of giving? If everything will be shared equally, believe me there will be no hunger. But God wants it to come from us. He wants us to start loving our fellowman, to take care of them and not let them die of hunger.

Death Penalty

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

Matthew 14: 1- 12


Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

Matthew 7:1


If man is created from the image of God, a creature created from perfection, then why is it that man sometimes could be very cruel? Are criminals’ products of their own? Do all of their actions and crimes must only be blamed to them? The society itself is the greatest factor in the outcome of the lives of its people. I am not saying that we just let the criminals do their heinous crimes but who we are to decide on the continuance of the life of a person. If we consider crimes as a disease we might think of the criminal as a sick person that needs only to be rehabilitated. If He is threat to society then he must be taken away from the society and not ending his life. Even a person in solitude can create many wonderful things.

Unsung Heroes

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this? And they took offense of him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

Mt 13:54- 58


How many of us take for granted the not so important people in our lives. Like the janitor who everyday cleans our desk, the security guards who make sure that we are always safe or the housemaids that took care of our home and children when we are away. And many people that that we meet each day and are not that important to us.

Vise versa, how many of us feel that we are not important in this world, that we are under paid and under appreciated. We sometimes feel that we are not loved by our family, that we are not appreciated by our parents or spouse. Jesus also encounters these situations. If only the people in his native land saw him as the messiah many miracles could have happened there. A sick child could have not died if only his father believes in Jesus. A blind man could have seen again and continued his work building a bridge so that many people would not have drowned when they crossed the river.

Jesus wants us to believe in every human being whether he or she is important or not. We must love and believe in each other so that miracles will happen in our own lives.

Pro Child

“Oh God, why do I always have a problem?” I am also one of those guys who often ask God of his frustrations in life. From the moment my clock alarms I have to wake- up to work even if I did not have a good sleep because of the same work. I have to work to earn money for me and my family. On my way to office I have to tackle the traffic. And it is not just an ordinary traffic here in this country. You have to defend your car and your life from hostile bus drivers. At the office I also have rude bosses and co- employees. I have to finish deadlines and work the whole day that sometimes from seven in the morning to eight in the evening I had only a fifteen minute break. And during my whole day working I also have to think of my family like our unpaid bills, when will be our next grocery or the scheduled check- up and vaccinations of my children, plus how to extend my current money for the next pay day. After office I again have to face the traffic on my way home. And I must and doing it everyday. So what’s the catch? Why am I doing all of these? It is because when I arrived home and parked my car in my garage there is a little girl looking through the window and waiting for me. She is Jamjam, my daughter.

With all of my problems and frustrations in life I always thank God for giving me my children. I am willing to face all the pains and hardship of life just to be with my children. Not a single moment I think of material things in exchange for the life I have now with my children. I believe that I am not the only one who thinks this way. There are people who are richer or poorer than me who love their children and thinks like me. But there are those who will pre- judge the life they will going to have with a child. There are those who will do anything to stop the birth of their own child.

Poverty is always associated with children. There are statistics that concludes that it is better not to let a child be born that be born and live in hunger and poverty, that the country’s population is always hindrance to its growth. It is like its own citizens are the waste that must be disposed.

Man is created from the image of God. They are the highest form of living things. Human beings are the greatest natural resource. From the moment a child is born it is natural that he gives immeasurable happiness to an aching mother after the delivery. As he grew old he learns new things and could adopt in any situation easily. Man is the most adoptable living organism on the face of the planet. He could swim in the saltiest sea or climb the highest mountain. He can live in the hottest desert or in the coldest and remotest part of the world. With his remarkable ingenuity he became the master of this planet. Truly Humans are a remarkable piece of work from God. Almost a perfection, second to God Himself.

What a pity to realize that this same human beings created by God became the problem of a country that its only solution is to extinguish its population. Like all other natural resources a country must utilize it properly. I never believe that the solution to poverty is to stop the birth of children. If this will be the case, the population is not the problem but the government itself. Whether it is run by incompetent or corrupt officials or the system of government must be looked upon. I believe that children are born as a sign that even man continues to sin God still believes in us.

Jamjam, the Wonder Kid

This is one of those days that I am really down. It’s summer in this country but it feels gloomy and rainy. The sky is clear and blue but all I see is haze.
All of my dreams seem impossible to reach. My career just ended and I am near bankruptcy. My friends seems far to reach and everything I do is a failure. Yes, it seems I failed miserably.
I ask now if this is the punishment for my sins. Why do these things have to happen. Where is God in all of my miseries.
Just this morning I opened my mail and read a letter from a preacher. He wrote “See Him beside you this whole Wednesday!” Beside me this morning is my daughter Jamjam. She is a healthy wonderful two year old kid. Everyday she shows me new talents. When she was one year old she could sing in the videoke. And every time I look at her I see how beautiful, healthy, wonderful, talented this angel from God is. Truly she is a living proof that God loves me. And this makes me very happy.
I remember now a story of a guy that when he was young he prayed to God that he’ll be given three sons someday. He asked God that he wants the eldest to be a lawyer so that he could help the poor in their community have justice. The second to be a policeman so that there will be peace and order in their neighborhood. And the youngest to be a professional basketball player because he loves basketball so much. The young man continued to be a good Christian and after years he got married. But instead of three sons he was given three daughters. The eldest became a teacher. The second became a nun and the youngest had a Poliomyelitis. This disabled her from walking but did not stop her in becoming a well known musician.
After years of serving God and having a wonderful and happy life with her wife and three daughters the man past away with natural death or old age. In heaven, God accepted him and embraced him with peace and serenity. But maybe out of curiosity the man asked God why he was given three daughters when he asked for three sons. A teacher instead of a lawyer. A nun instead of a policeman. And a disabled musician instead of a professional basketball player. Then God answered him. I gave you three daughters. The eldest a teacher, to give good education to the young so that they’ll be reliable and competent individuals. The second, a nun so that she’ll help the church in saving lost individuals to find Me, thy God again in their lives. Finally your youngest daughter a musician so that she’ll serenade you with the music of my love all the rest of your life. What I gave you is more than what you are asking.
There is a joke that if you want God to laugh at you tell Him your plans. Many times in our lives we became blind by our ambitions. We must always be reminded that there is nothing sure in this world except the will of God. Let us now start seeing the love of God for us and not our miseries. And you don’t have to look far. “See Him beside you this whole day”.

Come Follow Me

I had a dream one night that I belong to a dooms day cult. We believe that we had found the exact day and time of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our cult doesn’t do evil or bad things. The only difference with an ordinary Christian is that we know in our life time the exact day and time of the end of the world.
After cleansing our souls and preparing ourselves and families for days we assembled in a field and waited for the exact hour to come.
Till the count down begins. And at the last minute we are crying and shouting our prayers “God, save us”! We are crying heavily. Suddenly a bright light flashes in front of us. Then I saw God. He came in front of me. He holds both of my arms. He shook me and shouted “Calm down! Calm down! I am still your God, the Almighty”
When I woke up I realized the answer to my sufferings and prayers. I reflected on my faith and trust in Him. There are moments in our lives that we forgot that there is still God that is above all things. The Almighty God who loves as very much. Who watches over as and protects as from harm. If only we would listen to His shouting love “Don’t be afraid. Come, follow me”

La Purisima Concepcion

Americans and Filipinos fought with all their might but the Japanese Imperial Air Force crushed Bataan. It was the start of Japanese invasion and colonization in the Philippines during World War II.
The town of Malabon was not spared. Japanese occupied the town and claimed everything. Men are captured and women are forced into white slavery. Homes became their barracks and churches became prisons.
A small church in Malabon with the Immaculate Conception as the patron was one of the converted churches. The icon was dated in the early stages of Christianity in the Philippines and believed to have performed many miracles in the community.
Since majority of the Japanese are non- Christians, they had no beliefs of what so ever in the Christian faith and sad to say also, that they showed no respect to these churches during those times.
On the first day the Japanese soldiers occupied the Parish of the La Purisima Concepcion the community fought back but their bladed weapons are no match with the guns of the Japanese soldiers. Even the parish priest was not spared. After the priest refuses to bowed to the Japanese soldiers he was kicked in his knees, and because of the heavy and tough boots of the soldiers the priest’s bones are crushed.
Inside the church the soldiers urinated and bowelled at the altar. They also make fun of the Immaculate Conception. They picked the nose of the Virgin and laughed about its pointed nose. But an unexpected and unexplained phenomenon happened. Instantly, soldiers who picked nose of the Virgin, their fingers became stiffed and cannot be moved. Physicians cannot find any reason for the paralysis. During the night the soldiers became even more baffled and scared. The serpent at the feet of the Immaculate Conception became alive and bitten the soldiers.
Many soldiers died but not one prisoner was harmed. When morning came those soldiers who were still alive told their superiors what they had witnessed The Japanese decided to abandoned the La Purisima Concepcion parish completely.

Banga ng Gusi (Pot of Gold Bars)

My Great Great Grandfather is Placido Gino who just passed away when I was a toddler. I am his first Great Great Grandson. The stories and ideas of him was just narrated to me by his daughter, Aunt Amada. Grandfather Placido did not have a formal schooling but manages his financial well. He has three fishing boats and manufactures Pineapple weave textiles. He had a hundred employees. His sport was bird hunting. They use blowguns to kill the birds. Together with his two friends they hunt the mountains of Montalban, Rizal.
One season while they were concentrated and busy tracking the birds they lost track of time. They must return to civilization since their supplies are all consumed. They trailed the forest as fast as they could but the night was even faster. Soon darkness and fog blanket the forest.
While trying to trace the trail they found themselves in front of an old nipa hut. You would think that it was abandoned without the small gas lantern lit near the window. They knock and asked for help since they were lost in the forest. The door opened and three beautiful women were inside. They explained their situation and the women gladly accept them to stay for the night.
The women are very hospitable. They always kept a warm smile on their face even though they were ready to sleep in their kamison and tapis when my grandfather and his friends disturbed them. After a few conversations the women offered them food. A hot bowl of sopas was served on the table. They were ready to eat the soup and scooped the elbow pastas with the wooden spoon when they were surprised with what they saw. Together with the elbow pastas were little fingers of children. They tried not to panic for fear of the women. They secretly dropped the fingers to the bamboo floor and into the splits the little fingers fell to the soil below. When they were done the women showed them their room to sleep for the night.
They did not sleep but attentively listen to their surroundings. They heard noises like of big roosters clapping their wings. They cautiously and silently went up and searched the hut. Below the hut they found big pots containing gold bars and near it with amazement they saw three pairs of legs from stomach down wearing the tapis worn by the women. They think fast and decided to put salts to the intestines. They know about these creatures from Philippine mythology. They are called Mananangal. An evil being, were from human form transforms by splitting his or her body into two. The upper part had wings and fly to hunt humans for food. The lower part of the body was hidden because they were vulnerable. After scattering the salts all over the intestines my grandfather and his friends hide. Soon the three mananangal returned. They cried after they saw what my grandfather and his friends did to their lower extremities. The women beg them to remove the salts because no matter how they try to land and put back together their bodies they failed. They explained that they have not done them any harm. They told them that when the sun rises and still they are not with their lower bodies they would burn and die. They bargained for anything. Pleasures or treasures, just remove the salts from their intestines. My grandfather and his friends became more afraid since the three female beasts became desperate. If they will not help them they might just kill them too.
They asked the three women to leave them while they remove the salts so that they could also have time to run for their safety. After they removed the salts they ran as fast as they could and never again return to that place.