THE WORLD NEEDS MEN (author unknown)

I bought this poster in a Christian bookstore way back June 19, 1992, I want to share this with you all.

...Who cannot be bought;

...Whose word is their bond;

...Who put character above wealth;

...Who possess opinions and will;

...Who are larger than their vocations;

...Who do not hesitate to take chances;

...Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;

...Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;

...Who will make no compromise with wrong;

...Who will not say they do it: "Because everybody else does it;

...Who are true to their friends in adversity as well as in prosperity;

...Who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;

...Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular, who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says "yes".

...Whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires.

THE BUM (A touching story about needing and giving help)

Everyone respects and helps the millionaire, the famous, the boss, those with beauty and brains.What about the bum on the street?

This is a real story. It happened to the writer of MountainWings.com. Let us read his story:

I was parked in front of the church cleaning out my Jeep. I was waiting on someone. Coming my way from across the street was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.

There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the wall in front of the bus stop to wait on the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty Jeep," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued cleaning out the Jeep.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.

We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said. I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.

Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to take a cab anywhere in the city and get food and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone who appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets.

Maybe he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves. Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the Jeep, that man needs help."

Don't we all?

Holy Mass

My first official activity for January 1, was to served in our 7:30 am Mass here at our parish church. For years, this has been my regular activity. For us Catholics January first (1) being the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God is also a holiday of obligation.

It is very good to start our first day of the year with our presence at Holy Mass because this is our highest form of worship to God. Aside from that, nothing can compensate with our presence at Mass. Without us knowing it, we derive a lot of blessings from it. Based on the history of the church a lot has been blessed with their regular attendance at Mass.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, said, "If you don't get anything out of Mass, it's because you don't bring the right expectations to it.” The Mass is not entertainment, he said. It is worship of the God who made us and saves us. It is an opportunity to praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us.

Bishop Sheen further said: “If we have a correct understanding of Mass, it will become more meaningful for us. We will want to go to Mass. We will understand why the Mass is God's precious gift to us, and we wouldn't think of refusing that gift.

My regular attendance at Mass has enormously changed me; why not give it a try?

A CHRISTIAN'S WAY TO REDUCE STRESS (author unknown)

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain.Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more.. (Although one is often not enough, two are often to many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects overtime; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, findout what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13 . Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra housekey buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can preventan enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot.. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

37. Attend Holy Mass if possible everyday or during Sundays.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?"(Romans 8:31)

Life begins at 40?

Today, December 26 is my 40th birthday. How time flies I’m already 40, it’s just like yesterday when I was studying and working at the same time to earn my college degrees and my post graduate study. It was as if yesterday when I was dreaming of becoming rich, owning a very nice car and having a big house but I remain to be materially marginalized. It was as if yesterday when I had my countless conversations with my father who died thirteen years ago; it was as if yesterday when I married my beautiful wife but that was almost twelve (12) years ago and it was as if yesterday when we were deputized by our Bishop to officially become Extra- Ordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion. There’s a whole lot of: “as if yesterdays” memories that seems still within my reach but it’s beyond me already. I just have to look back and relish those memories once in a while.

I’m in the irreversible present and I’m forty (40), they say: “life begins at forty” I don’t know who coined this quote that our life begins at forty. I beg to disagree, life doesn’t begin at forty. Life begins when we were freed from the doctrine of Original Sin and we officially become a member of the Universal Church. That’s our Baptismal date but the funny thing is: we remember our birthday but doesn’t know our Baptismal date.

Life begins when we become aware of our responsibilities towards our family, our fellowmen and God. Responsibilities that reminds us that we don’t live for our own self-centered sake.

Life begins at forty? I beg to completely disagree!

The fragility of our lives...

The fragility of our lives...

by: Marino J. Dasmarinas

Last night our Parish secretary informed me that I have a scheduled funeral blessing; I said OK I’ll go.

So I went there, upon finding the place I introduced myself to the relatively young wife then I said: “I will now bless him please gather all the relatives.” As I was saying the blessings and prayers I noticed that the wife was crying profusely.

After I was through, I asked her: “what was the cause of death of your husband and how old is he?” She said: “His fifthly (50) years old and his death is totally unexpected.” He just arrived from work then after a few minutes of rest in the sofa he suddenly died. ... After our short conversation I told her:  “I have to go now” and she said: “Thank you very much” I said in return: “You’re welcome and pray for his soul’s eternal repose.”

As I was walking away from their house, I can’t help but reflect on the fragility of our lives, that it can be taken away from us any time and any place. As I glance back at their house, I told myself maybe she was seriously crying because, there were loving words left unsaid, there were loving embraces left undone and there were loving moments left to pass them by. ...

As an afterthought: Express your love to your relatives and don’t hold back on doing good to everyone.

Remember the fragility of our lives…

A certain man and his three friends.

There is an old Jewish story which goes like this. A certain man had three friends.

He liked two of them; but had little use for the third. One day he was ordered to appear in court. Alarmed, he looked around for someone to defend him. He immediately thought of his two favorite friends.

One said, "No way! I'm not going into any court." The second one said, "I'll go as far as the king's gate but no farther."

In despair the man then asked his least-loved friend for help. He said, "Sure, I'll come." And he did come, and he defended the man so well that he won his case.

Jewish rabbis go on to explain the story like this: Every person has three friends when Death calls and he must appear before his Creator. The friend he loves most is money; but it cannot go with him a single step.

The second friend is his circle of relatives and neighbors. They can only accompany him to the grave side. In no way can they defend him before the Judge.

His third friend, whom he neither likes nor esteems, is the only one that accompanies him to the judge and wins his case.

That friend is his list of good deeds done during his lifetime. ... (Jacob Braude)