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)

My narrative on the last two days of my Aunt: Gilda D. Altamia (Feb 1, 1934-Nov. 9, 2007)

(Mila, Cynthia Villar, Gem and Eden)

Last Friday (Nov. 9), Auntie Gilda succumbed to her lingering ailment. She triumphantly defeated her oppressive sickness. I was there and I witnessed her last two days in this material world to which we presently belong.

It was last Thursday (November 8) when I first saw her in the hospital. Her two sisters (Mila and Eden) were taking care of her. I was with my siblings (Grace, Jun-jun, Darwin, and Nino). Upon seeing her, I had this gut feeling that it is just a matter of time before she departs to the great beyond. She was very thin, and her breathing was deep, her eyes barely open. There were three nurses with her they were frantically trying to find a vein where they could insert a needle to facilitate the passage of medicines to her body. They tried it on her hands, they tried it on her feet to no avail. We therefore asked: “What’s the problem?” they told us that they can’t locate a vein. They went out for about thirty minutes then they were at it again trying to locate a vein: They were successful this time.

Afterward, I said, 'Hi, Auntie,' while slowly massaging her forehead. It was a very painful sight to see for a woman who was always full of life. To keep the mood light, I said to her, 'You'll get well.' She slowly nodded, as if saying, 'Yes, I will get well. 

Every now and then she would be restless. She would move side to side then she would slowly motion that she wants to be seated. So, I would lift her up, only for her to lie down again. This became her routine for the day.

Later in the afternoon her doctor told us that she was slowly being poisoned by her blood and it results in her constant unguarded movements. After the doctor left she motioned again to be seated. This time it was auntie Mila who helped her to be seated and while seated Mila embraced her while saying: ‘We love you, do you love us?’ And she would groan as if saying: Yes I also love you all! I lost count of those beautiful and touching exchanges of loving words and groans. I was looking at them and I witnessed a very moving sight of love: Agape love.

Around 7:00 pm her doctors came again and frankly told us that she needed to be put on a breathing machine (ventilator) or she would probably die anytime. We huddled for a brief moment and said, please do whatever it takes to extend her life. After a while, the machine was brought in, and we were politely instructed to leave the room first so that they could proceed with the procedure.

After about 30 minutes, we were informed that the ventilator had already been attached, and we could go inside now. So, we entered the room and saw her with all these tubes attached to her. This time, she was unresponsive to our whispers and urgings; I think she was already in a comatose state by then. 

Subsequently, Auntie Gilda's grandchildren and daughter-in-law also came. After a few minutes, her daughter (Gem) arrived from Singapore. Here, I witnessed another moving and heart-rending scene. Gem was sobbing deeply while caressing her Mama and saying, 'Mama, you told me we would still talk. You told me that you would wait for me.' Motionless, I suddenly saw tears flowing from my aunt's eyes, as if to tell her that she was hearing her cries and pleas. Then, she slowly started to move one of her hands toward her mouth as if trying to remove the ventilator so that she could talk, even for a short time. We gently blocked her hand and whispered to her not to remove the tube. After a while, her son (Boyet) called, and the cell phone was put to her ear. I believe she heard him because tears started to slowly flow from her eyes again. 

Around 12:30 am we went home. 

The next day, we were there again. We arrived around 5:30 pm, and it was the last hour and a half that I would see her breathing. After staying out of the room for about 15 minutes, I went inside and quickly went outside to call our relatives. Then we closed the door and prayed. We made the sign of the cross and prayed the Our Father (the prayer that Jesus told us to pray, Matthew 6:9-15), with three Hail Marys and one Glory Be. Then, I followed it up with a spontaneous prayer, lifting, commending, and entrusting her to God, while my relatives were saying 'Yes, Lord' and 'Amen.' After the prayers, I tenderly caressed her forehead while silently saying a prayer.

(Cynthia Villar, Mila and Elsa)

After that, I went out of the room while my relatives were praying the Rosary. When they were through, I went inside again with a prayer booklet that I got from the lobby where the image of Mama Mary was located. I prayed to Mama Mary to take care of my aunt's journey towards heaven. Then, we made the sign of the Cross, and I read the prayers and the litanies. My aunt was still breathing, softly and very slowly, and the line on the screen that monitored her heartbeat was nearly flat already.

I went out of the room again and after that went back inside and I witnessed her last grasp of breath, the line on the indicator was already flat. I softly touched her still-warm body while saying my silent prayer for her and I closed her eyes, kissed her on the forehead and I slowly walked towards the door: my eyes welling up with tears.   

Death is always a good wake-up call for all of us who are still on this temporary journey. It is a reminder that we will also go through this process. There's no exception: rich or poor, learned or not.

For me, life is as simple as the rising and setting of the Sun. In the morning, we slowly see the Sun beautifully rising, and late in the afternoon, we see it magnificently setting as well. It's also like a song, with its beginning and eventual ending, and it's like rain; it pours, and after a while, the pouring ends.

(Mila, Boyet and Cynthia Villar)

That’s our life too: we have our beginning and eventual ending. What is important while we are still actively on this journey called life is that we know who Jesus is and have a deep friendship with Him. 

We can always develop a deep friendship with Jesus through the Holy Mass. In the Holy Mass, the words of God are read in the Liturgy of the Word, and Jesus is made present in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Upon the consecration of the Priest who acts in Persona Christi (in the Person of Christ), the ordinary bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. In the Mass, the scene of the Last Supper is repeated, when on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, and that was the first celebration of the Holy Mass (Luke 22:14-20).

It is also important that we read the Bible, especially the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, because in these Gospels, we will gain personal knowledge of who Jesus really is.

If we know Jesus, we need not fear death because death is the final hurdle to be in heaven with the angels, with the saints, and with Mama Mary. And finally, to be in the permanent company of our Triune God.

Eternal rest grant unto Gilda O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Images and magnificent work of art inside Catholic Churches does it have basis in the Bible?

If we go inside Catholic Churches be it here in the Philippines or in any parts of the world. We will notice that it has magnificent structures, artworks and various kinds of images most notably the images of Saints, Mary and Jesus. Is this based in the Bible?

Those who are uninitiated in the Catholic faith would say that it doesn’t have any basis in the Bible. In fact some Christians sects criticizes Catholics for having this images. And they sometimes use this as a point of argument to sow intrigue among Catholics so that they will be able to convince some Catholics to leave the faith and eventually join them.

Here’s the real score: Images and artworks in the Catholic Church has its foundation in the Bible in the following passages:

From Mount Hor they set out on the Red Sea road, to by-pass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered. Numbers 21:4-9

For when the dire venom of beasts came upon them and they were dying from the bite of crooked serpents, your anger endured not to the end. But as a warning, for a short time they were terrorized, though they had a sign of salvation, to remind them of the precept of your law. For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by you, the savior of all. And by this also you convinced our foes that you are he who delivers from all evil. For the bites of locusts and of flies slew them, and no remedy was found to save their lives because they deserved to be punished by such means; But not even the fangs of poisonous reptiles overcame your sons, for your mercy brought the antidote to heal them. For as a reminder of your injunctions, they were stung, and swiftly they were saved, Lest they should fall into deep forgetfulness and become unresponsive to your beneficence. For indeed, neither herb nor application cured them, but your all-healing word, O LORD! For you have dominion over life and death; you lead down to the gates of the nether world, and lead back. Man, however, slays in his malice, but when the spirit has come away, it does not return, nor can he bring back the soul once it is confined. Wisdom 16:5-14

You shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. Plate it inside and outside with pure gold, and put a molding of gold around the top of it. Cast four gold rings and fasten them on the four supports of the ark, two rings on one side and two on the opposite side. Then make poles of acacia wood and plate them with gold. These poles you are to put through the rings on the sides of the ark, for carrying it; they must remain in the rings of the ark and never be withdrawn. In the ark you are to put the commandments which I will give you. "You shall then make a propitiatory of pure gold, two cubits and a half long, and one and a half cubits wide. Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the propitiatory, fastening them so that one cherub springs direct from each end. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, covering the propitiatory with them; they shall be turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory. This propitiatory you shall then place on top of the ark. In the ark itself you are to put the commandments which I will give you. There I will meet you and there, from above the propitiatory, between the two cherubim on the ark of the commandments, I will tell you all the commands that I wish you to give the Israelites. Exodus 25:10-22

In the sanctuary were two cherubim, each ten cubits high, made of olive wood. Each wing of a cherub measured five cubits so that the space from wing tip to wing tip of each was ten cubits. The cherubim were identical in size and shape and each was exactly ten cubits high. The cherubim were placed in the inmost part of the temple, with their wings spread wide, so that one wing of each cherub touched a side wall while the other wing, pointing toward the middle of the room, touched the corresponding wing of the second cherub. The cherubim, too, were overlaid with gold. The walls on all sides of both the inner and the outer rooms had carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The floor of both the inner and the outer rooms was overlaid with gold. 1 kings 6:23-28

The sea was then cast; it was made with a circular rim, and measured ten cubits across, five in height, and thirty in circumference. Under the brim, gourds encircled it, ten to the cubit all the way around; the gourds were in two rows and were cast in one mold with the sea. This rested on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east, with their haunches all toward the center, where the sea was set upon0 them. It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim resembled that of a cup, being lily-shaped. Its capacity was two thousand measures. 1 kings 7:23-26

The Lesson of the Coffee bean.

THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN

Author Unknown

A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were farher. "As soon as I solve one problem," she said, "another one comes up. I'm tired of struggling."

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to aboil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last,ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After awhile, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. He poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her heasked, "Darling, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.

She asked, "What does it mean, Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity or problem -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water.

He asked his daughter, "When adversity or problems knocks on your door, which are you?"

A very good poem for All Souls Day (Nov.2)

When I'm Gone

by: Lyman Hancock

When I’ve come to the end of my journey

And I have traveled my very last mile

Forget if you can that I’ve frowned

Remember only my smile...

Forgive unkind words I have spoken

Remember some good I have done

Forget I ever had heartache

And remember only our fun...

Forget that I've stumbled and fumbled

And sometimes fell by the way

Remember: I fought some hard battles

But had you at the close of my day...

Do not grieve for my going

I would not have you sad this day

But in time gather some flowers

And remember the place where I lay...

Perhaps in the shade of evening

When the sun paints the sky in the West

Come stand a few moments above me

Remembering only the best...

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The Organization of the Roman Catholic Church, as I know it.

The Roman Catholic Church is a Hierarchical religious organization, the present head of the more than one billion Roman Catholics in the whole world is the bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) he is the 265th successor to Saint Peter,“Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:17-19). This passage in the Bible is the basis of the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.

The church is government in itself, in fact if we will carefully study its organizational structure we can dare say that all of the management functions that we are using right now be it in government or private organizations has its basis in the church. The functions of Leadership, Supervision, Delegation, controlling, Planning and many other organizational principles traces its roots in the church.

The Pope being the Head of the church can be likened to a president of an independent nation. In fact the Vatican where the Pope resides is a Nation and he heads that nation. But unlike a president whose power and influence is confined to limited territory. The Popes sphere of power and influence is not limited in the Vatican. It extends worldwide. When there is a Roman Catholic Parish/Church there extends also the power of the Pope.

The Bishops somewhat functions like the Governors of a civil government because like the governors who heads a certain province or state. The Bishops also heads a certain territory/province or state and it is called Diocese.

The Diocesan Priest territory is called a Parish and the Parish council helps the Priest run the Parish. He is under the guidance and supervision of the Bishop of the diocese. The Parish Priest has similar functions like the Mayors of a City or Municipality.

7. Anointing of the Sick

In our temporary journey in this world, sickness, can lead to suffering, self-importance, sometimes even hopelessness and revolt against God. It can also make us more mature, helping us determine what is not essential in life such as material things. Very often illness provokes a search for God and a return to him.

This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord. (Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15)

Jesus compassion toward the sick and his many healings of every kind of sickness shows that he has come to heal our whole being, soul and body; he is the physician the sick have need of. (Mark 2:17).His compassion toward all who suffer goes so far that he identifies himself with them: "I was sick and you visited me.(Matthew 25:36) His preferential love for the sick has not ceased through the centuries to draw the very special attention of Christians toward all those who suffer in body and soul. It is the source of determined efforts to comfort them.

Often Jesus asks the sick to believe (Mark 5:34, 36; 9:23). He makes use of signs to heal, spittle and the laying on of hands, (Mark 7:32-36; 8:22-25) mud and washing, (John 9:6-7). The sick try to touch him, "for power came forth from him and healed them all." (Luke 6:19, Mark 1:41, 3:10, 6:56). And so in the sacraments Christ continues to "touch" us in order to heal us.

The Holy Spirit gives to some a special charism of healing, (1st Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30) so as to make present the power of the grace of the risen Lord. However, even the most intense prayers do not always obtain the healing of all sickness. Thus St. Paul must learn from the Lord that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," and that the sufferings to be endured can mean that "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church."(2nd Corinthians 12:9; Col 1:24.)

Only Bishops and Priests are ministers of the Anointing of the Sick. It is their duty to educate Catholics on the benefits of this sacrament. Those who know about this sacrament should encourage the sick to call for a Priest to receive this sacrament. The sick should prepare himself to receive it with good disposition through their bishop or Priest.

In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as Viaticum, Communion in the body and blood of Christ. According to the words of Jesus: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:54). The Eucharist is the sacrament of passing over from death to life, from this world to the Father. (John 13:1)

The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:

· The uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole church.
· The strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age.
· The forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Confession.
· The restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul.
· The preparation for passing over to eternal life.

Anointing of the Sick is the last sacrament. To know more about each sacrament I encourage you to read the Catechism of the Church.

6. The Sacrament of Matrimony/Marriage

St. Paul said: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church." (Ephesians 5:25).

The Bible begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb." (Genesis 1:26-27).It says that man and woman were created for one another, "It is not good that the man should be alone." (Genesis 2:18) . The woman, "flesh of his flesh," his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a "helpmate" she thus represents God from whom comes our help (Genesis 2:18-25) "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and he marries his wife, and they become one flesh." The Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been in the beginning: "So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (Matthew 19:6)
The first miracle of Jesus was during a wedding feast at Cana, (John 2:1-10) The Church gives great importance to Jesus' presence at the wedding at Cana. It is the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thereon marriage will be an effective sign of Christ's presence.

Husband and Wife are called to grow continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self-giving." This human communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened by lives of the common faith and by the body of Christ received together.

This is just a very short essay, the responsibility to discover more is within us.

5. The Sacrament of Holy Orders

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles that continues to be exercised in the Church today. It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: Episcopate (Bishops), Presbyterate (Priests) , and Diaconate (Deacons).The word order is an established civil body, especially a governing body.

Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordination, a religious and liturgical act which has a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. The word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, priests, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation or delegation. For it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecrating prayer, constitutes the visible sign of ordination.

The priests are appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Hebrews 5:1; Exodus 29:1-30; Leviticus 8.)

Everything that the priesthood of the Old Testament proclamation finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and men." (1st. Timothy 2:5)
Again, this is just a short essay the responsibility to know more is within us.

4. The Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation

As far as I know, here in the Philippines this Sacrament is called Confession or Reconciliation, confession of sins to a Priest or Bishop is an essential part of this sacrament and it is only through this sacrament that we are again reconciled with God. Without confession there will be no reconciliation with God, no forgiveness of our sins. It is only through this that we are cleansed from our sins be it Mortal sin or Venial sin.

During confession, all sins must be recounted or recalled so that there will be complete healing on our soul. Without confession we will be forever be burdened by our conscience, from time to time we will feel the guilt of our sins and we will not be able to achieve peace of mind.

What if during confession we unintentionally forget to confess some of our sins. For so long as we humbly and truthfully submit ourselves to this sacrament, those sins that we forget to confess has been forgiven also. But let us say that we submitted ourselves to this sacrament then, for reasons known only to ourselves we willfully did not confess some of our sins. Those sins are not forgiven.

The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Confession are:
· reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
· reconciliation with the Church;
· remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
· remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin;
· peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
· an increase of spiritual strength.

One of the many Biblical passages related to this Sacrament is this. "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week," Jesus showed himself to his apostles. "He breathed on them, and said to them: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'" (John. 20:19, 22-23).

NB: The Apostles in Jesus time is now represented by Bishops and Priests by virtue of their ordination.

By his humanity Jesus has also lived to administer this Sacrament.

Again, this is a short essay the responsibility to know more is within us.

3. The Sacrament of Confirmation

Last March 18, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was conferred to me by our Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle DD. I remember that he recited this prayer "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit." I said Amen! then he anointed me with chrism oil on my forehead. (see picture, the man whose hand is on my shoulder is our Parish Priest Leonardo R. Bagos, who was also my Godparent during the Confirmation)

Those who are anointed, share more completely with the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled so that their lives may give off "the aroma of Christ. (2nd Corinthians 2:15). By anointing the confirmand receives the "mark," the seal of the Holy Spirit, (Deuteronomy 32:34). A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority. By way of confirmation he now becomes a soldier of Christ. Jesus himself declared that he was marked with his Father's seal, (John 6:27). This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ and his Church.

It is evident from this celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. (John 20:22), (Acts 2:1-4).

Every baptized Catholic not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation.

Again, the responsibility to discover more is within us.

2.The Sacrament of Holy Communion

In other countries this is called Sacrament of the Eucharist, here in the Philippines this is known as the Sacrament of Holy Communion because by this Sacrament we unite ourselves with Jesus when we accept his Body in the form of the Consecrated Host.

The center of the Mass are the bread and wine that, by the words of Jesus and by the invocation of the Holy Spirit, it becomes Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do this in his memory. This is what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread. . . ." "He took the cup filled with wine… (Luke 22:17-20).

During the second part of the Mass which is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist the Priest Consecrates the bread and wine. By virtue of consecration it now becomes the Body and Blood of Christ.

In the miracle of the loaves/bread, when Jesus said the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves/bread through his disciples to feed the people shows the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist. (Matthew 14:13-21) .

Who Can Receive Communion?

The Catholic Church has guidelines on how we should prepare ourselves to receive the Lord’s body during Communion. To receive Communion worthily, you must be in a state of grace, has observed the Eucharistic fast, (not eating anything for at least one hour before the Mass). Not living as husband & wife outside of the Sacrament of Matrimony (Marriage). Has been to confession for at least once a year or you must have been to confession since your last mortal sin. The Bible contains lists of mortal sins ( 1st Corinthians. 6:9–10 and Galatians. 5:19–21). For more information on mortal sin, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Again, what I have presented here is a short essay of the Sacrament of Communion. The responsibility to discover more is within us.

1.The Sacrament of Baptism

Baptism is the gateway to the other Sacraments, we first have to be baptised before we receive the other sacraments. During Baptism we are freed from the doctrine of Original Sin and we officially become a member of the Church.

All the Old Covenant prophecies has its fulfilment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. (Matthew 3:13).
After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles which is represented now by Deacons, Priests & Bishops. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20).

Anyone who has not received the sacrament of Baptism is eligible to have it provided that the parents are willing to satisfy all the requirements of the church. The same rules applies for an adult who wants to be Baptised.

What I have presented here is a short essay of the Sacrament of Baptism. The responsibility to discover more is within us.

The Seven Sacraments of The Roman Catholic Church

There are Seven (7) Sacraments inside the Catholic church, The first is the sacrament of Baptism, second is the sacrament of Communion third is the sacrament of confirmation fourth is the sacrament of the Holy Orders the fifth is the sacrament of Holy Matrimony (Marriage) the sixth is the sacrament of Confession and the seventh is the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

What is the relevance of these sacraments in our life's journey? The sacraments are there to accompany us as we travel in this world, remember that the first sacrament is Baptism and the last sacrament is the anointing of the sick. Baptism is the start of our christian life and the Anointing of the Sick is the end. Majority of those who are being anointed are old and are near to the next life. But strictly speaking the Anointing of the sick is not only given when somebody is old and dying. anybody regardless of age who is gravely sick or set to undergo a major operation is eligible to this sacrament.

In my forthcoming blogs I will be discussing each sacraments and its relevant Biblical verses. I will start with Baptism. I am doing this with the hope of educating those Catholics who are not deeply immersed in their faith so as to avoid their migration to other christian faiths.

Visiting the Sick.

Last Saturday (Aug. 4) We visited my sick auntie (Gilda) in Las Piñas. I left Carmona around 6:30 am and I arrived there 8:00, she was not in there house because she went out with my sister (Grace) to see her Doctor for her check-up.

After 30 mins. they arrived, upon seeing her I immediate went to her to bless her hand and I said "How are you auntie?" she replied, I am OK, but closely looking at her it's undeniable that she has a serious health problem. I was told before that her problem was her liver, it's not working very well that's why she's losing weight and her stomach was unusually bigger. I can't help but pause and admire her courage and strong determination to live and fight her oppressive illness.

We may ask, why is she suffering big time? Is this her punishment from God? This is my opinion based on what I know as an Extra Ordinary Minister of the Holy Communion. She is undergoing these trials for her and for us also, to know that there's a supreme being that governs us all and that is God, in spite of the modern medical technology, in spite of material wealth, there's God who's way above all of these temporal things. Her predicament is not a punishment from God, rather it's God's way of saying come to me, rely on nobody but me and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

After staying with her for more than two hours, We said our goodbyes I kissed her on her cheek and I said take good care of your health always and we will be seeing you again next month and she replied you always Pray for me... then she said, "I always Pray for all of you."

Why do we visit her often? Why do we allocate a portion our precious time with her? To my mind we visit her often because she has helped us become what we are today, in a special way she has also showed her love for us specially during the time when she took care of us. This is actually our special way of saying to her that we remember those days and we are still very grateful for the things that she has done for us all.

Finally, we visit her often because of these Bible verses on Matthew 25:35-40. 

Marino J. Dasmarinas: Recollection and Retreat Facilitator

I conduct and facilitate Recollections and Retreats for Government and Private organization.

My emails adds: mjdasma@yahoo.com /  mjdasma@gmail.com 

The Reunion/Originally Posted on April 30, 2007

April 29, was a day to remember. We went to Moonwalk Las Piñas to attend the get together sponsored by Auntie Elsa. We went there for no other reason but to renew acquaintance with our relatives.

Upon arrival we were immediately ushered to the dining table and there we got our food. Then with our plates full, we joined our relatives in the veranda and slowly we eat and conversed with them as well. As the night was maturing the Karaoke music was also being kept busy by my relatives, all kinds of songs were being played and it was music to my ears to listen to them, although some of them were mangling the lyrics.

On our table I was busy eating pulutan, and I had a few shots of Red wine while at the same time silently listening to the friendly arguments of my relatives. The topics of the debates was varied: from the current slump of Miami Heat, an NBA team with superstar players like Shaq Oneil and Dwayne Wade being overpowered by the relatively young team of the Chicago bulls to the current political situation of our beloved province in Motiong Samar.

After a long while it was time to go home, we were given our presents directly brought in from the USA by Auntie Elsa...

As we were cruising home I was on a reflective mode... once in a while it's good to have this Reunion because it always reminds us of our older relatives who has made a difference in our lives...

Anointing of the Sick/Originally posted May 7, 2007

It was May 2 around 9:00 pm, a fellow Minister of the Holy communion called me, I was quite annoyed because it was time to relax and eventually retire for the day. I have not yet uttered a single word when he said, bong can we call Father Nards? (Our Parish Priest) I asked him? for what reason? And he told me that there is a gravely ill woman and she might go anytime. I thought about it for quite sometime because it was late in the night already and I don't want to disturb our Priest.

However, we went to the her house upon knocking on their gate we were meet by her son and we introduced ourselves as Extra Ordinary Ministers of the Communion . Then I asked him "Can we see your sick mother?" he said yes, we went inside and saw a very thin old woman lying on her bed. She can't talk anymore because she has cancer on her throat but she can still recognize. I looked closely at her, there was a sudden gush of emotion on me because I knew her face. I always see her attending Mass or Bible service and whenever she in the church she always caught my attention because she was always alone on the farthest pew, she was alone but she was constantly following the ceremony whether it was Mass or Bible service.

So we went home and I decided to text our Priest and told him that there is a gravely ill woman sick with cancer, she's near death, I further told him if it is possible for him to gave the last sacrament that night or early morning. after a few minutes I got a reply and he said. I am ready now, so I texted him back and said Father I will fetch you now. I hailed a tricycle and went to the church when we arrived Father was already prepared and we went to the house of the sick lady. Immediately Father put his stole and said: I am the Priest I will gave you the Anointing of the Sick .

It was so touching seeing the Priest laying his hand on the sick and praying at the same time. After Father was through we accompanied him back and said thank you very much Father.When I was going back home I said to myself thank you dear God for calling us and making us an instrument of your grace...