^~^DAILY GOSPEL REFLECTION^~^

If Life Is A Journey,What Do You Bring With You?

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

1. Map

Map represent guide to our journey. Without them, we'd get nowhere. The same thing in life... What kind of guide do we have with us as we set forth in the greatest journey of all?

a) Our Values

What we value in life helps us to determine where we're going. It helps us to avoid the things that are not important to us, and to give priority to those things we most resonate with.Do you value education? Then your map will point you to the paths that will increase your knowledge and help you in your career. or do you value your family? then you will be most likely guided towards things that will improve your relationship with your family and people.

b) Our Dreams

Dreams give us the sense of purpose we need in orfer to continue in our journey. If we use a map, dreams point to the destination we wish to arrive at....eg... getting the job we want... or marrying your ideal partner or maybe fulfilling the mission God has given us.

2.Cash and Credit Cards

Cash represents the provisions we will need to have our journey. If we have dreams, these are the resources we need to have in order to fulfill them. They represents the material wealth needed in order to physically manifest our desire.

3) Rosary

A Rosary represents prayer. It represents the spiritual resources we need in order to have a meaningful journey. This is our higher source of Wisdom and of strength when we fell weak and down and that we will unable to carry on.... Feeling of security... I should say.

4) Kindle Fire

I have my favorite music and videos as well as books and movies in my kindle. Whenever I felt bored or fraustrated or down and low, I just listen to my favorite songs or watch a movie or reading a novel and I am back on track again. Songs represents the needed positive thinking...and develop a sense of humor that we should carry in our life's journey. Smile often, laugh more. It could greatly make our burden lighter and will help us in focusing back to our mission .

5) Camera

I love taking pictures when I travel. It is like taking a piece of my journey back, and savoring it again and again. I love to watch and review what had been transpired in my journey. Camera represents the memory of my journey I make. What kind of pictures am I taking? Are these the kind of pictures I will take when I go home?

6) Mobile Phone

One of the most important thing I bring with me is my cellphone. I use it to stay in touch with family, relatives and friends where ever I may go. Keeping in touch.....That's one thing we could do to make our journey happier and worthwhile. If we could always bring our family with us, then it could be better.

Life is indeed a great journey. Sometimes you may go up, but sometimes you may be down,.... or you maybe feel good, but sometimes feeling bad. But whatever uncertainties we may have to face, we must remember to bring along Jesus Christ Our Savior in our hearts that will surely make our life's journey joyful and meaningful.

And so we must travel light... how? by leaving these behind....

1. Anger

Anger weigh us down so much that unless we could let it go, we couldn't go so far in our journey. At first we may feel that it is pushing us intensely to do something, but later we'd realize that it is really holding us back from doing the things we trully desire to do. Let go in anger. Forgive, if not for the person who hurt you, but for our own peace of mind and healing.

2. Guilt

When we are not able to let go of guilt, we will only sabotage our own success. We will hold ourself back from our own happiness. It is not that we shouldn't do anything to make up for our own mistakes. In fack that's what we should do. We should do all we can to ask forgiveness, to make up for our mistakes and to correct them. But then there will come a time when we too should forgive ourselves as God has forgiven us.

3.Greed

Another thing that hinders us from travelling light is greed. When we are so concerned with the material things that we are bound by them. Instead of being helped by such wealth, we become victims of our own greed. Greed is trying to get more than what we need. It is carrying more than what we want to carry. It also steals the time we should have spent with the people we love.. because our time just couln't be enough to amass and hoard all the money we could get.

My own Journey

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:10:00 +0000

following christ is not easy, it needs a lot of sacrifices, a lot of prayers...to give up everything...sometimes i reflected on my self, "am I true to my decisions"? this question needs a very critical mind..it needs a wide and deep understanding to one's self..

this is the truth, it sometimes hard to make a decision...but, I believe that 'everything will be given in GOD's time...in His own way, in His own time...

i can't hide sometimes my feelings and struggles in following Christ...Am I worthy to this kind of vocation I wanted to be in my life? As time passed by, I gradually have the answer to my question...that no matter how sinful I am,i faced it with humility and asked God to forgive my sins...then I stand again from where I fall with courage and repentance...

now. I realized How God help me from falling..How He Loved me in a special way...

I now taste and see the goodness of God....

What Kind of Legal System do we have in the Philippines?

Wed, 25 May 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Reading about the case of Governor Leviste’s obvious privileges, a convicted killer and inmate at the Bilibid Prisons in Manila, and who made a mockery of the legal system in the Philippines, made me and many Filipinos so angry and furious.

In the first place, what kind of legal system do we have in the Philippines? I could not believe and imagine that some inmates, though how notorious their case maybe, as in the case of Mr. Leviste, are given free lunch and so much privileges. Never in my imagination have I heard an inmate who is given what they call ‘living out’ or ‘sleep out’ privileges. According to the news report, this has been a practice going back to the past administrations. My question is, has the prison system in the Philippines changed into a hotel for inmates? To my understanding, a prison is a place where you confine criminals even against their will as a punishment for committing criminal acts, and/or violating the laws of the land.

But let’s take the case of Mr. Leviste. Leviste has been found to have committed murder. For this, he was sent into Prison at the Bilibid Prisons in Manila. A few days ago, somebody was able to take a picture and video of him going in and out of the Bilibid prisons. When the Media finally caught up and interviewed Mr. Leviste and asked how he was able to go in and out of the Bilibid Prisons, he said that he did not ask anyone for permission. He made this alibi of walking out from the Bilibid Prison because he had a terrible toothache and had a Dentist appointment. Upon further investigation, however, it was not true that he had any dentist appointment that day as Mr. Leviste claimed earlier. His claim was disputed by his dentist. However, the issue here is: How did an inmate like Mr. Leviste got in and out of the Bilibid Prison? Does the Prison system in the Philippines so lax that any inmate could just walk in and out of the prison compound as they please? Or, did Mr. Leviste got in and out of the prison because he was given “special privileges” by the prison officials? Was this “special privileges” given to all the inmates, or given only to some who are rich and powerful like Mr. Leviste? Does the new bilibid prison chief Mr. Ernesto Diokno know about this practice? The truth is, in the Philippine Inquirer Today (May 25, 2011), Mr. Ernesto Diokno acknowledged of dropping the ball on the issue of “special privileges” on some inmates. During a hearing conducted by the Department of Justice on Wednesday, Diokno told investigators that he had noticed that “special privileges” were being doled out to some inmates, particularly those allowed in separate facilities (“nipa huts”;) outside the minimum security compound. But Diokno denied that he had anything to do with the unauthorized trips of the convicted killer, Mr. Antonio Leviste. And then he said that “he was only concerned with policies.”

Let us scrutinize this case at issue. In the first place, who said so that there should be “special privileges” extended to any inmate at the bilibid prison? There is nothing in the constitution or any law of the land that mandates or gives orders that some inmates or prisoners be given “special privileges.” Therefore, whoever initiated this practice should be immediately investigated and sacked out from their office. Second, We would earnestly recommend that Mr. Diokno, the head of the bilibid prison be removed immediately from his office. Mr. Diokno, don’t tell us that your only concerned is about policies. You are the chief of the Bilibid prisons. Whatever happens at the Bilibid Prisons is your responsibility. Do you know the meaning of “command responsibility,”Mr. Diokno?

With the case of Mr. Leviste, I think it is time for the President to make an overhaul of the Prison system in the Philippines. We need new policies and new restructuring of the prison system. I recommend that all the current officials, from the chief of the bilibid prisons down to the lowest level, be immediately sacked from their jobs. What happened in the case of Mr. Leviste was a mockery of the legal system. Also, it brings to fore once again the recurring problem in the country – which is corruption in government. It is time for the President to show to everyone that he really means business when he says that fighting corruption is his number one priority. Likewise, the legal system should be an institution whereby we can depend and trust. Hence, everyone should be treated with fairness and justice by the law. Our laws are meant not only for the rich and powerful like Mr. Leviste, but for everyone even like Mang Pandoy. Therefore, everyone should be treated fairly and squarely. Otherwise, people will lose their faith on our legal system. If that happens, a revolt from the people may deem again possible.

THREE FILIPINOS WERE EXECUTED IN CHINA

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Three Filipino workers convicted of drug trafficking were executed by lethal injection in China on Wednesday, March 30, 2011.The three were identified as Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, Elizabeth Batain, 38, and Ramon Credo, 42, the Philippines' GMA News reported. The executions were scheduled last month but were postponed after Philippine Vice President Jeomar Binay went to China to appeal for their case on behalf of the Philippine government. Now, after two months of reprieve, the Chinese government has finally enacted its verdict – the execution of three of our compatriots.

What can we possibly say about this execution? Let me reflect with you today of what I think about this whole incident. First of all, we as Filipinos sympathize with the families of the victims who were executed in China. Although their families were given a chance to see their loved ones just before the three were executed, but what good is that? When they found themselves at the edge of life, hopeless, grieving and could not do nothing more? When their appeals and cries landed on deaf ears and they had nowhere else to go? When even God himself seemed to have distanced himself from them and they could nowhere find Him? Every Filipino cries out with these families who are grieving because of their lost. We cry out and mourn with the families of the victims, not because we condone what the victims allegedly perpetrated, but for many of us – we don’t see them as “drug traffickers or drug pushers”, but simply “victims” of illegal drug traffickers. Being “drug traffickers and drug pushers” per se is quite different from being “victims” of real drug traffickers. Of course, we can never know what really happened. From the legal point of view, the Chinese government would defend their action and say that they were just following their law and constitution. Anyone who violates their laws would be meted out with the same penalty. My point of discussion is not about the content of their law or constitution. If that’s their law, fine. My question,however, is: Did they really make a real, honest and truthful investigation of the case? If they were really serious about the case, and if they intended to be objective and comprehensive in their investigation, as they should have done, then they should have really investigated even the background of these persons whom they executed. As we all know now, the three ‘pinoys’ did not come from a well-to-do family. They were ordinary Filipinos who just dreamt of giving their families a better future. In spite of the known- hardship of separation from their loved ones,they sacrificed everything, went to work in another country, hoping to find a job so they could help their families back home. But this dream just crumpled into ruins.Their recruiters, according to these three Filipinos, ‘used’ them to carry heroins to China. Whether they knew they were carrying some contraband drugs –no one could really say for certain. As an outsider but prudent observer, I could never imagine that Sally Ordinario, for example, a wife with two kids,would be branded as ‘drug trafficker’ per se? Of course, I am not discounting the fact that any person, whether poor or rich, can become a drug trafficker if he or she chooses to do so. I am aware that money can buy anything, even one’s soul. But let us be realistic and practical here. Could you really imagine a simple house wife like Sally Ordinario or Elizabeth Batain become real ‘drug pushers’ as they were branded upon by the Chinese government? Either they were desperate to do anything (because of the glare of money), or they were simply dumb and crazy. I will stand by their statements that they were just used by drug traffickers to transport the contraband drugs (or heroin). I refuse to accept that they were in a state of desperation to do anything because they had their families and children to think about. It’s my honest opinion that executing these three ‘pinoys’ were a damned mistake. I refuse to accept that they were the real culprits. That is why, the Philippine Government should exhaust all its resources to go after the real drug pushers and drug traffickers in the country who continue to pry on fellow Filipinos, and use them for these illegal trades. Again, we should not stop our campaign against these illegal traders. We should continue to warn our nationals and overseas workers never to engage in such illegal activities. Otherwise, they will eventually pay a very high price like these three pinoys who were executed in China.

This brings me to another point of discussion. I would like to ask: to what extent did the Philippine government had helped and assisted, if they did at all, these three Filipinos in their ordeal? I heard on the news and read on the papers about the Philippine Government assisting the families of the accused going to China at the eleventh hour? I heard as well about some Philippine lawyers assisting the accused at their trial. My point of interest is not so much what the Philippine Government did at the last hour. But the point of discussion is– were the accused assisted from the very beginning of their trial, or just when the Media started to publicize their case? What help did the accused had gotten from the Philippine Government – at the beginning of the trial, during the trial, and at the completion of the case? As Filipino citizens, the accused individuals should have gotten all the necessary help they needed to win their case. I hate to say that in a number of instances, the Philippine Government would come to the aid of such individuals only at the eleventh hour. Take the case of the Filipinos who needed to be evacuated from Libya and other Arab countries in turmoil, the help from our government came too late. Then, about two days ago, there was a news on TFC (The Filipino Channel) about a Filipina in Dubai who was abducted, jailed and raped. But nobody had ever assisted her – not even the Philippine Government, until recently, when the case was publicized in the media. Why is that? In my observation, there seems to be a lack of concern, interest, or political will, from the part of the Philippine Government to follow up cases such as these mentioned. If this is so, then this is a real set back. First of all, this negates the very essence and role of government. That the government exists and subsists to protect its citizenry. And also, it sheds a bad light on the image of the President of the Republic. This just shows that the President lacks the ability to run the government as he should. Maybe it’s time again to evaluate whether our government is doing its job or not.

I’d like to pose some concerns I have towards the Chinese government. Yes, the Chinese Government executed three of our compatriots because they found them allegedly to have violated the Chinese laws and constitution. In their case, the three Filipinos were convicted of drug trafficking – and the penalty was death. Out of curiosity, if those convicted were not Filipinos, say they were Americans or British, would the Chinese Government have had the muscle to execute them as well? How many drug traffickers from the US, Britain, or France have China executed so far? Do their laws apply for everyone, or do they apply only to poor people from third world countries? I am just curios. Also, I know that China is one of the countries which has the worse records as far as violation of human rights isconcerned. No wonder, killing its own people like what happened at Tianenmen square some few years back, or enacting capital punishment like death penalty,are just some manifestation of this. In my opinion, it’s time for governments to abolish death penalty.

I’d like to address myself to all our compatriots especially those who are working abroad. I hope that what happened to our three “kababayans” who were executed in China would serve as a lesson for everyone. I hope, by now, you are smart to know that if you are caught dealing or exporting contraband drugs, you could possibly be meted out with the same punishment – which is death. Don’t risk your life and fate by engaging in these illegal activities. There are more important things in life than money. Think about your family, your life, and your many sacrifices.Dealing such illegal trades, or letting yourself being used as a “mule” by drug traffickers is not worth it. For those who are engaged in these illegal trades,we earnestly ask you to think twice. Our law enforcements are running after you.

At this time, as we mourn with the family of our three compatriots who were executed in China, we would like as well to commend Sally, Elizabethand Ramon to your prayers. We pray for the repose of their souls. May they rest in peace.

JOURNAL OF MY PILGRIMAGE TO ISRAEL AND JORDAN

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:46:00 +0000

November 17, 2010

At 2:30 pm, Mr. Sam Magalong, a friend and leader of the Filipino Apostolate, drove me to JFK airport in New York, for my flight to Tel Aviv. It took us about two hours to reach the airport due to the heavy traffic. Sam dropped me off in terminal 3 at JFK at about 4:30 pm. I didn’t have any hassle checking in my bags as some people were worried about airport security these days. At the airport lounge, I met four members of our tour group, who checked in earlier. A couple flew in from Tampa, Florida, and another couple flew in from Arizona. The rest arrived much later. There were 35 of us in the tour group. We departed from JFK (thru Delta Airlines) at about 9:40 pm, for an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. It was a 10 hour flight. In the plane we were served complimentary beverages, in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast. I slept soundly through most of the flight.

November 18, 2010

We touched down at Tel Aviv International Airport at about 7:30 am (New York time). In Israel, the standard time was 2:30 pm, a 7-hour difference from New York. It took us about forty minutes before we were cleared up by the customs. At the airport, we were met by our Unitour guide, Mr. Isaac. From the airport, a rented bus took us to our Hotel in Tel Aviv. It was an hour’s ride from the airport to our hotel. The hotel’s name was Grand Beach Hotel situated at the heart of the city of Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel. After we arrived at the hotel, we had some time to change our clothes and rest a little. At 7 pm, a sumptuous dinner was served. No activity was scheduled after dinner.

November 19, 2010

I woke up at 2 am. I don’t why I woke up so early. Maybe it has something to do with jetlag, or simply because I was new to the place. Anyway, I took the time to open up my emails and email some of my friends. After an hour or so, I went back to sleep. Then I woke up again at 5:30 am, and from that time on I could no longer go back to sleep. At 6 am, we had a wake-up call from the reception. Subsequently, at 6:30 am, breakfast was served. We departed from our hotel in Tel Aviv exactly at 7:30 am as scheduled. We headed North towards the coast line of Israel to Caesarea Maritima, an important port city in Israel built by King Herod more than 2,000 years ago. The main reason why Herod wanted to build the port city was for economic reason. The cheapest and easiest way to transfer cargo from one place to the other was through the Mediterranean sea. That is why ports in those times were very important places. Herod took him at least 11 years to build the new city. He began in the year 20 BC, and completed it in the year 9 BC. He named the city after Augustus, his boss, and the Caesar of the Roman Empire. This port was the biggest port in the eastern side of the Mediterranean sea, and the third largest port in the world in those days. Along the way, Isaac, our tour guide, gave us a detailed lecture on the map and history of Israel. It took us about an hour ride to reach the port city from Tel Aviv. Our tour guide, Isaac, introduced us to the history and current excavation being done at Caesarea. First, he showed us about the theatre being uncovered, then the ruins of the house of King Herod, the Roman bath, the main road of Caesarea, then the other side of the wall built by the crusaders. The city of Caesarea was full of history and great significance. In terms of Christian significance, it was here where St. Paul stayed for some years before his missionary journey, and before and after his imprisonment. From Caesarea, we headed to Mt. Carmel. It took us about an hour to reach Carmel. The word Carmel is mentioned a number of times in the bible. The word Carmel is a combination of two Hebrew words –“Karem” or “kerim” (vineyard), and “El” (God) – which literally means, “the vineyard of God. Two thousand years ago, people used to grow here beautiful vineyards. At the top of Mt.Carmel, we saw the statue of the Prophet Elijah. More than 2,900 years ago, Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and Ashara. The bible tells us that in those days, the Israelites began to do evil in the eyes of God. They started to follow and worship the prophets of Baal and ashara, which means “paganism.” The bible tells us that the prophet Elijah spoke against these phenomena. He came to the Israelites and offered them to make a test. He said to them, “You will build your altar, and I will build mine.” “You will call in the name of your god and I will call in the name of my God. And the first one who answers by fire, he is God.” They all agreed. One day, early morning, Elijah gathered the Israelites somewhere here on top of Mt. Carmel. At noon, when nothing happened, the prophet Elijah picked 12 stones at Mt. Carmel to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. From the 12 stones, he built his altar. Then he called on God to bring fire on his burnt offering. The people believed on him. Meanwhile, the people brought the prophets of Baal down to the river of kishon where Elijah slaughtered them all. From Mt. Carmel we went down the valley of Jeyzebel, and headed towards the town of Nazareth in the city of Galilee. It took us about 45 minutes or so to reach Nazareth from Carmel. The town of Nazareth is situated on a mountain. This was the town of Jesus where he grew up. During the time of Jesus, this was just a small town composed of about 400 families. Now, it has grown into a big city. We visited first the place called “mountain of precipice,” the place where the people brought Jesus intending to throw him down the hill. Then we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation, situated at the heart of the city, where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Mother. Inside the Basilica was a cave where the Annunciation supposedly took place. I celebrated mass at the basilica. From Nazareth, we headed towards Cana, where Jesus performed the first miracle of turning the water into wine. It was approximately 40 minutes ride from Carmel. The Church of Cana is not a big Church. But underneath the church, we saw the old ruins of the church built by the Byzantine as well as the Crusaders. We also witnessed an original stone, dating back to 2000 years, where Jesus possibly used to store the water and turned it into wine. At the crypt of the Church of Cana, I performed a renewal of marriage vows to some of our couples. From Cana, we proceeded to our hotel called Royal Plaza Hotel situated along the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.

November 20, 2010

We woke up at 6 am. Shortly thereafter, we had breakfast. We left our hotel at 7:15am and headed to the port of Tiberias, where we took a 30- minute boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to the Kibbutz, a village near Magdala. During our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, our tour guide explained the significance of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake. It was in the villages around the Sea of Galilee that Jesus spent most of his ministry preaching, healing and performing miracles. From the Sea of Galilee, you could see the Village of Tiberias (where we came from), the village of Magdala, the village of Gennesaret, Capernaum, and many others. We remember here in the Sea of Galilee about Jesus calling his first disciples, who were fishermen, casting their nets into the sea. It was in this lake that Jesus walked on the water. After crossing the Sea of Galilee, thru the Kibbutz, we proceeded to the region of Tabgha. Here we visited the church of the multiplication of the bread. Apparently, this was the place where Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, where he fed five thousand men with just three loaves of bread and two fish, according to the gospel. In this church, which is now owned by the Franciscans, we saw the rock at the bottom of the altar where Jesus supposedly sat on, while he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the bread. From the Church of the multiplication of the bread, we proceeded to visit the Church of Primacy of Peter, which was just about seven minutes away. The Church of the Primacy of Peter, a relatively small church, was supposed to be the site where Jesus gave Peter the second command to become the head of the Apostles. Remember the story in the scripture where Jesus appeared to the apostles near the sea of Galilee after his resurrection. It was at this instance when Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. He asked Peter three times if he loved him. After each question, Jesus said: “Feed my sheep.” From the Church of the Primacy of Peter, we proceeded to the northern side of the lake towards Capernaum. It was about 30 minutes ride from the Church of the Primacy of Peter. At Capernaum, we saw the old ruins of the town of Capernaum. It was important to remember that at Capernaum, Jesus stayed mostly in this town while ministering to the different villages around the lake of Galilee. Sometimes, this is also called the “Town of Jesus.” At Capernaum, we saw the old ruins of the Byzantine Church which was built above the house of the mother- in- law of Peter, where Jesus supposedly resided while at Capernaum, and the old ruins built by the Crusaders around it. Now there is a modern church built above this ruin. Around the town, you can still see the old ruins of houses which dates back to the time of Jesus. At the center of the town, you see this massive temple ruin. It was at this temple that Jesus most probably prayed while he was in Capernaum. A lot of miracles also happened in this town. From Capernaum, we visited the Mountain of Beatitudes. It took us about thirty minutes as well to travel from Capernaum to the mountain of Beatitudes. It was supposed to be in this mountain where Jesus taught his famous radical teaching – the eight beatitudes. From the mountain of beatitudes, you can have a nice eye view of the valley and Sea of Galilee down below. An octangular church is now built on this mountain of beatitudes. From the Mountain of beatitudes, we went down to the valley into the village of Magdala. We had lunch here at some local restaurant. For lunch, we were served with the known local food called “Peter’s fish,” or ‘Tilapia fish. We all had a good and sumptuous lunch. After lunch, we drove west to the region of Galilee to Mount Tabor. From Magdala, it took us about forty five minutes to an hour to reach Mt. Tabor. Going up to Mt. Tabor was very steep. No buses could go up there except what they call taxis. It was at Mt. Tabor where the transfiguration took place. Now there is a church called “Church of Transfiguration” built by the Franciscans on top of this mountain. Here, I celebrated mass with my group. After the mass at Mount Tabor, we went downhill towards the River Jordan, which was about forty minutes away. At the River Jordan, we had renewal of baptismal promises. Then we returned to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

November 21, 2010

Wake up call at the hotel was at 5:45 am. By 6:30 am, we went down to have breakfast. By 7:15 am, we left our hotel in Tiberias and headed towards Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was a three-hour journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, as we passed through the Jordan Valley, Judean desert and the hills of Samaria. During the time of Jesus, the Jordan Valley was the main road from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus and the first family took this same road when they travelled to Jerusalem to register for the census. It must have taken them eight to ten days to travel this road going to Jerusalem. Then, when they were in Jerusalem, they stayed there for another 10 days. During the time of Jesus, the road along the Jordan Valley, used to be a dangerous road. That is why, when the Jews travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem, they used to travel in big groups or in caravan, for security reason. And they only travelled during day light. In the scripture, we remember the story of Jesus when the first family went to Jerusalem for the census. Coming back home to Nazareth after the Census, Mary and Joseph thought that Jesus was with his relatives and neighbours. But, realizing that he was not with them, Joseph and Mary returned back to Jerusalem and saw Jesus in the midst of the wise men and leaders of the synagogue, teaching in their midst. When Jesus finished his ministry in Galilee, he went to Jerusalem after the feast of the Passover. Jesus surely walked in the Jordan valley, passed by Jericho, and went to Jerusalem. In the same manner, we also took the same route that Jesus walked more than 2,000 years ago. Along the Jordan valley, we passed by the village of what it used to be “Bet Shean,” which literally means “The House of Shean.” Three thousand one hundred before Christ, during the reign of King Saul in Israel, the so called “Philistines,” a tribe from Macedonia (which is Greece today) came here and landed at the port of Joppa and took the southern part of the coast line, and came to reside at “Bet Shean.” King Saul didn’t like the Philistines, so he decided to fight them. At the right side of the road along the Jordan Valley, we got a glimpse of a high mountain called “Mount Gilboa.” It was in this mountain that King Saul gathered his army to fight the Philistines. During this time, the bible tells us about a prophet named Samuel who prophesied that the 3 sons of King Saul will be killed. As he was so depressed about the prophecy, Saul could not lead his army into battle against the Philistines. In turn, the Philistines defeated the Israelites and injured King Saul in the battle, and as prophesied, his three sons were killed. Later, King Saul committed suicide in “Mt. Gilboa.” Then the Philistines brought the body of King Saul to “Bet Shean,” where they cut off this head and hanged it around the village. After the death of King Saul, David became the king of Israel. Now, Jonathan, one of King Saul’s sons who was killed by the Philistines was a friend of David. In his lamentation over the death of Jonathan, David gave a curse to “Mt. Gilboa. Because of this curse, nothing ever grows in this mountain, there is not even a rain drop seen in this place again. In the meantime, David succeeded in battle against the Philistines and took over “Bet Shean.” During the Roman Era, “Bet Shean” became a big Roman City, and it became a part of Decapolis, meaning “10 Roman Cities.” In 1930, “Bet Shean” was destroyed by an earthquake. So a new city was built here. As we continued our journey along the Jordan Valley, we also had a glimpse of the mountain of Samaria. People who settled in this mountain were called Samaritans. The Samaritans were pagans who converted to Judaism. In the bible, we remember the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Now, Samaria is part of the Palestinian community. It has now been called “Mt. Genezarin.” The Palestinians currently live on top of the mountains, on the right side of the road along the Jordan valley. The so called West Bank, one of the contested territories between the Palestinians and Israelis is situated on the west side of the Jordan River. In June 1967, after the six-day war between Israel and Palestine, the West Bank became under Israeli control. However, in 1993, with the Oslo A agreement, the big Palestinian cities like Sheckem, Ramalla, Jericho, Bethlehem, were given back to Palestinian control, while the Jordan Valley remained under Israeli control. In the year 2000, it was the beginning of the so called Palestinian Intifadah. As a result, no Israeli is allowed to enter into any of these Palestinian cities. As we proceeded along the Jordan valley, we came to see the city of Jericho at a distance. Now, Jericho is the oldest and lowest city in the world. It is 1100 feet below sea level. This city was established 8000 before the Christian era. It is about 2 miles from the River Jordan, and 5 miles north of the Dead Sea. Jericho is truly a beautiful city as described by historians. It has been referred to as a green oasis due to its fresh water. There was big spring flowing at the center of the city. This provided sweet water. The bible tells us that in the year 3200 AD, during the time of the Exodus, Moses brought the Israelites to Jericho. Jericho was first mentioned in the bible when Moses, at Mount Nebo, saw the valley of Jericho. Moses died on top of Mt. Nebo, and never had a chance to step into the promised land. When Moses died, Joshua took over. Joshua wanted to capture Jericho. So what he did was to send spies to Jericho. In the meantime, the kennonites who were living in Jericho were terrified. So Joshua led the Israelite army to River Jordan, and then to Gilgal. For 6 days, Joshua and Israelites surrounded the walls of Jericho. Later, they captured Jericho and set fire on the city. During the time of the first temple, some Israelites went back to Jericho and established a new city. Now, what is the significance of Jericho as mentioned in the bible? First, it was in Jericho that the Prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven. There is also a story about the prophet Elisha who went to Jericho and pour out a bowl of salt into the fountain water and turned the water very sweet. During Jesus’ time, the road going to Jerusalem from Galilee was through the Jordan valley, and passed through Jericho. Jesus on his way to Jerusalem passed by Jericho. There he healed the blind beggar. It was also in Jericho where we hear the story of Zacchaeus. Nowadays, Jericho is a big Palestinian city. A spring is located at the center of the city. The remains of the ancient Jericho is still visible. It is here where we have the mountain of temptation. On the way to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jerusalem and Bethlehem are situated 2,100 feet above sea level. The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem/Bethlehem is about 20 miles. The area surrounding the city of Jerusalem is one big desert called Judean desert. It is the second biggest desert in Israel, next to Negeb desert. Also, it is the smallest desert in the world. As we were passing by the so called Jerusalem/Jericho road, I remembered immediately the story of the good Samaritan in the bible. The story of the good Samaritan happened in this place. This Jerusalem/Jericho road is steep and mountainous. On the side of the mountains, you could see the tents and shelters of Bedouins. The Bedouins are arab/muslim shepherds who live in the desert in tents. According to history, the Bedouins are kind and hospitable people. As we came nearer to Jerusalem, we saw a town on top of a mountain called “Maale Domim”, a border town between Jerusalem and the desert. At a distance, we also had a glimpse of “El Asaria,” a town built over the remains of Bethany and Bethpage. Here we remember the story of Lazarus in Bethany. After a while, as we came up into the mountain, then we saw the magnificent and shining city of Jerusalem. It was really overwhelming to see this magnificent city that was so often mentioned and described in the holy scripture. As we passed by the city of Jerusalem, we proceeded to Bethlehem, about 15 to 20 minutes away from Jerusalem. Bethlehem, as we know, was the birthplace of Jesus. The word Bethlehem comes from two Hebrew words: “Beth” (which means, the house of), and “lehem,” meaning “Bread.” During the time of Jesus, Bethlehem was surrounded by big fields. In these fields, farmers used to grow a lot of wheat. That is why, Bethlehem was used to be the bread basket of Jerusalem and Judea. In 1099, when the crusaders came to Bethlehem, the city was 100 % Christian city. In 2000, the population was: 70% Moslems, and 30% Christians. As of 2004, there were 95% Moslems, and 5 % Christians. We arrived in Bethlehem at about 10:30 am. The sad thing was, our tour guide, Isaac, had to leave the bus because as a Jew, he was not allowed to enter Bethlehem, since the city became under Palestinian control. So when we entered the city, another tour guide, Adel, a Christian who lived in the city, took over as tour guide. In most part of the morning, we did our shopping at a local store. We bought some rosaries and other religious items. Before 12 noon, we drove to a local restaurant and had lunch. In the afternoon, at about 1:30 pm, we drove to the Church of the Annunciation, where we saw and touched the birth place of Jesus (on a cave). And adjacent to the site of the Annunciation, we celebrated mass at the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria– at about 3 pm. From the church of the Annunciation, we proceeded to the Shepherd’s field, about 15 to 20 minutes away. At the shepherd’s field, we went inside one of the caves where the shepherds were taking rest when the angel appeared to them and announced to them the good news of Jesus’birth. Adjacent to the cave, was a church built by the Franciscans. At about 5 pm, we departed from Bethlehem and proceeded to our new hotel in Jerusalem. It took us about 30 minutes to reach our hotel. The name of our new hotel was “Grand Court Jerusalem.” We will be staying here in this hotel till Wednesday.

November 22, 2010

We left our hotel at 7:30 am. We headed towards the Mount of Olives and visited the “Church of Pater Noster” – a 15 minute drive from our hotel. The “Church of Pater Noster” commemorates the place where Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer. At the courtyard of the Church, the Our Father was inscribed in 130 different languages. Our tour guide recited the ‘Our Father’ in Hebrew, which most likely the language used by Jesus when he taught this prayer to his disciples. At the center of the courtyard was a cave. Tradition tells us that the cave was where Jesus used to teach his disciples this prayer. The group with me sang the Our Father in tagalog while we were at the cave. During the Byzantine Era, about 1600 years ago, they gave three reasons why they considered this place holy. First, it was in this cave that Jesus used to teach the secret of the Word, as you can read in Matthew 24:3. Second, the New Testament tells us that the Ascension of Jesus happened somewhere at the top of Mount of Olives. The Byzantine people believed that the ascension of Jesus really happened in this place. During this time, in 1600 AD, Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, visited Jerusalem and went to the Mount of Olives. Because she knew the history of this place, she had a church built on top of Mount of Olives. However, in 1187 AD, when the moslems occupied Jerusalem, they destroyed the church of Pater Noster. In 1099 AD, when the Crusaders took over the city of Jerusalem , they built a new Church over the ruins of the Byzantine Church, and which they named “Pater Noster.” In the year 1866 AD, a Princess from Italy (Princess de la Tour d’Auvergne) visited the Mount of Olives. Because she knew the history and importance of the place, she donated money to build a new Church of Pater Noster. The construction of a new Church was finished in eight years. The Princess gave the church to the “Carmelite Nuns” from France with the request that when she dies, she would be buried here. So the Princess was entombed in the chapel of Pater Noster. From the Church of Pater Noster, we headed downhill towards the Church of “Dominus Flevit,” which means “the cry of the Lord.” This place is believed to mark the place where Jesus’mourning over Jerusalem occurred. It is situated at the hillside of the Kidron valley, or Jehoshaphat valley. I celebrated mass here. From the church of “Dominus Flevit’s” observation point, above and beyond the valley, you can readily see the “Golden Dome” or “Dome of the rock” in the old city of Jerusalem. This was built by the moslems in 1691 over the ruins of the first and second temple over Mount Mariah. Mount Mariah was the place where Isaac intended to sacrifice his son, as told us by the bible about 3000 years ago. On the left side of the Golden Dome, one could see the “Mosque of Al Aksa.” You can also get a glimpse of the “Dormition Abbey” which was built on top of Mount Sion. Behind the Golden Dome, we saw the “Church of the Holy Sepulchre,”where the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus took place. In the north west side of the temple mount was minaret. This was where the flagellation of Jesus took place. On the main center of the wall of the old city of Jerusalem, you can see the so called “Golden Gate,” or “Gate of Mercy.” Now they are closed. In front of the gate is the “Moslem Cemetery.” On the western Side of the Mount of Olives, we also saw the Jewish cemetery. Up the now, the Jewish people are still waiting for the Messiah to come. They believe that when the Messiah comes, he will first appear on top of Mt. Sion, then goes down on the western side of Mt. Sion. This explains why the Jewish people had their cemetery built at the western side of Mt. Sion. So when the Messiah comes, he will pass them first , and then the Messiah will go down to the Kidron valley before he goes up and enters the Golden Gate. In the lower part of the mountain, one can find the tombs of Absalom and Zechariah. From the Church of “Dominus Flevit,”we proceeded down the valley towards the Garden of Getsemani. The Garden of Getsemani was the meeting point between the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. The Garden of Getsemani literally means “Olive Press.” During the time of Jesus, the place was surrounded with Olive Trees. That is why, it came to be called the “Garden of Getsemani.” At the courtyard, you can still find some of the olive trees which dates back more than 2000 years ago. Today, it is only 10% of the original size of the garden is preserved. It was at the garden of Getsemani where Jesus was caught and arrested. From here, they brought him through the kidron valley uphill to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. In 1919-1924, the Franciscans built a church over a rock called “Rock of Agony,” which you can still see at the foot of the altar. The Church was designed by the famous architect Antonio Berlucci. The church is peculiar and unique in the sense that it is dark inside. There are no windows. It gives you a feeling of night. In the ceiling are 12 domes covered by dark blue mosaics of branches of olive trees and stars. On the floor in front of the altar, you will find the “rock of agony.” Behind the altar, you will find mosaic picture of the agony, Judas Kiss, and how they caught and arrested Jesus in the Garden. There were three names given to the Church here. It is called the Church of Agony, Church of the Garden of Getsemani, and Church of all Nations. From the Garden of Getsemani, we went down to the Kidron Valley and passed by the Church of the Tomb of Mary. The Church is nine hundred years old and built by the Crusaders. It is believed that the Virgin Mary was buried here. Passing by the Church of the Tomb of Mary, we went uphill towards the gate of the old city of Jerusalem. Before the Gate, we passed by the Church of St. Stephen, the first martyr in the Church (He was called a proto martyr). In 38 AD, St. Stephen was stoned to death here at the Kidron Valley, because of his faith. Our tour guide explained that there are eight gates to the old city of Jerusalem. As we entered into the old city of Jerusalem, we passed through one of these gates called St. Stephen’s Gate or Lion’s gate. It was called St. Stephen’s gate because it was near the place where St. Stephen was stoned to death. We entered into the city of Jerusalem in stride. We headed towards the “Pool of Bethsaida (or Bethesta).” The word ‘Bethesta’ comes from Aramaic word “Beith”which means “House of Mercy. In the place, you can see the old ruins and the pool itself. In the New Testament, in the gospel of St. John, we read about the miracle of Jesus curing a paralytic. That miracle healing happened in this place. We also remember the bible stories about people being healed in this pool. When the water is stirred, they brought the people to the pool to be healed. Near the pool of Bethsaida is the Church of St.Anne, the mother of the Blessed Mother. It is believed that the Blessed Mother was born here. We went inside the Church and climbed downstairs into a crypt and saw a cave where the Blessed Mother was born. The Church of St. Anne was built by the Crusaders. From the Church of St.Anne, we proceeded to the moslem side of the city where we followed and retraced the way of the cross, or via Dolorosa. We started the station of the cross in the Praetorium inthe Antonia Fortress, the headquarters of the Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem. Today it is the Al Omariya School and the First Station. The second station is done at the Franciscan chapel of the Flagellation and Chapel of Condemnation. This commemorates the sites where Jesus was scourged and given the cross to bear. For the third station, it was done on El-wad street, at the entrance of the Police chapel, where a sculpture depicts Jesus falling under the cross. After we did the third station, it was almost 12 noon. We stopped for a while and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. After lunch, we continued the stations of the cross. For the fourth station, we had it at the Armenian-Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasm. This marks where the Blessed Mother encountered Jesus. For the fifth station, it is commemorated by a Franciscan chapel. Here the Way of the Cross begins the ascent to Golgotha. For the sixth station, we had it at the front of the Church of St. Veronica. For the seventh station, two chapels connected by a flight of steps mark the site where Jesus fell for the second time. For the eight station, it was done on the wall of the Greek monastery where a stone with a Latin cross and an inscription reading “Jesus Christ is victorious was observed. For the ninth station, a column built into the door of the Coptic church marks the site where Jesus fell for the third time. The last five stations of the Way of the Cross are in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we entered through a small door at the back door/roof top and down to a small stairway that led to a small chapel. With other pilgrims, we stood in line and passed thru the place where Jesus was crucified before the eyes of his mother. We had a chance to touch the original rock of Golgotha. As we went down from the place of crucifixion, we got a chance to touch the stone where Jesus was lain down after he had been taken down from the cross. This was called the “stone of Unction.” From there we proceeded to another corner at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and went to see the place where Jesus was entombed. We did not go inside the tomb itself but, on the backdoor, we got a chance to touch a part of the stone of the Holy Sepulchre. From the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we proceeded to the eastern side of the old city – at the Jewish settlement. The buildings in these area were relatively new as compared to the moslem and Christian side. We first visited the Upper room, or place of the Last Supper or Cenaculum. The place of the Upper Room is one of the most holy sites, for three reasons. First, we read in the New Testament that during the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, in this place, washed the feet of his disciples. Second, in the evening of the Passover, Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples in this place. And third, ten days after the Ascension of Jesus, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the apostles happened here, or what is known as the “Pentecost.” The original Upper room does not exist anymore. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Since the 4th century, the Byzantine identified this place as the Upper Room. In the 15th Century, during the Ottoman era(Moslem era), they turned the Upper room into a Mosque. Not far from the Upper Room, we proceeded down below and visited the tomb of King David. In visiting the tomb of King David, the women had to go to another side, and the men on another side. After visiting the Tomb of King David, we also went to see the “Dormition Abbey.” According to one theory, the Blessed Mother fell asleep here forever. After which, the disciples brought her body to the kidron valley where we have now the church of the Tomb of Mary. From the Dormition Abbey, we proceeded down below outside the old city, and we visited the Church of Peter Gallicantu. This church commemorates Peter who denied Jesus three times. After the last supper, Jesus took the disciples to the Kidron Valley. There he was caught and arrested at the garden of Getsemani. From Gethsemani, Jesus was brought uphill to the house of Caiaphas, here at this place. In this house of Caiphas, Peter denied him three times; then he was made prisoner; And Caiaphas decided to hand him over to Pontius Pilate to be tried. About the Church of Peter Gallicantu, this was built in 1931-1934 by the French Assumption Order. They named the Church Peter in Gallicantu. Underneath the Church, there is a deep stairway that goes into an underground cave. Archaeologists have discovered that this was the dungeon of Jesus after he was arrested. The orange drawing of crosses on the side of the cave would attest to this fact. As we stood inside this dungeon, we recited psalm 88. On the west side of the Church of Peter Gallicantu, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient stairway that dates back 2200 years ago. They concluded that this was the stairway (the only way) that Jesus walked when from the Upper room on Mt. Sion, he went down to the Kidron Valley. From the Church of Peter Gallicantu, we went back to the Old City of Jerusalem, but passed by another gate called the “Dung Gate.” Why it was called the Dung Gate is because people during the time of Jesus used to pass this gate whenever they wanted to throw their garbage out from the city. As we entered the ‘Dung Gate’ towards the old city, we headed towards the place of the so called “Wailing Wall.” The “Wailing Wall”is a holy site for the Jewish people. The Wall is a part of the western side of the temple in Jerusalem. As history tells us, in 70 AD, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, including the holy temple. The wall, from the center and lower part, were the last and original remains of the temple, as it dates back more than 2000 years old stone. For the Jews, the wall reminds them of the temple that no longer exists, and that is why it makes them cry. So the term “Wailing Wall.” Anybody could go and pray in the wailing wall. The men are separated on the left and the women on the right. The Jews pray three times a day: morning, evening and night. The rhythmic bowing that the Jewish people do when praying is like a meditation form. So they can concentrate better in their prayer. And when going away from the wailing wall, they step back (facing the wall) three times and then turn their back. This is simply a sign of respect. From the wailing wall, we went back home to our hotel. It was almost 6 pm when we arrived at the hotel. Supper at the hotel was served at 7 pm.

November 23, 2010

We left our hotel at 7:00 am and we headed towards Masada, about an hour ride from Jerusalem. Masada was where some 960 Jewish zealots made their last desperate stand against the Romans in 73 AD. It was a village situated on top of a mountain, about 1300 ft. to the west side of the Dead sea. It is topped by a broad plateau 20 acres in size which carried Herod’s magnificent constructions and where the famous drama of the final revolt by the Jewish zealots against the Romans took place. From Jerusalem, we went down to Jerusalem/Jericho road towards the Judean desert. As we were going down into Jerusalem/Jericho road, we saw a town on the top of the mountain at the right hand side which is called ‘Maale Dummim,’ a border town from Jerusalem and the Judean desert. We saw this town the first time when we were going up to Jerusalem. Along the Jerusalem/Jericho road on the hill, we again saw some shelters of the bedouins, the so called itinerant Arab shepherds. Then after a while, we got a glimpse of the city of Jericho on the left side. Down below the valley, at the junction, we made a right hand turn towards the eastern side of the Dead Sea. In a moment we saw the Dead Sea on the left side of the road. After continuing our journey on the road near the Dead Sea, we got a glimpse of some villages along the way like the Kibbutz Engedi, Bet Shean, the Qidron valley, and some others. At about 8:15 am, we reached Masada. We took a cable car from the foot of the mountain to the top. To be able to go to the top of the mountain and see this used to be beautiful village/town built by King Herod, was indeed an overwhelming experience. We stayed about an hour in Masada, and our tour guide was kind enough to explain the history and drama that took place in this mountain, where the 960 Jewish zealots made their stand against the forces of the Romans. In the end, after four months of siege by the Romans on Masada, the Jewish zealots who were on the mountain took their own lives and committed suicide , rather than let the Romans plunder their city, rape their women and eventually kill them. From the top of the mountain of Masada, we went down the mountain and back to where we came from. Along the way, we stopped at a place called ‘Ahavah,’ a cosmetic factory owned and operated by the kibbutz, where they use minerals from the Dead Sea and make them into cosmetics. We did a little shopping there. After thirty minutes or so, we proceeded to Qumran, an ancient village where The Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Being at the ancient city of Qumran was such an experience. We saw the first and second caves where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. In December, 1947, a Shepherd boy found 7 scrolls in a cave written on sheepskin and goats. In 1952-1994, an excavation happened here and found all in all 800 scrolls. Now, what are the importance of the scrolls? First, the scrolls found in Qumran are the first, oldest, complete grouping of the Old Testament. Second, the original language it was written was in Hebrew. Third, some of the scrolls gave information of the Roman Era. And fourth, some of the scrolls gave information about the people and their way of life who lived in Qumran. We toured the ancient village of the Essenes, a sect, who most probably wrote the scrolls and hid them at the nearby caves, before they left their community at Qumran and went to help their brothers in Jerusalem who were fighting against the Romans at that time. The essenes were the inhabitants of the community of Qumran at that time. St. John the Baptist went to live in Qumran for sometime until he decided to leave the community. In touring the ancient village, we saw the place for their ritual bath, the scriptorium, where they used to transcribe the scriptures into goats skin, their dining room, cemetery, etc. What was interesting was that the essenes, in their original constitution, said that it was only for men. But archaeologists discovered that in their cemetery, there were also some bones of women and children. But in 1994, the last season of the excavation at Qumran, archaeologists found a new constitution by the essences in which they allowed to have women and children in their community. They needed women: to cook and to clean. And that solved the mystery where earlier archaeologists discovered bones of women and children in their cemetery. At 1 pm, we had lunch in Qumran. After lunch, we went to Kalia beach in the Dead Sea where some of us took a swim in the Dead Sea. At 3 pm, we went back towards Jerusalem through the Judean desert to Bethany to visit the Church of Marta and Mary. At 4 pm, I celebrated mass at the beautiful church of Martha and Mary. After Mass, we went back to our hotel in Jerusalem. We had dinner at 7 pm, and then retired for the night.

November 24, 2010

We had our wake-up call at 5:40 am. At 6 am, we had our breakfast. By 7 am, we left our hotel in Jerusalem and headed towards “Ein Karem,” a village “in the hill country of Judah” as described by St. Luke, and where John the Baptist was born. The place is situated at the western side of Jerusalem. It took us about thirty minutes from our hotel to Ein Karem. At Ein Karem, we saw the Church of St. John the Baptist which was built over the birthplace of St. John. The first Church on the site was erected in Byzantine times and rebuilt by the crusaders, but later destroyed. The present structure was completed in 1674. As we entered the Church, we went down a stairway at the left hand side of the church that led to a natural cave, the Grotto of the Birth of St. John. Each one of us had the chance to touch or kiss the spot where St. John was born. At the courtyard of the church, we saw the ceramic tiles bearing the “Magnificat” in 42 languages. From the village of Ein Karem, we headed towards the Israel Museum. The Israel museum has 5 important parts: the scale model of Jerusalem at the time of the second temple, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Sculptor section, the Jewish section and the Archaeology section. The first thing we saw in the museum was the model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple, in the grounds of Israel Museum. This was built before the reunification of the city. The scale model was supervised by Prof.Avi-Yonah and built according to the descriptions of Josephus Flavius, the well known Jewish Historian. Our tour guide, Isaac, gave a very proficient explanation of the model. From the grounds, we entered the museum and saw most of the original Dead Sea Scrolls that were gotten from Qumran. At about 10:30 am, we headed down towards the city of Jericho via Jerusalem/Jericho road. It took us maybe about 40 to 45 minutes to reach Jericho. As I already mentioned earlier, Jericho is called the “City of Palms,” and the oldest and lowest city in the world. It lies 1100 ft below sea level. It is 2 miles from the River Jordan and 5 miles from the Dead Sea. The old Jericho was established by the Kenonites, about 8000 years before the Christian era. So it is about 10,000 years ago. Since the Kenonites were farmers, the beginning of Agriculture in the world started here. To provide security, the people had to surround themselves by walls. Inside the walls, the people had to invent laws. So, the beginning of “urbanization” also took place here. In 3000 BC, Jericho was an important Canaanite town. In the Bible it gives many references to the city of Jericho. When Joshua took over the leadership, after the death of Moses, he came to Jericho (after sending a spies here), encircled the city, and the city fell to the blast of the priests’ trumpets in about 1250 BC, the first city to be taken by the Israelites. Afterwards, Joshua divided the land among the 12 Tribes of Israel. In the Old Testament Jericho, we also learned about the spring of Elisha, or Sultan’s Spring, situated at the heart of the city, where the prophet healed the spring of water by throwing salt in it (2 kings 2). During the time of Jesus, Jericho was a small but important town. Jesus passed by Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. We remember the healing of the Blind beggar, and the story of Zacchaeus. Actually, we saw the place where the sycamore tree was planted. Even at this time, a sycamore tree still grows in the area. From the top of the ruins of the old Jericho, to the south, we got a glimpse of the mountain of temptation – where Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days and forty nights. Near the mountain of temptation, we saw a big Orthodox monastery of the temptation erected there. At 12 noon, we had lunch in a local restaurant in Jericho. At about 3 pm, we headed to the east, towards the country of Jordan. At the Junction, we said goodbye to Isaac, our tour guide. After checking in our luggages and had our passports checked, we crossed over to Jordan. In Jordan we had a new tour guide. His name was James. With a new shuttle bus, we headed towards the capital of Jordan called Amman. Along the way, we stopped by at a local gift shop and did some shopping, then we continued our journey. It was about 6 pm when we reached our hotel in Amman, Jordan. Our hotel’s name was the Grand Palace Hotel. We would be staying here for at least two days. At 7 pm we had dinner, then we retired for the night.

November 25, 2010

We left our hotel at 8:30 am. We headed towards the mosque of King Abdul II. It was about a 20- minute ride from our hotel. During our ride, James, our tour guide, showed to us some of the prominent and well-known places in Amman that we passed by along the high way. He gave us a little background on the history of Jordan as well. In 1921 Abdullah bin Al Hussein bin Ali established the Emirate of Transjordan. He was succeeded in 1951 by his eldest son Talal (1902-1972). Unfortunately King Talal abdicated in 1952 due to ill health. The monarch King Hussein bin Talal was crowned King of Jordan on May 2, 1953, at the aged of eighteen. He died in 1999 of cancer. King Hussein had 4 wives: Dina (Egyptian), Mona (English), Queen Alia (Palestinian),and Queen Nor (Syrian). King Abdullah, who succeeded King Hussein, came from the second marriage of King Hussein to Mona. King Abdullah the second was crowned as King of Jordan on June 1999. 95% of the population in Jordan are Muslims. The rest of the population are Arab mainly Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Christians. About half of the Christian community follow the Eastern Orthodox rite, headed by the Patriarch in Jerusalem. Traditional handicrafts in Jordan include basket and rug weaving, embroidery and making their own earthen ware. Crafts produced on a smaller scale include sand bottles, sculpture and silver jewelry. The two most important sports in Jordan are: Soccer and Basketball. Under the current reign of King Abdullah II, a lot of constructions and renovations are going on today in Jordan. There is an ongoing airport expansion. An expansion and construction of settlements in Amman and many others. Anyone visiting Ammam, the capital city, for the first time will be surprised above all by the hills. Ammam lies on a high plateau of 850 m. Built originally on seven hills, the main areas of Amman gain their names from the hills on whose slopes they lie. The city is dotted with a number of historic sites from stone age to the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Each is considered interesting in each own way. In Amman, you see a modern city with limestone and concrete buildings. Amman’s population is close to one and a half million, swelled by refugees from the 1948 Palestinian conflict, the six day war in 1967, and the Gulf War in 1991. Nearly half the population of Jordan lives in Amman. Underneath its modern appearance, Amman origins go back a long way. Neolithic sites and villages were discovered in the 1980s in more than one area in Amman. One of the revealed sites is a village ten times the size of Jericho. During the Iron Age, Amman was the capital of the Ammonites, and it is referred to as Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament, an area thought to have been located, where the citadel now stands. Our first Stop from our hotel was to see the King Abdullah Mosque. Amman is home to some of the grandest Mosques in the Middle East. The newest of these is the enormous King Abdullah Mosque built between 1982 and 1989. It is located to the north-west of the Citadel. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome. From the King Abdulla Mosque, we headed towards the Citadel, which is located – as in ancient times – at the heart of the city, facing the Roman theatre in the valley below. On all sides but the north it is buffeted by valleys. Many of the most valuable relics from across the Jordan, can be found in the Archaeological Museum which we saw and visited – and is located also within the Citadel. Below the Citadel’s Southern rim is a stream known as Seil Amman. It is on its South bank that most of the Roman city of Philadelphia was situated. This included the main forum, Theatre, Odeon and various shop. From the Citadel, we headed towards the city of Jerash. It was about an hour ride from the city of Amman. We arrived in Jerash about half past twelve in the afternoon. Before touring the old city of Gerash, we had lunch at one of the local Restaurant in Jerash. They served a very sumptuous food. The city of Jerash is known for its fertile site that has been inhabited since Neolitic times. In the days of Alexander the Great in 332 BC, the city grew increasingly prosperous. In 63 BC, the Roman emperor Pompey conquered the region. The ancient Arabic name of Garsho was changed to Gerasa, and Jerash became part of the Roman Empire, and soon after a member of the Decapolis. Another interesting event that boosted Gerasa’s stature came with the visit of emperor Hadrian in 129 AD. To honor its guest, the city raised an imposing triumphal arch at the south of the city. The city became so rich till the beginning of the 3rd century. Gerasa had acquired the status of a Roman colony. Today, the city of Jerash has a population of as many as 20,000 people. After lunch, we toured the Old Roman City of Jerash. On the front of the city, you see the triumphal arch of Hadrian. As you enter in, on the southwestern hill, in the region between the Roman Theatre and the Oval Plaza, you see the towering Temple of Zeus. The foundation of the temple goes back to 22-69 AD. It is believed that the temple had been built on the remains of a more ancient one. Recent excavations have exposed the remains of this ancient temple, dating back from the Hellenistic period. Then we saw the South Theatre which is built on top of a hill dominating the whole antique city. It is located on the southwestern end. According to the Hellenistic inscriptions discovered at its entrance, the theatre has been built in the first century AD during the reign of emperor Domitian. It is Roman in style, which means it is closed building. The Cardo street (main street) of the city starts from the Oval Plaza and goes towards the southwest, alongside the water stream. Its floor is paved with huge, regularly placed stones. The traces left by the wheels of carriages are still visible on the pavement. In the northern part, and on both sides of the Cardo street, a huge number of columns were erected in 550 AD. The Southern columns have Corinthian capitals. Then we also saw the ruins of the cathedral in Jerash. The cathedral is the first Christian edifice in Jerash, and was built in 359 AD. At the Northwestern hill of Jerash, one can see the Artemis Temple. The Artemis Temple is one of the most important and most beautiful buildings in Jerash. When you look at it, you will be affected by the magnificence, the prestige of its location and by the impressive size of its huge columns. Thus, it dominated the city. There were many other things that we have seen in this city of Jerash that I was not able to capture and verbalize in words. To see an old city like this was simply awesome and overwhelming. We drove back home to our hotel in Amman at about 4 pm. We arrived at our hotel at about 10 past five. We had dinner at 7 pm. After dinner, we conducted a Thanksgiving service at one of the rooms at the lobby in the hotel. It was a very affirming and joyful service. After the service, we had some fun games. Then we retired for the night.

November 26, 2010

We left our hotel in Amman at 8 am. We headed south towards the city of Petra. From Amman to Petra, it took us about three hours and a half ride, with one stop in between. The city of Petra is located south-west of Jordan. It is about 255 kilometers away from Amman. It is dominated by the city of Wadi Mousa where some think that prophet Moses drew up water from the rocks. Petra is surrounded by many villages and sites that all had their impact on history. We arrived in Petra at about 11:30 am. We first had lunch at one local restaurant. After lunch, we headed to our hotel named “King’s Way Hotel,” to drop off our luggages. Then we headed towards the Nabataeans ruin city. At the beginning of the walk, to the right, are two rocky towers having the form of cubic pillars 9 meters high. At the top of their summit is a rock having the form of a tower which looks like a fort. It is said that they are tombs, but some assure that they represent the gods of the Nabataeans. After a short walk, to the left, lies the Obelisk Tom surmounted by four obelisks carved in the rock and stuck to it. It is supposed that the rock-carved monument under the obelisk Tomb was used to conduct mortuary rites. It is surrounded by stone seats. There is an inscription carved in Greek and Nabataean letters just in front of this temple indicating the presence of another temple built here. Before reaching the Siq, and to the right, are the remains of a dam that controls the rainwater floodings in the Siq’s gorge and drains it towards an ancient underground tunnel called the ‘tunnel of Muthilem.’ As for the road leading to the siq, it passes over a bridge across the same valley. A collection of rock carved obelisks was found in front of the Siq’s entrance with some inscriptions on them, belonging to the first century AD. The Siq is a natural narrow gorge among the rocks, 1200 meters long, the rocks could reach 100 meter high. The travelling across the Siq is very pleasant, and sound could be heard even by small pebbles. The sunlight cannot reach the bottom of the shaded valley; darkness surrounds this place in daytime. At the Siq’s entrance are the remains of an arch, one of its bases is still there. To the left, a channel, cut in the rock conveyed water to the inner city. Which is dated back to the second half of the first century BC, on both sides of the Siq, small niches sheltered the Nabataean idols. The ground flood of the Siq was originally paved, and one can see the remains of this pavement while passing through this Nabataean street. When you reach the end of the narrow Siq, you see the most beautiful monument of Petra: it is the Treasury – Al-Khazneh- You will see this pink-red pearl carved out of the rock. It is believed that the Ál-Khazneh’ was built as a tomb for the king Aretas III probably during the First century BC. Before reaching the Facades Street, at the right side, a tomb was recently excavated in this area. This building has a room with eight carved tombs in it; some of them have several floors while others are carved into the wall. At the left of the Facades Street there exists a big collection of Nabataean houses, all of them are carved in the rock. After the Facade Street, and at the left side, you can see the Petra Theatre that is different from those of Jerash. Its seats are carved in the rock and not built. After the Theatre, and at the right, we begin to see the Royal Tombs, and first of all the Urn Tomb. Pursuing the march eastward, and to the right, you can see the Silk Tomb, characterized by a rock-carved pink and white facade that has been widely affected by natural effects. Then comes the huge Corinthian Tomb. This leads to independent rooms having different size. There were many other sites that we were not able to see due to lack of time. All in all, we spent four and half hours (going and getting back) inside the place. We got back to our hotel at almost five pm. Dinner was served at 7 pm. Then we retired for the night.

November 27, 2010

We left our hotel in Petra at 8 am. We headed back to Amman, Jordan – which was about 3 and a half hour ride. Along the way, we stopped by a place to see an old castle which was built on top of a mountain. Our bus stopped by a rest area down below the castle, and from there, we had to walk up to the mountain where the castle was erected– which took us about thirty minutes or so. Down below the valley, we saw a number of caves along the side of the mountain where people used to live. Even now, there are still some people who live on those caves, according to our guide. When we got into the castle, we had a chance to tour the place. A part of the castle is a church on the eastern side, then we saw various kinds of rooms. A number of the rooms were places where the soldiers who were defending the castle used to stand and fight the enemy down below. We also saw a secret passage door where the people in the castle used to escape, if overrun by their enemy. The secret passage way goes from the castle down to an opening at the side of the mountain. From the castle, we went down the valley and stopped by to see a cave where a Bedouin used to live, but he now converted it into a small bazaar where he sells various items for tourists. From there, we headed straight to the city of Madaba , the only Christian city in Jordan, where we went up to Mount Nebo, and celebrated our farewell Mass there. The city of Madaba has a population of about 60,000. It is the fifth most populous city of Jordan. It is best known for its Byzantine and Mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era Mosaic map of the Holy Land. Madaba is located 30 kilometers south-west of Amman. Mount Nebo is a holy site. This is the place where Moses stood up looking into the promised land, after he liberated the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. And according to tradition, Moses was also buried in this mountain. From Mount Nebo, we went down into the city of Madaba and stopped by a Mosaic store, where we had the chance to shop around for some original mosaic items. From there, we headed north towards a well known restaurant built on a hill (with a stable), not very far from Queen Alia airport, where we had our last dinner together. At about 7 pm, we headed towards the Airport in Amman, Jordan. Our plane took off from Jordan at 11:40 pm for New York City. This ended our pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Jordan.

Daily Struggle

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:51:00 +0000

As I pray this morning, I realize once again that I can not go on without God on my side. Considering the many facets of life, no matter how genius or rich or wise a person is he is still just a speck in the universe, figuratively and literally. I am a person with talents and abilities but I want something more. Yet, when I try to imagine the moment when I shall have gotten all I desire I am sure I will desire for more. The things I don't think to acquire now I will want to acquire next time around. There will be many things that will introduce me to my future wants and desires. My desire will always be insatiable. Life will always be a web of desires and acquisitions, visions and accomplishments, wants and conquests. In all these, a person can never foresee what lies ahead. It is the essence of living. The anticipation of good things and the joy of waiting. And as these things are happening in my life I need God to push me a little when I need encouragement, pull me a bit when there is danger ahead, give me strength when I'm burn out, give me vision of hope when I see futility and give me love when I need it most.

THE TRAGIC KIDNAPPING AT RIZAL PARK

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:43:00 +0000

The kidnapping incident by a disgruntled Filipino policeman at Rizal Park, Manila last August 23, 2010, Monday, where eight Hongkong tourist nationals got killed elicited so much anger and questions from the respected families of the injured and the deceased as well as from the countries of their origin.

A lot of questions had been raised from many people as well as from the various sectors of society as to why such a tragic incident was permitted to happen in the heart of the city of Manila. In the first place, a lot of anger has been directed to the Philippine government, for their inefficiency and for their lack of coordinated supervision in handling the case. But a lot of the blame and finger pointing were directed to the manila national police who displayed a lack of training especially among the swat team members who stormed the kidnapped bus, after the negotiations failed, and which resulted in the tragic death of the eight Hongkong tourist nationals.

The question is: Was there any way in which the tragic incident could have been prevented? A British expert on terrorism made some very revealing observation about this incident. The British expert pointed out some of the obvious lapses made by the manila national police who were involved in the negotiation as well as on the assaulting team operation. This British terrorism expert mentioned that such a tragic incident could have been prevented if: the government negotiators gave in to Mr. Mendoza's demand in the first place, that he be re-instated to his job and position. Recall that Mr. Mendoza, the disgruntled policeman who hijacked the tourist bus, demanded that he be re-instated into his former position and into active duty. According to the report, Mr. Mendoza had been sacked from his job and position in the police force a year before for alleged distortion, grave threat and robbery cases. Now he wanted to have his job and position back. He claimed that he had been unfairly treated and discharged. According to the British terrorism expert, granted that the government gave in to Mr. Mendoza's demand, in reality, his agreement with the government would have had no legal bearing whatsoever because it was solicited and accomplished under duress. Hence, the government could have said "yes" to Mendoza's demand, but had no binding obligation to follow the agreement afterwards. As we all know, any kind of agreement secured under duress has no legal or binding obligations whatsoever. Second, in you tube video, you can see that during the process of negotiations, there were two individuals (I assumed they were government negotiators) who were talking with Mr. Mendoza at the front step of the bus. While Mr. Mendoza was standing at the steps of the bus, in full view of everyone, his gun was pointed down, and he was apparently talking with the negotiators at a short distance. At this time, the two negotiators could have easily grabbed him, tackle down and disarm Mr. Mendoza, or otherwise, a sharpshooter could have easily taken him down in an instant. Another strategy that the manila police force could have utilized was to wear down Mr. Mendoza. In other words, the negotiators could have bought some more time, until Mr. Mendoza finally surrendered, either of exhaustion, hunger, or lack of option to consider. The decision to apprehend a relative(Mr. Mendoza's brother, in fact) at this time was a tactical mistake, according to some observers. Patience and time are very important in negotiations like this. Obviously, the using of "time" as a weapon was never really considered in this case. Next, what was so frustrating to see in the live video was the fact that when the assaulting team was ordered to go in, they did not have the right equipment to use to break in the glass door and windows of the bus. They were using a mere sledge hammer. It took them quite sometime before they could finally break the glass door open and enter in. Now, what is very important in a kidnapping rescue like this is the element of surprise. But, obviously, in this rescue incident at the Rizal park, there was no element of surprise whatsoever. While the assaulting team was trying to break the glass door of the bus - which took them sometime - Mr. Mendoza, at this time, could have already killed his hostages. The question is, why did not the assaulting team used the right equipment to break the glass door open? The British terrorism expert said that given the right equipment and tools, the assaulting team could have easily break in the door or windows of the bus in an instant. But this did not happen here. Also, from the video, you could see that the assaulting team were just concentrated on one area - opening up the door of the bus. They could have used the windows or the back door of the bus for entry, aside from the door entrance. But, unfortunately, the assaulting team, as described by many reports, did not have a ladder to use so they could have entered through the windows of the bus easily, or other means of entrance. Now, if I was the commander overseeing the rescue operation, I would have utilized both "land and air" power for the rescue operation. Some of the assaulting team members could have been dropped from a helicopter and entered on both sides of the bus windows, and made a surprise attack on the hijacker from that vantage point. Or, otherwise, they could have used some tactical deception to mislead Mr. Mendoza into believing that they were entering through the windows via helicopter, while in fact some of the assaulting team could have entered the bus via different entrance routes. Yes, there were a number of options that could have been considered in the rescue operation, but unfortunately, the assaulting team leaders did not have the right training to implement a good plan at such a very critical rescue operation.

As a result of this debacle, there were eight tourist nationals who died in the rescue operation. Hongkong and China were obviously angry. They are demanding some apology and thorough investigation from the Philippine government on the tragic incident. During the past week, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has come out in the media and made some apologetic remarks and extended condolences on the families of all the victims. He has declared August 25th as a National Day of Mourning for the victims. The Senate just had an inquiry on the same incident, whereby they were trying to get to the bottom of this tragic incident. As of this date, the head of the manila national police had resigned, and four of the team leaders of the assaulting team were relieved from their post. In the meantime, as President Aquino was asking for a thorough investigation on the incident, he promised to relieve and punish all those responsible for this debacle. He likewise formed a new swat group which was composed by the military and the police - to be trained well for rescue operation purposes. Because of this hijacking incident in manila, a lot of tourists are apparently scared and wondering whether they could ever be safe in the Philippines. Due to this incident also, a number of tourists especially from Hongkong and China have cancelled their previous reservations in coming to the Philippines. This was kind of worrisome for the Philippine Tourism Industry as there are about 140,000 Hongkong Nationals who visit the Philippines yearly, according to a Philippine News Report.

Now, what are we going to do from here on? I have a few suggestions to make. First, the Philippine government has to do its job - finish its investigation on the case as thorough but quickly as possible, and then present the result to the media for public disclosure. Everyone is interested to know what really happened, especially for the families of the injured and the victims - for their own closure and healing. Second, we have to show to the world that we are determined to do the right thing. If in the final report some people in the government or in the military are found wanting, or were determined that they were inefficient in their given tasks, then they have to be immediately relieve from their posts and be meted out with the corresponding punishment or penalty. Nobody should be above the law especially if it pertains to national security. Third, for the newly formed swat team, and for the other tactical teams already established by the different military agencies, which were originally formed for rescue operation purposes, all should undergo a training and retraining program, be equipped with the necessary tools and ammunitions to accomplish their jobs, and they should all be coordinated by one, single agency. Fourth, the Philippine government should immediately employ a reconstructive media promotion to repair its image, extend a hand of friendship especially with Hongkong and China by an open communication and transparent reporting of the incident, and by all means, extend all the necessary help for all the victims' families. Fifth, the military and the police have to repair their image as well. The head of the Interior Local Government, who oversees the military and police force, should initiate some necessary programs and training for all the military and police force of the country. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, what happened at Rizal park showed some kind of reflection on our military and police force in general. With the new government under President Aquino, I think it is time that we take the necessary step to modernize our military and police force, equip them with the modern tools of warfare, and retrain them to become efficient in their assigned jobs. Our people and everyone else, including tourists and guests in our country should feel safe because our military and police are called to protect them at all costs. This is their job - to protect our country and citizenry from any internal or external aggression. But the people can only feel secure if our military and police are able to function well, do their jobs as they should, and able to restore confidence among our people. All military or police undesirables should be rooted out from their respective agencies. The military and the police should as well maintain a level of professionalism at all times in their conduct and behavior. By this, the military and the police will gain due respect from the people on whom they are called to serve and protect. Sixth, in the aftermath of the tragic incident at Rizal park, the government should re-evaluate and make a study on the role of the media in any rescue or government operations. Apparently, according to some newspaper reports, the live broadcast media during the negotiations and military operations did not help facilitate to end the hostage drama. In fact, as some people observed, it made even worse the situation. The British terrorism expert said that there should have been a news blackout during the actual negotiations and operations, for the purpose of denying the hijacker a chance to promote his cause.

As we grieve and pray for the deceased, let this be a time for self-examination and renewal for us as a country. Let this be an opportunity for us to pause and reflect, to examine our weaknesses, and to determine how we can better ourselves in the future.

It is hard to fall and feel broken, but we can always look forward of getting up. At the end of a dark tunnel, we know a light will shine through. As the song says, "At the end of the storm, the light of the sun will shine again." I know that this tragic incident at Rizal park has put us all (especially the Filipinos) at a low ebb. We have been criticized, demeaned, and made fun in the media by all sorts of people, both inside and outside. But let this serve as a lesson for us to work for a positive change. Let us work harder to make this world and our country a better place to live in. Let us join hands together to create a better world free of violence and war; let us work together to promote justice for all people; let us continue to safeguard human life at all costs, and let us live the command of Christ - to love one another, even our enemies.

We are Filipinos. We don't easily give up. We can work together to make a positive change in our country. Let this be our solemn pledge.

WHISPERS OF THE HEART

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:41:00 +0000

Is there such a thing as whispers of the heart? Maybe there is. For some, it may just be a plain and nice expression of language. For others, it may mean nothing else but simple words put together to create what they call some compound words. For me, however, it is a way of expressing some inner sentiments that go beyond accidentals and externalities. More than we ever know, the heart has its own language that we can hardly grapple or understand at times. That is why, St. Exupery says in the Little Prince, "It is only with the heart that one sees rightly."

Love, as we know it, is generally labelled as the language of the heart. When you love someone, you are not really able to explain in any mathematical formula or scientific terms why you feel the way you do. You just feel the excitement of being in love beyond measure; there is the sense of joy being encompass. Talk about so called "sleepless nights" and dreaming of some fantasy world when you are in love. The truth is, you are not in any way living in the world of schizophrenia when you feel this way. Such sentiments, however, though unexplained, become your common language. It is just the way the heart is.

It is said too that the heart has its reasons that the mind often don't understand. It is quite strange and ironic, just to think about it. At times there is a dialogical opposition between the mind and the heart. The heart says one thing, while the mind says another. They don't often coalesce peacefully together. They seem to have their own separate and independent minds. The mind cannot dictate on the heart, but sometimes the heart can dictate on the mind. How strange.

Love is indeed a very strangest thing. When you love someone it occupies everything about you. It involves the core of your being. It is like a magnet that draws the sand to you uninterruptedly. Sometimes, even if you want to get out from such a situation, but the attraction is so forceful that you cannot easily retract. Love often defies logic and reason. That is why people often wonder why two people who maybe at opposite ends in terms of external, physical appearance can be so in love with one another. So the expression says, "beauty lies on the eye of the beholder." Everyone of us see things differently. Our folks used to tell us that if you are in love, "everything is beautiful." I guess, there is some truth to this statement.

When you love someone, you have a binding obligation for that someone. The Little Prince speaks of being responsible forever for what you have tamed. This binding obligation entails respect, care, emotional support, responsibility, and nurturing space. Love, however, is not something suffocating. It should not be. Because love, if it is truly love, is something freely given, and it is also something freely accepted. True love involves a dialogical interpenetration of beings. It is not just an exchange of emotional sentiments. It is an interchange and acceptance of persons, of beings, of values, of characters, of the whole personhood of one another. That is why, true love goes beyond the sentiment of feelings and emotional exchange.

When you love someone, it entails no limit. When one says, "I love you," it means "I love you all the way without any reservation." There is no such thing as "I love you only half way." That is why I hate the expression "I love you until further notice." Such an expression defies any true sense of love. For true love cannot be measured by time and space. As the song says, "Love is forever." When you put a limit on love, then it is not love anymore.

Love is something that goes beyond the language of man. When you try to describe it, it defies you and loses its meaning. It is something indescribable, and yet it is something real. It is something you dream, and yet you already feel it in your guts. Love is such an irony. It is mysterious and defiant as well. It is what it is when you think it is not, and it is not when you think it is. In a true sense, you don't need to speak the words of love when you love someone. Love speaks for itself.

That is why, when love beckons you - you cannot defy it, or run away from it. Let love flow into your heart and into your soul. Live love and you will find the beauty and wonders of life.

THE 2010 ELECTION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sat, 08 May 2010 22:06:00 +0000

In two days we will hold our national election in the Philippines. As I think and reflect about this coming national exercise, I feel excited that the Filipino people would be able to exercise its God-given and constitutional right, the freedom to choose the next President and leader of our Republic.

What are the qualities and characteristics I am looking for in the next President of the Republic? Here are some of them:

1. I am looking for a leader who is smart, intelligent, and God-fearing, someone who respects the rights of everyone, magnanimous in his heart, stern and well-thought in his actions, one whom every Filipino can be proud to emulate;

2. I am looking for a leader who can truly lead and guide our country become economically prosperous;

3. I am looking for a leader who will work tirelessly to improve and change the lives of many (if not all) Filipinos become a little better and more humane;

4. I am looking for a leader who can help spur our country compete in the league of nations - both in the economic, political and social arena;

5. I am looking for a leader who is just, strong-willed, and trustworthy, one who does not work for personal, family or corporate gains, but only for the service of the common good;

6. I am looking for a leader who is ready to make tough, decisive and difficult decisions - ready to root out corruption in government, have the courage to dismantle political and family dynasties, private armies, etc.;

7. I am looking for leader who is ready to respect and fight for human rights, prosecute those who abuse their powers, and investigate any kind of human abuses and the like;

8. I am looking for a leader who is ready to work out a national plan to achieve peace among the insurgents like the CPP-NPA, the Moro National Liberation Front, MILF, and other insurgent groups currently fighting against the government;

9. I am looking for a leader who is ready to implement decisive programs that will uplift immediately the conditions of many poor Filipinos, to create an environment where small and big businesses could thrive and prosper, both local and foreign, a leader who can create jobs and work for the common man, so that our citizenry would no longer seek for jobs abroad or anywhere else;

10. I am looking for a leader who is not afraid to implement new changes in government for the advancement of the common good, ready to "rock the boat" if needs be, be able to implement programs which are 'pro-poor' and viable, able to follow them up, cut red-tapes in government, and ensure that all programs geared for the people are implemented accordingly;

11. I am looking for a leader who will work expeditiously to protect the environment, our natural resources, promote "clean air," "clean energy," and the like, for the advancement of a better world;

12. I am looking for a leader who will create and implement health programs, ensure that all citizens are given health insurances, and help especially the poor and the needy;

13. I am looking for a leader who is open to current technological changes, implement new forms and ways through the use of media, latest technology, internet, etc., for the advancement of our country and the world;

14. I am looking for a leader who will modernize and strengthen our military, ready to make sweeping changes if necessary, root out military and police personnel who are corrupt and undesirables, implement reforms and programs that would benefit especially our military and veterans and their families;

15. I am looking for a leader who can implement the laws of the land, protect the constitution, uphold the courts, and see that the laws are implemented justly.

The Filipino people have been dreaming for a long time for good governance. We hope that the new President of the Republic would not let us down this time. That is why, we need to rally all Filipinos to exercise their constitutional right come election day. If we want new changes to happen in our government, and in our country, this is the time to act. We will fight our battle through the use of the ballot. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by this time. The stake is too high. Our children and our children's children depend on us their future. Therefore, this time, I urge every Filipino (who are able) to go out and vote, and vote wisely.

Don't be subdued by any intimidation of whatever kind. Listen to the voice of your conscience. Remember the saying, the voice of the people is the voice of God." Know your candidates well, examine their platforms and programs, examine their records (if any) in conjunction with their words. Don't be easily taken by nice and moving speeches. Words are sometimes cheap.

Be vigilant against vote buying, delaying tactics, force or intimidation being played by some notorious candidates and their supporters, who will do anything in order to win. In the past elections, vote buying had always been a problem. I hope it does not happen again this time. In some areas, the usual tactic of intimidation through the use of guns and goons have been prevalent, to rig the election. We hope the Commission on Election will know what to do in areas where "evil practice" of this kind is prevalent. The Filipino people know what to do if cheated again. But, we cannot be intimidated anymore. Any candidate employing such kind of tactic or the like should be investigated immediately, banned from running any electoral office, or else he should immediately be prosecuted.

During election time, the military has a big role to play not only to keep peace, but to see to it that constitutional laws and processes are implemented and the rights of the citizenry are safeguarded. Lately, we heard of some military personnel who are acting as protectors of some big-wig politicians and their cohorts. This has tarnished the image of the military. The military is a non-partisan entity, and they should remain that way. They have no right to meddle in politics in whatever form. Their role is specified by the constitution - that is, to protect the citizenry, not to meddle in politics. Any military personnel meddling in politics should be prosecuted.

This morning I read in one of the national dailies that about 80,000 students from catholic schools all over the country have volunteered to act as poll watchers during election time. I was excited and happy to hear about this. It's a good sign. Our young people are getting actively involved in the election process, to safeguard the sanctity of the ballots. We commend them for their courage and for their self-less generosity. The adults should have the same fervor and enthusiasm as our young people.

In two days we will hold the national elections, and yet, the issue of the 'compact flash cards' and configuration of some polling machines and their reliability are still a concern. These issues and concerns should have been dealt with a long time ago - not at the last minute - prior to election time. I just hope that there is nothing fishy about this. Nonetheless, the Commission on Election should look into this problem, otherwise it can create a series of problems they can never contain. Who is to blame for this? I really don't know. I hope that they should look into this very well and find immediate solution. I pray that something like should never happen again ever in the immediate future.

At this time, I pray for the success of our national election in the Philippines. I urge everyone to pray for the success of this national exercise. The future of our country depends on our elected leaders. We simply cannot take this national exercise for granted.

GOOD SAMARITAN LEFT FOR DEAD

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:16:00 +0000

I just posted a video in this site from youtube entitled "Good Samaritan Left for Dead." This story was in almost all the news network the other day (4/26/2010). It's about a story of a guy who tried to help a woman who was mugged, and got himself stabbed and left for dead. A number of people passed him by in the sidewalk and never dared to help him. In fact, one guy even took a picture of the dying man. People just passed him by unconcerned, offered no help, and just continued on their way. It just reminded me about the story of the Samaritan in the scripture. This time, it is real. It just made me feel sick watching the video. I cannot imagine that people nowadays just don't care anymore. What has happened to us human beings? What has happened to our sense of humanity and connectedness? Where is our sense of values? I thought we are sons and daughters of One God. But no - many people have simply negated their affinity (relationship) with their fellow human beings. Is it really true that man is a social being? I just wonder. Such an attitude displayed in this news story negate this fact. Why do human beings don't care anymore? Does it have something to do with the feeling and senses being disensitize? I don't know. I was listening to one of the explanations being forwarded by a psychologist who was being interviewed in this video on why this prevalent attitude among many people these days. The bottom line is, if you believe in God (or even if you don't), we cannot deny the fact that we have a responsibility for our fellow human being. Not only by reason of decency, but by the fact that we belong to the same human race, that God has given us knowledge to know what is right or wrong, that we are human beings imbued with conscience and intelligence– we have an obligation for one another. If you are a believer in God, we know for a fact that we were all made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, we are all brothers and sisters because we have the same God and Father. Our obligation and responsibility for one another is a given. This video on this news story, and similar other videos, really put us all to shame. I wonder if this is not just a tip of an iceberg, an unforeseen “evil” seeping into our society, a killer cancer embedded and is gradually metastasizing in the very fabric of our souls. If this is the case, then we should all be alarmed and scared. There would come a time when everything we hold dear – such as absolute truth, love, feelings of compassion, service, sacrifice, dying for a greater good, families, country – would just become mere language devoid of meaning and substance. If ever humanity reaches that point, I am almost certain that it would be the beginning and end of humanity. God help us!