What is your Faith made of?

Faith

Faith, its a hard word to believe in, but its the basic thing why you are breathing and why you believe there is air and the wind. Faith, is something that can be considered as “you just know” phenomenon. You just know because you believe on that something or someone that you know that there’s a positive that will occur. Or is it that the positive that you want for your own gain? That’s a different story. The point here is believing to the one you love or to a certain idea that you believe in because you have faith.

Faith to some are dreams of the poor, I am a designer but still I am living in somewhat we call slums in a religious city in the Philippines and faith is all we have. Dreams are for ambitious that has everything and still want something more, more than that he has. Faith seems to be for the not so fortunate ones, is the rope that holds its sanity that tomorrow will be a better day. This is just how I picture faith for others, or specifically differentiate it between dreams.

But where is it with the title? What’s your faith made of? If it is a rope what thread, or wood it is from? What are the components inside that we call faith? I was brought up in a very religious family, my mother for instance is very active in the church, a choir, a servant and a prayer warrior. I was raised in a conservative environment and culture. As I gain knowledge I learn ideas and principle that was influenced by my parents, most specially my mother that raised me almost 3/4ths of my life. She taught me to believe in things that God will make a way! In the grace of God we will survive. As I grew i acquire this principle that strengthen my faith. I was thought to be patient, and trust on people and trust on something that I love. Which I acquire as I grew old, right now I am towards the point that I would breakdown but I have faith on my self and my family and specially God. I know God will protect us and God will guide us on the right way. Faith teaches me to believe and just believe and the captain will take charge of it just have faith!

So if you are in a very difficult situation what will you do? Tired of what you are doing, where do you rest? Stop, look up, He will give you rest. That’s faith!

The Church Bells Started Singing

This day the church bells started to invite us again to prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the old tradition of the MISA DE GALLO! Injected by Spaniards, Misa de gallo is a novena which consists of 9 consecutive days of MASS started in 4 o’clock in the morning.

Meaning for the Young-at-Heart

This is the spiritual preparation of the person to receive GOD on his birthday. This is the time where the year-round sins will be cleansed (by confessing) and have a moment with your creator to talk on how are you this year? This is the way of the elders to give thanks for the blessings all year round.

Meaning for the Teens

This is the time that they can aliby of being out in the streets late. 4′oclock am is still dark and its still like a night outside and the teenagers are like vampires, hiding their selves in the dark.

For the teens this is not “simbang-gabi” this is “simbang-tabi” if they have a crush wether its a girl or boy for that matter, Misa De Gallo is 9 days of consecutive dates and on the ninth day the wish will come true they GOT WHAT THEY WANT it’s quite disappointing that the meaning of this event for them is to get laid and to have boyfriends/girlfriends.

Meaning for Kids

This is where they can wear their new clothes and be hip in the same time. To some this is the time where their sleeps will be disturbed.

This is the time where you can give thanks to God and to apologize to all what you have done on the past years and to be more productive and be a better person next year.

Let’s attend Misa De gallo in the right reasons in a right point of view.
See you in the CHURCHES!

Christ the King Sunday

I confess I am not a regular attendee of the Catholic Mass, Its an obligation for us catholics to attend mass and its a sin not to go, its the only day for our Lord (guilty as charged please forgive me). It was Christ the

Christ The king

King, and the mass was a bit late because they celebrate a special 3oclock mass. We should attend a 6oclock mass it started 6:30. It was a bit rainy good thing we bring our umbrella (ella… ella…). Bad thing we can not bring our daughter it was her 11th month birthday (1month to go before the big day). It was a calming and refreshing sunday it was we rested that afternoon and had a good gospel that day and also it was nice be back on the church benches after 2 weeks of silence.

Matthew 25:35-46

³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^* you did it to me.” ⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

This was the gospel last Sunday, and it reflects me what are the good things that I did for my brother? Then the priest has a story about a beggar boy:

There was a beggar boy that everyday begs for money to all passerby on a certain overpass in metro manila. He always receives 25 cents and the biggest money he ever received was a 1 peso coin. As he continues to on the end of the day he prays to the Lord that he hopes to receive something more than the amount he recieves everyday.

Then one day a man pass by and he gives a bread and a 20 peso bill to the boy. The boy was amazed so as the man passed him he chase the man and said “Thank you sir, are you Jesus?”

Maybe for the guy the 20 pesos was nothing but to the boy it has great impact and value. He saw the figure of Christ to that man. Which I will go back to my reflection what are the good things that I did for my brother? When was the last time I helped someone? When was the day I became the man in the story? or maybe Im still that boy that wants that begs for something?

Sitting still on the church benches I am stunned, forcing to remember when was that time I helped someone maybe it was a very long long time ago, or maybe I just take it for granted so I forgot it.

My personal reflection to this verse is that its not enough that we go to church or pray but extending the help that we can give to the people around us. As long as your intention is to help, just help! If you have an opportunity to help, just extend those hands to the people in need.

Well I guess that wraps up our day with a question to our head, Is there a time that we became an image of God to others?