I just came from a "simbang gabi" Mass at my parish. I arrived quite early because I was supposed to catch the earlier 6:30pm Mass but I got caught in really bad traffic and aside from that I desperately needed to fill my gas tank. So in the end, I arrived at the Parish at 7:15. What's 45 minutes wait?
As I wait...
As I waited, I took the opportunity to "pamper" my prayer to God by actually praying -- conversing with God in the tabernacle -- and not being in a hurry. But as I tried to pray, people started pouring in the Church: children, manangs, young and old professionals. As they filled the Church, praying became doubly hard because people, after their initial 1-minute prayer to God, started to chat with each other. Children started to run around the Church, moving from one pew to another until they were satisfied.
A group of people behind me started to chatter as well. It was bugging me so I transferred to the next pew. But the side of the Church I was seated started to become unbearably noisy. So, again, I moved to the other side of the Church which was relatively more quiet than the other. As I observed the people on the "other half" they looked like as if they were inside a movie house, waiting for the movie to start.
Boy did I feel bad for God who is inside the tabernacle! Basic thing: The Church is a house of prayer. It is a place to pray. A place to talk to God and not to talk to one another as if you never talked outside the Church. Inside the Church, our disposition should be to talk to God, or at the least, to just accompany God in the Holy Eucharist. It is the Eucharistic Year and yet people do not know how to show respect Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Church is not a movie house. The Holy Mass is the commemoration of Christ's crucifixion on Calvary. That is why on the altars, there is always a crucifix present directly on top or on the side or wherever. It is supposed to remind us that the Mass is the same sacrifice on the cross. So, if we are early for Mass, how should we behave? We are waiting for the Mass, ayt? We are then waiting for Jesus Christ to be crucified. How then should we behave if we are like those people on Calvary (imagine Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ") waiting for Jesus Christ to reach the top and we want to witness this sacrifice? Are we going to chit chat? We are, instead, going to prepare ourselves to see Jesus Christ on the Cross!
This is sad.
Not a lot of people do not understand the real meaning and value of the Mass. I see people holding on to their devotion booklets (all bundled in a special little bag) and reading them from page 1 to the last. And as soon as the Mass starts, they leave the Church satisfied with their little devotions.
The Holy Mass is the greatest prayer one person can say!!! We don't need all those devotion booklets to ask for our petitions! The Holy Mass is the best devotion! Haaay... It is the most complete prayer. There, we already invoke the help of Mother Mary, the Holy Trinity, some saints, the holy souls... What more can we ask for? The Mass is the most complete! Above all, it's free!
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Helping Cavite
We just finished the second day of a three-day leadership seminar for the local parochial high school students of Bacoor, Cavite. Being a provincial school, most of the students are not exposed to the sophistication of living in the City. The seminar we prepared for these 36 high school students were a series of team building and leadership activities, plus some classes on the basic truths of the Catholic faith. Why that? Well, because we are primarily training these kids to be Catechists. You can call us (those who are part of the Foundation) Catechists of Catechists.
Here's how they looked like. When I saw them, it reminded me of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes!
Feedback.
The participants of our seminar enjoyed the activities a lot! My analysis of the situation is that because these kids do not undergo such kinds of activities in their usual seminars organized by their school. I am quite happy to be able to give them this chance to experience leadership training activities like no other provincial school can give their students.
Sense of fulfillment.
I have the best sense of fulfillment from my work today! I may not be earning like a CEO but what sense of fulfillment! No one can really buy this sensation. I am glad I took the offer to help start this Foundation. I may not have the best bosses here but I have the best job for me.
Some bit of history.
I started being a Catechist when I was 3rd year College. I volunteered at a nearby Foundation within the vicinity of my university. (Mind you, it wasn't that attractive to be a Catechist until my eyes saw the poverty - material and spiritual - of the children compared to what I have.) And so I started teaching without any training and a little bit of correct doctrine... and so I continued until I was already working as a high school teacher. Now, being a Catechist is my full time job. Imagine being paid for this!
I am a not just a Catechist, but a Catechist of Catechists!
Here's how they looked like. When I saw them, it reminded me of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes!
Feedback.
The participants of our seminar enjoyed the activities a lot! My analysis of the situation is that because these kids do not undergo such kinds of activities in their usual seminars organized by their school. I am quite happy to be able to give them this chance to experience leadership training activities like no other provincial school can give their students.
Sense of fulfillment.
I have the best sense of fulfillment from my work today! I may not be earning like a CEO but what sense of fulfillment! No one can really buy this sensation. I am glad I took the offer to help start this Foundation. I may not have the best bosses here but I have the best job for me.
Some bit of history.
I started being a Catechist when I was 3rd year College. I volunteered at a nearby Foundation within the vicinity of my university. (Mind you, it wasn't that attractive to be a Catechist until my eyes saw the poverty - material and spiritual - of the children compared to what I have.) And so I started teaching without any training and a little bit of correct doctrine... and so I continued until I was already working as a high school teacher. Now, being a Catechist is my full time job. Imagine being paid for this!
I am a not just a Catechist, but a Catechist of Catechists!
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Lonesome tonight
Gosh!
I never felt so lonely ever! My best friend just left for a one-week retreat in Lipa who does not intend to reply to my texts at all during her whole retreat because she wants to do it "well". How the heck does one do a retreat well?! Well (hehe), by really talking to God alone without the usual distraction of the hustle and bustle of the city. She is in a different kind of retreat... Different doesn't necessarily mean that it is not how things should be done. Different because the way the Retreat is done is not how we know retreats when we were in high school: a lot of opening out to others, passing the candle, singing, activities, etc. This retreat is probably what you can call the original retreat as how it was first conceived: quiet, no talking to one another (at least avoid!), listening to what God has to say to you through the priest-retreat master, and just simply talking to God about how evil and good you were to Him and figuring out how you can improve yourself so that you treat Him less badly.
Anyway, I'm also lonely because I am alone where I stay. I don't have anyone to talk to. I don't normally go out for the heck of going out. (I can't really afford to go out every night!) If I want to talk to anybody, I always log on the internet (like now) and see who I can catch on YM. Oh well, no one is there save for two people who I am not interested in talking to because I am not close to them.
Why don't you call your friends?
I am not the type who'd call for no reason at all, just because I am lonely. Phone calls are different from IM. On the phone, you really can't keep the other phone on the line without saying a word. In IM, you can just "converse" without the pressure of answering immediately. So I only call when it's related to work or if there's really a topic to talk about. For trivial and frivolous things, IM is enough. No lull.
BUT!
Though I may be lonely, I am not depressed. I can be lonely but satisfied. Being alone is something (let's get philosophical here) accidental (not essential for survival). Oxygen is essential. Water is essential. Food is essential. Being with someone? Not essential but definitely helpful. We need silence. We need time to reflect on how our day went. We need time to be alone without any outside influences as we make major decisions of our lives. (Of course, after we have gotten all the necessary pros and cons of our predicament.)
S-I-L-E-N-T => L-I-S-T-E-N
Only when we are SILENT, that we are able to LISTEN.
I never felt so lonely ever! My best friend just left for a one-week retreat in Lipa who does not intend to reply to my texts at all during her whole retreat because she wants to do it "well". How the heck does one do a retreat well?! Well (hehe), by really talking to God alone without the usual distraction of the hustle and bustle of the city. She is in a different kind of retreat... Different doesn't necessarily mean that it is not how things should be done. Different because the way the Retreat is done is not how we know retreats when we were in high school: a lot of opening out to others, passing the candle, singing, activities, etc. This retreat is probably what you can call the original retreat as how it was first conceived: quiet, no talking to one another (at least avoid!), listening to what God has to say to you through the priest-retreat master, and just simply talking to God about how evil and good you were to Him and figuring out how you can improve yourself so that you treat Him less badly.
Anyway, I'm also lonely because I am alone where I stay. I don't have anyone to talk to. I don't normally go out for the heck of going out. (I can't really afford to go out every night!) If I want to talk to anybody, I always log on the internet (like now) and see who I can catch on YM. Oh well, no one is there save for two people who I am not interested in talking to because I am not close to them.
Why don't you call your friends?
I am not the type who'd call for no reason at all, just because I am lonely. Phone calls are different from IM. On the phone, you really can't keep the other phone on the line without saying a word. In IM, you can just "converse" without the pressure of answering immediately. So I only call when it's related to work or if there's really a topic to talk about. For trivial and frivolous things, IM is enough. No lull.
BUT!
Though I may be lonely, I am not depressed. I can be lonely but satisfied. Being alone is something (let's get philosophical here) accidental (not essential for survival). Oxygen is essential. Water is essential. Food is essential. Being with someone? Not essential but definitely helpful. We need silence. We need time to reflect on how our day went. We need time to be alone without any outside influences as we make major decisions of our lives. (Of course, after we have gotten all the necessary pros and cons of our predicament.)
S-I-L-E-N-T => L-I-S-T-E-N
Only when we are SILENT, that we are able to LISTEN.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Good credit standing!
"Your celfone 918****** with good credit standing is now exempted from auto-Redirection even when over Credit limit. Pls call *888 or 5112890 for inquiries."
Ain't that the best thing you'd wanna hear? I'm proud of myself that I get to pay my bills monthly even if it entails not leaving me enough money to spend for a better lunch. I hate having debts! I don't want to die with debts.
Utang na loob.
But if I do have debts... debts of gratitude.
Ain't that the best thing you'd wanna hear? I'm proud of myself that I get to pay my bills monthly even if it entails not leaving me enough money to spend for a better lunch. I hate having debts! I don't want to die with debts.
Utang na loob.
But if I do have debts... debts of gratitude.
Cold Turkey
Not that I suddenly turned cold turkey because I got scared or anything.
I just realized I am so cold to that friend of mine "I almost lost". Remember my previous blog about my friend? Well, we already reconciled and with what difficulty! It wasn't a happy reconciliation I should say. I have to admit that it was quite half-hearted on my part because I gave in to her conditions of being a "true friend" which is to be there whenever she would want to be with me or need me, regardless of where I was. I don't want a friend like that. You mean sacrificing my job just to see her before she goes to her retreat? As if she were not going to return...
Writing this helped me realize something.
How selfish perhaps I can be to my friend! Why don't I want a friend like that? Maybe because I am not willing to sacrifice for a friend. But common knowledge is that we should be willing to sacrifice for a friend, right? Definitely, she's a friend. We've been through rough times together and she was there during my rough times. She was there. I owe for being there. Situation's different then.
My circumstances have changed.
Our circumstances weren't as they were before. They have surely changed. There's more demand from each other's time now since we're "farther" from each other. But I guess it's getting pretty annoying on my part. I don't have the same "longing" to be near her or do things together all the time. Not because I have found new friends to "replace" her... I believe I have learned to live on my own, not being dependent on other people too much. I have been quite "autonomous" in this world that I have forgotten how to live with other people I used to "live with" (Please, nothing malicious here!)
So what now?
Well, I just have to learn how to be warmer to my old friend again. I must've gotten too familiar with her that she always misunderstands my coldness as something that tells her: "STAY AWAY FROM ME". Sorry I can't help it! Well, I have to change because she won't do it for me. The burden of proof is on me. And I am challenged by it.
Don't be overly familiar with your friends!
I just realized I am so cold to that friend of mine "I almost lost". Remember my previous blog about my friend? Well, we already reconciled and with what difficulty! It wasn't a happy reconciliation I should say. I have to admit that it was quite half-hearted on my part because I gave in to her conditions of being a "true friend" which is to be there whenever she would want to be with me or need me, regardless of where I was. I don't want a friend like that. You mean sacrificing my job just to see her before she goes to her retreat? As if she were not going to return...
Writing this helped me realize something.
How selfish perhaps I can be to my friend! Why don't I want a friend like that? Maybe because I am not willing to sacrifice for a friend. But common knowledge is that we should be willing to sacrifice for a friend, right? Definitely, she's a friend. We've been through rough times together and she was there during my rough times. She was there. I owe for being there. Situation's different then.
My circumstances have changed.
Our circumstances weren't as they were before. They have surely changed. There's more demand from each other's time now since we're "farther" from each other. But I guess it's getting pretty annoying on my part. I don't have the same "longing" to be near her or do things together all the time. Not because I have found new friends to "replace" her... I believe I have learned to live on my own, not being dependent on other people too much. I have been quite "autonomous" in this world that I have forgotten how to live with other people I used to "live with" (Please, nothing malicious here!)
So what now?
Well, I just have to learn how to be warmer to my old friend again. I must've gotten too familiar with her that she always misunderstands my coldness as something that tells her: "STAY AWAY FROM ME". Sorry I can't help it! Well, I have to change because she won't do it for me. The burden of proof is on me. And I am challenged by it.
Don't be overly familiar with your friends!
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Acknowledgements
Ah yes.
I would like to acknowledge biway for giving me the idea of blogging. Like how I explained in my very first entry for this blog, never really thought I'd make a "career" out of blogging.
Biway, this song is for you: (just the "thank you" parts!) Bwehehe!
How about getting off of these antibiotics
How about stopping eating when I'm filled up
How about them transparent dangling carrots
How about that ever elusive kudo
Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence
How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time
Shoots!
I would like to acknowledge biway for giving me the idea of blogging. Like how I explained in my very first entry for this blog, never really thought I'd make a "career" out of blogging.
Biway, this song is for you: (just the "thank you" parts!) Bwehehe!
How about getting off of these antibiotics
How about stopping eating when I'm filled up
How about them transparent dangling carrots
How about that ever elusive kudo
Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence
How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time
Shoots!
Mata
This song is probably the most requested song among my crowd these days. Thought of postiing it just for that reason.
Mata
Mojofly
Kamusta na, nandyan ka pa ba
Wala na yatang ibang magagawa kundi tumawa
Nandyan pa ba mga ala-ala
Ang tanging bagay na naiwan sa 'ting dalawa
'wag nang paikutin ang isa't isa
Lahat ng bagay ay malinaw na
Di na rin kailangan pagpilitan pa
'di mo na kinakailangan pang magsalita
Chorus
Nakita ko na lahat ito
Pinahihiwatig ng mata mo
Salamat na lamang sa 'yo
Mata
Mojofly
Kamusta na, nandyan ka pa ba
Wala na yatang ibang magagawa kundi tumawa
Nandyan pa ba mga ala-ala
Ang tanging bagay na naiwan sa 'ting dalawa
'wag nang paikutin ang isa't isa
Lahat ng bagay ay malinaw na
Di na rin kailangan pagpilitan pa
'di mo na kinakailangan pang magsalita
Chorus
Nakita ko na lahat ito
Pinahihiwatig ng mata mo
Salamat na lamang sa 'yo
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Do I hear Wedding bells?
Wow!
I was talking to a friend about his predicament with his feelings. I didn't advise him directly and told him what he should do. I just tried to ask him questions, put some sense into his current situation. What was the predicament? To marry or not to marry. He was planning to delay any proposal for marriage for another 5 years. I can't imagine some guy who already knows what he wants and still delays it for another 5 years. Like what the priest said in his homily, "If you are already bf-gf for 40 years, don't ask yourself anymore 'Is this the guy that I want to marry' because for sure, he's not the one. It is not what God wants for you." Quite an exaggerated example but wisdom comes out from his words. There's no sense in delaying. You are only opening up your relationship to temptations. (You know what they are.)
Sheesh!
It's hard to give the right advice for someone at the same time, we cannot force anyone to take our advice. I was at a more risky position since I was advising him not to delay the "big leap" anymore. If something goes wrong with his marriage, I can't be responsible for it. I gave him the conditions, he evaluated his situation, and makes the decision. He is always free not to take my advice (and I'm not taking offense of it). Like I said, it's hard to give the right advice.
I lay waiting...
Do I hear Wedding bells for myself? Honestly, I don't hear any bells at all (except for the ice cream man's). Nor do I see myself tying the knot with somebody else and live with him forever. Maybe God wants me to be single forever. I don't mind. I'll be a good aunt to my nieces and nephews through my sister (Pi, I can't wait!!!). For the moment, I can safely think God's will for me is to be single forever... until a guy comes along who I and God deem fit to tie the knot with. I have to be careful because guys may come along my way and maybe they're just distractions or "tests". I have to do a lot of praying, and conferring with God about who or what He wants from me. Hard eh?!
I was talking to a friend about his predicament with his feelings. I didn't advise him directly and told him what he should do. I just tried to ask him questions, put some sense into his current situation. What was the predicament? To marry or not to marry. He was planning to delay any proposal for marriage for another 5 years. I can't imagine some guy who already knows what he wants and still delays it for another 5 years. Like what the priest said in his homily, "If you are already bf-gf for 40 years, don't ask yourself anymore 'Is this the guy that I want to marry' because for sure, he's not the one. It is not what God wants for you." Quite an exaggerated example but wisdom comes out from his words. There's no sense in delaying. You are only opening up your relationship to temptations. (You know what they are.)
Sheesh!
It's hard to give the right advice for someone at the same time, we cannot force anyone to take our advice. I was at a more risky position since I was advising him not to delay the "big leap" anymore. If something goes wrong with his marriage, I can't be responsible for it. I gave him the conditions, he evaluated his situation, and makes the decision. He is always free not to take my advice (and I'm not taking offense of it). Like I said, it's hard to give the right advice.
I lay waiting...
Do I hear Wedding bells for myself? Honestly, I don't hear any bells at all (except for the ice cream man's). Nor do I see myself tying the knot with somebody else and live with him forever. Maybe God wants me to be single forever. I don't mind. I'll be a good aunt to my nieces and nephews through my sister (Pi, I can't wait!!!). For the moment, I can safely think God's will for me is to be single forever... until a guy comes along who I and God deem fit to tie the knot with. I have to be careful because guys may come along my way and maybe they're just distractions or "tests". I have to do a lot of praying, and conferring with God about who or what He wants from me. Hard eh?!
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Wag na Wag Mong Sasabihin
Kitchie Nadal
May gusto ka bang sabihin?
Ba't di mapakali ni hindi makatingin
Sana'y wag mo na 'tong palipasin
At subukan lutasin sa mga isinabi mo na
Iba'ng nararapat sa akin
Na tunay kong mamahalin
O wag na wag mong sasabihin
Na hindi mo nadama
Itong pag-ibig kong
Handang ibigay kahit pa kalayaan mo
Kung ano man ang inaakala
Na ako'y isang bituin na walang sasambahin
Di ko man ito ipakita
Abot-langit ang daing
Sa mga isinabi mo na
Ibang nararapat sa akin
Na tunay kong mamahalin
At sa gabi, sinong duduyan sa 'yo?
At sa umaga, ang hangin na hahaplos sa 'yo?
May gusto ka bang sabihin?
Ba't di mapakali ni hindi makatingin
Sana'y wag mo na 'tong palipasin
At subukan lutasin sa mga isinabi mo na
Iba'ng nararapat sa akin
Na tunay kong mamahalin
O wag na wag mong sasabihin
Na hindi mo nadama
Itong pag-ibig kong
Handang ibigay kahit pa kalayaan mo
Kung ano man ang inaakala
Na ako'y isang bituin na walang sasambahin
Di ko man ito ipakita
Abot-langit ang daing
Sa mga isinabi mo na
Ibang nararapat sa akin
Na tunay kong mamahalin
At sa gabi, sinong duduyan sa 'yo?
At sa umaga, ang hangin na hahaplos sa 'yo?
Want to get married?
Getting married is not just a different level of falling in love. Marriage is a covenant between the couple and God. A covenant is not just a contract. A contract may be binding but there are provisions for it. A covenant doesn't have any provisions. It's a once and for all thing.
Now, know this, are you just going to marry just anyone? Of course not. Careful deliberation (using both your heart and mind) has to be made.
I prepared a list of questions for you to ask yourself before making that "BIG LEAP" of faith in binding yourself with another person before God:
1. Is your loved one willing to subject his/her preferences to yours when necessary? Are you?
2. Are both you open to having a lot of children?
3. Are you getting married for the heck of getting married?
4. Are you getting married because you just want to make sure that your loved one is for you forever?
5. Are you getting married because you see yourself living with him/her under the same roof with a lot of children to take care of?
6. Do you know the defects of your loved one as well as her good points? After knowing her defects, do you accept all of them and are you willing to put up with these defects until death do you part?
7. Will he/she be a good father/mother to your children?
8. Is he/she prayerful? God-fearing?
9. If you're the guy, do you have a job that can support a big family? If none yet, do you have the motivation to work hard to accommodate the fruits of your love?
10. Are both of you willing to make the mother/wife stay at home to take care of your children when the necessity arises?
Anyway, these are just questions which can help spark some principles in you. They are not absolute so don't take them as if you have to get 10/10 answers right. It will still depend on your principles. These questions, AGAIN, just aim to spark some natural principles.
Good luck! I hope and pray that you guys make the right choice. We can't take marriage for granted and not be serious in keeping it in tact "til death do us part".
Now, know this, are you just going to marry just anyone? Of course not. Careful deliberation (using both your heart and mind) has to be made.
I prepared a list of questions for you to ask yourself before making that "BIG LEAP" of faith in binding yourself with another person before God:
1. Is your loved one willing to subject his/her preferences to yours when necessary? Are you?
2. Are both you open to having a lot of children?
3. Are you getting married for the heck of getting married?
4. Are you getting married because you just want to make sure that your loved one is for you forever?
5. Are you getting married because you see yourself living with him/her under the same roof with a lot of children to take care of?
6. Do you know the defects of your loved one as well as her good points? After knowing her defects, do you accept all of them and are you willing to put up with these defects until death do you part?
7. Will he/she be a good father/mother to your children?
8. Is he/she prayerful? God-fearing?
9. If you're the guy, do you have a job that can support a big family? If none yet, do you have the motivation to work hard to accommodate the fruits of your love?
10. Are both of you willing to make the mother/wife stay at home to take care of your children when the necessity arises?
Anyway, these are just questions which can help spark some principles in you. They are not absolute so don't take them as if you have to get 10/10 answers right. It will still depend on your principles. These questions, AGAIN, just aim to spark some natural principles.
Good luck! I hope and pray that you guys make the right choice. We can't take marriage for granted and not be serious in keeping it in tact "til death do us part".
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Linking!
Imagine!!! I just can't believe it. I'm a budding web developer!!! Bwahaha! well, not quite. I can only do small things. I was able to figure out how to position the tagboard on my blogsite. I thought that I'd get it instantly installed on my blogsite if I registered for one. To my surprise, I only got scripts! Of course, tried to figure out where the scripts might go, found the scripts for my template and inserted the tagboard script in there. Lo and behold! Got it posted! :)
Then to my curiosity, I wanted to figure out how to include a link within my blogs. Tried to look for the script for a link for something with my template and got the formula, tried it within my blogs, and voila! There goes the link! :)
Maybe I should have been a computer programmer. ;P
Then to my curiosity, I wanted to figure out how to include a link within my blogs. Tried to look for the script for a link for something with my template and got the formula, tried it within my blogs, and voila! There goes the link! :)
Maybe I should have been a computer programmer. ;P
Friendship
I am about to lose a friend because of my disloyalty. I don't blame her for it. What is friendship anyway? People may have different opinions about friendship. My definition of friendship is that it is a relationship between and among people where a spirit of trust, honesty, understanding, and favors thrive.
Best friends.
It's hard to have best friends who expect a lot from you. It's hard to have best friends who demand for your time. It's another way of strangling the freedom of others. If there's any exemption from strangling me, I'd allow my husband to do that to me. I would do this because I know I am bound by the sacrament of Marriage and that God gave me the grace to do so. Above all, this is how it ought to be between married people. So what's a best friend for me? A best friend is the first person you want to call about your joys and sorrows. He or she is the first person who you want to accompany you for a haircut. What a best friend for me is not: someone who'd call for no reason. Someone who doesn't even know what to talk about, and you are left in an awkward situation of forcing a conversation. I'd understand this if he were my husband.
Expectations? Should there be expectations between best friends? Yes, I have to admit that there is a certain level of expectation but the expectations should be realistic, and should not reach the same expectation as between husband and wife. If it does, big trouble!!! Hurt starts.
Friends.
Among your friends, who is your best friend? The one you are closest to. Someone who you can tell honestly and unashamedly that you liked New Kids on the Block when you were in high school. Someone you can freely talk about God with. Someone you'll be able to correct so that he/she will go to heaven with you. When you struggle to go to heaven, don't go alone. That's not a good sign.
Best friends.
It's hard to have best friends who expect a lot from you. It's hard to have best friends who demand for your time. It's another way of strangling the freedom of others. If there's any exemption from strangling me, I'd allow my husband to do that to me. I would do this because I know I am bound by the sacrament of Marriage and that God gave me the grace to do so. Above all, this is how it ought to be between married people. So what's a best friend for me? A best friend is the first person you want to call about your joys and sorrows. He or she is the first person who you want to accompany you for a haircut. What a best friend for me is not: someone who'd call for no reason. Someone who doesn't even know what to talk about, and you are left in an awkward situation of forcing a conversation. I'd understand this if he were my husband.
Expectations? Should there be expectations between best friends? Yes, I have to admit that there is a certain level of expectation but the expectations should be realistic, and should not reach the same expectation as between husband and wife. If it does, big trouble!!! Hurt starts.
Friends.
Among your friends, who is your best friend? The one you are closest to. Someone who you can tell honestly and unashamedly that you liked New Kids on the Block when you were in high school. Someone you can freely talk about God with. Someone you'll be able to correct so that he/she will go to heaven with you. When you struggle to go to heaven, don't go alone. That's not a good sign.
Love, my goodness, love!
When people are in love, they make things happen, but all sorts of things happen, too. When we fall in love for someone, we have to be ready to complicate our lives for him/her. Call it a paradox, but it's as simple as that.
To make love simple, all we have to do is SIMPLY admit whether we truly love a person on not. I somewhat believe that questions of life are all categorically answered by just "yes" and "no". The problem lies though whether we mean "yes" when we say "yes" and mean "no" when we say "no". When we say "yes" we have to mean it. When we say "no" we have to mean it. It takes maturity to be able to do this.
We will really live very complicated and "confused" lives if we are not simple with how we feel and in living based on our principles. You know what confuses us? It's our wanting to please others to the point that we compromise our principles in life.
Love cannot be compromised.
Do you really love him/her? What does your heart say? What about your mind? Is the latter still working or is it just all feelings? Are you just captivated by how the person speaks, dresses up, keeps you company? What about the person's virtues? Are you captivated by them? If you do cannot enumerate the virtues (and vices) of the other person you say you love, you cannot say that you truly know and love the person.
I don't believe in love at first sight. Philosophical you might think, but true. Love comes after knowing, not feeling or sensing. That's why courtship is there. Courtship is not a matter of wooing the person to you, but a period of getting to know the other person more, building a strong friendship. Couples are the best of friends. Or at least they ought to be the best of friends. This is why I think it is possible to marry a person within a year of knowing her. I believe that if both sides are open to each other, you can know the other person in a matter of months of going out. It's not just the "being physically close" to each other, but it's the talk that happens between the two.
Love cannot be a matter of sight.
To make love simple, all we have to do is SIMPLY admit whether we truly love a person on not. I somewhat believe that questions of life are all categorically answered by just "yes" and "no". The problem lies though whether we mean "yes" when we say "yes" and mean "no" when we say "no". When we say "yes" we have to mean it. When we say "no" we have to mean it. It takes maturity to be able to do this.
We will really live very complicated and "confused" lives if we are not simple with how we feel and in living based on our principles. You know what confuses us? It's our wanting to please others to the point that we compromise our principles in life.
Love cannot be compromised.
Do you really love him/her? What does your heart say? What about your mind? Is the latter still working or is it just all feelings? Are you just captivated by how the person speaks, dresses up, keeps you company? What about the person's virtues? Are you captivated by them? If you do cannot enumerate the virtues (and vices) of the other person you say you love, you cannot say that you truly know and love the person.
I don't believe in love at first sight. Philosophical you might think, but true. Love comes after knowing, not feeling or sensing. That's why courtship is there. Courtship is not a matter of wooing the person to you, but a period of getting to know the other person more, building a strong friendship. Couples are the best of friends. Or at least they ought to be the best of friends. This is why I think it is possible to marry a person within a year of knowing her. I believe that if both sides are open to each other, you can know the other person in a matter of months of going out. It's not just the "being physically close" to each other, but it's the talk that happens between the two.
Love cannot be a matter of sight.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
I hope that this MacJournal thing works!
I've been neglecting my blogspot. I thought that if I use MacJournal I'd be able to update my blogspot more often. So here it goes!!! :)
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