MikeLigalig.com

Water the Seed    

(Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a; Mt 21:23-27) Our Advent readings are lush with portrayals of God as a wondrous Creator of earthly abundance and a Sower of good seed. He turns barren ground to fertile purposes, giving life where there was only a wasteland. We invite our God to water the seeds of faith within us.

Quote from: www.tubagbohol.com on December 13, 2010, 04:45:27 AM
The breakdown is usually caused by a third party.

This happened to me it was hard for me to move on, thinking about our kids, after 7 years, I called it quits and moved on.

Our government is trying to imrpove this sector since our country is an archipel.They even negotiated with India to build more Ro-ros ships to ease the transportations from one island to the other.

Our Lady of Guadalupe



The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the sixteenth century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego, nevertheless, assured him that his uncle would recover and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.

When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531.


Comment:

Mary's appearance to Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that Mary and the God who sent her accept all peoples. In the context of the sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for Native Americans. While a number of them had converted before this incident, they now came in droves. According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time. In these days when we hear so much about God's preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to us that God's love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that stems from the Gospel itself.

Quote:

Mary to Juan Diego: “My dearest son, I am the eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth...and it is my desire that a church be built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother and that of all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion that I bear to the Indians, and to those who love and seek me...” (from an ancient chronicle).

Patron Saint of:

Americas
Mexico

Be Patient    

Like children pining for Christmas morning, we know what it means to wait for what we desire. Whether it is the safe arrival of loved ones from afar or a recovery from cancer, we wait in prayer and patience, hope and trust. Angelus Sibelius advises, “If in your heart you make a manger for his birth, then God will once again become a child on earth.”

This is wonderful, thanks for sharing!

St. Damasus I
(305?-384)

To his secretary St. Jerome, Damasus was “an incomparable person, learned in the Scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard its praises with pleasure.”

Damasus seldom heard such unrestrained praise. Internal political struggles, doctrinal heresies, uneasy relations with his fellow bishops and those of the Eastern Church marred the peace of his pontificate.

The son of a Roman priest, possibly of Spanish extraction, Damasus started as a deacon in his father’s church, and served as a priest in what later became the basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome. He served Pope Liberius (352-366) and followed him into exile.

When Liberius died, Damasus was elected bishop of Rome; but a minority elected and consecrated another deacon, Ursinus, as pope. The controversy between Damasus and the antipope resulted in violent battles in two basilicas, scandalizing the bishops of Italy. At the synod Damasus called on the occasion of his birthday, he asked them to approve his actions. The bishops’ reply was curt: “We assembled for a birthday, not to condemn a man unheard.” Supporters of the antipope even managed to get Damasus accused of a grave crimeâ€"probably sexualâ€"as late as A.D. 378. He had to clear himself before both a civil court and a Church synod.

As pope his lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome, and he was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. A misunderstanding of the Trinitarian terminology used by Rome threatened amicable relations with the Eastern Church, and Damasus was only moderately successful in dealing with the situation.

During his pontificate Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman state (380), and Latin became the principal liturgical language as part of the pope’s reforms. His encouragement of St. Jerome’s biblical studies led to the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Scripture which the Council of Trent (12 centuries later) declared to be “authentic in public readings, disputations, preachings.”


Comment:

The history of the papacy and the Church is inextricably mixed with the personal biography of Damasus. In a troubled and pivotal period of Church history, he stands forth as a zealous defender of the faith who knew when to be progressive and when to entrench.

Damasus makes us aware of two qualities of good leadership: alertness to the promptings of the Spirit and service. His struggles are a reminder that Jesus never promised his Rock protection from hurricane winds nor his followers immunity from difficulties. His only guarantee is final victory.


Quote:

"He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives life to the dying seeds of the earth; he who was able to loose the mortal chains of death, and after three days' darkness could bring again to the upper world the brother for his sister Martha: he, I believe, will make Damasus rise again from the dust" (epitaph Damasus wrote for himself).

Living Simply    

(Sir 48:1-4, 9-11; Mt 17:9a, 10-13) During the countdown to Christmas, we are bombarded by glittering commercials urging us to spend freely. But now is the time to remember John the Baptist, dressed in camel skin and dining on insects. He receives high praise from Jesus for calling the people to repentance and paving the Savior’s way.

Stateville , sorry to hear  that. I was also hesitant kay basin masipyat ako ang buthan. Ang akong plano kon adunay jud interesado sila ang magsabot , ako igo lang mag-ila ila. Ang mga anak sa paryente kay maantigo man mag english, gawas pa daghang pod mga Pinoys sa Italia.
Igo lang ko maghulat , kay para nako kon kini usa ka paagi nga 2 persons will meet and like each other and starts a new life, then its worth the try.

walay thong, plaster lang Day!

Wala jud ka matandog Doy? shalan bah!


ps;

I want to join.

During my trip to Portugal, I was spoken by an italian couple who said that he has a brother in Italy and wishes to have a Filipina wife. He is a pensionado and lives in his own flat. He doesn´t speak english so he wishes that the lady be willing to learn the language. It took me sometime to decide if he is serious, I think he means it really.
If anyone has some interest please pm me.

The USA should concentrate more aboout the rising poverty in its own country.

There were more amazing adventures for Spider-Man Thursday as a kite displaying the fictional superhero's image created a flash of color against the snowy skies of Red Square in Moscow.

Blessed Adolph Kolping
(1813-1865)


The rise of the factory system in 19th-century Germany brought many single men into cities where they faced new challenges to their faith. Father Adolph Kolping began a ministry to them, hoping that they would not be lost to the Catholic faith as was happening to workers elsewhere in industrialized Europe.

Born in the village of Kerpen, Adolph became a shoemaker at an early age because of his family’s economic situation. Ordained in 1845, he ministered to young workers in Cologne, establishing a choir, which by 1849 had grown into the Young Workmen’s Society. A branch of this began in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1856. Nine years later there were over 400 Gesellenvereine (workman’s societies) around the world. Today this group has over 400,000 members in 54 countries across the globe.

More commonly called the Kolping Society, it emphasizes the sanctification of family life and the dignity of labor. Father Kolping worked to improve conditions for workers and greatly assisted those in need. He and St. John Bosco in Turin had similar interests in working with young men in big cities. He told his followers, “The needs of the times will teach you what to do.

”Father Kolping once said, “The first thing that a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess, even if he does not realize it, is family life.”

He and Blessed John Duns Scotus are buried in Cologne’s Minoritenkirche, originally served by the Conventual Franciscans. The Kolping Society’s international headquarters is across from this church.

Kolping members journeyed to Rome from Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania for Father Kolping’s beatification in 1991, the 100th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s revolutionary encyclical Rerum Novarum (On the Social Order). Father Kolping’s personal witness and apostolate helped prepare for that encyclical.


Comment:

Some people thought that Father Kolping was wasting his time and talents on young working men in industrialized cities. In some countries, the Catholic Church was seen by many workers as the ally of owners and the enemy of workers. Men like Adolph Kolping showed that was not true.

Quote:

“Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory laborers together. Thus he overcame their isolation and defeatism. A faith society gave them the strength to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the world. To come together, to become strengthened in the assembly, and thus to scatter again is and still remains our duty today. We are not Christians for ourselves alone, but always for others too” (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily).

Don’t Pan the Prophets

(Is 48:17-19; Mt 11:16-19) God sends us in every age teachers and prophets. But when they do not fit our image (the wrong color, gender, ethnic group) we criticize and belittle them, refusing to accept their message. Neither Jesus nor John the Baptist could satisfy everyone’s expectations. But, “Wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

unsa man " is pursued", did this materialized? Was this a success?

wow, tuta tayo ng Peoples Republic of China?

bryan adams   Bryan Adams - Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman

A Filipino fisherman casts his net amidst a vivid carpet of water lillies near the town of Paranaque, just south of Manila. The waters surrounding the 7,100 islands of the Philippines are home to a rich variety of marine life including around 2,400 species of fish. These fish stocks, currently under threat from overfishing and climate change, will be actively protected from 2011 when the government plans to suspend any new commercial fishing licences.

Bol-anon mangilad ug isig-kaingon! 

this is wonderful website Day!

diay pay dugang;

balat sibuyas- iyakin o taong madaling paluha-in
helehel bago quiere- kunyari pa raw
malansang isda- mapagkunwari (hypocrite)
ayos na ang buto-boto- a guaranty to succeed or all is well
hampas lupa- extremely poor

Dia pa diay Doy;

bagito- green horn or newbie
baget- trying hard to be young
nagmumurang kamatis- same meaning as above
dyahe- embarassing
korni (mais) from english corny
syotah-girlfriend/boyfriend
palamunin- parasite
kapal-muks-makapal ang mukha
lak lak ng lak lak- to keep on drinking (alcoholwise)
basta ikaw nanginginig pah!- I´ll do it at all cost
urong-sulong-undecided what to do
kapit tuko- one who clings so hard
tulo laway- to envy or be green with envy

St. Juan Diego
(1474-1548)



Thousands of people gathered in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe July 31, 2002, for the canonization of Juan Diego, to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in the 16th century. Pope John Paul II celebrated the ceremony at which the poor Indian peasant became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas.

The Holy Father called the new saint “a simple, humble Indian” who accepted Christianity without giving up his identity as an Indian. “In praising the Indian Juan Diego, I want to express to all of you the closeness of the church and the pope, embracing you with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are going through,” John Paul said. Among the thousands present for the event were members of Mexico’s 64 indigenous groups.

First called Cuauhtlatohuac (“The eagle who speaks”), Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). After the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, however, little more is said about Juan Diego.

In time he lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac, revered as a holy, unselfish and compassionate catechist who taught by word and especially by example.

During his 1990 pastoral visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honor of Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later he was proclaimed a saint.


Comment:

God counted on Juan Diego to play a humble yet huge role in bringing the Good News to the peoples of Mexico. Overcoming his own fear and the doubts of Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, Juan Diego cooperated with God’s grace in showing his people that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone. Pope John Paul II used the occasion of this beatification to urge Mexican lay men and women to assume their responsibilities for passing on the Good News and witnessing to it.

Quote:

“Similar to ancient biblical personages who were collective representations of all the people, we could say that Juan Diego represents all the indigenous peoples who accepted the Gospel of Jesus, thanks to the maternal aid of Mary, who is always inseparable from the manifestation of her Son and the spread of the Church, as was her presence among the Apostles on the day of Pentecost” (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily).

Praise God’s Creation    

(Is 41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15) The bad news of oil spills, climate change and endangered species calls us to practice good stewardship of God’s glorious creation. God delights in making springs gush forth in the wilderness as much as he must have in bringing forth roses in December for St. Juan Diego.

from an e-mail;

    DEMENTIA - HOW TO AVOID IT

    To help ward off dementia, train your brain: *The minute you said you
    are retired, Dementia starts!!

    Timing is everything, comedians say. It's also important when it comes
    to taking care of your brain. Yet most of us start worrying about
    dementia after retirement - and that may be too little, too late.
    Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and or even earlier.

    "More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to your brain's health," says Dr Paul Nussbaum, a neuropsychologist and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh
    School of Medicine "If you want to live a long, healthy life, then
    many of us need to start as early as we can.

    "So what can you do to beef up your brain â€" and possibly ward off dementia?”

    Dr Nussbaum, who recently gave a speech on the topic for the Winter Park (Fla.) Health Foundation, offers

    20 tips that may help

    1.*Join clubs or organizations that need volunteers*.
    If you start volunteering now, you won't feel lost and unneeded after you retire.

    2.*Develop a hobby or two*.
    Hobbies help you develop a robust brain because you're trying
    something new and complex.

    3.*Practice writing with your non-dominant hand several minutes every day*.
    This will exercise the opposite side of your brain and fire up those neurons.

    4.*Take dance lessons*.
    In a study of nearly 500 people, dancing was the only regular physical activity associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The people who danced three
    or four times a week showed 76% less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all.

    5.*Need a hobby? *Start gardening*.
    Researchers in New Zealand found that, of 1,000 people, those who gardened regularly were less likely to suffer from dementia. Not only does gardening reduce stress, but gardeners use their brains to plan garden they use visual and spatial reasoning to lay out a garden.

    6.*Buy a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day*.
    Walking daily can reduce the risk of dementia because cardio vascular health is important to maintain blood flow to the brain.

    7.*Read and write daily*.
    Reading stimulates a wide variety of brain areas that process and store information. Likewise, writing (not copying) stimulates many areas of the brain as well.

    8.*Start knitting*.
    Using both hands works both sides of your brain. And it's a stress reducer...

    9.*Learn a new language*.
    Whether it's a foreign language or sign language, you are working your brain by making it go back and forth between one language and the other. A researcher in England found that being bilingual seemed to delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for four years.  (And some research suggests that the earlier a child learns sign language, the higher his IQ - and people with high IQs are less likely to have dementia. So start them early.)

    10.*Play board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly*.
    Not only are you taxing your brain, you're socializing too. (Playing
    solo games, such as solitaire or online computer brain games can be helpful, but Dr Nussbaum prefers games that encourage you to socialize too.) *MAHJONG IS GOOD!* besides which there is the incentive of $$$.

    11.*Take classes throughout your lifetime*.
    Learning produces structural and chemical changes in the brain, and education appears to help people live longer. Brain researchers have found that people with advanced degrees live longer - and if they do have Alzheimer's, it often becomes apparent only in the very later stages of the disease.

    12.*Listen to classical music*.
    A growing volume of research suggests that music may hardwire the brain, building links between the two hemispheres.  Any kind of music may work, but there's some research that shows positive effects for classical music, though researchers don't understand why.

    13.*Learn a musical instrument*.
    It may be harder than it was when you were a kid, but you'll be
    developing a dormant part of your brain.

    14.*Travel.*
    When you travel (whether it's to a distant vacation spot or on a
    different route across town), you're forcing your brain to navigate a new and complex environment. A study of London taxi drivers found experienced drivers had larger brains because they have to store lots of information about locations and how to navigate there.

    15.*Pray*.
    Daily prayer appears to help your immune system. And people who attend a formal worship service regularly live longer and report happier, healthier lives...

    16. *Learn to meditate*.
    It's important for your brain that you learn to shut out the stresses of everyday life.

    17.*Get enough sleep*.
    Studies have shown a link between interrupted sleep and dementia.

    18.*Eat more foods containing omega-3 fatty acids*.
    Salmon, sardines, tuna, ocean trout, mackerel or herring, plus walnuts (higher in omega 3s than salmon) and flaxseed. Flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and walnut oil are good sources too.

    19.*Eat more fruits and vegetables*.
    Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables mop up some of the damage caused by free radicals, one of the leading killers of brain cells.

    20.*Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends*.
    You'll slow down, socialize, and research shows you'll eat healthier food than if you ate alone or on the go.

   

Two-ton Nikica, Montenegro's only hippo, swims through the town of Pravnica after she was flooded out of her pen at a private zoo on Monday. The region around Lake Shadar has been suffering severe flooding since December 5 and over 1,000 soldiers have been brought in to help locals.

Sayang, gi-bwenas napod si Ate!

there are more than half million Pinoy seamen abroad,  yet this basic insurance to protect them and their families is not fully implemented?

December 8, 2010! Happy Birthday Inday Bulak!

Ja må du leva, ja må du leva, ja må du leva uti hundrade år.
Javisst ska du leva, javisst ska du leva, javisst ska du leva uti hundrade år.

Asa ra ang Pinas?

ang leaks nga iyang gihatag adunay may balos, morag exchange gift, daghang nabulgar dinhe mga German diplomats who gave him some confidential documents.

now I know why Rorschach test is important.

He exposed so much what Germany can not digest about  Iraq matters.

Doy sa maka-una lang! Basin sa Guindulman mo sangyaw sab nga Christmas capital!

London (CNN) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested Tuesday in London on a Swedish warrant, London's Metropolitan Police said.

Assange was arrested at a London police station at 9:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET) and will appear at the City of Westminster Magistrate's Court later in the day, police said.

Swedish authorities had issued the warrant for Assange so they can talk to him about sex-crime allegations unrelated to WikiLeaks' recent disclosure of secret U.S. documents.

Assange's British lawyer, Mark Stephens, said his client would fight extradition to Sweden, according to Britain's Press Association.

At court, Assange will respond to the arrest warrant, and the court will then have roughly 21 days to decide whether to extradite him, said Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association.

from an email;

    DO MEDICATIONS REALLY EXPIRE?

    By Richard Altschuler

    Does the expiration date on a bottle of a medication mean anything? If a
    bottle of Tylenol, for example, says something like "Do not use after June
    1998," and it is August 2002, should you take the Tylenol? Should you
    discard it? Can you get hurt if you take it? Will it simply have lost its
    potency and do you no good?

    In other words, are drug manufacturers being honest with us when they put an
    expiration date on their medications, or is the practice of dating just
    another drug industry scam, to get us to buy new medications when the old
    ones that purportedly have "expired" are still perfectly good?

    These are the pressing questions I investigated after my mother-in-law
    recently said to me, "It doesn't mean anything," when I pointed out that the
    Tylenol she was about to take had "expired" 4 years and a few months ago. I
    was a bit mocking in my pronouncement -- feeling superior that I had noticed
    the chemical corpse in her cabinet -- but she was equally adamant in her
    reply, and is generally very sage about medical issues.

    So I gave her a glass of water with the purportedly "dead" drug, of which
    she took 2 capsules for a pain in the upper back. About a half hour later
    she reported the pain seemed to have eased up a bit. I said "You could be
    having a placebo effect," not wanting to simply concede she was right about
    the drug, and also not actually knowing what I was talking about. I was just
    happy to hear that her pain had eased, even before we had our evening
    cocktails and hot tub dip (we were in "Leisure World," near Laguna Beach,
    California, where the hot tub is bigger than most Manhattan apartments, and
    "Heaven," as generally portrayed, would be raucous by comparison).

    Upon my return to NYC and high-speed connection, I immediately scoured the
    medical databases and general literature for the answer to my question about
    drug expiration labeling. And voila, no sooner than I could say "Screwed
    again by the pharmaceutical industry," I had my answer. Here are the simple
    facts:

    First, the expiration date, required by law in the United States, beginning
    in 1979, specifies only the date the manufacturer guarantees the full
    potency and safety of the drug -- it does not mean how long the drug
    is actually
    "good" or safe to use.
    Second, medical authorities uniformly say it is safe to take drugs past
    their expiration date -- no matter how "expired" the drugs purportedly are.
    Except for possibly the rarest of exceptions, you won't get hurt and you
    certainly won't get killed.

    A contested example of a rare exception is a case of renal tubular damage
    purportedly caused by expired tetracycline (reported by G. W. Frimpter and
    colleagues in JAMA, 1963;184:111) . This outcome (disputed by other
    scientists) was supposedly caused by a chemical transformation of the active
    ingredient. Third, studies show that expired drugs may lose some of their
    potency over time, from as little as 5% or less to 50% or more (though
    usually much less than the latter). Even 10 years after the "expiration
    date," most drugs have a good deal of their original potency. So wisdom
    dictates that if your life does depend on an expired drug, and you must have
    100% or so of its original strength, you should probably toss it and get a
    refill, in accordance with the cliché, "better safe than sorry." If your
    life does not depend on an expired drug -- such as that for headache, hay
    fever, or menstrual cramps -- take it and see what happens.

    One of the largest studies ever conducted that supports the above points
    about "expired drug" labeling was done by the US military 15 years ago,
    according to a feature story in the Wall Street Journal (March 29, 2000),
    reported by Laurie P. Cohen. The military was sitting on a $1 billion
    stockpile of drugs and facing the daunting process of destroying and
    replacing its supply every 2 to 3 years, so it began a testing program to
    see if it could extend the life of its inventory. The testing, conducted by
    the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ultimately covered more than 100
    drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The results showed that about 90%
    of them were safe and effective as far as 15 years past their original
    expiration date.

    In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis
    Flaherty, said he concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers
    typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr.
    Flaherty noted that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is
    still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The
    expiration date doesn't mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being
    effective after that, nor that it will become harmful. "Manufacturers put
    expiration dates on for marketing, rather than scientific, reasons," said
    Mr. Flaherty, a pharmacist at the FDA until his retirement in 1999. "It's
    not profitable for them to have products on a shelf for 10 years. They want
    turnover."

    The FDA cautioned there isn't enough evidence from the program, which is
    weighted toward drugs used during combat, to conclude most drugs in
    consumers' medicine cabinets are potent beyond the expiration date. Joel
    Davis, however, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, said that
    with a handful of exceptions -- notably nitroglycerin, insulin, and some
    liquid antibiotics -- most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency
    has tested for the military. "Most drugs degrade very slowly," he said. "In
    all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many
    years, especially if it's in the refrigerator. " Consider aspirin. Bayer AG
    puts 2-year or 3-year dates on aspirin and says that it should be discarded
    after that. However, Chris Allen, a vice president at the Bayer unit that
    makes aspirin, said the dating is "pretty conservative" ; when Bayer has
    tested 4-year-old aspirin, it remained 100% effective, he said. So why
    doesn't Bayer set a 4-year expiration date? Because the company often
    changes packaging, and it undertakes "continuous improvement programs," Mr.
    Allen said. Each change triggers a need for more expiration-date testing,
    and testing each time for a 4-year life would be impractical. Bayer has
    never tested aspirin beyond 4 years, Mr. Allen said. But Jens Carstensen
    has. Dr. Carstensen, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin's
    pharmacy school, who wrote what is considered the main text on drug
    stability, said, "I did a study of different aspirins, and after 5 years,
    Bayer was still excellent. Aspirin, if made correctly, is very stable.

    Okay, I concede. My mother-in-law was right, once again. And I was wrong,
    once again, and with a wiseacre attitude to boot. Sorry mom.

    Now I think I'll take a swig of the 10-year dead package of Alka Seltzer in
    my medicine chest -- to ease the nausea I'm feeling from calculating how
    many billions of dollars the pharmaceutical industry bilks out of unknowing
    consumers every year who discard perfectly good drugs and buy new ones
    because they trust the industry's "expiration date labeling."

Seek the Lost    

(Is 40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14) If Jesus had a favorite self-image, it was most likely the Good Shepherd. Even if 99 of his 100 sheep were fine, he would still head out to track down the wanderer. Like his Father, he does not want to lose a single “little one.”

St. Ambrose
(340?-397)


One of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through the lives of his contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among those who were to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s way.

When the Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and give them to the Arians, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of riots, he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to exciting Eastern melodies.

In his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the principle: “The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.” He publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7,000 innocent people. The emperor did public penance for his crime. This was Ambrose, the fighter, sent to Milan as Roman governor and chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s bishop.

There is yet another side of Ambroseâ€"one which influenced Augustine, whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high forehead, a long melancholy face and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail figure clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic heritage and learning.

Augustine found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and entertaining but far more learned than that of other contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modeled on Cicero and his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his spoilsâ€"“gold of the Egyptians”â€"taken over from the pagan philosophers.

His sermons, his writings and his personal life reveal him as an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity, for Ambrose, was, above all, spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human soul, the closest thing to God, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic champion of consecrated virginity.

The influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. The Confessions reveal some manly, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop.

Neither is there any doubt that Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose, after all, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.


Comment:

Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning, law and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.

Quote:

“Women and men are not mistaken when they regard themselves as superior to mere bodily creatures and as more than mere particles of nature or nameless units in modern society. For by their power to know themselves in the depths of their being they rise above the entire universe of mere objects.... Endowed with wisdom, women and men are led through visible realities to those which are invisible” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 14â€"15, Austin Flannery translation).

Patron Saint of:

Bee keepers
Learning

fearless Father Christmas!

A climber dressed as Santa Claus rappelled down the front of the 25-storey Kollhoff Tower on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin on Monday. The dramatic backdrop includes the Sony Center and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

This is a Swedish company who caters to servers. Since Wikileaks is their client, they are  accommodated as a normal  customer and they are not interested what data are well secured in this bunker.

Kon ikaw kaha Ondoy? Mag-unsa man ka?

makalagot bitaw kini nga thread, ka preskohan kini! If you are serious is selling something then give  clearly full details because it is expected to an honest tubag bohol member.

St. Nicholas
(d. 350?)

The absence of the “hard facts” of history is not necessarily an obstacle to the popularity of saints, as the devotion to St. Nicholas shows. Both the Eastern and Western Churches honor him, and it is claimed that, after the Blessed Virgin, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists. And yet, historically, we can pinpoint only the fact that Nicholas was the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor.

As with many of the saints, however, we are able to capture the relationship which Nicholas had with God through the admiration which Christians have had for himâ€"an admiration expressed in the colorful stories which have been told and retold through the centuries.

Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. In the English-speaking countries, St. Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Clausâ€"further expanding the example of generosity portrayed by this holy bishop.


Comment:

The critical eye of modern history makes us take a deeper look at the legends surrounding St. Nicholas. But perhaps we can utilize the lesson taught by his legendary charity, look deeper at our approach to material goods in the Christmas season and seek ways to extend our sharing to those in real need.

Quote:

“In order to be able to consult more suitably the welfare of the faithful according to the condition of each one, a bishop should strive to become duly acquainted with their needs in the social circumstances in which they live.... He should manifest his concern for all, no matter what their age, condition, or nationality, be they natives, strangers, or foreigners” (Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office, 16).

Patron Saint of:

Bakers
Brewers
Brides
Children
Greece
Grooms
Merchants
Pawnbrokers
Russia
Travelers

Be Forgiving and Giving    

(Is 35:1-10; Lk 5:17-26) God’s endless generosity to Israel and to us is depicted as the riotous blossoming of the desert, the strengthening of the weak and the end of sorrow. Jesus shows this same generosity to the paralytic, forgiving his sins and gifting him good health.

St. Sabas
(b. 439)


Born in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), Sabas is one of the most highly regarded patriarchs among the monks of Palestine and is considered one of the founders of Eastern monasticism.

After an unhappy childhood in which he was abused and ran away several times, Sabas finally sought refuge in a monastery. While family members tried to persuade him to return home, the young boy felt drawn to monastic life. Although the youngest monk in the house, he excelled in virtue.

At age 18 he traveled to Jerusalem, seeking to learn more about living in solitude. Soon he asked to be accepted as a disciple of a well-known local solitary, though initially he was regarded as too young to live completely as a hermit. Initially, Sabas lived in a monastery, where he worked during the day and spent much of the night in prayer. At the age of 30 he was given permission to spend five days each week in a nearby remote cave, engaging in prayer and manual labor in the form of weaving baskets. Following the death of his mentor, St. Euthymius, Sabas moved farther into the desert near Jericho. There he lived for several years in a cave near the brook Cedron. A rope was his means of access. Wild herbs among the rocks were his food. Occasionally men brought him other food and items, while he had to go a distance for his water.

Some of these men came to him desiring to join him in his solitude. At first he refused. But not long after relenting, his followers swelled to more than 150, all of them living in individual huts grouped around a church, called a laura.

The bishop persuaded a reluctant Sabas, then in his early 50s, to prepare for the priesthood so that he could better serve his monastic community in leadership. While functioning as abbot among a large community of monks, he felt ever called to live the life of a hermit. Throughout each year â€"consistently in Lentâ€"he left his monks for long periods of time, often to their distress. A group of 60 men left the monastery, settling at a nearby ruined facility. When Sabas learned of the difficulties they were facing, he generously gave them supplies and assisted in the repair of their church.

Over the years Sabas traveled throughout Palestine, preaching the true faith and successfully bringing back many to the Church. At the age of 91, in response to a plea from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sabas undertook a journey to Constantinople in conjunction with the Samaritan revolt and its violent repression. He fell ill and, soon after his return, died at the monastery at Mar Saba. Today the monastery is still inhabited by monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and St. Sabas is regarded as one of the most noteworthy figures of early monasticism.


Comment:

Few of us share Sabas’s yearning for a cave in the desert, but most of us sometimes resent the demands others place on our time. Sabas understands that. When at last he gained the solitude for which he yearned, a community immediately began to gather around him and he was forced into a leadership role. He stands as a model of patient generosity for anyone whose time and energy are required by othersâ€"that is, for all of us.

Live in Harmony    

We long for the peaceable kingdom in which predator and prey live side by side, never threatening or harming one another. John the Baptist boldly warns us to repent of our sinfulness and prepare to welcome the Savior in whom the Kingdom comes. On this eighth day of our Advent journey, rejoice.

High-water alarms sounded in Venice on Friday morning as seasonal winter floods reached their highest level. Over half of the legendary Italian island city was under water. The heavy flooding is due to a combination of persistently bad weather and the usual tide coming in to the Venice lagoon off the Adriatic, the news agency AFP reported.

St. John Damascene
(676?-749)


John spent most of his life in the monastery of St. Sabas, near Jerusalem, and all of his life under Muslim rule, indeed, protected by it. He was born in Damascus, received a classical and theological education, and followed his father in a government position under the Arabs. After a few years he resigned and went to the monastery of St. Sabas.

He is famous in three areas. First, he is known for his writings against the iconoclasts, who opposed the veneration of images. Paradoxically, it was the Eastern Christian emperor Leo who forbade the practice, and it was because John lived in Muslim territory that his enemies could not silence him. Second, he is famous for his treatise, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a summary of the Greek Fathers (of which he became the last). It is said that this book is for Eastern schools what the Summa of Aquinas became for the West. Thirdly, he is known as a poet, one of the two greatest of the Eastern Church, the other being Romanus the Melodist. His devotion to the Blessed Mother and his sermons on her feasts are well known.


Comment:

John defended the Church’s understanding of the veneration of images and explained the faith of the Church in several other controversies. For over 30 years he combined a life of prayer with these defenses and his other writings. His holiness expressed itself in putting his literary and preaching talents at the service of the Lord.

Quote:

“The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says: ‘But as many as received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons of God....’ Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory” (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith).

Walk This Way

(Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Mt 9:35â€"10:1, 5a, 6-8) Isaiah shares his vision of God as our Teacher who does not leave us to find our way alone. God is there, just over our shoulder, whispering in our ear, “This is the way; walk in it.” It is that same voice that instructs us today to be Christ’s ears for the elderly neighbor we listen to, Christ’s arms for the pregnant woman we comfort, Christ’s voice for the child we guide in living by faith.

I wrote long s-mails! This was fun, but now, e-mail is faster and you don´t worry about typo errors.

this is somewhere in Schweden!

St. Francis Xavier
(1506-1552)


Jesus asked, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26a). The words were repeated to a young teacher of philosophy who had a highly promising career in academics, with success and a life of prestige and honor before him.

Francis Xavier, 24 at the time, and living and teaching in Paris, did not heed these words at once. They came from a good friend, Ignatius of Loyola, whose tireless persuasion finally won the young man to Christ. Francis then made the spiritual exercises under the direction of Ignatius, and in 1534 joined his little community (the infant Society of Jesus). Together at Montmartre they vowed poverty, chastity and apostolic service according to the directions of the pope.

From Venice, where he was ordained priest in 1537, Francis Xavier went on to Lisbon and from there sailed to the East Indies, landing at Goa, on the west coast of India. For the next 10 years he labored to bring the faith to such widely scattered peoples as the Hindus, the Malayans and the Japanese. He spent much of that time in India, and served as provincial of the newly established Jesuit province of India.

Wherever he went, he lived with the poorest people, sharing their food and rough accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor, particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep or even to say his breviary but, as we know from his letters, he was filled always with joy.

Francis went through the islands of Malaysia, then up to Japan. He learned enough Japanese to preach to simple folk, to instruct and to baptize, and to establish missions for those who were to follow him. From Japan he had dreams of going to China, but this plan was never realized. Before reaching the mainland he died. His remains are enshrined in the Church of Good Jesus in Goa.


Comment:

All of us are called to “go and preach to all nations” (see Matthew 28:19). Our preaching is not necessarily on distant shores but to our families, our children, our husband or wife, our coworkers. And we are called to preach not with words, but by our everyday lives. Only by sacrifice, the giving up of all selfish gain, could Francis Xavier be free to bear the Good News to the world. Sacrifice is leaving yourself behind at times for a greater good, the good of prayer, the good of helping someone in need, the good of just listening to another. The greatest gift we have is our time. Francis gave his to others.

Patron Saint of:

Japan
Missionaries

Be Healed    

(Is 29:17-24; Mt 9:27-31) We sometimes doubt our ability to make a crucial difference in the lives of those who are sick, addicted, misguided. Spend time with Jesus in prayer, asking him about a specific compassionate deed: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

The Hour of Grace

The 8th of December is an important day - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is also the day on which in 1947 Our Blessed Mother gave us the Hour of Grace.

Our Lady said as follows: "It is my wish that every year, on 8th December, at noon, the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be celebrated. Many divine and bodily graces will be received through this devotion. Our Lord, my Divine Son Jesus, will send His overflowing mercy if good people will pray continuously for their sinful brother.... it is my wish that the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be made known and spread throughout the world. If anyone is unable to visit his church, yet will pray at home, he will also receive graces through me.... will find a secure heavenly ladder and receive protection and grace through my motherly heart."

Our Lady promised she will hear any prayer we make at this time.

THE REQUEST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER FOR THE HOUR OF GRACE:

   1.

      Day and time of the Hour of Grace: December 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to be started at 12:00 noon and continuing until 1:00 p.m. for one full hour of prayer.
   2.

      During this hour, the person making the Hour of Grace either at home or at church must put away all distractions (do not answer the telephones, or answer any doors, or do anything but totally concentrate on your union with God during this special Hour of Grace).
   3.

      Begin the Hour of Grace by praying three times the 51st Psalm with out-stretched arms. (Psalm 51 appears below).
   4.

      The rest of the Hour of Grace may be spent in silent communication with God meditating upon the Passion of Jesus, saying the Holy Rosary, praising God in your own way, or by using favorite prayers, singing hymns, meditating upon other psalms, etc.

Please copy and distribute this message. Remember to pray for your country during this hour. The Blessed Virgin has requested that her important message be sent throughout the entire world. Please help her Mission: that all souls be drawn to God, and that Jesus will be loved in every heart. This is the perpetual song of her heart. Let it also be yours.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

PSALM 51

Have mercy on on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offence.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my offence; my sin is always before me.
Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.
True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my innermost being teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.
Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.
Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.
Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.
Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.
For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice, burnt offerings and holocausts; then bullocks will be offered on your altar.

This is truly painful, if I´m the mother I might get justice on my own hands knowing the lax methods of our country, my opinion!

Buhi pa kaayo ang Cpp, Ka roger writes regularly in bulatlat. It is quite sometime that not much is heared from him so he is assumed rsting.

Blessed Rafal Chylinski
(1694-1741)


Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years.

Against the urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Kraków, receiving the name Rafal, and was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki (central Poland), where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity as well as his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry.

Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor. After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991.


Comment:

The sermons preached by Rafal were powerfully reinforced by the living sermon of his life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us bring our daily choices into harmony with our words about Jesus’ influence in our life.

Quote:

During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II said, "May Blessed Rafal remind us that every one of us, even though we are sinners, has been called to love and to holiness" (L'Osservatore Romano, 1991, vol. 25, number 19).

Build on the Rock

(Is 26:1-6; Mt 7:21, 24-27) Is the house of your life resting on a rock foundation? Or might it be slipping onto the sand of good intentions? It isn’t saying “Lord, Lord,” but doing what the Lord says that prepares our hearts to be his dwelling place.

Ben, ihapa palihog imong edad pa-atras!

30 November,2010

Cheers to your health, belated happy birthday greetings Inday Lollapalooza!

A masterpiece;

Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang1


Directed by Lino Brocka for Cinemanila, 1974

To choose just one film from Brocka is always an exercise of foolishness. Most people would choose Bona or Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag or Insiang or Kapit sa Patalimâ€"but Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang speaks to me more for some reason. Brocka famously set about to film this in his old hometown that once ostracized him, wowing them by bringing in big starsâ€"and then slyly makes the town as the very backdrop for his searing tale of small-town hypocrisy. Talk about the ultimate revenge. In it, the young Christopher de Leon becomes our stand-in. He plays the innocent hero who must become his own man as he struggles with the scathing drama of ordinary corruption.

E.T.

Alles gute zum Geburtstag!

Swing-Michael Bublé

December 1
Patron of metalworkers

Eligius (also known as Eloi) was born around 590 near Limoges in France. He became an extremely skillful metalsmith and was appointed master of the mint under King Clotaire II of Paris. Eligius developed a close friendship with the King and his reputation as an outstanding metalsmith became widespread. With his fame came fortune. Eligius was very generous to the poor, ransomed many slaves, and built several churches and a monastery at Solignac. He also erected a major convent in Paris with property he received from Clotaire's son, King Dagobert I. In 629, Eligius was appointed Dagobert's first counselor. Later, on a mission for Dagobert, he persuaded the Breton King Judicael, to accept the authority of Dagobert. Eligius later fulfilled his desire to serve God as a priest, after being ordained in 640. Then he was made bishop of Noyon and Tournai. His apostolic zeal led him to preach in Flanders, especially Antwerp, Ghent, and Courtai where he made many converts. Eligius died on December 1, around 660, at Noyon. He is the patron of metalworkers and his feast day is December 1. The use of one's talents and wealth for the welfare of humanity is a very true reflection of the image of God. In the case of St. Eligius, he was so well liked that he attracted many to Christ. His example should encourage us to be generous in spirit and kind and happy in demeanor.

Feeding the Hungry    

(Is 25:6-10a; Mt 15:29-37) Isaiah paints God as a magnanimous host, providing rich food and the finest wines for his guests. God not only welcomes and feeds but comforts and forgives. The Son of God shows us this maternal face of God when he has compassion on the hungry

Glad to hear Filipino officials with conscience.

Virgilio, paghimo ug halo-halo!

Nangaykay ko sa akong mga karaan nga postcards, I saw this one as a souvenir from a Pink sister in Steyl Cloister in the Netherlands who celebrated her 25th anniversary, praktikal baya pod ang naka-apan kay da-ogon man ko sa akong garbo ug mapahitas-on.

St. Andrew

Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a).

Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.


Comment:

As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

Quote:

“...[T]he Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2-4).

Patron Saint of:

Fishermen
Greece
Russia
Scotland

Answering the Call    

(Rom 10:9-18; Mt 4:18-22) The brothers Andrew and Simon had no idea their lives would change drastically when they cast their nets into the sea one fine day. Then along came Jesus with his “Follow me.” That was the first day of their new lives as fishers of people who would say yes to the gospel.

Porbida, makatolog kaha siya?

Advent party was celebrated by the Bol-anon sa Germany in Nottuln (NRW, Germany)last 27 November 2010. It was only a small group but we were able to collect 150 Euro to augment our fundraising for more projects in Bohol.





Some discussions about next year´s annual party.




Native handicrafts were sold and the amount collected was also donated to the organization.


We are grateful to Mr Alfred Schmitz for his tireless support. Selling tombolas.

Posing for some souvenir pictures.

   1.Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.

   2.Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.

   3.Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.

   4.Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.

   5.Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.

   6.Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.

   7.Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.

   8.Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.

   9.Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.

  10.Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

To conclude: here is an all-embracing resolution: "I want to be kind, today and always, to everyone."

In this way, we can put Pope John's hope for every Christian into practice: "Every believer in this world must be a spark of light, a core of love, life-giving leaven in the mass: and the more he is so, the more he will live, in his innermost depths, in communion with God."

This is a very touching song, I could relate my past at the age of 17, isolated, poor and full of doubts.
Here is another version finely sung but not as nice as the original.

Jodie performs "At Seventeen" at the Royal Albert Hall uk

Janis Ian-Seventeen


AT SEVENTEEN
By Janice Ian
I learned the truth at seventeen, that love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles, who married young and then retired.
The valentines I never knew, the Friday night charades of y...outh
Were spent on one more beautiful. At seventeen I learned the truth.

And those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces,
Desperately remained at home, inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say, "Come dance with me," and murmured vague obscenities.
It isn't all it seems at seventeen.

A brown-eyed girl in hand-me-downs whose name I never could pronounce
Said, "Pity, please, the ones who serve; they only get what they deserve.
The rich relation hometown queen marries into what she needs.
A guarantee of company and haven for the elderly."

Remember those who win the game lose the love they sought to gain.
In debentures of quality and dubious integrity.
Their small-town eyes will gape at you in dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received at seventeen.

To those of us who know the pain of valentines that never came,
And those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball.
It was long ago and far away; the world was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.

We all play the game and when we dare to cheat ourselves at solitaire.
Inventing lovers on the phone, repenting other lives unknown
That call and say, "Come dance with me," and murmur vague obscenities
It isn’t all it seem like at seventeen.

Secret!

She,  who plays with fire gets the  finger burned!

hagbay ra!

no, this is a false assumption!

If you are interested to buy a very good solid gadget, you need a good warranty. This is not a cheap stuff and if something went wrong you know where to go. I think the words cheap and best is not compatible, you buy quality with a higher price.
Remember why big companies are going to China and other cheaper labor countries? They want to have less input and sell it with a high price, this means more profits for the company.
There is also an economic law which goes " sub-standard pay equals sub-standard work".
Some German companies maintained their working force in Germany because they could easily check on the quality of the products.
My opinion.

Itokod, may apan?

Servant of God John of Monte Corvino
(1247-1328)

At a time when the Church was heavily embroiled in nationalistic rivalries within Europe, it was also reaching across Asia to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Mongols. John of Monte Corvino went to China about the same time Marco Polo was returning.

John was a soldier, judge and doctor before he became a friar. Prior to going to Tabriz, Persia (present-day Iran), in 1278, he was well known for his preaching and teaching. In 1291 he left Tabriz as a legate of Pope Nicholas IV to the court of Kublai Khan. An Italian merchant, a Dominican friar and John traveled to western India where the Dominican died. When John and the Italian merchant arrived in China in 1294, Kublai Khan had recently died.

Nestorian Christians, successors to the dissidents of the fifth-century Council of Ephesus’ teaching on Jesus Christ, had been in China since the seventh century. John converted some of them and also some of the Chinese, including Prince George from Tenduk, northwest of Beijing. Prince George named his son after this holy friar.

John established his headquarters in Khanbalik (now Beijing), where he built two churches; his was the first resident Catholic mission in the country. By 1304 he had translated the Psalms and the New Testament into the Tatar language.

Responding to two letters from John, Pope Clement V named John Archbishop of Khanbalik in 1307 and consecrated seven friars as bishops of neighboring dioceses. One of the seven never left Europe. Three others died along the way to China; the remaining three bishops and the friars who accompanied them arrived there in 1308.

When John died in 1328, he was mourned by Christians and non-Christians. His tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage. In 1368, Christianity was banished from China when the Mongols were expelled and the Ming dynasty began. John’s cause has been introduced in Rome.


Comment:

When John of Monte Corvino went to China, he represented the Church’s desire to preach the gospel to a new culture and to be enriched by it. The travels of Pope John Paul II have demonstrated the universality of the Good News and the urgent need to continue the challenging work of helping the Good News take root in a variety of cultural situations.

Quote:

In 1975, Pope Paul VI wrote, "The Church evangelizes when she seeks to convert, solely through the divine power of the Message she proclaims, both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieus which are theirs" (Evangelization in the Modern World, #18).

Believers Without Boundaries    


(Is 4:2-6; Mt 8:5-11) Isn’t it wonderful that the prayer we all offer before receiving the body and blood of Christ comes from a so-called pagan? In his humility, the Roman centurion insists that Jesus can cure his servant without even traveling to his bedside. This man’s faith amazes Jesus and frees him to fulfill it.

St. James of the Marche
(1394-1476)





Meet one of the fathers of the modern pawnshop!

James was born in the Marche of Ancona, in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea. After earning doctorates in canon and civil law at the University of Perugia, he joined the Friars Minor and began a very austere life. He fasted nine months of the year; he slept three hours a night. St. Bernardine of Siena told him to moderate his penances.

James studied theology with St. John of Capistrano. Ordained in 1420, James began a preaching career that took him all over Italy and through 13 Central and Eastern European countries. This extremely popular preacher converted many people (250,000 at one estimate) and helped spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. His sermons prompted numerous Catholics to reform their lives and many men joined the Franciscans under his influence.

With John of Capistrano, Albert of Sarteano and Bernardine of Siena, James is considered one of the "four pillars" of the Observant movement among the Franciscans. These friars became known especially for their preaching.

To combat extremely high interest rates, James established montes pietatis (literally, mountains of charity) â€" nonprofit credit organizations that lent money at very low rates on pawned objects.

Not everyone was happy with the work James did. Twice assassins lost their nerve when they came face to face with him. James was canonized in 1726.


Comment:

James wanted the word of God to take root in the hearts of his listeners. His preaching was directed to preparing the soil, so to speak, by removing any rocks and softening up lives hardened by sin. God’s intention is that his word take root in our lives, but for that we need both prayerful preachers and cooperative listeners.

Quote:

"Beloved and most holy word of God! You enlighten the hearts of the faithful, you satisfy the hungry, console the afflicted; you make the souls of all productive of good and cause all virtues to blossom; you snatch souls from the devil’s jaw; you make the wretched holy, and men of earth citizens of heaven" (Sermon of St. James).

Wake From Sleep    

Daily life lulls us into forgetting what we are here for and where we are heading. Advent rouses us with a robust “Be prepared.” We do not know the time of Christ’s coming, at the end of the world or the close of our earthly lives. When he comes, will he find us using swords or plowshares?

Maajo ugkalaleh dah, mabuhay ka Ms Bernaldez!

Taman sa imong ma-apas Ondoy!

Pedestrians in central Delhi, India, were stopped in their tracks Friday by an aerial ballet taking place high above them. The Project Bandaloop dancers, who specialize in vertical dance and aerial ballet, are based in San Francisco. The idea came from founder Amelia Rudolph, who wanted to combine rock climbing and modern dance. The troop performed on the mirrored walls of the 120 foot high (36 meters) LIC building in the Indian city.

Through water therapy my migraine attack is minimal and my gastric ulcer is cured. Thanks for posting Wolfie.

Luckily we have enough brands to choose here abroad. I use raps oil or sunflowerseeds oil for frying. Apan dinhe sa Pinas lisod ang mantika kay mogamit sila usahay ug transfats. Mao kini ang makadaot sa lawas, pls read this from American food org.;

Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have been in the American diet since 1900. More than 50 years ago they were found to contain trans fatty acids that were different from natural fatty acids in plant oils and in animal fat. There was growing evidence that the consumption of trans fats have negative health effects, including increasing plasma lipid levels. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that the amount of trans fat in a food item must be stated on the label after January 1, 2006; food items could be labeled 0% trans if they contain less than 0.5g/serving. Since the initial ruling, it is now known that the fatty acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil are 14 cis and trans isomers of octadecenoic and octadecadienoic acids that are formed during hydrogenation. They cause inflammation and calcification of arterial cells: known risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). They inhibit cyclooxygenase, an enzyme required for the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostacyclin, necessary for the regulation of blood flow. There have been several reformulations of hydrogenated fat containing varying amounts of trans fatty acids and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that is converted to arachidonic acid. Epidemiological data suggest that when trans fat percentages go up and linoleic acid percentages go down, death rates rise; when trans goes down, death rates go down. In spite of the harmful effects of trans fats, the FDA allows it in the food supply as long as the amount in a food item is declared on the label. Trans fat should be banned from the food supply.

Wardiboy, nalipay ko nga nabanhaw na pod ka, Merry Christmas diha ninyong taga Alturas, sonod maka-uli ko mag inom ta!

St. Francesco Antonio Fasani
1681-1742

Born in Lucera (southeast Italy), Francesco entered the Conventual Franciscans in 1695. After his ordination 10 years later, he taught philosophy to younger friars, served as guardian of his friary and later became provincial. When his term of office ended, Francesco became master of novices and finally pastor in his hometown.

In his various ministries, he was loving, devout and penitential. He was a sought-after confessor and preacher. One witness at the canonical hearings regarding Francesco’s holiness testified, "In his preaching he spoke in a familiar way, filled as he was with the love of God and neighbor; fired by the Spirit, he made use of the words and deed of Holy Scripture, stirring his listeners and moving them to do penance." Francesco showed himself a loyal friend of the poor, never hesitating to seek from benefactors what was needed.

At his death in Lucera, children ran through the streets and cried out, "The saint is dead! The saint is dead!" Francesco was canonized in 1986.


Comment:

Eventually we become what we choose. If we choose stinginess, we become stingy. If we choose compassion, we become compassionate. The holiness of Francesco Antonio Fasani resulted from his many small decisions to cooperate with God’s grace.

Quote:

During his homily at the canonization of Francesco, Pope John Paul II reflected on John 21:15 in which Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than the other apostles and then tells Peter, "Feed my lambs." The pope observed that in the final analysis human holiness is decided by love. "He [Francesco] made the love taught us by Christ the fundamental characteristic of his existence, the basic criterion of his thought and activity, the supreme summit of his aspirations" (L'Osservatore Romano, vol. 16, number 3, 1986).

Caring For the Poor    

The righteousness God requires of human beings is summarized in the dual precept of love of God and love of neighbor. It is love of neighbor, then, that should motivate those who hunger for righteousness to care for those who hunger for bread.

Thanks for posting Ondoy, we must learn from Singapore and South Korea.

St. Catherine of Alexandria
(c. 310)

According to the Legend of St. Catherine, this young woman converted to Christianity after receiving a vision. At the age of 18, she debated 50 pagan philosophers. Amazed at her wisdom and debating skills, they became Christiansâ€"as did about 200 soldiers and members of the emperor’s family. All of them were martyred.

Sentenced to be executed on a spiked wheel, Catherine touched the wheel and it shattered. She was beheaded. Centuries later, angels are said to have carried the body of St. Catherine to a monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

Devotion to her spread as a result of the Crusades. She was invoked as the patroness of students, teachers, librarians and lawyers. Catherine is one of the 14 Holy Helpers, venerated especially in Germany and Hungary.


Comment:

The pursuit of God's wisdom may not lead to riches or earthly honors. In Catherine's case, this pursuit contributed to her martyrdom. She was not, however, foolish in preferring to die for Jesus rather than live only by denying him. All the rewards that her tormenters offered her would rust, lose their beauty or in some other way become a poor exchange for Catherine's honesty and integrity in following Jesus Christ.

Quote:

“Therefore I [King Solomon] prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;/ Because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands; and I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader, though I had not known that she is the mother of these” (Wisdom 7:7-12).

Patron Saint of:

Philosophers
Students

God, Fill Me With Compassion

The biggest sin against the poor and the hungry is perhaps indifference, making believe we do not see, passing by on the other side of the street.

Simplylee, asa naman ka? You must have known better.

St. Columban
(543?-615)




Columban was the greatest of the Irish missionaries who worked on the European continent. As a young man who was greatly tormented by temptations of the flesh, he sought the advice of a religious woman who had lived a hermit’s life for years. He saw in her answer a call to leave the world. He went first to a monk on an island in Lough Erne, then to the great monastic seat of learning at Bangor.

After many years of seclusion and prayer, he traveled to Gaul (modern-day France) with 12 companion missionaries. They won wide respect for the rigor of their discipline, their preaching, and their commitment to charity and religious life in a time characterized by clerical slackness and civil strife. Columban established several monasteries in Europe which became centers of religion and culture.

Like all saints, he met opposition. Ultimately he had to appeal to the pope against complaints of Frankish bishops, for vindication of his orthodoxy and approval of Irish customs. He reproved the king for his licentious life, insisting that he marry. Since this threatened the power of the queen mother, Columban was deported to Ireland. His ship ran aground in a storm, and he continued his work in Europe, ultimately arriving in Italy, where he found favor with the king of the Lombards. In his last years he established the famous monastery of Bobbio, where he died. His writings include a treatise on penance and against Arianism, sermons, poetry and his monastic rule.


Comment:

Now that public sexual license is approaching the extreme, we need the Church's jolting memory of a young man as concerned about chastity as Columban. And now that the comfort-captured Western world stands in tragic contrast to starving millions, we need the challenge to austerity and discipline of a group of Irish monks. They were too strict, we say; they went too far. How far shall we go?

Quote:

Writing to the pope about a doctrinal controversy in Lombardy, Columban said: “We Irish, living in the farthest parts of the earth, are followers of St. Peter and St. Paul and of the disciples who wrote down the sacred canon under the Holy Spirit. We accept nothing outside this evangelical and apostolic teaching.... I confess I am grieved by the bad repute of the chair of St. Peter in this country.... Though Rome is great and known afar, she is great and honored with us only because of this chair.... Look after the peace of the Church, stand between your sheep and the wolves.”