MikeLigalig.com

For the Sake of Unbelievers    

To be sincere and fruitful, the tears of the believer must be poured out not only because of unbelievers but for the sake of unbelievers, through genuine compassion.

An earful;

Supporters of Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo bite an ear of corn during a rally in Abidjan on Tuesday. The west African nation's long-delayed presidential poll went ahead smoothly on Wednesday in spite of some street clashes (threatened unrest was official reason postponing the election). But it failed to produce a clear winner. A run-off between Gbagbo and his liberal challenger, Alassane Ouattara, is set for Nov. 28.

st Andrew Dung Lac

Through the missionary efforts of various religious families beginning in the sixteenth century and continuing until 1866, the Vietnamese people heard the message of the gospel, and many accepted it despite persecution and even death. On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II canonized 117 persons martyred in the eighteenth century. Among these were ninety-six Vietnamese, eleven missionaries born in Spain and belonging to the Order of Preachers, and ten French missionaries belonging to the Paris Foreign Mission Society. Among these saints are eight Spanish and French bishops, fifty priests (thirteen European and thirty-seven Vietnamese), and fifty-nine lay people. These martyrs gave their lives not only for the Church but for their country as well. They showed that they wanted the gospel of Christ to take root in their people and contribute to the good of their homeland. On June 1, 1989, these holy martyrs were inscribed in the liturgical calendar of the Universal Church on November 24th.

His Poverty is For You

A gift is precious particularly when it is the result of self-denial, when one deprives oneself of what is given. And the Word, in a particular way, deprived himself of his divine riches to be able to become one of us.

Europeans prefer Reubenisque like this;





even in Feng-shui, the old Chinese tradition prefers voluptouos women , maayong kaon maayong pamilya.

My son was also impressed with your keen sense of humor.

I used to hear this from my neighbors.

Luckily I stayed one year to care for my eldest daughter, walay sweldo apan ang akong trabaho nakareserba for one year. Si Chris medyo na improve and rules, I stayed 3 years at home to rear him. Akong gi-awitan ang akong mga anak sa baby pa sila. I tried to be honest to my kids, because I wished to shape them into adults with a solid character.

A student at St. Andrews University in Scotland is covered in foam while taking part in the traditional "raisin weekend" foam fight to celebrate the start of the academic year. Every November, first year students are initiated with a wild weekend involving alcohol, crazy costumes and foam. Each new student is assigned an "academic mother" and "academic father" who will show them the ropes in adapting to university life. Traditionally, the new students give a pound of raisins to their elders as a token of gratitude for their guidance. In return they receive a receipt in Latin, often written on an absurd object, like an old car or baby clothing. In recent times, the raisins have been replaced with a bottle of wine and the traditional event held on campus at St. Salvator's Quad has taken a messy turn.

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
(1891-1927)




¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King) were the last words Father Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock.

Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, he entered the Jesuits in 1911 but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925.

He immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics.

He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988.


Comment:

In 1927 when Father Miguel Pro was executed, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993 and 1999. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs.

Quote:

During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Father Pro “is a new glory for the beloved Mexican nation, as well as for the Society of Jesus. His life of sacrificing and intrepid apostolate was always inspired by a tireless evangelizing effort. Neither suffering nor serious illness, neither the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away (see John 16:22). Indeed, the deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.”

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit    

God is not induced to act on behalf of the poor because of their merits or their moral dispositions but because of their greater readiness to believe.

women activists here in Europe demands that their rights be heared. There are cases where women who were abstinate since a partner suffer penile dysfunction, then came Viagra, makoratan ang bana, adunay nag nervous breakdown nga asawa.

Padre , salamat jamo,last Sunday si Fr Jun de Ocampo,SVD nagwali nga ang pagbasa sa holy Bible,soul well-ness. Dili lang pirmi mag make -up sa nawong kon dili spiritual beautification is a must. He said it in homily in a very wonderful & humorous way!

From American Catholic.org

VATICAN CITY (CNS)â€"In his post-synodal document on the Word of God, Pope Benedict XVI urged all Christians to get to know the sacred Scriptures better.

He gave a few suggestions that included having a Bible in every home and engaging in a more attentive, prayerful listening to Gospel readings.

The pope paid particular attention to the importance and efficacy of "lectio divina," a form of prayerful meditation on the word of God, and he offered a step-by-step guide on the practice.
The post-synodal apostolic exhortation, "Verbum Domini" ("The Word of the Lord"), was released Nov. 11.

The pope said the first step is to open with a reading ("lectio") of a text, "which leads to a desire to understand its true context: What does the biblical text say in itself?"

Understanding what the text is trying to say is important so as to move beyond one's own notions and ideas, he said.

"Next comes meditation ('meditatio'), which asks: what does the biblical text say to us?" the pope wrote.

Christians both as individuals and as a community need to let themselves be "moved and challenged" by what the sacred text is telling them, he wrote.

"Following this comes prayer ('oratio'), which asks the question: what do we say to the Lord in response to his word?" wrote the pope.

Prayer is critical for hearts and minds to be transformed, he wrote.

"Finally, 'lectio divina' concludes with contemplation ('contemplatio'), during which we take up, as a gift from God, his own way of seeing and judging reality, and ask ourselves what conversion of mind, heart and life is the Lord asking of us?" he wrote.

God asks everyone not to conform themselves to the world, but to be transformed by conversion, he wrote.

Contemplation and reflection let the mind consider reality as God sees it and help foster within oneself "the mind of Christ," the papal document said.

"The process of 'lectio divina' is not concluded until it arrives at action ('actio'), which moves the believer to make his or her life a gift for others in charity," said the pope.

The pope said in his document that the monastic tradition of "lectio divina" is "truly capable of opening up to the faithful the treasures of God's word, but also of bringing about an encounter with Christ, the living word of God."

St. Cecilia
(3rd century)



Although Cecilia is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545.

According to legend, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence Valerian was converted, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church.

Since the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ.


Comment:

Like any good Christian, Cecilia sang in her heart, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church's conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy, of greater value to the Church than any other art. In the present confused state of Church music, it may be useful to recall some words of Vatican II (see below).

Quote:

“Liturgical action is given a more noble form when sacred rites are solemnized in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.... Choirs must be diligently promoted, but bishops and other pastors must ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightfully theirs.... Gregorian chant, other things being equal, should be given pride of place in liturgical services. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded.... Religious singing by the people is to be skillfully fostered, so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out” (Constitution on the Liturgy, 112-118).

Patron Saint of:

Musicians

Holy Purity    

Holy purity is granted by God when it is asked for with humility.

Wow, morag mahayagan ang atong panglantaw sa kinabuhi!

Viagra enables man to have an erection. A wife complained that a woman´s view was never asked, if it is alright with her.

Day Anne, sulayi ang facebook kay adunay group sa mga taga Guindulman, ug karong sonod tuig, mag reunion ang St Mary´s Academy. Kon pohon maka-uli ko akong isugid ang imong paningkamot nga makahimamat sa imong mga partido, okay?

Bulgarian doctors release pigeons into the air outside the parliament building in Sofia as part of a national protest against the Hungarian government's healthcare policies. Hundreds of medics are frustrated by inconsistencies in the government's approach to health, in particular a lack of state funding for healthcare.

Feast of the Presentation of Mary


Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church.

As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.

Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.


Comment:

It is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church, however, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God's saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of Mary enriches her children. They, too, are temples of God and sanctified in order that they might enjoy and share in God's saving work.

Quote:

"Hail, holy throne of God, divine sanctuary, house of glory, jewel most fair, chosen treasure house, and mercy seat for the whole world, heaven showing forth the glory of God. Purest Virgin, worthy of all praise, sanctuary dedicated to God and raised above all human condition, virgin soil, unplowed field, flourishing vine, fountain pouring out waters, virgin bearing a child, mother without knowing man, hidden treasure of innocence, ornament of sanctity, by your most acceptable prayers, strong with the authority of motherhood, to our Lord and God, Creator of all, your Son who was born of you without a father, steer the ship of the Church and bring it to a quiet harbor" (adapted from a homily by St. Germanus on the Presentation of the Mother of God).

Reflecting the Beauty Within

Beauty on the outside never gets into the soul, but beauty of the soul reflects itself on the face.

Ang akong kamahayan nga pag patolog sa anak;  Hala tolog na anak, ayaw hilak kay hala na ay pulis.  Hala naay Bombay manguha ug bata!
This is ridiculous!

November 20  St Edmund Rich
1242

Archbishop of Canterbury England, who battled for discipline and justice, also called Edmund of Abingdon. Born in Abingdon, on November 30, 1180. he studied at Oxford, England, and in Paris, France. He taught art and mathematics at Oxford and was ordained. He spent eight years teaching theology and became Canon and treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. An eloquent speaker, Edmund preached a crusade for Pope Gregory IX and was named archbishop of Canterbury. He became an advisor to King Henry III and presided in 1237 at Henry’s ratification of the Great Charter. When Cardinal Olt became a papal legate with the patronage of King Henry, Edmund protested. A long-lasting feud between Edmund, the king, and his legate led him to resigning his see in 1240. He went to Pontigny, France, where he became a Cistercian. He died at Soissons, on November 16. Edmund was canonized in 1246 or 1247. A hall in Oxford bears his name.

Purity of Soul    

From today onwards, I am going to strive for the greatest purity of soul, that the rays of God’s grace may be reflected in all their brilliance. I long to be a crystal in order to find favor in His eyes.

St. Agnes of Assisi
1197-1253




Agnes was the sister of St. Clare and her first follower. When Agnes left home two weeks after Clare’s departure, their family attempted to bring Agnes back by force. They tried to drag her out of the monastery, but all of a sudden her body became so heavy that several knights could not budge it. Her uncle Monaldo tried to strike her but was temporarily paralyzed. The knights then left Agnes and Clare in peace.

Agnes matched her sister in devotion to prayer and in willingness to endure the strict penances which characterized their lives at San Damiano. In 1221 a group of Benedictine nuns in Monticelli (near Florence) asked to become Poor Clares. St. Clare sent Agnes to become abbess of that monastery. Agnes soon wrote a rather sad letter about how much she missed Clare and the other nuns at San Damiano. After establishing other Poor Clare monasteries in northern Italy, Agnes was recalled to San Damiano in 1253 when Clare was dying.

Agnes followed Clare in death three months later. Agnes was canonized in 1753.


Comment:

God must love irony; the world is so full of it. In 1212, many in Assisi surely felt that Clare and Agnes were wasting their lives and were turning their backs on the world. In reality, their lives were tremendously life-giving, and the world has been enriched by the example of these poor contemplatives.

Quote:

Charles de Foucald, founder of the Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, said: "One must pass through solitude and dwell in it to receive God’s grace. It is there that one empties oneself, that one drives before oneself all that is not God, and that one completely empties this little house of our soul to leave room for God alone. In doing this, do not fear being unfaithful toward creatures. On the contrary, that is the only way for you to serve them effectively" (Raphael Brown, Franciscan Mystic, p. 126).

Pure Relationships
   
Each man must look within himself to see whether she who was entrusted to him as a sister in humanity has not become in his heart an object of adultery.

A butterfly perches on the screen window of the butterfly room in the Museum of Science in Boston, USA. In the background the Charles River and the Boston skyline. The collection includes butterflies and moths from all over the world.

Dedication of St. Peter and Paul

St. Peter’s is probably the most famous church in Christendom. Massive in scale and a veritable museum of art and architecture, it began on a much humbler scale. Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered at St. Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319 Constantine built on the site a basilica that stood for more than a thousand years until, despite numerous restorations, it threatened to collapse. In 1506 Pope Julius II ordered it razed and reconstructed, but the new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more than two centuries.

St. Paul’s Outside the Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre Fontane, where St. Paul is believed to have been beheaded. The largest church in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt, the basilica also rises over the traditional site of its namesake’s grave. The most recent edifice was constructed after a fire in 1823. The first basilica was also Constantine’s doing.

Constantine’s building projects enticed the first of a centuries-long parade of pilgrims to Rome. From the time the basilicas were first built until the empire crumbled under “barbarian” invasions, the two churches, although miles apart, were linked by a roofed colonnade of marble columns.


Comment:

Comment: Peter, the rough fisherman whom Jesus named the rock on which the Church is built, and the educated Paul, reformed persecutor of Christians, Roman citizen and missionary to the Gentiles, are the original odd couple. The major similarity in their faith-journeys is the journey’s end: Both, according to tradition, died a martyr’s death in Romeâ€"Peter on a cross and Paul beneath the sword. Their combined gifts shaped the early Church and believers have prayed at their tombs from the earliest days.

Quote:

Quote: “It is extraordinarily interesting that Roman pilgrimage began at an…early time. Pilgrims did not wait for the Peace of the Church [Constantine’s edict of toleration] before they visited the tombs of the Apostles. They went to Rome a century before there were any public churches and when the Church was confined to the tituli [private homes] and the catacombs. The two great pilgrimage sites were exactly as todayâ€"the tombs, or memorials, of St. Peter upon the Vatican Hill and the tomb of St. Paul off the Ostian Way” (H.V. Morton, This Is Rome).

Precious Virtue    

Holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.

Bastos bitaw kining Ryan Air. We had our nightmare when we took our pilgrimage to Fatima. They demanded one hand carry weighing 10 kg, although it is allowed (their normal policy) to take one handbag (5kg) and one hand carry (10 kg). Those who can´t comply where forced to give the luggage and pay extra 35 Euro.

Quote from: islander on November 17, 2010, 08:51:22 AM
my eyes are wet, wolfie.  what was denied you, like a family in the real sense of the word, was more than made up for.  how poignant.  you truly have godsend friends.  it shows us that the guy up there had never abandoned you for a second. 

thank you for your trust in your fellow tb dokdokers by sharing your sorrow and pain.  that trust is humbling, and we are the better for it.

Inday Isles, I second that emotion.

bbc
Kate wore Lady Di´s engagement ring!
William gave Kate his mother's engagement ring, saying: "It was right to put the two together."

Speaking as they stood arm-in-arm before photographers, and later as they gave a TV interview, Prince William said giving Kate his mother Diana's distinctive sapphire and diamond engagement ring was "my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement".

He stressed that no-one was "trying to fill my mother's shoes". Miss Middleton paid tribute to the princess as an "inspirational woman".

She admitted joining the Royal Family was a "daunting prospect" but she added: "Hopefully I'll take it in my stride."

Yehey si Ondoy Glacier nabanhaw,  Doy ajaw kalimti ang akong pinaskohan, hah?

bulanghoy! Fresh from Thailand bought from the Asian shop!

London, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William is engaged to Kate Middleton, the British royal family announced Tuesday.

The prince and Middleton, both 28, have been dating since 2003. Rumors have been rife for years that they have been close to marriage.

The wedding will take place in London in the spring or summer of 2011, said a statement from Clarence House, William's home near Buckingham Palace. It said further details would be announced "in due course."

"Prince William and Miss Middleton became engaged in October during a private holiday in Kenya," the statement said. "Prince William has informed the queen and other close members of his family. Prince William has also sought the permission of Miss Middleton's father.
Prince William's popularity


"Following the marriage, the couple will live in north Wales, where Prince William will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force."

jama jama man ka Ondoy Vito, asa ka kakita ug e-cards, wala man gani gamita sa Europe.

St. Margaret of Scotland
(1050?-1093)


Margaret of Scotland was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her, that meant freedom to love God and serve others.

Not Scottish by birth, Margaret was the daughter of Princess Agatha of Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon Prince Edward Atheling. She spent much of her youth in the court of her great-uncle, the English king, Edward the Confessor. Her family fled from William the Conqueror and was shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm befriended them and was captivated by the beautiful, gracious Margaret. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070.

Malcolm was good-hearted, but rough and uncultured, as was his country. Because of Malcolm’s love for Margaret, she was able to soften his temper, polish his manners and help him become a virtuous king. He left all domestic affairs to her and often consulted her in state matters.

Margaret tried to improve her adopted country by promoting the arts and education. For religious reform, she instigated synods and was present for the discussions which tried to correct religious abuses common among priests and lay people, such as simony, usury and incestuous marriages. With her husband, she founded several churches.

Margaret was not only a queen, but a mother. She and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. Margaret personally supervised their religious instruction and other studies.

Although she was very much caught up in the affairs of the household and country, she remained detached from the world. Her private life was austere. She had certain times for prayer and reading Scripture. She ate sparingly and slept little in order to have time for devotions. She and Malcolm kept two Lents, one before Easter and one before Christmas. During these times she always rose at midnight for Mass. On the way home she would wash the feet of six poor persons and give them alms. She was always surrounded by beggars in public and never refused them. It is recorded that she never sat down to eat without first feeding nine orphans and 24 adults.

In 1093, King William Rufus made a surprise attack on Alnwick castle. King Malcolm and his oldest son, Edward, were killed. Margaret, already on her deathbed, died four days after her husband.


Comment:

There are two ways to be charitable: the "clean way" and the "messy way." The "clean way" is to give money or clothing to organizations that serve the poor. The "messy way" is dirtying your own hands in personal service to the poor. Margaret's outstanding virtue was her love of the poor. Although very generous with material gifts, Margaret also visited the sick and nursed them with her own hands. She and her husband served orphans and the poor on their knees during Advent and Lent. Like Christ, she was charitable the "messy way."

Quote:

"When [Margaret] spoke, her conversation was with the salt of wisdom. When she was silent, her silence was filled with good thoughts. So thoroughly did her outward bearing correspond with the staidness of her character that it seemed as if she has been born the pattern of a virtuous life" (Turgot, St. Margaret's confessor).

Pure Love

If you want to know the will of God as it relates to purity, go to him in prayer. He’s not waiting to take something away from you. He’s waiting to teach you to love.

napos-an ug itlog!

Ajaw toho Jan, kay wala ka maapil sa aging population!

Grabe daghan jamo nga scam, kapoy pa sa biyahe lipat lipaton kapa.  Mobo raba jud ko jamo, dili ko kakita kon giunsa na ang akong dokumento

Ang kalsada labi na sa Centro ma-hayag sa mga Christmaslights decos sama ni-ani;






Sa Makati, Ayala adunay sama ni-ani pod!

Please be Careful at the Airports,  This is a well organized conspiracy by Immigration, Police, Customs and Airline staff with networking at all International Airports. Be careful when ever you give your  passport to Immigration/Customs/Airline staff. The pass port can be easily tampered and can create trouble to you. They have found an easy way of making money. This is the way it works:

At the time of the passenger's departure, if the passenger is not looking at the officer while he is stamping the exit, the  officer very cleverly tears away one of the page  from the passport. When the passenger leaves the immigration counter, the case is reported on his computer terminal with full details. Now all over the country they have got full details of the  passenger with Red Flag flashing on the Passport  number entered by the departure immigration officer. They have made their money by doing above.

On arrival next time, he is interrogated.

Subject to the passenger's  period of stay abroad, his income and standing etc., the price to get rid of the problem is  settled by the Police and Immigration people. If someone argues, his future is spoiled because  there are always some innocent fellows who think the honesty is the basis of getting justice.

Please advise every passenger to be careful at the airports. Whenever they hand over the passport to the counters of Airlines or immigration or the customs, they must be  vigilant, should not remove eyes from the passport even if the officer in front tries to  divert their attention.

Also, please pass  this information to all friends, media men and important politicians. Every month 20-30 cases  are happening all over the world to rob the passenger the minute he lands.

A similar case happened with Aramco's Arifuddin in Pakistan . He was travelling with his family.  They had six passports. They got the visa of America and decided to go via Jeddah. When they reached the States, the page of the American visa on his wife's passport was missing. At the  time of departure from Pakistan it was there,  the whole family had to return helplessly. On arrival at Pakistan , they were  caught by the police and now it is over 2 months, they are running after the Police, Immigration officers and the Courts. On going in  to details with him, he found out the following: One cannot imagine, neither can believe, that  the Immigration dept can play such a nasty game to harass the innocent passengers.

All the airlines passengers must be aware of this conspiracy. Every month 15 to 20 cases are taking place, at each mentioned airport, of holding the passengers in the crime of tearing away the passport pages. On interviewing some of them, none of them was aware of what had happened. They don't know why, when and who tore away the page from the middle of the passport. One can imagine the sufferings  of such people at the hands of the immigration, police and the court procedures after that. The number of cases has increased in the  last 2-3 years. People who are arriving at the immigration, they are questioned and their passports are being held and they have to go in for detailed interrogation. Obviously, the conspiracy started about 2 to 3 years ago, now the results are coming. Some of the Airline counter staff too is involved in this conspiracy.


SO MAKE SURE NOT TO LET THE PASSPORT GO OFF YOUR SIGHT EVEN FOR A SECOND. THE IMMIGRATION COUNTERS ARE HIGH AND TIRED AND SHORT PASSENGERS REALLY HAVE TO WORK HARD TO KEEP THE PASSPORT IN SIGHT, SPEACIALLY AFTER THE EXHAUSTING JOURNEY, EVERYONE WANTS TO GET OVER WITH THE AIRPORT FORMALITIES AND GO HOME. SO BEING VIGILANT FOR AN EXTRA MINUTE WILL SAVE YOU A LIFE TIME OF MISERY. BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR TRAVELS.

REMEMBER: WITH CONDITIONS AT PRESENT IN PAKISTAN ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN THIS LAND OF THE PURE.......SAD INDEED.

PLEASE SEND THIS TO AS MANY OF YOUR INTENDING TRAVELLERS AND FRIENDS ACROSS THE WORLD REQUEST THEM TO CHECK THE PASSPORT AT THE CHECKING COUNTERS AND BEFORE LEAVING THE AIRPORT. 

I think at least have a full photo copy of Passport and keep scan of your passport in your hard drive or flash memory and i will advise same for ticket also.



Maraming salamat po,
pusongpinoytayo
Ang Buhay ng Overseas Worker
 

Honest Prayer

Your prayer for someone who is living does not guarantee that he or she will accept God's grace, but it makes you a better sign of God's grace for that individual. Perhaps that is precisely what God is counting on.

November 15, 2010
St. Albert the Great
(1206-1280)

   
Albert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican who influenced decisively the stance of the Church toward Aristotelian philosophy brought to Europe by the spread of Islam.

Students of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas. Albert's attempt to understand Aristotle's writings established the climate in which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious, honest and diligent scholar.

He was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of military rank. He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family opposition, he entered the Dominican novitiate.

His boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete. "Our intention," he said, "is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins."

He achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and Cologne, as Dominican provincial and even as bishop of Regensburg for a time. He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia.

Albert, a Doctor of the Church, is the patron of scientists and philosophers.

Comment:

    An information glut faces us Christians today in all branches of learning. One needs only to read current Catholic periodicals to experience the varied reactions to the findings of the social sciences, for example, in regard to Christian institutions, Christian life-styles and Christian theology. Ultimately, in canonizing Albert, the Church seems to point to his openness to truth, wherever it may be found, as his claim to holiness. His characteristic curiosity prompted Albert to mine deeply for wisdom within a philosophy his Church warmed to with great difficulty.

Quote:

    "There are some who desire knowledge merely for its own sake; and that is shameful curiosity. And there are others who desire to know, in order that they may themselves be known; and that is vanity, disgraceful too. Others again desire knowledge in order to acquire money or preferment by it; that too is a discreditable quest. But there are also some who desire knowledge, that they may build up the souls of others with it; and that is charity. Others, again, desire it that they may themselves be built up thereby; and that is prudence. Of all these types, only the last two put knowledge to the right use" (St. Bernard, Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles).

Sebastian Vettel wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to seal his first Formula 1 world title, as Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton slip out of contention.

Inday wolfie your story is touching. Aduna sab koy higala morag angid sa imoha, nagtinabangay sab mi lupig pa sa magigsoon. Ang akong mga kabasakan siya ang nag-atiman, wala ko mangayo kay igo ra ko nga nag-huwat. Diha lang nako nasayran nga ang abot sa ani, iyang gipalit ug tambal/chemo kay siya na kanser sa suso. Kalooy sa Diyos dihang nibakasyon ko, naka-recover pod siya sa iyang gibati.

Real good friends survived me too, in my struggling years.

Magsugod na ang Weihnachtsmarkt, 4 ka semana padolong Pasko. Kini ang timaan nga dool na jud ang Pasko.

Thank you Bugsay for saying the truth! Sa Germany mag in-ani gani sila, adunay dayon demo atubangan sa US Embassy.

St. Gertrude
(1256?-1302)


Gertrude, a Benedictine nun in Helfta (Saxony), was one of the great mystics of the 13th century. Together with her friend and teacher St. Mechtild, she practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism," that is, she came to see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was a deeply personal union with Jesus and his Sacred Heart, leading her into the very life of the Trinity.

But this was no individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy, where she found Christ. In the liturgy and Scripture, she found the themes and images to enrich and express her piety. There was no clash between her personal prayer life and the liturgy.


Comment:

Gertrude's life is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical, ordinary or mystical, always personal.

Quote:

"Lord, you have granted me your secret friendship by opening the sacred ark of your divinity, your deified heart, to me in so many ways as to be the source of all my happiness; sometimes imparting it freely, sometimes as a special mark of our mutual friendship. You have so often melted my soul with your loving caresses that, if I did not know the abyss of your overflowing condescensions, I should be amazed were I told that even your Blessed Mother had been chosen to receive such extraordinary marks of tenderness and affection" (Adapted from The Life and Revelations of Saint Gertrude).

Patron Saint of:

West Indies

Members of the Church    

By baptism we become members of the church. Through directly sharing in the Eucharist, our baptismal identity is reinforced and our conversion to God’s ways is deepened. We become church by praying as church.

Ver, paregla man kining imong avatar!

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
(1850-1917)


Frances Xavier Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized. Her deep trust in the loving care of her God gave her the strength to be a valiant woman doing the work of Christ.

Refused admission to the religious order which had educated her to be a teacher, she began charitable work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno, Italy. In September 1877, she made her vows there and took the religious habit.

When the bishop closed the orphanage in 1880, he named Frances prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Seven young women from the orphanage joined with her.

Since her early childhood in Italy, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there.

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York City, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did.

In 35 years Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith, she organized schools and adult education classes.

As a child, she was always frightened of water, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet, despite this fear, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. She died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago.


Comment:

The compassion and dedication of Mother Cabrini is still seen in hundreds of thousands of her fellow citizens, not yet canonized, who care for the sick in hospitals, nursing homes and state institutions. We complain of increased medical costs in an affluent society, but the daily news shows us millions who have little or no medical care, and who are calling for new Mother Cabrinis to become citizen-servants of their land.

Quote:

At her canonization on July 7, 1946, Pius XII said, "Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed beyond the strength of a woman."

Patron Saint of:

Hospital administrators
Immigrants
Impossible causes

Repentance    

Repentance is not simply about straightening things out with an angry God who, in human terms, is actually more disappointed than angry. Repentance is also about admitting that our sins affect how we treat other people.

A man of good breeding reacted finely, kudos to Binay!

CNN asked experts on social media etiquette in the workplace: How can you engage in online forums without losing your job?

1. Think before you post

Imagine if the comment you posted or tweeted will appear in the local newspaper the next day, says Tyson B. Snow, an employment attorney at Manning Curtis Bradshaw & Bednar LLC in Utah. While that rule of thumb may sound extreme, Snow says it is a safe way to manage your content.

On a social media site, the audience is unlimited, and the content is permanent. An employee may post one photo and quickly remove it, but someone could still archive the page or make a copy, he says.

2. Be picky about who you friend

Only allow people you trust into your social network, says Shanti Atkins, president of ELT Inc., an ethics and compliance training company. Instead of casually accepting all the co-workers or managers who ask to friend you, be selective about who you allow to view your posts.

Atkins says employees may forget who they let into their network and that could lead to problems later on.

3. Do it on your own time and computer

Try to limit your Facebook and Twitter activity to your personal computer, several experts say. If you engage in problematic activity on the company property and time, this can provide the managers more leverage, say several workplace experts.

Many employers and workplaces already ban the sites at the workplace to prevent social media spats from becoming an issue.

4. Watch what you post at home

Many workers are unaware that mentioning their company in a negative light on the internet -- even if it's done on personal time at home -- could lead to disciplinary measures, says John Lusher, a social media consultant. He says many organizations have departments that monitor social media comments and photographs that pertain to the company.

5. Keep the dialogue positive

Social media can be a great way to foster conversations about an employee's recent promotion or a company event, says Josh Whitford, president of Echelon Media, a company that specializes in social media. But, he says, certain topics such as trade secrets should never be disclosed online.

6. Figure out privacy settings

Social media privacy settings may be tricky, but take the time to consider all the different settings, says Shanti Atkins, at ELT Inc. She suggests implementing filters and grouping co-workers and bosses so that certain information does not reach everyone.

7. Learn your employee rights

Employees need to make the effort to understand corporate policy regarding the use social media at work and at home, says Tyson Snow, an employment attorney. However, most companies don't have such policies in place. Only 10 percent of companies had specific polices to deal with social networking sites, according to The Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

St. Josaphat
(1580?-1623)


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In 1967, newspaper photos of Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries.

In 1595, when today’s saint was a boy, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk (famous in World War I) in Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians, sought reunion with Rome. John Kunsevich (Josaphat became his name in religious life) was to dedicate his life and die for the same cause. Born in what was then Poland, he went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the Union of Brest (1596). He became a Basilian monk, then a priest, and soon was well known as a preacher and as an ascetic.

He became bishop of Vitebsk (now in Russia) at a relatively young age, and faced a difficult situation. Most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome. By synods, catechetical instruction, reform of the clergy and personal example, however, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union.

But the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up, and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had "gone Latin" and that all his people would have to do the same. He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland.

Despite warnings, he went to Vitebsk, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese: A priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house, the opposition rang the town hall bell, and a mob assembled. The priest was released, but members of the mob broke into the bishop’s home. He was struck with a halberd, then shot and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome.

His death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity, but the controversy continued, and the dissidents, too, had their martyr. After the partition of Poland, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church.


Comment:

The seeds of separation were sown in the fourth century when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. The actual split came over relatively unimportant customs (unleavened bread, Saturday fasting, celibacy). No doubt the political involvement of religious leaders on both sides was a large factor, and doctrinal disagreement was present. But no reason was enough to justify the present tragic division in Christendom, which is 64 percent Roman Catholic, 13 percent Eastern Churches (mostly Orthodox) and 23 percent Protestant, and this when the 71 percent of the world that is not Christian should be experiencing unity and Christ-like charity from Christians!

November 12

Josaphat, an Eastern Rite bishop, is held up as a martyr to church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome.

In 1054, a formal split called a schism took place between the Eastern Church centered in Constantinople and the Western Church centered in Rome. Trouble between the two had been brewing for centuries because of cultural, political, and theological differences. In 1054 Cardinal Humbert was sent to Constantinople to try and reconcile the latest flare up and wound up excommunicating the patriarch. The immediate problems included an insistence on the Byzantine rite, married clergy, and the disagreement on whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son. The split only grew worse from there, centering mostly on whether to except the authority of the Pope and Rome.

More than five centuries later, in what is now known as Byelorussia and the Ukraine but what was then part of Poland-Lithuania, an Orthodox metropolitan of Kiev and five Orthodox bishops decided to commit the millions of Christians under their pastoral care to reunion with Rome. Josaphat Kunsevich who was born in 1580 or 1584 was still a young boy when the Synod of Brest Litovsk took place in 1595-96, but he was witness to the results both positive and negative.

After an apprenticeship to a merchant, Josaphat turned down a partnership in the business and a marriage to enter the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Vilna in 1604. As a teenager he had found encouragement in his vocation from two Jesuits and a rector who understood his heart. And in the monastery he found another soulmate in Joseph Benjamin Rutsky. Rutsky who had joined the Byzantine Rite under orders of Pope Clement VIII after converting from Calvinism shared the young Josaphat's passion to work for reunion with Rome. The two friends spent long hours making plans on how they could bring about that communion and reform monastic life.

Josaphat faced even more problems when he became first bishop of Vitebsk and then Polotsk in 1617. The church there was literally and figuratively in ruins with buildings falling apart, clergy marrying two or three times, and monks and clergy everywhere not really interested in pastoral care or model Christian living. Within three years, Josaphat had rebuilt the church by holding synods, publishing a catechism to be used all over, and enforcing rules of conduct for clergy. But his most compelling argument was his own life which he spent preaching, instructing others in the faith, visiting the needy of the towns.

But despite all his work and the respect he had, the Orthodox separatists found fertile ground with they set up their own bishops in the exact same area. Meletius Smotritsky was named his rival archbishop of Polotsk. It must have hurt Josaphat to see the people he had served so faithfully break into riots when the King of Poland declared Josaphat the only legitimate archbishop. His former diocese of Vitebsk turned completely against the reunion and him along with two other cities.

But what probably hurt even more was that the very Catholics he looked to for communion opposed him as well. Catholics who should have been his support didn't like the way he insisted on the use of the Byzantine rite instead of the Roman rite. Out of fear or ignorance, Leo Sapiah, chancellor of Lithuania, chose to believe stories that Josaphat was inciting the people to violence and instead of coming to his aid, condemned him. Actually his only act of force was when the separatists took over the church at Mogilev and he asked the civil power to help him return it to his authority.

In October 1623, Josaphat decided to return to Vitebsk to try to calm the troubles himself. He was completely aware of the danger but said, "If I am counted worthy of martyrdom, then I am not afraid to die."

The separatists saw their chance to get rid of Josaphat and discredit him if they could only stir Josaphat's party to strike the first blow. Then they would have an excuse to strike back. Their threats were so public that Josaphat preached on the gospel verse John 16:2, "Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God." He told the people, "You people want to kill me. You wait in ambush for me in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, in the marketplace, everywhere. Here I am; I came to you as a shepherd. You know I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for union of the Church under St. Peter and his successor the Pope."

But aside from words, Josaphat insisted that his party not react in anyway that did not show patience and forbearance. When the separatists saw that they were not getting the violent response they had hoped for they decided to wear Josaphat and the others down as they plotted more direct action. A priest named Elias went to the house where everyone was staying and shouted insults and threats to everyone he saw, focusing on calumniating Josaphat and the Church of Rome.

Josaphat knew of the plot against him and spent his day in prayer. In the evening he had a long conversation with a beggar he had invited in off the streets.

When Elias was back the next morning of November 12, the servants were at their wits' ends and begged Josaphat's permission to do something. Before he went off to say his office he told them they could lock Elias away if he caused trouble again. When he returned to the house he found that the servants had done just that and Josaphat let Elias out of the room.

But it was too late. The mistake had been made. Elias had not been hurt in anyway but as soon as the mob saw that Elias had been locked up they rejoiced in the excuse they had been waiting for. Bells were rung and mobs descended on the house. By the time they reached the house, Elias had been released but the mob didn't care; they wanted the blood they had been denied for so long.

Josaphat came out in the courtyard to see the mob beating and trampling his friends and servants. He cried out, "My children what are you doing with my servants? If you have anything against me, here I am, but leave them alone!" With shouts of "Kill the papist" Josaphat was hit with a stick, then an axe, and finally shot through the head. His bloody body was dragged to the river and thrown in, along with the body of a dog who had tried to protect him.

The unsung heroes of this horrible terrorism were the Jewish people of Vitebsk. Some of the Jewish people risked their own lives to rush into the courtyard and rescue Josaphat's friends and servants from the bloodthirsty mobs. Through their courage, lives were saved. These same Jewish people were the only ones to publicly accuse the killers and mourn the death of Josaphat while the Catholics of the city hid in fear of their lives.

As usual violence had the opposite affect from that intended. Regret and horror at how far the violence had gone and the loss of their archbishop swung public opinion over toward the Catholics and unity. Eventually even Archbishop Meletius Smotritsky, Josaphat's rival, was reconciled with Rome. And in 1867 Josaphat became the first saint of the Eastern church to be formally canonized by Rome.

Baptism is For Everyone
   
Every baptized person needs to mature in his or her faith. If the church baptized only adults, that would almost guarantee a false sense of security, a conviction that ongoing conversion is no longer necessary.

Way travel advisory dinhe sa Germany bahin sa Pinas, kay ngano unsa man ang naka-angin? Peace and order situation?

Basta ang buwan mag-ending na sa ber, magpasko na. Nganong sayo man kita mangandam sa Pasko? Sa mga Malls, Arcades and shopping centers, puro paskong awit. Mga dekorasyon bongga na jamo. Is this  sound and okay? This is an exaggeration. The whole meaning of Christmas is highly commercialized!  People tend to overspend by buying gifts and foods to anticipate the coming holidays. Do we tend to overspend which causes some overdraft and debt, mogaya ang 5/6!

Ganina sa among sentro mao pay pag taod ug mga suga sa kalsada, ang mga shopping centers puro na X-mas decors. But as I observe the Germans are frugal, they are trying to postpone Christmas shopping spree.
Diha sa inyo nagsugod na ba ang Pasko?

dako naman ka mike ug tiyan.

Tsinuwanggo nasab si Hubs!  Inday Raqs, dis-a man ka ug semilya?

Stormy weather off the Spanish coast whips the sea into a frenzy. Here, collossal waves crash against the seawall at the fishing port of Cudillero in northern Spain. The country has been experiencing an extremely turbulent autumn. Heavy storms lashed Spain's Mediterranean coast back in October, flooding homes and causing two weather-related deaths.

The Good News of Jesus

The Good News of Jesus Christ affects all our relationships with friends and family members and also our relationships with people whom we will never meet.

This is what I really needed at the moment, salamat Ondoy Rey!

Looking at first glance it sounds not so serious, thanks luckybelle for the details.

Wooden crosses planted at the newly opened Royal British Legion Wootton Bassett Field of Remembrance in southwest England. The new memorial, opened on Nov.9, pays tribute to the British servicemen and women killed in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prince Harry attended the opening ceremony and planted a cross for Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, who was killed while on foot patrol in Helmand province earlier this year. In the UK, the red poppy is worn in the run up to Armistice Day on November 11, which commemorates the end of World War One. The poppy was chosen as a symbol after the flower grew over the battle fields in Belgium and France after the war.

Cocobank got the highest interest in this category after Metrobank, Banco de Oro, Bank of the Phil Islands. ( Just sharing the infos I got from surfing asking personally thru email to the respective banks).

November 10
461

St. Leo the Great was born in Tuscany. As deacon, he was dispatched to Gaul as a mediator by Emperor Valentinian III. He reigned as Pope between 440 and 461. He persuaded Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in an edict in 445. The doctrine of the Incarnation was formed by him in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who had already condemned Eutyches. At the Council of Chalcedon this same letter was confirmed as the expression of Catholic Faith concerning the Person of Christ.

All secular historical treatises eulogize his efforts during the upheaval of the fifth century barbarian invasion. His encounter with Attila the Hun, at the very gates of Rome persuading him to turn back, remains a historical memorial to his great eloquence. When the Vandals under Genseric occupied the city of Rome, he persuaded the invaders to desist from pillaging the city and harming its inhabitants. He died in 461, leaving many letters and writings of great historical value. His feast day is November 10th.

Decide Wisely    

God freely created everything that exists. Our being made in God’s image means that we have a limited but very real freedom, which we need to use wisely and generously.

Thank you for your email.

Just to give you an idea on High Yielder of P 1M with interest rate of
5.0% , you will get more or less P 4,100.00 every month.  However, interest
rates differs on the time of placement/availment of the product.

Should you decide to invest on UCPB when you return to the Philippines you
may visit any UCPB branch nearest you or you can write to us again and we
will ask one of our Sales Officer to contact you to discuss other products
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Very truly yours,

He has already tried to break speed records for the world's fastest piece of furniture -- it was a couch -- but Perry Watkins was not satisfied. In September the British inventor took to the race track with a speeding dining table. His motorized meal, named "Fast Food," managed to reach speeds of up to 182 kilometers per hour (113 miles per hour). The table, which is laid for a meal, sits atop the modified body of a sports car.

Watkins, who formerly held the record for the world's smallest car, as listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, showed off his speedy culinary cart at a press preview for the Essen motor show, to be held from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5.

November 9
Dedication of St. John Lateran



Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.

The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.


Comment:

Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

Quote:

"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).

November 9 St Benignus
466

Bishop of Ireland, the son of Sechnaa, the psalm singer of St, Patrick. Sechnan was a chief in Meath, Ireland, converted by St. Patrick. Benignus became a disciple of St. Patrick and succeeded him as the chief bishop of Ireland. He converted the Irish in Clare, Kerry, and Connaught. Benignus served as the superior of an abbey at Drumlease, erected by St. Patrick.

Human Freedom

Human freedom is very real and can produce very different results. God’s knowledge does not cancel out human freedomâ€"for good or for ill.

Quote from: bugsay on November 08, 2010, 04:33:26 PM
mao ni gigamit ni Hubag matag Sabado, kon mahidungaw siya sa bentana sa opportunidad....nga ikapa tiurok na sab
niya palawom ang kwites sa kasinam nga nagdilaab sa galamhan nga na puno sa hudyaka samtang giliraw ang mata sa mga langgam nga naibtan nga  balhibo sa ilang pako.....

Ondoy Bugs, lawom jamo malomos ta!

A gigantic statue of Jesus - claimed to be the world's tallest - has been erected in a western Polish town.

Christ the King in Swiebodzin rises 33m (108ft) - one metre for every year that Jesus lived, said Sylwester Zawadzki, the priest who created the statue.

But other local officials said the statue was 51m-high (167ft), if one included a mound it sat on and the golden crown on the head.

They said it was higher than famous Christ figures in Bolivia and Brazil.

The total height of Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia, is 40.4m (133ft), while Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer rises 38m (125ft).
'Culmination'

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday to watch a giant crane lift the the statue's arms and shoulders and slowly place them onto the figure's lower body.

The crowd broke into applause and some prayed as construction workers finally hoisted on the head - crowned with a golden king's crown.

"I have never been as happy as I am today," Rev Zawadzki, aged 78, said. "This is the culmination of my life's work as a priest."

The statue was financed by private donations from around the world, although Rev Zawadzki declined to say how much it cost.

Town officials now hope that the statue will promote the town, bringing in tourists from around the world.  BBC news

Yes, because it is also seen at the background that a person carrying a camera is forbidden to come nearer.

November 8
Patron of sculptors

St. Castorius is the patron saint of sculptors and his feast day is November 8th. Castorius, Claudius, Nicostratus, and Symphorian are called "the four crowned martyrs" who were tortured and executed in Pannonia, Hungary during the reign of Diocletian. According to legend, they were employed as carvers at Sirmium (Mitrovica, Yugoslavia) and impressed Diocletian with their art, as did another carver, Simplicius. Diocletian commissioned them to do several carvings, which they did to his satisfaction, but they then refused to carve a statue of Aesculapius, as they were Christians. The emperor accepted their beliefs, but when they refused to sacrifice to the gods, they were imprisoned. When Diocletian's officer Lampadius, who was trying to convince them to sacrifice to the gods, suddenly died, his relatives accused the five of his death; to placate the relatives, the emperor had them executed. Another story has four unnamed Corniculari beaten to death in Rome with leaden whips when they refused to offer sacrifice to Aesculapius. They were buried on the Via Lavicana and were later given their names by Pope Militiades. Probably they were the four Pannonian martyrs (not counting Simplicius) whose remains were translated to Rome and buried in the Four Crowned Ones basilica there. A further complication is the confusion of their story with that of the group of martyrs associated with St. Carpophorus in the Roman Martyrology under November 8th.

God's Grace    

Faith always involves a responseâ€"not to impress God but to allow God’s grace to bear fruit, to affect our decisions radically.

the first picture I´m sure, si Opaw Pulis, ang naka uniform nga Pulis iyang giseguro nga dili ka dagan ang batan-on. I guess this is a demo participant somewhere in Quezon province.

Idiomatic expression man kini sa mga tagawog, kon masoko dili mangasaba apan ; Ano ka, makuha ka sa tingin!

makuha ka sa tingin ay nangangahulugan na walang mensaheng mabibigkas ngunit ang laman ng isip ay nababasa at nai-intindihan mula sa tingin.


ano ang ibig sabihin ng kanyang mga tingin?

St. Didacus
(1400-1463)




Didacus is living proof that God "chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity.

Didacus volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and labored there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there.

In 1450 he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of St. Bernardine of Siena. When many friars gathered for that celebration fell sick, Didacus stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God’s ways.

As he was dying, Didacus looked at a crucifix and said: "O faithful wood, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven" (Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 834).

San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588.


Comment:

We cannot be neutral about genuinely holy people. We either admire them or we consider them foolish. Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God’s people. Can we say the same for ourselves?

Quote:

"He was born in Spain with no outstanding reputation for learning, but like our first teachers and leaders unlettered as men count wisdom, an unschooled person, a humble lay brother in religious life. [God chose Didacus] to show in him the abundant riches of his grace to lead many on the way of salvation by the holiness of his life and by his example and to prove over and over to a weary old world almost decrepit with age that God's folly is wiser than men, and his weakness is more powerful than men" (Bull of Canonization).

Mending Relationships

The temporal punishment due to sin has immediate consequences for the sinner. He or she realizes that sin hurts a person’s relationship with God; repentance is part of mending that relationship and of living it out more completely.

St. Nicholas Tavelic and Companions
(d. 1391)

Nicholas and his three companions are among the 158 Franciscans who have been martyred in the Holy Land since the friars became custodians of the shrines in 1335.

Nicholas was born in 1340 to a wealthy and noble family in Croatia. He joined the Franciscans and was sent with Deodat of Rodez to preach in Bosnia. In 1384 they volunteered for the Holy Land missions and were sent there. They looked after the holy places, cared for the Christian pilgrims and studied Arabic.

In 1391 Nicholas, Deodat, Peter of Narbonne and Stephen of Cuneo decided to take a direct approach to converting the Muslims. On November 11, 1391, they went to the huge Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem and asked to see the Qadi (Muslim official). Reading from a prepared statement, they said that all people must accept the gospel of Jesus. When they were ordered to retract their statement, they refused. After beatings and imprisonment, they were beheaded before a large crowd.

Nicholas and his companions were canonized in 1970. They are the only Franciscans martyred in the Holy Land to be canonized.


Comment:

Francis presented two missionary approaches for his friars. Nicholas and his companions followed the first approach (live quietly and give witness to Christ) for several years. Then they felt called to take the second approach of preaching openly. Their Franciscan confreres in the Holy Land are still working by example to make Jesus better known.

Quote:

In the Rule of 1221, Francis wrote that the friars going to the Saracens (Muslims) "can conduct themselves among them spiritually in two ways. One way is to avoid quarrels or disputes and 'be subject to every human creature for God's sake' (1 Peter 2:13), so bearing witness to the fact that they are Christians. Another way is to proclaim the word of God openly, when they see that is God's will, calling on their hearers to believe in God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Creator of all, and in the Son, the Redeemer and Savior, that they may be baptized and become true and spiritual Christians" (Ch. 1

Forms of Holiness    

Saints are not an alternative to God but instead remind us that cooperating with God’s grace (holiness) can take many forms.

Whether or not women do it as a price for good relationship, I'm sure there are many who try to enjoy it and succeed--with flying colors

This sounds true Hubs!

Salamat sa awit Day,  this was the movie theme of the film Finder´s Keepers which also starred Sir Cliff Richard  " 1966". This year was realy unforgettable . My parents decided to return to Bohol, after so many growing years spent in Manila.

Venerable Solanus Casey
(1870-1957)


Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!

Barney came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, and after he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator and a prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukeeâ€"where he found the studies difficult. He left there and, in 1896, joined the Capuchins in Detroit, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous.

On July 24, 1904, he was ordained, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to be weak, Father Solanus was not given permission to hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction "brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have been realized in any other way." During his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers, New York, the people there recognized him as a fine speaker. "For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons," writes his biographer, James Derum, "he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos, as the Capuchins termed them" (18:96). His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners.

Father Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received.

Father Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. "Blessed be God in all his designs" was one of his favorite expressions.

The many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today.

In 1946 in failing health, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington, Indiana, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit. He died on July 31, 1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit.

At the funeral Mass, Father Gerald, the provincial, said: "His was a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not physically hungry, he hungere with people like you. He had a divine love for people. He loved people for what he could do for them â€"and for God, through them."

In 1960 a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967 the guild had 5,000 membersâ€"many of them grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their trials. He was declared Venerable in 1995.


Comment:

James Patrick Derum, his biographer, writes that eventually Father Solanus was weary from bearing the burdens of the people who visited him. "Long since, he had come to know the Christ-taught truth that pure love of God and one’s fellowmen as children of God are in the final event all that matter. Living this truth ardently and continuously had made him, spiritually, a free manâ€"free from slavery to passions, from self-seeking, from self-indulgence, from self-pityâ€"free to serve wholly both God and man" (The Porter of St. Bonaventure’s, page 199).

Quote:

Father Maurice Casey, a brother of Father Solanus, was once in a sanitarium near Baltimore and was annoyed at the priest-chaplain there. Father Solanus wrote his brother: "God could have established his Church under supervision of angels that have no faults or weaknesses. But who can doubt that as it stands today, consisting of and under the supervision of poor sinnersâ€"successors to the ‘poor fishermen of Galilee’ #151;the Church is a more outstanding miracle than any other way?"

St. Sylvia, Mother of St. Gregory the Great (Feast - November 5) The Church venerates the sanctity of Sylvia and Gordian, the parents of St. Gregory the Great, as well as his two aunts, Tarsilla and Emiliana. St. Sylvia was a native of the region of Sicily while St. Gordian, her husband, came from the vicinity of Rome. They had two sons: Gregory and another whose name has not survived the ages. Gordian died about 573 and Gregory converted his paternal home into a monastery. Sylvia therefore retired to a solitary and quasi-monastic life in a little abode near the Church of St. Sava on the Aventine. It became her custom frequently to send fresh vegetables to her son on a silver platter. One day, when Gregory found himself with nothing to give a poor beggar, he presented him with the platter. St. Sylvia is thought to have gone on to her heavenly reward between 592 and 594. After her death, the holy Pontiff had a picture of both his parents depicted in the Church of St. Andrew. In the sixteenth century, Pope Clement VIII had St. Sylvia inscribed in the Roman Martyrology.

Jesus Shows Us the Way

If baptism is the sacrament through which people enter the church, it seems fitting that Jesus shows the wayâ€"identifying with sinners though he was sinless.

Wah nay klaro ang kalamay karon, dahang mga mini!

Bedo nindot lagi, labi na ang background  "In my life"  as instrumental.

This is possible,  the bank needs capital.  If you ask for credit in bank they will charge you with almost more than 20% interest! Nakasulay namo ug hulam kwarta sa Phil bank? Let me hear from you.

November 4 St Charles Borromeo
Patron of learning and the arts.
1584

Charles was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret Medici, sister of Pope Pius IV. He was born at the family castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore, Italy on October 2. He received the clerical tonsure when he was twelve and was sent to the Benedictine abbey of SS. Gratian and Felinus at Arona for his education.

In 1559 his uncle was elected Pope Pius IV and the following year, named him his Secretary of State and created him a cardinal and administrator of the see of Milan. He served as Pius' legate on numerous diplomatic missions and in 1562, was instrumental in having Pius reconvene the Council of Trent, which had been suspended in 1552. Charles played a leading role in guiding and in fashioning the decrees of the third and last group of sessions. He refused the headship of the Borromeo family on the death of Count Frederick Borromeo, was ordained a priest in 1563, and was consecrated bishop of Milan the same year. Before being allowed to take possession of his see, he oversaw the catechism, missal, and breviary called for by the Council of Trent. When he finally did arrive at Trent (which had been without a resident bishop for eighty years) in 1556, he instituted radical reforms despite great opposition, with such effectiveness that it became a model see. He put into effect, measures to improve the morals and manners of the clergy and laity, raised the effectiveness of the diocesan operation, established seminaries for the education of the clergy, founded a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the religious instruction of children and encouraged the Jesuits in his see. He increased the systems to the poor and the needy, was most generous in his help to the English college at Douai, and during his bishopric held eleven diocesan synods and six provincial councils. He founded a society of secular priests, Oblates of St. Ambrose (now Oblates of St. Charles) in 1578, and was active in preaching, resisting the inroads of protestantism, and bringing back lapsed Catholics to the Church. He encountered opposition from many sources in his efforts to reform people and institutions.

He died at Milan on the night of November 3-4, and was canonized in 1610. He was one of the towering figures of the Catholic Reformation, a patron of learning and the arts, and though he achieved a position of great power, he used it with humility, personal sanctity, and unselfishness to reform the Church, of the evils and abuses so prevalent among the clergy and the nobles of the times. His feast day is November 4th.

Sorrow is Worth the Price    

In times of sorrow, I can be thankful for the fact that I have loved and been loved, thankful, in fact, for the ability to grieve because grief witnesses to love.

hatagan man gud ko ug separation pay, namili ko kon asa nako ipahalona ang kwarta. Nakorat jud ko sa tubag sa bank manager per email. Ang Cocobank kay kang Cojuangco, dili naba solido sila karon? Ang legacy grabe ang interest morag too good to be true.
What worried me most is what if I needed the money badly? 5 years is somewhat long, with the money earned from the interest I could send kids to high school or in college. There are possibilities to use them to help poor students.