MikeLigalig.com

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't
refreeze.    (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)


To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax  will  fall out.


Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking  soda.. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).


Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt
BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.


Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads , I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be  much  more economical. Now a box of S.O.S  pads last me indefinitely!
In fact, I  have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' this way!


Blood stains on clothes?  Not to worry!  Just pour a little hydrogen   
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood..   Works
every time!  (Now, where to put the body?)    LOL


Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal=2 0 for  inside  windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Straight vinegar  will get outside windows really clean.  Don't wash windows on a sunny day.  They will dry t oo quickly and will probably streak.


Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light  is turned on.


Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.


Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least  3 hours prior to burning.


To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag an d add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!


To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet , simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top. Or, fill pan with water, add a fabric softener sheet.  Let it soak overnight.  Food will just wash away.

================================
Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in  tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.


Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep fo r weeks.

=================================
When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness


Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your
forehead.   The throbbing will go away.


Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for  future  use  in casseroles and sauces .........  Left over wine? What's that?


To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and  you will experience instant relief.


Ants,=2 0ants, ants everywhere .. Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants  tend to march. See for yourself.

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.


When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then  pull it off.. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.


Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer........
Clean a toilet.
Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.
The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China ..


Clean a vase.
To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

================================
Polish jewelry.
Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry  for two minutes.


Clean a thermos bottle.
Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour  (or longer, if necessary)

Unclog a drain.
Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain  followed by a cup of  Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.


     

St. Francis of Assisi
(1182-1226)
 
Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literallyâ€"not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a sense of self-importance.
Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth. Prayerâ€"lengthy and difficultâ€"led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy."

From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.

He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house." But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up all his possessions, piling even his clothes before his earthly father (who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor) so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He was, for a time, considered to be a religious fanatic, begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, evokng sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.

But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (see Luke 9:1-3).

Francis' first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no idea of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church's unity.

He was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.

During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 44), he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.

On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.




Comment:

Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like. He recognized creation as another manifestation of the beauty of God. In 1979, he was named aptron of ecology. He did great penance (apologizing to "Brother Body" later in life) that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God. His poverty had a sister, humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.


Quote:

"We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world" (St. Francis).


Patron Saint of:

Animals
Ecology
Italy
Merchants

Love Your Neighbor   

The essence of Jesus’ message is: Make every stranger, no matter how poor or dirty, no matter how weak or unlovable, your neighbor.

Sex has a soothing effect on my nerves, sportwise I burn lots of calories.

http://www.saintmichaelthearchangelorganization.org/index.php

The 2nd annual WORLDWIDE ROSARY FOR UNBORN BABIES is scheduled to happen on October 16th (Friday), October 17th (Saturday), and October 18th (Sunday). A person who wants to participate in this prayer event will pray at least one Rosary on either October 16th, 17th, or 18th. The Rosary is to be prayed for the following intention: For an end to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn human persons. (No registration is required for this pro-life prayer event, but you are welcome to let the Saint Michael the Archangel Organization know about your plans to participate, especially if you live in a country other than the United States. It is asked that all correspondence be in English.)

This is a long email but with a very strong substance, from a kababayan outpouring her frustrations about incompetence and corruptions in our country, it must put to an end once and for all.

This is truly sad but this happens, thanks for posting Belle!

This was written by a Pinoy couple who now live in the US. EMBARRASING TO THE MAX TALAGA Would like to share with you what we found out as the reason why cruise ships of the big cruise companies skip Manila.  My wife and I are regular cruisers and we always talk to the Filipino crew.  When we took the 12-day Mediterranean cruise I asked the Pinoy waiters (because we are in a big group, we usually request for Pinoy waiters to be assigned to us) why all their Asian cruises skip Manila when they go to all the neighboring countries of the Philippines.  Tanong ko bakit ba wala sa itinerary ninyo ang Manila..   Ang sagot sa akin.  Noong una ho may cruises kami na humihinto sa Manila but masyadong hong matakaw ang mga taga Customs sa atin kaya ang management ho namin nag decide na skip na ang Manila.  When inspection time comes upon our arrival and departure, yung mga Customs inspectors ho kasama ang mga pamilya nila para kumain ng libre sa ship namin.
Tapos bago mag bigay ng clearance para maka depart ang ship namin maraming hinihingi na sigarilyo at mga alak.  Sa Manila lang namin na experience ang ganoon kaya nahihiya ho kaming mga Pinoy dito sa ship.  Sa ibang ports sa Asia wala hong nanghihingi.   The new cruise ships have an everage of 2,000 to 3,000 passengers.  Imagine the loss of tourism revenue for the Philippines because most cruise ships do not go to the Philippines.  Pero paano mapapatino ang mga taga Customs kung ang mga taga Malacanang, Congreso, governors, mayors who should set good example sa government service pareho din nila at mas malaki pa ang kurakot?


AteneoGrupo58@ yahoogroups. com ( Joey Omila)

St. Mother Theodore Guérin
(1798-1856)

Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway around the world and to found a new religious congregation.
Born in Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse’s life was shattered by her father’s murder when she was 15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger sister. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister St. Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile health; that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher.

At the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840 to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor. She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States should form a new religious congregation under her leadership.

She and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original religious congregation. She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” Another time, she asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?”

She is buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she was canonized.




Comment:

God’s work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hardâ€"always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God’s Providence.


Quote:

During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Blessed Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodore Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.”

Awareness of Humanity   

Compassion is far removed from pity and sympathy. Compassion grows out of an awareness of our common humanity. 

Thanks for sharing this picture from Ben´s daughter. I used to ride this vehicle.

Kining atong panistis, wala kita masayod kon nai-go siya ug pamilya sa bagyong Ondoy! Hangtud karon wala pa siya motobag sa akong email.

labay labay lang unta ko, till I read this and found out that this comes from an opinionated writer.  a waste of time, tsk tsk, tsk!

Mao lagi kining senior moments.

Congratulations to Rio! Hinaut pa nga menos ang samok kay taas raba ang kriminalidad ni-aning syudara.

I´ll write him an email.

Pop star Michael Jackson had a strong heart and was a "fairly healthy" 50-year-old, according to an autopsy report obtained in the US.

His weight was in the acceptable range for a man of his height, according to the Associated Press.

But the singer, who died of a heart attack in June, had punctured arms, tattooed lips and eyebrows and suffered from lung damage and some arthritis.

Jackson's death was ruled as homicide caused by a powerful anaesthetic.

Cosmetic surgery

The Los Angeles coroner disclosed in August that Propofol and the sedative Lorazepam were the "primary drugs responsible for Mr Jackson's death".

The drugs were administered by Jackson's physician Dr Conrad Murray, and the verdict has been considered likely to increase the chances of criminal charges being brought against his doctors.

According to the document, Jackson's most serious health problem was his chronically inflamed lungs, but this was not serious enough to be a contributing factor to his death.

The post mortem did not uncover any physical problems that may have limited Jackson's ability to perform.

"His overall health was fine," said Dr Zeev Kain of the University of California, who reviewed the report for AP but was not involved in the post-mortem examination.

"The results are in normal limits," he added.

The report also revealed that Jackson had a number of scars on his body, including behind his ears and beside each of his nostrils.

Dr Kain concluded they were likely to have been caused by cosmetic surgery, while others, including on the knee, were likely to have been created by medical procedures.

The document also states that the singer was bald at the front of his head and had what appeared to be a dark tattoo stretching across his head.

His remaining hair was described as short and tightly-curled, it added.

The coroner reported that Jackson had depigmentation of the skin around his face, chest, abdomen and arms.

The full autopsy report has yet to be officially released to the public, but the conclusion that Jackson's death was homicide has been disclosed. BBC

This is really wrong in us, I was walking in Guindulman and neighbors told me why can´t I afford to ride a tricycle?This is a cliche, nga ang mga dato magsakay sakay ug kotse, unya ang mga kabos abog-abogan lang. Bisan sa trabaho dili ko magsigi ug lingkod kay maka-almoranas.

Feast of the Guardian Angels
 
Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death.
The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict (July 11) gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20), the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day.

A feast in honor of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.




Comment:

Devotion to the angels is, at base, an expression of faith in God's enduring love and providential care extended to each person day in and day out until life's end.


Quote:

"May the angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem."

Eternal Being   

You came forth from God and you will return to God. You are eternal

ps
have a nice weekend floks!

Ako mopirma ni-ani, akong gibaligya ang akong awto ug nagpunay na lang ko ug baklay. Nawad-an ko ug 7 kilos, unya sa akong binaklay mag-sigi nako ug rosary, good for health blessings pa!

From a very brave Filipina.  She even placed her name and telephone number...... ....

There should be more........ ......... ......... ......... ........


To all Filipinos Everywhere:
I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn't true. It is one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior? And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my tv to watch the latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to be believable and too bad to be real. To see these "honorable" crooks lambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and apalling that I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainment at its worst!

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like "Honorable", "Senator", "Justice", "General" and worse, "President". Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation â€" Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich."

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed to serve. It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that pays for my needs and those of my family's, even though 30% of my earnings go to the nation's coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained time and again because our government could not provide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything. But I have always thought that was what all third world countries were all about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more.

And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about someone's morality! The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!" slogan.. Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security men providing anything but a sense of security. And it's all about money, money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries?

And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship. "Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband's financial deals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no longer capable of showing disgust. I don't agree. Many like me feel anger at the brazenness of men we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality. It is not that I won't make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though I may not yet feel it..

But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children. I want to make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the Philippines. I want them to know that my country is not filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down. I refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it.

Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of good. We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin. After all, they cannot be more powerful than God!

I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there are more important things in this world. I beg all fathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion â€" right from the sandbox till they are old enough to go on their own. Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers â€" we always underestimate the power of your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men and women. Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians have sunk us into. The youth is our future â€" and it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere to look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves. You will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better than you did.

Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this country.. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think of the greater good before anything else. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field.. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.


For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.


Remedios C. Paningbatan
Administrative Officer
Office of the General Counsel
Asian Development Bank
Tel (632) 632-4248
www.adb.org

Thanks for this prayer Gener, we need to do this and beg the Almighty for His Mercy and Passion.

UPDATE: The typhoon East of Northern Mindanao (named Pepeng) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at around 5pm (Sept. 30, 2009).

And the initial forecast on Typhoon Pepeng are the following:
Thursday afternoon: Pepeng is 630 kms East of Northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar
Friday afternoon: Pepeng is 430 kms Northeast of Borongan, Samar
Saturday afternoon: Pepeng is 290 kms North Northeast of Virac, Catanduanes or Pepeng is 330 kms East of Casiguran, Aurora

But Typhoon Pepeng might change direction and speed.

Source: PAGASA


ps
Typhoon Pepeng approaches Luzon and is gathering strength which could develop into a super typhoon.
Let us pray, pray, pray with all of our heart that the Lord will have mercy on us and the world.
Pls be aware and pray for everyone´s safety!

Manay

sa hinay-hinay, mailhan na ang tina-goan nga dagway ni Ondoy Calle ang presidente sa Dajong!

this is from another website, but also a beautiful posting for this wonderful saint.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux
(1873-1897)

 
"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24.
Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."

[On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.]



Comment:

Thérèse has much to teach our age of the image, the appearance, the "sell." We have become a dangerously self-conscious people, painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet knowing we are not. Thérèse, like so many saints, sought to serve others, to do something outside herself, to forget herself in quiet acts of love. She is one of the great examples of the gospel paradox that we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed that falls to the ground must die in order to live (see John 12).
Preoccupation with self separates modern men and women from God, from their fellow human beings and ultimately from themselves. We must relearn to forget ourselves, to contemplate a God who draws us out of ourselves and to serve others as the ultimate expression of selfhood. These are the insights of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and they are more valid today than ever.



Quote:

All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."
Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love really convert the world?



Patron Saint of:

Florists
Missionaries
Pilots

Key to Wisdom   

Jesus is always moving the boundaries out while still respecting the center. That’s the key to wisdom: being grounded in the center and still, from that deep foundation, knowing how to move out. 

Pa-thrilling jud ka!  Pasagdi pohon sunod tuig mo-agi ko extra sa Manila aron soroyon ka.
Take care and God Bless.

USA simply complied with the EU in terror listings, since the decision is overturned, he might be allowed to travel there.

manay, hope you can keep our confidentiality agreement.

Wa raba koy word of honor, Doy!

Saint Therese of Lisieux
Feastday: October 1
Patron of the Missions
1873 - 1897


Saint Therese of Lisieux
Generations of Catholics have admired this young saint, called her the "Little Flower", and found in her short life more inspiration for own lives than in volumes by theologians.

Yet Therese died when she was 24, after having lived as cloistered Carmelite for less than ten years. She never went on missions, never founded a religious order, never performed great works. The only book of hers, published after her death, was an brief edited version of her journal called "Story of a Soul." (Collections of her letters and restored versions of her journals have been published recently.) But within 28 years of her death, the public demand was so great that she was canonized.

Over the years, some modern Catholics have turned away from her because they associate her with over- sentimentalized piety and yet the message she has for us is still as compelling and simple as it was almost a century ago.

Therese was born in France in 1873, the pampered daughter of a mother who had wanted to be a saint and a father who had wanted to be monk. The two had gotten married but determined they would be celibate until a priest told them that was not how God wanted a marriage to work! They must have followed his advice very well because they had nine children. The five children who lived were all daughters who were close all their lives.

Tragedy and loss came quickly to Therese when her mother died of breast cancer when she was four and a half years old. Her sixteen year old sister Pauline became her second mother -- which made the second loss even worse when Pauline entered the Carmelite convent five years later. A few months later, Therese became so ill with a fever that people thought she was dying.

The worst part of it for Therese was all the people sitting around her bed staring at her like, she said, "a string of onions." When Therese saw her sisters praying to statue of Mary in her room, Therese also prayed. She saw Mary smile at her and suddenly she was cured. She tried to keep the grace of the cure secret but people found out and badgered her with questions about what Mary was wearing, what she looked like. When she refused to give in to their curiosity, they passed the story that she had made the whole thing up.

Without realizing it, by the time she was eleven years old she had developed the habit of mental prayer. She would find a place between her bed and the wall and in that solitude think about God, life, eternity.

When her other sisters, Marie and Leonie, left to join religious orders (the Carmelites and Poor Clares, respectively), Therese was left alone with her last sister Celine and her father. Therese tells us that she wanted to be good but that she had an odd way of going about. This spoiled little Queen of her father's wouldn't do housework. She thought if she made the beds she was doing a great favor!

Every time Therese even imagined that someone was criticizing her or didn't appreciate her, she burst into tears. Then she would cry because she had cried! Any inner wall she built to contain her wild emotions crumpled immediately before the tiniest comment.

Therese wanted to enter the Carmelite convent to join Pauline and Marie but how could she convince others that she could handle the rigors of Carmelite life, if she couldn't handle her own emotional outbursts? She had prayed that Jesus would help her but there was no sign of an answer.

On Christmas day in 1886, the fourteen-year-old hurried home from church. In France, young children left their shoes by the hearth at Christmas, and then parents would fill them with gifts. By fourteen, most children outgrew this custom. But her sister Celine didn't want Therese to grow up. So they continued to leave presents in "baby" Therese's shoes.

As she and Celine climbed the stairs to take off their hats, their father's voice rose up from the parlor below. Standing over the shoes, he sighed, "Thank goodness that's the last time we shall have this kind of thing!"

Therese froze, and her sister looked at her helplessly. Celine knew that in a few minutes Therese would be in tears over what her father had said.

But the tantrum never came. Something incredible had happened to Therese. Jesus had come into her heart and done what she could not do herself. He had made her more sensitive to her father's feelings than her own.

She swallowed her tears, walked slowly down the stairs, and exclaimed over the gifts in the shoes, as if she had never heard a word her father said. The following year she entered the convent. In her autobiography she referred to this Christmas as her "conversion."

Therese be known as the Little Flower but she had a will of steel. When the superior of the Carmelite convent refused to take Therese because she was so young, the formerly shy little girl went to the bishop. When the bishop also said no, she decided to go over his head, as well.

Her father and sister took her on a pilgrimage to Rome to try to get her mind off this crazy idea. Therese loved it. It was the one time when being little worked to her advantage! Because she was young and small she could run everywhere, touch relics and tombs without being yelled at. Finally they went for an audience with the Pope. They had been forbidden to speak to him but that didn't stop Therese. As soon as she got near him, she begged that he let her enter the Carmelite convent. She had to be carried out by two of the guards!

But the Vicar General who had seen her courage was impressed and soon Therese was admitted to the Carmelite convent that her sisters Pauline and Marie had already joined. Her romantic ideas of convent life and suffering soon met up with reality in a way she had never expected. Her father suffered a series of strokes that left him affected not only physically but mentally. When he began hallucinating and grabbed for a gun as if going into battle, he was taken to an asylum for the insane. Horrified, Therese learned of the humiliation of the father she adored and admired and of the gossip and pity of their so-called friends. As a cloistered nun she couldn't even visit her father.

This began a horrible time of suffering when she experienced such dryness in prayer that she stated "Jesus isn't doing much to keep the conversation going." She was so grief-stricken that she often fell asleep in prayer. She consoled herself by saying that mothers loved children when they lie asleep in their arms so that God must love her when she slept during prayer.

She knew as a Carmelite nun she would never be able to perform great deeds. " Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love." She took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it would seem. She smiled at the sisters she didn't like. She ate everything she was given without complaining -- so that she was often given the worst leftovers. One time she was accused of breaking a vase when she was not at fault. Instead of arguing she sank to her knees and begged forgiveness. These little sacrifices cost her more than bigger ones, for these went unrecognized by others. No one told her how wonderful she was for these little secret humiliations and good deeds.

When Pauline was elected prioress, she asked Therese for the ultimate sacrifice. Because of politics in the convent, many of the sisters feared that the family Martin would taken over the convent. Therefore Pauline asked Therese to remain a novice, in order to allay the fears of the others that the three sisters would push everyone else around. This meant she would never be a fully professed nun, that she would always have to ask permission for everything she did. This sacrifice was made a little sweeter when Celine entered the convent after her father's death. Four of the sisters were now together again.

Therese continued to worry about how she could achieve holiness in the life she led. She didn't want to just be good, she wanted to be a saint. She thought there must be a way for people living hidden, little lives like hers. " I have always wanted to become a saint. Unfortunately when I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden underfoot by passers-by. Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.

" We live in an age of inventions. We need no longer climb laboriously up flights of stairs; in well-to-do houses there are lifts. And I was determined to find a lift to carry me to Jesus, for I was far too small to climb the steep stairs of perfection. So I sought in holy Scripture some idea of what this life I wanted would be, and I read these words: "Whosoever is a little one, come to me." It is your arms, Jesus, that are the lift to carry me to heaven. And so there is no need for me to grow up: I must stay little and become less and less."

She worried about her vocation: " I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has grown with me. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is Love!"

When an antagonist was elected prioress, new political suspicions and plottings sprang up. The concern over the Martin sisters perhaps was not exaggerated. In this small convent they now made up one-fifth of the population. Despite this and the fact that Therese was a permanent novice they put her in charge of the other novices.

Then in 1896, she coughed up blood. She kept working without telling anyone until she became so sick a year later everyone knew it. Worst of all she had lost her joy and confidence and felt she would die young without leaving anything behind. Pauline had already had her writing down her memories for journal and now she wanted her to continue -- so they would have something to circulate on her life after her death.

Her pain was so great that she said that if she had not had faith she would have taken her own life without hesitation. But she tried to remain smiling and cheerful -- and succeeded so well that some thought she was only pretending to be ill. Her one dream as the work she would do after her death, helping those on earth. "I will return," she said. "My heaven will be spent on earth." She died on September 30, 1897 at the age of 24 years old. She herself felt it was a blessing God allowed her to die at exactly that age. she had always felt that she had a vocation to be a priest and felt God let her die at the age she would have been ordained if she had been a man so that she wouldn't have to suffer.

After she died, everything at the convent went back to normal. One nun commented that there was nothing to say about Therese. But Pauline put together Therese's writings (and heavily edited them, unfortunately) and sent 2000 copies to other convents. But Therese's "little way" of trusting in Jesus to make her holy and relying on small daily sacrifices instead of great deeds appealed to the thousands of Catholics and others who were trying to find holiness in ordinary lives. Within two years, the Martin family had to move because her notoriety was so great and by 1925 she had been canonized.

Therese of Lisieux is one of the patron saints of the missions, not because she ever went anywhere, but because of her special love of the missions, and the prayers and letters she gave in support of missionaries. This is reminder to all of us who feel we can do nothing, that it is the little things that keep God's kingdom growing.

I agree with your BNC, this is the most reasonable step to give our beloved province a facelift, since it is a wonderful tourist spot.

This court´s decision is long overdue.

Yes, now you show your baby face! ha ha ha

Wala jud kita masinati sa katinooran, apan pait palandongon nga ang resulta sa dautan nga toyo.
Tongues are wagging now and the malice scattered is unstoppable.

I think you know the answer since your avatar shows that you are ready for the BAHA, anytime!

There is no debate - China is on the way to becoming a powerful and prosperous country, full stop

Assuming they work hard on human rights, this might come true!

Pasalamat sa Kahitas-an Ondoy kay na-a ka sa maayong panglawas, good karma Calle!

Remember her? She was also vindicated per online!

Hadloka ba ni-ani, nagkalisod na ang mga tawo sa Pinas, aduna pay tawo mga manghimaraot.

St. Jerome
(345-420)


Most of the saints are remembered for some outstanding virtue or devotion which they practiced, but Jerome is frequently remembered for his bad temper! It is true that he had a very bad temper and could use a vitriolic pen, but his love for God and his Son Jesus Christ was extraordinarily intense; anyone who taught error was an enemy of God and truth, and St. Jerome went after him or her with his mighty and sometimes sarcastic pen.
He was above all a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop and pope. St. Augustine said of him, "What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known."

St. Jerome is particularly important for having made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate. It is not the most critical edition of the Bible, but its acceptance by the Church was fortunate. As a modern scholar says, "No man before Jerome or among his contemporaries and very few men for many centuries afterwards were so well qualified to do the work." The Council of Trent called for a new and corrected edition of the Vulgate, and declared it the authentic text to be used in the Church.

In order to be able to do such work, Jerome prepared himself well. He was a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic. He began his studies at his birthplace, Stridon in Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia). After his preliminary education he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and thence to Trier, Germany, where the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in each place, always trying to find the very best teachers.

After these preparatory studies he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ's life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to prayer, penance and study. Finally he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. On September 30 in the year 420, Jerome died in Bethlehem. The remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.




Comment:

Jerome was a strong, outspoken man. He had the virtues and the unpleasant fruits of being a fearless critic and all the usual moral problems of a man. He was, as someone has said, no admirer of moderation whether in virtue or against evil. He was swift to anger, but also swift to feel remorse, even more severe on his own shortcomings than on those of others. A pope is said to have remarked, on seeing a picture of Jerome striking his breast with a stone, "You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you" (Butler's Lives of the Saints).


Quote:

"In the remotest part of a wild and stony desert, burnt up with the heat of the scorching sun so that it frightens even the monks that inhabit it, I seemed to myself to be in the midst of the delights and crowds of Rome. In this exile and prison to which for the fear of hell I had voluntarily condemned myself, I many times imagined myself witnessing the dancing of the Roman maidens as if I had been in the midst of them: In my cold body and in my parched-up flesh, which seemed dead before its death, passion was able to live. Alone with this enemy, I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to disclose my temptations, but I grieve that I am not now what I then was" ("Letter to St. Eustochium").


Patron Saint of:

Librarians

Possess Nothing   

Without emptiness, there can be no fullness; without a beginner’s curiosity, there can be no learning. Only those who possess nothing can be entrusted with everything

Sakto jud si Statesville, dili na lang patonga sa usa ka topic nga complicated, kay kon maglalis ta basin adunay nipis ang hapin, samok na!
Little knowledge is dangerous, this is an old adage which still holds true, my 5 cents of opinion.

Ang Kai-tak airport (Hong-kong), bukid ilang gipatag ug partly landfilled, best engineers, technicians and up to-date technology was used but at the latest report it is not really stable and they can not predict if it is still in good shape after 50 years!

PAL is one of the oldest flight carrier, that means they should be trained to such situations. Apan unsa man pod ang ilang idalit kon walay supply. Na-a kana sa taas. I wish they could improve their services to the passengers.
The weather bureau should update their gadgets or instruments to exactly predict incoming typhoons. We are prone to such calamities, there should be preparedness for the authorities to minimize the impact and loss of life and properties.
There is an outpour of donations from Europe especially Germany, hina-ut pa ang mga naig-an sa katalagman maoy makadawat.

From Lorenzo´s postings I felt he is so full of pride about his career, a modern doctor, well bred and educated in the USA. It was not easy to digest though the topics are interesting but in medical terms that only belongs to his world.
But while walking home, it came to me that he is a very kind person, for why would he post this kind of topic? He simply wants to share it to us, he wants that we profit from his knowledge.  I love you Ondoy Lorenzo for all your efforts. 

your cybermanay

Building Your Bridge   

You can’t build a bridge from the middle. You must choose a starting point. What the gospel is saying, pure and simple, is that wherever you’re going to start building your bridge, you better start from the side of powerlessness, not power. 

Taga Tigbao, I would say you should be very, very careful of a delicate topic . I don´t know if anyone of us here is a real theologian. The danger of being teased by an evil mind is highly probable.

You´re wonderful Brownman, your greetings is original!

To everyone interested in immigrating to Canada:

Immigrating to Canada, 6 categories:
1. Skilled workers and professionals
2. Quebec-selected skilled workers
3. Canadian experience class
4. Investors, entrepreneurs, and self-employed people
5. Family sponsored
6. Provincial nominees

The provincial nominee category is based on a province's immigration requirements. Some provinces might need more immigrants than others, other provinces might need a certain number of workers in a particular field, the less populated provinces might simply need new immigrants to increase their population, etc. You'll have to check the requirements of each province you're considering. I do not recommend Ontario and British Columbia because they're popular immigrant destinations and therefore reduced chances of getting admission. Right now, I heard that Manitoba is taking in many Pinoys. The less populated the province, the more chances of getting in.

One condition: if you're successful under the Provincial Nominees category, you have to live in that province for a minimum of 2 years before you can move to other provinces.

And because you're applying as an IMMIGRANT, you won't have to go to POEA to file an application and pay their fees. Your application is processed here in Canada.


For information, go to:

www.cic.gc.ca
- On the left side of the page, look for COME TO CANADA
- click on IMMIGRATE
- click on PROVINCIAL NOMINEES

NOTE: If you have the financial resources, the INVESTORS AND ENTREPRENEURS category is another option. Many wealthy Pinoys come in under this category.
Good luck and God bless! Manay Tess

Angay na ihinay-hinay ug pang-hinolsol!

I´m glad to hear something from you Ondoy Calle! Wala manglutaw ang kwarta Doy?

Feliz Navidad! Belated Doy!

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

 
Angelsâ€"messengers from Godâ€"appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.
Michael appears in Daniel's vision as "the great prince" who defends Israel against its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, he leads God's armies to final victory over the forces of evil. Devotion to Michael is the oldest angelic devotion, rising in the East in the fourth century. The Church in the West began to observe a feast honoring Michael and the angels in the fifth century.

Gabriel also makes an appearance in Daniel's visions, announcing Michael's role in God's plan. His best-known appearance is an encounter with a young Jewish girl named Mary, who consents to bear the Messiah.

Raphael's activity is confined to the Old Testament story of Tobit. There he appears to guide Tobit's son Tobiah through a series of fantastic adventures which lead to a threefold happy ending: Tobiah's marriage to Sarah, the healing of Tobit's blindness and the restoration of the family fortune.

The memorials of Gabriel (March 24) and Raphael (October 24) were added to the Roman calendar in 1921. The 1970 revision of the calendar joined their feasts to Michael's.



Comment:

Each of these archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides. Earlier belief that inexplicable events were due to the actions of spiritual beings has given way to a scientific world-view and a different sense of cause and effect. Yet believers still experience God's protection, communication and guidance in ways which defy description. We cannot dismiss angels too lightly.


Quote:

"The question of how many angels could dance on the point of a pin no longer is absurd in molecular physics, with its discovery of how broad that point actually is, and what part invisible electronic 'messengers' play in the dance of life" (Lewis Mumford).


Patron Saint of:

Death
Germany
Grocers
Police officers
Radiologists

Live in the Present   

It’s the hardest place for us to live, the place where we’re most afraid to live, because it feels so empty and boring. Now-here almost always feels like nowhere, and that’s precisely where we must go. 

Now-here vs. Nowhere   

Most of us live in the past, carrying our hurts, guilts and fears. We have to face the pain we carry, lest we spend the rest of our lives running away from it or letting it run us. But the only place you’ll ever meet the real is now-here. 

Sept. 29,

St. Michael, the Archangel
Feastday: September 29
Patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police, and sickness


St. Michael, the Archangel

St. Michael, the Archangel - Feast day - September 29th The name Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the warcry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against satan and his followers. Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as "one of the chief princes," and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell. He has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Although he is always called "the Archangel," the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the angels - as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness.

Ang pamilya ni Gener tua sa Manila, siya tua sa Middle East!

Diha rako sa Sabado sa gabi-i nasayod, kay gi-apil sa among novena sa San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, ika-siyam nga gabi-i sa Bonn, Germany. Nalisang ko sa balita kay kusog ang unos sa uwan nga walay pahulay.
Hinaut pa nga kita kaloy-an sa kanunay ug kalig-on sa atong pag-ampo, magpunay kita ug pangalipoyo Kaniya, ang Hari sa Kalooy.

Please read this folks so you will get a clearer view about this thread, thanks!

http://www.holysoulscrusade.org/maria-simma1.html

St. Vincent de Paul
(1580?-1660)

The deathbed confession of a dying servant opened Vincent's eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry of France. This seems to have been a crucial moment in the life of the man from a small farm in Gascony, France, who had become a priest with little more ambition than to have a comfortable life.
It was the Countess de Gondi (whose servant he had helped) who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of able and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. Vincent was too humble to accept leadership at first, but after working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley-slaves, he returned to be the leader of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians. These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages.

Later, Vincent established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish. From these, with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, came the Daughters of Charity, "whose convent is the sickroom, whose chapel is the parish church, whose cloister is the streets of the city." He organized the rich women of Paris to collect funds for his missionary projects, founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. He was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries.

Most remarkably, Vincent was by temperament a very irascible person—even his friends admitted it. He said that except for the grace of God he would have been "hard and repulsive, rough and cross." But he became a tender and affectionate man, very sensitive to the needs of others.

Pope Leo XIII made him the patron of all charitable societies. Outstanding among these, of course, is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by his admirer Blessed Frederic Ozanam (September 7).




Comment:

The Church is for all God's children, rich and poor, peasants and scholars, the sophisticated and the simple. But obviously the greatest concern of the Church must be for those who need the most help—those made helpless by sickness, poverty, ignorance or cruelty. Vincent de Paul is a particularly appropriate patron for all Christians today, when hunger has become starvation, and the high living of the rich stands in more and more glaring contrast to the physical and moral degradation in which many of God's children are forced to live.


Quote:

"Strive to live content in the midst of those things that cause your discontent. Free your mind from all that troubles you, God will take care of things. You will be unable to make haste in this [choice] without, so to speak, grieving the heart of God, because he sees that you do not honor him sufficiently with holy trust. Trust in him, I beg you, and you will have the fulfillment of what your heart desires" (St. Vincent de Paul, Letters).


Patron Saint of:

Charities


St. Lorenzo Ruiz
Feastday: September 28


Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino saint. He is also the first Filipino martyred for the Christian Faith. Lorenzo Ruiz was a layman, married, and had two sons and a daughter. Born in Binondo, Manila, about 1600's, he was educated in the school of the Dominicans there. He served as an altar boy and later was a helper and clerk-sacristan in the church of Binondo. He was a member of the Confraternity of the Rosary. He made his living probably as a calligrapher, one who renders documents in beautiful penmanship for private or official use. To be sure, that work denoted an accomplished and educated person, especially at a time when many an illustrious personage were far from excelling in this art. An adverse event made him leave the Philippines in 1636. When he was in his late twenties or early thirties, he became involved or was accused of being involved in a criminal case, the circumstances of which are far from clear. Whether he was involved or not, one thing was clear, he was afraid that, as a consequence of a trial or mistrial, he might be given a death sentence. Upon landing in Japan where Christians were being persecuted, he was arrested and imprisoned together with his companions. He underwent inhuman tortures and valiantly confessed his Christian Faith. Refusing to renounce his Faith, he told his executioner that he was ready to die for God and give himself for many thousands of lives if he had them. On September 27, 1637, he was hung from a gallows by his feet, his body falling into a pit. After two days of agony, he died of bleeding and suffocation. His body was cremated and the ashes thrown into the sea. He and fifteen companions, martyred in the same persecution, were beatified by Pope John Paul II in Manila on February 18, 1981 and elevated to full honors of the altar by canonization on October 18, 1987 in Rome. Their feast day is on September 28th.

Gotcha!   

God will always get at you on the run. The ego is moving straight ahead into success and power, into good name, achievement and all the other stupid things that we race after. Then once in a while you glimpse out of the corner of your eye what really matters. Gotcha! 

Barrio Captain Eden Bertumen Hohmann started a worthy cause to serve the people of barrio Basdio. This is a health center, a very humble start. This project is supported by the organization Bol-anon sa Germany.

Please pray to our guardian angels, palayo sa ing-ani nga kahitabo-an.

They must be lagging behind (China). Take a look at Ms Holland 2006, she hails form Leyte! Last year´s Miss Germany (2008) is purely blooded Turkish.

Sts. Cosmas and Damian
(d. 303?)

Nothing is known of their lives except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of Diocletian.
A church erected on the site of their burial place was enlarged by the emperor Justinian. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. A famous basilica was erected in their honor in Constantinople. Their names were placed in the canon of the Mass, probably in the sixth century.

Legend says that they were twin brothers born in Arabia, who became skilled doctors. They were among those who are venerated in the East as the "moneyless ones" because they did not charge a fee for their services. It was impossible that such prominent persons would escape unnoticed in time of persecution: They were arrested and beheaded.

Nine centuries later, Francis of Assisi (October 4) rebuilt the dilapidated San Damiano chapel outside Assisi.




Comment:

For a long time, it seems, we have been very conscious of Jesus' miracles as proofs of his divinity. What we sometimes overlook is Jesus' consuming interest in simply healing people's sickness, whatever other meaning his actions had. The power that "went out from him" was indeed a sign that God was definitively breaking into human history in final fulfillment of his promises; but the love of God was also concrete in a very human heart that was concerned about the suffering of his brothers and sisters. It is a reminder to Christians that salvation is for the whole person, the unique body-spirit unity.


Quote:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).


Patron Saint of:

Barbers
Pharmacists
Physicians
Surgeons

Dis-a man gikan kining imong information, this is more applicable to theme how to live a healthy life.

In Zambia, and several other southern African countries, some men say they rape children in the belief that having sex with a virgin can cure Aids.

Some 20% of Zambians are HIV positive.

This has prompted a group of MPs and women rights activists to call for child rapists to be castrated.
...............................................................................................
Poland backs chemical castration

Under the law anyone found guilty of raping children under 15, or close relatives, will be given drugs to lower their sex drive.

All but three MPs present in the lower house voted for the measures.
.................................................................................

Italian bid to castrate rapists 

Pisanu: No link between nationality and criminality
Italy's far-right Northern League has presented a bill to castrate convicted rapists, after a series of rapes in Italy by suspected illegal immigrants.
The bill says chemical or surgical castration of offenders is necessary to remove a social disease which is a threat to life and public safety.




They were part of a bill that also increases jail terms for incest and paedophilia, and criminalises any attempt to justify paedophilia.

Anyone propagating such a view is subject to a prison term of up to two years.

The same sentence will be applicable to anyone attempting to seduce a child under 15 years of age over the internet.

The legislation must still pass the senate before taking effect. BBC

Are you in favor for such measures to be applied in our county?

My question is what if the Muslims insisted to separate from the republic, I mean the  MILF? If this pushes through , shall the 9th ray be removed then?

I know that chinese prefers chubby women because it is a sign of prosperity and abundance.

Ikaw ni Doy?
Pohon sunod tuig pa aron bakasyon pud sa akong anak.

During Autumn, Canada and the USA show the most beautiful spectacle of nature!



Here is vineyard along Rhine river!

Lami raba magmahal ang taga-Loon Inday Bambi!

St. Elzear and Blessed Delphina
(1286-1323) (1283-1358)

This is the only Franciscan couple to be canonized or beatified formally.
Elzear came from a noble family in southern France. After he married Delphina, she informed him that she had made a vow of perpetual virginity; that same night he did the same. For a time Elzear, Count of Ariano, was a counselor to Duke Charles of Calabria in southern Italy. Elzear ruled his own territories in the kingdom of Naples and in southern France with justice.

Elzear and Delphina joined the Secular Franciscans and dedicated themselves to the corporal works of mercy. Twelve poor people dined with them every day. A statue of Elzear shows him curing several people suffering from leprosy.

Their piety extended to the running of their household. Everyone there was expected to attend Mass daily, go to confession weekly and be ready to forgive injuries.

After Elzear’s death, Delphina continued her works of charity for 35 more years. She is especially remembered for raising the moral level of the king of Sicily’s court.

Elzear and Delphina are buried in Apt, France. He was canonized in 1369, and she was beatified in 1694.



Comment:

Like Francis, Elzear and Delphina came to see all creation as pointing to its source. Therefore, they did not try ruthlessly to dominate any part of creation but used all of it as a way of returning thanks to God.
Though childless, their marriage was life-giving for the poor and the sick around them.



Quote:

St. Bonaventure wrote: "Francis sought occasion to love God in everything. He delighted in all the works of God's hands and from the vision of joy on earth his mind soared aloft to the life-giving source and cause of all. In everything beautiful, he saw him who is beauty itself, and he followed his Beloved everywhere by his likeness imprinted on creation; of all creation he made a ladder by which he might mount up and embrace Him who is all-desirable" .

Spirituality Readiness   

Spirituality is about being ready. All the spiritual disciplines of your lifeâ€"prayer, study, meditation or ritual, religious vowsâ€"are there so you can break through to the eternal. Spirituality is about awakening the eyes, the ears, the heart so you can see what’s always happening right in front of you. 

Have a blessed weekend folks!

Walay  naka-hinoong nga silingan? Dili man tingali ni makalit, morag magpakita ug tilimad-an.

Na hala manghi-ngiki!

When I registered (actually renew my membership) Virginia died a week after that. I spent 5 hours to reads all about her, and finally found that she is well-loved here. How fast time flies!

Nigamay akong ugangan Doy, I think she shrinks. She has alert mind that´s why I buy her newspapers everyday. She can eat, and she loves rice and pancit. I always cook for her, so she gets warm meals. Ako jud ning gi-agwantahan kay she is a very loving lola, ( pero dili mi-vibes). Mao ni nga tig-simba ko kada adlaw, kay nangaliyopo ako sa Kahitas-an ang iyang pag-tabok linaw, kon itugot Niya.
Nag hubag iyang mga tiil, kay wala na nag function pag-ayo iyang kidney. Her medications includes tablets for her hypertension, kidney, heart disease, blood thinner and something for her Parkinson.
We will not bring her to a home for the aged, we will try our best that she is comfortable as much as possible.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your advices, Gob Bless.

I think I have shared to you before that I cared for my father in-law now deceased, he was a protestant, he was a very loving person. I don`t know how to express my concern to him na-grabe ang iyang Alzheimer. I wished that he got a peaceful transition. I went to church with this wish in my mind, daily. Kalooy sa Diyos, nakaluwas siya, makit-an sa iyang nawong nga peaceful, he died at home. When he was taken by the personnel of the funeral, I gave them a rosary as something he take away with. Now I´m still wishing the same for my mother in-law, and I go to mass daily. What I did not expect that it is somewhat nourishing, spiritually speaking. There are no words to explain exactly how I feel. Daily masses is wonderful!

When I was a neophyte, bugsay was used (paddling) to hit our butt, lupad gud ko bisan way pako.
Bugsay nindot imong ngalan, lipay ko nga nakahimamat nimo dinhi sa TubagBohol.

Manay

Lorenzo is very productive in this thread. Why I posted this topic;
I was taught to have a guiding saint by a priest in St Mary Academy , Guindulman. He suggested that I keep on praying for the poor souls, they need our prayers and they pray also for  us in return when they reach their ultimate destination (to be with God in heaven).I was 15 years old then. Mora sila ug akong abay, basta I pray for them the standard way "eternal rest grant unto them ..."
When I arrived here in Germany, my life was turbulent, too sad to tell.  I keep prayin to the holy souls in the Purgatory and it´s like asking a friend for some support. I do believe they can intercede for us, every mass offered to them is enormous also daily rosaries. My life is not perfect, I´m not wishing one either, but in times of trouble I pray to Him and asks the holy souls for some helping hand.

Salamat sa inyong mga litrato mga higala, ako nalingaw pag-ayo. Ang inyong mga dagway puro mga inosente!
Raquel´s face is very interesting because she has  positively metamorphosed.

morag wati!

Nurses aren't supposed to laugh...
       
       'Of course I won't laugh, said the nurse. I'm a professional.
       In over twenty years I've never laughed at a patient.'
       
       'Okay then, he said, and proceeded to drop his trousers,
       revealing the tiniest 'man thingy' the nurse had ever seen.
       Length and width, it couldn't have been bigger than
       a AAA battery. Unable to control herself, the nurse started
       giggling, and then fell to the floor laughing.
       
       Ten minutes later she was able to struggle to her feet and
       regain her composure.
       
       'I am so sorry,' she said. 'I don't know what came over me.
       On my honor as a nurse and a lady, I promise it won't
       happen again. Now, tell me, what seems to be the problem?'
       
       ...'It's swollen,' he replied.
       
       She ran out of the room.
       

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3NdNlNOpJY&feature=email

Gwardz response is with a great substance. I met Meloto personally during (his European trips )the heydays of CFC and Gawad Kalinga was still young. With lots of support and money , here starts the trouble. There are lots of Fil-German orgs who are financing GK projects. I got close friends who were pioneers of the CFC, but who have to decide to whose camps they should belong.
In my personal opinion it is a matter of envy and pride.

kwarta, kwarta ug kwarta!  Why is a holy place be profaned?

Thanks for posting Ondoy,  Dr Sanjay Gupta himself! Who would ever imagine this, he is just a vulnerable person like anyone of us. I´m glad to hear it now since autumn is here and colds and flu is just somewhere in the corner. with his descriptions it would be easier for us to differentiate one from the other. God bless you!

Courage to Trust   

Jesus, sometimes I lose hope and cling to the darkness. Give me the courage to trust that you are presentâ€"even where I am broken and stagnantâ€"bringing life out of death, hope out of despair and joy out of grief. 

St. Pacifico of San Severino
(1653-1721)

Pacifico was born into a distinguished family in San Severino in the Marche of Ancona in central Italy. After joining the Friars Minor, he was ordained. He taught philosophy for two years and then began a successful preaching career.
Pacifico was an ascetic man. He fasted perpetually, eating no more than bread, soup or water. His "hair shirt" was made of iron. Poverty and obedience were two virtues for which his confreres especially remembered him.

At the age of 35, Pacifico contracted an illness that eventually left him deaf, blind and crippled. He offered his sufferings for the conversion of sinners, and he cured many of the sick who came to him. Pacifico also served as the superior of the friary in San Severino. He was canonized in 1839.



Comment:

Pacifico lived out the words of St. Francis cited below. His preaching and ministry were linked to his life of penance.
Francis urged his brothers to proclaim the Word of God without fanfare or self-interest. In that way, their words were truly God’s and directed toward the welfare of their listeners. The way Pacifico lived made his preaching all the more effective, for his listeners knew the power present in his words.



Quote:

"Moreover, I advise and admonish the friars that in their preaching, their words should be examined and chaste. They should aim only at the advantage and spiritual good of their listeners, telling them briefly about vice and virtue, punishment and glory, because our Lord himself kept his words short on earth" (St. Francis, Rule of 1223, Ch. 9).

Thanks for informing me about Gawad Kalinga, it is so successful that it caused the Couples for Christ movement to split.

I feel this is an extension of some religious class, I used to attend in my college days!
How to put your catholic faith in these familiar settings?

Transformed by His Love   

Jesus, give me the courage to live as one touched and changed by your redeeming love. Gift me with the passion and energy to run and tell others how your love has transformed me. 

If the heart is full, the mouth speaketh.

Like this?

Salamat sa iyong crticism Gener, ngayon lang nakatanggap uli ako ng email na ganito ang laman. I´m not concerned on this since we have stricter rules here in Germany, I was hoping this could help the local bank customers sa Pinas.

She is wearing tanga, naipit lang pag-ayo!

Calle is a very handosme guy and very intelligent at that! Leonadra Da binsi, has a devastating beauty, I got a picture of her from another tb member, she was wearing mini, she got wonderful legs and her face is a turn on. I think if she crosses a street all cars will stop!
Dili nako mapakita ang mga pictures kay mapatyan ko ni-ani!

Maigi na ang mataba , mukhang donya!