FILLING IN THE NEED – A Higher Calling

         By declaring and claiming the identity of being a Breviarian means acquiring the duty of being soldiers of Christ.  As a Brev, we are responding to a higher calling of filling in the needs of our dear Mother Church.  This higher calling has a special vow attached to it – availability (thanks bro.A!).  It does not mean however that you are always physically present, but that availability to go the extra mile in answering to a certain call in the most creative way possible you can think of or inspired to do.  It may sound difficult, but saying “Yes” to God gives you a special anointing to carry out a task He requires of us.  We could make many excuses of turning our backs to a certain call, but when God chooses you, that means there is no other person who can actually do the way you are capable of doing.  Question is:  Can He count on you?

                “Filling in the Need” may have become a cliché in our community but let us be reminded that this is one of the basic reasons why we existed and are still existing.  God continues to call us because the work He has for us is not done yet.  Rest is in heaven.  God has given us this special grace to recognize a unique path to sainthood – making each moment of our lives a DIVINE APPOINTMENT...a priority above all as we have to PUT HIM FIRST in everything.  [M.O.B.] – Make good Or make room But don’t make excuses!

                When we took the name Brevs, it did not only mean we are to be active Catholics.  It called us to be REAL sons and daughters of the Father.  Have the faith that the Holy Spirit moves in our lives, thus, we are expected more than the ordinary...because we can....because He chose us.

                Maybe we do have our own wills and personal plans, but God gives us more than we can understand.  So when God calls, are we willing to obey and make His plans our own?  Can we say, “READY” like Abraham?  Can we leave our nets IMMEDIATELY like Peter?  Are we willing to follow Him in any road and obeying at any cost?  Or are we like those who were willing to follow but had to take care of some matters before being ready?  Because He was not part of our current schedule?  What is our priority? Let us be reminded that in the end, our relationship with God matters most.  

                We are indeed challenged to prove our love to God.  Is He still number one in our lives?  With all the wonderful things we do in our lives, at the end of the day, can we say we were working according to His holy will?  Or were we just relying on our own understanding and putting all human efforts to do something successful leaving no space for Him to work with us? Let us not forget that He is our partner; not merely a Master.

                The task is most of the time toilsome yet it is full of His loving surprises.  There is no specific perfect time when to respond to God’s call of love as each moment of our lives is GOD’S APPOINTED TIME.  We may feel unworthy, we may feel small, we may think we may be emotionally compromised (like me J)...we may make the biggest mistakes  or even become everyone’s heartaches...but never fail to trust in His mercy for He will see us through because He alone knows what each of us can do.  

                We have our motto:  Nothing but the Best for God!  Oh yes, in everything we have to prepare ourselves like real soldiers and just wait until the Lord has in need of us.  That’s the way DAVID prepared himself.  He was young and was just a shepherd boy, but he was anointed and had great faith in God.  When the battle was set before him, he recognized the call and responded bravely and immediately because he knew that God was on his side and while he took pleasure on His blessings, he wanted to prove God that He could also count on him.  The victory was not that he defeated Goliath.  It was more of being there when THE appointed time came for him for God’s glory to manifest. 

                So you see, we don’t wait until the storm has passed or if we are ready, healed or perfect before we start serving or loving God.  We don’t wait for the others to change or to go first before we respond.  Again, it is between you and God.  Our READY YES is more than enough for His grace to overflow and use us in His own unique way.  And for those who think that we have given our best and have responded to a call in the past, be reminded that while we carry the name BREVIARIANS, the call of making a difference in this world to make manifest the glory of God never ends as long as we are able to breathe.  

                You are called...you are anointed...you are chosen.  Once a Brev always a Brev.

              

                HAPPY EASTER!  Brev It On!

                               

                               

               

TWO CROSSES

                I got this privilege of attending my first Lenten recollection this year with Bro. Arun Gogna, a Kerygma preacher, as speaker at Casiciaco Recolletos Seminary last March 18, 2011 with the theme:  Recollection, Healing, Forgiveness.  Bro. Arun Gogna spoke about the two kinds of crosses – Cross of Rejection (Hestas’ Cross) and the Cross of Reconciliation (Dimas’ Cross).  Here are some important points and personal reflections I got from it.

Cross of Rejection – Hestas’ Cross

We reject Christ when...

1.        We choose self-righteousness.  When we claim that we are all-knowing, we stop learning, thus failing to gain wisdom.  Pride resides in our hearts.  When we are very much self-righteous, we are in danger of giving judgement to others forgetting that we, too, committed mistakes in our lives.  And though we may think we have sinned less than the others, we should not be blinded by our own prejudice as we do not know the heart of the other.  Always remember that Jesus came for the sinners.  He loves sinner as much as the righteous.  It is so sad that many times, we look others with rejection as we are too focused on our own “perfection.”  Hestas was self-righteous.  While he was hanging on the cross, his pride made him insult the Savior when he doubted Jesus’ identity as the Messiah.  He challenged Jesus to save Himself.  He was not able to recognize his Savior.

2.       We choose to hate rather than wait.  Bad things may happen but the greatest miracle God is actually doing everyday is drawing good from evil.  A lot of times, our miseries make us hate life, ourselves, other people and even God. Hate takes over us and we eventually fail to see the good that is unfolding from unpleasant situations.  We forget that there is a God Who is simply there working amazingly for our own good.  When we are angry, God understands.  He patiently waits for us.  He wants to listen.  When we go near Him even with all these negative feelings that we have, He is pleased because we are honest.  He will make us understand and turn the negative to something positive...if only we go near Him. 

3.       We choose to procrastinate. Maybe it is culture.  Maybe it is just a bad habit.  But we are so full of it.  We love postponing things.  Is it laziness?  The enthusiasm we have easily wears out in us and then we delay the things we ought to do.  We need to keep in mind that time is really valuable.  It is not because we are young that we have all the time in the world.  We do not know when we will be called “home’ so whatever we need to do at the moment, we should do.  We do not want regrets in our lifetime.

4.       We always complain.  Let us not be a problem expert.  Problem experts are people who always see problems and focus too much on that.  They are negative thinkers and result to self-pity and depression.  The problem is too big that sometimes even solutions become problems.  Be a blessing expert instead.  It may be our habit to always see things on the darker side but we have to break such inclination.  We must always remind ourselves that our blessings outnumber our problems.  There are a lot of things to thank God for.  And when we focus on our blessings, more blessings are poured out for us.  There will be better days when we welcome blessings. 

Cross of Reconciliation – Dimas’ Cross

1.     When we respect God as God.  We have to understand the role of God in our lives.  Recognize that we are His children.  When we do, we should believe that sin does not suit us. 

2.       When we admit our guilt.  We have to take responsibility of our sins.  We know that there are consequences to our actions and we have to accept and face them with all humility.

3.       When we confess Christ.  Make it a habit to praise Christ.    

FROM FAST! TO PRESENT!

           

            It's Lenten Season!  Let me share to you an article written by our 2011 Camp Director, Brev Buttercup on Fasting and Abstinence...

Whenever we hear the word "fasting" a certain norm cooks up inside our mind... Yup fasting is equivalent to... (drum roll please...) Food! It always reminds us of food. Hmmm... The taste, aroma, the satisfaction and for health buffs the nutrients we get, for thrifty people: that is, if the price is right... Refer to the articles of my good friend brevaya, and you'll be grabbing a snack before finishing to read this article; but wait, aren't you curious on what fasting really is? Do we really need to do it? What do we get if we fast? When do we fast?

            I asked around on what people think about fasting and here is what they got to say:

"Not going to eat" - Dhes, 22

"Is an expression of sacrifices, because of the sins we commit"- Joel, 25

“Eating one square meal a day”- Geo, 56

“Skip a meal, no meat” – Jara, 21

“Not doing the things I like”- Ann, 56

“Sacrifice” – Junel, 21

“to do the things you need to do” – Sami, 21

            Interesting don't you think? Each one of us have different interpretations, some may have different rituals regarding fasting. I personally have been intrigued about fasting. So, I decided to do some research, to know the answers to the questions most of us are passive to ask about.

Number one passive question, what is fasting?

Mr. Webster defined fasting as:

- To abstain from food, either entirely or partly;

- An act of abstinence form food;

- A period of time during which adherents of a faith are required to abstain from food.

     

Basing from these definitions, clearly fasting is really connected to food. Why? Simply because food is one of our basic needs, I believe the most important. Without it, we die… as simple as that! And most of us really find pleasure in Eating (Agree?). That is why; even the Lord Jesus Christ chose to become bread thru the Holy Eucharist. So that we can be one with him in Communion, nourishing us not only physically but also Spiritually. In addition, one of the seven capital sins is Gluttony which is also associated greatly with food (but that’s a different story). As for me, fasting is depriving ourselves with the things that pleasure us so much. A form of detachment to the obsessions, mania, or craze we have. A sacrifice we can offer to God.

Number two passive question, do we really have to? 

The answer… NO! We don’t have to, (yeeeeahhh! Yahooooo! Wait, breathe… there’s more…) we don’t have to, if we are SINLESS. Try assessing yourself first; have you committed no sin at all? No offense to God, our creator or to any of our brothers and sisters? In thought or deed? (Pause here. Assess... then continue reading…) now that you have assessed yourself, well I guess the answer is…. YES! We have to! (why the sad face? Smile…)

Let see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church have to say about Fasting… under the “Forms of Penance in Christian Life” – the interior Penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer and almsgiving.³¹which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Meaning, fasting is one way of expressing our conversion. It is a proof of Love for God, and hate For Sin, Sin that separates us from the image and likeness of God. Although we have committed sin, when we fast we tell God of our deep regret, asking him to have mercy and take us back again. Fasting combined with prayer and the sacrament of Reconciliation will lead to the forgiveness of our sins and to be with communion with God, again.

Moreover, according to the “Precepts of the Church” (Obligatory positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities meant to guarantee the faithful the necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth of love of God and neighbor) namely the Fourth Precept (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepares us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.⁸⁵

Then fasting also teaches us to master over our desires and “freedom of heart” or the things that pleasures us the most. This does not only entail food but, other worldly pleasures, such as TV-for TV addicts, Texting for the “kiti-kitexters”, video games for 24-hour gamers to name a few. Mastering over this desires leads to self –control, which directs us to a wholly and holy life. Yup! Even Jesus Christ fasted. (Mt 4:2)

Number Three passive question, when do we Fast? 

            The Seasons and days of penance in the course of the Liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice.³⁸ these times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works). – Catechism of the Catholic Church.

            I hope sharing to you my research cleared at least 3 passive questions.

            Finally, let me end with my own story of about fasting. Every morning before I go to work my mother prepares my baon for me. (hehehe, spoiled noh! she’s my mother, nutritionist and dietician rolled into one.  Thanks ma!) When I wake up the baon is prepared, I just have to pick it up. One day, after a long morning at work, at last lunchtime came! I was really starving that time that I almost forgot to pray, so after praying, I slowly opened my lunchbox to feast on whatever it is my mom prepared for me. I was shocked at the amount of food on my lunch box… a few pieces of small cut meat and three fourths cup of rice (I think) are inside my 7 inch by 6.5 inch by 1.5 inch plastic container. In my mind… waaaahhh bitin tohhhh! I thought for a while, then suddenly remembered that I have talked to her about fasting the night before. So, that explains lunch. Even though I was hungry even if its not Friday, but at least I got to fast… I had an opportunity to repent and have penance for my sins. I had the chance to offer my fasting as a present to the Lord. From fast to present!

P. S.

That night I told my mother what happened, the next morning she prepared lunch for me again.

This time my baon was good for two people…  

           

It was definitely harder to munch through.

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MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY

MEEKNESS AND HUMILITY

            “Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart.”  -- Matt.  11:29

HUMILITY

             Humility is called by the saints the foundation and safeguard of all the virtues.  According to St. Thomas, this virtue occupies the first place as the foundation of the rest. 

             This great virtue, however, needs a lot of constant practice.    Most often than not, when we tend to do something good we tend to think highly of ourselves. Moreover, the ways of the world are very much opposed to what humility is asking that is why our tendency is to result to pride.  Nonetheless, God’s grace and efforts to imitate Christ make it easier for us to achieve this virtue.

            Humility is truth.  It is the acceptance of who we are and acknowledging the gifts God has bestowed on us without boasting.  Not knowing who we really are will tend to defy the truth.  Unfortunately, sometimes culture has a way of influencing our confidence to accept the truth about ourselves.  We tend to deny simple good things other people recognized in us even if we know that they are right.  Or, there are times that we tend to accuse ourselves of unworthy and deserving of punishment; yet deny when they reprove.  Let us remember what St. Bernard said, “To humble oneself for the sake of being praised is not humility at all.”

            Humility of the will on the other hand means to bear insults patiently.  Humiliation leads to humility.  As Christians, we will be encountering a lot of side comments with regards to our activities, devotions, and services to Christ.  And when those times come, we have to suffer them patiently if we want to achieve sanctity.

Meekness

            Meekness is not being “uto-uto” or gullible.  It is bearing with all manner the offenses and embarrassment without getting angry.  Many of our saints loved this virtue as they seem to advance more in holiness when people spoke ill of them.  Hence, we can say that meekness is not possible without deep humility, a humble opinion of ourselves, and the desire to be treated with contempt.

            St. Francis de Sales, a master and model of holy meekness, says:  “humble meekness is the virtue of virtues.”

            If we want others to obey us, St. Vincent de Paul says that we have no better means of winning the affection and obedience of their subjects than by meekness.  In correcting others, this virtue is also very important.  It helps us avoid to have an angry tone in correcting others as this does more harm than good.  But if it is inevitable to speak in a stern manner to impress the culprit with the gravity of his fault, at least a kind word must be said in the end so as not to leave the person hurt.  Meekness accomplishes far more than anger and bitterness.

            We also must exercise meekness towards self.  To be angry towards self because of a fault committed is still a sign of pride.  Again, we have to admit that we are weak persons easily tempted.  Just as we have to forgive others, so must we also forgive ourselves.

Reference:  12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation by St. Alphonsus Liguori; talk of Fr.Angelo

A Valentine To Remember - brev cHacHi

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

                It was the eve of Valentine’s day of 2000.  I remember rushing to prepare for an overnight vigil at the Carmelite Monastery, Dontogan, Baguio City to venerate the Relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.  That was a night to remember...

                Many devotees flocked in the convent while the Brevs and I were outside enjoying the serenity of the place under the stars.  As we waited for our chance to get inside the chapel, we busied ourselves writing notes (a brev culture) to be given to our founder-formator, Bro. Alex Manongdo.  All the while, he thought we were writing down our petitions.  He didn’t have an inkling that he was into a loving surprise.

St. Therese and Bro. A!

                Midnight came, it was Valentine’s Day!  We gave our messages in a bottle to Bro. A! and he read them one by one overwhelmed with the love he received from his flock.  We watched him with joy and excitement as we heard every message.  Each letter inspired not only him but us as well.  We continued the night sharing stories about St. Therese and how much she loved Jesus in her simplest ways.  As we reflected on that great love between the Master and His Little Flower, we were filled with so much zeal to love the way she did.  Her examples made us want to have the love of Jesus fill our hearts that we might love like Him.  Thus, she became the Brevs’ patroness.  

                When we had the chance to enter the chapel, we could not describe the joy that filled us.  The grace to be an arm distance to St. Therese of the Child Jesus was simply incredible while others didn’t get that chance we had.  We sang until morning came.  We served during the morning mass as well.  We tried our best not to doze off.  

                After the mass, we were able to meet the Carmelites and they gave us white roses.  Personally, words are not enough to describe the joy I felt that time.  It was as if we were being embraced by the heavens.  The Brevs as usual helped fix the area before we parted ways.  It was a start of a new day...

                Though it was hard for us to separate, we had to go back home and fix ourselves to prepare for school.  Yeap!  I was still a student at that time.  Though sleepy the whole day, we were just too hyper to share our experiences during the vigil to every person we met.  We found ourselves so in love.  We decided to take the vocation St. Therese had – The Vocation to Love.  Up to this moment, I could say that was the BEST BREV VALENTINE I ever had.

                To my fellow Brevs, may you remember that night when Jesus filled our hearts with so much joy and affirmed us with His unconditional love.  We may be looking for a magic to happen or an elation to feel the day of hearts, but may we never forget that Valentine’s day is the day of God for He is Love.  So rejoice!  Embrace the day with an offering to love Him with all our hearts so He may teach us True Love...and believe that in return, true happiness will come into our lives.  May our dear St. Therese inspire us more to be firm in our Vocation – Love!

                Keep loving!