SEEKING GOD

(from Rule for a new Brother)

You want to seek God with all your life,
and love Him with all your heart.
But you would be wrong
if you thought you could reach Him.
your arms are too short, your eyes are too dim,
your hearts and understanding too small.

To seek God means first of all
to let yourself be found by Him.
He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
He is the God of Jesus Christ.
He is your God, not because He is yours
but because you are His.

To choose God is to realize that you are known and loved
in a way surpassing one can imagine,
loved before anyone had thought of you
or spoken your name.

To choose God means giving yourself up to Him in faith.
Let your life be built on this faith as on an invisible foundation.
Let yourself be carried by this faith like a child in its mother's womb.

And so, don't talk too much about God
but live in the certainty that He has written your name
on the palm of His hand.
Live your human task in the liberating certainty
that nothing in the world can separate you from God's love for you.

In Jesus of Nazareth God shows in a special way
how urgently He seeks for you,
and how entirely He has committed Himself to your happiness.

In Jesus of Nazareth one person shows
how completely we can belong to God
how much freedom and humility,
how much courage and self-forgetfulness one can possess
when one has been found by God and has surrendered to Him.
In Jesus there is also a future for you
as you go By His road through sin and death
towards fellowship and love, unfailing glory and life.

In faith you will recognize Him in the works of His hands,
and above all in us, made in His image and likeness,
and most clearly of all in the love which is Jesus.

But even if you receive no sign, no words from Him,
you will still recognize Him.
His very absence is full of the mystery of his greatness.
It can help you not seek and serve some image of Him
you yourself have created.

So never let yourself lose heart but go on seeking Him
In everything, in everybody –
They are all pledges that you will finally meet Him
Work Hard to know Him face to face.

For as sure as the dawn in His coming,
Certain as the latter rains.
If you abide in love, You will abide in God
And not wander anymore in darkness.

Then live in joyfulness and hope,
Un-anxious, without any trace of fear,
At peace with yourself and the world,
In ceaseless reverence and thanks.
Because God’s love for you endures forever.

THE PARABLE OF THE PIG AND THE COW

The pig was unpopular while the cow was beloved...
This puzzled the pig..The pig said to the cow:
“People speak warmly of your gentle and sorrowful eyes...
They think you’re generous because each day you give them milk and cream;
but what about me?... I give them everything I have...
I give bacon, ham, etc...I give my all”..
The cow replied: “My friend, it’s not really what you give when you’re dead;
It’s about what you give while you’re still alive”

ST. LORENZO RUIZ
the first Filipino saint and the first Filipino martyr.

Lorenzo Ruiz was beatified in Manila on February 18, 1981,
by Pope John Paul II during his papal visit to Manila,
the first beatification ceremony held outside the Vatican.
San Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized by Pope John Paul II
in the Vatican City, Rome, on October 18, 1987.

St. Rorenzo Ruiz please pray for us...

THE STORY OF THE AGED MOTHER

A Japanese Folktale
Long, long ago there lived at the foot of the mountain a poor farmer and his aged, widowed mother. They owned a bit of land which supplied them with food, and their humble were peaceful and happy.

Shinano was governed by a despotic leader who though a warrior, had a great and cowardly shrinking from anything suggestive of failing health and strength. This caused him to send out a cruel proclamation. The entire province was given strict orders to immediately put to death all aged people. Those were barbarous days, and the custom of abandoning old people to die was not common. The poor farmer loved his aged mother with tender reverence, and the order filled his heart with sorrow. But no one ever thought a second time about obeying the mandate of the governor, so with many deep hopeless sighs, the youth prepared for what at that time was considered the kindest mode of death.

Just at sundown, when his day’s work was ended, he took a quantity of unwhitened rice which is principal food for poor, cooked and dried it, and tying it in a square cloth, swung and bundle around his neck along with a gourd filled with cool, sweet water. Then he lifted his helpless old mother to his back and stated on his painful journey up the mountain. The road was long and steep; the narrowed road was crossed and recrossed by many paths made by the hunters and woodcutters. In some place, they mingled in a confused puzzled, but he gave no heed. One path or another, it mattered not. On he went, climbing blindly upward – ever upward towards the high bare summit of what is know as Obatsuyama, the mountain of the “abandoning of aged”.

The eyes of the old mother were not so dim but that they noted the reckless hastening from one path to another, and her loving heart grew anxious. Her son did not know the mountainÂ’s many paths and his return might be one of danger, so she stretched forth her hand and snapping the twigs from brushes as they passed, she quietly dropped a handful every few steps of the way so that they climbed, the narrow path behind them was dotted at frequently intervals with tiny piles of twigs. At last the summit was reached. Weary and heart sick, the youth gently released his burden and silently prepared a place of comfort as his last duty to the loved one. Gathering fallen pine needle, he made a soft cushion and tenderly lifting his old mother therein, he wrapped her padded coat more closely about the stooping shoulders and with tearful eyes and an aching heart said farewell.

The trembling mother’s voice was full of unselfish love as she gave her last injunction. “Let not thine eyes be blinded, my son.” She said. “The mountain road is full of dangers. LOOK carefully and follow the path which holds the piles of twigs. They will guide you to the familiar way farther down”. The son’s surprised eyes looked back over the path, then at the poor old, shriveled hands all scratched and soiled by their work of love. His heart smote him and bowing to the grounds, he cried aloud: “oh, Honorable mother, thy kindness thrusts my heart! I will not leave thee. Together we will follow the path of twigs, and together we will die!”

Once more he shouldered his burden (how light it seemed no) and hastened down the path, through the shadows and the moonlight, to the little hut in the valley. Beneath the kitchen floor was a walled closet for food, which was covered and hidden from view. There the son his mother, supplying her with everything needful and continually watching and fearing. Time passed, and he was beginning to feel safe when again the governor sent forth heralds bearing an unreasonable order, seemingly as a boast of his power. His demand was that his subject should present him with a rope of ashes. The entire province trembled with dread. The order must be obeyed yet who in all Shinano could make a rope of ashes?

One night, in great distress, the son whispered the news to his hidden mother. “Wait!” she said. “I will think. I will think” On the second day she told him what to do. “Make rope twisted straw,” she said. “Then stretch it upon a row of flat stones and burn it there on the windless night.” He called the people together and did as she said and when the blaze and died, behold upon the stones with every twist and fiber showing perfectly. Lay a rope of whithead ashes.

The governor was pleaced at the wit of the youth and praised greatly, but he demanded to know where he had obtained his wisdom. “Alas! Alas!” cried the farmer, “the truth must be told!” and with deep bows he related his story. The governor listened and then meditated in silence. Finally he lifted his head. “Shinano needs more than strength of youth,” he said gravely. “Ah, that I should have forgotten the well-know saying, “with the crown of snow, there cometh a wisdom!” That very hour the cruel law was abolished, and custom drifted into a far as past that only legends remains.

---♥♥♥ MY BELOVED TOWN "TARANGNAN SAMAR" ♥♥♥---
WELCOME TO TARANGNAN WESTERN SAMAR!!!


"OUR GRUTO"
BASKETBALL COURT

"BRGY. IMELDA" were I came from...





"THE GYM"
"SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI PARISH"


THE SCHOOL

An Inspirational Message for a Friend

I know there are times in life that you feel
as though you can't do anything right.
You never seem to be able to please anyone
and everyone around you seems to always be going against you.
You may feel stupid, unworthy, and even unloved.
These feelings may lead you to hate yourself or those around you.
Hate leads to nothing but pain.
Pain only causes more pain and nothing good comes of it.
Remember you have a choice in life.
You do not have to choose pain.
There are better things in life to choose from.
First, let me thank you for being here.
I appreciate everything you do
even when it you have made a mistake.
I know you’re learning, and learning is always good.
You do not have to try and please me.
I will always be there for you,
in good times and in bad.
Remember, do not try to please everyone,
this is a losing battle.
You have a big heart and this is why things bother you.
Your heart is what makes you so special;
never lose your heart to another.
Keep a bit of it for yourself.
Know that I will always love you even when you hate me.
I know you are passionate, and that is something I respect.
Just don't hate me for too long.
You are not stupid. If you make a mistake it is ok.
I know you will learn from it.
Stupidity only comes when you refuse to learn.
I have faith in you. I know you will learn.
You are worthy of everything life has to offer.
Take advantage of this,
because life is there for the taking.
Most important of all, remember I love you.
Why you ask? Because my dear you and I are one,
just look in the mirror.

by Rita Collins

I WILL BE THERE.......



If one day you feel like crying...
Call me.
I don't promise that I will make you laugh,
But I can cry with you



If one day you want to run away--
Don't be afraid to call me.
I don't promise to ask you to stop...
But I can run with you



If one day you don't want to listen
to anyone...
Call me.
I promise to be there for you.
And I promise to be very quiet.



But if one day you call...
And there is no answer...
Come fast to see me.
Perhaps I need you.

Time, and time again
To realize the value of ONE YEAR,ask a student who failed his exams...
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby...
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper...
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer...
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet...
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train...
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident...
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics...
Treasure every moment that you have!!

YESTERDAY is history.
TOMORROW is a mystery.
TODAY is a gift. That's why it's called the PRESENT!!

When you try to value yourself
for being the best in something,
you are bound to fail.
Even Olympic champions are the best
only for a few years.
You are precious to God not because
there is no one better than you,
but because you are a unique creation of mind,
body and spirit,
- there is no one like you,
- and that is exactly
what makes you so indescribably precious.

“There is nothing wrong with change,
if it is in the right direction”

Winston Churchill





“For everything you have missed,
you have gained something else,
and for everything you gain,
you lose something else.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

GOD WANTS US TO KNOW...
HAVE A BLESSED DAY TO ALL....
summer vacation is coming.... hope you all enjoy!!!

Sometimes it may seem like you can't figure it out by yourself.
Sometimes will and strength and courage are not enough.
Sometimes in your life you will need to call out for help.
Call on God. God will be there.

Give some of that weight where it belongs,
- to God, and have faith that what happens is for the best,
whether you understand it or not.

God doesn't create faulty life. No.
Everything created by God is perfect, and so are you.
So stop driving yourself mad with endless ways to improve,
and just accept the glory of your being as is.

Love has great potential to enrich your life.
But if you are just playing a role, pretending to love,
it's only going to poison you.
Because you are teaching yourself that it's just a game,
and slowly but surely you will lose the capacity to open in love.

Let your love radiate out to all you meet.
Let your love touch the hearts of people you don't even know.
Let your love reach to the far corners of the earth.
Love is what is saving the world.

You can mouth the words of a prayer all day long
and just waste your time,
unless you also speak with your heart.
And to speak with your heart means to embody first.
If you pray for love, be loving.
...If you pray for wealth, be generous.
If you pray for health, practice health yourself.
What is your favorite prayer? How can you begin to embody it?

Don't seek, don't search, don't ask, don't knock, don't demand
- relax. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, God shows you the way.

If all was going your way all the time,
you would become a spoiled child, wouldn't everyone?
Difficult people are just one of the ways
God teaches us to expand beyond our egos
and accept other perspectives on life.

In life you can absolutely count on one thing,
- everything can turn around in one day,
in one minute sometimes.
Don't you dare to give up,
- you might be a moment away from a windfall.

To free yourself from a problem
you have to acknowledge it and face it
with your eyes and heart open.

Just like a seed has an image of the tree in it,
so does your heart have an image of who you are becoming.
Look for stories in movies and books that resonate in your heart,
and you will find glimpses of your possible futures.
What is your favorite story?

Touch the Earth with your feet,
lift your face to the sun, breathe the air,
listen to the birds and the wind through the trees.
Glory in the creation that surrounds you.

It's not about how much you have,
how much you know,
or how much you do.
It's about how well you love.
Love is what matters most.

Feel God's light shining within you
and take a step to inspire someone else to shine.
As you share this vision today with just one soul,
that reaches ten lives that touch a thousand.

As your body needs nourishment - food, drink, sleep,
so does your soul need nourishment - sing, dance, love.
Life is not all work, work is not all hard toil.
Nourish your soul with the food that is right for it,
for it is the altar of your own inner temple.

Think back over the last day,
- what could you have taken with delight
that you just skipped over?

With each new day we are given new hope,
new possibilities, new opportunities.
Each new day is a miracle.

What you really want is happiness.
You might believe that a fat bank account
will get you there, but that's false.
Happy people are happy rich or poor,
unhappy people are unhappy rich or poor.
...Money simply masks your real being
by giving you activities to occupy your mind.
Don't fool yourself, recession or not,
your true wealth comes from your heart
and is always only there.

Do not spend energy arguing whose truth is righter,
- just like all life springs forth from one source,
so are all truths but a reflection of God.
Accept another truth as another way of loving God.

Anything else.
You'll only get the same results
if you do what you have always done.

Prayer is when you talk to God.
Meditation is when you become quiet and listen to God.
You've learned how to talk and ask well.
Time to learn how to listen and hear,
because God has been answering you.

You've been worrying too much about the future lately.
So tonight, go ahead, put your faith in God,
and just have a peaceful evening and a restful sleep.

You've carried the guilt, the shame for long enough.
You've kept your wounds open for long enough.
The time has come to let go, to heal.
Keep the lessons and let the pain heal.
Yes, you know what we are talking about.

"Live each day with LOVE"

Life is a constant process of growth and change.
Each day is a miracle filled
with new discoveries and challenges.
Some days bring hurt and disappointment also,
but these, too, are challenges,
and as you grow and change
you learn to handle them with more ease.

Growing older means growing in experiences,
growing in courage and compassion,
growing in love, and growing in strength.
Growing older means changing your life to make it meaningful to you,
changing your attitudes, and staying flexible about everyday living.

Life keeps getting better as long as you have a positive attitude.
Remind yourself of all the things you love about life,
stay in touch with your loved ones and friends,
and do what your heart tells you to.
Your tomorrow will always bring you good things
if you live each day with love.

-Donna Levine-

HAPPY VALENTINES TO YOU ALL!!!

THREE THINGS!!!

This is beautiful!

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room.

She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?'

The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'

Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more?
Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'

The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son?
One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes,
before he's transported to the university.'

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son.
She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair..
'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked.
Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair,
put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else.
'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die.
Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.
'She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else.
Always wanting to help others if he could.'

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time,
after spending most of the last six months there.
She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house.
She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room..
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them.
She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:


Dear Mom,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You'. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything.. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures.. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'where was He when I needed him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you.. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone.. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me.. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?


Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.

- If you Love Someone -

- LIFE -

My formula for living is quite simple.
I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night.
In between, I occupy myself as best I can.

- Cary Grant -

DON'T QUIT!!!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown