What a week! It started beautifully with a Sunday Mass in the morning of 10-10-10 when Vangie and I served as Eucharistic ministers and wished our nephew Patrick who is in the Navy a happy birthday, on Facebook. Followed by the mysterious disappearance of our lockbox that had been secured for three months on the railing of the property that we were having an Open House on that afternoon. As I stood waiting patiently in the parking lot for the property manager and superintendent of the complex to return my call and tell me if they had found my lockbox, I couldn't keep my eyes off the cemetery behind the fence of the parking lot as I watched the two young men inside walking around and checking the markers on each and every tomb, instead of boiling mad at whoever committed the mischief of stealing our lockbox. Unmindful of our predicament, I said to myself--At least, our children will have no difficulty finding our tomb when we're gone because every year they came and paid respect to Amay and Inay's--their maternal grandparent's grave which is next to our reserved burial plot. I stayed there for an hour and informed those who came for the Open House what happened and assured them of rescheduling another one for the following Sunday. Afterwards, I went back inside the car, and together with Vangie offered Divine Mercy prayers for the souls of all those buried in the cemetery in front of us and the person who stole our lockbox and ruined our Open House.
Midweek of 10/13 was auspiciously quiet while I tried to get more sleep when Vangie left at 7:30AM with the sisters in our prayer community for the Blue Army Shrine, in order to celebrate the 93rd apparition of our Lady in Fatima.The night before, I gave up my seat in the van to another sister, which was kind of unusual even for me, considering my devotion to Mama Mary. Little did I know that the Blessed Mother had another plan for me that day, that is, to bring my shock and grief-stricken relatives (who were more than cousins to me) closer to her Son Jesus by assisting, comforting and praying with them the Holy Rosary for the repose of the soul of their youngest brother who committed suicide. The bells of a beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, collegue, neighbor and a loving father to his two daughters definitely tolled on me, not just physically and psychologically but also spiritually. Still, I was able to lead the family in praying the chaplet of Divine Mercy and healing chaplet of Sto. Nino during the 2-day wake and eulogy service and lift up the whole family during the Healing Through Mary prayer service in St. John's Church with Fr. Hugh Gillespie and our prayer group on Friday night. God is so good because by the time I sang a Filipino spiritual during the funeral Mass that Saturday morning, my anger and anxiety left me, and it dawned on me that it is the Lord (through the intercession of His Mother, Mary) Who plants forgiveness in my heart, but that I have to cultivate it in order for it to grow and bear fruit in me for others.
That evening, even though I was exhausted, Vangie and I decided to still attend and serve at St. John's Filipino Apostolate Fundraising concert & dinner-dance in Conlon Hall. As soon as we arrived, someone hinted at me that somebody put us at the worst table (the last row against the left wall backing the entrance to the men's room) in the sit-down humongous gym venue for 600 people. But surprisingly, it didn't dampen my spirit even a little bit, when we joined our brothers and sisters at the table. After being reminded of my own mortality twice in a row, I was more attuned to where the Lord is going to put me when it's my time to go than any place else. So, I went about doing my ushering job full of the joy, peace and love of the Holy Spirit in my heart, and welcomed everyone who came my way with a big and sincere smile, handshake, hug or kiss as I walked them to their seats. And you know what? I just let the Spirit lead me all the way that night because I knew that with Jesus and Mary at my side I could never go wrong. In fact, I was amazed at how I was able to approach and greet someone who'd been trying to ignore and avoid talking to me for a long time. And, what an incredible thing to say--Hi! How are you? without duplicity and malice, to the person next to you at the coffee counter who did a terrible thing against you and your wife! Why? Indeed, because left to my own liking, it would have been impossible for me to even fake a smile at those persons who lied about us and tried to ruin our reputation and destroy our real estate business. However, I praise and thank the Lord because with His Spirit in my heart, today, there is no one I cannot not forgive! And, I always felt, knew and believed that Mary, being the daughter of the Father, Mother of Jesus, spouse of the Holy Spirit and our Mother of Compassion, Humility and Forgiveness facilitates that in all of us. And so, I want to thank Mama Mary also, for an astonishingly blessed and miraculous week, and a fantastic, marvelous and awesome party Vangie and I had with the brothers, sisters, friends and the not so friendly that night.
Midweek of 10/13 was auspiciously quiet while I tried to get more sleep when Vangie left at 7:30AM with the sisters in our prayer community for the Blue Army Shrine, in order to celebrate the 93rd apparition of our Lady in Fatima.The night before, I gave up my seat in the van to another sister, which was kind of unusual even for me, considering my devotion to Mama Mary. Little did I know that the Blessed Mother had another plan for me that day, that is, to bring my shock and grief-stricken relatives (who were more than cousins to me) closer to her Son Jesus by assisting, comforting and praying with them the Holy Rosary for the repose of the soul of their youngest brother who committed suicide. The bells of a beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, collegue, neighbor and a loving father to his two daughters definitely tolled on me, not just physically and psychologically but also spiritually. Still, I was able to lead the family in praying the chaplet of Divine Mercy and healing chaplet of Sto. Nino during the 2-day wake and eulogy service and lift up the whole family during the Healing Through Mary prayer service in St. John's Church with Fr. Hugh Gillespie and our prayer group on Friday night. God is so good because by the time I sang a Filipino spiritual during the funeral Mass that Saturday morning, my anger and anxiety left me, and it dawned on me that it is the Lord (through the intercession of His Mother, Mary) Who plants forgiveness in my heart, but that I have to cultivate it in order for it to grow and bear fruit in me for others.
That evening, even though I was exhausted, Vangie and I decided to still attend and serve at St. John's Filipino Apostolate Fundraising concert & dinner-dance in Conlon Hall. As soon as we arrived, someone hinted at me that somebody put us at the worst table (the last row against the left wall backing the entrance to the men's room) in the sit-down humongous gym venue for 600 people. But surprisingly, it didn't dampen my spirit even a little bit, when we joined our brothers and sisters at the table. After being reminded of my own mortality twice in a row, I was more attuned to where the Lord is going to put me when it's my time to go than any place else. So, I went about doing my ushering job full of the joy, peace and love of the Holy Spirit in my heart, and welcomed everyone who came my way with a big and sincere smile, handshake, hug or kiss as I walked them to their seats. And you know what? I just let the Spirit lead me all the way that night because I knew that with Jesus and Mary at my side I could never go wrong. In fact, I was amazed at how I was able to approach and greet someone who'd been trying to ignore and avoid talking to me for a long time. And, what an incredible thing to say--Hi! How are you? without duplicity and malice, to the person next to you at the coffee counter who did a terrible thing against you and your wife! Why? Indeed, because left to my own liking, it would have been impossible for me to even fake a smile at those persons who lied about us and tried to ruin our reputation and destroy our real estate business. However, I praise and thank the Lord because with His Spirit in my heart, today, there is no one I cannot not forgive! And, I always felt, knew and believed that Mary, being the daughter of the Father, Mother of Jesus, spouse of the Holy Spirit and our Mother of Compassion, Humility and Forgiveness facilitates that in all of us. And so, I want to thank Mama Mary also, for an astonishingly blessed and miraculous week, and a fantastic, marvelous and awesome party Vangie and I had with the brothers, sisters, friends and the not so friendly that night.
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