The conscience is generally understood as the non-physical part of a person that determines right and wrong. The conscience is sometimes referred to as a "moral compass." The word conscience is used 28 times in the English Standard Version of the Bible. The Greek New Testament term translated "conscience" is suneidesis, meaning "moral consciousness or awareness." The conscience produces feelings of guilt when wrong is done and joy when good is done.
To live with a guilty conscience is to live in fear. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1). As the protagonist in Poe's "The Tell-tale Heart" found, a guilty conscience produces turmoil, anxiety, and restlessness of heart. Do what's right, the proverb says, and possess a lion's courage.
The apostle Paul lived with a good conscience: "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day" (Acts 23:1). By Paul's own admission, keeping a clear conscience took careful attention and effort (Acts 24:16; see also Romans 9:1).
In Romans 2:14-15, Paul says that the conscience provides moral awareness of right and wrong even among unbelievers. "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them."
When Paul commands believers to obey governing authorities, he appeals to the conscience: "one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience" (Romans 13:5).
The conscience is mentioned eleven times in his letters to Corinth, usually concerning the issue of eating meat devoted to idols. In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul says, "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Unfeigned love, which is the fulfillment of the Law, will be accompanied by a good conscience.
We have an important warning in 1 Timothy 4:2 that the conscience can be "seared." Hypocrisy, lies, and sinful living can numb the conscience. A person who damages his conscience loses the ability to discern right and wrong and habitually makes wrong choices.
The Christian is to have "a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame" (1 Peter 3:16). A healthy conscience, attuned to God's ways, is a blessing, and as we live our lives before God we can walk in the confidence that a good conscience affords.
source:http://www.compellingtruth.org/what-is-the-conscience.html
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
“ The Decision”
By: Karl Bautista
Jose was a very shy little boy in a small town of Palo Leyte. In school, he never joined any activity
because he was afraid. Jose is a bright student and excel in almost all of his subjects. One day his
teacher announce that there will be a debate contest in Tacloban City participated in by almost all
the schools in the province and that the price would help build the school computer room. To his
surprise the teacher ask Jose to represent his school in this contest. Jose was surprise! He then
asked his teacher “Of all the students in this school, why pick me?I lack confidence and i am shy
and afraid of even going to the stage. I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the crowd”.”You
should always learn how to face your fears. We, your teacher and your classmates will be helping
you all throughout the competition” the teacher said. We will be here for you in every step of the
competition. Then the teacher whispered to Jose saying that he favours him among all his student
and that the teacher knows that Jose can and will give honour to the school. Immediately, Jose
gained confidence and said to his teacher that if this is a fight for honor to the school then he is
willing to do it.
Jose started to practice in school, coached by his teacher and help by students he even do not
know. The practice was so difficult that the thought of quitting is always there looming in his head.
But the persistence and perseverance of his mentors kept Jose striving to do his best.
At home, Jose’s parents is trying to help him prepare as well because they know that this will give
their family that much need boost in morale and spirit. His mother would always prepare hearty
meals while his father would always bring newspapers and other reading materials. At night, they
all together pray the rosary to ask for guidance and confidence for Jose.
On contest day, his teacher said to Jose that what ever happens, Jose will always be their school’s
greatest hero. Proud and with full confidence, Jose went up to the stage and the podium. He
immediately won over schools other participants. And when the time came for the championship,
he looked at his teacher and saw her praying very hard, two hand clasp together and with closed
eyes. He began to feel the heat and the tension. Again with full confidence he just followed his
heart, battle it up and he won.
Reflection:
Just like Mary, Jose had doubts but was overcome by his faith and love from his teachers. Both of
them had to make a very hard decision and chose to trust God in what they were about to do. Just
like in real life, we always have to make decision and we should always trust God so that we make
the right decisions.
Jose was a very shy little boy in a small town of Palo Leyte. In school, he never joined any activity
because he was afraid. Jose is a bright student and excel in almost all of his subjects. One day his
teacher announce that there will be a debate contest in Tacloban City participated in by almost all
the schools in the province and that the price would help build the school computer room. To his
surprise the teacher ask Jose to represent his school in this contest. Jose was surprise! He then
asked his teacher “Of all the students in this school, why pick me?I lack confidence and i am shy
and afraid of even going to the stage. I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the crowd”.”You
should always learn how to face your fears. We, your teacher and your classmates will be helping
you all throughout the competition” the teacher said. We will be here for you in every step of the
competition. Then the teacher whispered to Jose saying that he favours him among all his student
and that the teacher knows that Jose can and will give honour to the school. Immediately, Jose
gained confidence and said to his teacher that if this is a fight for honor to the school then he is
willing to do it.
Jose started to practice in school, coached by his teacher and help by students he even do not
know. The practice was so difficult that the thought of quitting is always there looming in his head.
But the persistence and perseverance of his mentors kept Jose striving to do his best.
At home, Jose’s parents is trying to help him prepare as well because they know that this will give
their family that much need boost in morale and spirit. His mother would always prepare hearty
meals while his father would always bring newspapers and other reading materials. At night, they
all together pray the rosary to ask for guidance and confidence for Jose.
On contest day, his teacher said to Jose that what ever happens, Jose will always be their school’s
greatest hero. Proud and with full confidence, Jose went up to the stage and the podium. He
immediately won over schools other participants. And when the time came for the championship,
he looked at his teacher and saw her praying very hard, two hand clasp together and with closed
eyes. He began to feel the heat and the tension. Again with full confidence he just followed his
heart, battle it up and he won.
Reflection:
Just like Mary, Jose had doubts but was overcome by his faith and love from his teachers. Both of
them had to make a very hard decision and chose to trust God in what they were about to do. Just
like in real life, we always have to make decision and we should always trust God so that we make
the right decisions.
"A Day Before"
By: Hazel Toque
We all have our own trials and challenges in life. I know, they're inevitable but through faith,
everything can be surpassed.
--
It's a wonderful day - a day perfect for anyone under the sun. Hannah, together with her team, are
practicing for the dance competition tomorrow. They've been competing ever since, but today is
different. Her team hardly prepared for their upcoming routine and most of them already lost
motivation. Losing 3 times in a row for the past week was so much for them, then add the finals later -
in which they're really unsure of. All of them are expecting to come home with nothing, but Hannah
still has the game face on, combined with desperation. She wouldn't let anyone get in their way
again, even if it means pulling others down.
-
In the middle of our practices, my phone suddenly rang. "Hello?" "Really? Okay sure!. I'll be there in
a bit. Bye!" It was my closest friend back in high school which I haven't seen for years. Why did she
call though? It must be something important. Her location isn't far anyway so i'll just drop by. "Hey
guys! Continue practicing, i'll be back in a while." I immediately drove off to the nearest café.
"Hi Dara! What brought you here? Missed you so much!"
"My gosh you weren't informed? Trina and I will be be one of the judges tomorrow in the dance
competition you're in! Best of luck to your team! I assure you, I got your back."
"I'm actually really worried. I really want to win, although it seems impossible, especially now that
we've been losing for a week."
Our conversation was cut short because I still have to go back and be with my team. To my
disappointment, our routine wasn't even close to being polished! We only have a day left and I doubt
everything will go well. Then something came up. We need to win. I need to win. And since, there's
nothing else left to do, I decided that I have talk to the judges, who happened to be my close friends,
to twitch the results - if ever.
8:00 am. The morning before the big day. Yes, we hardly prepared but I know we're going to win this
time. I checked on my teammates first, and I was about to leave when I saw my former coach,
heading toward our place. Uh oh.
"Hey Hannah! Surprised? Goodluck to you guys later! But of course, I have to watch you first before
anyone else."
We had our routine, and as I - as everyone expected, she was disappointed.
"Was that even your best, Hannah? I expected more from you. I never left you like that. Now that you
have your own team, you should be better, but what happened? What happened to the Hannah that I
handled before?"
I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down, in front of everyone. I felt so guilty, and told them the truth
that I merely relied on my friends being the judges later in order to win.
"Hannah, life is full of trials - trials that can either make or break you, and it's your choice how to
handle it. Sometimes the easiest way to the top can be a trap in the end, and sometimes the hardest
way is a blessing in disguise. We all crave for the winning part, when in fact all you get there is a
trophy and a title. In order to get the real trophy in life, you should go through hardships and sacrifices
first - the ones wherein you can get the lessons, learnings, and experiences that you will need in order
to succeed. If it seems like everyone is pulling you down, have faith. Faith in yourself, and most of all,
God. With your faith, confidence and God's power combined, nothing will be impossible."
With that, everyone realized what needs to be realized. Everything came back again in a rush, and I
never felt so motivated like this before.
"Thank you coach, thank you."
-
1:00 pm. An hour before the event. I quickly changed, and waited for the best that will ever happen.
***
Lesson/s:
1. Do not abuse the power/privileges that are given to you. In order to get something, you must work
hard for it. Saul once disobeyed God, and was blinded by the power given to him before.
2. Faith, both in yourself and in God, can be a big help towards success in anything. Like Jesus'
disciples, walking on water became possible because they believed that they would.
3. When lost and don't know what to do, just pray. Pray that everything will turn out not just the way
you want it, but also according to God's plan and will.
We all have our own trials and challenges in life. I know, they're inevitable but through faith,
everything can be surpassed.
--
It's a wonderful day - a day perfect for anyone under the sun. Hannah, together with her team, are
practicing for the dance competition tomorrow. They've been competing ever since, but today is
different. Her team hardly prepared for their upcoming routine and most of them already lost
motivation. Losing 3 times in a row for the past week was so much for them, then add the finals later -
in which they're really unsure of. All of them are expecting to come home with nothing, but Hannah
still has the game face on, combined with desperation. She wouldn't let anyone get in their way
again, even if it means pulling others down.
-
In the middle of our practices, my phone suddenly rang. "Hello?" "Really? Okay sure!. I'll be there in
a bit. Bye!" It was my closest friend back in high school which I haven't seen for years. Why did she
call though? It must be something important. Her location isn't far anyway so i'll just drop by. "Hey
guys! Continue practicing, i'll be back in a while." I immediately drove off to the nearest café.
"Hi Dara! What brought you here? Missed you so much!"
"My gosh you weren't informed? Trina and I will be be one of the judges tomorrow in the dance
competition you're in! Best of luck to your team! I assure you, I got your back."
"I'm actually really worried. I really want to win, although it seems impossible, especially now that
we've been losing for a week."
Our conversation was cut short because I still have to go back and be with my team. To my
disappointment, our routine wasn't even close to being polished! We only have a day left and I doubt
everything will go well. Then something came up. We need to win. I need to win. And since, there's
nothing else left to do, I decided that I have talk to the judges, who happened to be my close friends,
to twitch the results - if ever.
8:00 am. The morning before the big day. Yes, we hardly prepared but I know we're going to win this
time. I checked on my teammates first, and I was about to leave when I saw my former coach,
heading toward our place. Uh oh.
"Hey Hannah! Surprised? Goodluck to you guys later! But of course, I have to watch you first before
anyone else."
We had our routine, and as I - as everyone expected, she was disappointed.
"Was that even your best, Hannah? I expected more from you. I never left you like that. Now that you
have your own team, you should be better, but what happened? What happened to the Hannah that I
handled before?"
I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down, in front of everyone. I felt so guilty, and told them the truth
that I merely relied on my friends being the judges later in order to win.
"Hannah, life is full of trials - trials that can either make or break you, and it's your choice how to
handle it. Sometimes the easiest way to the top can be a trap in the end, and sometimes the hardest
way is a blessing in disguise. We all crave for the winning part, when in fact all you get there is a
trophy and a title. In order to get the real trophy in life, you should go through hardships and sacrifices
first - the ones wherein you can get the lessons, learnings, and experiences that you will need in order
to succeed. If it seems like everyone is pulling you down, have faith. Faith in yourself, and most of all,
God. With your faith, confidence and God's power combined, nothing will be impossible."
With that, everyone realized what needs to be realized. Everything came back again in a rush, and I
never felt so motivated like this before.
"Thank you coach, thank you."
-
1:00 pm. An hour before the event. I quickly changed, and waited for the best that will ever happen.
***
Lesson/s:
1. Do not abuse the power/privileges that are given to you. In order to get something, you must work
hard for it. Saul once disobeyed God, and was blinded by the power given to him before.
2. Faith, both in yourself and in God, can be a big help towards success in anything. Like Jesus'
disciples, walking on water became possible because they believed that they would.
3. When lost and don't know what to do, just pray. Pray that everything will turn out not just the way
you want it, but also according to God's plan and will.
Came to my Rescue
By: Kirsten Mayuga
My name is Jasmine, I am 16 years old and I am a Catholic Christian. Growing up, I was always taught to love God and to follow all His teachings. But I didn't really know Him, I just went to mass every Sunday and even got bored whenever I did. It was only when I was about 10 years old that I realize that God is much more than that; He basically controls everything that happens around us. I was never really sure on why God gave me this life of mine, because it really sucked. My parents fought everyday and my siblings would always tease me; it's hard living in a home with a broken family.
My siblings would always call me "stupid" "idiotic" and "absent-minded" but I never really minded it because I would always pray whenever I felt lonely and sad. I was a loyal follower of Christ for about 3 years before my mother was murdered when I was 13 years old. It was August 17 when I got the phone call from my big sister, I could feel the depression in her voice and I could almost feel her shaking. That's when I lost my faith. I kept thinking; why did God do this to me? So I forgot about Him. I never prayed anymore, I never went to mass, I almost didn't even believe in Him. I turned away from Him and started to turn to cutting, alcohol and drugs to help me forget about all my problems. I never really liked my mother, but what her death had done to my family then was heartbreaking... my dad started abusing us and always came home drunk or high. I lost my faith in Him and just kept all of my problems and worries to myself and I just wanted to explode. One day, my close friend Lissie came up to me and asked me when the last time I prayed was. This was such a shocking question because I honestly didn't know the answer. I felt guilt and quit the chaotic life of drugs and alcohol and slowly went back to praising and worshipping Him again. Just like that, all my problems went away.All I needed to do was to learn how to let go and let God.
Reflection:
This is an average story showing how much God really loves us. He loves us enough to die on the cross for us, and He also even takes care of us without us knowing it. In the story, Jasmine loses her way but manages to come back to Jesus better than ever. I think this is the way we are, we forget about God but we only go to Him when we need something. That should change, we should always turn to God no matter what happens. This relates to the prodigal son because the son was lost, and then found. Even though he greatly sinned, his father still loves him anyways. This also relates to finding of Jesus in the temple because we should never lose faith, and you can always find us in God our Father's house. It can also relate to the parable of the lost coin; because God tries so hard to find us, even in the dark, because He truly loves us. His love is never ending, and he is truly so great; His love never fails, it never gives up, and it never runs out on all of us. This story shows that even though we forget Him. He's so patient and kind, but still, we continue to hurt Him, so now, instead of hurting Him, we should thank Him and praise Him. We are so unworthy of His love but He I continues to love us anyways. God will always look after us and keep us safe, no matter what. Everything that He is to us is everything that I've hoped for; He has a plan for all of us and we should know that He will always overcome. All our troubles and all our fears, God our hope, He has overcome.
My name is Jasmine, I am 16 years old and I am a Catholic Christian. Growing up, I was always taught to love God and to follow all His teachings. But I didn't really know Him, I just went to mass every Sunday and even got bored whenever I did. It was only when I was about 10 years old that I realize that God is much more than that; He basically controls everything that happens around us. I was never really sure on why God gave me this life of mine, because it really sucked. My parents fought everyday and my siblings would always tease me; it's hard living in a home with a broken family.
My siblings would always call me "stupid" "idiotic" and "absent-minded" but I never really minded it because I would always pray whenever I felt lonely and sad. I was a loyal follower of Christ for about 3 years before my mother was murdered when I was 13 years old. It was August 17 when I got the phone call from my big sister, I could feel the depression in her voice and I could almost feel her shaking. That's when I lost my faith. I kept thinking; why did God do this to me? So I forgot about Him. I never prayed anymore, I never went to mass, I almost didn't even believe in Him. I turned away from Him and started to turn to cutting, alcohol and drugs to help me forget about all my problems. I never really liked my mother, but what her death had done to my family then was heartbreaking... my dad started abusing us and always came home drunk or high. I lost my faith in Him and just kept all of my problems and worries to myself and I just wanted to explode. One day, my close friend Lissie came up to me and asked me when the last time I prayed was. This was such a shocking question because I honestly didn't know the answer. I felt guilt and quit the chaotic life of drugs and alcohol and slowly went back to praising and worshipping Him again. Just like that, all my problems went away.All I needed to do was to learn how to let go and let God.
Reflection:
This is an average story showing how much God really loves us. He loves us enough to die on the cross for us, and He also even takes care of us without us knowing it. In the story, Jasmine loses her way but manages to come back to Jesus better than ever. I think this is the way we are, we forget about God but we only go to Him when we need something. That should change, we should always turn to God no matter what happens. This relates to the prodigal son because the son was lost, and then found. Even though he greatly sinned, his father still loves him anyways. This also relates to finding of Jesus in the temple because we should never lose faith, and you can always find us in God our Father's house. It can also relate to the parable of the lost coin; because God tries so hard to find us, even in the dark, because He truly loves us. His love is never ending, and he is truly so great; His love never fails, it never gives up, and it never runs out on all of us. This story shows that even though we forget Him. He's so patient and kind, but still, we continue to hurt Him, so now, instead of hurting Him, we should thank Him and praise Him. We are so unworthy of His love but He I continues to love us anyways. God will always look after us and keep us safe, no matter what. Everything that He is to us is everything that I've hoped for; He has a plan for all of us and we should know that He will always overcome. All our troubles and all our fears, God our hope, He has overcome.
The Rebirth
By: Camilo De Guzman
Tyler was the happiest, and luckiest guy in the world. He was 15, He had everything that he had wanted. His parents were happily married with each other, he had the best big brother and sister. They always played games together and he could always talk to the two of them with his problems. He always felt comfortable with them and could consult them with all his secrets. His family was very religious, they always went to mass every sunday, and Tyler himself was very prayerful. They were one of the closest families in the world. He was very close to all of his friends, he was the most popular person in school, every girl loved him and every guy wanted to be him. He got high grades, was a straight A student and was the Top 1 student in his batch. He played games, went out, and was the coolest and happiest kid ever.
However, one day, everything changed. Tyler had gotten so stressed out from his baseball practice that he had forgotten to study for the final exam of the semester. He was scared since he might not be able to maintain being the top 1 in his batch. During the test, he cheated and looked at the answers of his seatmate. He got caught by his teacher and they called his parents. His parents were furious and brought him home. They yelled at him and were very angry with him. After almost an hour, he was sent to his room, but his parents kept on arguing, it was so loud his brother and sister could hear it across the house. Tyler got mad and cursed against God, blaming him for making him cheat and making his parents fight. His dad got mad and left the house, screaming to Tyler's mom, "Have fun with the three, I'm leaving this stupid family and my stupid wife!" He got into the car and left.
Tyler cried the whole night, he could hear his mom crying all night too. The next days were the worst, he couldn't concentrate on any of his lessons or his tests because of his family problems. Plus he got suspended and given a zero on his test for cheating. The next weeks he became moody and mean to all his friends. Whenever people came up to him, he would insult or curse at them. His bestfriends stopped hanging out with him and everyone avoided him. He was angry at everything in the world. After a few months he got kicked out of school. He barely attended classes since he kept skipping school and didn't answer his tests. He just stayed at home, not doing anything, his mom barely noticed because she was always working, but eventually it wasnt enough. His mom couldnt provide the rent so they were kicked out of their home. They moved into a very small apartment with one room, his siblings were also forced to quit schooling due to money. After they had stopped school, his brother and sister tried to tutor him but just threw tantrums and cursed and got mad at them. They just left Tyler to himself and ignored him after this.
Months after they got evicted, he started to smoke, he found some guys on the streets and he tried to do it to. They also introduced him to alcohol, and weed. He began doing it everyday, sneaking out of the apartment to join them and drink.
Eventually Tyler got sick, he had lung cancer due to all the smoking, he was found unconscious in the apartment by his mother and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors said he was close to dying, there was very little chance of hope in him.
Tyler couldnt feel anything, he couldnt see anything, he began seeing a white light and then he saw a man. His father, whom apparently he had died in a car crash.
He walked up to him and took his hand, "What happened?" His father asked.
"Im dying, i drank, and smoked and lived a crappy life after you left us!" He said getting mad. "You left us all alone, you left me all alone. I was left with nothing." He yelled.
"Tyler," his father said comforting him, "Im sorry that i had left you and the family. But i did not cause all the things that had happened to you. I did not make you cheat, i did not make you drop out of school."
"I know, you didnt, God did, he hates me." Tyler sobbed.
"God does not hate you, he loves you." His father said.
"Well then why did he take everything from me?! I was perfect, i had everything, then he took it all." He screamed.
"No one did anything to you, no one forced you to do this. You did this to yourself, you chose this path."
"So you're blaming me?! Im miserable and dying and you're getting mad at me for what i did? Sounds familiar." Tyler glared at his father.
"Im not blaming you, and you are not dying, God is great and he is giving you a second chance to live."
"What? I dont want to live, life sucks."
"Well then you must change it, make it better, you get a second chance. Make it count." He smiled and hugged his son.
At that moment, Tyler woke up from his sleep, he was connected to a lot of machines, and his mom and his brother and sister were around him crying. He got up and his mother looked at him.
"Im sorry, mom." He said and hugged her.
Tyler was the happiest, and luckiest guy in the world. He was 15, He had everything that he had wanted. His parents were happily married with each other, he had the best big brother and sister. They always played games together and he could always talk to the two of them with his problems. He always felt comfortable with them and could consult them with all his secrets. His family was very religious, they always went to mass every sunday, and Tyler himself was very prayerful. They were one of the closest families in the world. He was very close to all of his friends, he was the most popular person in school, every girl loved him and every guy wanted to be him. He got high grades, was a straight A student and was the Top 1 student in his batch. He played games, went out, and was the coolest and happiest kid ever.
However, one day, everything changed. Tyler had gotten so stressed out from his baseball practice that he had forgotten to study for the final exam of the semester. He was scared since he might not be able to maintain being the top 1 in his batch. During the test, he cheated and looked at the answers of his seatmate. He got caught by his teacher and they called his parents. His parents were furious and brought him home. They yelled at him and were very angry with him. After almost an hour, he was sent to his room, but his parents kept on arguing, it was so loud his brother and sister could hear it across the house. Tyler got mad and cursed against God, blaming him for making him cheat and making his parents fight. His dad got mad and left the house, screaming to Tyler's mom, "Have fun with the three, I'm leaving this stupid family and my stupid wife!" He got into the car and left.
Tyler cried the whole night, he could hear his mom crying all night too. The next days were the worst, he couldn't concentrate on any of his lessons or his tests because of his family problems. Plus he got suspended and given a zero on his test for cheating. The next weeks he became moody and mean to all his friends. Whenever people came up to him, he would insult or curse at them. His bestfriends stopped hanging out with him and everyone avoided him. He was angry at everything in the world. After a few months he got kicked out of school. He barely attended classes since he kept skipping school and didn't answer his tests. He just stayed at home, not doing anything, his mom barely noticed because she was always working, but eventually it wasnt enough. His mom couldnt provide the rent so they were kicked out of their home. They moved into a very small apartment with one room, his siblings were also forced to quit schooling due to money. After they had stopped school, his brother and sister tried to tutor him but just threw tantrums and cursed and got mad at them. They just left Tyler to himself and ignored him after this.
Months after they got evicted, he started to smoke, he found some guys on the streets and he tried to do it to. They also introduced him to alcohol, and weed. He began doing it everyday, sneaking out of the apartment to join them and drink.
Eventually Tyler got sick, he had lung cancer due to all the smoking, he was found unconscious in the apartment by his mother and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors said he was close to dying, there was very little chance of hope in him.
Tyler couldnt feel anything, he couldnt see anything, he began seeing a white light and then he saw a man. His father, whom apparently he had died in a car crash.
He walked up to him and took his hand, "What happened?" His father asked.
"Im dying, i drank, and smoked and lived a crappy life after you left us!" He said getting mad. "You left us all alone, you left me all alone. I was left with nothing." He yelled.
"Tyler," his father said comforting him, "Im sorry that i had left you and the family. But i did not cause all the things that had happened to you. I did not make you cheat, i did not make you drop out of school."
"I know, you didnt, God did, he hates me." Tyler sobbed.
"God does not hate you, he loves you." His father said.
"Well then why did he take everything from me?! I was perfect, i had everything, then he took it all." He screamed.
"No one did anything to you, no one forced you to do this. You did this to yourself, you chose this path."
"So you're blaming me?! Im miserable and dying and you're getting mad at me for what i did? Sounds familiar." Tyler glared at his father.
"Im not blaming you, and you are not dying, God is great and he is giving you a second chance to live."
"What? I dont want to live, life sucks."
"Well then you must change it, make it better, you get a second chance. Make it count." He smiled and hugged his son.
At that moment, Tyler woke up from his sleep, he was connected to a lot of machines, and his mom and his brother and sister were around him crying. He got up and his mother looked at him.
"Im sorry, mom." He said and hugged her.
The Change
By: Julia Luisa G. Panganiban
Have you ever wanted that “change” in your life? What if you are that “change”?
Sebastian was a 15 year old high school student in St. Mark School of Manila. He has a lovely mother but a tough dad and he is also an only child. All the attention was down to him. He was honestly a very innocent person who just wants to get high grades and make his parents proud. But of course, like any other teenager going through high school life, he was very conscious with his status. Out of nowhere, from being alone during breaks and no one to talk to, one guy went up to him and told him that they wanted him to join the group with the popular guys. Sebastian said yes of course because that would really increase his status. Sebastian is one lucky kid especially that this group of boys wouldn’t usually accept or ask anyone to join their group. Even though they are the most popular group of the school, they are not popular for good things but for many bad things. Sebastian was unaware of the bad things they do but he only knew that they were really the cool ones.
On his first day with them during lunch break, he was very nervous because he didn’t want to humiliate himself to them. He was seated with them and all they did was interview Sebastian to get to know him better. After asking personal things, they told him the rules. Those rules were the following:
1. This group before anyone else.
2. Know how to keep a secret.
3. If you’re not popular, get out.
4. Every guy in the group must do what everyone does.
5. Protect your status.
After hearing all of these rules, Sebastian was really worried. Those rules are not how he is. But again, he would love to stay in the group that he didn’t care and followed those rules anyways. He started to change into a bad person just like the group. He started to do drugs a lot, break school rules and even his grades we’re getting lower. No one expected Sebastian to be how he is now.
One day when he got home after school, his parents were so worried about him that they decided to talk to him about how he was doing. They explained how his grades were getting lower, they also mentioned that teachers were calling them about his conduct in class and they also found out about the naughty things he’s been doing with his new group. Sebastian did not show interest at all when the parents were talking and they found it really disrespectful that they decided to ground him and not allow him to hang out with the group anymore. Sebastian did not take the issue gently and he started shouting at his parents saying that they are stupid for making such decision and he won’t even follow it because rule #1 of the group says “This group before anyone else.” His parents didn’t like the fact that he answered back saying harsh words to them that they told him to go up to his room and pray to help him realize all his actions. While Sebastian was in his room, he was still full of anger. He didn’t care about anything the parents said.
After a while, he was just lying down trying to calm down and then suddenly, he looked at the cross hanging on his wall. That made him remember his goal in life, and that goal was to make his parents proud. He did not just remember his goal but he also noticed that he became a bad person. He was very disappointed about how he has changed and treated his loved ones. He wanted to make up for all that he did that he also realized that there is a better change he can be.
First day of the week, Sebastian went up this his group of friends and told them, “Guys, don’t you all realize that whatever we are doing is bad. Don’t you all realize that we are just hurting everyone around us. We are honestly pushing away people who love us. Let us stop and be better people”. All the group did was laugh at him and told him that he sounded so weird. They started to tease him about being so good. They also warned him that if he continues to be a good person, they would kick him out. Sebastian was terrified. His status was so good! He was part of the popular side of high school. But gladly, that did not change how he wanted to change. He replied to the threat saying, “I don’t care about the rules anymore because it is all very selfish. I do not care if I get kicked out because I would rather do good than be satisfied. This is my sacrifice and I hope you all follow me.” Sebastian walks away and the whole group just stared at him go because no one has ever quit the group to do good things.
Sebastian was again alone with no group and no one to be with during breaks and etc. But after a few weeks later, they all went up to them and said, “Thank you, Sebastian for opening our eyes and for helping us realize that we have potential in doing great things and not bad ones. You made us realize that popularity is not what you need. Sorry for being rude and disrespectful. We hope you forgive us and can be one big group once again.” Sebastian forgave them and they became one big popular group that influenced others to do good.
Anyone can be the change, you just have to realize and believe you are it.
Reflection:
This story was inspired by “Noah’s Ark and the Flood” because it shows how 1 person was brave enough to go far away from the normal but stood up to be the change. Just like Noah, he was always laughed at everything Sebastian was trying to say to the bad friends to make them good and he stood by what he said. I tried my best to make this story relatable a lot of people my age that get pressured to do what others do just cause they’re all that. Sebastian’s eyes were closed. He was blinded by the influence of others with bad things. But in the story, God opened those eyes and helped him realize what he was doing wrong. God was able to help him realize his full potential with doing good stuff.
Anyone really can be the change, it just depends on how much you would go through anything to be that change and your faith in it. Don’t be afraid about decisions you know is truly right and for the best of everyone.
Have you ever wanted that “change” in your life? What if you are that “change”?
Sebastian was a 15 year old high school student in St. Mark School of Manila. He has a lovely mother but a tough dad and he is also an only child. All the attention was down to him. He was honestly a very innocent person who just wants to get high grades and make his parents proud. But of course, like any other teenager going through high school life, he was very conscious with his status. Out of nowhere, from being alone during breaks and no one to talk to, one guy went up to him and told him that they wanted him to join the group with the popular guys. Sebastian said yes of course because that would really increase his status. Sebastian is one lucky kid especially that this group of boys wouldn’t usually accept or ask anyone to join their group. Even though they are the most popular group of the school, they are not popular for good things but for many bad things. Sebastian was unaware of the bad things they do but he only knew that they were really the cool ones.
On his first day with them during lunch break, he was very nervous because he didn’t want to humiliate himself to them. He was seated with them and all they did was interview Sebastian to get to know him better. After asking personal things, they told him the rules. Those rules were the following:
1. This group before anyone else.
2. Know how to keep a secret.
3. If you’re not popular, get out.
4. Every guy in the group must do what everyone does.
5. Protect your status.
After hearing all of these rules, Sebastian was really worried. Those rules are not how he is. But again, he would love to stay in the group that he didn’t care and followed those rules anyways. He started to change into a bad person just like the group. He started to do drugs a lot, break school rules and even his grades we’re getting lower. No one expected Sebastian to be how he is now.
One day when he got home after school, his parents were so worried about him that they decided to talk to him about how he was doing. They explained how his grades were getting lower, they also mentioned that teachers were calling them about his conduct in class and they also found out about the naughty things he’s been doing with his new group. Sebastian did not show interest at all when the parents were talking and they found it really disrespectful that they decided to ground him and not allow him to hang out with the group anymore. Sebastian did not take the issue gently and he started shouting at his parents saying that they are stupid for making such decision and he won’t even follow it because rule #1 of the group says “This group before anyone else.” His parents didn’t like the fact that he answered back saying harsh words to them that they told him to go up to his room and pray to help him realize all his actions. While Sebastian was in his room, he was still full of anger. He didn’t care about anything the parents said.
After a while, he was just lying down trying to calm down and then suddenly, he looked at the cross hanging on his wall. That made him remember his goal in life, and that goal was to make his parents proud. He did not just remember his goal but he also noticed that he became a bad person. He was very disappointed about how he has changed and treated his loved ones. He wanted to make up for all that he did that he also realized that there is a better change he can be.
First day of the week, Sebastian went up this his group of friends and told them, “Guys, don’t you all realize that whatever we are doing is bad. Don’t you all realize that we are just hurting everyone around us. We are honestly pushing away people who love us. Let us stop and be better people”. All the group did was laugh at him and told him that he sounded so weird. They started to tease him about being so good. They also warned him that if he continues to be a good person, they would kick him out. Sebastian was terrified. His status was so good! He was part of the popular side of high school. But gladly, that did not change how he wanted to change. He replied to the threat saying, “I don’t care about the rules anymore because it is all very selfish. I do not care if I get kicked out because I would rather do good than be satisfied. This is my sacrifice and I hope you all follow me.” Sebastian walks away and the whole group just stared at him go because no one has ever quit the group to do good things.
Sebastian was again alone with no group and no one to be with during breaks and etc. But after a few weeks later, they all went up to them and said, “Thank you, Sebastian for opening our eyes and for helping us realize that we have potential in doing great things and not bad ones. You made us realize that popularity is not what you need. Sorry for being rude and disrespectful. We hope you forgive us and can be one big group once again.” Sebastian forgave them and they became one big popular group that influenced others to do good.
Anyone can be the change, you just have to realize and believe you are it.
Reflection:
This story was inspired by “Noah’s Ark and the Flood” because it shows how 1 person was brave enough to go far away from the normal but stood up to be the change. Just like Noah, he was always laughed at everything Sebastian was trying to say to the bad friends to make them good and he stood by what he said. I tried my best to make this story relatable a lot of people my age that get pressured to do what others do just cause they’re all that. Sebastian’s eyes were closed. He was blinded by the influence of others with bad things. But in the story, God opened those eyes and helped him realize what he was doing wrong. God was able to help him realize his full potential with doing good stuff.
Anyone really can be the change, it just depends on how much you would go through anything to be that change and your faith in it. Don’t be afraid about decisions you know is truly right and for the best of everyone.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
RIGHT TO SUFFRAGE: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
If election 2016 will be conducted today whom shall you vote for among the Presidentiables and those running for Vice-President and why?
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On the Right to Suffrage
One clear manifestation that a country is truly FREE or its citizens are enjoying FREEDOM is the EXERCISE OF THE RIGHT TO SUFFRAGE.
Definition: suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). The right to run for office is sometimes called candidate eligibility, and the combination of both rights is sometimes called full suffrage.
Who should win in an election?
"Suffrage as conferred by the constitutional provision is not a natural right of the citizens, but
a political right intended to enable them to participate in the process of government to assure it
derives its powers from the consent of the governed. (Pungutan vs. Abubakar, L-33541, 20 June
1972)" [1] . Both international and domestic laws protect and guarantee its effective exercise by the
people so that their sovereign will can be manifested.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or
through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be
expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage
and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Article 25
"Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the
distinctions mentioned in Article 2 without unreasonable restrictions;
a. To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely
choose representatives;
b. To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections
which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall
be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of
the will of the electors;
c. To have access, on general terms of equality, to public
service in his country."
Article V, Suffrage, Philippine Constitution
."Sec. 1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not
otherwise qualified by law, who are at least eighteen years of age and who
shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place
wherein they purpose to vote for at least six months immediately preceding
the election. No literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be
imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
Sec. 2. The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and
sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by qualified
Filipinos abroad.
The Congress shall also design a procedure for the disabled and the
illiterates to vote without the assistance of other persons. Until then, they
shall be allowed to vote under existing laws and such rules as the
Commission on Elections may promulgate to protect the secrecy of the
ballot."
Definition: suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). The right to run for office is sometimes called candidate eligibility, and the combination of both rights is sometimes called full suffrage.
Who should win in an election?
"Suffrage as conferred by the constitutional provision is not a natural right of the citizens, but
a political right intended to enable them to participate in the process of government to assure it
derives its powers from the consent of the governed. (Pungutan vs. Abubakar, L-33541, 20 June
1972)" [1] . Both international and domestic laws protect and guarantee its effective exercise by the
people so that their sovereign will can be manifested.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or
through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be
expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage
and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Article 25
"Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the
distinctions mentioned in Article 2 without unreasonable restrictions;
a. To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely
choose representatives;
b. To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections
which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall
be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of
the will of the electors;
c. To have access, on general terms of equality, to public
service in his country."
Article V, Suffrage, Philippine Constitution
."Sec. 1. Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not
otherwise qualified by law, who are at least eighteen years of age and who
shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place
wherein they purpose to vote for at least six months immediately preceding
the election. No literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be
imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
Sec. 2. The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and
sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by qualified
Filipinos abroad.
The Congress shall also design a procedure for the disabled and the
illiterates to vote without the assistance of other persons. Until then, they
shall be allowed to vote under existing laws and such rules as the
Commission on Elections may promulgate to protect the secrecy of the
ballot."
Who's gonna rule Malacanang Palace soon?
Last night some of my closest friends both from the academe, law school and high school friends gathered together at Festival mall in Alabang to celebrate my birthday. It was actually a surprise since I was just expecting that we will just be three or four but it turned out that they were six plus myself, seven all in all. We had a simple dinner at sbarro with serving of pizza, pasta and the like. One of my friends works in the government and he shared with us the lattest news he got in view of the upcoming 2016 presidential and vice-presidential elections. Since Grace Poe last night finally announced her candidacy plans as a presidentiable and her rumored VP Chiz Escudero has finally signified his intentions of being her running mate, it seems that the strongest contender for this most awaited political national race has been sealed. But wait, my friend who works in the government told us that Mar Roxas' team, after that announcement of Grace Poe-Chiz Escudero tandem is 'cooking' something equally strong and controversial: It's not anymore Mar-Vilma Santos tandem nor Mar-Allan Peter Cayetano but, hold your breath, the new tune now is: Mar-Pnoy Aquino or Mar-Kris Aquino! Let's wait and see as to the confirmation of this juicy news from my friend, but as to whom shall I vote as of this writing, I will still prefer Duterte for president and as to my VP, it will definitely not Kris Aquino! My esteemed professor in Political Law review class last Wednesday night seemed to know in advance about this Mar-Kris Aquino tandem as he told us that we will be surprised when Grace Poe announces her plans of running for the presidency since the Mar Roxas team have powerful back-ups as well, and I guess the Mar-Aquino tandem would surely be controversial enough, whether it would be the current president Aquino or her sister who will be Roxas' running mate.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
What Does It Mean to Have Freedom in Christ?
Jesus Christ spoke often of the freedom humankind would find through him. But exactly what is the freedom that He promised His followers?
With the dismantling of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent lifting of the iron curtain, Eastern Europeans jubilantly celebrated the freedom they had long been denied.
However, some of the first “freedoms” to be exercised in these formerly communist countries were indulgence in pornography, prostitution, drug abuse and organized crime.
Some people, needless to say, have erroneous concepts of freedom.
Theologically, some feel a similar sense of freedom in not observing what they feel are “Old Covenant” practices. They feel free from the law. They feel that the burden of the law has been lifted, and they are no longer under bondage. They believe they are free from “Jewish ordinances” and that Christ did everything for them, setting them free from any practices except a nebulous obligation to “love” God and their fellowman.
False freedom prophesied
Scripture warns about false promises of freedom. One such warning comes from Peter: “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his own vomit,' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire'” (2 Peter 2:18-22).
No one argues that Christ didn't come to bring freedom. Luke writes that Jesus traveled to Nazareth, “where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke 4:16-19, emphasis added throughout).
Jesus Christ brings true freedom
Christ came to free us from sin through His atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus “shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (New International Version).
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Christ paid the death penalty for us, freeing us from death row through His sacrifice. We have been set free, but, as Paul wrote, this freedom does not give us license or permission to continue to do the very things that brought on the death penalty (Romans 6:11-22). Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
God's calling frees us from wrong spiritual concepts. Galatians 4:3-7 says: “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
A Christian is called away from superstition, error, bondage, deception, guilt, depravity, ignorance and a destructive life, from being a captive of Satan and facing eternal death. He is called to liberty in Christ, receiving forgiveness of sins through His shed blood, now knowing freedom from guilt, an awareness of the truth of God and, as a free gift, the hope of eternal life.
The Scriptures do show, however, that real spiritual freedom has to include the following criteria, which are tied to Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. Let's briefly review these.
Freedom through God's truth
Christ engaged in a discussion with a group of people who were deluding themselves into thinking they were free. “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'
“They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, “You will be made free”?'” (verse 33).
Clearly, they were deceiving themselves, not admitting that even then their land was little more than an occupied territory under the subjugation of the mighty Roman Empire. All were well aware that they were a captive people.
In the next three verses Jesus replied, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
According to Christ, a person can't be spiritually free unless he has the truth, which is God's Word (John 17:17). Obviously, that person must understand that truth. Many have a Bible in their homes but either don't read it or can't comprehend it. Few have realized the freedom that comes from understanding God's Word.
Freedom through the Holy Spirit
The Scriptures point out that God's Spirit guides us to truth (John 16:13). It helps us to understand the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-14). This spiritual understanding leads to freedom.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
We know that the Holy Spirit is a precious gift that God grants based on repentance, the acceptance of Christ, water baptism, a willingness to obey and the laying on of hands (Acts 2:38; 5:32; 8:14-17).
Freedom through the law of God
Everyone craves freedom, but we quickly realize that freedom has its price. One person jokingly said, “Absolute freedom is being able to do what you please without considering anyone except your spouse and your kids, the company and the boss, neighbors and friends, the police and the government, the doctor and the church.”
In a human society, chaos results if we consider just our own interests. Laws are necessary to guarantee freedom. This is also true with the spiritual law of God. Psalm 119 is a beautiful tribute to the freedoms that come through obedience to God's law. Notice verses 44 and 45: “So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.”
James calls God's law a “law of liberty,” or freedom, when he says that “he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). He continues in the next chapter: “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (verse 12).
Unfortunately, some claim religious freedom through Christ while denigrating His law and refusing to submit to it. Jesus Christ, as the perfect example of freedom, kept God's commands (John 15:10). True freedom cannot come apart from, but must come from harmony with, God's commandments. As Christ asks in Luke 6:46, “why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” Also: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).
Loving obedience to God's law is not an effort to attain salvation by works, but an honest, heartfelt response to want to serve and please the great God of the universe who gave His spiritual laws for our own well-being. It's not a matter of what's convenient, but of what pleases God. It is an irony that, as we gain freedom through Christ, we become His slaves, as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:22: “For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave.”
Ultimately, true freedom comes through the resurrection at Christ's return. As Paul explains in Romans 8:21, “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
ARTICLE COURTESY OF: Ranier Salomaa
With the dismantling of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent lifting of the iron curtain, Eastern Europeans jubilantly celebrated the freedom they had long been denied.
However, some of the first “freedoms” to be exercised in these formerly communist countries were indulgence in pornography, prostitution, drug abuse and organized crime.
Some people, needless to say, have erroneous concepts of freedom.
Theologically, some feel a similar sense of freedom in not observing what they feel are “Old Covenant” practices. They feel free from the law. They feel that the burden of the law has been lifted, and they are no longer under bondage. They believe they are free from “Jewish ordinances” and that Christ did everything for them, setting them free from any practices except a nebulous obligation to “love” God and their fellowman.
False freedom prophesied
Scripture warns about false promises of freedom. One such warning comes from Peter: “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his own vomit,' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire'” (2 Peter 2:18-22).
No one argues that Christ didn't come to bring freedom. Luke writes that Jesus traveled to Nazareth, “where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke 4:16-19, emphasis added throughout).
Jesus Christ brings true freedom
Christ came to free us from sin through His atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus “shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (New International Version).
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Christ paid the death penalty for us, freeing us from death row through His sacrifice. We have been set free, but, as Paul wrote, this freedom does not give us license or permission to continue to do the very things that brought on the death penalty (Romans 6:11-22). Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
God's calling frees us from wrong spiritual concepts. Galatians 4:3-7 says: “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
A Christian is called away from superstition, error, bondage, deception, guilt, depravity, ignorance and a destructive life, from being a captive of Satan and facing eternal death. He is called to liberty in Christ, receiving forgiveness of sins through His shed blood, now knowing freedom from guilt, an awareness of the truth of God and, as a free gift, the hope of eternal life.
The Scriptures do show, however, that real spiritual freedom has to include the following criteria, which are tied to Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. Let's briefly review these.
Freedom through God's truth
Christ engaged in a discussion with a group of people who were deluding themselves into thinking they were free. “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'
“They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, “You will be made free”?'” (verse 33).
Clearly, they were deceiving themselves, not admitting that even then their land was little more than an occupied territory under the subjugation of the mighty Roman Empire. All were well aware that they were a captive people.
In the next three verses Jesus replied, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
According to Christ, a person can't be spiritually free unless he has the truth, which is God's Word (John 17:17). Obviously, that person must understand that truth. Many have a Bible in their homes but either don't read it or can't comprehend it. Few have realized the freedom that comes from understanding God's Word.
Freedom through the Holy Spirit
The Scriptures point out that God's Spirit guides us to truth (John 16:13). It helps us to understand the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-14). This spiritual understanding leads to freedom.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
We know that the Holy Spirit is a precious gift that God grants based on repentance, the acceptance of Christ, water baptism, a willingness to obey and the laying on of hands (Acts 2:38; 5:32; 8:14-17).
Freedom through the law of God
Everyone craves freedom, but we quickly realize that freedom has its price. One person jokingly said, “Absolute freedom is being able to do what you please without considering anyone except your spouse and your kids, the company and the boss, neighbors and friends, the police and the government, the doctor and the church.”
In a human society, chaos results if we consider just our own interests. Laws are necessary to guarantee freedom. This is also true with the spiritual law of God. Psalm 119 is a beautiful tribute to the freedoms that come through obedience to God's law. Notice verses 44 and 45: “So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.”
James calls God's law a “law of liberty,” or freedom, when he says that “he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). He continues in the next chapter: “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (verse 12).
Unfortunately, some claim religious freedom through Christ while denigrating His law and refusing to submit to it. Jesus Christ, as the perfect example of freedom, kept God's commands (John 15:10). True freedom cannot come apart from, but must come from harmony with, God's commandments. As Christ asks in Luke 6:46, “why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” Also: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).
Loving obedience to God's law is not an effort to attain salvation by works, but an honest, heartfelt response to want to serve and please the great God of the universe who gave His spiritual laws for our own well-being. It's not a matter of what's convenient, but of what pleases God. It is an irony that, as we gain freedom through Christ, we become His slaves, as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:22: “For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave.”
Ultimately, true freedom comes through the resurrection at Christ's return. As Paul explains in Romans 8:21, “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
ARTICLE COURTESY OF: Ranier Salomaa
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Kulo Exhibit: Freedom of Expression or Blasphemy?
Ang poleteismo ay isang sining na nilikha ni Mideo Cruz.Ito ay kabilang sa Kulo Exhibit na isinagawa noong June 17,2011 sa Kulo Exhibit na isinagawa sa Cultural Center of the Philippines. Maraming tao ang hindi nagustuhan ang sining na ito ni Mideo Cruz. Marami ang taong hindi nagustuhan ang paraan niya ng pagpapahayag ng kanyang sining. Maituturing na halos karamihan sa ating bansa ay mga katoliko kaya’t marami ang bumatikos sa kanya. Lalo na sa ginawa niyang sining sa imahe ng panginoong Jesukristo https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=mideo+cruz+exhibit&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=799&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ7AlqFQoTCKC47buq-scCFVIcjgod2LAHbA&dpr=1&safe=active&ssui=on
Monday, September 14, 2015
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Two Faces of Europe on the Refugee Crisis
Confronted by the sudden influx of migrants fleeing from the war-torn and impoverished countries of West Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe has responded in two fundamental ways—one, out of fear; the other, out of love.
The first has taken the form of barbed-wire barriers to keep aliens out of Hungary’s borders. In recent months, this country has served as the gateway to Western Europe for those taking the land route across the porous borders of Southern Europe. “It is Hungary’s primary interest to protect its border,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last Monday. “For this, we need a physical point, a physical line, a construction, which can be guarded by the army, the police and any other official sent to the border.”
The second took the form last week of a convoy of more than 200 private vehicles that streamed out of Austria to rescue migrants stranded in Hungary’s highways and bring them to safety. This was a spontaneous reaction to the discovery just days before of 71 decomposing bodies of refugees inside an abandoned refrigerated truck along an Austrian motorway. The truck, carrying the logo of a company that deals in frozen chicken, lay silently by the road just three miles outside of Vienna.
In Germany, where most of these migrants are headed, Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken the boldest step in all of Europe, pledging $6.7 billion in additional funding to accommodate these displaced populations. Last year, Germany took in almost 200,000 of them in a gesture of humanitarian compassion that no other European country has so far been able to match. But not all her compatriots share Merkel’s passionate commitment. There have been xenophobic attacks every week targeting refugee hostels and shelters in various German cities. Rightwing extremist groups are sprouting everywhere, feeding upon growing anti-immigrant sentiment.
But Merkel is unfazed. The power of her example has created strong pressure on other governments to act decisively. French President Francois Hollande is now pushing the European Commission to allocate as many as 120,000 refugees among the European Union’s 28 member-nations. Even Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, who had earlier warned against further attracting “swarms” of migrants, has modified his tone. Britain, he said, is prepared to admit up to 20,000 refugees from Syria. But he insists that priority be given to those who, lacking in material resources to pay human smugglers, have languished in the refugee settlements of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
It is, however, unlikely that Europe as a whole will be able to muster enough will to mount a unified response to this crisis. The numbers are simply staggering. Not since World War II has Europe witnessed such a massive flow of people crossing national borders at the same time. What is interesting is that not all of them are coming from conflict-ridden Syria, Libya, or Iraq. According to a New York Times report, of the 150,000 migrants who passed through Hungary this year, “53,467 came from Syria, with 41,094 from Afghanistan, 24,554 from Kosovo and the rest from Iraq, Pakistan, Eritrea and other troubled nations.”
Stepping out of the shadow of the Holocaust, the new Germany appears alone in acknowledging the emergent reality of a single world system that defies the built-in racism of the modern nation-state. Everywhere else, people remain in the grip of the old nationalism that had fused race, religion, language and culture into a single vision of the nation-state. France seems to be the only other country that has come around to recognizing the futility of the modern project of a homogeneous national identity. It is thus not surprising that these two countries today are home to the largest Muslim populations in Western Europe.
Those of us who travel from Asia to Europe for the first time may find it disorienting to encounter a continent that has become a home to a huge variety of peoples, languages and religions. And we may well wonder—given our own fixed notions of national identity—how European countries have been able to manage the complex pressures and issues arising from such diversity. I still remember, while attending a conference in Berlin in the late 1990s, how stunned I was after I got off at the wrong train station and promptly got lost in a neighborhood that looked like a microcosm of Turkey. I had the same strange sensation of being out of place during an overnight stay in the little city of Brignole in Southern France, after having spent 10 days in picturesque Provence. There were shawarma stalls everywhere on our street, but not a single French restaurant.
Those scenes were just so totally different from the Europe that my wife and I experienced as graduate students traveling on a bus tour across the continent in the late 1960s. With every border crossing, picture-perfect images of Europe’s diverse nations greeted us, almost as if people and their cultures faithfully abided by the neat territorial divisions of the map. To all intents and purposes, that Europe is now long gone.
But the acceptance of the reality and persistence of difference are something else. In many European cities where immigrants have settled, multiculturalism has given rise, not to shared spaces, but to ethnic ghettoes that epitomize exclusion rather than solidarity. Fear continues to be the existential barrier that divides people, nurturing what Freud once called “the narcissism of minor differences.”
by: Randy David, Opinion PDI Sept.10.2015
The first has taken the form of barbed-wire barriers to keep aliens out of Hungary’s borders. In recent months, this country has served as the gateway to Western Europe for those taking the land route across the porous borders of Southern Europe. “It is Hungary’s primary interest to protect its border,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last Monday. “For this, we need a physical point, a physical line, a construction, which can be guarded by the army, the police and any other official sent to the border.”
The second took the form last week of a convoy of more than 200 private vehicles that streamed out of Austria to rescue migrants stranded in Hungary’s highways and bring them to safety. This was a spontaneous reaction to the discovery just days before of 71 decomposing bodies of refugees inside an abandoned refrigerated truck along an Austrian motorway. The truck, carrying the logo of a company that deals in frozen chicken, lay silently by the road just three miles outside of Vienna.
In Germany, where most of these migrants are headed, Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken the boldest step in all of Europe, pledging $6.7 billion in additional funding to accommodate these displaced populations. Last year, Germany took in almost 200,000 of them in a gesture of humanitarian compassion that no other European country has so far been able to match. But not all her compatriots share Merkel’s passionate commitment. There have been xenophobic attacks every week targeting refugee hostels and shelters in various German cities. Rightwing extremist groups are sprouting everywhere, feeding upon growing anti-immigrant sentiment.
But Merkel is unfazed. The power of her example has created strong pressure on other governments to act decisively. French President Francois Hollande is now pushing the European Commission to allocate as many as 120,000 refugees among the European Union’s 28 member-nations. Even Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, who had earlier warned against further attracting “swarms” of migrants, has modified his tone. Britain, he said, is prepared to admit up to 20,000 refugees from Syria. But he insists that priority be given to those who, lacking in material resources to pay human smugglers, have languished in the refugee settlements of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
It is, however, unlikely that Europe as a whole will be able to muster enough will to mount a unified response to this crisis. The numbers are simply staggering. Not since World War II has Europe witnessed such a massive flow of people crossing national borders at the same time. What is interesting is that not all of them are coming from conflict-ridden Syria, Libya, or Iraq. According to a New York Times report, of the 150,000 migrants who passed through Hungary this year, “53,467 came from Syria, with 41,094 from Afghanistan, 24,554 from Kosovo and the rest from Iraq, Pakistan, Eritrea and other troubled nations.”
Stepping out of the shadow of the Holocaust, the new Germany appears alone in acknowledging the emergent reality of a single world system that defies the built-in racism of the modern nation-state. Everywhere else, people remain in the grip of the old nationalism that had fused race, religion, language and culture into a single vision of the nation-state. France seems to be the only other country that has come around to recognizing the futility of the modern project of a homogeneous national identity. It is thus not surprising that these two countries today are home to the largest Muslim populations in Western Europe.
Those of us who travel from Asia to Europe for the first time may find it disorienting to encounter a continent that has become a home to a huge variety of peoples, languages and religions. And we may well wonder—given our own fixed notions of national identity—how European countries have been able to manage the complex pressures and issues arising from such diversity. I still remember, while attending a conference in Berlin in the late 1990s, how stunned I was after I got off at the wrong train station and promptly got lost in a neighborhood that looked like a microcosm of Turkey. I had the same strange sensation of being out of place during an overnight stay in the little city of Brignole in Southern France, after having spent 10 days in picturesque Provence. There were shawarma stalls everywhere on our street, but not a single French restaurant.
Those scenes were just so totally different from the Europe that my wife and I experienced as graduate students traveling on a bus tour across the continent in the late 1960s. With every border crossing, picture-perfect images of Europe’s diverse nations greeted us, almost as if people and their cultures faithfully abided by the neat territorial divisions of the map. To all intents and purposes, that Europe is now long gone.
But the acceptance of the reality and persistence of difference are something else. In many European cities where immigrants have settled, multiculturalism has given rise, not to shared spaces, but to ethnic ghettoes that epitomize exclusion rather than solidarity. Fear continues to be the existential barrier that divides people, nurturing what Freud once called “the narcissism of minor differences.”
by: Randy David, Opinion PDI Sept.10.2015
Seatwork#2
Topic: Freedom, Peace and Duty Towards Humanity
2 points each. Write your answers in the comment page with your full name and section.
1. In your own opinion, who should be blamed for the crisis on lack of freedom and peace among the Syrian people?
2. What best advice can you give towards the European governments who are indifferent in welcoming these refugees from war-torn countries?
3. What are your thoughts about Aylan, his mother and brother who died from this crisis and the many other refugees who died before reaching Europe?
4. As Lasallians, what 3 concrete actions/solutions you can do to address this world problem?
5. How can you utilize social media in making a difference to the lives of these millions of refugees who are still aiming for a peaceful, free and quiet lives?
6. What legit, sincere and serious ONE PLEDGE can you do or promise with regard to your post in your facebook or twitter or other social media that will help alleviate the pains and sufferings of these refugees?
7. What advice can you give to the Aquino administration to address this problem?
8. If you have relatives in Europe what advice will you tell them regarding this problem about the refugees?
9. If given the chance, are you willing to adopt a kid or a family from these refugees? Why?
10. Make a short prayer for the welfare of Aylan and all the refugees in the world.
Topic: Freedom, Peace and Duty Towards Humanity
2 points each. Write your answers in the comment page with your full name and section.
1. In your own opinion, who should be blamed for the crisis on lack of freedom and peace among the Syrian people?
2. What best advice can you give towards the European governments who are indifferent in welcoming these refugees from war-torn countries?
3. What are your thoughts about Aylan, his mother and brother who died from this crisis and the many other refugees who died before reaching Europe?
4. As Lasallians, what 3 concrete actions/solutions you can do to address this world problem?
5. How can you utilize social media in making a difference to the lives of these millions of refugees who are still aiming for a peaceful, free and quiet lives?
6. What legit, sincere and serious ONE PLEDGE can you do or promise with regard to your post in your facebook or twitter or other social media that will help alleviate the pains and sufferings of these refugees?
7. What advice can you give to the Aquino administration to address this problem?
8. If you have relatives in Europe what advice will you tell them regarding this problem about the refugees?
9. If given the chance, are you willing to adopt a kid or a family from these refugees? Why?
10. Make a short prayer for the welfare of Aylan and all the refugees in the world.
On Syrian Refugees: Christian Thing to Do
The Philippines has offered sanctuary to nine waves of refugees fleeing persecution, violence and war—from the White Russians in 1923, the Jewish war refugees in the 1940s and the Vietnamese escaping a communist takeover in the 1970s.
With its twin tradition of compassion and Christian charity, predominantly-Catholic Philippines should find Pope Francis’ recent exhortation relevant and crucial at this time when hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing death, unrest and conflict in Africa and the Middle East for the safer shores of Europe.
In his homily at the Vatican on Sunday, the Pope issued a broad appeal to Europe’s Catholics, calling on “every parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refugee family.” The Gospel “calls us to be close to the smallest and to those who have been abandoned,” he said, adding: “[It is] violence to raise walls and barriers to stop those who seek havens of peace. It is violence to reject those who flee from inhumane conditions, with hope of a better future.”
Per United Nations estimates, more people have been displaced in recent months than at any other time since World War II, with asylum-seekers seeking safe haven and better prospects by any means. News about 71 people found dead of suffocation inside a truck in Austria and that heartbreaking picture of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdis drowned along with his brother and mother on the family’s way from Syria to Turkey on board a frail dinghy give a tragic face to the desperate humanity left adrift by indifference and xenophobic religious debate.
Viktor Orban, the prime minister of predominantly-Catholic Hungary, last week declared Europe’s “Christian identity” under siege, as the refugees “have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture.” Meanwhile, Slovakia declared it would grant asylum only to Christians.
Pope Francis, whose grandparents left Italy to make a new life in Argentina, delivered a direct challenge to such a polarizing mindset. On Sunday, he said refugee families would be offered shelter inside the two parishes within the Vatican’s jurisdiction, as a solid example of how everyone can pitch in.
He said it was not enough to say “have courage, hang in there” to those casting about for what he described as “life’s hope.” He thus called on Catholic bishops and Catholics of all nations to follow suit and take in desperate asylum-seekers as a way to “express the Gospel in concrete terms.”
As the Church calls on the faithful in Europe to lend a hand and open their homes to people driven out by conflict, Filipinos can do no less. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose set the right tone when he declared that refugees in Europe, should they find their way here, are welcome to stay until they find a more permanent home.
Jose’s initiative brings to mind the 1940 Philippine Immigration Act signed by President Quezon which continues to be valid today. The law gives the President the prerogative to issue a humanitarian visa for people fleeing persecution 11 years before the rest of the world did, in the form of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
Filipinos in Europe can follow the Vatican’s example and take in families in their homes, at least until they can find their bearings again and start life anew. In the meantime, they can help these asylum-seekers find their way through the bureaucratic maze made even more formidable by language and cultural barriers. They can assist refugees navigate and hasten the often tricky application process enroute to their legal and official status.
Using social media, Filipinos here and in Europe can raise funds as well, gather and donate supplies most needed by refugee families: food, milk and diapers for babies, rent money, clothes, medical treatment, and so on. Filipino groups, of which there are many in Europe, can band together to help in registration centers and volunteer their time and services to make life easier to these disoriented newcomers in Europe. Catholic groups and church associations too can open space for daycare centers and makeshift schools for children of refugee families, even as their elders can be trained for jobs to give them back their moorings and dignity.
We can no longer dismiss the refugee crisis as “Europe’s moral problem” because it affects us all. As UN official for refugees Bernard Kerblat described it, “Refugees are not a burden; they are also first and foremost contributors to the local economy.” And with the wave of Europe’s refugees including engineers, doctors and other professionals, giving them a hand could mean handing ourselves a better future as well.
source: PDI Editorial Sept.10,2015
With its twin tradition of compassion and Christian charity, predominantly-Catholic Philippines should find Pope Francis’ recent exhortation relevant and crucial at this time when hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing death, unrest and conflict in Africa and the Middle East for the safer shores of Europe.
In his homily at the Vatican on Sunday, the Pope issued a broad appeal to Europe’s Catholics, calling on “every parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refugee family.” The Gospel “calls us to be close to the smallest and to those who have been abandoned,” he said, adding: “[It is] violence to raise walls and barriers to stop those who seek havens of peace. It is violence to reject those who flee from inhumane conditions, with hope of a better future.”
Per United Nations estimates, more people have been displaced in recent months than at any other time since World War II, with asylum-seekers seeking safe haven and better prospects by any means. News about 71 people found dead of suffocation inside a truck in Austria and that heartbreaking picture of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdis drowned along with his brother and mother on the family’s way from Syria to Turkey on board a frail dinghy give a tragic face to the desperate humanity left adrift by indifference and xenophobic religious debate.
Viktor Orban, the prime minister of predominantly-Catholic Hungary, last week declared Europe’s “Christian identity” under siege, as the refugees “have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture.” Meanwhile, Slovakia declared it would grant asylum only to Christians.
Pope Francis, whose grandparents left Italy to make a new life in Argentina, delivered a direct challenge to such a polarizing mindset. On Sunday, he said refugee families would be offered shelter inside the two parishes within the Vatican’s jurisdiction, as a solid example of how everyone can pitch in.
He said it was not enough to say “have courage, hang in there” to those casting about for what he described as “life’s hope.” He thus called on Catholic bishops and Catholics of all nations to follow suit and take in desperate asylum-seekers as a way to “express the Gospel in concrete terms.”
As the Church calls on the faithful in Europe to lend a hand and open their homes to people driven out by conflict, Filipinos can do no less. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose set the right tone when he declared that refugees in Europe, should they find their way here, are welcome to stay until they find a more permanent home.
Jose’s initiative brings to mind the 1940 Philippine Immigration Act signed by President Quezon which continues to be valid today. The law gives the President the prerogative to issue a humanitarian visa for people fleeing persecution 11 years before the rest of the world did, in the form of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
Filipinos in Europe can follow the Vatican’s example and take in families in their homes, at least until they can find their bearings again and start life anew. In the meantime, they can help these asylum-seekers find their way through the bureaucratic maze made even more formidable by language and cultural barriers. They can assist refugees navigate and hasten the often tricky application process enroute to their legal and official status.
Using social media, Filipinos here and in Europe can raise funds as well, gather and donate supplies most needed by refugee families: food, milk and diapers for babies, rent money, clothes, medical treatment, and so on. Filipino groups, of which there are many in Europe, can band together to help in registration centers and volunteer their time and services to make life easier to these disoriented newcomers in Europe. Catholic groups and church associations too can open space for daycare centers and makeshift schools for children of refugee families, even as their elders can be trained for jobs to give them back their moorings and dignity.
We can no longer dismiss the refugee crisis as “Europe’s moral problem” because it affects us all. As UN official for refugees Bernard Kerblat described it, “Refugees are not a burden; they are also first and foremost contributors to the local economy.” And with the wave of Europe’s refugees including engineers, doctors and other professionals, giving them a hand could mean handing ourselves a better future as well.
source: PDI Editorial Sept.10,2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
“On Evil and Good” by: St. Augustine
CHRISTIAN LIVING DEPARTMENT
Junior Level
Term 2 (RELATED LITERATURE/READING#1)
Title: “On Evil and Good” by: St. Augustine
Many people will tell you that evil is a necessary part of the world. Just ask and you can get many people to agree to a claim such as; "There cannot be good without bad." This is a philosophical idea about the structure of reality. Part of that idea is that everything in existence must co-exist in a sort of balance or symmetry. Even though this is a popular philosophical view, few people know how they came to hold it. It is a very old view. Before his conversion to Christianity, Augustine belonged to the The Manichean religion, a pagan cult that depicted the world as a battle ground between perfectly good creator and the perfectly evil destroyer. As he investigated the ideas of the relatively new Christian philosophy, Augustine realized that an explanation for the existence of evil must be given, or else one must accept either that god created evil and so is partly evil as well as good.
The existence of evil poses a problem for this picture of reality as based on necessary being. Evil is typically associated with destruction and nothingness. If we allow that the evil of the world on the same level as the good of the world, then we buy into the dual-nature idea that being and non-being (existence and nothingness) coexist. Augustine sought to explain the idea of one ideal God (being) without evil. The result is a strikingly original and powerful conception of reality. Understanding his solution to the problem of evil can affect many aspects of your thought.
All of nature, therefore, is good, since the Creator of all nature is supremely good. But nature is not supremely good as is the Creator of it. Thus the good in created things can be diminished and augmented. For good to be diminished is evil; still, however much it is diminished, something must remain of its original nature as long as it exists at all. For no matter what kind or however insignificant a thing may be, the good which is its "nature" cannot be destroyed without the thing itself being destroyed.
There is good reason, therefore, to praise an uncorrupted thing, and if it were indeed an incorruptible thing which could not be destroyed, it would doubtless be all the more worthy of praise. When, however, a thing is corrupted, its corruption is an evil because it is, by just so much, a privation of the good. Where there is no privation of the good, there is no evil. Where there is evil, there is a corresponding diminution of the good. As long, then, as a thing is being corrupted, there is good in it of which it is being deprived; and in this process, if something of its being remains that cannot be further corrupted, this will then be an incorruptible entity [natural incorruptibility], and to this great good it will have come through the process of corruption. But even if the corruption is not arrested, it still does not cease having some good of which it cannot be further deprived.
If, however, the corruption comes to be total and entire, there is no good left either, because it is no longer an entity at all. Wherefore corruption cannot consume the good without also consuming the thing itself. Every actual entity is therefore good; a greater good if it cannot be corrupted, a lesser good if it can be. Yet only the foolish and unknowing can deny that it is still good even when corrupted. Whenever a thing is consumed by corruption, not even the corruption remains, for it is nothing in itself, having no subsistent being in which to exist.
From this it follows that there is nothing to be called evil if there is nothing good. A good that wholly lacks an evil aspect is entirely good. Where there is some evil in a thing, its good is defective. Thus there can be no evil where there is no good. This leads us to a surprising conclusion: that, since every being, in so far as it is a being, is good, if we then say that a defective thing is bad, it would seem to mean that we are saying that what is evil is good, that only what is good is ever evil and that there is no evil apart from something good. This is because every actual entity is good. Nothing evil exists in itself, but only as an evil aspect of some actual entity. Therefore, there can be nothing evil except something good.
Absurd as this sounds, nevertheless the logical connections of the argument compel us to it as inevitable. At the same time, we must take warning lest we incur the prophetic judgment which reads: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil: who call darkness light and light darkness; who call the bitter sweet and the sweet bitter." Moreover the Lord himself saith: "An evil man brings forth evil out of the evil treasure of his heart." What, then, is an evil man but an evil entity, since man is an entity? Now, if a man is something good because he is an entity, what, then, is a bad man except an evil good? When, however, we distinguish between these two concepts, we find that the bad man is not bad because he is a man, nor is he good because he is wicked. Rather, he is a good entity in so far as he is a man, evil in so far as he is wicked. Therefore, if anyone says that simply to be a man is evil, or that to be a wicked man is good, he rightly falls under the prophetic judgment: "Woe to him who calls evil good and good evil." For this amounts to finding fault with God's work, because man is an entity of God's creation. It also means that we are praising the defects in this particular man because he is a wicked person. Thus, every entity, even if it is a defective one, in so far as it is an entity, is good. In so far as it is defective, it is evil.
But when we say that evil has its source in the good, do not suppose that this denies our Lord's judgment: "A good tree cannot bear evil fruit." This cannot be, even as the Truth himself declareth: "Men do not gather grapes from thorns," since thorns cannot bear grapes. Nevertheless, from good soil we can see both vines and thorns spring up. Likewise, just as a bad tree does not grow good fruit, so also an evil will does not produce good deeds. From a human nature, which is good in itself, there can spring forth either a good or an evil will. There was no other place from whence evil could have arisen in the first place except from the nature--good in itself--of an angel or a man. This is what our Lord himself most clearly shows in the passage about the trees and the fruits, for he said: "Make the tree good and the fruits will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruits will be bad." This is warning enough that bad fruit cannot grow on a good tree nor good fruit on a bad one. Yet from that same earth to which he was referring, both sorts of trees can grow.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/Augustine/augustine_evil.html
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
HW#1 Western culture and influences among Filipino Teenagers and their moral implications:
Answer the following with all honesty in the comment page. Write your full name and section.
1. Mcdonalds or Jolibee why?
2. 5 foreign TV shows/series you watch.
3. 5 TV series you watch locally.
4. Local TV news/series or Foreign TV news/series. Why?
5. 5 TV/Movie personalities you like most (Foreign)
6. 5 TV/Movie personalities you like most (Local)
7. 3 Local brands you like most. Why?
8. 3 Foreign brands you like most Why?
9. 3 foreign social media personality you follow on twitter. For those without twitter, assuming you have one, who are those 3 foreign social media personality you wish to follow...
10. 3 local social media personality you follow on twitter. (Same as above...)
11. If given a chance which three countries in the world do you want to settle for good with your own family ten-fifteen years from now and why?
Answer the following with all honesty in the comment page. Write your full name and section.
1. Mcdonalds or Jolibee why?
2. 5 foreign TV shows/series you watch.
3. 5 TV series you watch locally.
4. Local TV news/series or Foreign TV news/series. Why?
5. 5 TV/Movie personalities you like most (Foreign)
6. 5 TV/Movie personalities you like most (Local)
7. 3 Local brands you like most. Why?
8. 3 Foreign brands you like most Why?
9. 3 foreign social media personality you follow on twitter. For those without twitter, assuming you have one, who are those 3 foreign social media personality you wish to follow...
10. 3 local social media personality you follow on twitter. (Same as above...)
11. If given a chance which three countries in the world do you want to settle for good with your own family ten-fifteen years from now and why?
"Cassidy"
"Cassidy"
Submitted by: Sean Ethan King 9-A 22
Submitted by: Sean Ethan King 9-A 22
Being in love and in a serious relationship at such an early age, could be very difficult. I really just
had a normal life, I would do my schoolwork, hang out with friends, spend time with my family, and
didn’t eat my vegetables. Until I was grade 6, and I met Cassidy , because we were classmates,
little did I know that she would be the love of my life. It started simple, I would introduce myself in
this creative way for her to notice me, and she did. I was very friendly to her and she was as well to
me. I would her treat, how she’s supposed to be treated, with respect, and etc. and cared for her,
the way she was supposed to and more. The feeling was amazing, and couldn’t be explained with
just one word, it should be expressed as “ the feeling was amazing, awesome, etc.”. We finally got
to express our feelings for each other, when my friends talked me into courting her, and they gave
me inspiration, I also listened to “Eminem” in “Lose Yourself” to not give up, so I just went for it.
After expressing our feelings toward one another, things just went slow, we would go out to dates,
hang out , etc. We did so much together, I couldn’t imagine what life would be without her, and I
would thank the Lord everyday for her birth. After finishing college and high school, and still being
as closer than ever, we decide to get married and settle down. We've been together for so long, I
just had to propose to her. So we got engaged, and Cassidy was going crazy, trying to prepare for
the marriage, and me, I was just pulling money out of my wallet, because it was really expensive,
but it was worth it, because I spent tons of money, but in the end it was priceless. We got married
in Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. I was so surprised on how beautiful the place
was, it seemed unreal, the place was so huge and had 44 large stained glass windows and murals
completed over a 17-year period by the Vatican painter Luigi Gregori, plus this was the tallest
University Chapel in all of America. We wanted to get a Catholic marriage because we both
believed in God, we both wanted to be united in mutual and faithful love, we both believed that this
was a gift from the Lord, we both wanted to be a sign of Christ's love in the world. I was so glad
and lucky that i was going to marry Cassidy, I try to thank God everyday, because according to
Proverbs 18:22New King 22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord." This meant that you can find may kinds of wives, the wives who
just use you for money and fame and fortune, or the wife who will just destroy you all together, but
I'm thankful to the Lord that I found the right one so early, and I truly believe that was a gift from
God, and that is another reason why I wanted a Catholic Marriage so badly. Before the marriage
however, we needed to know the rules and requirements for us to get married, which was just 3
basic rules:
The couple must be capable of being married—that is, they must be a woman and a man who are
free of any impediment that would prevent marriage.
The couple must give their consent to be married — that is, by an act of their will they irrevocably
give and accept one another in order to establish marriage (Canon 1057).
They must follow the canonical form for marriage—that is, they must be married according to the
laws of the Church so that the Church and the wider community will be certain about the validity of
their marriage.
Once the real marriage came along, it went well for the, most part, we said our vows, did the " you
may now kiss the bride part", then other stuff happened as well, until finally, before we knew it,
we've been married for years and have 2 kids Sofie and Matthew. Cassidy became an interior
designer and a top model, while I became a very successful businessman, so we turned out to be
very rich and famous. We did get into many of fights since we started our relationship, but like what
they always say "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and that was definitely the case here,
because it only made us stronger. Everyday and every night or anytime that I can, I pray just to be
thankful for having Cassidy and for our 2 beautiful children, I thank the Lord, because I have
everything i want in life, and my family is happy, I thank Him because we are more fortunate than
others and we have everything we need and more.
Reflection:
I learned so much from this project, especially knowing that marriage is very difficult and complex.
Marriage is more than just putting on rings, but it is a union of the 2 people, and being united in
mutual and faithful love. Marriage is a holy sacrament. This made me realize how important
marriage really is, and how finding your life partner would be very difficult. The bible could further
explain marriage just by a couple of verses, and to me thats really helpful. Marriage is very difficult
to begin with, but after marriage it would be even more difficult but by the end, it would be worth it,
if you found the right life partner, there is a saying from an unknown person "Don't marry someone
you can live with, you marry the person you can not live without" and this statement is really true
and wise. After marriage, you can start a family, and after marriage you are "one", you are united
with the other individual, and marriage makes us stronger, we would always have hardships in life
all the time, but in marriage it supports us. Marriage is very powerful as well, and this project
helped me realize that, temptation is everywhere, every minute of everyday of your life you will
face temptation, its inevitable, the devil will always try to tempt you no matter what, marriage on the
other hand is on of the "cures" to resist temptation, because marriage is love, we can defeat
temptation with love. Most importantly, after marriage and we become parents, it will become our
turn to help guide our children to the right path, etc. then they will start their own family, and the
cycle will continue.
One Wish
One Wish
by: Miguel Calpito 9F 7
Life? It can do terrible things. Though, with those terrible things, life also comes with amazing things. These are what you should think about in life, the good things, not the bad ones. My life had many happy things and sad things, but I could still say that I lived a good one. Back when I was in the 5th grade, I saw a beautiful girl from our batch. She was an angel to me. Every day, I would pass by her classroom just to look at her. She never noticed me, but I didn't really care at the time. I only cared to see if she was happy. I continued this till we were in the 8th grade. Then one day, she just approached me. "Who are you looking for?" she asked. I was simply shocked that she finally talked to me. I couldn't say a word, after staring at her eyes for a few seconds, I finally answered back "Uhm, I'm here waiting for, uh, Carlo, yeah, Carlo". She told me that Carlo was absent, so I thanked her and just left. As I was buying food in the canteen that day, I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. It was the girl I liked. She asked for my name, so I told her my name. After that, I asked for hers, and after 3 years, I finally found out what her name was - it was Sophie. We had a little chat about some of our upcoming projects and tests. Later that day, I added her on Facebook, and we just started chatting. We would chat every night. I would even join her for lunch once in a while. I felt like I was finally closer to calling her mine. We continued being close friends for 2 years, until I finally got the guts to ask her out. She said yes, so I brought her out for dinner and a movie. We both enjoyed that night a lot.
We continued dating for a few months. Then finally, while we were on a date in BGC, after years of dreaming for it to happen, I asked her to be my girlfriend. With a huge smile on her face, she said yes. I felt complete, as if all those years of admiring her paid off. I met her parents a few weeks after, and they accepted me with open arms. 2 years into the relationship, we got terrible news, she had to leave for Canada. Her mother apparently found a good job there, and they had to move. On the day of her flight, I brought her out for breakfast, and gave her a necklace. I told her that as long as she wears that necklace, it would mean that she still loves me. So every day, I would Skype her, so I could ask how her day was, and so I could check if she was still wearing that necklace. For a year of being in Canada, she wore the necklace every day. Her family had to come back to the Philippines because the grandmother became too old to run her business. I was filled with excitement to hear that she was coming back. I gave her a welcoming gift as I picked them up from the airport. We both cried with joy as we saw each other. It felt amazing to have my arms wrapped around her again. I was finally allowed to bring her out every other day. We were together as a couple for the longest time. It felt like we had a closer bond than just boyfriend and girlfriend. It felt like I knew her ever since she was born. I knew every little detail about her. From her favorite toy as a kid, to the reason why her parents got mad at her in the 7th grade.
It’s been 11 years since our relationship began, and it still felt I was loving her more every day. I’d pick her up from work every day and treat her out for dinner. It was basically part of my daily routine. Her birthday was coming closer, so I decided to get us tickets to Paris. We celebrated her birthday in Le Jules Verne, a restaurant located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, where we had the best food we have ever tried. As we finished our meal, I kneeled on the floor, brought out a ring from my pocket, looked up her gorgeous eyes, and I said “Sophie, I have been with you for 11 years. I started off as some guy in school who simply adored you, to a friend who you could talk to anytime, as the guy who would pick you up from work every day for dinner, and finally as the man now, who would want to ask you the most important question in his life; ‘Will you marry me?’”. With tears flowing down her eyes, she said “I’m sorry, I love you, but there’s something I haven’t told you… I’m sick, and I don’t think I could live with you for the rest of your life”. I’ve never been so sad to hear something in my entire life. Tears began running down my face, and I told her “Love, I asked you if you could marry me, I don’t care if I couldn’t be with you forever, I just want you to marry me, and spend whatever time you have to be with me”. She said yes, but that was the most emotional day in my life. I was happy to be engaged with the girl I love, but I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to spend a lifetime with her. I made sure that we spent our time together at the fullest. We made a list of things we wanted to do, and tried to do all of them. Until one night, she just fell to the ground. The doctor said that she’s already too weak to do all the stuff left on our list. As the last thing she wanted us to do, we started planning the wedding. We planned everything in her hospital room. She chose her dress, we picked out our favorite cake, we chose which Church we wanted to get married in, I decided that I wanted Jericho to be my best man, she decided that she wanted Mandy to be her bridesmaid, and we basically planned everything for our dream wedding. I took care of her in the hospital all the way. The date was set, and everything was prepared. The best day of my life was just a month away. Her sickness just kept getting worst, it was panful to watch. Then the doctor tells us a terrible thing; that she may not live that long. We prayed every day, and every night that I’d be able to marry her. The day came when I was to be called her husband. I was happy that she was strong enough for that day. We got married in St. James The Great, where her father brought her down the aisle in a wheel chair. She was so beautiful. It felt like I was falling in love all over again. Our marriage was her biggest wish, and I even though it was killing me to see her in pain, I was simply happy to make that wish come true. It was amazing, she was so happy that day. She even tried to dance even if she found it hard just to stand. I could see her, tired, in pain. But she was just doing her best for everyone to be happy for her. The day ended, and I had to bring her back to the hospital. She laid on her bed, and smiled at me. She then held my hand, gave me a kiss, and whispered in my ear “I love you. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me”. Then, she let go.
Life has a lot of ups and downs. The terrible things in life just help you bring out more of the good things. Life, it’s a true mystery. It may seem really happy/sad right now, but the future is still unknown. It can be great, but it can also be sad. Always remember, God won’t let you live your entire life sad, so if you think that he hates you, just wait for the good things to happen. Mine started out happy, and believe it or not, I could still say that it ended well. Because the greatest thing I’ve done my whole life, was to make the wish of the person I love come true.
by: Miguel Calpito 9F 7
Life? It can do terrible things. Though, with those terrible things, life also comes with amazing things. These are what you should think about in life, the good things, not the bad ones. My life had many happy things and sad things, but I could still say that I lived a good one. Back when I was in the 5th grade, I saw a beautiful girl from our batch. She was an angel to me. Every day, I would pass by her classroom just to look at her. She never noticed me, but I didn't really care at the time. I only cared to see if she was happy. I continued this till we were in the 8th grade. Then one day, she just approached me. "Who are you looking for?" she asked. I was simply shocked that she finally talked to me. I couldn't say a word, after staring at her eyes for a few seconds, I finally answered back "Uhm, I'm here waiting for, uh, Carlo, yeah, Carlo". She told me that Carlo was absent, so I thanked her and just left. As I was buying food in the canteen that day, I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. It was the girl I liked. She asked for my name, so I told her my name. After that, I asked for hers, and after 3 years, I finally found out what her name was - it was Sophie. We had a little chat about some of our upcoming projects and tests. Later that day, I added her on Facebook, and we just started chatting. We would chat every night. I would even join her for lunch once in a while. I felt like I was finally closer to calling her mine. We continued being close friends for 2 years, until I finally got the guts to ask her out. She said yes, so I brought her out for dinner and a movie. We both enjoyed that night a lot.
We continued dating for a few months. Then finally, while we were on a date in BGC, after years of dreaming for it to happen, I asked her to be my girlfriend. With a huge smile on her face, she said yes. I felt complete, as if all those years of admiring her paid off. I met her parents a few weeks after, and they accepted me with open arms. 2 years into the relationship, we got terrible news, she had to leave for Canada. Her mother apparently found a good job there, and they had to move. On the day of her flight, I brought her out for breakfast, and gave her a necklace. I told her that as long as she wears that necklace, it would mean that she still loves me. So every day, I would Skype her, so I could ask how her day was, and so I could check if she was still wearing that necklace. For a year of being in Canada, she wore the necklace every day. Her family had to come back to the Philippines because the grandmother became too old to run her business. I was filled with excitement to hear that she was coming back. I gave her a welcoming gift as I picked them up from the airport. We both cried with joy as we saw each other. It felt amazing to have my arms wrapped around her again. I was finally allowed to bring her out every other day. We were together as a couple for the longest time. It felt like we had a closer bond than just boyfriend and girlfriend. It felt like I knew her ever since she was born. I knew every little detail about her. From her favorite toy as a kid, to the reason why her parents got mad at her in the 7th grade.
It’s been 11 years since our relationship began, and it still felt I was loving her more every day. I’d pick her up from work every day and treat her out for dinner. It was basically part of my daily routine. Her birthday was coming closer, so I decided to get us tickets to Paris. We celebrated her birthday in Le Jules Verne, a restaurant located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, where we had the best food we have ever tried. As we finished our meal, I kneeled on the floor, brought out a ring from my pocket, looked up her gorgeous eyes, and I said “Sophie, I have been with you for 11 years. I started off as some guy in school who simply adored you, to a friend who you could talk to anytime, as the guy who would pick you up from work every day for dinner, and finally as the man now, who would want to ask you the most important question in his life; ‘Will you marry me?’”. With tears flowing down her eyes, she said “I’m sorry, I love you, but there’s something I haven’t told you… I’m sick, and I don’t think I could live with you for the rest of your life”. I’ve never been so sad to hear something in my entire life. Tears began running down my face, and I told her “Love, I asked you if you could marry me, I don’t care if I couldn’t be with you forever, I just want you to marry me, and spend whatever time you have to be with me”. She said yes, but that was the most emotional day in my life. I was happy to be engaged with the girl I love, but I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to spend a lifetime with her. I made sure that we spent our time together at the fullest. We made a list of things we wanted to do, and tried to do all of them. Until one night, she just fell to the ground. The doctor said that she’s already too weak to do all the stuff left on our list. As the last thing she wanted us to do, we started planning the wedding. We planned everything in her hospital room. She chose her dress, we picked out our favorite cake, we chose which Church we wanted to get married in, I decided that I wanted Jericho to be my best man, she decided that she wanted Mandy to be her bridesmaid, and we basically planned everything for our dream wedding. I took care of her in the hospital all the way. The date was set, and everything was prepared. The best day of my life was just a month away. Her sickness just kept getting worst, it was panful to watch. Then the doctor tells us a terrible thing; that she may not live that long. We prayed every day, and every night that I’d be able to marry her. The day came when I was to be called her husband. I was happy that she was strong enough for that day. We got married in St. James The Great, where her father brought her down the aisle in a wheel chair. She was so beautiful. It felt like I was falling in love all over again. Our marriage was her biggest wish, and I even though it was killing me to see her in pain, I was simply happy to make that wish come true. It was amazing, she was so happy that day. She even tried to dance even if she found it hard just to stand. I could see her, tired, in pain. But she was just doing her best for everyone to be happy for her. The day ended, and I had to bring her back to the hospital. She laid on her bed, and smiled at me. She then held my hand, gave me a kiss, and whispered in my ear “I love you. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me”. Then, she let go.
Life has a lot of ups and downs. The terrible things in life just help you bring out more of the good things. Life, it’s a true mystery. It may seem really happy/sad right now, but the future is still unknown. It can be great, but it can also be sad. Always remember, God won’t let you live your entire life sad, so if you think that he hates you, just wait for the good things to happen. Mine started out happy, and believe it or not, I could still say that it ended well. Because the greatest thing I’ve done my whole life, was to make the wish of the person I love come true.
"Rene..."
"Rene..."
Submitted by: Estelle Cerutti (CN 9)
Not every story has your lovable ‘’happy ending’’. There are twists and turns, up’s and down’s, and so many other obstacles that get In the way of you trying to live your life. But in the essence of living on this earth what keeps everyone together? Love. Love is what binds our human hearts together to live a life where we can share experiences, discover new things, strengthen relationships. And even release a new figure of love to others. My story may have up’s and downs but in the end what matters is that YOU yourself is the one happy. Being alone in life is probably the saddest feeling ever since basically you have nobody to talk to, nobody to greet each day, nobody to laugh with, basically all you do benefits to yourself. And that’s actually pretty sad. Living in my little apartment never bothered me much but sometimes I felt I needed a change. One night walking home from work (which was pretty late!) I felt as if somebody was following me so I made my walking pace a little faster since I was scared and nobody was around at all. One block away from my apartment someone grabs me by the arm and hammers me to the ground. I catch myself and try to regain my vision. I quickly look over and see a tall man with a gun on his right hand and a mask to cover his identity. He ushered me to give him my purse which naturally I said no as I was trying to stand up again but in result he just pushed me again (making me fall AGAIN…). I was scared because I knew nobody was coming for me and it was dark and I should’ve taken the bus and I should’ve done so many rights but all I’ve done is wrongs. He pointed the gun to the temple. I closed my eyes because I knew it was game over but out of nowhere someone just takes the gun and kicks the masked man. In disbelief I back up a bit clutching my purse next to the lamp post. My supposed ‘’savior’’ managed to fend of the masked man. I could hear the masked man groan in pain as the other man headed towards me. He reached out his hand and asked if I was okay. I replied with a weak smile and thanked him. He offered to go to his place with was close to my apartment. I wanted to deny but to be honest I have a cut on my forehead which he noticed immediately so he insisted.
That was basically the first time I met him. He literally swept me of my feet by helping me when I was in danger. But that isn’t where my story end’s. The next part is about to be a little more serious.
A month after the incident which caught the media’s eye my hero was now my best friend. I guess not being lonely isn’t that much of a bad thing. We hang out a lot these days since were basically window buddies. Yes WINDOW BUDDIES. A small glance out the window and we can already start conversing. Sometimes he would come over to my place or vice versa to watch some Netflix, play video games, have some awesome ice cream. And literally just have fun. February 14, 2024 valentine day. We were walking by the sidewalk where you can smell the enormous amount of coffee coming from Starbucks. I asked him if he was spending his valentine with a special someone and he just replied with a simple ‘’no’’. I was surprised for someone with his qualities that he was single. I tried not to bother him about it anymore so he asked me if I was free. I said yes and he took my hand and dragged me around the street to a cinema. ‘’The Notebook’’ was on and we watched it together. Considering it was a Ryan Gosling movie I burst into tears when we left the cinema. Everyone was staring so he put his arm over me and hid me in his coat. He said that the day wasn’t over yet and he brought me to a local Italian restaurant. We started digging in on some delicious pasta and wine. He asked me if I was okay and I asked him why he asked. He simply replied by revealing a rose and giving it to me. He asked me if I could be his valentine. I stood up from my seat and hugged him. As he was walking us home it started raining. He covered me again with his coat and we ran as fast as we could to a bus stop. It was too late since we were dripping wet anyways. On that day on the bus stop, shivering cold, his arms hugging me for warmth. He started singing softly to try and make me feel warmer. I ended up sleeping in his arms for the rest of the day since I was exhausted.
It’s been 3 months since we have been dating. After tremendous hard work we decided to move places and officially bought our own apartment for the two of us. To keep the originality we stayed in a close building from our former place. I wanted to travel around since life’s too short for so much things. So we packed up and travelled to Japan. It was Cherry Blossom season so it was naturally the best season to go sightseeing. We stayed at a fancy hotel and ate some awesome ramen at the restaurant. Life was good. One night he told me to come with him to the park located near the river stream. We were on the bridge and I was sitting on the railing. He held me in his arms to make sure I wouldn’t fall. We stayed like that for what felt like forever until finally he set me down and he kneeled. He said those sweet four words in the cutest way possible. And what other answer do I got but ‘’Yes!’’. A week later after returning from Japan I called my close friends about the news and they were ecstatic. I called my parents and they wanted to meet him first as usual. Since we were both Catholic we wanted to follow the tradition of the church. It took a lot of work to prepare everything. We finally got married in the bridge where he proposed because I said I liked the ducks. The scenery was beautiful and we decided to live in Japan. Work wasn’t hard to find and we kept a stable lifestyle. We kept our steadfast relationship and promised if we ever got separated by anything we would always find our way back to each other. After living out lives we had 2 daughters and 1 son. And the name of the man that saved me? His name is Rene Diaz.
Any event in the world can result to anything in the future. In this story for example if I had changed my course and never been attacked by the masked man I never would have met my ‘’savior’’ and I never would have had the same life. This project goes to show that do what will impact your life in the future and do something your future self will thank your past self. Live life to the fullest and be proud of who you are. Spread your religion and tell people what you feel if they judge you ignore them, if they insult you ignore them, if they hate you ignore them. You are who you shape yourself to be. Be thankful for everything and build your future. Life is about moving forwards and not looking back.
Submitted by: Estelle Cerutti (CN 9)
Not every story has your lovable ‘’happy ending’’. There are twists and turns, up’s and down’s, and so many other obstacles that get In the way of you trying to live your life. But in the essence of living on this earth what keeps everyone together? Love. Love is what binds our human hearts together to live a life where we can share experiences, discover new things, strengthen relationships. And even release a new figure of love to others. My story may have up’s and downs but in the end what matters is that YOU yourself is the one happy. Being alone in life is probably the saddest feeling ever since basically you have nobody to talk to, nobody to greet each day, nobody to laugh with, basically all you do benefits to yourself. And that’s actually pretty sad. Living in my little apartment never bothered me much but sometimes I felt I needed a change. One night walking home from work (which was pretty late!) I felt as if somebody was following me so I made my walking pace a little faster since I was scared and nobody was around at all. One block away from my apartment someone grabs me by the arm and hammers me to the ground. I catch myself and try to regain my vision. I quickly look over and see a tall man with a gun on his right hand and a mask to cover his identity. He ushered me to give him my purse which naturally I said no as I was trying to stand up again but in result he just pushed me again (making me fall AGAIN…). I was scared because I knew nobody was coming for me and it was dark and I should’ve taken the bus and I should’ve done so many rights but all I’ve done is wrongs. He pointed the gun to the temple. I closed my eyes because I knew it was game over but out of nowhere someone just takes the gun and kicks the masked man. In disbelief I back up a bit clutching my purse next to the lamp post. My supposed ‘’savior’’ managed to fend of the masked man. I could hear the masked man groan in pain as the other man headed towards me. He reached out his hand and asked if I was okay. I replied with a weak smile and thanked him. He offered to go to his place with was close to my apartment. I wanted to deny but to be honest I have a cut on my forehead which he noticed immediately so he insisted.
That was basically the first time I met him. He literally swept me of my feet by helping me when I was in danger. But that isn’t where my story end’s. The next part is about to be a little more serious.
A month after the incident which caught the media’s eye my hero was now my best friend. I guess not being lonely isn’t that much of a bad thing. We hang out a lot these days since were basically window buddies. Yes WINDOW BUDDIES. A small glance out the window and we can already start conversing. Sometimes he would come over to my place or vice versa to watch some Netflix, play video games, have some awesome ice cream. And literally just have fun. February 14, 2024 valentine day. We were walking by the sidewalk where you can smell the enormous amount of coffee coming from Starbucks. I asked him if he was spending his valentine with a special someone and he just replied with a simple ‘’no’’. I was surprised for someone with his qualities that he was single. I tried not to bother him about it anymore so he asked me if I was free. I said yes and he took my hand and dragged me around the street to a cinema. ‘’The Notebook’’ was on and we watched it together. Considering it was a Ryan Gosling movie I burst into tears when we left the cinema. Everyone was staring so he put his arm over me and hid me in his coat. He said that the day wasn’t over yet and he brought me to a local Italian restaurant. We started digging in on some delicious pasta and wine. He asked me if I was okay and I asked him why he asked. He simply replied by revealing a rose and giving it to me. He asked me if I could be his valentine. I stood up from my seat and hugged him. As he was walking us home it started raining. He covered me again with his coat and we ran as fast as we could to a bus stop. It was too late since we were dripping wet anyways. On that day on the bus stop, shivering cold, his arms hugging me for warmth. He started singing softly to try and make me feel warmer. I ended up sleeping in his arms for the rest of the day since I was exhausted.
It’s been 3 months since we have been dating. After tremendous hard work we decided to move places and officially bought our own apartment for the two of us. To keep the originality we stayed in a close building from our former place. I wanted to travel around since life’s too short for so much things. So we packed up and travelled to Japan. It was Cherry Blossom season so it was naturally the best season to go sightseeing. We stayed at a fancy hotel and ate some awesome ramen at the restaurant. Life was good. One night he told me to come with him to the park located near the river stream. We were on the bridge and I was sitting on the railing. He held me in his arms to make sure I wouldn’t fall. We stayed like that for what felt like forever until finally he set me down and he kneeled. He said those sweet four words in the cutest way possible. And what other answer do I got but ‘’Yes!’’. A week later after returning from Japan I called my close friends about the news and they were ecstatic. I called my parents and they wanted to meet him first as usual. Since we were both Catholic we wanted to follow the tradition of the church. It took a lot of work to prepare everything. We finally got married in the bridge where he proposed because I said I liked the ducks. The scenery was beautiful and we decided to live in Japan. Work wasn’t hard to find and we kept a stable lifestyle. We kept our steadfast relationship and promised if we ever got separated by anything we would always find our way back to each other. After living out lives we had 2 daughters and 1 son. And the name of the man that saved me? His name is Rene Diaz.
Any event in the world can result to anything in the future. In this story for example if I had changed my course and never been attacked by the masked man I never would have met my ‘’savior’’ and I never would have had the same life. This project goes to show that do what will impact your life in the future and do something your future self will thank your past self. Live life to the fullest and be proud of who you are. Spread your religion and tell people what you feel if they judge you ignore them, if they insult you ignore them, if they hate you ignore them. You are who you shape yourself to be. Be thankful for everything and build your future. Life is about moving forwards and not looking back.
"ATC Starbucks"
"ATC Starbucks"
Jemima Racal of 9F (CN : 29)
First day of school, School Year 2014-2015. The first day that I met you. When I first looked at you, you caught my eye. There was something in you that really got my attention. Was it your charming looks? Or your gorgeous eyes? I think it’s the way you smile. Your smile is exquisite. It can make the whole room brighten up. The bell rang signaling us to go inside the room. Our adviser made us introduced ourselves and you were the first one to be picked. You said you were James Allas. Based from the way you talk, it seems that you’re a nice guy. I really wanted to be close to you. While walking with my friend at the Art building, I saw an ID on the floor. I picked it up and I was shocked to see whot the owner was. It was you. My friend teased me that we were meant to be because of all the people in the school who could’ve lost their ID, and of all the people who could’ve pick it, it was I. The next day, I returned it to you and you flashed a smile and said thanks. I was so happy that day. No one could take the smile off my face. One day, our adviser decided to change our seating plan because our class was noisy. Luckily, you were seated next to me. I felt like the happiest girl alive. But the problem was, that I don’t know how to break the ice. I was a very shy girl and I don’t know what to do. Good thing you were friendly and talkative. You would talk to me everyday asking me about my life and me returning the questions. We became very close. You would always text me everynight and every morning. One day you invited me to come with you to see a movie. I was so happy. I picked my most beautiful clothes and fixed my self. You said to meet you in front of starbucks at ATC, 2pm sharp. I’ve waited for you there. Minutes have passed. Minutes then turned into hours. I was really heartbroken. I texted you but you didn’t reply. The next day I didn’t talk to you. You said you were sorry. That something came up. I believed you because I know you were telling the truth. You said you’d make it up to me so you gave me a stuffed bear. You said that I could always think of you before I go to sleep. People taught that we are in a relationship but you said that we were only best friends and that you like someone else. I was really hurt but I know it’s my fault. So I tried to move on. Valentine’s day was approaching and you asked me to help you court Angela Arcaño. Me, being the masochist that I was, agreed. Even though it was really heartbreaking to see the both of you happy, I still decided to be your bestfriend. My friends call me stupid because I know I’m just hurting my self. But I don’t want to let you down. Years passed, and you became distant from me. You were too busy with your girlfriend that you forgot me, your bestfriend. We entered college in the same university, we sometimes bump into each other but you didn’t even bother to say hi. One day, we were assigned to be partners in our thesis. After many years, you finally talked to me. It was awkward at first but eventually we became friends again. After a few months, I sensed something weird about you. You were sweeter to me. One day during Valentine’s Day, you confessed your feelings to me. I said that my feelings never changed and that I really love you. Since then we were inseperable. You started courting me, and after a few months I said yes. After our graduation in college, you asked me to go to a restaurant. When I went inside, I was surprised because it was dark. Then a spotlight was pointed at you. You serenaded me. The way you sang made me fall inlove with you even more. You picked something from you backpocket and opened it. Inside was a diamond ring, you then asked me a question that I was waiting my whole life. “Will you marry me?” I said yes. I was crying of pure happiness. It was the bestest day of my life.
We decided to get to have 2 weddings. One here in the Philippines, at Fernbrook Gardens and one in Maldives. We decided to visit Fernbrook Gardens to see the place. It was huge. Our wedding planner asked us about our motif, she made us taste the food and the likes. A month before our wedding the priest talked to us. He said “Be Completely Humble And Gentle; Be Patient, Bearing With One Another In Love. Make Every Effort To Keep The Unity Of The Spirit Through The Bond Of Peace.” (– Ephesians 4:2-3) We kept that in mind and we also promised to put God in the center of our relationship. One week before the wedding and we were so excited, we checked the venue, flowers, food and escpecially the cake. We hired photographers and videographers to our wedding. My maid of honor was my long time bestfriend, Bea Aguilar and our bestman was his brother.Our first wedding happened on March 28, the day when he proposed to me. As I walk down the aisle, the singer started singing our weddng song. “Hi ,Girl you just caught my eye. Thought I should give it try And get your name & your number….” I saw that you were crying. I was crying too. My dad then offered his arm and we continued walking down the aisle. On the end of the aisle, I hugged my father real tight. I also hugged my mother. My dad said to you, “Take care of my daughter for the rest of your life.” He then hugged you and patted you on the back. You offered your arm and I took it. We exchange vows and wore our rings. "By the power vested in me,I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride ". I looked at the people in the crowd. Everyone was happy for us. Especially my love ones, mom, dad and my whole family. After that we traveled to Maldives and had our 2nd wedding there. It’s seems surreal. It’s like my whole world stopped. I was indeed the happiest and luckiest girl in the world. It’s like you were the missing piece in my heart. You were the ying to my yang. My other half. I wouldn’t wish for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with other than you. You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine. The day after our wedding in Maldives, I made you promise that you wouldn’t love any other girl besides me. You said “I can’t promise you that. How about our daughter? Hahaha” I still remember the memories that we shared, the firsts that we had. Our first kiss, first hug, first travel together etc. It still feels like yesterday even though that 10 years have passed. But even though 10 years have passed, my love for you is still as great as we were back in high school. It never lessened but it only grew more and more now that we have our own children. As of know I am proud to say that, we can prove that there is such thing as forever.
This project helped me open my eyes about human relationships and marriage. We should know that every realtionship faces problems, but with the help of God, we can fix it. We should also go with the flow. God knows what’s best for you. People always say that if you’re really meant to be, then fate and destiny will always find a way to make your ends meet. So if you are having a bad time with your partner, you should always pray to God and put Him at the center of your relationship. Marriage is a very serious thing and we should not play around with it. We should only do it if you think he/she is “The One”. Marriage is a commitment that can’t be undone. We should only do it if we’re very very sure. Many people are suffering right now because they committed to the wrong person. They thought that they were kind, loving etc. but they were wrong. I learned that we should really know your partner by heart, so that you may lessen misunderstandings and problems in the future.
Jemima Racal of 9F (CN : 29)
First day of school, School Year 2014-2015. The first day that I met you. When I first looked at you, you caught my eye. There was something in you that really got my attention. Was it your charming looks? Or your gorgeous eyes? I think it’s the way you smile. Your smile is exquisite. It can make the whole room brighten up. The bell rang signaling us to go inside the room. Our adviser made us introduced ourselves and you were the first one to be picked. You said you were James Allas. Based from the way you talk, it seems that you’re a nice guy. I really wanted to be close to you. While walking with my friend at the Art building, I saw an ID on the floor. I picked it up and I was shocked to see whot the owner was. It was you. My friend teased me that we were meant to be because of all the people in the school who could’ve lost their ID, and of all the people who could’ve pick it, it was I. The next day, I returned it to you and you flashed a smile and said thanks. I was so happy that day. No one could take the smile off my face. One day, our adviser decided to change our seating plan because our class was noisy. Luckily, you were seated next to me. I felt like the happiest girl alive. But the problem was, that I don’t know how to break the ice. I was a very shy girl and I don’t know what to do. Good thing you were friendly and talkative. You would talk to me everyday asking me about my life and me returning the questions. We became very close. You would always text me everynight and every morning. One day you invited me to come with you to see a movie. I was so happy. I picked my most beautiful clothes and fixed my self. You said to meet you in front of starbucks at ATC, 2pm sharp. I’ve waited for you there. Minutes have passed. Minutes then turned into hours. I was really heartbroken. I texted you but you didn’t reply. The next day I didn’t talk to you. You said you were sorry. That something came up. I believed you because I know you were telling the truth. You said you’d make it up to me so you gave me a stuffed bear. You said that I could always think of you before I go to sleep. People taught that we are in a relationship but you said that we were only best friends and that you like someone else. I was really hurt but I know it’s my fault. So I tried to move on. Valentine’s day was approaching and you asked me to help you court Angela Arcaño. Me, being the masochist that I was, agreed. Even though it was really heartbreaking to see the both of you happy, I still decided to be your bestfriend. My friends call me stupid because I know I’m just hurting my self. But I don’t want to let you down. Years passed, and you became distant from me. You were too busy with your girlfriend that you forgot me, your bestfriend. We entered college in the same university, we sometimes bump into each other but you didn’t even bother to say hi. One day, we were assigned to be partners in our thesis. After many years, you finally talked to me. It was awkward at first but eventually we became friends again. After a few months, I sensed something weird about you. You were sweeter to me. One day during Valentine’s Day, you confessed your feelings to me. I said that my feelings never changed and that I really love you. Since then we were inseperable. You started courting me, and after a few months I said yes. After our graduation in college, you asked me to go to a restaurant. When I went inside, I was surprised because it was dark. Then a spotlight was pointed at you. You serenaded me. The way you sang made me fall inlove with you even more. You picked something from you backpocket and opened it. Inside was a diamond ring, you then asked me a question that I was waiting my whole life. “Will you marry me?” I said yes. I was crying of pure happiness. It was the bestest day of my life.
We decided to get to have 2 weddings. One here in the Philippines, at Fernbrook Gardens and one in Maldives. We decided to visit Fernbrook Gardens to see the place. It was huge. Our wedding planner asked us about our motif, she made us taste the food and the likes. A month before our wedding the priest talked to us. He said “Be Completely Humble And Gentle; Be Patient, Bearing With One Another In Love. Make Every Effort To Keep The Unity Of The Spirit Through The Bond Of Peace.” (– Ephesians 4:2-3) We kept that in mind and we also promised to put God in the center of our relationship. One week before the wedding and we were so excited, we checked the venue, flowers, food and escpecially the cake. We hired photographers and videographers to our wedding. My maid of honor was my long time bestfriend, Bea Aguilar and our bestman was his brother.Our first wedding happened on March 28, the day when he proposed to me. As I walk down the aisle, the singer started singing our weddng song. “Hi ,Girl you just caught my eye. Thought I should give it try And get your name & your number….” I saw that you were crying. I was crying too. My dad then offered his arm and we continued walking down the aisle. On the end of the aisle, I hugged my father real tight. I also hugged my mother. My dad said to you, “Take care of my daughter for the rest of your life.” He then hugged you and patted you on the back. You offered your arm and I took it. We exchange vows and wore our rings. "By the power vested in me,I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride ". I looked at the people in the crowd. Everyone was happy for us. Especially my love ones, mom, dad and my whole family. After that we traveled to Maldives and had our 2nd wedding there. It’s seems surreal. It’s like my whole world stopped. I was indeed the happiest and luckiest girl in the world. It’s like you were the missing piece in my heart. You were the ying to my yang. My other half. I wouldn’t wish for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with other than you. You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine. The day after our wedding in Maldives, I made you promise that you wouldn’t love any other girl besides me. You said “I can’t promise you that. How about our daughter? Hahaha” I still remember the memories that we shared, the firsts that we had. Our first kiss, first hug, first travel together etc. It still feels like yesterday even though that 10 years have passed. But even though 10 years have passed, my love for you is still as great as we were back in high school. It never lessened but it only grew more and more now that we have our own children. As of know I am proud to say that, we can prove that there is such thing as forever.
This project helped me open my eyes about human relationships and marriage. We should know that every realtionship faces problems, but with the help of God, we can fix it. We should also go with the flow. God knows what’s best for you. People always say that if you’re really meant to be, then fate and destiny will always find a way to make your ends meet. So if you are having a bad time with your partner, you should always pray to God and put Him at the center of your relationship. Marriage is a very serious thing and we should not play around with it. We should only do it if you think he/she is “The One”. Marriage is a commitment that can’t be undone. We should only do it if we’re very very sure. Many people are suffering right now because they committed to the wrong person. They thought that they were kind, loving etc. but they were wrong. I learned that we should really know your partner by heart, so that you may lessen misunderstandings and problems in the future.
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