Tiwala Lang!

     As single young professional, people around me are thinking as I am living in abundance. I have work, no responsibilities to look into. They are thinking that when salary day comes, I have bundles of money for my wants. My friends and family members are thinking the same way.

     They don’t know that as single professional like me working outside from my local place, my salary is allocated to the following expenditures:

• House rent
• Water bill
• Electric bill
• Load expenses (Call, Text, Cable & Internet)
• Food Allowance (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and unlimited snacks)
• Transportation Expenses (monthly amortization, fuel & maintenance as if may car, motorcycle only)
• Sanitary Supplies and Groceries (including toiletries and dishwashing liquid among others)
• Support Allowance (As eldest of the family, I need to support a loving mother, 2 beautiful sisters in college who patiently waiting for their allowance every salary time and 3 sisters with their adorable children.)
• Debt Reduction (Credit Cards)
• Tithings (Still crossing my fingers that I can give 10% of my net salary. Yet to come. )
• Savings (It ended up spending for emergency. Every month there is an emergency. No explanation follows. )

     Sad to say, I don’t have a budget for:

• Clothing
• Insurance
•  Vacation

     This is the reality of my daily living. Sometimes, I ask myself if “I work to live or I live to work”. Either of the two I choose to live. Live simply or simply live. Whatever is right, I will just live with God in me.

     

This is the actual contents of
my coin purse

At times or most of the time, I faced financial problems, yet not really a problem to me. If I open my coin purse (I don’t use wallet since it seemed useless if don’t have something to put in there.), I am always reminded that “God will provide.” written in a certain of paper. (The only treasure I cannot change into something because its everything to me. It might not be financial but more so of spiritual in times of dryness.)

     Really, the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways. It is always a reminder to us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… – Galatians 5:22-23. We need to be sensitive and listen to God’s Spirit to flow from our heart. When we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us, His fruit begin to gradually grow in us. We cannot help but share them to others. We are not the only one blessed with them, but also the people we encounter in our daily lives. Let us always allow the Divine Spirit to work in us and through us. 

Relationship Goal

       Relationship comes with trust. It is when partners usually consider this as the foundation of commitment. However, in the journey together, there might be times one will fall from sin and able to regain trust and save relationship through reconciliation. The broken jar is not the same jar when you assemble it, also to the trust one has established.

            My friend had his girlfriend who seemed to be so critical of his schedules and company that she needs to know it in details, every detail we should say (harsh!). If my friend went to go out with us, he usually took photos of each of us (so we took a pose as if it was candid), what food he ate, the status for every five minutes and even having a video call during our night out (Prior to that she allowed him to come with us, we don't what happened after that). I really adored the patience of that brother. But on the other side, I felt disturbed on how he reacts when he did that with us around. According to him, there were times he needs to take photos with electric fan, rice cooker and even his wet clothes while he had the laundry (really fantastic!). Still at times, she's not convinced. OMG! He said that he is doing that for his girlfriend to really believe what he is doing. Seeing is believing, he added. He is amenable that he fell from darkness before but he is convinced that he is true and in the right at the present. Also, he believes that his past will not totally define who he is in the present. Out of pure love, he wanted to prove to his girlfriend that no matter what, he wants to pursue her. Though at times, he underlines that his girlfriend is historical and hysterical in nature (probably true).

       From that story of a friend, I used to really think of how believing comes to an end with trust and so with faith. Is it truly to say that to see is to believe? How this works in reality? And how about those cannot see or perceive by our senses? Can we question that of their existence? Or can we consider as part of whole reality? Whatever personal belief it is, it can form a strong foundation of what to believe and why to believe. Knowing on what to believe really matters. It is difficult to convince ourselves without knowing such. Knowing requires us to understand not just giving superficial description of perceived reality but more so on relating ourselves to it.

       Looking backward when I took up my Philosophy, I encountered this one of the most interesting people in the history of the church, St. Augustine of Hippo. Seemingly, his writings and works on faith and reason contribute to Christianity as what it is today. In his “The City of God”, I found it very hard to fathom but still amazed the grandiose view of the eternal struggle between good and evil. The most interesting part I have learned from him is his dictum that "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe". This struck me every time I am in doubt and in uncertainties. In Hebrews 11:1, it was supported this proposition saying that "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith here is not just a mere faith to anything but the Faith with respect, reverence and awe to Jesus Christ.

       As of now, my friend and his girlfriend took a break and prayerfully tried to work on their trust issues. Before going further, they wanted to settle concerning their trust, commitment and faith.  They look forward to hold on that trust not by mere perception but of believing things beyond the eyes can see for the reward would be strong foundation of their relationship. In the same way, the reward of faith is to see what you believe, and we believe in eternal life in Jesus Christ.

The Goodness Within

   

The Buzz Group (Begonia 14) wearing
their goody smile. 

 It is two days after RLTC. I cannot contain the happiness I felt when I experienced and sensed the sharing of my brothers and sisters during the event. It was spirit filled gathering of the faithful. I renewed commitment and revivified experience with the Lord. I felt joyful and fulfilled serving the Lord with people who understand you with common track in the light of the Holy Spirit.

     The same with the teaching of our readings today brothers, (Galatians 5:1-6 – First Reading) Paul realizes that salvation depends on grace and not merely on following the Law. As disciples of Jesus, we must learn to surrender our lives to this grace and allow the Holy Spirit to show us how to live. The Law is still a guide, but the Spirit will help us understand the Law based on our individual situations. This is what Paul means when he says that we live by the Spirit and not the flesh.

     Our Gospel (Luke 11:37-41) talks about the kind of Servant He is. Jesus serves. Full of humility

despite the Divinity He has, Jesus gives Himself to us for our own sustenance, healing and growth especially during the celebration of sacraments. He has come to serve, not to be served, and this is how He lived His life. Jesus does not demand that His divinity be acknowledged — He does what His Father asks Him to do.  We should follow His lead and serve whether we are recognized or not for our service.

     Like in the Gospel brothers, we are like that Pharisee. We observe much of the conventional rules. Men might focus on the external but God definitely looks at the heart, at what’s within. In the first reading we may quote, “but only faith working through love.”

    Today, the Lord reminds us to look at what’s invisible to the eye. And there’s more to it than just empty external rituals. Let us pray to the Lord brothers to purify our thoughts and motivations.