Servabo Fidem

Today marks the feast of Saint John Mary Vianney, patron saint of all diocesan priests.  Perhaps, among the struggle-to-victory stories I've heard, nothing can beat St. John's life story. Have you ever been in a situation in which all you can do is just ask yourself, "Can you really accomplish this?" I have always been in this very same state wherein I kept putting myself down and always at the brink of giving up.  "The saints did not all begin well, but they all ended well." -SJMV This quotation of him serves as my daily inspiration to live a holy life. Though stained by a great amount of sin and wickedness, this replenish my hope to start again. I always dreamt of becoming a saint -- being in the presence of God. Yet, everyday I kept on stumbling and falling into sin. Likewise, SJMV, as I used to address him, is a living proof of struggling too much yet he was able to attain the most glorious end -- sainthood.   In his early life as a semina...

What makes people unholy is that the belief that they are holy enough and worthy enough of the graces and blessings they receive. This reminds me of one of my favorite lines in the song Glory to God; "For You alone are the Holy One..." Humility and the feeling of unworthiness both add colors and flavors to our daily life. Sometimes, we are blinded by honor and praises that we forgot to acknowledge the True Source of greatness-- Jesus. I have read a number of biographies of saints and I saw one common denominator on their road to sainthood. All of them, no matter what vocation they are in, looked at their selves and acknowledged their unworthiness and sinfulness yet hoping and clinging to God's mercy and love. One who aspires for sainthood doesn't necessarily mean you are qualified because of your just deeds. In my own opinion, salvation is not a reward for the good things you have done on earth. Hence, it is the fruit of our response to His love. He alone is t...

Don't get stuck in life. Life is always moving forward. There were plenty of moments in my life  that I got stuck into. During those times, I felt helpless and weak. I am fragile yet broken. Life is tough, and oftentimes it knocks me down. When life punches me with numerous adversities, I just sit back and look at things in the way I want them to be. I ought to form good illusions yet the reality is I really don't know how to figure this out and I just want to cry and die and surrender and get lost... Have you experienced solving a problem then right after it there comes another problem? Sometimes I got tired, no, not sometimes, always. I get tired easily. I tend to surrender right away, but it's ironic that the more I surrender, the more I fight... the more I give up, the more I push through. Yea, that's weird. That's me. Life is a puzzle that we need to solve. This is my first notion of life. I thought that we just need to analyze everything about life the...

In the past millennium, the Philippines became renowned as the nation of loving and sweet people. These echoes around the world. Filipino people are known for their hospitality, close family ties and religiosity. In fact, the Philippines is the only country in the world that holds the dignity of Christian marriage and therefore the only Christian country in Asia. This is who we were. Changes drastically came. In a time when people are so hungry for change that they would have somebody lead them because they believed that that person will quench their thirst for safety and protection. Nothing is bad here, I had the same decision too during that time. What is alarming here is the fact that we decided to have him as our leader is because just like him, we hate crimes, we hate violence, we hate killings, we hate other barbaric activities, we hate corruption... and this list goes on. Isn't it quite ironic? We despised those things yet it just turned out that we just became as barba...

When I was younger, I am fascinated by the thought of heaven -- including angels who guard us, saints who pray for us, a Mother that keeps me under her mantle, and a loving and amazing God. The very first prayer I was able to memorize and to recite with my whole self is the prayer to our guardian angel, the Angel of God prayer. As I grew up, I know I am continuously stained by sin -- in all forms, I guess. I was mindful of my sins and I truly get embarrassed by them. I cannot imagine myself who at first wears the purest of the purest of white clothing then fell into a muddy pit. I cannot handle to think what God thinks of me, on how disappointed He is. If only I could be stronger to resist every temptation that will come along. Photo not mine. "Hope anchors the soul." - Hebrews 6:19 Hope is the anchor that prevents us from drifting. Winds and storms will always try to destroy us and separate us to God. What is important is we do not lose "HOPE" in H...

I have been dealing with this tremendous pain about 5 months already. It was a horrible feeling and I hate it. I just want to get rid of it. I want to be free again -- to be happy. I kept asking myself everyday, "How can I survive this?" Searching for answers is not easy, hell no. It drains all my energy and hope every single day. I woke up looking for reasons yet going back to bed without any. It sucks. I even dared God to explain everything to me. And yes, I even blamed Him. I guess that's normal. I felt alone and abandoned during those times. I can't even go to my closest friend, to my most trusted buddy, or even to my parents. I think they will not understand any of these fucking feelings. After a week of desperate seeking for an explanation, I gave up and finally decided just to survive. I definitely don't have any idea of how to begin again, on how to revive my life. I just chose to move forward, little by little. I cried for the reason why I am...