coms2345

2006-02-26T16:31:00.009-08:00

Step 10

I was then an elementary student when my family experience financial crisis. On my young age I was force to work in the farm so that in one form or another I could help my parents especially in finances on our daily needs. In that time my parents has no stable job and that is why we always experience food shortage, etc. I could still remember the hardships and difficulties that my family had undergone on that time.
Even though we encountered difficulties and hardships yet we are still happy and contented of what we have. Recalling on those events my inspirations on that time is my family and most especially God. Through them I remain strong every time I encounter hardships and difficulties. I gain a new hope because of them. Through those events I could still remember how God manifested His goodness to me and to my family. God shows his goodness by means to the instrumentality of other people. He uses people to uplift the lives of others. Even though we experience difficulties still then God’s goodness is always working in us. As one of the song would say “God will make a way when there seems to be no way, He works in ways we cannot see he will make a way for me”. The message of the song is certainly true because even in silence God’s goodness is still working.
God is always ready to help every person in need. But the only thing that God asking us to do is to surrender ourselves to Him. Even though we always fall in sin, but then God forgiveness is always available. God is always present in our midst and ready to forgive us from our trespasses. Even how many times we commit mistakes.
Like what had happen to the story of the “Prodigal Son”, in some way or another I also experience what the prodigal had experience. I experience to be forgiven of the sins I have committed and the joy you will experience after you are forgiven. An experience of an unexpected joy. A joy that would somehow uplift my dignity and my whole being. And the other important point of the parable is the recognition of the son of his sinfulness and nothingness before the father. In one way or another by way recognizing our sins before God is a way also to experience His immeasurable love and compassion. Maybe in human understanding and conditions God’s goodness is a foolish action but then if we would reflect and discern on the things that He has done to us I can certainly assure that the God that we believe is not the God of illusions but the God of reality. The God of Love and of Mercy

2006-02-26T16:31:00.008-08:00

Step 9

In the present time many people are not convinced that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. They are not convinced with the good things that had done while he was on earth. They even accused Jesus as friend of the devil. Maybe there are factors why those people do not believe Jesus as the Christ or as Son of God. One factor that I could imagine was maybe the family background of Jesus. They could not accept the humanity of Jesus. They are expecting a messiah that somehow would liberate them from the political oppression of invaders in their time and they never saw this characteristic to Jesus. They could not accept that Jesus is the God of the whole universe, because of how Jesus revealed Himself to the world. He revealed himself in the humblest way in which the Jews never expected. They are not even convinced with His miracles.
For them the revelations and all the mysterious things that He had made are not strong evidences to be believe that He is the Lord. For me they are not convinced that Jesus is God because they are mainly men of suspicions. Their minds are full of doubts and they are being enslaved by their ideologies. Their minds would always ask or question the person of Jesus. Maybe there are another reasons why those people or atheists do not believe on God. Maybe of their negative or tragic experiences in the past that leads them not to believe in God. These possible factors are just only few reasons why people tend to give up their faith or just never believing in God at all.
In the time of Jesus’ ministry, many time that Jesus being by the people around Him. There are times that his teachings were being ignored. He is even insulted and challenge by the elders of His time. The people around Him always question his teachings. Their rejections to Jesus are concrete manifestations that don’t want to accept Jesus as the Lord.. They have no faith on Jesus because they are being blinded by their idealisms and expectations. They become self-centered to the extent that they close their minds and hearts to understand Jesus’ teachings and good deeds. For me I can say that self-centeredness is also a reason why people reject Jesus’ teachings. Like what happened to the part of the Pharisees and Sadducees where in they always claim that they are good, righteous and holy. They force people to obey and believe to what they taught. They always present themselves as authoritative teachers.
As we look on how the Pharisees and Sadducees live their life we can say that they are being slaved by their behavior of self-centeredness. They preached to the people but not in harmony with what they do. Being self-centered is also a reason why other people could not escape from their false self. If one could overcome self-centeredness it can be a way to escape from false self to the true self. And also it can be a way to become open to others or to be other-centered. If a certain individual reach this point he can start to open himself by way of listening and responding to others. He is now ready to understand and believe what he has heard from others and from God. There is now an expression of acceptance and appreciation to God.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.007-08:00

Step 8

From the Old Testament God revealed Himself so mysteriously that somehow cannot be fathom by mere human understanding. In the time of the patriarchs we can easily noticed the mysteriousness of the revelations that God manifested to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each of them has a unique experience on the revelations of God (Yahweh). They encounter God face to face or in a form of dialogue. They encounter God in that way, because first of all God Himself wanted to fulfill His covenant to them especially the covenant He made to Adam and Eve. Or in other way they encounter God in such manner because of the great purpose. A purpose that would benefit the entire human race. Their encounter of God is somehow unexpected, because for them they never expect that God will reveal to them in a very surprising manner. Maybe those who experience the direct revelation of God are so fortunate enough. Fortunate in the sense that only few people are granted and blessed by God to see Him face to face.
For me in our present time we don’t any more to see God or encounter Him face to face so as to believe that He really exist. What we need is to discover Him through our experience and not only base on what we learned on our school, but most especially through our encounter with Him day by day. What I am saying is that knowing God in our more basic experiences and even to our prayers. We don’t need so much rationalization in order to justify our experience of God but through the openness of our minds and hearts we can totally affirm that God is really in our midst.
Maybe the way we encounter God is not something physical encounter but rather in a spiritual way or in affective level. Based on my experience I encounter God by way of recognizing the blessings and goodness that he have shown to me. When I am just a second year college student I experienced to be hospitalized for almost two weeks because I got a disease that somehow threatened my life. On that time I’ve never expect that I could recover from that sickness but then through the goodness of God he give me another chance to live. Through that concrete experience of mine certainly I could say that God is always with us. He will give us more than what we expect. For me that experience of mine is just one of my experiences how God really revealed Himself.
For me there is no need for God to reveal Himself to every human in a face-to-face encounter because since from the beginning of human life he already revealed himself in countless ways. What we need is that, a deep reflection and prayer in everything what we do. For me through deep reflection and prayer we can deepen our knowledge about God and authenticate his real abiding presence in us.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.006-08:00

Step 7

Sufferings are normal things happening all over the world. Injustices and other forms of crimes that would somehow destroy human life are things happened ordinarily. There are a lot of poor people, beggars and uneducated men being exploited. There are lots of human discrimination happening in different level of human society. There are many diseases evolving in the different environment and some scientists could not find any medication or solutions. Tragedies are happening everywhere and even in an unexpected moment. If we begin to reflect about the things that had happen we can easily formulate questions that are closely related to the events. Questions that somehow would search about the real reasons why do these things happen in a very easy way.
I could still remember one of the tragic events happened in US, mainly the destruction of the twin towers. In which on that tragic event many people lost their lives. In that event the whole world mourned. Through that event I began to ask and ponder why do such thing must happen. In my part it is so difficult and fathom the real reason of that event. It needs more justifications and reflections before that event could be comprehend. Maybe for me the main reason or the cause why do such thing happen it is of the fanatic people who are responsible of it. It is so difficult to analyze why do such people must do that kind of atrocity. It seems that they are happy when they perform crimes. Maybe their environment is influencing them to do immoral activities. Maybe they do bad things; it is because of their erroneous knowledge about the correct morality. Maybe they are just ignorant for the real teachings of morality and that is why they continue to do immoralities. Looking on the different angles that I presented of the causes of evil, maybe these are just few reasons why do such immoral things happen.
As I reflecting the different reasons I have come to a realization that maybe the main reason why do such thing happen is because of erroneous conscience of those people who are responsible. Maybe the conscience that they have is erroneous. Erroneous in the sense that they fail to classify what is really correct or moral act? Their minds are being poisoned by the different principles of extremism or fanaticism. If one mind is poison by unwise principles it can be a beginning to develop a certain distorted conscience. For me in checking different principles one must be prudent enough. One must have a strong foundation on the true teachings of morality. He must be always aware to the different teachings around him so that he cannot be easily carried by those teachings. But before that one must learn how to check or examine his or her own conscience. Through examen of conscience one can easily understand and discover the authentic principles of life. If one is able to attain these principles he can transcend from the erroneous principles.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.005-08:00

Step 6

It was last week of March that my classmates and I graduated in college. It was one of my memorable days of my life. In that time I could still remember and feel the happiness that we have experienced on that event. I could able to see the happiness in the faces of every person, especially in the part of the benefactors, parents and friends who attended that graduation rite. I was overjoyed on that time; it seems that all my burdens and worries of my college years were all gone. I can equate it as victory on my part, because for almost four years in living inside the seminary I was able to pass all the difficulties and hardships that I have encountered.
In the night after our graduation my classmates and I agreed to have a batch outing and it will be held in one of the beaches on our place. After our batch meeting it was followed by individual colloquium. It is a meeting of individual seminarians to the formators, were in the seminarians are asked by the formators whether they want to continue in theologate or not. In my part I decided to continue in theologate. In the time that I received the result of the colloquium I felt so happy, because my decision to continue was granted by the formators. I found out also that mostly of my classmates would like in continue in theologate and mostly are granted to their decisions.
After that event we had our outing. Again I felt so happy on that time, because it is a big celebration. It is time were we can talk and shared about our future plans. I could still remember the happiness and joy of that time. After that outing every one of us return to our different respective towns. One week later I found out that some of my classmates decided not to continue in theology. On the moment that I have received that message I was totally frustrated, because those classmates of mine that decided not to continue are the persons who encourage me to continue.
Through that event that had happened I come to a question that “Is this God wants to happen? Maybe this question on that moment I cannot easily answer but one thing I am sure that God allow it to happen because of a purpose. Every action that human being perform has a purpose even if the human faculty cannot easily understand it, but time will come that the purpose of those events will be reveal. While I am recalling on those past experiences, in my part I affirm that those events allowed by God to happen, because of the greater purpose. And it is my part also to discover and know that purpose. In my realization about my experiences that God is really acting on those events. That God is always with us. “He is with us” is not only on the times that we are experiencing happiness but also in the times that we experience desolations and failures. He is with always us to help us in our discernment and decision-making.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.004-08:00

Step 5

Men as we are we experience happiness and difficulties. We do things that somehow will satisfy our wants and desires. We continue to fulfill our own dreams and ambitions in life. Human as we are we continue to do these things in order to compensate our deeper longing and inner desires. Through our journey we continue search the things that somehow would fill in the vacant part of our inner being. Through our journey we unfold the different mysteries that binds our inner self.
In my part it is very unsatisfying if I could not achieve what I want in life. On my experienced that before I reach this stage of life, I encounter different situations in which I cannot understand my whole being. There is something inside of me that I could not explain. Even though I acquired many things (money, friends, fame etc.), but then I really feel that they’re still something lacking on me. Inspite of leisure and comforts that I have experienced; yet still I am not contented with these things. I continually realized that there is an inner restlessness happening inside of me. I found out that this inner restlessness happens because it’s already the effect of the things that enslave me, namely pleasures and desires. These pleasures and selfish desires are the main reasons why I experience this kind of restlessness. These things are sometimes become center of my life, that is why I was not able to realize that there are things that are more higher than these. Like St. Augustine I also experience what he had experience, mainly self-restlessness. Whatever attempt I perform in order to solve that restlessness yet mostly I often fail. I undergo constant process in order to solve this restlessness. I found out that by way of letting go of my own selfish desires it can be help in solving this inner self-restlessness. Since that I let go my selfish desires I experience an inner freedom, which somehow leads me to reflect and understand my experience of self- restlessness. Through that process I began to ask myself what is really my purpose in this world? Does God created me in order to fulfill my own desires or His desires? I come out to a realization that God created me not without a purpose but with a purpose.
We are created in this world not only to fulfill our own desires but most especially to fulfill the will of God. All of us have purpose but before this purpose would be realize, first of all we must learn on how to focus ourselves to God. By way focusing ourselves to Him we can able to recognize our own restlessness. And through this recognition of our own restlessness we can able to solve this problem within us. Through focusing ourselves to God we can attain inner freedom and self-contentment. Through God alone we can attain our own purpose in this world. We can able to fill in the missing part of our being by surrendering to Him, because He is the only one who can gives us the completeness of our own being.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.003-08:00

Step 4

When I was still a young boy, my mother and my auntie would often told me that I will not listen to them God will punish naughty children. I often hear that word if I will not eat my food or not cleaning the plates or not fixing my bedroom. This experience of my mine somehow gives an impression to me of who God is in my own understanding. On that young age I develop a picture of God, as a God that is a Punisher. The one who punish naughty children, especially those children who never listen or obey to their parents’ advices. Through that experience it contributed a lot to the development of my certain behavior, mainly the extreme fear of God. That fear gives me a very negative picture of God. I look God not only as a Punisher but a ferocious God.
Every time I commit mistakes there are lots of things that will appear in my mind, mainly that God will punish me or will got angry with me or even he will not listen to my prayers. These things would often appear in my mind maybe because of the wrong learning that I have gain from the people around me, mainly to my family and to the environment were I came from. There are also times that I equate God, as a perfectionist God. For me he does not like a person who commits mistakes that’s why in mind he wants that people must act perfectly or do without mistakes. Maybe these false images of God that develops in my mind are just products of my fears to different things, like nightmares, horrible experiences or tragedies, etc. I also remember my past experience about what had happened to my father. I was then a seven-year-old boy when my father met an accident. On that accident my father was severely injured. Because of that event I develop another false image of God, as a God that has no concern to his people.
Those events that had happened in my life it takes a lot time in my part before I totally understand why do such things must happen. Reflecting on the different false images of God that I perceived in my childhood years I come out to the understanding that those images develop in me, it is because of my own immaturities. Mainly those immaturities rooted to the lack of real trust or faith in God. Immaturities are hindrances in discovering the real image of God. I firmly that by way of transcending from one own immaturities, one can reached the authentic image of God.
Sometimes we come develop false images of God, it is because of our own biases and prejudices that preoccupied in our hearts and minds. In order to escape from the false images of God one must be aware of his own immaturities. If one able to transcend from his or her immaturities he can now venture to know the real image of God. Not a God who is confined to human minds but a real and authentic God who is always present. A God who is not a Punisher or a dictator but a God whose goodness and love overflows. A God who is not came from our immaturities or a God of illusions but rather a God of reality. He is the God who is always searching for us and the One who continue inviting us to be with Him in His kingdom.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.002-08:00

Step 3

It’s been an old problem proving whether God really exist or not. Even in the olden times, men of wisdom, particularly the philosophers tried to prove the existence of God, mainly by means of reason and knowledge that they have gained or acquired. Most of them proved the existence of God like a mathematical problem or a specimen being brought to the laboratory for investigation. By doing this, they create their own principles in proving God existence. They based their principles on their understanding and intellectual discovery. They make judgments in accordance with the propositions of their own making. This way of proving God’s existence is not totally reliable, because in the first place we cannot equate God as only physical reality. He is beyond what is physical. He is spiritual in nature.
That’s why those people who want to prove the existence of God only by their understanding or by reasons alone they still miss the complete proofs of God’s existence. There are truths about God which human reasons and sciences cannot explain, because reasons and sciences cannot totally fathom the deeper essence of God. There are truths about God that can only be known through individual personal experience. As we all know, through our own experience we can learn and the learning that we can get in our experience is something that cannot be refuted.
Once we experience God in our life, it is then that we can totally affirm that God really exists. Those people, who are promoting that God does not exist, maybe have reached the conclusions that God does not exist, maybe because they never experienced the real presence of God in their life. It is also possible that God revealed to them, but they failed to recognize his presence among them.
There is a need for individual to experience and recognize the presence of God so that their faith in God will have life. Because it is useless to believe in God were in the first place you never experience him. In order to appreciate the presence of God, one must recognized his existence and this recognition of God’s existence could be done only through personal encounter with Him.
There must be a personal encounter with he living God whom a certain person believes. It is not enough to believe in him, but there must be a response to that belief and that is faith. Having faith in God in one form or another, a certain person achieves the highest level of knowing God in a deepest sense and having faith in him, one can totally prove that God really exist, both in physical and spiritual.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.001-08:00

Step 2

Society at present is in constant development and modernization. These developments and modernization are accompanied by new inventions and new discoveries made by man. Through the efforts of men, the developments are in the constant process of change. Oftentimes it is the process of replacing the old one by the new one. These modernization and development are not evil or bad in themselves, because they are made for the purpose of helping and accommodating man in his daily over comings. They also help to develop and enhance the growth of man particularly in his talents and capacities.
If we look on the positive results or effects of developments and modernization, there are lots of things to be considered. Examples are the tall building or skyscrapers, hi-technology communications, fast transportations by means of sea and land. These are just few examples of the fruits of development and modernization in the world.
This development and modernization also promotes a new culture, a culture that is so prevalent on our society today particularly the culture of consumerism. In terms of the needs and wants of the people, there is no stability, because there is always constant replacement and changes. It seems that some people are not contented with the things or possessions they have acquired. They collect and collect. It seems there is no sense of contentment and satisfaction. And it is always dissatisfactions and hunger of things.
Sometimes modernization creates confusion and even hindrance to the human spirituality and morality. People are so absorbed by the effects of the hedonistic principles. They put material things and possessions as the center of their life. Even spirituality is sometimes abandoned. Even morality is becoming relative, because the orientation of an act, whether it is immoral or moral, becomes distorted.
One of the fruit or product of modernization is the media, particularly television, newspapers, advertisement, etc. In the modern world media plays an important role, because through the help of media many important things are successfully done and accomplished. There are a lot of positive effects that media contribute to the society. Yet we must consider also its negative effects to the human spirituality and morality.
In the modern times, there is an abuse to the use of media, because some people tend to use media for their own benefits neither for the good of others nor for the glory of God. They only think for themselves, even to the extent that they use media to destroy others dignity and refutation. Strictly speaking media is not bad or evil, it becomes evil when the user is not aware of the main purpose why media was created. If all men are able to recognize its greatest purpose for humanity; mainly to be an instrument of evangelization and to strengthen human spirituality, then the purpose of media is perfectly made.
As of now, every individual is always challenged to use the things and possessions they have acquired, not only for their own good but also for the good of all and of God, because all the things in this world are not only created to benefit one individual but to be shared to all living beings.

2006-02-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

Step 1

Every individual experience success and failures, consolations and desolations, happiness and sadness and it envelopes human life. Maybe the main reason of these happenings is the individual’s dispositions, most especially his or her inner dispositions or consciousness. Whatever a certain person thinks or feels in his inner self is also manifested in his outer self. Sometimes negative thoughts and ill feelings govern human consciousness that in one way or another cause an inner restlessness. These thoughts or feelings control human actions and desires. There also become a hindrance to becoming a more real person, because if a certain person is always controlled by his negative thoughts and desires, is blocked for growing to his true self.
In order to become a more real person, one must be courageous enough on how to face his negative thoughts and feelings. One must learn to develop self-awareness. It is an awareness that includes self-reflection. It is an awareness of the negative thoughts of the false self. One must learn to discover and unveil their different weaknesses and immature desires. Through self-reflection, one can achieve self-awareness. He can know his own being both external and internal.
Once a certain individual did not reach self-awareness, he will be slave to his false self. Through self –awareness a certain individual can achieve self-freedom. This is the time when one can manage his own desires and longings. One can reconnect one’s scattered self. The more a person is aware of his inner self the more he can cope up on with the difficulties that he will encounter.
If one achieve self awareness he can escape from his false self going to the real self and as the author would say that if a certain person reach this part, this is the only starting point for the journey towards faith
Maybe some of the difficulties are the desolations. Sometimes these desolations hinder the growth of human, but if there is self-awareness, one can face his desolations and can manage it, because the more one aware of his own horizons and mind sets widens. One becomes more open to the new possibilities and opportunities. Sometimes desolations are also blessings in disguise, because even desolations connote a negative effect yet it helps individuals to grow into maturity.
Since self-awareness is a process it needs a lot of patience, because it needs a lot of time in order to reach the complete self-awareness.