Love, Wealth, Success

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I
know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked. 

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied. 

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. 

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" 

The woman went out and invited the men in"

"We do not go into a House together," they replied. 

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am
Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home." 

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said.. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth.
Let him come and fill our home with wealth!" 

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love?
Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. 

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest." 

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited
Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes,
we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

MY WISH FOR YOU...
-Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy. 
-Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it. 
-Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength. 
-Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage. 

The Truth About Flores de Mayo and Santa Cruzan

The truth about Santa Cruzan and Flores de Mayo
By Gil Alfredo B. Severino

MONSIGNOR Guillermo "Gigi" Gaston, who is presently serving as consultant to the National Commission on Culture and Arts based in Negros, seriously expressed strong disapproval over the way the Catholic Church celebrated "Santa Cruzan" and "Flores de Mayo".

Gaston decried the confusion over these two separate events and how the Catholic Church allowed the "vandalization" of their historicity and sacredness.

Traditionally, Santa Cruzan is celebrated at the beginning of May while Flores de Mayo at the end of the month, Gaston said.

"Santa Cruzan is based on Emperatriz Elena's effort to find the cross of Jesus when she commissioned the excavation of Mt. Calvary. When found, she led a procession to offer the cross in a church. His son Constantine the Great was a little boy, then," Gaston explained.

Today, we see a fashion show of gowns, beautiful girls and boys in their teens, at times their parents fought for the coveted Reyna Elena title, Gaston said.

In other places, movie stars paraded themselves and the Catholic Church never explained the event, Santa Cruzan must lead people to the Cross, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Gaston added.

"Everything must point to the Cross of Jesus Christ. The celebration need not be grand. But if there's beauty and expenses involved, people must see to it that it must point to the Cross," Gaston said.

Gaston added he wrote a paper on this once and gave it to the City Tourism Office but still it remains unheeded.

Meanwhile, Gaston explained Flores de Mayo is the crowning of the Virgin Mary with flowers celebrated by children after a month of catechism classes.

"Flores de Mayo is for the spiritual development of children. This is not connected with Santa Cruzan. Without children's catechism, Flores de Mayo is meaningless," Gaston explained.

"That is why Jose Rizal has a play where an angel and a devil were fighting over children not to let them enter the church. Eventually, the angel won and all children celebrated inside the church," he recalled.

lost in the track

There came a point in my life where I’m already determined and focused on what I wanted in my life. I want to become a nun. I’ve crossed rivers, walk in a thorny paths, and even stumbled and got up again just to reach my goal in life. As I battle those obstacles that blocked my way, I was gone astray and destructed. I was bewildered on which way to trail, whether to turn left or to turn right. But one thing I’m sure of, I need to continue walking. Hoping in the end I can find my home. I believe that as I journey life, Papa Jesus is always at my side all the time, guiding my way. He’s my light that illuminates my way. He’s my armor to battle challenges and trials I’ve encountered along /my way.

Enjoy life just like mine

Long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered. Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.

Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed. Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. .

Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny so enjoy every day as yours…

Good chills

This will give you the chills........

GOOD chills...

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice

The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.
Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.

He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.

But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

"Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."

This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection.

Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.

At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. !

Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will."

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed some! Thing, “Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a! Strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.

Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He's asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13

I am troubled...

There are times in our life that we really have to choose. To decide if what’s really best and the right thing to do or which way we should follow. And in the point of my life, I’m on that stage. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I’m afraid to make decision.

At present, I’m still troubled whether to continue or not in my desire of religious life. Right now, I was out in the convent for the meantime because there’s something I need to settle first. I need to face it because I can’t do both things at the same time. I cannot focus my life inside the convent if I’m there. I don’t know what God wants to tell me of this situation.

With that situation, I think God has his own ways in showing us the way in our journey of life. He uses some certain situations in our life. It can be difficult or easy and happy or sad moment in our life. If we make decision we should follow God for if we follow our own way we may regret it in the end, for if we follow God we can say that it is the best decision because God knows what’s best for me.

I’m still praying for my decision. I need to think… think… think… and pray… pray… pray… And offer this to our Lord Jesus Christ.