Thursday, February 12, 2015

My Sleeping St. Joseph

Pope Francis spoke about the ‘Sleeping St Joseph’ during the Encounter with Families, 16th January 2015.  So I called up LUIS AC-AC , National Artist in the making from Paete Laguna to have it done for me. He has made for me several wood carvings way back in 2009.

 

Pope Francis revealed, during his address to families his special devotion to St Joseph, especially through this image of the “Sleeping St Joseph”: “ Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will to him. In this moment of rest in the Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking to us. He speaks to us in the reading we have just heard, in our prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let us reflect on what the Lord is saying to us, especially in this evening’s Gospel. There are three aspects of this passage which I would ask you to consider: First, resting in the Lord. Second, rising with Jesus and Mary. Third, being a prophetic voice.



Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God’s voice and understand what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make a home for Jesus. To make a home for Jesus! You make a home for him in your hearts, your families, your parishes and your communities.



Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the family that we first learn how to pray. Don’t forget: the family that prays together stays together! This is important. There we come to know God, to grow into men and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God’s greater family, the Church. In the family we learn how to love, to forgive, to be generous and open, not closed and selfish. We learn to move beyond our own needs, to encounter others and share our lives with them. That is why it is so important to pray as a family! So important! That is why families are so important in God’s plan for the Church! To rest in the Lord is to pray. To pray together as a family.


I would also like to tell you something very personal. I have great love for Saint Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have an image of Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath Saint Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: pray for this problem! …

article taken from Opus Dei Today

For the full text of that address, click HERE

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Jonathan & Arlene 20th Wedding Anniversary

Time flies so fast. I'm excited and grateful to be celebrating our 20th anniversary TODAY! We have been blessed with a great amount of time. I can't begin to express how much I love you after these 2 decades of marriage.

We wanted to remember this milestone by celebrating MASS officiated by Fr. Rocky Evangelista SDB at Tuloy sa Don Bosco Alabang. Since the symbol of 20th year wedding anniversary is China, we had dinner with close relatives and friends at Mandarin Palace.


20th Anniversary Traditional Gift:
China - It symbolizes the beautiful, elegant, and delicate of your love for one another over the past 20 years.& Platinum

20th Anniversary Contemporary/Modern Gift:
Platinum. Platinum is strong and enduring, just like your 20-year old marriage.

20th Anniversary Gemstone:
Emerald or a yellow or golden diamond.

our life together has been a wonderful ‪#‎JOURNEY‬ and full of adventures... looking forward to ‪#‎FOREVER‬ with you ‪