It's sad to note that Lola Paz has gone on to heaven last June 7, 2012. Nevertheless, I will continue with my long-put-on-hold project of putting her thoughts into digital form.

This is for you, Lola Paz. Rest in peace.

The Holy Rosary

Many know the Holy Rosary as the recitation of the Apostle's Creed, followed by the mere repetition of Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Bes.

The Holy Rosary is a powerful prayer to honor the Blessed Mother and ask the intercession of the Blessed Mother to our God in Heaven.

October has been set aside as Rosary month with October 7 as the feast day. It was Pope Gregory XIII who established the feast in 1573 in thanksgiving for the victory of the Christian forces from Europe over the Turks' fleet in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571. Pope Clement XI made the feast of the Holy Rosary one of the Universal Church in 1716.

The Dominicans did much in the spread of the Holy Rosary.

People who prayed the rosary need small pebbles to keep count. A certain Hermit Paul of Egypt in 300 AD filled his pocket with 300 pebbles and removed them one by one with each prayer. Later a knotted cord is easier to carry, and that later, a string of beads is prettier than a knotted cord.

At first the 150 Psalms were used as prayers but not all Christians knew these Psalms by heart the Our Father was used. In the 15th century, the salutation of Angel Gabriel was used. Different regions prayed different versions of the Rosary at a time.

Pope John Paul II added the mystery of Light to the three mysteries of Joy, Sorrows and Glorious.

A Black Sheep? Don't be sad if you're called so. God has something good for you.

After reading an article on what a sheep that is black among those in a flock, I realized that the black sheep does a big help for the shepherd.

The black-colored sheep is oftentimes a problem for the shepherd as it is rebellious and tends to go on their own way. As sheep are sort of dumb, they follow the one in front of them and don't look beyond him. Black is an attractive color so the whole line of sheep follows the black sheep in front of the flock.

The shepherd breaks the hind legs of the black sheep to prevent him from running. He puts the black sheep in front of the flock and pulls him with his staff by the neck. As a result of this, the rest of the flock follows him and not one is lost.

The Lord has a way of breaking the black sheep in a family. Who knows someday, he will lead the members of the family to God.

Remember the Prodigal Son?

He came back to ask forgiveness for his past. What rejoicing he experienced.

There are so many dark areas in our life to be broken. Reflect and repent. The Lord loves a sinner who goes to Him for forgiveness.

Remember: There never was a saint without a past, a sinner without a future.

Rent A Family? Let Love Prevail

If a family would like to go out of town and doesn't own a car, the family can rent a car. Many don't own the houses they live in, so they rent a house. Have you ever heard of renting a family? It is something hard to happen in Philippine culture, where strong relationships can be found. There is no reason to spend for the service of others just to have a few hours of fun, having lunch and carrying on a conversation.

This is common in Japan according to an article I read. WIth the amount of JPY1180, old people can have three hours of fun and relaxation with a "fake family". They can just dial a number, give their specifications for the kind of family desired and the family arrives like long-lost relatives.

The amount doesn't even include transportation expenses.

Perhaps this can not happen in the Filipino culture, knowing how closely knit families are, with caring neighbors around and the formation of Catholic and other religious communities. However, with the fast pace of modern life, exodus of family members abroad, the explosion of technological know-how, the young learning to live independent of family elders, will the concept be present in our midst?

Let us pray that it does not become a pattern in family life. Jesus taught us to love one another, to share love, not to rent or borrow love for love is never for rent or for borrowing. It is for giving free.

Words of Wisdom in the Moments of Despair, Temptations and Hopelessness (For my own Reflection)

1. Life is a prayer and the prayer we say shapes the life that we live just as the prayer life we say live shapes the prayer we say.

Questions for my reflection: What do I pray for in my dialog with God? Do I
live the way of God?

2. Counter the trails and problems with a great sense of gratitude.

Reflection - Am I a negative thinker? Do I see the good things that I
receive after an experience that I thought was a punishment for me? Were there
blessings for me?

3. Let not your face contradict your faith.

Reflection - Is it easy for me to smile? Do I consider individual differences
among those I come in contact with? How can I be not judgmental in dealing with
others?

4. In the midst of a storm, remember the rainbow.

Reflection - How prayerful am I? How do I show trust in the Lord's works and
words? Do I listen to witnesses of God's mercy in times of want and need? What
is my response to the blessings I received? Do I give with the heart? Do I share
experiences related to the Lord's generosity? A witness to God's words?

5. The evil way will not take you to Hell, remaining there will.
Reflection - Do I do my best to avoid sin? Is it easy for me to say "I'm sorry"? What kind of friends do I have? Am I a person who is dependable, nurturing and encouraging to others? Do I commune with the saints? What acts of contritions do I do? Prayers?

6. The Lord is in control of everything. Change - The humility to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can change. Wisdom to know the difference - To offer to the Lord to bring change to those I cannot change.

Reflection - What do I do if I can not bring change? Nothing is impossible
with God - I pray to the Holy Spirit for their enlightenment. I pray to my
guardian angel to commune with their guardian angels for help? (God will make a
way)

Husbands and wives

complete and compete with

one another.

Traffic Signs in My Life (The Way, The Truth, and the Life)

Traffic signs along the way are very important. If we did not put up these signs there will be chaos, disasters and deaths. Even with these, we can not avoid accidents due to arrogance, inconsideration of motorists, disobedience to the signs and undescribable personalities of drivers. We can only refer to statistics to prove destruction to life and property although there are traffic signs.

I believe we also need traffic signs in our life. Here are some helpful ones; warning signs in our daily life.

Stop

I've learned not to rush, calling on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in making
decisions. It is worthwhile to pause and pray to derive wisdom to go on with the
action I would like to do based on the knowledge I have on the matter.

Look

It is wise to look ahead, to find out people who may be affected by my action,
ones I may hurt, ones I must help, ones who can be with me in the decision I
make.

Listen

It is wise to pause and listen. Open your heart and mind to God. After prayer,
listen to what God has to say. Listen to words of the elders, others who know
how to help you make right judgments and correct choices.

Avoid overspeeding, have someone push you when you are slow. Be aware of the Lord's words when you are about to lose your way. Watch for traffic jams in your life. Listen to God's siren and obey.

I've learned to do these things.

[whew, a long time since I last posted. so now, the trail of thoughts continue...]

My Guardian Angel

We all have guardian angels, to light and guide, to rule and guard, don't we? A guardian angel we don't see. Aside from an angel, I don't see, I have one who cares for me.

When Linda isn't around, she attends to my personal needs. She fills up the empty plastic bottles with water I need to clean up myself. She prepares the sandwiches and whatever there is for my breakfast. She sees to it that I have the bottled water to drink.

At dinner time, she sets the table and helps prepare the food for the meals, making sure the sauce for the viands are present including the water to drink.

Acts of Love

She does all these without a scowl on her face. At times, I have to prohibit her from doing things when she shows signs of an epileptic attack.

My angel is Manang Paring's daughter. She is an epileptic since childhood. She is a little abnormal in her speech, however not mentally retarded.

After all these years, I can say that with the advanced knowledge on the treatment of knowledge on care of special children, she could have been more productive. Corrie is my guardian angel. Bless her, Lord.