The Journey with Teddy

MORNING PRAISE | November 01, 2019 | Solemnity of All Saints The Beatitudes | Matthew 5: 1-12 PERSONAL REFLECTION Reflecting on why I am here in Arvisu and the journey that led me here, I find it hard to discount how my love for nature trips and climbing mountains figure into my discernment. It is in climbing mountains that I have come to realize that money, fame, and creature comforts are not the sole sources of happiness. It is in immersing myself in the beauty of nature that I have come to see the beauty of God himself – a beauty that He so readily offers me despite my smallness and insignificance. My favorite hiking trip would definitely be when I climbed Mt. Pulag back in May 2014. Being a newbie in mountain climbing who was desperately out of shape, the high altitude often left me out of breath and thirsty, and my ego was bruised too, as I had to hire the services of a porter to carry my things. My porter just happened to be a 13-year old girl whose full height...

MORNING PRAISE | October 18, 2019 (Friday) | Feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist Paul’s Loneliness | 2 Timothy 4: 9-18 PERSONAL REFLECTION           “Punta kami ospital.” (We’re going to the hospital.) I received those words from my mother via message on FB Messenger. It was the evening of September 24, just a few minutes before Fr. Roy’s third session on prayer ended. It had been several days since my 13-year old niece started nursing a fever, and despite taking the antibiotics prescribed by her doctor, the fever still did not show any sign of relenting. She had to be taken to the hospital. I imagine how my mother must have felt like at that point. It must have been difficult for her to not have me there to calm her down and to take care of the practical stuff – like carrying their things, hailing a tricycle, withdrawing from the ATM, etc. I imagine it must have been difficult for her because it was difficult for me. I ...

Photo taken at Mt. Pulag in 2015, back when I was into trekking and mountain climbing.   ON CREATION Last September 23, 2019, Fr. Arnel Aquino SJ presided over mass at Arvisu House – Jesuit Candidacy. He was also our guest for the Meet-the-Jesuits (MTJ) program after dinner, where Jesuit candidates and directees under the Jesuit Vocation Direction Program (VDP) listen to guest Jesuits talk about their own vocation stories, their ministry, and the sources of their consolations and desolations as they work their way through their vocations, their community, and their relationship with God. Fr. Arnel’s talk during the MTJ session focused more on how music and his enduring religious songs spring forth as fruits of his prayer life. During the question-and-answer portion, a question was asked on how Fr. Arnel feels about his songs which are misappropriated: songs which are being used for purposes other than what it was originally composed for, and to a certain extent, so...

MORNING PRAISE | October 7, 2019 (Monday) The Potter’s Vessel | Jeremiah 18:1-6 PERSONAL REFLECTION It’s been almost three months since we started our Arvisu journey, and I must admit that there are many things I miss in what JP would call my “secular life.” Mostly I miss having full control of the world I am in. I guess that’s bound to happen when one accumulates years and years of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. I thought this was an ideal scenario but realized it is not. Because I've drowned in the idea that I am enough; that I don’t really need anyone, or sometimes anything.   My prayer life then did not involve any petitions. My prayers were mostly prayers of gratitude for the resources that God had given me so generously. There were times, I must admit, when I would tell God that there is nothing more I could ask for, and that I am okay if He would choose to take me away from this world. There were days when I actually looked forward to that.  ...

Yakapin mo ako sa huling pagkakataon. Yakapin gaya ng pagyakap ng apoy sa uling: Mainit, maningas, nagbabaga. Yakapin mo ako nang tila walang wakas, Yakap na magtatagal magpakailanman;  Isang magpakailanman na nais mong magsimula ngayon; Isang magpakailanman na pilit mong isisilid  sa isang kandadong kahon upang hindi ka niya matakasan.  Yakapin mo ako sa huling pagkakataon.  Yakap na gaya nung una mong pagyakap sa akin: Yakap na paulit-ulit kong binabalikan Sa mga gabing nababalot ako ng lamig ng pag-iisa. Yakapin mo ako sa huling pagkakataon.  Yakap na tila walang bitaw Yakap na walang kasing higpit Yakap na pupukaw sa aking paghinga Yakap na kayang magmitsa ng aking pagpanaw.  Yakapin mo ako sa huling pagkakataon At yayakapin kita nang pabalik. Sa paraan ng pagyakap ng dilim sa  Kandilang malamlam at nauupos.  Yakap na bumabalot, sumasaklob, at nangangain.  Subalit kumikila at hindi nagkakaila sa apoy na dati'...

SELECTED READING  Jesus and His Family | Luke 8:19-21 PERSONAL REFLECTION I do not know how to deal with being in the receiving end of affection. That sounds so cold, and perhaps it is. I suppose, that’s bound to happen when you grow in an environment where emotions are a luxury; where you simply do not have the time nor resources to feel things because you need to keep on hustling to keep up with the things that life is throwing at you. Don’t be confused – I love my family, and I know fully well that my family loves me back. It’s just that we’re not the type of people who dwell on emotions; much less, verbalize them. We just live in trust that we love each other and we have each other’s backs no matter what – and somehow, that had been enough to tide us over. But definitely no expressions of affection whether on the giving or receiving end – no “I Love You”s, no “I Miss You”s, no “I’m Sorry”s, and sometimes even, no “Happy Birthday”s. The aftermath of tha...

SELECTED READING  The Renunciation of Vice | Colossians 3:5-10 PERSONAL REFLECTION What could be so wrong about savoring bodily sensations – about indulging in what the body perceives to be pleasurable? What could be so wrong about desiring a promotion, a bigger salary, and more property than your peers? What could be so wrong with unbridled use of obscene language in order to get a few laughs, or embellishing one’s stories to command respect and admiration? What could be so wrong about these activities that God will be angry with us when we engage in these things, that He threatens us with his wrath if we disobey Him and proceed with our old ways? Viewed through the lens of my pre-Arvisu life, I can guarantee you that I could not understand why God would be so angry when we do these forbidden things. Reflecting upon my past vices and how I could not understand why God would find them so wrong, I retraced my steps and have come to realize that God, being His omn...