God's Love

today when i went to hear mass at our parish church, i had the privilege of attending the concelebrated mass for Fr. Jek's 6th anniversary in the priesthood and it was attended by a number of Dominican priests and parishioners here at the Our lady of Fatima Parish in Mandaluyong. the sermon given by Father Jerry was wonderful and Fr. Jek's mom gave a heartwarming testimony during mass.

i suddenly remembered the mass i attended in dubai (A Blessed Day) where the headmistress for St. Mary's school, Sister Anne Murray, made her renewal of vows. it was such a wonderful experience for me, being a part of the dedication ceremony to the holy life of people who i do not even know personally. fact is, i have just started attending masses in this parish middle of this year and i'm still familiarizing myself with the priests serving here.

the message i received was that we have to acknowledge that priests are also human like us. and though they have been tasked to take care of the flock, there are times when they themselves have burdens of their own but they just hide it with a smile and a pat on our shoulder whenever we go to them to ask for prayers and guidance. they actually get their strength not only from God but most of all from us, the ordinary folks, because they see the face of God in us.

it warms my heart to hear Fr. Jek say, "Masarap maglingkod sa Panginoon! Masarap maglingkod sa Panginoon kasi unang-una, da best Siya magmahal!"  Amen! i say to that Fr. Jek. what a joy for us to feel God's warm embrace everyday of our life. and He gives us that through the people around us and sometimes in the most unexpected of circumstance. however a lot of us do not realize that God is already speaking to us  and answering our prayers. let us be more mindful of God in the world around us.

i received this in my email years ago and found it posted and re-posted on the net because of its very nice message so i'm re-posting it once again:

The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me"
And the thunder & lightning rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle."
And a life was born.
But the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know you are here"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

The man cried "God, I need your help"
and an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement.
But the man deleted it and continued crying.....

The good news is that you are loved.