home is heaven.

one class day, Sir Quiwa was discussing about the transient state and he mentioned, as an example, our existence here on Earth. He said, like most of us already know, "this (the Earth) is not our home." and he asked, "where is our permanent home?" in my mind, i thought of one place: heaven. Sir Quiwa then said, "it's a binary choice, isn't it? it's either zero or one." at natawa na lang ako. naisip ko, "nice! ang galing talaga ni sir. na-connect pa rin ang science at reiligion. ^_^" pero oo nga naman, binary choice talaga yun. either you enjoy the pleasure of heaven, or suffer the fires of hell. so what do you want? logic 1 or logic 0? ^_^

*****

i'm on therapy again. kaya naman pag-uwi ko sa bahay, tulog agad. paggising ko, tutorial naman. wala ng time mag-blog. tsk. tsk. but because this is my passion, hindi pwedeng hindi ko ito isingit sa napaka-hectic kong sched. hehe. artista.

share ko lang yung mga nabasa ko since Sunday. ^_^

09.14.08
i read two chapters today: 1 Samuel 1 (The Story of Hannah) and 1 Samuel 2:1-10(Hannah's Prayer - Thanksgiving Song)

In the first chapter, I came to admire Hannah for her faithfulness, sincerity, and truthfulness no matter what other people think of her.

Verse 16: "Do not take me for a bad woman. I was so afflicted that my prayer flowed continuously."

I could relate, really, because I am usually judged as too emotional especially when I pray. Well, I am not alone! Before me, there was Hannah. ^_^

I was also touched by what Hannah did when the Lord finally answered her prayer of having a child. She went before the Lord at the temple, and offered the child saying, "I asked for this child and Yahweh granted me the favor I begged of Him. Now I think Yahweh is asking for this child. As long as he lives, he belongs to God." Just the same for us: we came from God and we belong to Him. We ought to give Him the best of who we are and the best of what we have because He deserves it. Because everything came from Him and rightfully belongs to Him.

The second chapter tells exactly how I feel. "My heart exults in Yahweh, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me." ^_^

09.15.08
Deuteronomy 30:6-14. "My commandments are not beyond your reach."

God is saying that we CAN really obey the commandments because they are not beyond our strength. But in order to really fulfill them, we must first receive the "circumcision of the heart." God will test, clean, and purify our hearts to make us holy. So lahat ng pinagdadaanan natin, part yun nga "process" of our becoming "persons of God" and not just merely human beings.

09.16.08
Wisdom 1:1-15. (Seek life; know God)

I like verses 13-14. "God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living. Since He has created everything, all creatures of the universe are for our good.."

Sinasabi lang dito na hindi gusto ni God yung misfortune ng tao. Nagiging consequence lang ang mga ito ng mga kasalanan naten. At syempre caused by evil din. Yun yung strategy ni Satan para mapunta tayo sa kanya. But of course, he'll never win. God only wants the best for us. And in everything that we go through, God gives us enough strength to overcome. Such a comforting thought. ^_^

*****

during the Book Fair, i bought "Falling Asleep with the Saints" (Quotations from Great Saints) and i make it a point to read one quotation per night. share ko yung first three na nabasa ko. ^_^

~St. Francis de Sales: "Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.~

~St. Angela Merici: "You will effect more by kind words and a courteous manner, than by an anger or sharp rebuke, which should never be used but in necessity."~
- i particularly like this one because it implies that it's ok to utter sharp words when the NEED arises. so ok lang talaga magmaldita minsan, kung kailangan na talaga. *wink*

~St. Gerard Majella: "Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?"~
- again, only GOD satisfies! ^_^

*****

lastly, ilang messages lang..

~You can't be romantically involved with two people at the same time. Love triangles always end up hurting everyone involved. If you really love a person, you would not fall for the other. So think about how you really feel. Don't think the problem is about choosing between the two persons. It's always about finding out what makes you happy.~ [as in really happy.. i got this message from leov and i agree! may kilala ako hindi lang two-timer, three or four or more than five pa ata. haha. tsk. tsk.]

~You are created by God to succeed; designed to win; equipped to overcome; anointed to proper; blessed to become a blessing. In Christ, you have everything!~ [amen!]

~Let God work out the details of His plan in your life. Remember, no other BEST exceeds GOD'S BEST. Always entrust your life to God and peace will come your way.~ [tama! sabi nga ni Bo, God always has a GREATER PLAN. ^_^]

~Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it cannot kill you. - Alone in the Dark~ [wala lang. tamang paningit. hehe. nabasa ko lang sa cover ng Alone in the Dark habang nagliliwaliw ako isang beses sa Odyssey.]
*****
last na pala talaga. hehe. can't help but share e.

three things about last Sunday's Gospel from John 3:13-17.

sabi ni Father Alex Balatbat sa kanyang napaka-powerful na homily:
1. The cross is a painful memory, but more than that, it is a loving memory.
2. Jesus died on the cross primarily because of His love for us.
3. In every cross, there is a blessing; in every blessing, there is a cross.

be thankful for our crosses because in His time, God will reveal to us the great blessing that comes from them.

ayun lang. magandang gabi sa lahat. ^_^