Lorna and Aldrin’s Box

My headache was taken away by God’s blessing this noon time. I attended the lunch time mass at the Sycamore buiilding. The priest was so light and funny in his homily… about Lorna and her apprehensions.the homily goes like this:

Lorna graduated as a nurse and was very lucky to be hired in America for her first job. Her parents had apprehensions in her work overseas, however they permitted Lorna to work away from them provided that Lorna will never get close to any negro. Lorna’s father said, " Lorna, huwag na huwag kang makikipagkaibigan sa negro, basta negro masama yan".

With her father’s admonition, Lorna flew to the U.S. and worked as a staff nurse. On her third day of work, going home to her condominium, she had a chance to be with a tall, good looking negro-just the two of them in an elevator. Lorna went to the corner and never given a glance to the negro…so scared. The negro spoke and said "Hit the floor". Frightened, Lorna touched the floor. The negro said, "Oh, I’m sorry, what I mean is to push the button for the ground floor." Then the negro pushed the button.

The next morning, when she opened the door in her condominuim, she saw a bouquet of rare flowers…so beautiful…so enchanting…, with photo and notes. It came from the negro. The photo’s dedication was written like this:

"Sorry if I caused you trouble yesterday, I don’tmean it. Please forgive me."

                                                                        Signed: Michael Jordan

We all laughed…"akalain mo, si Michael Jordan pala yon?"

May God redirect us in managing our apprehensions.

Good afternoon to everyone. God bless all of us…

Two, weeks ago, I got the chance to read an article about the small stem cell transplant. Many years ago, I had a chance also to read a similar article but I never thought that the research had gone that far. The study caught my attention because it cures serious illnesses of the human body. I summarized the following points (from the article) and I would like to share them with you:

1. The small stem cells are harvested In Vitro fertilization( in test tube) from the umbilical cord. These cells are freezed. After the process, the life in the test tube die.

2. These freezed cells will be retrieved and injected to a sick person’s tissue through a surgery. These cells are undirected cells. For example, if a person has a damaged kidney, these cells will be injected near the kidney. The cells will then be able to know that the kidney has a problem and it will produced new healthy tissues for the damaged kidney, resulting to a normal functioning kidney.  It can cure cancer,cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure etc. Cool, isn’t it?

3. In number one, a doctor commented on the moral issue of killing life In Vitro Fertilization. After harvesting the cells, the life in the test tube will die.Same as saying that the process is depriving life. What could be the moral implication? Science is saving a life and at the same time killing the other life.

4. The doctor also commented that science is heading to immortality and that in the future human can live forever. Scary indeed.

5. Some developed countries are pursuing more research about this,one of them is Singapore.

6. In the Philippines, St. Lukes Medical Center is using the process to restore eye sight brought about by eye injury or trauma.

7. Some wealthy family paid for 1,000 USD for freezing small stem cells in a center in Singapore to be used in case any family member suffers from serious illnesses.

We witness how science advances.Cool? Scary? or whatever you call it. But I still believe that above all of these there is God who rules.

Weekly Wisdom

From the archives of At Home with our Faith, the family spirituality newsletter from Claretian Publications

January 22, 2007

Practicing Hospitality

Probably all of us have had an unforgettable experience of being “the stranger.” Perhaps we felt left out of a situation in which everyone else seemed to be at home, effortlessly laughing and chatting together. Or perhaps we encountered such a situation, felt our anxiety rising, and then were relieved to have someone welcome us and introduce us to the group. Either situation is bound to be memorable—for the alienation or the acceptance we felt.

The experience of being a stranger was very memorable to the Israelites, our faith ancestors, too. So powerful was their experience of being strangers while enslaved in Egypt that when finally freed, they promised God they would always welcome strangers into their midst. Of course, they were also aware that God often sent messengers, usually disguised as perfect strangers, to enlighten them about their problems or dangers.

In Practicing Our Faith (Jossey-Bass), Sister Ana Maria Pineda captures just how compelling the plight of the stranger remains today. Refugees come to our shores to escape deadly regimes; battered wives and their kids join our communities for a fresh start. But “ironically, it is not just hospitality to the ‘stranger’ that is at peril in our society,” writes Pineda. “We are short . . . even of tables that welcome friends” as we become too busy to visit our elderly, to welcome kids home from school, or to have regular meals with our spouse. In time, we can become strangers even to those we love."

Here are ways families can practice hospitality:

1. Eat and play together. A regular “date night” for couples, a weekly “family night” of dinner and games, and a monthly commitment to invite friends and acquaintances to dinner is one of the most valuable things families can do. In reaching out to friends and new faces, they build the kind of support network we all need to raise families these days—doing things like trading babysitting or sharing helpful advice.
2. Look for new faces. Be the one in your parish, school, and neighborhood looking out for newcomers, introducing yourself and inviting them to sit with you, meet those you know or attend a future event. You never know, God might be sending them into your life with an important message!
3. Make the first move. Sometimes people are too distracted, tired, shy, or unaware to initiate a welcome. Fortunately, hospitality is contagious; make the first move by going around and introducing yourself. Soon you’ll see others doing the same.
4. Make Sunday visits. It’s a time-honored Christian tradition, in keeping the Sabbath, to use your day of rest to visit relatives and friends. Revive the notion of the “Sunday drive” by hopping in the car to visit grandparents. Or make it a point to call far-flung loved ones, while taking advantage of those discounted weekend long-distance rates, at a regular time each Sunday.
5. Talk to your kids about friendship. Explain to kids that in order to have good friends, they need to be a good friend—and that the way to make new friends is to reach out in a welcoming way. Remind kids that best friends can be found in unexpected places, even in groups they don’t normally hang out with, and that individual friendships always outlast the “friendship lite” found in cliques.

—Mary Lynn Hendrickson, from At Home with Our Faith

What’s inside the January 2007 issue of At Home with Our Faith:

• Have you rehearsed for Mass today? (How the practices of family life help kids appreciate Mass)
• A parent’s zero-tolerance policy for disrespect
• A New Year’s Blessing
• Rave Review: St Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living
• Catholic 101: The Catechism
• Living Faith: The Senator and the Ant Traps (The delicate balance of work, marriage, and family)
• Family Bible: The Holy Family was no exception to “The family that prays together stays together”
• Who wins the rat race? Overscheduled families: Fourth in a yearlong series on parenting pressures

I don’t feel like logging in to the internet lately( a lot of deadly viruses around), but since I am working in front of a PC, it became a habit…a bad habit because i usually browse profiles of unknown people and waste my time.

When we(me and my siblings) were in our teenage years, we used to attend catechism religiously, USTchucrch  is two streets away from our home. Then we were members of the block rosary in the area. Ministries include singing for the Lord(choir), leading prayers and supporting parish activities.

We were so intense with those activities. In one instance, my brother composed a short song that we always sing during processions. And the song goes like this :

                     How many times have we fallen

                     From the tempting calls from way below

                     How many times have we suffered

                     From the tortures of the material world

                     Do we have to die a thousand death

                     To find out what is wrong

                     Doing what we want

                     And not what we ought to do

                     And through Mary mother of God

                     We seek Her help, love and inspiration

                    And to Follow the path

                   The Lord has commanded us.

God speaks in our lives even in songs…in good and in bad times. And we thank him for everything…for discerning the truth from lies…