A sense of connection with a Personal God
Stephen Tsang, from Hong Kong, converted to Catholicism while living as a student at Netherhall residence in London.

September 16, 2007
Many conversion stories, especially those found in fiction, are preceded by disillusionment, loneliness or even psychological breakdown.

The protagonists who eventually found God after such emotional roller coaster often find themselves opting for other answers when another life changing experience comes along. My story was simple, in a quiet way paving the way for me to receive a vocation to seek sanctity in the ordinary things of life.

My calm and protected childhood had hardly any notion of God or religion. A few years in a Catholic school in Hong Kong didn’t even lead me to set foot in the school chapel. Three years in a Church of England boarding school didn’t make much impact either. I realised that very few around me had any faith at all. A last minute decision saw me going to London for University. I visited Netherhall House during my first year in an architectural school. It never crossed my mind that I would stay there as I was looking forward to having my own place, a small flat my parents suggested purchasing. The solicitor had difficulties with the deeds of the new property and the completion of the purchase was not forthcoming when term began. Needing accommodation urgently, Netherhall House became the obvious choice. I thought it would only be a very brief stay. There were students of different faiths, I soon met a number of Catholics and was intrigued by the naturalness of their faith.

I was also drawn to the large chapel in the residence; architecturally it is the biggest room with the best finishes. Before long I was spending brief moments in it and quite happy that no one ever questioned my being there. One of the residents introduced me to the concept of mental prayer. There was immediately a sense of connection with a Personal God; this distinctive character still holds me now 27 years after the event. Soon I was joining in with the morning prayer session. I often used the little book ‘The Way’ by St. Josemaria, no cultural barrier ever seemed an issue at all. Then attending daily Mass was a natural progression, the desire to be more united and identified with this Personal Redeemer grew.

I was happy that all through this period no one ever ‘pushed’ me to embrace the Faith, perhaps they were expecting me to take a long time. I was in Leeds during the Christmas holidays, prayer and daily attendance at Mass continued despite heavy snow falls. My sister hired a car to take me a few times, she was also in a Catholic Missionary school but had a different experience. It became clear to me that I had received this gift of Faith. Upon returning to Netherhall I expressed my readiness for Baptism and was presently surprised to be asked to wait a little longer. Certain critics have at times hinted that the people of Opus Dei were only interested in the elite and often would use coercion to achieve their aims; these were not my experience.

One of the great attractions of the Catholic Faith is the devotion to our Lady. My previous studies of Renaissance art suddenly made full sense as the manifestation of a living faith. Other than the various devotions practiced in the residence I loved the idea of visiting ‘the Poor of Our Lady’. Even in the affluent area of Hampstead there are many who suffered loneliness and ill health. The family atmosphere was another great help in understanding Catholic culture. It was 2nd of February that I was baptised into the Catholic Church; the residents put on a great show of celebration afterwards. My parents were apprehensive to start with, but seeing no adverse effect developing, they became strong defenders of my choice in front of the questioning of other relatives.

The solicitor eventually got his work done and the contract was completed. Before my departure from Netherhall House I felt a clear calling from our Lord that I can dedicate my whole life to His service without leaving my chosen profession. It was during the Rosary one evening, hardly a month after my baptism. Perhaps I knew little Catholic doctrine at that time but I was sure about the calling, and have never looked back on my decision. I was going out with a girl who was in school with me and we did paintings together, but there was no commitment. Naturally, giving myself to God meant for me a total dedication of all that I was and would be at that time. My non-Christian parents understood this too, although their Chinese culture would have preferred otherwise.

The doctrine of seeking holiness in everyday life is now common language and part of the everyday teaching in the Church. There are so many practical application in one’s daily life that everyday becomes an adventure. Working as an architect provides many opportunities of realising this: finishing everything to the last detail, serving the individual needs of every client, finding the unique solution for each project, creating the right designs to bring order to family life etc. I will never forget that St. Josemaria said: ‘When our Lord sees that the altar and fittings are well cared for, He looks upon those responsible with special love and overlooks their other defects.’ The human and the divine intermingle in ordinary everyday life, those who neglect the humdrum material details may not be able to find God elsewhere.

Benedict XVI: Learn from Mary how to spend your youth

"Do
not be afraid, dear friends, to prefer the ‘alternative’ routes pointed
out by true love: a modest and sound lifestyle; sincere and pure
emotional relationships; honest commitment in studies and work; deep
concern for the common good." Last weekend the Pope met and spoke with
500,000 youth in Loretto.

September 09, 2007

"Do
not be afraid to dream, with your eyes wide open, about great projects
for the good. Do not let yourselves be discouraged by difficulties."

500,000 Italian youth gathered in Loretto last weekend to help Pope
Benedict XVI prepare for World Youth day, which will take place in
Australia next summer.

In the sanctuary of Loretto is preserved the house where the angel
Gabriel appeared to the Blessd Virgin Mary. Using this occasion, the
Pope spoke to the young people about facing difficult family
situations, dedication to God, and humility. Here we give a selection
of the Pope’s words.

You have come to this peaceful, authentic and joyful place of encounter
for thousands of different reasons. . . .Whatever the reason that drew
you here, I can tell you, although it requires courage to say it, that
it was the Holy Spirit who has brought us together. Yes, that is
exactly the case; the Spirit has led you here; you have come here with
your doubts and certainties, with your joys and your anxieties. It is
now up to all of us, to all of you, to open your hearts and offer
everything to Jesus. Say to him: here I am; of course, I am not yet as
you would like me to be, I cannot even manage to understand myself
fully but with your help I am ready to follow you.

Dear young men and women, since Mary truly knows what it means to
respond generously to the Lord’s requests, let us learn from her to say
our own "yes". Mary, dear young people, knows your noblest and deepest
aspirations. Above all, she well knows your great desire for love, with
your need to love and to be loved. By looking at her, by following her
docilely, you will discover the beauty of love; not a "disposable" love
that is transient and deceptive, imprisoned in a selfish and
materialistic mindset, but true, deep love. In the very depths of their
hearts, every young man, every young woman who are looking out on life,
cherish the dream of a love that will give full meaning to their
futures.

Over 500.000 young people came to be with the Pope in Loretto.

For many, this is fulfilled in the choice of marriage and in the
formation of a family in which the love between a man and a woman is
lived as a definitive gift, sealed by the "yes" spoken before God on
their wedding day, a "yes" for their whole life. I know well that today
this dream is always less easy to realize. How many failures of love
surround us! How many couples bow their heads, give up and separate!
How many families fall to pieces! How many young people, even among
you, have witnessed the separation and divorce of their parents!

I would like to say to those in such sensitive and complex situations:
the Mother of God, the Community of believers and the Pope are beside
you and are praying that the crisis that marks today’s families may not
become an irreversible failure. May Christian families, with the
support of divine Grace, stay faithful to that solemn commitment of
love joyfully assumed before the priest and the Christian community on
the solemn day of their marriage. In the face of so many failures these
questions are often asked: Am I any better than my friends and my
parents who have tried and failed? Why should I myself succeed where so
many have given up? This human fear can be daunting to even the more
courageous spirits but in this night that awaits us, in front of her
Holy House, Mary will repeat to each one of you, dear young friends,
the words that she herself heard the Angel say to her: Do not be
afraid, do not fear! The Holy Spirit is with you and will never leave
you. Nothing is impossible to those who trust in God.

During the night, some even had time to sleep. (Photo: Paola Fumagalli).

This applies for those who are destined to married life and still more
for those to whom God proposes a life of total detachment from earthly
goods, to be dedicated full time to his Kingdom. Some of you have set
out towards the priesthood, towards the consecrated life; some of you
aspire to be missionaries, knowing how many and what risks this
entails. I am thinking of the missionaries, priests, women religious
and lay people, who have fallen in the trenches of love at the service
of the Gospel.

Yes, there is hope today too; each one of you is important because each
is known and desired by God and God has his plan for each one. It is
our task to discover and respond to it, so that despite these
precarious and marginalized situations, we will be able to put into
practice God’s plan for us.

But what is it that makes people "young" in the Gospel sense? Our
Meeting, which is taking place in the shadow of a Marian Shrine,
invites us to look to Our Lady. Let us therefore ask ourselves: How did
Mary spend her youth? Why was it that in her the impossible became
possible? She herself reveals it to us in the Canticle of the
Magnificat. God "regarded the low estate of his handmaiden" (Lk 1:
48a). It was Mary’s humility that God appreciated more than anything
else in her….Here, we think spontaneously of the Holy House of
Nazareth, which is the Shrine of humility: the humility of God who took
flesh, who made himself small, and the humility of Mary who welcomed
him into her womb; the humility of the Creator and the humility of the
creature….The humble person is perceived as someone who gives up,
someone defeated, someone who has nothing to say to the world. Instead,
this is the principal way, and not only because humility is a great
human virtue but because, in the first place, it represents God’s own
way of acting. It was the way chosen by Christ, the Mediator of the New
Covenant, who "being found in human form he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2: 8).

A participant in the esplanade in Loretto. (Photo: Emmanuele Magnanimi)

Dear young people, I seem to perceive in these words of God about
humility an important message which is especially current for you who
want to follow Christ and belong to his Church. This is the message: do
not follow the way of pride but rather that of humility. Go against the
tide: do not listen to the interested and persuasive voices that today
are peddling on many sides models of life marked by arrogance and
violence, by oppression and success at any cost, by appearances and by
having at the expense of being. How many messages, which reach you
especially through the mass media, are targeting you! Be alert! Be
critical! Do not follow the wave produced by this powerful, persuasive
action. Do not be afraid, dear friends, to prefer the "alternative"
routes pointed out by true love: a modest and sound lifestyle; sincere
and pure emotional relationships; honest commitment in studies and
work; deep concern for the common good. Do not be afraid of seeming
different and being criticized for what might seem to be losing or out
of fashion; your peers but adults too, especially those who seem more
distant from the mindset and values of the Gospel, are crying out to
see someone who dares to live according to the fullness of humanity
revealed by Jesus Christ.

From this moment, I would like to make an appointment with you young
people in Sydney where, in a year’s time, the next World Youth Day will
be held. I know Australia is far away and for young Italians it is
literally at the other end of the world…. Let us pray that the Lord
who works every miracle will grant that many of you may be there. May
he grant it to me, may he grant it to you.

SAN DIEGO - Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a
frenzy across Southern California, firefighters all but conceded defeat
Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has chased an estimated 1 million
people away.

Unless
the shrieking Santa Ana winds subside, and that’s not expected for at
least another day, fire crews say they can do little more than try to
wait it out and react — tamping out spot fires and chasing ribbons of
airborne embers to keep new fires from flaring.

"If it’s this big and blowing with as much wind as it’s got, it’ll go all the way to the ocean before it stops," said San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries. "We can save some stuff but we can’t stop it."

Tentacles of unpredictable, shifting flame have burned across nearly
600 square miles, killing one person, destroying more than 1,300 homes
and prompting one of the biggest evacuations in California history,
from north of Los Angeles, through San Diego to the Mexican border.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the flames were threatening 68,000 more homes.

"We have had an unfortunate situation that we’ve had three things
come together: very dry areas, very hot weather and then a lot of
wind," Schwarzenegger said. "And so this makes the perfect storm for a
fire."

In Rancho Santa Fe,
a suburb north of San Diego, houses burned just yards from where fire
crews fought to contain flames engulfing other properties. In the
mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, cabins and vacation homes went up
in flames with no fire crews in sight.

"These winds are so strong, we’re not trying to fight this fire,"
said firefighter Jim Gelrud, an engineer from Vista, Calif. "We’re just
trying to save the buildings."

More than a dozen wildfires blowing across Southern California since
Sunday have also injured more than 40 people, including 16
firefighters. The U.S. Forest Service earlier reported a fire death in
Los Angeles County’s Santa Clarita area, but officials said Tuesday
that information was erroneous.

The fires also forced the evacuation of more than 350,000 houses, most of them in San Diego County. With the area’s average household size of 2.6 people, that means the evacuation could encompass nearly 910,000 people.

"It’s basically a mass migration here in San Diego County. The
numbers we’re seeing are staggering," said Luis Monteagudo, a spokesman
for the county’s emergency effort.

President Bush,
who planned to visit the region Thursday, declared a federal emergency
for seven counties, a move that will speed disaster-relief efforts.

The sweeping devastation was reminiscent of blazes that tore through
Southern California four years ago, killing 22 and destroying 3,640
homes.

The ferocity of the Santa Ana winds in 2003 forced crews to discard
their traditional strategy and focus on keeping up with the fire and
putting out spot blazes that threatened homes.

Fire crews were especially concerned about dense eucalyptus groves in Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe, fearing the highly flammable trees could turn neighborhoods prized for their secluded serenity into potential tinderboxes.

The usual tactic is to surround a fire on two sides and try to choke
it off. But with fires whipped by gusts that have surpassed 100 mph,
that strategy doesn’t work because embers can be swept miles ahead of
the fire’s front line. In those cases, crews must keep 10 to 30 feet
back from the flames or risk their own lives, Los Angeles County
firefighter Daryl Parish said.

Added Rocklin Fire Department Capt. Martin Holm: "We do what we can. A life’s a lot more important than a house."

Any flame longer than 8 feet is considered unstoppable, and even
water and fire retardant will evaporate before they reach the ground,
said Gordon Schmidt, a retired U.S. Forest Service deputy director of
fire management.

"In these situations, the strategy generally is to fall back,"
he said. "You pick and choose your priorities in terms of what you can
protect. Instead of trying to stop the fire, you try to prevent it from
burning resources."

In the suburbs north of San Diego,
firefighters did just that as fingers of flame pulsed across a 10-lane
freeway and raced up a hill on the opposite side in just seconds. The
fire engulfed white-washed homes at the top of the ridge.

Groves of eucalyptus trees exploded in the heat in one ritzy
cul-de-sac in Rancho Santa Fe, sending off a scattered popping that
sounded like machine gun fire.

Firefighters parked their rigs in the driveways of the most threatened
homes and hosed down fences and open space around homes as a blood-red
sun set over a sky choked with smoke and falling ash.

Firefighters battling two fast-moving blazes in Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino Mountains about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, were also taxed by steep terrain, winding roads and a forest packed with dead or dying trees.

More than 200 homes burned in Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, fire officials said.

At least three times in the past two days, fire crews have been
forced to "pull off, and wait for things to calm down" because of
danger, said San Bernardino National Forest Ranger Kurt Winchester.

"In a lot of places, you just have to back off and let the fire go," he said. "There’s nothing we can do."

In Rancho Santa Fe, neighbors tried to protect a friend’s home
with a garden hose Monday night as flames raced up a ridge directly
behind the house. Yards away, an engine crew kept watch as another
home, already fully engulfed, burned to the ground.

"We told the firemen about (this house) and we put out a few
hot spots," said friend Gary Rich. "They told us once they put out that
house, they’d come over here."

But, Rich said, encroaching flames were making him nervous and he might leave before then.

Fighting a gusty blaze also puts the firefighters in harm’s way.
At least twice in the last two days, firefighters have had to unfurl
their emergency fire shelters — small fire-resistant tents to shield
them when they can’t escape a fire.

Weather conditions only grew worse, with temperatures across
Southern California about 10 degrees above average. Temperatures were
in the 90s by mid-afternoon and wind gusts up to 60 mph were expected
in mountains and canyons.

In the San Diego
suburb of Del Dios, fire completely destroyed one home but seemed to
touch other items at random. Two lawn chairs and an umbrella were left
in a burnt, melted heap on the patio. But behind the house, near a
murky brown swimming pool, two chaise lounges and a four-foot-tall decorative fountain survived unscathed.

J.C. Playford, an evacuee from the nearby community of Ramona, surveyed
the damage and wondered whether his own home was still standing.

"I’ve got two reports, one person told me it’s gone, and one person said it’s still there," he said, "So I have no idea."

___

Associated Press writers Allison Hoffman contributed to this
story from San Diego; Martha Mendoza reported from Lake Arrowhead; and
Jacob Adelman contributed from Santa Clarita.

At about 12:00 noon yesterday, I thought of eating Sbarro pizza in Glorietta for lunch. But it’s too late to call up my sister and I’m still contemplating if I’ll attend mass or go to the bank. I am slightly a bad girl yesterday because I opted to go to the bank. It’s a long overdue transaction for my Tita and so…I have to do it.

On my way to the bank, I decided that if it takes around 5 minutes in the bank, I can still go to Glorietta for Sbarro pizza and just bring some for my sister. At the bank, it was a short queue but I wonder why each person took so long? I was only the third one on the queue but it took me 35 minutes in the bank.Oh my…

I just went to the nearby Goldilocks Bakeshop to eat my lunch. Oh, its a long queue. here I am again contemplating on what to eat for lunch. I was thinking, "paksiw na lechon" is yummy, "beef steak is tasty", "sinigang na bangus" is my favorite and "relyenong bangus" is also a favorite. When it’s my turn to order, I was greeted by the young lady crew "Goldy good day ma’am". Finally, I made up my mind, I ordered "relyenong bangus(sarap)". It’s a great lunch but still "relyenong bangus of my nanay" is the best. No match.

I went back and after a few minutes, the breaking news was announced. The initial report was an explosion of LPG in a chinese restaurant at Glorietta. I was talking to myself and said silently " Eto talagang mga Instik na ito, walang kaingat-ingat, wala man lang safety measures, ang dami daming tao doon, lunch time pa." Then, later it was announced that it’s not an LPG that exploded but a bomb, claiming 8 innocent lives and hurting around 89 people.Then, I remember Sbaro pizza and I said "Thank you Lord, I could have been there for the pizza. My sister Det checked on me by phone and related that her husband’s company is very quick to do a head count. I answered "Ganyan ang mga Amerikano, quick in adversity, mabilis, decisive, practical kaya mabilis ang pag-unlad. Ang bilis nga ng US embassy in announcing to their citizens to stay away from Glorietta.(pero di ko makakalimutang manglalait ang mga yan)." See, my sister is an angel… I thank her and we said goodbye over the phone.

The motive of the perpetrator is unclear, as of the moment. Thinking on how cruel it is…"nagsisikip ang dibdib ko." Let us include in our prayers, all victims of the Glorietta bombing. And may God heal the hearts of those criminals…

Bhttp://bosanchez.ph/get-rid-of-toxic-faith/

Last year was Jenjen’s 1st birthday celebration and baptism. I am so happy whenever a baby is baptized by the priest, because that means another Christian is born and blessed. Relatives and friends were gathered for a simple party. I was hiding from the game master fearing that I will be called to dance in front of people…oh my not me, not even in my wild imagination!!! On my way to hide, I got the chance to talk to Kaka Jo. He asked me " Wala ka na bang balak bumalik sa abroad?" I simply said "Wala na po." Then he told me "Sayang naman, ang hirap ng buhay dito sa Pilipinas." I cannot say anything, let me say in tagalog …"Kung baga sa kaso, tagilid ang depensa",  so I changed the topic, I said "Gusto nyo ho ng ice cream, kukuha ho kasi ako." Then he smiled and said "Tapos na." That was my last conversation with him…

Just a few days ago, Tita Thez, texted me about his death. Had I known that it will be the last, I could have spend more time talking with him–maybe about politics, parenting or anything under the sun.

Got the chance to see Kaka Doring, his widow. Their marriage is something I envy. She repeated many times, how wonderfula husband is Kaka Jo. She was crying hard and I don’t know what words would I say… I just hold her hand…

Got the chance to talk to my cousins too. I admire them for being in control of their emotion and for taking care of their mom.

Sad, really sad… 

Help me pray for the eternal repose of Andres Fajardo, my Kaka Jo and all the departed ones…

One Question

I do believe that Filipino teachers are effective and the best teachers. That may be the reason why Filipino teachers are continuously hired by foreign countries especially the U.S. Well, not just teachers but nurses, PTs/OTs and IT professionals too.It only shows that they respect and trust the ability and integrity of Filipinos.

The above is the opposite to the controversial comment made by an American in the show "Desperate Wives". The comment belittled the Filipinos.

Racism? Well, whatever you call it, just one  question for the concern person ….."What have you learned from kindergarten?"

Hail to the Filipinos!!!

Pacman

Tomorrow will be another fight for Manny P. I hope that he wins and that Kyla be able to sing the National Anthem in the correct way.Let’s watch together…

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

For all the people who made my day yesterday, as well as the people who find time to post comments and messages and ofcouse to my siblings, my parents, tita thezz, noel,Annie…Thank you so much…you are all more than riches…

Annie’s Lovely Song

Thank you for singing songs for me, you’re an angel…

I saw the rainbow, I remember you

You are the rainbow of my life

The ONE I look up and hold on to

I saw the sunrise, I remember you

You remind me of hope

On rainy and stormy days

I saw the beautiful flowers, I remember you

You gave me  hundreds of them

That brings smiles and excitements

I  saw the brightest star, I remember you

You are the light of my life

You completed me

I saw the greeneries, I remember you

That is one thing you do best

A gift you may call

I saw a great art show, I remember you

Your works are the best art

My eyes had ever seen

I saw the best in you!

I was trying to find a copy of mp3 or music streaming links of Martin’s new song –a revival of Chicago’s Hard Habit To BReak…

Hard Habit To Break Lyrics (Chicago)

Chicago - Hard Habit To Break Lyrics

(S. Kipner/J. Parker)
I guess I thought you’d be here forever
Another illusion I chose to create
You don’t know what ya got until it’s gone
And I found out a little too late
I was acting as if you were lucky to have me
Doin’ you a favor I hardly knew you were there
But then you were gone and it was all wrong
Had no idea how much I cared
CHORUS:
Now being without you
Takes a lot of getting used to
Should learn to live with it
But I don’t want to
Living without you
It’s all a big mistake
Instead of getting easier
It’s the hardest thing to take
I’m addicted to ya babe
You’re a hard habit to break
You found somebody else you had every reason
You know I can’t blame you for runnin’ to him
Two people together but living alone
I was spreading my love too thin
After all of these years
I’m still tryin’ to shake it
Doin’ much better they say that I just takes time
But deep in the night it’s an endless flight
I can’t get ya out of my mind
CHORUS
2nd Chorus:
Being without you
Takes a lot of getting used to
Should learn to live with it
I don’t want to
Being without
Is all a big mistake
Instead of getting any easier
It’s the hardest thing to take
I’m addicted to you
You’re a hard habit to break