Aahh...Summer is finally here! so as Lent too. Come March/April, what comes into my mind? hot humid weather. HolyWeek---the Lord's time. I am writing this not just because of the Lent, of course anytime can be God's time, except for me the significance of lent is more of the deep essence of being a Catholic Christian. In this time, we get to cease from our regular routine and allow ourselves to be quiet and listen to the voice within our innermost, because God is within Us.

I remember the time when I was still a wanderer in my own spiritual being, I look at Lent as a displeasure occurence every March or April, why? you need to fast (tough for me 'cause I am fond of eating) depending on your capacity, it presses you on to attend to a certain devout activities such as: recollection, retreat, visita iglesia, 'pabasa/pasyon', station of the cross, need to repent...aww...you need to go to confession--I guess this is the stiffest one to do, you need to have a lot of courage to consolidate all your past sins and the recent ones as well...such goings-on needless to say, are a few of the many of being a Catholic Christian that we continue to experience during Lent.

That's how I see Lent not until I have been renewed and joined in a community of pious people, don't get me wrong, it isn't 'bout the community rather, it's the renewal of my personal relationship with the God I have come to recognized living within me.

One of the blessings I received recently is I have gone to confession, yes I did! though at first hesitant not to. It was during the Lenten Recollection held last friday at the office with Rev. Father Peter "Popo" Solis from a Seminary in Binangonan, Rizal. He furnished us with the teachings on the Three Laws: on Reflection, Respect and Remembrance. I would say its one of the blessings, why? read on---

The Law of Reflection

God made us in His own image, but we tend to make God in our own, thus resulting to disappointment, refusing to believe that God has a better plan for us. We keep on redirecting His instruction not that we turned down His thoughts, its because we try to put Him in a box carefully crafted with selfish motives. Of the many causes of disappointments there is the love of money. Remember that, money is a very good servant but a terrible master...I affirmed to that. Perhaps we just have to prompt it in moderation and not to get ruled by it. We should be wiser now as we get older day by day, we should be:

- more delicate of being spiritually matured
- more formed and informed
- more likely to be childlike in spirit;
simple, with less demands of earthly things
- more sensible, to have a sense of propriety

Learn the art of Reflection and be able to be a more reflective human being.

The Law of Respect

What's in the NAME? Dignity, Stateliness, Pride, Distinction. Nowadays, it's tough to get one, specially if one lives in an uprooted civilization submerged in a world of politicking, money making, fame buttressing among other, are merely all-form non-substance.

Being a Christian doesn't have to be a perfect and holy at all times, but being honest and sincere enough to all his thoughts makes one justified. He could also be angry at times, in order to achieve truth and justice. Just "Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say".

The Law of Remembrance

Have you set a regular time to remember God? When I was still a dead Christian, I rarely find time for Him, only on occasions like attending mass (only if I want to), birthdays, baptismal and wedding rites, sad...we keep on investing a lot of availability on things that matters most to us but finds it hard to slot Him in, to our precious time. The key is to have a personal relationship with God and be able to establish it right now, at this very moment. Father Popo instigate to us some of the teachings on the law of remembrance, read and keep them with you at all times.

- attending mass on every sunday is not just fulfilling the duty
as christian, it is renewing the bond with our Creator
- sabbath day is not just for sunday mass, not just a day of rest,
it's a time with God, a time to reflect, a time for our soul to speak to God,
a time to listen and a time to be quiet and just feel the love of God
- again, be able to go to confession as often as you can, why?
to cleanse the soul, to refresh the temple of the spirit,
to keep the channel of blessing flowing without any dispute

Nobody says that life is as easy as counting 1,2,3, neither reciting the alphabet as a,b,c. What we need is a total change of heart, a 180 degree turn from our bad inclinations, a Conversion to sum it up. Start on reformatting your self and rediscover Life with God. There, you will have a good judgment of "Pananagutan", once you begin to entertain "Pagbabago".

Have a meaningful Holy Week!

God Is Good All The Time! ;D