When there is darkness in your life,TRUST in HIM

When you are in the darkness, in the middle of the tunnel of your sufferings, do not despair, trust in the Lord. The Lord is there, even if we do not see Him.

Let us read Peter's case taken from Matthews' gospel. "But at once Jesus said to them, "Courage! Do not be afraid, it is I." Peter answered,"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking in the water."

Jesus said to him, "Come." And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus. But, in face of the strong wind, was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, Man of little faith (trust), why did you doubt?" (Mtt 14: 27-31).

When the wind and the storm of our pain are strong beyond our strength, the secret is faith and trust. And when these virtues are weak in us, let us pray and ask others to pray to the Spirit who dwells within us that he may grant us these virtues that after all are his gifts.

The mystery of suffering

Not all sufferings are mysterious. The sufferings of Christ are mysterious. Why did he choose to suffer physically? What intention did he have in it?

Our Father in heaven does not want any evil for any human being. He does not wish anything evil or bad neither for his Son nor for any body else. Does this mean that suffering is not evil? Are all the sufferings evil? Not all the sufferings fall under the category of evil or bad.

The Lord made man and woman free. He gifted them with the gift of freedom. Freedom that can be properly used or misused.

Before the fall (misused of freedom) of Adam and Eve, our first parents, there was no physical suffering on earth. It was after their disobedience that toil, work and suffering appeared. It is since then that the evil human instincts, or lower appetites, that became alive and active in every human being. However, freedom was not taken away from the human kind. From the day of the disobedience on there were and are two opposing principles in each person.

These ideas help me to understand a little about the mystery of suffering.

How do you handle your crosses?

The cross was the vehicle for the glorification of the Son of the Father. Christ accomplished the work the Father gave him (John 11:1-11). Jesus glorifies his father by doing his will, by enduring the cross, and by fulfilling the Father's purpose of blessing for many by means of the cross.

What are your crosses? The paschal mystery, passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, culminates the glorious life of Christ. In the lives of many of us happens the same. When we are born, our birth is gift we did not deserve. Life is given to us to be developed into maturity. And the culmination of our growth takes place through the paschal mystery that ends in the resurrection of each one of us. There is no resurrection without passing through the death of the body.

There are therefore in our life three big moments. The birth, the life and the death. The first and the last do not depend on us. The second is given to us to have it grow and develop. And it is in this period of our life when we have to work hard on our sanctification. And it is in this moment of our life when we encounter the crosses and the sufferings they carry. Are you aware of your crosses? How do you handle them? Suffering and crosses are necessary in life, but the most important is how we handle them. Jesus is our model.The will of his Father was always in his mind.

Is suffering necessary in human life?

My answer is YES. Suffering is needed in human existence.
But before I go ahead, let me tell you why I stopped blogging after my first two blogs. The reason was the hospitalization. I spent the whole month of May in a room in Makati Medical Center surrounded by needles in my arms and hands, by nurses, doctors and drugs. Sometimes there were more than 20 drugs a day to be taken. My stomach has become a small Mercury Drugstore. Since I left the hospital I had been struggling with cancer in the mugs of the mouth. The result of the biopsy was "Squamous Cells Carcinoma." It is still going on, but I hope to finish with it soon with the help of Mary Help of Christians.


What did I learn during the period of suffering? A good number of things. I thought that at the age of 70 I should be in control of my lower human tendencies but the reality was different. The main lesson I learned was to be more patient, understanding, and kind with those taking care of me. Say a short prayer to help me grow in these attitudes and virtues. Thank you!

Born 54 Years Ago

Today is not only the birhday of St. John Bosco, but also my birthday to the Society of St. John Bosco. At the age of 16, 54 years ago, I approached the altar of the Lord and in the presence of my Provincial Superior, Rev. Fr. Emilio Corrales, I pronounced to be obedient, poor and chaste to God, my Father, in the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco to be lived in community life.

With the grace of God and the help of Mary Help of Christians, I had been able to live 54 years of fidelity to the promise made on the 16th of August 1955. I thank the Lord for this gift and offer Him my gratitude for it.

I was told several times, during the novitiate and the following years of initial formation that my vocation to the Salesian life was the fruit of the blood of the martyrs of our civil war. I believe that. Today, the Salesians who died shouting: "Viva Christo Rey!" are now declared saints by the Holy Catholic Church. Their blood has produced so many Salesians now spread as missionaries all over the five continents--among them there are bishops and missionaries.

You who might read this blog, kindly join me and my classmates in thanking God for the gift of our vocation and for the blood of our holy martyrs.

Viva Christo Rey! Long live our Holy Martyrs!