Chronicles of the Daily Grind

solemnity of the body and blood of christ
a personal reflection

"i am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever."
(john 6:51)

eternity.

for reasons i haven't really grasped, the thought of it leads me back to recall the "moments" i wanted to last forever. the instances when i wanted to keep the time from ticking, the experiences i wanted to prolong as much as possible, to keep them going and going and going. these experiences were truly worth treasuring, for this reason we don't want them to change; we find them hard to let go.

it is perhaps the same feeling jesus is offering as he promised us this eternal life whoever eats his flesh, the living bread.

the solemnity of the corpus christi highlights the "real presence" of jesus in the eucharist. it is not a bread, not a symbol, but christ himself in person. an unfathomable mystery. it simply tells us one thing: "he is here, personally." he wanted to be with us forever. this is a mark of a loving relationship, that "presence" and "availability" for both parties are vital.

when we receive him in the holy eucharist, we become in union with him. this perhaps is the reason why the act is called the holy communion. we become united in god, the source of all life. through the eucharist we renew the union, we receive more eternity. when we receive christ, time become an "eternal moment."

if we would truly take into heart this thought, this fact, this real experience; if we really believe that we receive christ in holy communion, and that we truly long for this; we wanted this moment to last forever.

Posted by brodiz at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

activity: savio parish youth camp 2008
date: may 20-23, 2008
venue: ilocos sur (tagudin and vigan)

"to be with the young is a joy to the heart."
this would perhaps encapsulate my experience of the recently held camp.
it wasn't easy to assist a hundred youngsters, so energetic and vibrant, wanting to fully express themselves, trying out possibilities, venturing the unknown, probing their curiosity, venturing beyond the limits.
i never thought i could exceed their energies.
one thing i admire in this is that the young themselves organized everything.
we were simply tasked to guide, assist and give the formation slated for the camp.
there were loopholes, of course, but it would be for their benefit, for their growth experience.
8 salesians accompanied these campers.
it's pleasing to see salesians being with the young, eating the same food the young themselves prepared.
in truth, we were all so hungry. food supply is not enough. meals are never on time.
yet despite of these, the zeal and the joy of the young cover all these discomforts. we were all suffering together parched while waiting for the bought water to arrive. we distracted ourselves laughing our hearts out. this has got to be the joy and optimism don bosco was talking about, that despite the discomforts, we have every reason to be happy and thankful for, like the company of each one.
my experience in this camp validates my vocation as a salesian.
while materialism and consumerism take us far away from this salasian spirituality of joy and optimism, i am happy to realize the greater importance and weight of relationships than any other physical comforts the world could offer.
it's worth all the fatigue.

Posted by brodiz at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

This Sunday's Gospel reflects the Blessed Trinity. The summary of our faith, yet the most mysterious of all. Philosophers and theologians crack their brains out trying to explain and shed light to us the mystery behind our belief. Yet, there is only one explanation that convinces me. That is, the Blessed Trinity is an image of loving relationships.

"For God loved the world so much that He gave his Only Begotten Son so that anyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." (John 3:16)

God is LOVE. This overflowing of love manifests even in Himself the core: loving relationship. the Blessed Trinity proves to be this model of loving relationships. The love of God is so much that He has generously shared this love to us. That is why from eternity, God created us. Not only the Father, but with the Son and the Spirit.

God's essence of love is loving relationships. His offering of His Son is an act of God on how He would want to always restore our loving relationship with which was broken by our sins.

God's love SAVES us.

God loves us. And we don't just know this. We feel this. And such a feeling is so overwhelming that our response is but to love Him in our own free choice and personal way. God's love is self-diffusive.

For this reason, i haven't lost hope in our world marred by conflicts and division. God's love spreads like brushfire in our hearts. We just have to realize and feel this as we effect our loving relationships with one another.

Posted by brodiz at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

speaking of dreams...

we were heading back home from a day's visit at ilocos sur in preparation for the camping of the dbyc. we were all tired and uncomfortable due to the long trip. despite all these, i had to steal some sleep so that i may recharge a bit for the following day's jp2 conference.

even our driver admitted that he's sleepy. so we stopped by the side of the road near a gasoline station. we all dozed off. when i opened my eyes, i saw a man coming towards us. i was seated at the left side behind our driver near the window of our vehicle. he rushed towards my window. i could not explain how he was able to slide the window. on his hand, he grasped firmly a huge syringe. he motioned his whole arm as he stabbed me in my chest with that syringe of a yellowish-fluid content.

i woke up motioning a defensive stance of preventing the stab. all my other companions were asleep.

such a strange dream!

why would i dream of somebody who is about to kill me with a syringe? is he after killing me or drugging me? where did i get these images, these phantasms in my head? why syringe? why not a knife or a gun? and to top all these...

what does it mean?

this is another piece of my bank of weird dreams.

Labels: dream

Posted by brodiz at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: insights, introspection, personal, random thoughts, talking within

Posted by brodiz at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments

today highlights the perpetual profession of 15 salesians.
to commit oneself in perpetuity is no joke.
it even goes against the modern pluralist trend where people are confronted with so many options in life. consumerism and materialism allure us to pick out the best, to choose what leads, which paradoxically confronts us to the truth that we could not really make a choice.
for this reason, people nowadays find it difficult to commit.
we all want everything to ourselves.
and so why commit?
why choose one when there are many?

commitment is love.
love goes against that mentality of taking everything for ourselves.
love gives up the self for one thing.
when we commit, we lose ourselves, we lose the full control of ourselves.
we do it because we value its importance.
simply, we love.
we commit and we love.
we love and we commit.
love and commitment are options taken interchangeably.

i pray that i may never lose this love.
i pray that on that day when i would offer myself fully,
when i am about to commit myself in perpetuity,
i'd be loving God more deeply as it would ever grow each day.
yet, for sure, His love never lessens.
i pray that i may love the Lord as He deserves.

Labels: choice, formation, introspection, personal, prayer, reflection

Posted by brodiz at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

This year's theme: AIRBORNE in connection with our theme Ascende Superius, 53 campers were divided into 8 groups assuming these images of FLIGHT. I would surely miss those creative yells:


Hukbong Maya... Lilipadlipad!

Naglalagablab, naglalagablab... Arcane Phoenix!

Warriors of the Lord, Angel!

Jollybhe! Jollybhe! Yeah!

1... 2... 3... Eagle's Fayth!

Fly, Fly, Fly... the Firefly!

Teen Titans... Hey!

Dragons... Roar!


Sino nga ba ang nanalo sa yell? nakalimutan ko na...
please fill me in.

Labels: camp, random thoughts, youth

Posted by brodiz at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments