She asked both of us to join her. This is our story telling time with her. “C,mon Grandpa, sit and join us.”
“But, I was not invited, ” hubby likes to joke around.
“Grandpa, just sit and let’s eat together.
With gusto, she prepares her seaweed sandwiches. “I have special scrambled eggs here,” she added. As we finished, she turns around and says, “I love you,” and looks at me. She felt special seeing the cutting board.
Truthfully, I was inspired by @lutravelsabroad and that presentation at the table plus the focused attention we gave her elevated her sense of security and belonging in my house.
She takes the hand of her Lolo and says, “Time to do homework.” She’s excited to have tutoring lessons by her motivated teacher, based in Hawaii and she looks forward to learning from her.
When her dad picked her up, she jumped to hug him and he caught her lovingly. She is learning to love because she is loved by so many.
500 year anniversary of the First Mass in the Philippines, the arrival of Catholic Christianity in the Philippines, with Pope Francis officiating the mass at St. Peter’s Square today, Sunday, March 14, 2021.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son” (Jn 3:16). This is the heart of the Gospel; this is the source of our joy. The Gospel message is not an idea or a doctrine. It is Jesus himself: the Son whom the Father has given us so that we might have life. The source of our joy is not some lovely theory about how to find happiness, but the actual experience of being accompanied and loved throughout the journey of life. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son”. Brothers and sisters, let us dwell on these two thoughts for a moment: “God so loved” and “God gave”.
First of all, God so loved. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus – a Jewish elder who wanted to know the Master – help us to see the true face of God. He has always looked at us with love, and for the sake of love, he came among us in the flesh of his Son. In Jesus, he went in search of us when we were lost. In Jesus, he came to raise us up when we fell. In Jesus, he wept with us and healed our wounds. In Jesus, he blessed our life forever. The Gospel tells us that whoever believes in him will not perish (ibid.). In Jesus, God spoke the definitive word about our life: you are not lost, you are loved.
Loved forever.
If hearing the Gospel and practicing our faith don’t enlarge our hearts and make us grasp the immensity of God’s love – maybe because we prefer a glum, sorrowful and self-absorbed religiosity – then this is a sign that we need to stop and listen once more to the preaching of the Good News. God loves you so much that he gave you his entire life. He is not a god who looks down upon us from on high, indifferent, but a loving Father who becomes part of our history. He is not a god who takes pleasure in the death of sinners, but a Father concerned that that no one be lost. He is not a god who condemns, but a Father who saves us with the comforting embrace of his love.
We now come to the second aspect: God “gave” his Son. Precisely because he loves us so much, God gives himself; he offers us his life. Those who love always go out of themselves. Don’t forget this: those who love go out of themselves. Love always offers itself, gives itself, expends itself. That is the power of love: it shatters the shell of our selfishness, breaks out of our carefully constructed security zones, tears down walls and overcomes fears, so as to give freely of itself. That is what loves does: it gives itself. And that is how lovers are: they prefer to risk self-giving over self-preservation. That is why God comes to us: because he “so loved” us. His love is so great that he cannot fail to give himself to us. When the people were attacked by poisonous serpents in the desert, God told Moses to make the bronze serpent. In Jesus, however, exalted on the cross, he himself came to heal us of the venom of death; he became sin to save us from sin. God does not love us in words: he gives us his Son, so that whoever looks at him and believes in him will be saved (cf. Jn 3:14-15).
The more we love, the more we become capable of giving. That is also the key to understanding our life. It is wonderful to meet people who love one another and share their lives in love. We can say about them what we say about God: they so love each other that they give their lives. It is not only what we can make or earn that matters; in the end, it is the love we are able to give.
This is the source of joy! God so loved the world that he gave his Son. Here we see the meaning of the Church’s invitation this Sunday: “Rejoice… Rejoice and be glad, you who mourn: find contentment and consolation” (Entrance Antiphon; cf. Is 66:10-11). I think of what we saw a week ago in Iraq: a people who had suffered so much rejoiced and were glad, thanks to God and his merciful love.
Sometimes we look for joy where it is not to be found: in illusions that vanish, in dreams of glory, in the apparent security of material possessions, in the cult of our image, and in so many other things. But life teaches us that true joy comes from realizing that we are loved gratuitously, knowing that we are not alone, having someone who shares our dreams and who, when we experience shipwreck, is there to help us and lead us to a safe harbor.
Dear brothers and sisters, five hundred years have passed since the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines. You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers. In the joy with which you bring your faith to other lands. I have often said that here in Rome Filipino women are “smugglers” of faith! Because wherever they go to work, they sow the faith. It is part of your genes, a blessed “infectiousness” that I urge you to preserve. Keeping bringing the faith, the good news you received five hundred years ago, to others. I want to thank you, then, for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities. I think, as I mentioned, of the many beautiful experiences in families here in Rome – but also throughout the world – where your discreet and hardworking presence became a testimony of faith. In the footsteps of Mary and Joseph, for God loves to bring the joy of faith through humble, hidden, courageous and persevering service.
On this very important anniversary for God’s holy people in the Philippines, I also want to urge you to persevere in the work of evangelization – not proselytism, which is something else. The Christian proclamation that you have received needs constantly to be brought to others. The Gospel message of God’s closeness cries out to be expressed in love for our brothers and sisters. God desires that no one perish. For this reason, he asks the Church to care for those who are hurting and living on the fringes of life. God so loves us that he gives himself to us, and the Church has this same mission. The Church is called not to judge but to welcome; not to make demands, but to sow seeds; not to condemn, but to bring Christ who is our salvation.
I know that this is the pastoral program of your Church: a missionary commitment that involves everyone and reaches everyone. Never be discouraged as you walk this path. Never be afraid to proclaim the Gospel, to serve and to love. With your joy, you will help people to say of the Church too: “she so loved the world!” How beautiful and attractive is a Church that loves the world without judging, a Church that gives herself to the world. May it be so, dear brothers and sisters, in the Philippines and in every part of the earth.”-Homily of Pope Francis, March 14, 2021
First photo is by CBCP News, rest are screen captures of Vatican News livestreaming mass.
#princess2015la and her grandmother, moi, made strawberry preserves today. Her mom’s homemade brioche is usually paired with my #homemadestrawberrypreserves and homemade #peanutbutter.
She helped me remove the stems and she loved helping. I made the sugar syrup, boiled the fruit and 4 pounds of fruit yielded five 8 oz. jars, costing $4 per jar for raw fruits. No wonder the manufacturers charge at least $15 a bottle.
Lesson of the day:
“Grandma, I now have two relatives who hurt my feelings.”
“Oh, how is that?”
“Remember M who punched me in my belly when I slept in her house? This weekend, E hurt my feelings too and pinched me.”
Grandma: “I am so sorry that happened. Next time that happens, walk up to their parents to tell them what happened. You can also walk up to them, look them in the eyes and say STOP, and let them know your feelings were hurt.”
Apo: “But, why do they hurt others, Grandma?”
Grandma: “Understand them as they maybe are hurting at home, too. But, never ever allow them to physically hurt you. Forgive them.
You know why sometimes they hurt others? When you have a good heart that loves others and you consciously don’t hurt them, they want to challenge you to see if you would still be kind.”
Apo: “Don’t worry, Grandma, I will never throw my heart away.”
Grandma: “I don’t get it. Can you explain?”
Apo: “Grandma, when you throw away your heart, you become sassy and bossy.”
Grandma: “How do you know all these?”
Apo: “I watch people Grandma.”
Reflection: Notice how emotionally intelligent she is, she is able to pick up the lessons on people’s behaviors. I try to let her explain to me her point of view by asking questions a lot. I also try to have many teaching moments about empathy, caring, kindness, and love.
Let’s keep it that way by wearing masks, getting our vaccines. Worldwide, United States, under a soulful, health-promoting 46th US @potus has resulted in the highest number of vaccinations. Sadly and unfortunately, we lost now more than half a million residents in the United States, and with a 1.8% fatality rate per number of new cases. In other countries, like Yemen, it is a much higher rate if deaths per new cases. We marked 400,000 lives lost when Joe Biden was inaugurated, lives equivalent to lives lost more than Korean, Vietnam and even World War II. Collectively our behaviors will need to change or sustained, if done already, to know that we are responsible for the next person or persons not to get #CoronaVirus from us, by social distancing, outside of one’s household.
This Valentine’s week, I did not get bought flowers from the store. Instead, hubby installed a bidet for our first floor toilet. That was an easy install. But for the real flowers that I got, he sweated for days. Days, as he had to custom craft the parts and went to the hardware store three times to purchase screws, exchanged them and more. Why? He wanted to fix a vintage moen shower valve. Three days after, no more leaky valves. Then, he drove us to The Forum to get our second doses of #CoronaVirus vaccines. It was so organized, no unnecessary waits, and we got done in 50 minutes, which included a wait time after of 25 minutes for side effects. Hubby drove the van, which allowed us to go to Lane 1 and skipped lots of waiting like the cars in 12 lanes. Imagine that – it prepared us later for waiting to get our food. After, I had cravings for fried chicken, the Roscoe’s kind, and we joked with the traffic officer at the Forum as to what to order. What else but the #obamaspecial, in a chorus, and more wings as they give you barely enough to satisfy a craving until the next? We waited 45 minutes, after I placed an online order through grubhub. After enjoying Dr. Fauci’s interview on a podcast, it was time to get my order. Lines snaked about 12 folks, distancing w/ masks. I felt safe. “Order #711” “Ma’am, you are at the wrong location. You need to go to Main Street and Manchester. ” That was 7 miles away. Patient hubby pointed to a Charlie’s shack and said, “There we can get our order from.” I laughed.When we got home, my favorite beautiful daughter was waiting to give us #homemadebriocheadobobuns. Yummy! Honestly, I would sell this for her. The buttery buns complimented with the savory adobo and she put in a hefty filling inside. Not quite done with chores, I asked hubby to help me clean the portapottie in our van, as our favorite handsome son is borrowing it. I saw my niece’s bouquet of roses and showed it to hubby. He cleverly said, “I can get those flowers, you know.” I interrupted him to say, “Oh no, I love the flowers I got from you: the bidet, the fixed shower valve, and the help in cleaning the portapottie.” Happy Covid 19-vaccinated Valentine’s day to you all! I feel the love of my hubby, my two children, my friends and absolutely nothing to ask for. Vaccine is life! I am most grateful to our two children who made the appointments for us from an earlier rollout of the vaccine appointments, using a user-unfriendly website. I then passed on the information to relatives, neighbors and friends. #weareinthistogether Thank you Pope Francis for today’s mass for the World’s Day for the Poor – “We are all beggars for God’s love,” he said. Thank you Lord for another day to breathe. I look forward to travelling to Mt. Fuji in 2022. #covid19vacccine #CoronavirusPandemic #ValentinesDay2021
I cooked beef bourguignon using #juliachildrecipe, but modified the process to be easier, using the stove, dutch oven and baked it for 4 1/2 hours at 325F. This inspired me to work today. The smell of red wine, chicken stock instead of beef, as that is what I have, plus carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and white onions, steeped with a bouquet of thyme and bay leaves, permeated the entire house. What a delightful, easy recipe! While baking in the oven, I cleaned the house. Almost daily, after listening to #jenpsaki‘s truthful, honest, factual, respectful press conference, I am hopeful and inspired by 46thUS President’s leadership @potus @coveringpotus in the White House and the decreasing number of #CoronaVirus cases. I was also inspired by the kindness by the de facto goodwill ambassador of Los Angeles @directorrivera who has been cooking for artists and theater folks for 46 weeks, 317 days and now, am a beneficiary of his cooking, Pancit and Menudo. Today, John Hopkins reported 446,403 deaths and 26,415,433 new cases, worldwide- 103,744,194 cases and 2,249,231 deaths in 192 countries/regions. Last year, when I tracked these cases, new cases were in 187 countries/regions, now it is in 192 countries. Best news, we are seeing healthworkers completing 2 doses of Pfizer BionTech vaccinations. In California over 3,000,000 vaccine doses have been administered to Tier 1a, healthworkers and frontliners. Tier Ib, persons 65 and older, about 8 million are next in line and currently being vaccinated. Hubby and I got our first doses of #Pfizer BionTech vaccine, in a few more days, the second dose. In the meantime, I am more connected to folks, by phone, text, email, messenger, and only physically close to my husband and 6yo #princess2015la, my granddaughter. “Nationwide, at least 23.2 million people have received the vaccine, according to tracking by The Washington Post. About 5 million people have been fully vaccinated, or 1.5 percent of the U.S. population.” #micasadeamore
