INSIDE THE TOMB OF JESUS (Originally Posted on FB - April 6, 2020)

The Holy Sepulcher of Jesus

NOVEMBER 17, 2019. It was the first Sunday I would be able to enter Jerusalem since I came here for seminary formation. Being a newbie here in the Holy Land, this is a dream come true for me. I have always dreamed of entering the Holy City and venerate the places connected to our faith and salvation. There is no time to lose and only one place to visit: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

THIS IS #UsadLang!!!

 

After years of hiatus, I have decided to give some focus on my blogsite, which has been a silent witness to my adolescent and early adulthood years. I was supposed to do this yesterday if not because of a fever which bugged me down since the weekend. 

A lot of things happened since the time I became active in blogging, and so to keep this blog in-line with the trends, I have adopted my official hashtag since 2017, #UsadLang, as SirBitz@Blogger's new name. "One With You" has served its purpose for the past 17 years, and so we rebrand this blog along with the rest of my social media handles (FB, IG, Youtube) for unity's sake.

Thanks a lot to all who have silently passed over this blog through the years. I know what your particular interests are when it comes to page views and all, and I so appreciate your interest in reading one or two of my articles. I will try my best to be active again in blogging, or at least leave an entry here every once in a while. 

And so, we continue. #UsadLang

LA VIRGEN DE LA SOLEDAD DE NAVOTAS: Ina Nami't Gabay

La Virgen de la Soledad de Navotas

May tatlong taon na kaming nagpipista sa Virgen de la Soledad de Porta Vaga sa Parokya ng Sta. Cruz sa Navotas, pero nitong isang taon lang kami pinahintulutang ganapin ang rosaryo at lingguhang pagnonobena sa kanyang karangalan. Mas lalo pang dumami ang Jovenes, at nagkaroon ng kabuluhan ang aming pag-iral sa parokya. Hindi rin nawala ang mga kapatid nating hindi naunawaan ang pag-iral ng grupo, ni ng debosyon, pero hindi nagpabaya ang Mahal na Ina, ni nanghina ang mga Jovenes.

𝑨𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒆𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒂𝒌𝒂-𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒎... 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑼𝒍𝒊𝒕 𝑺𝒊𝒚𝒂?

1882, sa gitna ng epidemya ng Kolera na nanalasa sa Cavite Puerto at sa mga karatig-lugar, isang matandang babae ng naka-itim ang dumalaw sa governador ng Cavite, humiling na ipagdiwang ang Pista ng Virgen de la Soledad upang humupa ang sakit. Di nga nagtagal humupa ang kolera, at nang taong 1883, ipinagdiwang nang buong rangya ang Pista ng Mahal na Ina, tanda ng pasasalamat sa pagkakaligtas mula sa sakit at pagkalinga sa kanyang mga anak.

2020, dumating ang pandemya ng COVID-19, maraming nagkakasakit at namamatay. Daan-daang buhay ang nalagay sa perwisyo. Ngunit tayo, sa ating pag-ibig at pagtitiwala ay patuloy na kumakatok sa pinto ng langit, humihingi ng awa na tuluyan nang humupa ang pandemya, nang sa gayon, ay maibalik sa dati ang ating mga gawi at makapagdiwang muli ng Pista ng Mahal na Virgen de la Soledad sa Nobyembre na may kalakip na pasasalamat at pag-asa.

Sinu-sino nga ba sa atin ang naghihintay sa "pagdating" ng matandang babaeng naka-itim?

Isa ako sa mga naghihintay sa kanyang pagdating, pisikal man o hindi. Kaakibat ang disiplina, responsibilidad sa sarili at sa kapwa, at marubdob na pananampalataya, umaasa at nananalig ako na kahahabagan niya tayo at ng kanyang Anak na si Hesus at tuluyang pahuhupain ang pandemyang ito.

Darating rin siya. Manalig lang tayo. #ReinaDeCavite352ph
#19thHealingRosaryReinaDeCavite

Something's brewing...

Missed my posts?

I'M COMING BACK. SOON.

#UsadLang

SR. TERESITA CASTILLO, The Visionary of Lipa(1927-2016)

Just last Wednesday (11/16), as I was browsing through the late-night posts on FB, I was shocked by the news that Sr. Teresing, the humble lady who saw Our Lady at Lipa, passed away. She was 89.

I remember that very intimate moment I visited her abode and listened to her inspiring words. In the midst of concerns I am currently facing, the words of Sr. Teresita re-echoed in my heart: Just lift your problems to God. What is impossible to man is possible for God. 

True enough, after that wonderful encounter with the seer of Lipa, a wave of bad things happened to me. These things somehow shook my person and it was all my fault. But in entrusting my concerns to the Lord, I felt his grace. Somehow, I was able to recover from my faults, though I know there are wounds that may take time to heal.

Eventually, these faults led me to rediscover myself, my purpose in this life. Carefully, though I am really that hard-headed guy who just cannot follow easily, God did not give up on me. Things may indeed be impossible for me, but it is truly possible for Him who loved me more than I can return. Somehow, the encounter with Sr. Teresing became a foretaste of the things which are about to come.

This encounter, I was able to share with you THROUGH THIS POST, which was read by thousands of devotees and faithful who wanted to know more about the Visionary of Lipa, and her current condition (in 2014). Up until posting time, a silent stream of viewers visit this particular page and read my share of the story. Thank you for letting me share Sr. Teresing with you. Let this story be a living testimony of the benevolence of this simple lady who witnessed Mary's love for the world.

I have to admit, the devotion I had to Our Lady watered down because of the final decision of the Church authorities which defined the verdict of 1951. That same somehow gave a drastic end to the efforts of the faithful to ask the Holy See to grant its approval, as far as the apparitions are concerned. Sad as it may seem, we felt obliged to obey the decree of the Holy See. However, this did not waver the love I and all of us Filipinos have for the Blessed Mother. We shall always have a mother who cares for us and intercedes for our needs.

And yes, on a personal note, I reaffirm my belief to the apparitions of 1948, though it may only be on a personal level, and I pray that the time will come that the Holy Mother Church would come to recognize the apparitions, and its messages, and its impact on the faithful, which is very timely. I believe. I believe.

Sr. Teresing, we may have met once, but you touched my heart deeply that its impact may last as long as I live. Salamat po, for being an inspiration for all of us. Salamat po, for sharing with us Mama Mary's love. We promise to continue loving her and Jesus, the way you did show your love for them. I ask you to please remember me before Our Lady, remember this poor man who sought to follow His call.

May you rest in peace, Sr. Teresing. Mahal na mahal po namin kayo! Until soon!

"I know all of you here who came to visit me, all of you will be blessed by Mama Mary."
(Sr. Teresita Castillo, 2014. Pic courtesy: MMMLDI/Cyrus Santos)

TIDBITS: Remnants of Cebu and My Augustinian Journey

One of my dreams came true last summer, when I and Jason (Sanchez, a former brother at Dominican Laity) visited Cebu. It was not really a planned journey, and there were obstacles especially when we prepared our finances, but the last week of April came and we were able to push through with our summer getaway.

While at Cebu, we had many encounters with the revered image of Santo Niño de Cebu. Since we stayed at Patria de Cebu (the hotel in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral), we managed to wake up early in the morning, to walk towards the Basilica (which is two blocks away) and venerate the image for quite some time. We did this all throughout our stay at Cebu; we saw it as indeed a blessing since not everyone has the opportunity to visit Cebu.

Cebu has an important place in the heart of Catholic Philippines. Here, the faith started to blossom forth from the image of the Child Jesus. The Santo Niño serves as the image of the Filipino faith: young, humble, cheerful. Five hundred years have passed and the trust of the nation in God remains steadfast despite the tests of time, and the challenges of the generations.

Who may have known that after a few weeks, I would enter the Religious Order which promoted the devotion to the image for hundreds of years? From Cebu, the love for Jesus spread throughout our country and to other places through the Augustinians. And we keep it alive until the present through our continuous prayer before the sacred image of Santo Niño every Friday.

Their footsteps, we long to follow now. We don't know what lies ahead, yet we seek his face in greater strides.

ANG GULO MO NAMAN, WEWE!

So what happened to everything I left?

Simple answer: I left them behind. All of them.

I have written somewhere in this blog before that my life has been a roller coaster, being in one place now and moving on later. True enough, life has been a long journey for me so far, and with all the journeys I undertook, decisions made and everything else. But this decision - leaving everything behind for the Seminary - has been one of the biggest decisions I had undertaken, a new YES to God who never left me alone all these time.

But how about everything I had before? Ganun na lang ba lahat?

After five years of life with the Dominicans, I entered the life of the Augustinians. After four years of working as a teacher, I now try to reach my dreams as a Priest of Jesus. And these two were never easy.

It's really painful to let go. But we all know that it's all a part of the process of leaving the things you love for the greatest thing in life. I don't know what lies ahead of me. I mean it. 

You see, entering a seminary is a no-joke. You study things of higher level, you tend to live in a community of people you don't know, some won't be friends with you pa. You wake up at a uncomfortable time just to fulfill seminary schedule. We enter a new reality, far from our ideas before, from our comfort zones. In this reality, you do not depend on what you think might make you happy; you only depend on the greatest good. You search for it, not on material things, but deep inside you, in the spirit. You carefully - and sometimes, painfully - leave your old self to wear the new person.

It certainly takes time and lots of effort, but it will never be without God's help. Everything's impossible without complete trust in his Will. On this thought I depend as I embark on this journey. Yung gulong ito, magiging maayos rin sa awa ng Panginoon. God will take care of this. 

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I plan to revive Ur Dose if time allows me. I don't know how this could be but in any case, this blog would still be regularly updated. Thanks for the continual support and prayers.

June 26, 2016. It was raining when I and my co-aspirant brothers asked for the Mercy of God and for admittance to the life of the Community under the example of Saint Augustine. In response, Fr. Peter Casiño, OSA gave us the insignia of the Order of St. Augustine: the heart pierced by an arrow, placed upon an open book, signifying the thirst for wisdom and knowledge under the guidance of the Cross of Jesus. Since then, life has never been the same. All over again.

YES. After years of running away, after many failures and loopholes, I now stand up and take the challenge. I thought life is already enough for me, but then there is still a deeper desire in my heart to return to my dreams and make them a reality. This is the start of a long journey full of joys and challenges, all towards Jesus.

Not only I, but WE take the challenge. This is the start of a new chapter in our lives, and we will never make it without God's grace.

Please pray for us that we may be really strong in the Lord.

OWY @ 10: THE STORY CONTINUES

Yes. It's been ten years since I first wrote my very first post on this domain. Time flies very fast. A lot of things have changed since I first did that. Aside from reminding me the reality that I'm getting old (and fatter... duhh), this blog would always take me back to those carefree days when I am free to write on anything and everything that comes out of my mind. 

I was 15 then, too young for someone to write (back then. Perhaps not now, since technology advanced that far since the very first day I wrote, and many youngsters started making their kilig novels.) Now, I'm 25, and unlike before, thoughts become too complex to be written in a simple note like this, aside from the time constraint that my job and other sorts gave me, lessening the opportunities for me to write many things in the liberty of my time.

True enough, much has changed. But the blog is still here, frequented by people from every part of the world, just to read posts related to faith and travel, whatever. I planned to have a week-long celebration of posts like what I had in 2011, but things suddenly changed, because of a big decision I made which changed my life. 

It's been a while since I responded to God's call to become his priest, and I have to admit, the journey I had after I tried (and failed) with the Rogationists in 2006 formed me made me realize that it is not easy to go away from the things I love and, eventually, that call to follow him. In the years that followed, I saw myself not drawing away from the religious life, as an altar server in our parish in Navotas, to a Mukha Ader and Dominican Lay in Santo Domingo, intertwined with the many achievements I had as an educator, photographer, and everything else.

Despite the challenges and failures I encountered along the way, God did not change, and his love remained. For this, just recently, I reconsidered the tiny whisper to follow Jesus again, and enter the religious life as an Augustinian. It was a big decision, since I need to leave everything behind, for something better than life has for me. 

Of course, like other seminarians, the first month of life "inside" is full of adjustments. That includes detachment from the life I and my other aspirant-seminarians used to have outside, and imbuing of the life we've chosen, a life of community and love, of prayer and study. And for someone active like me, who spent almost half his teenage life being aligaga, it is not easy, but certainly doable as long as we place ourselves in the hands of God, and entrust our life to the Heart of Jesus.

This is just the start of a new chapter of the story which this blog would continue to cover as long as possible. So, as I write this post on the Tenth Anniversary of this blog, I would like to ask for your prayers that we may persevere in this new journey I am about to take. Or better yet, let us pray for each other that God may always bless us every step of the way.  

YES. THE STORY CONTINUES. :)