LA NAVAL 2015: #SalamatPoNANAY!

DEAR NANAY,

I could still remember clearly that day: October 10, 2010. I was in a middle of a total chaos inside and out. I was struggling then to stand up after my many falls. At that moment I saw you in the high altar of Santo Domingo, I felt more than attraction. It was love at first sight. Since then, I made a promise to visit you, to get to know you more, to begin loving you.

THE FIFTEEN PROMISES TO THOSE WHO PRAY THE ROSARY WITH DEVOTION

Our Life, Our Sweetness, Our Hope! (La Naval 2015)

THE FIFTEEN PROMISES TO THOSE WHO PRAY THE ROSARY WITH DEVOTION

(from St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche)

1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest Graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant Mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men [and women] from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself [herself] to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the Grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son, Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Pakikiramay kay Maria sa Gabi ng Biyernes Santo

MATER DOLOROSA, Santo Domingo Church, Quezon City

Mapanglaw ang gabing ito, Maria. 

Masakit ang nakalipas na mga oras, samantalang nakikita mo si Jesus na pinapatay ng kapwa mo Hudyo. 
Bawat sampal at hampas, bawat libak at paghamak, bawat sigaw ng paghihirap ay mistulang balaraw na tumusok sa iyong Puso. Ang kamatayan niya ay nasaksihan mo, at buong tapang mong pinagmasdan ang kanyang huling sandali. 

Ngayong gabi, wala na ang iyong Anak, 
at ikaw ay nangungulila. Nag-iisa. 

Sa gabing ito, hayaan mo, Mahal na Ina, 
na samahan ka namin sa iyong pangungulila. 
Hayaan mong iparamdam namin sa iyo, O aming Ina, 
na kami ay iyong mga anak rin, 
na mahal ka namin, 
na nais ka naming sintahin. 

Sasamahan ka namin, tulad ng pagsama mo sa amin 
sa bawat tuwa at lungkot ng aming buhay. 
Sasamahan ka namin, samantalang naghihintay 
sa katuparan ng pangako ni Hesus: 
ang kanyang maluwalhating Muling Pagkabuhay. 

NESTLE WELLNESS CAMPUS AT TANGOS NHS

This is technically my first post about my new workplace: Tangos National High School. I teach MAPEH for Grade 8 and 10 students since July.

An English major teaching MAPEH???

Yes. Because we must be open to all possibilities which come to our lives everyday.

One of the first undertakings I had here is the Wellness Dance Moves, a part of the advocacy for healthy living through having a healthy lifestyle and eating good food. And one of the best ways to promote this advocacy is through dance.

Of course, Tangosians prepared for this. Here is a glimpse of what happened yesterday.

Life here in Tangos NHS is a lot more adventurous, but I know God placed me here for a better purpose. I will post more on my new home in the coming days.

THE STORY CONTINUES. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES. (#Dann25 Birthday Essay 2015)

It's been ten years since I wrote my first Birthday Essay inside our classroom at ICPS. I was a Fourth Year student then. No. I was a bullied student then, for so many reasons. I was still searching for myself back then. A few months before graduation, I examined myself whether I am ready to face reality or not. How can a weak student like me face the coming challenges when at High School people consider me as nothing?

Ten years after that first write-up, I write this Birthday Essay, not anymore as a student, but as a licensed teacher, and as a Dominican Lay. The road I took was really rough and tough. I met lots of people and faced lots of challenges. I fell down and stood up. And yet, I am still here, at the threshold of time, battling against a serious sickness, yet smiling and giving a thumbs up to a brand new day ahead.

On the Feast of Our Holy Father Saint Dominic de Guzman...

Running to Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help

Simply put, Mary knows our needs and problems.
She herself suffered the way we did and more than that.
To whom can we turn to for guidance
than to her and to Jesus her Son?

Baclaran in Parañaque City has been one of the well-known spots in the Metro. People visit the National Shrine there, dedicated in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, imploring the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the day it was inaugurated, its doors have remained open, day and night, to the people who wish to implore her help in all their needs. 

Devotion to her in the Philippines is well-known, as people gather at her Shrine, or at every parish in the country every Wednesday to recite a weekly Novena in her honor. In fact, the National Shrine receives hundreds of thousands of letters of petition and thanksgiving in the past years.

Bawat sandali....

Every moment is a reason to smile and give thanks.

The Rain is Pouring...

I write this post on a rainy afternoon, thus, the title. xD

But kidding aside, I haven't written that much on what I have been lately. I seldom write; gone were the days when I am addicted to writing just everything on my blog. Maybe, it's because of my age, or my other commitments which took much of my creative juices. Time took its toll on me, not only in my looks, but also in my physical capacity.

OWY@10: The Kickstart

Today marks the Ninth Anniversary since I started blogging. Back then, I was writing on my simple dreams, young aspirations and deep reflections. I was still an Out-of-school youth back then, with no computer of my own. I went on such a wonderful journey from being nobody to being somebody for everybody, from being a student and devotee, to being a Teacher and Lay Dominican.

After such a long time, lots of challenges and achievements, the blog is still here. I may have not written frequently as before, but there were times that I read on my young posts with poor grammar. I end up saying to myself, Nasulat ko pala ito?!

Next year, we shall strike our Tenth Year! True enough, there's a lot to celebrate after such a long journey. We shall look back on some of them as we proceed with the rest of the year. Also, we shall have the yearly Birthday Essay in August and Yearend Post in December, among other special entries.

Please, be with me as I celebrate the Tenth Year of One With You! Ten years of life and experiences, Ten years of graces!