Pope Francis is indeed F.R.A.N.C.I.S.

This is my personal description of our beloved Pope Francis. :) 

Pope Francis is..

Fair – Pope Francis treats everyone fairly. He does not favor a person or a priest just because he is close or related to him.

Respectful – One of the things that highlights Pope Francis is that he is very respectful. It does not matter who you are, Pope Francis respects your opinion. He will hear whatever you want to say regardless of your status in the community.

Approachable – You can always see Pope Francis smiling. That is the reason why anyone can easily approach him. Those who encountered him personally can attest to this that he is really approachable. In fact you can see in the videos in the internet that different kinds of people approaches him.

Natural – Pope Francis does not want to hide who really is in the public. He always appear naturally during interviews and during his visits to different places.

Compassionate – It is undeniable that Pope Francis is very compassionate. It is very evident in the videos in the internet where Pope Francis meet and pray for the different sick and poor persons.

Ideal – The ways of Pope Francis makes him a role model not just only for priests but for all of us.

Simple – The simplicity showed by Pope Francis is very inspiring. One can notice immediately through his vestments, his room, his car, and many other things.

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We are indeed very blessed to have a pope like Pope Francis. Let us continue praying for his safety always especially that he is now in our country. May God continue to bless him always so that he can also continue to guide and to lead us, his flock.

Virtual Community is Real Community

I don’t think I completely agree that virtual community is real community. Yes, in some ways virtual community is real community but not absolutely. For sure this is only true for some members of the virtual community. I think there are many aspects to consider in order for a virtual community to be real. One must have to consider every member of the virtual community; the place where they live, the gadgets or devices they owned, their time or schedule, etc. For sure those who see virtual community is real community are those members who owned computers, tablets, or any gadgets and are always connected to the internet. But how about those members who lived in a very remote barangay? How about those members who do not own computers or laptops? How about those members who do not have an internet connection? How about those members who do not have time to check their emails or any social network because they are very busy with their business or work?

The article we read made mention that online communities of faith are real to members who have come to rely on them for inspiration and support. I don’t have problem with this because that is what they believe. In fact I can say that online communities not just of faith, played a very important role in our lives. Recently, we had our 2^nd reunion with my classmates in my high school years. I really can say that that activity became successful because of online community particularly facebook. Actually I was the one who created the group in facebook last year. That is why we had the chance to gather last year and this year for our reunion. But our gathering was never successful if not of the social media. Before the reunion, we had countless of posts and messages. The good thing was that for this year’s reunion, we were able to have our class t-shirt. And this class t-shirts were paid by some of our classmates whom we contacted online. We were able to gather at one place because of facebook. But as I mentioned earlier, it is not enough because many of our classmates were not able to join. Maybe because they were not informed or their busy schedule or they had other important things to attend to. My point is that it is not enough to announce activities online but there is a need to inform all members personally. It is not an assurance that every member will be able to read your posts online because of the circumstances I mentioned earlier.

It is a fact that online communities is of great help to us because it is where we interact with each other, Through this interaction, we will be informed of many things, and will be able to acquire new ideas. This importance cannot make the virtual community real but it helps the community to achieve unity. Thus, I can say that virtual community is real community only to those who are always connected to the internet, and always rely online communities for inspiration and support.

Reflection on the Immaculate Conception (Lk. 1:26-38)

The Blessed Mother is chosen to become the Mother of God because of her great faith and obedience. In the stories we heard, Mother Mary did everything that was being told to her. Like the Blessed Mother, we too should have this great faith and obedience to God so that we too will be blessed by the Lord. In today’s Gospel, Mary was told not to be afraid. This is also my source of strength everytime I face a problem or difficulty. I can still remember the trials and difficulties that I experienced before entering the seminary. I always kept saying to myself then not to be afraid because if God is really calling me then He will guide and lead me in everything I do. 

Reflection

Mt. 18: 12-14 The Parable of the Lost Sheep

"It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost." When I was still outside the seminary walls, it seemed like I moved father away from God. The reason for this is that I was so pre-occupied with my work. What I always do was to rest after work, and there were times where I cannot do my Sunday obligation anymore. I remember those times after reading today's Gospel. I can say that I was lost and God finds a way for me to go back to Him. And I see it as one of the reasons why I am here in the seminary.

Personal Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew

Mt. 15:29-37 The Healing of Many People and The Feeding of the Four Thousand

“My heart is moved with pity..” This line of Jesus struck me most because I have many experiences in the past wherein I can really say that God had pity on me because He helped me. Those experiences tell me that God indeed is a merciful God. It is a reminder for me that whenever I will face problems and difficulties in the future, there is no need to worry for God is always there watching me. All I have to do is to pray and to have faith in Him.

Personal Reflection

Lk 21:20-28 The Great Tribulation and The Coming of the Son of Man

Let me focus my reflection on the following passage in the Gospel that says, “for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth..” This part of the Gospel struck me because it reminded me of the two great calamities that I experienced last year. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 15, 2013 and the super typhoon, Yolanda last November 8, 2013. During those times, I was able to say that maybe it’s the end of the world. But I was wrong. In fact I witness other good things happening after the incidents especially after the super typhoon. It was very evident that many people realized including me that we don’t own this world. Those calamities made me reflect how I lived my life during the past days. I was able to remind myself to always strive hard in doing good things because the end of the world may be coming. Yes, the two calamities did not end the world but eventually it will come. Since I don’t know when it will be, then I should not let my guard down. I will always do the best that I can do by doing what is right and what pleases the Lord. Thus by doing so, I will be redeemed in the last day as promised by Jesus in the Gospel. 

Personal Reflection on the Gospel of Luke

Lk 21:12-19 The Coming Persecution

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” This is the promise of God to us, so if ever time will come where we will be persecuted because of His name just like what our early brothers and sisters, we should be brave enough to face it. We should always bear in our hearts and minds that God always loves us and always there to help us. All we have to do is to have faith in Him.