How To Make Your Holy Week Holy

It's a Holy Week again! But spending Holy Week in a Muslim country is a bit different. Because you can't feel that your week is indeed holy. Why? Simply because we don't observe it the way we used to when we are in the Philippines. In the Philippines, by this time people already went back to their respective provinces, doing Visita Iglesia and many more.

Here in Qatar, this holy week seems very ordinary. You go to work as usual. You do things as usual. As I reflect, I asked myself how can I make my Holy Week holy here in Qatar. It so happened that I stumbled upon this video of Fr. Jerry Orbos in Facebook. Though I watched it many times over in the past, I feel sharing it this time. 

How To Make Your Holy Week Holy

Fr. Jerry Orbos outlined the following acronyms on how to make your Holy Week holy:

B-Balik Panginoon (Come back to God). Ask yourself when was the last time     you had a good confession?
A-Alis Galit (Forgive). Have you those who hurt you? 
G-Good Works. Do something good to less fortunate. Share.
E-Express your love to God. Make sure that love is the reason why you do                        things this Holy Week.
T-Tanggal Bisyo (Remove vice)
S-Sacrifice with smile and in secret 

In Filipino language, BAGETS means youth, teens. In life's perspective, being young means that you have lots of room for growth and improvement...that you still have time to correct the errors of your past and straighten your crooked ways.

This reflection reminds me that young and adults alike were given the same opportunity this Holy Week to review our life. Like an architect creating his masterpiece, let us again take a look on our life and check if there are some areas that we need to assess or if there are changes to be made. We are just a mere creator of the kind of life that we have. Let us not forget that there's Someone Bigger and Higher than us who is the Author of our life. 

This God is Holy so we are therefore encouraged to be holy. Not only for this Holy Week but as long as we live.

Know The Story First Before You Judge

When I opened my email this morning, I found this story in my inbox. Of course, the email comes from my mentor, Bo Sanchez.

Let me share you Bo's story.

Read on...

One day, I was giving a retreat to a bunch of bigwig executives.

       As a whole, the group was very happy to be there.

      Except for one guy—one of the Vice Presidents—at the back of the room.

If horses suffered from menopause that was what he looked like: He snorted around, kicked his hoofs about, creating dust clouds everywhere.  While all were listening to my talk, he’d stand up and walk around, disturbing everyone, chatting with people and munching chips! Obviously, he didn’t like being there.  I guessed he was forced by the company’s president to attend the retreat.This menopausal horse was getting to my nerves, so I approached him after my talk. 

Read more on know-the-story-behind-the-story

Like Bo, I do the same  sometimes. I'm sure people do the same to me at times. I think it's normal to all human being to play the "judge" role. But it is not human to play the role every day of your life. 

This verse from the Bible reminds me how to behave if there will be a tendency for me to judge other people.

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you"  --Mathew 7:1

        Do you remember the story of Susan Boyle? In case, you don't know, watch her audition in British Got Talent.

Next time you feel judging others, don't forget to wear their shoes first. 

No Arms No Worries

Every time I feel down and unworthy, I always look up to this guy and everything backs to normal. Why? Because every time I see Nick Vujicic, he reminds me that I DON'T NEED to feel down, unworthy and lacking. And every time I doubt myself and the devil whispers in my ears that I CAN'T do things, this guy reminds me that I DON'T NEED to. 

He is the MESSAGE of GOD that "we can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us" (Phil 4:13).

Don't Forget To Say Thank You!

I was about to log off my browsing of the internet when I received this article as my ecourse with 10 Million Clicks For Peace.

The article was written by Steve Goodier entitled Unthanked People. Let me share this to you. Read on..

When William Stidger taught at Boston University, he once reflected upon the great number of un-thanked people in his life. Those who had helped nurture him, inspire him or who cared enough about him to leave a lasting impression.


One was a schoolteacher he'd not heard [from] in many years. But he remembered that she had gone out of her way to put a love of verse in him, and Will had loved poetry all his life. He wrote a letter of thanks to her. The reply he received, written in the feeble scrawl of the aged, began, "My dear Willie." He was delighted. Now over 50, bald and a professor, he didn't think there was a person left in the world who would call him "Willie." Here is that letter:


"My dear Willie,


I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for 50 years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue-cold morning and it cheered me as nothing has in many years."


Not prone to cry easily, Will wept over that note. She was one of the great un-thanked people from Will's past. You know them. We all do. The teacher who made a difference. That coach we'll never forget. The music instructor or Sunday school worker who helped us to believe in ourselves. That scout leader who cared.


We all remember people who shaped our lives in various ways. People whose influence changed us. Will Stidger found a way to show his appreciation -- he wrote them letters.


Who are some of the unthanked people from your past? It may not be too late to say, "Thanks."

You Can Make A Difference

What is the essence of being a dad?

Probably this hundred dollar question can only be well answered by a father himself. I salute Patrick dad's heroism to go beyond boarders just to support his child's dream. The first time I watched this video, my heart was melt. 

Spread peace on
your site/blog!

Your Past Doesn't Define Your Future

What makes you stop moving forward with your life? Is it your past that prevents you from living the life that you deserve?

I had too but not anymore.

I realized that whatever events in the past, or failures that I made, God has a wonderful reason in doing so.

My past had shaken my pride and realigned my values. The things that I considered valuable, important became the least of things in my life now because God showed me His ways and His ways are totally different with mine.

The trials that I've been through became the litmus test that shrugged off the rusts in me.

The crossroads that I faced made me more trustful and considerate to people around me.

Like the man in this video, be humble to admit your mistakes and accept help. No matter how far we've been through we can always find the way back...get back on our feet and allow God to redirect our path for a new and vibrant tomorrow...

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God Can Use Your Weaknesses

I can't imagine that after all the mistakes I've made in the past, God can still use me for HIS purpose.

I felt so blessed today because Bo Sanchez' Article Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself reminds me of how the LOVE OF GOD is bigger than any of my mistakes. That HE loves me no matter what.

Let me share you the part of the article that I don't want to forget. Read on...


Your Weakness Is God’s Redirection
Don’t be too hard on yourself because of your weakness.
Your weakness isn’t God’s rejection but God’s redirection.
Being weak in one area means that’s not where God wants you to serve. A weakness means you’re supposed to serve in another area.
I remember the story of this jobless man who applied to work as a janitor of a huge company.
After the HR manager interviewed him, he said, “You’re hired. Just give me your email address so I can email you the application form to fill…”
The man said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have an email address. I don’t know how to use the computer.”
“Then I’m sorry too,” said the HR manager, “if you don’t have an email, that means you don’t exist. And someone who doesn’t exist won’t get a job.”
The jobless man walked out of room totally discouraged.
He only had P300 in his pocket. That was all the money he had. He remembered his little daughter at home. He imagined her going hungry and decided to do something.
He went to the market and bought a box of tomatoes. He then went door to door, selling the tomatoes. In three hours, he was able to double his money to P600. He repeated the operation 3 times that day, returning home with P2400.
The man realized that he can survive this way!
Shortly after, he bought a cart, then a truck, and after a couple of years, he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.
Ten years later, he was a big-time food distributor, a very successful and wealthy man.
At that time, a friend sold him life insurance.
When this wealthy man was filling out his insurance application form, it asked for his email address. He told his friend, the insurance agent, “I don’t have an email address.”
The friend said, “Wow, you don’t have an email, and yet you succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?”
The man thought for awhile and said, “Janitor.”