Welcome To My World!

FEAR

"How shall I rid myself of fear"?

"How can you rid yourself of what you cling to"?

"You mean I actually cling to my fears? I cannot agree to that".

"Consider what your fear protects you from and you will agree! And you will see your folly".

MORSEL:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. -- Kahlil Gibran, (1883-1931)

BLANK BOOK

The Master claimed he had a book that contained everything one could conceivably know about God. No one had ever seen the book till a visiting scholar, by dint of persistent entreaty, wrested it from the Master. He took it home and eagerly opened it - only to find that every one of its pages was blank.

"But the book says nothing", wailed the scholar.

"I know", said the Master contentedly. "But see how much it indicates"!

MORSEL:
Listen in the silence.
Listen and you shall hear God speak.
The chamber of silence is man’s divine self.
It is there that man meets man’s God. -- Frater Achad

INNOCENCE

When out on a picnic, the Master said, "Do you want to know what the Enlightened is like? Look at those birds flying over the lake".

While everyone watched, the Master exclaimed:

"They cast a reflection on the water that they have no awareness of - and the lake has no attachment to".

MORSEL:
Life's lessons are not taught in classrooms.

GROWING OLD

"Heavens, how you've aged"! exclaimed the Master after speaking with a boyhood friend.

"One cannot help growing old, can one"? said the friend.

"No, one cannot", agreed the Master, "but one must avoid becoming aged".

MORSEL:
The minute a man ceases to grow, no matter what his years, that minute he begins to be old. -- William James

Laguna - Resort Province Of The Philippines

Description
Laguna, Resort Province of the Philippines, is a haven of fresh and pristine bodies of water such as hot springs, lakes, and waterfalls. Most notable is Pagsanjan Falls, formerly called Magdapio Falls, referred to as “shooting rapids.” It is found in Cavinti, starting from Pagsanjan town. Another is Lake Caliraya, which is located between Cavinti and Lumban. The strong mountain breeze that blows from the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges and the distant Mount Banahaw makes the lake an ideal place for aqua sports like wind surfing, water skiing, sailing as well as game fishing. Laguna de Bay, Southeast Asia’s largest fresh water lake, stays pristine throughout the year due to regular rain showers.

Innumerable hot springs abound in the province, including the famous Hidden Valley Springs which is located in a secluded part of Alaminos town. A trip to Dalitiwan River, located in Botocan, Majayjay, is an exciting adventure because the terrain is rugged, as mountain lands go, and the cool water or river gushes through the rocks and boulders along the watercourse in sweeping currents. The mystical Mt. Makiling in Los Baños is an inactive volcano, rising to about 1,109 meters above sea level. It is indeed endowed with nature’s beauty, making it ideal for all types of nature tripping, from trekking to bird and butterfly watching and even camping.

Laguna is not only endowed with natural wonders. It also plays an important role in the country’s history as the birthplace of Dr. Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, whose infancy and early manhood were spent in the towns of Calamba and Biñan. A number of churches of Spanish-influenced architecture in intricate Romanesque and Baroque design, mostly restored to their original elegance, are also found in the province.

The province is one huge showcase of Southern Tagalog craftsmanship. The town of Paete is famous for its woodcarvings, papier mache, and handmade paper products.Tree seedlings, sampaguita flowers, orchids, and exotic plants are big business. Cut flower farms are found mostly in towns of Calamba, Los Baños, and Bay. Sweet tropical fruits abound, such as the lanzones from Paete, pineapple from Calauan, chico, banana, mango, rambutan, and avocado. Add to these Laguna’s embroidered garments. Jusi cloth made from banana fiber is painstakingly, albeit deftly, transformed into beautiful pieces of clothing worthy of being tailored into the Philippine national costume, the Barong Tagalog. Shoes made from abaca hemp is a growing industry in the town of Liliw.

Owing to its nearness to Manila, Laguna is presently becoming the center of economic activity in the Southern Tagalog Region and the CALABARZON area. Business in the area is bustling as shown by the presence of several industrial estates designed for handling large scale firms engaged in textile manufacturing, electronics, food processing, industrial machines, and car assembly.

Geography
Laguna is situated 30 kilometers south of Manila and has a total area of 175,973 hectares. Laguna is bounded on the north by the province of Rizal, on the east by the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges, on the south by the Quezon province, on the west by Laguna de Bay, and the provinces of Batangas and Cavite.

Climate
Laguna has no pronounced seasons. However, it is relatively dry from November to April and wet from May to October. Climate is generally cool and gentle, even during the summer months. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year in the eastern and southern portions of the province, giving rise to an abundance and variety of flora and fauna.

Population
Laguna has a total registered population of 1,747,000 based on the May, 2000 National Statistics Official Survey. The people of Laguna are known to be hardworking, highly motivated, good-natured, and friendly.

Language / Dialects
Laguna being part of the Southern Tagalog Region, approximately 99.22% of the population speak Tagalog. A minority of the population also speak Ilokano, Bicolano, and Waray. A significant portion of the working population can read and speak English and Filipino.

Cavite - A Place With A Glorious Past

Description
The province of Cavite abounds with great objects, and subjects, of culture and history. It is the birthplace of a good number of Filipino heroes and it has an interesting range of sites associated with the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Found in the province is the residence of the first president of the republic, Emilio Aguinaldo, which is also the site where the Philippine Republic was proclaimed on June 12, 1898.

A province not constrained with living in the past, Cavite teems with natural resources and fantastic landscapes. It is home to Tagaytay City, the Philippines’ second summer capital, next to Baguio City. The accessing highway offers a breathtaking sight of the world-famous Taal formation, a crater within an island within a lake. Coconut groves dot the ridges of Tagaytay and classy accommodations give the visiting tourists the pleasures of relaxation, and at the same time, wide opportunities to enjoy the magnificent view of Taal.

Yet Cavite stands proudly as a place with a glorious past. Its warm and friendly people, whose ancestors fought for a noble cause, manifest industry and patience in various skills and professions, openly receptive to the entry and exchange of culture and technology that are of value to this wondrous province.

GEOGRAPHY
Cavite province lies at the southwest entrance of Manila Bay across the Bataan Peninsula, extending eastward along the shore line up to the historic Zapote Bridge, and the inland terrain in the south, to the municipality of Carmona. It is bounded on the east by the provinces of Rizal and Laguna, on the south by the province of Batangas, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the north by Manila Bay and the city of Manila.

CLIMATE
Cavite has two pronounced seasons – the dry season, which usually begins in November and ends in April, and the rainy season, which starts in May and ends in October. Cavite’s cool periods are from December to February while summer months are from April to May.

POPULATION
The province of Cavite has a population of 1,907,000 as of May 2000.

INDUSTRIES
Cavite’s 805,800-strong labor force comprises 54.12% of the provincial household population, 15 years old and above, and most of them are in agriculture, forestry, fishing tourism, trade, and industry. Underemployment rate is 9.66% while literacy rate stands at a high 98%, making the province a reliable source of proficient, skilled, and semi-skilled labor force.

LANGUAGES/DIALECT
Majority speak Tagalog while those in Cavite City and in some areas speak Chabacano. English is considered as the second language and is widely used as medium of communication in business and higher education. Other indigenous languages are Waray, Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilokano, Pangasinense, and Hiligaynon. Chinese and Spanish are also spoken by some local residents.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
The province of Cavite has three cities and 20 municipalities. The provincial capitol is located in Imus but the seat of the provincial government is Trece Martires, provincial capital. The three cities are Cavite, Trece Martires, and Tagaytay. The municipalities are Alfonso, Amadeo, Bacoor, Carmona, Dasmariñas, Gen. Aguinaldo, Gen. Alvarez, Gren. Trias, Imus, Indang, Kawit, Magallanes, Maragondon, Mendez, Naic, Noveleta, Rosarion, Silang, Tanza, Ternate.

Batangas - From The Lowest Volcano To Deeper Dives

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
A province that is famous for excellent dive sites and the world’s lowest volcano, Batangas is going nowhere but up. It is a thriving tourist destination replete with open beaches and sheltered coves, subterranean caves and deep harbors, a preserved heritage and brave men in history.

Found in the province is world-known Anilao and its many dive sites that are ideal for poking around and observing marine life, and outstanding for macro photography. Multi-hued crinoids are prolific. The variety of nudibranchs is unmatched. Night dives are especially nice and often reveal unusual creatures like sea hares, sea goblins, catfish eels, ghost pipe fishes, blue-ringed octopuses, mandarin fishes, and snake eels. The area’s best known dive site, coral-covered Cathedral is spectacular at night. One of the prettiest dives in the area, Sepok has nice coral gardens and a vertical wall.

Taal Lake and Volcano in Batangas is Southern Luzon’s centerpiece attraction. Known to be the smallest in the world, it is a volcano within an islet within a lake within a crater within a volcano. The town of Taal reigns as one of the two most culturally preserved sites of the Spanish colonial era; the other is Vigan in Ilocos Sur. The village in Taal conforms to the old town layout combining the municipal hall, school, church, and houses.

Among the multitude of popular tourism activities to be had in the province are heritage tours, pilgrimage tours, scuba diving, shopping, mountain climbing and trekking, swimming, and snorkeling. Batangas is located only 110 kilometers south of Metropolitan Manila, and is very accessible from the national capital by land.

GEOGRAPHY
The province of Batangas is bounded on the north by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, on the south by the Verde Island passage, on the east by the provinces of Quezon and Laguna, and on the west by the South China Sea. It has a total land area of 316,580 hectares, 50% of which has a grade of less than 15 degrees. The terrain is generally rolling while the rest are mountainous and hilly.

CLIMATE
Batangas has a naturally cool climate. It experiences two types of seasons: dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year. Mean annual rainfall is at its maximum in July, at 1.5 to 2.5 meters. March is the driest month. Mean monthly temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit. February is the coldest month, averaging 69 degrees Fahrenheit, while May is the hottest, at 96.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

POPULATION
The population of the province totals 1,905,348 as of May 2000.

LANGUAGE / DIALECTS
Batangueños are bilingual, with Tagalog and English as the basic languages used in business, government, schools, and everyday communication.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
The province is composed of 32 municipalities. Capital is Batangas City.

  

The Stone Soup Story

Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle, came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a meager harvest and the many years of war, quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.

The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned to the village elders. "Your tired fields have left you nothing to share, so we will share what little we have: the secret of how to make soup from stones."

Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town's greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. "Now this will be a fine soup", said the second soldier; "but a pinch of salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!" Up jumped a villager, crying "What luck! I've just remembered where some's been left!" And off she ran, returning with an apronful of parsley and a turnip. As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley, carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.

They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and their new-found friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones", said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast". And off the soldiers wandered, down the road.

A Sense of a Goose

When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

On Compassion

Three old men, one of whom had a bad reputation, came one day to Abba Achilles. The first old man asked him, "Father, make me a fishing net."

"I will not make you one," Abba replied.

Then the second said, "Of your charity make one, so that we have a souvenir of you in the monastery." But Abba Achilles said, "I do not have time."

Then the third one, who had the bad reputation, said, "Make me a fishing net, Father." Abba Achilles answered him at once, "For you, I will make one."

Then the two other old men asked him privately, "Why did you not want to do what we asked you, but you promised to do what he asked?"

Abba Achilles gave them this asnwer: "I told you I would not make one, and you were not disappointed, since you thought that I had no time. But if I had not made one for him, he would have said, "The old man has heard about my sin, and that is why he does not want to make me anything," and so our relationship would have broken down. But now I have cheered his soul, so that he will not be overcome with grief."

The Bishop's Gift

Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the pastor and four others, all over 60 years old.

In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save the church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."

The pastor, returning to the church, told the church members what the Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care.

As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few years, the small church had once again become a thriving church, thanks to the Bishop's gift.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Saturday (6/24): "For the hand of the Lord was with him"

Scripture: Luke 1:57-66,80

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari'ah after his father, 60 but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John." 61 And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name." 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Meditation: The last verses in the last book of the Old Testament, taken from the prophet Malachi, speak of the Lord’s messenger, the prophet Elijah who will return to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6). We see the beginning of the fulfillment of this word when the Angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah the marvelous birth and mission of John the Baptist (Luke 1:17). When this newly born child is about to be named, as customary on the eighth day, his relatives quibble over what name to give him. (Don’t relatives today often do the same when time comes for naming a newborn?) This child, however has been named from above! And Elizabeth is firm in her faith and determined to see that God be glorified through this child. The name John means "the Lord is gracious". In the birth of John and in the birth of Jesus the Messiah we see the grace of God breaking forth into a world broken by sin and death and without hope. John’s miraculous birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing his people for the coming of its Lord and Savior, the Christ.

John the Baptist's life was fueled by one burning passion -- to point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming of his kingdom. Scripture tells us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15, 41) by Christ himself, whom Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth John lept in her womb as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). The fire of the Spirit dwelt in John and made him the forerunner of the coming Messiah. John was led by the Spirit into the wilderness prior to his ministry where he was tested and grew in the word of God. John's clothing was reminiscent of the prophet Elijah (see Kings 1:8). John broke the prophetic silence of the previous centuries when he began to speak the word of God to the people of Israel. His message was similar to the message of the Old Testament prophets who chided the people of God for their unfaithfulness and who tried to awaken true repentance in them. Among a people unconcerned with the things of God, it was his work to awaken their interest, unsettle them from their complacency, and arouse in them enough good will to recognize and receive Christ when he came.

What is the significance of John the Baptist and his message for our lives? When God acts to save us he graciously fills us with his Holy Spirit and makes our faith "alive" to his promises. Do you make your life an offering to God, along with your family, and all that you possess? God wants to fill us with his glory all the days of our lives, from birth through death. Renew the offering of your life to God and give him thanks for his mercy and favor towards you.

"Lord Jesus, you bring hope and salvation to a world lost in sin and suffering. Let your grace refresh and restore your people today in the hope and joy of your great
victory over sin and death."

JUNE 24
THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

John's parents were Zachary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary went to visit and help when Elizabeth was old and about to become a mother.

St. Elizabeth had her baby. Zachary named him John, as the angel had requested. John had a special calling. He was going to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. So when he was still young, he went into the desert to prepare himself with silence, prayer and penance. Soon crowds started to come to him. They realized he was a holy man. He warned them to be sorry for their sins. He told them to change their lives, and he gave them the baptism of repentance. One day, Jesus himself came to John. He wanted to be baptized with John's baptism to begin making up for our sins. On that day, John told the crowds that Jesus was the Messiah, the one they had been waiting for. He told them and everyone else to follow him.

Later on, St. John learned that King Herod had married a woman who already had a husband and a daughter. This king was the son of the King Herod who had murdered all those little boys in Bethlehem. St. John told him that it was wrong for him to live with that woman. King Herod was angry and humiliated. He locked John up in prison. John remained in a dark, damp dungeon until Herod had him killed.

St. John's motto was, "Jesus must become more and more. I must become less and less." He said that he was not even worthy to loosen the strap of Jesus' sandal.