By Jesse Jose

A Cup O' Kapeng Barako

My column this week is very personal. It's a letter to all my siblings in Florida and to a brother in the Philippines. And though it's personal, the human-interest aspect of this story is also universal. For I believe it can also happen to any family: the spats and the intrigues and all.

As y'all know, Dear Readers, the months of June, July, August and September are favorite months for couples in love to tie the knot.  My son, Chris, my pride and my joy, and a broadcast journalist who's going to be news casting soon for FOX News Denver in Colorado is gonna tie that knot, too, with Jacyln Rostie, who is also a broadcast journalist for ABC News in Coral Springs, Colorado.

They met four years ago in Cheyenne, Wyoming when they were both field reporters and anchors of the weekend newscast of KGWN, a CBS News affiliate.  I suppose their proximity to each other and their common interests and team effort in bringing the news to their viewers . . . planted the seed for respect for each other that became love that sprouted.

When Chris moved up to a broadcasting job in Cedar Rapids in Iowa, Jaclyn followed. And again, I suppose, that love that sprouted, grew . . .

And grew . . .

And bloomed . . .

And ripened.

A nd that finally decided for Chris to buy a very-expensive diamond engagement ring and on his bended knees, offered the ring to Jaclyn and perhaps, with all the courage he could muster, finally uttered the words what every woman longs to hear from a longtime lover: "Will you marry me?"

So, the wedding date was set.

And it's going to be on August 8th of this year.

Detailed preparations got underway. The bride's maids and the best man and the grooms were painstakingly selected, as well as the venue of the wedding and the reception and the menu, the dresses for the entourage, the tux for the grooms, the theme color for the wedding . . .

And the guests, who are going to be invited to witness one of life's happiest occasions and to partake on the feast and to share in the joy of Chris and Jaclyn, were picked.  It's a celebration!  It's a celebration of love. It's a celebration of the joining of two loves. 

It's also a celebration of the joining of two families: the Jose's and the Rostie's.  So, invitations, carefully designed and lovingly worded, were sent out. Foremost of all, to the two families who will be joined together.

So, I made sure that each one of my seven siblings gets an invitation. Simply, but elegantly scripted, the invitation reads:

                  With joyful hearts we ask you

                 to be present at the ceremony

              uniting

Jaclyn Eleonor Rostie

&

 Christopher Navarro Jose

On Sunday, the Eight of August

  Two Thousand Ten

 at four o'clock in the afternoon

     St. Julien Hotel

   900 Walnut Street

    Boulder, Colorado

 Reception to follow

MY LETTER TO MY SIBLINGS: More-than two-hundred invitations were sent out. The deadline for receiving the RSVP's was on the 17th of this month. All responded, EXCEPT my brothers and sisters. I thought and thought about it. I asked myself several times, "why?"  I asked my wife the same question. It was so embarrassing. My wife said, "I dunno, pamilya mo yun mga yun . . ." Since the only way I can express my emotional turmoil is to put pen on paper, I wrote this letter to them:  

Hello Everybody,

I am going to let this forwarded e-mail by Jaclyn to Maribel speaks for itself. It's at the end of this letter to all of you. 

Bakit naman LAHAT kayo hindi nag-RSVP doon sa wedding invitation ni Chris at Jaclyn?  Over two hundred invitations were sent out, but only the Jose clan did not respond. Nakakahiya naman ang ginawa ninyo. The invitations were sent to Raquel to be given to all of you, except Soc's and Kirsten's which were directly sent to them by Jaclyn.  Raquel said na ibinigay ninya daw lahat sa inyo yung invitation and you all got it.

Maribel and I were all so embarrassed by everybody's non-response to Jaclyn.  I really think that shows KABASTUSAN from all of you!  And that made the JOSE CLAN look bad at walang mga modo!  All you had to do was check either yes or no and send back your response.  May selyo na nga at envelope enclosed in the invitation and all you had to do was to seal it and drop in a mailbox.  Mahirap bang gawin yun?

I warned both Christopher and Jaclyn not to send the invitations out to you all of you there, dahil alam kong hindi naman kayo pupunta.  But Jaclyn, who wanted to give to all of you her respect, insisted that the invitations be sent out, as you are all IMMEDIATE RELATIVES and it's the right thing to do.  She was not asking for dole outs or money or anything like that. In fact, I even emphasized to Raquel na ang "IMPORTANTE" diyan, are your RSVP's. 

But Jaclyn's attempt in reaching out to all of you was foiled.  Y'all rejected her and ignored her invitation.

Hindi naman basta-basta itong Rostie family that Chris will be marrying into.  In fact, the family is one of the pillars of the town of Brighton in Colorado. The family owns a professional plaza in town and real-estate properties. They have a private plane, a runway and a hangar in their backyard, and own the small-plane airport in town. In other words, the Rostie family is a wealthy family. A well-known and well-respected family in their town. 

When Raquel told me that she had received all the invitations and said: "O sige, magpapadala kami ng pera sa kanila," I almost laughed and wanted to tell her that that's not needed.  But I didn't want to make YABANG, so I just said, "Ang importatnte diyan, yung RSVP ninyo."  I told her over and over, "RSVP, RSVP, RSVP."  Hindi PERA!

This is really an EMBARRASSMENT for the Jose clan!  We are going to be looked at as a socially-inept family.  Nakakahiya ang mga "Jose." And it's a crying shame for Jaclyn that she's going to be a Jose, too. 

Matuto naman sana kayong lahat ng konting urbanidad, mga kapatid ko.  Learn how to open your hearts ... and your mind.  Learn how to respond and reach out to people who are trying to reach out to you. 

At bawasan ang mga high-faluting na yabang, especially you, my dear Raquel!  And I am going to say it again: Kung meron masters si Jeje sa nursing, she's an ARNP, who sees patients in an office and prescribes medications to them.  I use the VA hospital here in Seattle, so I know.  ARNP's do not write out the nurses' working schedules.  And there's no such thing as having a masters in "nursing technology."  I am not knocking Jeje down.  Please get me wrong.  But I am not stupid either to believe that kind of bola.  Let's stop all these high-faluting yabang.  Because I am not impressed.  O naiinggit.  Please let's be truthful to each other.  I am your brother, and whatever good things that come your way, I'll always be happy for you.  I have no reason na mainggit sa 'yo o sa mg anak mo.

O sige na, pinatawad ko na rin kayong lahat dito sa kahihiyan na ibinigay ninyo sa amin.  But I had to say all these things that I've said. Mabuti na yung tapatan, kaysa nagbobolahan. Tumatanda na tayong lahat. Tama na yun pa-impress-impress at mga high faluting ng mga bolahan. 

God bless all of you and take care. 

THE LETTER FROM JACLYN:

Hi Maribel,

A few questions.

1.  I have not received RSVP's back from these people, if you can confirm if they are coming or not, or have them mail the card back, that would be great!

We need a final count:)

Quentin & Margaret de Jesus 

Belle Jose

Cora Jose

Joey Jose

Socrates Jose

Rose Jose

Alex & Raquel Lim

Kirsten Lim & Roderick Enriquez

2.  I'm working on finalizing the details for the rehearsal dinner . . .

Please feel free to add or subtract anything.  if you would like, I can forward a menu to you.  I also want to ask them, if there are other drinks available and price (like lemonade or ice tea).  For the wedding, we are paying for both, by the gallon.  I need to get back with the hotel this week, with a better idea of what we would like.

3.  Filipino Wedding Tradition.

Chris says you will be borrowing a veil and cord for the ceremony?  I have created our wedding program with the Candle, Veil, Cord, and Coin Ceremonies, but, hoping you can tweak it at rehearsal if needed. Also, wondering if you will have the coins also, or do I need to get them? We will get the unity candles.

Hope all is well in Seattle, things are coming up fast!!! So excited about Chris' new job and we are finalizing the paperwork on our first apartment!!!  

Jaclyn

P.S. Beautiful Seattle Reception invites!  Oh - and hoping you got the engagement pictures I mailed a few weeks ago.

So what do y'all think, Dear Readers?  Is this airing dirty laundry?  My wife said it is.  I don't think so. It's a Barako story. Blunt and honest and fearless and orig ... hindi Googled o kopya. 

My wife also said I am gonna get ostracized by my siblings for this. Ostracized for speaking the truth?  Oh well, it won't be the first time and it won't the last time, for I don't have forked tongue . . . Dear Readers, thank you for reading my column this week. That's all. JJ

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(Journal Group Link International)

Manny Pacquiao and his Trainer, Freddie Roach, Offer to Train Amateur Boxer

C HICAGO (jGLi) – The road of the Philippines’ hope to snare its first ever Olympic gold hit a bumpy road recently when Filipino American amateur boxer Julian Santos Chua fractured his left hand in a street fight with some youngsters in his Lafayette, Indiana, hometown.

Some neighbors eager to test his mettle “jumped at (him at) a party and he had to defend himself.”

His doting mother, Dr. Ronette Chua, told this reporter that when her Julian was injured at the end of May, the hand X-ray result in their hometown emergency room “was negative for fracture.”

But a follow-up X-ray was recommended by Manny Pacquiao’s personal physical therapist in Los Angeles, California “because of delayed healing.” It turned out there was “evidence of a hairline fracture on the scaphoid bone.”

Dr. Chua explained, “It is not unusual for hairline fractures to not be seen on initial acute films. So (plaster) casting did not occur until four weeks from the injury.”

A neonatal specialist, Dr. Chua believes her son’s layoff from training is really “no time lost” because he has learned “big life lessons from the incident while awaiting full recovery.” Julian is now focused “on running a lot more than he used to in order to improve his endurance.”

Julian did not respond to this reporter’s request for interview.

TRAINING ON HOLD

J ulian, 19, was supposed to be immersed into serious training on June 1 at the end of his high-school classes after getting an unexpected encouragement from his idol Manny Pacquiao and Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. Mr. Roach offered to train him at Roach’s “Wild Card” gym in Los Angeles before he got involved into street fighting.

But he had to wait for a few more weeks until his fractured hand is completely healed.

From his boxing stance viewed on youtube, Julian appears to be an orthodox boxer, with his right hand being his dominant hand.

Mrs. Chua is not showing any concerns, saying the injury will “most definitely not” discourage him from pursuing his dream as a professional boxer.

Ronette told this reporter, “We believe that there are reasons this may have happened; it still serves a bigger purpose. Julian is now running a lot more than he used to in order to improve his endurance. Punching with strength is only half the story. The other half is staying ability.”

When he was interviewed by host Jannelle So over “Kababayan LA 18,” the only daily Filipino-American TV show based in Los Angeles, California last month, accompanied by his friend and booster, Hermie O. Rivera, a veteran Filipino sports reporter, Julian was still wearing a plaster cast.

When Mr. Rivera introduced Julian to Mr. Roach last March inside the “Wild Card” gym, Mr. Roach was so impressed with Julian after a 45-minute workout with Julian while Pacquiao was closely watching by. Roach told Rivera, “You have a winner in this kid. It’d be a shame if you won’t stick by him.”

ROACH TO TURN HIM “SOMEBODY SOMEDAY”

F reddie Roach even offered to help Hermie make the kid “a somebody someday.”

And Pacquiao chimed in, “Hey, Hermie. Let me also help you with this kid. I like his fighting style, you know.”

The unexpected compliments from the Future Hall of Famers were beautiful music to the ear of Julian, who acceded to the advice of Hermie that he joins the tryout to represent the Philippines in the Olympics in London in 2012, when Julian turns 21.

Hermie, who has a knack for discovering raw boxing talents, believes Julian, an undefeated Golden Gloves champion in the Midwest, has got what it takes to bring the first Olympic gold in any event for the Philippines. “He takes in punches as much as he dishes.”

Hermie was instrumental in launching the careers of world boxing champions Luisito Espinosa and Morris East as boxing manager.

With Freddie Roach, who has trained Olympic medalists, among them, Amir Khan, a reigning world champion, Julian could not have found a better mentor and trainer.

What boggles the mind is that if Julian can come close to his professional boxing dream and he has the mixed martial-arts talent of undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr., possibilities are unlimited. Julian was blackbelter in taekwondo at the age of nine and a wrestler in his sophomore and junior years. At 13, he was leaning towards boxing.

THERE IS LIFE AFTER MANNY

W hile training with Roach, Julian, a fresh high-school graduate, could still be enrolling in college.

Julian’s Mom said he is leaning towards medical field, midlevel provider like a nurse practitioner or physician assistant/nurse anesthetist, perhaps even proceed to medical school, if his other dreams in sports allow.

The 155-pound, 5-9 Julian is willing to visit the Philippines again for the third time. Hopefully, that visit will be a charm when he tries out for the Olympics that could open up for his boxing professional career.

This early, Hermie, said Julian, a Lafayette native, has now wrapped up his requirement as a dual Filipino citizen, which will be first thing he will be asked to produce by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines before he can parade his boxing skills.

Of course, his Mom, Ronette, a native of Pateros, Metro Manila, and his Dad, Henry Chua, a native of Pasay City, and Hermie Rivera, will be there, too, to lend their support.

Rivera believes if Julian delivers his promise, it is safe to say that there will still be life in Filipino boxing after Pacman. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)

T he Full Spectrum’s “The Exiles” will be at the powerHouse Arena next Thursday, July 29, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., when they will discuss migration, immigration and upheaval. The guests are Artist Wafaa Bilal, Artist/writer Slava Mogutin, Mixed-media installation artist Dawit L. Petros, and Journalist-writer Ninotchka Rosca. They will talk about the unique experience of finding one's way far from home. Filmmaker and writer Zina Saro-Wiwa will moderate the talk show. 

The Full Spectrum and powerHouse Arena present:

THE EXILES at www.fsexperience.com 

{xtypo_quote} Where do we go when we can't go back? {/xtypo_quote} 

A Panel Discussion with Four Creators Who Can’t Return Home
 
Thursday, July 29, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
powerHouse Arena
37 Main St, [at Water, in DUMBO]
Brooklyn, NY 11201
F to York; A/C to High; 2/3 to Clark
www.powerhousearena.com

For more information, please call 718.666.3049

PANELISTS' QUOTES

{xtypo_quote} Exile was so traumatic, something positive had to be done with it; I've used it as a springboard toward planetary citizenship—Ninotchka Rosca {/xtypo_quote}  

"Being prosecuted for my writings and activism and exiled from Russia at the age of 21 still gives me nightmares. At the same time, it shaped me both personally and artistically. They say that freedom of travel is a fundamental human right,  but I certainly don’t take it for granted, especially since I'm not being able to go back to my native country, where one corrupt homophobic regime has
replaced another."—Slava Mogutin

"Homes are always provisional." - Dawit L. Petros

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

I raqi-born artist WAFAA BILAL is an assistant professor of art at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has exhibited worldwide and lectured extensively on the situation of the Iraqi people and the importance of peaceful conflict resolution. His latest work, Domestic Tension, made him the target of a paintball gun that was accessible to an online audience 24 hours a day. Newsweek called the piece "breathtaking." Bilal feels he does not have the privilege to create apolitical work. In the face of a war that stretches on, the 2004 deaths of his brother and father, and the violence in his own history, he seeks to convey a sense of empowerment that comes from hope in humanity. Booklist named Shoot an Iraqi [City Lights, 2008], about Bilal's life and the Domestic Tension project, one of the Top 10 art books of the year. www.wafaabilal.com

S iberian-born artist and writer SLAVA MOGUTIN was exiled from Russia for his queer writings and activism at the age of 21. In 1995, he was granted political asylum in the U.S. with the support of Amnesty International and PEN American Center. He is the author of two hardcover monographs of photography, Lost Boys and NYC Go-Go, and seven books of writings published in Russian. His work has been exhibited internationally at leading institutions in New York City, San Francisco, Sydney, Rotterdam, Moscow, Copenhagen, Israel, and Spain. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Village Voice, L’Uomo Vogue, ArtUS, i-D, Whitewall, Modern Painters, V, Visionaire, and L’Officiel Hommes. www.slavamogutin.com

D AWIT L. PETROS is a mixed-media installation artist whose projects occupy a space between minimalist abstraction and autobiographical narrative. He is from the generation of Eritreans for whom the 31-year war of liberation with Ethiopia resulted in exile; in his case, a journey from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, England and ultimately, to Canada. His worldview formed by this transnational experience, Petros’ work engages questions of contested spaces and ideas. He received an MFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal; and a BA in History from the University of Saskatchewan. His work has been exhibited internationally. He is a Visiting Artist in Photography at the Cooper Union School of Art. http://alexandergray.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=678

N INOTCHKA ROSCA is a Philippine-born journalist/writer whose exile from a dictatorship has become permanent. A recipient of the American Book Award, she has authored six books published in North America, Europe and Asia. As a human-rights activist and women’s-rights advocate, she has worked steadily for the last 20 years with AF3IRM/GabNet, an organization of women mostly of Philippine ancestry. She is a board member of Sisterhood Is Global, an international organization founded by Robin Morgan and the late Simone de Beauvoir [www.sigi.org]. Ms. Rosca is currently working on the feminist theory and practice of and for transnational women, and engaged in the development of the Mariposa Alliance, a transnational women's coalition. http://ninotchkarosca.blogspot.com/

M ODERATOR: Filmmaker, writer and broadcast journalist ZINA SARO-WIWA is the founder of AfricaLab, a multimedia company dedicated to transforming the way the world sees Africa. She has made three documentaries to date. Bossa: The New Wave, Hello Nigeria! and This Is My Africa, which premiered on HBO in 2010. Zina was born in Nigeria to Ken and Maria Saro-Wiwa, and moved to Britain at an early age. She was raised in Surrey and Sussex spending summers in Nigeria. Zina began her career in the media at the age of 16 when she wrote her first article for the Sunday Times. From 2004-2008, Zina was a presenter for the BBC's arts program, The Culture Show, where she reported on a variety of topics and interviewed many noted artists. www.thisismyafrica.com

About the Full Spectrum Panel Discussion Series

T he Full Spectrum explores complex social issues through a prism of arts and culture.  Held at cultural venues throughout New York City, the panel discussions take a progressive look at aspects of the arts, beliefs, business, living, international affairs, and politics. Panelists are drawn from the worlds of dance, fashion, film, literature, music, theater, visual art, and more. The forums are free to the public, and their impact lasts long after the conversations have ended. 

The Full Spectrum Partners:
Our 2010 Season is presented by Con Edison, 
with generous support from Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, and Bill de Blasio. Our venue partners are Danny Simmons' Corridor Gallery, Greenlight Bookstore, and powerHouse Arena.
________________
FULL SPECTRUM
Conversations Among Artists, 
Activists, Explorers & Thinkers
www.fsexperience.com 
Listen. Talk. Connect.  

Co-Founders/Co-Producers: 
Brian Tate & Danny Simmons
Co-Directors: 
Lacy Austin & K. Neycha Herford # # #

At last the Philippine government has apparently reacted to the series of earthquakes that has rocked recently the world – from Haiti, Chile, Taiwan, Indonesia, Mexico, California and as of late, Papua New Guinea and Washington, DC.

{xtypo_quote} At least 3,000 people may die in Metro Manila once a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits the National Capital Region—then National Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said on June 18, 2010 {/xtypo_quote}

This writer does not know if Sec. Norberto Gonzales reacted to our correspondence sent to his boss, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. We sent on Jan. 14, 2010, an unsolicited advice to Mrs. Arroyo: “The Philippine government must undertake long-delayed and neglected earthquake-education and building inspection-and-retrofitting programs in view of the Haitian and other recent earthquake-caused disasters.” To read more of our unsolicited advice, please click on this hyperlink, RP Must Undertake Earthquake-Education and Retrofitting Programs In View of Recent Quake-caused Disasters

We followed up our unsolicited advice to Mrs. Arroyo by writing another article about earthquakes and the Philippines:

A Series of Temblors Is Coming Nearer to RP and Gloria Arroyo Remains Indifferent to Plea for Earthquake-preparedness Program

As early as September 2005, we sent a proposal to then President Arroyo about the need to operate hospital ships, as earthquakes usually devastate land-based hospital and medical facilities. To read about it, please click on this link,

Gloria Arroyo Misses a Golden Opportunity to Create a World-class Legacy of Leadership in Disaster Relief by Operating Hospital Ships

We mentioned also on May 11, 2010, to now President Noynoy Aquino the need for earthquake-education and retrofitting programs, as stated in this article, We Congratulate President-elect Aquino and Pledge to Observe the 100-Day Honeymoon Period with the Press But . . .

Dr. Cora Claudio, our contributor and president of the EARTH Institute Asia, discussed with us in Los Angeles, California, her group’s advocacy on disaster preparedness during her address to the Media Breakfast Club on March 24, 2010. More of Dr. Claudio’s advocacy can be read in this article,

“Enhancement of Community Disaster Preparedness & Livelihood” Seminar on June 19 at Antipolo City

Here are more news about earthquakes that occurred before in the Philippines:

Mindanao experiences two earthquakes  (on November 17, 2009, 10:09 a.m.)

Mild tremor rocks North Luzon February  (on February 4, 2010, 7:16 p.m.)

O ne of our columnists, former Board of Investments Gov. Ben Sanchez, sent in these notes about earthquakes and the Philippines:

Manila will be next to be hit by an earthquake

Manila will be next to be hit by an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude mentioning Marikina Valley. Please watch the link below by CNN

http://edition. cnn.com/video/ data/2.0/ video/tech/ 2010/04/21/ coren.manila. unprepared. quake.cnn. html

'7.2-magnitude quake can kill thousands in Metro Manila'

Philstar.com - Friday, June 18

M ANILA, Philippines – At least 3,000 people may die in Metro Manila once a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits the National Capital Region (NCR), outgoing National Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said today.

Gonzales revealed this grim scenario during the launching of the second-quarter nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill at the Benigno Aquino Jr. High School in Comembo, Makati City, this morning.

Citing a study conducted by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), which he also heads, Gonzales said at least 2 million people will be rendered homeless, 500 fire incidents will occur and 400,000 people will need immediate hospitalization.

 “At least 400,000 people will need immediate hospitalization once a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Metro Manila. It will be a big problem to authorities because there are only 30,000 beds combined in all hospitals all over Metro Manila. We will also need to feed two million people should this disaster came,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said this is one of the reasons why the NDCC is conducting simultaneous earthquake drills to determine the readiness of the 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila.

“There will be 500 fire incidents to occur. I am not sure if our Fire Brigade can handle that. We are coordinating all over the world for assistance in times of disaster like this. Remember that in a big earthquake like 7.2 magnitude, time is very important. We must all learn how to help. If Metro Manila is hit by big earthquake, the people here cannot help themselves because they are victims themselves. If the other areas is hit by this, let’s learn to help them. It is important that Filipinos learn to help each other,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales admitted there is no level of preparedness that can prevent the possible damages that earthquake can cause to the country.

For his part, Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) Director Renato Solidum said earthquake drills are important to impart knowledge on the people, particularly the students, on how to deal with the disaster.

“It is important to have drills. Earthquake is a rapid event. That is why drills are important. We must also see the structural integrity of the buildings all over the country,” Solidum said.

{xtypo_quote} Director Solidum said that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake may come from the West Marikina Valley fault, which stretch passes through Makati all the way to Laguna. {/xtypo_quote}

D uring the earthquake drill at the four floor Benigno Aquino, Jr. High School in Comembo, Makati City, NDCC personnel with the coordination of the Makati Rescue Team, the Department of Education quick-response team, the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from the National Capital Region (NCR), facilitated the mock rescue of the school’s estimated 7,000 students.

The students were ordered to put both their hands on top of their heads and fall in line at the school quadrangle.

Members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) were also mobilized to help in the drills.

The NDCC also conducted simultaneous earthquake drills at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City and at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. - By Jose Rodel Clapano (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com) # # #

By MabuhayRadio News Service

L ast Monday, July 19, 2010, at 0737H (Pacific Standard Time), Bobby M. Reyes posted this article,

It Is Just a Question of WHEN a Big Quake Will Devastate Areas in the Philippines

Less-than four days and 12 hours later, a series of four earthquakes hit Moro Gulf, off the Island of Mindanao’s Cotabato City.

Perhaps Filipino policy-and-decision makers should read again and heed what Bobby Reyes has been writing about the need for the Philippines to undertake the following suggested steps:

RP Must Undertake Earthquake-Education and Retrofitting Programs In View of Recent Quake-caused Disasters

A Series of Temblors Is Coming Nearer to RP and Gloria Arroyo Remains Indifferent to Plea for Earthquake-preparedness Program

As early as September 2005, Bobby Reyes sent a proposal to then President Arroyo about the need to operate hospital ships, as earthquakes usually devastate land-based hospital and medical facilities. To read about it, please click on this link,

Gloria Arroyo Misses a Golden Opportunity to Create a World-class Legacy of Leadership in Disaster Relief by Operating Hospital Ships

Root of Nullity of the Exercise Is the Rape of the Constitution

Smartmatic, a foreign corporation, conducted the Elections, with the Comelec acting as its Secretariat

By Ado Paglinawan

“Crisis of Sovereignty” Series (Part 15)

W hat defines the Philippines as a democracy, what defines the Philippines as a republic, is Article 2 Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution, as it proclaims sovereignty residing in the people.

This is not the case however of the 2010 automated elections, where the exercise was not, of the people, for the people and by the people.

It is on this basis that the position of the Solidarity for Sovereignty (S4S), has become a most serious document, especially as Dean Merlin Magallona, a foremost constitutionalist from the University of the Philippines, lays down the foundation of the legal theory further bolstering the case filed by Homobono Adaza et al in the Supreme Court.

Frankly it is more of a historic document than the filing itself.

It should be remembered that this ghastly phenomenon did not reveal itself during the elections as everyone had given the Comelec the benefit of the doubt and cooperated for a peaceful and orderly voting at the precincts. The big picture became evident only as more and more parties began connecting the pieces like a Lego mountain, after S4S called for a People’s Congress on June 3, 2010, at the Club Filipino, encouraging the general citizenry to blow their whistles and submit claims and proofs of infirmities and irregularities.

At the end of the day, it was not just the wanton violation of laws that did the conspirators in. What lied under the landscape of lawlessness and utter manifestation of evil, was basically the rape of the Philippine Constitution.

A Framework for the Question of Constitutionality of Automated Elections

1. It is the intent of the Constitution in instituting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it shall possess plenary powers “relative to the conduct of elections, plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall.” [See Constitution, Art. IXC, sec. 2 (1)]

2. The plenitude of powers mandated by the Constitution means that they are exclusive to the Commission.

3. Exclusivity of the grant of powers means they are non-delegable. The Constitution provides no authority for the Comelec to delegate its powers as constitutionally defined to any agency or instrumentality of the Government much less to any private person. It has the sole accountability and responsibility arising from the exercise of its powers.

4. The plenitude and exclusivity of such powers at once constitute limitations to the authority of all agencies or instrumentalities of the Government over the conduct of election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall. Accordingly,

§        (a) all laws in regard to that subject matter the Commission shall enforce and administer; [Const., Art IXC, see 2 (1)]

§        (b) it has exclusive original jurisdiction over all contests relating to the elections, returns, and qualifications of all elective regional, p[rovincial and city officials. [Const. Article IXC, see 2 (2)]

§        (c) it has appellate jurisdiction over all contests involving municipal officials decided by trial courts of general jurisdiction as well as elective barangay officials decided by trial courts of limited jurisdiction; [Const. Section IXC, see 2 (2).]

§        (d) it shall decide all questions affecting elections, except the right to vote; [Const. IXC, see  sec. 2 (3)], and

§        (e) it has the authority to deputize the armed forces and all law enforcement agencies of the Government for the purpose of ensuring free, orderly, peaceful and credible elections, with concurrence of the President.[Const. Art. IXC, sec. 2 (4)].

5. It is in derogation of the Constitutional mandate as to its powers and functions when the Commission on Election entered into the “Contract for the Provision of an Automated Election System for the May 10, 2010 Synchronized National and Local Elections” with Smartmatic Tim Corporation.

By this Contract, the Commission has contracted out or outsourced the conduct of the entire Philippine Electoral System, including “the counting, transmission and canvassing of votes for the May 10, 2010 Synchronized National and Local Elections.”

6. The subject-matter of the Contract is referred to as the Project which comprehends virtually the entire area of responsibility charged upon the Commission by the Constitution. Paragraph 1.16 of the Contract reads:

“Project refers to COMELEC’s nationwide automation of the voting, counting, transmission, consolidation and canvassing of votes for the May 10, 2010 Synchronized National and Local Elections…”

7. Under the Contract, the national and local elections are, as they were, conducted by means of goods and services to be supplied or performed by the Provider (or Smartmatic Tim).

These goods as provided in paragraph 1.14 of the Contract, consist of “the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and their principals, personal computers, servers, electronic transmission devices, printers, integrated software and other related equipment, both hardware, and software, including all deliverables supplies, ballots, and materials, necessary to carry out the Project.”

The services to be rendered, as they were rendered, by the Provider under paragraph 1.17 of the Contract consist of the following: “all acts to be performed or provided by the Provider to the COMELEC for the operation and completion of the Project…”

8. In defining the “Scope of the Project” --- namely, the Synchronized national and local elections of May 10, 2010 – the Contract in paragraph 3.1(b) specifies further the services to be rendered by the Provider, which when performed, as they were performed by the Provider, amount to the conduct of the said elections by the Provider. Thus:

“Advocacy, Training and Information Campaign Materials, Pre-Election Testing and Rollout Support, Site Preparation, Ballot Box, Design, Deployment, Installation, Pullout and Warehousing Election-Day Support, Post Election Support; …”

{xtypo_quote} At the end of the day, it was not just the wanton violation of laws that did the conspirators in. What lied under the landscape of lawlessness and utter manifestation of evil, was basically the rape of the Philippine Constitution—Ado Paglinawan {/xtypo_quote}

9. The Scope of Responsibility of the Provider under the Contract in the conduct of the said elections is not limited to the goods and services described above.

Under paragraph 3.2 of the Contract “It shall provide competent project management, technical manpower and efficient services.”

Overall, the Provider, under the same paragraph: “shall ensure the proper, satisfactory and timely execution and completion of the Project.”

10. Emphasizing with more clarity the role and function of the Provider in the conduct of the said election, paragraph 3.2 of the Contract provides:

“Smartmatic, as the joint venture partner with the greater tract record in automated elections, shall be in charge of the technical aspects of the counting and canvassing software and hardware, including transmission configuration and system integration. Smartmatic shall also be primarily responsible for preventing and troubleshooting technical problems that may arise during the election.”

11. What functions and responsibilities are left to the Commission on Election in the conduct of the May 10 elections?

At best, it performed a subsidiary role to Smartmatic and the Provider. The perversion of its Constitutional functions over elections is shown in paragraph 6.3.6 of the Contract. It is consigned to overseeing the execution and implementation of the mechanics for the elections in question. This paragraph states that the COMELEC has the responsibility of:

                    “Creating its own Project Team called the Project Management Office (PMO) for the purpose, among others, of overseeing the Project’s execution and implementation.”

In gross departure from its Constitutional functions and powers, under paragraph 6.3 of the Contract, it is reduced to the following jobs, in service of the Provider:

“6.3.1 Notifying the Provider of the polling precincts and canvassing centers…;

6.3.2 Closely coordinating with the Provider in the preparation of the sites and set-up hardware, network installation… For the duration of the Project, COMELEC shall provide continuing assistance to the Provider on the needs of the Project,

6.3.3 Supplying the Provider with detailed functional information on the Philippine Electoral System;

6.3.4 Ensuring full cooperation of COMELEC

6.3.5 Making available the policies, procedures, reports, data, source documents and other information as may be needed by the Provider’s Project Team.”

12. Hence, under the Contract the COMELEC has transformed itself into the secretariat of the Provider which, in consequence, has aggrandized the functions and powers of the COMELEC under the Constitution.

13. On the basis of all these considerations, it must be affirmed that the May 10, 2010 elections, in its entirety were conducted not under the Constitution, they were held under the Contract. They stand together with the results, as the product of usurpation of Comelec’s Constitutional responsibility by the Provider.

14. The synchronized national and local elections conducted under the Contract are a nullity and a wholesale betrayal of the people’s sovereign will, While under the Constitution, it becomes the duty of the Comelec to comply with the laws of Congress, which enacted the automation of the electoral system, the legislative will in this case has been deformed to illegality by the Contract. # # #

Will the Indios Follow Suit or Just Swallow the Dung?

“Crisis of Sovereignty” Series (Part 16)

By Ado Paglinawan

W hen Solidarity for Sovereignty (S4S) began this advocacy, we met all kinds of ridicule.

“Drop it”, one lady at the Philippine Computer Society forum said, “We don’t want to start a constitutional crisis.” But madam, we are not starting any constitutional crisis, because the Comelec and Gloria Arroyo have already bequeathed us one. What we are trying to find out is the best way we can respond to and get out of this constitutional crisis.

“We don’t want a banana republic!” wrote one e-mailer. But sir, ever since Cory Aquino took over we have been a banana republic. In fact we have been a rotten banana! The changes have been illusory.

She did not get us out of our foreign debt, in fact she mired us deeper into it. Fidel Ramos has made us pay for power even if we don’t use it; he privatized and sold the military bases in violation of his promise to his own soldiers, and worse she did not even pay off the soldiers’ dividends. Joseph Estrada stole from the poor gamblers to fill his rich pockets. We handed power to Gloria Arroyo in a golden platter, she did not return the platter and instead filled it up with billions in plunder and ran away with both platter and plunder.

All this because our military protected them at the expense of the people. I do not know what could be more banana than that.

Nothing has changed, the guardia civil made sure the rich illustrados, peninsulares and insulares all, controlled the land and kept its produce; the Krag rifle made sure the Americans and their oligarch friends cornered the nation’s natural resources and mines.  Now the Taipans who only used to be in Binondo and the mestizos of Makati, are turning the whole of Metro Manila into a metropolis of skyscrapers sold to Overseas-Filipino “take-home pay,” but where do the profits go?

Certainly not to the masses who have to scrounge daily for food. They can’t even afford a banana that now retails at about eight pesos per piece. And their only political exercise – to vote for their national and local leaders, stolen this time in a flash faster than their eyes can see.

 The Germans have bitten the bullet. Are we going to follow suit and try a thinking and equitable “coconut” republic for a change?

H ere is what René B. Azurin said in his column in the BusinessWorld 

http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=13841

Thursday, July 8, 2010 | MANILA , PHILIPPINES

Strategic Perspective -- by René B. Azurin 

Credibility requires transparency

I nterestingly, the Federal Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany ruled (on March 3, 2009) that the use of voting machines was unconstitutional since these did not "meet the constitutional requirements of the principle of the public nature of elections."

The principal basis for this ruling was that "all essential steps of an election... [must be] subject to the possibility of public scrutiny." In essence, that German court was saying that transparency is absolutely indispensable in a democratic election.

And transparency was one thing our recently concluded elections definitely did not have.

In the untransparent poll automation system selected by our Commission on Elections – supplied by favored supplier Smartmatic – we voters had no way of telling if our votes were actually counted and if the votes were being accurately tallied. In effect, Comelec found nothing wrong in the fact that the Filipino public would be required to just take whatever the Smartmatic PCOS voting machines printed out as election results as gospel truth.

In a forum organized last Saturday by the Philippine Computer Society (PCS), the Philippine Electronics and Telecommunications Federation (PETEF), and the Movement for Good Governance (MGG), many of the "sins" – a term introduced into the proceedings by the irrepressible master of ceremonies, Maricor Akol, past president of PETEF – jointly committed by Comelec and Smartmatic in these elections were revealed, documented, and discussed. The nature and number of those sins suggested – to me, at least – that the sins were deliberate and intentional, and not merely the result of oversight or incompetence. In other words, the "sins" were mortal sins, not venial sins.

Excellent presentations were served up by computer security and IT forensic expert Drexx Laggui, Philippine Software Industry Association president Bettina Quimson, AVA Law’s Al Vitangcol, Namfrel’s Eric Alvia, and Philippine Computer Society’s Edmundo Casiño. Essentially, they gave us graphic descriptions of the so-called "sins" committed in the name of poll automation. After those presentations, IT pioneer Gus Lagman, PETEF’s Ben Garcia, PHCert’s Lito Averia, PCS’s Ernie del Rosario, PETEF’s Ronaldo Solis, Botong Pinoy’s Joel Ong, and former National Computer Center director Dr. Bill Torres offered assorted "correcting" suggestions ranging from proposed amendments to the law to variations in technology to alternative-voting systems.

The organizers of the forum will be consolidating the proceedings in a report and will be immediately forwarding this to the appropriate government bodies and various interested parties. I will comment on the report at that time.

F or now, let me just say that "transparent" the 2010 election was not. The presentations highlighted the significant departures from and violations of the terms of the agreed Smartmatic-Comelec contract. These showed that the process of implementing the poll automation exercise was terribly flawed and inconsistent with good – I do not even say, best – practices.

The way I would sum up -- imperfectly, perhaps -- what we heard is to make three statements.

First, it is not true that, as Cesar Flores of Smartmatic keeps saying, "You cannot cheat in this system without leaving a trail." This claim is not true even in theory, much less in practice. Indeed, modifying audit logs can be easy when a particular software system has inherently weak security features, as indeed is the case for the Smartmatic system.

And, as every experienced programmer knows, with what is called "root access," one can just delete a log file and replace it with a new one that is consistent with whatever alterations have been introduced into the system.

Furthermore, before and after May 10, access to the flash memory cards and the PCOS voting machines was acquired variously by assorted Smartmatic personnel, Comelec officials, logistics companies’ personnel, city or municipal treasurers, technical personnel, election officials, and who knows who else.

That’s just too many potential "perpetuators." It should be emphasized -- which I did in columns on this subject that I wrote as early as July 2009 -- that even a few minutes’ access to these memory cards and voting machines would have allowed a "hacker" to introduce malicious code that can change the reported election results and then remove traces of such alterations even from audit log files.

Moreover, as my friend Gus Lagman never tired of pointing out in the months before the poll automation technology was selected, the PCOS machine offers no way for the public to know that the election return printed by the machine is how the voters actually voted.

Even if political parties and independent observers are present in the polling places, they simply cannot see -- nor verify -- what "votes" the machine is counting. Even if, for the sake of argument, PCOS machines were accurately counting the votes cast, no poll watcher can actually tell if the votes are being tallied correctly or transmitted faithfully.

Second, it is not true that, as certain Comelec, Smartmatic, and even PPCRV officials claim, "The poll automation was a success."

The crucial measures of success, as far as the results of an election are concerned, must be accuracy and transparency.

Obviously, i) the votes must be correctly counted, and ii) the process must be transparent so that the accuracy of the count cannot be disputed. On both these measures, it is impossible to claim that the poll automation exercise was "a success."

I think Comelec’s officials have lost sight of the fact that transparency is the absolutely indispensable requirement for credible elections. They appear to have prioritized quickness of the result over transparency in the process. They are effectively betting our democracy on the assumption that not a single well-placed election official can be corrupted.

G iven the Filipino public’s experience with election officials and election operators, this is obviously an unreasonable assumption. Thus, results that cannot be verified by observers will always be suspect. And, since "all essential steps of an election... [must be] subject to the possibility of public scrutiny" and since this was certainly not true in this case, we have to categorically state that the poll automation exercise was a dismal failure.

Third, finally, it would be the height of irresponsibility for those who actually understand the glaring faults of the Smartmatic system -- like those in the IT industry -- not to rail against its use in future elections.

Further, it would be criminal for the public not to listen to what the experts are saying. Personally, I am convinced that there was a deliberate effort to muck up these first-ever automated elections. This conviction is reinforced by Comelec’s suspicious disabling of many important security features -- like the prescribed personal digital signatures of election officials and the UV identification of ballots -- coupled with the inexplicably late testing of the memory cards (thus triggering an eve-of-the-election need to "replace and reconfigure" 76,000 of them).

This conviction is (for me) confirmed by Comelec’s complete bungling of the prescribed "random-manual audit" which prevented observers from (at least) statistically validating the reported electronic election results.

What we have just been through is an untransparent -- and therefore non-credible (incredible?) -- election, one in which we have no way of knowing what the results actually were. Thankfully, groups like PCS, PETEF, and MGG are persisting in their criticism of the poll automation exercise so that we do not fall into the trap of using this Smartmatic system ever again. # # #

Michael Steele Says Simply that the War in Afghanistan Is a Losing Proposition and It Will End Up Just Like the Vietnam War

P erhaps American policy-and-decision makers have to go back to school and learn again World History 101. This appears to be the message that Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele seems to be telling indirectly his colleagues in the American corridors of power. Perhaps Mr. Steele wants also to tell his peers and other American leaders that Afghanistan is not worth dying for.

{xtypo_quote} President Obama is ‘such a student of history, has he not understood . . .  that's the one thing you don't do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan . . . because everyone who's tried over a thousand years of history has failed?’—Michael Steele {/xtypo_quote}

In fact Mr. Steele should have expounded on the failures of foreign invaders to subdue the various Afghan tribes and subtribes. Alexander the Great and his Greek warriors invaded Afghanistan and failed. The Greeks left in 150 B.C. Even the Mongol Empire tried to rule over Afghanistan from 1220 to 1506 and at the end, they were defeated. The Mongolians departed after 286 years of trying to subdue the Afghan tribes. Then there were three Anglo-Afghan Wars and too-many proud British soldiers died in vain in Afghanistan.

Will the United States and its NATO allies commit to fight in Afghanistan even for half of the 286 years that the ancient Mongolian forces wasted in that country? In fact, it can be argued that the NATO forces and the American troops can fight in Afghanistan for a thousand years and suffer more-than one-million deaths and at the end, history will simply repeat itself. The foreign soldiers will leave, as they will be unable to win any decisive land war in Afghanistan.

The Modern-day Lesson of Vietnam

P erhaps President Obama, Mr. Steele and all politicians in Washington, DC, do not have to study the Afghani misadventures of Alexander the Great about two centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. They have simply to remember the lessons that the United States painfully got in Vietnam.

There are lots of similarities between Vietnam and Afghanistan. Vietnam fought so many foreign invaders: China for almost two-thousand years, the Khmer kingdom of what became modern Cambodia (now Kampuchea), the Siamese kingdom (now Thailand), the Japanese (during World War II), the French (before and after WWII) and then the Americans.

Mr. Steele knows his history. Like in Vietnam, so many foreign invaders from the Greeks to the Mongols to the British to the Russians engaged unsuccessfully the Afghans in a land war. Even Afghan clans continuously fought – and still fight – among themselves for territory, the opium trade and what not. But when faced with foreign invaders, the Afghani tribes and subtribes “forge formidable alliances, among themselves and with other ethnic groups.”

The present government in Kabul is like the corrupt regime propped up by the American government in Saigon until the Central Intelligence Agency dispatched the Vietnamese despot. But South-Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem was replaced after his execution by equally-corrupt leaders, who mostly came from the ranks of the Vietnamese military – as chosen by the CIA agents. So, it is granted that American-tainted history will simply repeat itself in Afghanistan as it happened in Vietnam.

Now Vietnam is a respected member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). There are complete diplomatic-and-trade relations between the United States and Vietnam. So, the Vietnam War – with more-than 55,000 American dead, 500,000 American other casualties and perhaps two-million or more dead Vietnamese war victims and countless wounded – was an exercise in futility. It all amounted to the status quo – the same one-nation Vietnam before the French moved in and after the Americans took over and fled in 1975.

Afghanistan Is Probably a Worse Quagmire than Vietnam

A ctually from the viewpoint of tribes and subtribes, Afghanistan is perhaps a lot worse than Vietnam. Here is a description of the tribal system in Afghanistan:

{xtypo_quote} The absence of recognized principles governing the assumption of leadership allows for intense competition. Rivalries within and between tribal segments and between tribes and subtribes consequently have always existed. It is these internecine feuds that have earned the Pushtun their reputation as an unruly and warlike people. Nonetheless, when outside forces threaten, the Pushtun are equally reputed for their ability to forge formidable alliances, among themselves and with other ethnic groups. {/xtypo_quote}

To read more about the tribes of Afghanistan, please click on this link, http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/54.htm

A study of Afghanistan becomes a research of so-many warring tribes and equally-warring subtribes, among them of which are the following Ethnic Groups: Pashtun (approximately 42% of the population), the Tajik (27%), the Hazara (9%), the Uzbek (9%) and the remaining 13% is divided among the Turkmen and Other Groups: the Aimaq, the Arab, the Kirghiz, the Wakhi, the Farsiwan, the Nuristani, the Baluch, the Brahui, the Qizilbash, the Kabuli, the Jat and the Non-Muslims.

The Other Lesson of Iraq

S upposedly the United States and its allies will soon pull out their troops in Iraq, which will be left no better off than when the war was launched against the regime of Saddam Hussein.

This writer wrote in April 2007 about the Iraqi War in this article,

Iraq Is Not Worth Dying For (As Compared to Ninoy Aquino's Words)

Perhaps the American people must examine the real reason or reasons why American troops are shedding blood in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hostile countries supposedly in fighting international terrorism. I wrote these articles, which readers in the United States may browse with their thinking caps on:

A Message for Memorial Day: American Soldiers Must Stop Dying in Combat for Israel  

U.S. Taxpayers Must Force the End of American Subsidy for Israel’s Colonial Abuses and Criminal Conduct

More-than Religion Is the Afghan Problem

R emember "religion is the opiate of the people," which is one of the most-frequently quoted statements of Karl Marx? Alas, in Afghanistan, the problem is more-than religion. The country is probably the biggest producer of opium in the world. Its farmers have cultivated poppy and marijuana fields for millennia. So, opium is literally and figuratively the opiate of the Afghan people, isn’t it?

And for as long as drug addicts in the United States, Europe and other countries continue to buy opium, marijuana and other illegal drugs, no eradication efforts by foreigners will succeed in the poppy-and-marijuana fields in Afghanistan. Even the soldiers of Alexander the Great failed in that quest and they ended up probably using opium and its derivatives.

So, quo vadis, American and NATO policy-and-decision makers? # # #

Micah turns away from the sacrifices suggested in the second part, the general sort of thing prescribed by the Law, to a relationship with God which is spiritual and very personal, which demands the sacrifice of self ("walk humbly with God").

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8

Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21+23

M atthew 12:38-42 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." (39) But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet  Jonah. (40) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of  the earth. (41) The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (42) The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Meditation by Chas Kestermeier, S.J.

We might break the passage from the prophet Micah down into three parts: God questions His people, asking what good He might have done for them that He hasn't done, and then the people answers with the question "How can we respond to the Lord appropriately?"  In a third movement God answers with the simple "you have been told what the Lord requires of you, only to do the right and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God."

Two things strike me about this.  I think that most of us would answer God's question with quite a list of the areas where we think that God has not loved us enough: the loss of a loved one, our current health, not getting a job --- all sorts of things.  While there is certainly some reason to feel that way, it should not be an incitement for us to doubt God as much as it is for us to consider what true love is and whether we are mistaking the idea of a pain-free life for what we think that an all-powerful God "owes" us.  His idea of love, I suspect, has little to do with that . . .

The other aspect of this passage that stands out to me is that Micah turns away from the sacrifices suggested in the second part, the general sort of thing prescribed by the Law, to a relationship with God which is spiritual and very personal, which demands the sacrifice of self ("walk humbly with God").  This is in itself a very solid solution to this problem of how God loves us . . .

Supplementary Reading

The Great Reward

{xtypo_quote} So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! - Hebrews 10:35 {/xtypo_quote}

W hat are you believing God for today? Promotion? Healing? Stronger relationships? Freedom from addiction? God has promised all these things to you in His Word. He wants you to live in blessing and wholeness all the days of your life. But in order to experience His promises, we have to do our part. We have to keep believing and trusting in Him. That's what today's verse is saying: if we will stay in faith, if we will keep believing, keep hoping, keep doing the right thing, God promises there will be a reward. I like how one translation puts it, "Don't get discouraged. Payday is coming!"

When you're tempted to get down, when things aren't going your way, just say to yourself, "This may be hard. It may be taking a long time, but I know God is a faithful God. I'm going to keep believing because my reward is coming."

Friend, as you trust Him and stand in faith, as you boldly declare His promises, you are positioning yourself to receive His blessing. No matter what your circumstances look like, remember payday is on its way—and you will experience the blessing and reward He's promised all the days of your life!

{xtypo_quote} Father in heaven, thank You for Your good and precious promises. I choose to trust that my reward is coming. I choose to follow Your commands because they lead to blessing and life. Give me a heart that is fixed on You and fill me with Your peace. I patiently wait on You. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel and Victoria Osteen) {/xtypo_quote}

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all of our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God first and to his kingdom of righteousness and peace.

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

M atthew 12:46-50  While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. (48) But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" (49) And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! (50) For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Meditation By Don Schwager

W ho do you love and cherish the most? God did not intend for us to be alone, but to be with others. He gives us many opportunities for developing relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Why does Jesus seem to ignore his own relatives when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his relatives is unquestionable. Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach his disciples a spiritual lesson and truth about the kingdom of God. On this occasion when many gathered to hear Jesus he pointed to another higher reality of relationships, namely our relationship with God and with those who belong to God.

What is the essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship – a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection, and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity.

God offers us the greatest of relationships – union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8, 16). God's love never fails, never forgets, never compromises, never lies, never lets us down nor disappoints us. His love is consistent, unwavering, unconditional, and unstoppable. Nothing can deter him from ever leaving us, ignoring us, or treating us unkindly. He will love us no matter what. It is his nature to love. That is why he created us – to be united with him and to share in his love and unity of persons (1 John 3:1). God is a trinity of persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and a community of love. That is why Jesus challenged his followers and even his own earthly relatives to recognize that God is the true source of all relationships. God wants all of our relationships to be rooted in his love.

Jesus is God's love incarnate – God's love made visible in human flesh (1 John 4:9-10). That is why Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and the shepherd who seeks out the sheep who have strayed and lost their way. God is like the father who yearns for his prodigal son to return home and then throws a great party for his son when he has a change of heart and comes back (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus offered up his life on the cross for our sake, so that we could be forgiven and restored to unity and friendship with God. It is through Jesus that we become the adopted children of God – his own sons and daughters. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they would have many new friends and family relationships in his kingdom. Whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family – his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ.

An early Christian martyr once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints" – namely those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ and who live as his disciples enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven.

Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all of our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God first and to his kingdom of righteousness and peace. Do you want to grow in love and friendship? Allow God's Holy Spirit to transform your heart, mind, and will to enable you to love freely and generously as he loves.

"Heavenly Father, you bless us with many relationships and you invite us into the community of your sons and daughters who have been redeemed by your son, Jesus Christ. Help me to love my neighbor with charity, kindness, compassion, and mercy, just as you have loved me. In all of my relationships and in all that I do and say, may I always seek to bring you honor and glory."

Supplementary Reading

Be an Imitator of God

{xtypo_quote} Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God—(Ephesians 5:1-2, NIV) {/xtypo_quote}

H ave you ever spent time with a small child or baby and had them mimic your every sound or action? To them it's a fun game, but internally they are learning by watching and copying everything you do. They just watch and do the same thing. That's because we are all prewired to be imitators.

Just like little children, we are all still imitators. So many people today end up imitating what they see in the world, on TV, in the news and magazines. But scripture tells us that we are to be imitators of God and follow His example of love.

If you need to change your actions today, change what you are imitating. All you have to do is simply change your focus. The more you focus on the Word, the more you will imitate God. And when you do things God's way, you will get God's results—peace, joy and blessing all the days of your life!

{xtypo_quote} Father God, I choose to put You first place in my life and imitate You. I set aside the things of the world and invite You to search my heart and mind. Give me Your heart of love and let me be an example of Your goodness. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel and Victoria Osteen) {/xtypo_quote}

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

If you need to change your actions today, change what you are imitating. All you have to do is simply change your focus. The more you focus on the Word, the more you will imitate God. And when you do things God's way, you will get God's results—peace, joy and blessing all the days of your life!

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jericho 1:1, 4-10

Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15+17

M atthew 13:1-9 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. (2) And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. (3) And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. (4) And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. (5) Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, (6) but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. (7) Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. (8) Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (9) He who has ears, let him hear."

Meditation by Howie Kalb, S.J.

In our Gospel today Jesus is telling the parable of the “Sower and the Seed” to the crowd. Most of us are quite familiar with the story. The Sower is Christ.  The seed is the Good News. And the soils are the minds and hearts of each of us.

What Jesus is teaching is that his good news is having an effect comparable to the fruit produced in the parable. For all too many who hear the word it produces nothing. The faith of some gets choked out by the brambles of material concerns and interests and so it dies.  For others it never develops because the soil lacks the depth and moisture required for people to practice their faith. For others it is carried away by the birds who dream up manmade religions about what they would like faith to be. The result is agnosticism, atheism and pseudo religions. In these cases the seed dies and there can be no harvest.

In the parable some seed produced fruit 30-, 60- or 100-fold. It seems that even in the good soil the seed sowed produced various quantities of harvest. Although these seeds were all sowed in good ground, owing to the composition of the soil according to the percentage and variety of the elements, some crops do better than others. Soil might have a greater or lesser clay content or sandy concentration. Ground can be more or less alkaline or acidic. These various conditions of the soil can be changed by the skillful farmer who wants to plant wheat or changed in another way by the farmer who wants to plant grapes.

Now the Scriptures with Jesus’ parables continue to live on and nourish believers forever. Today we know the seed is the same Good News and the soil is still the minds and hearts of each of us.  And a good bet is that anyone taking the time to read these reflections has good seed-soil capable of producing a worthwhile harvest.

However, augmenting the analogy of the parable, the challenge might be for us to try to improve the soil of our minds and hearts. Tilling the ground can always enrich it. Just as greater attention when participating in the sacraments and reciting our prayers can deepen our faith. Perhaps there could be further mulching through a more consistent prayer life or charitable outreach to the needy. Or the texture of the soil could be improved by fertilizing it with further Scripture study, some volunteering activity, or in other ways. After improving our seed-soil we might not notice that much difference in the harvest in this life but in the next life we will be happy to learn that our harvest increased 30-, 60- or 100-fold.

Supplementary Reading

Be an Imitator of God

{xtypo_quote} Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God - Ephesians 5:1-2 {/xtypo_quote}

H ave you ever spent time with a small child or baby and had them mimic your every sound or action? To them it's a fun game, but internally they are learning by watching and copying everything you do. They just watch and do the same thing. That's because we are all prewired to be imitators.

Just like little children, we are all still imitators. So many people today end up imitating what they see in the world, on TV, in the news and magazines. But scripture tells us that we are to be imitators of God and follow His example of love.

If you need to change your actions today, change what you are imitating. All you have to do is simply change your focus. The more you focus on the Word, the more you will imitate God. And when you do things God's way, you will get God's results—peace, joy and blessing all the days of your life!

{xtypo_quote} Father God, I choose to put You first place in my life and imitate You. I set aside the things of the world and invite You to search my heart and mind. Give me Your heart of love and let me be an example of Your goodness. In Jesus' Name. Amen.  (Joel & Victoria Osteen) {/xtypo_quote}

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

Mary's message to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, is the very essence of Christianity. It is not enough that a Christian know about the Lord, but that we know him personally. It is not enough to argue about him, but to meet him.

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11

J ohn 20:1-2, 11-18 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (2) So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." (11) But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; (12) and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. (13) They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." (14) Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. (15) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." (16) Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). (17) Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." (18) Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you recognize the presence and reality of the Lord Jesus in your life? How easy it is to miss the Lord when our focus is on ourselves! Mary Magdalene did not at first recognize the Lord because her focus was on the empty tomb and on her own grief. It took only one word from the Master, when he called her by name, for Mary to recognize him. Mary's message to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, is the very essence of Christianity.

It is not enough that a Christian know about the Lord, but that we know him personally. It is not enough to argue about him, but to meet him. In the resurrection we encounter the living Lord who loves us personally and shares his glory with us. The Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to see the truth of his resurrection and victory over sin and death (Ephesians 1:18).

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our hope – the hope that we will see God face to face and share in his everlasting glory and joy. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). Do you recognize the Lord's presence with you, in his word, in the "breaking of the bread", and in his church, the body of Christ?

"Lord Jesus, may I never fail to recognize your voice nor lose sight of your presence in your saving word."

Supplementary Reading

Finding Strength

{xtypo_quote} But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint – (Isaiah 40:31, NIV) {/xtypo_quote}

Do you need your strength renewed today? The scripture tells us that when we hope in the Lord, that's exactly what will happen—our strength will be renewed. If you've grown weary and tired, overwhelmed by the cares of this world, it's a clear sign that you need to change what you're putting your hope in. Are you putting your hope in your job? The government? The economy? Another person? Those are all things that will change. But when you hope in the Lord, you are investing in the Rock of Ages! He never changes! He is the only solid foundation for your soul.

Today, find strength by simply putting your hope in Him. Start by declaring out loud, "God, I place my hope in You. I trust that You are working behind the scenes in my life. I choose to rest in You." Then, feed your hope and faith by meditating daily on the scriptures. As you renew your mind with the Word of God, you'll find strength, you'll find hope, and you'll find His victory all the days of your life!

{xtypo_quote} Father God, thank You for renewing my strength as I put my hope in You. I declare today that I love You and trust You. I know that You are working behind the scenes in my life. Fill me with Your peace and joy as I wait on You. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen) {/xtypo_quote}

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

Be a person of integrity and honor. As you live your life devoted to one another and honoring others, you are actually honoring God. He will repay you for your kindness and reward you in this life and in eternity!

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 3:14-17

Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

M atthew 13:18-23 "Hear then the parable of the sower. (19) When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. (20) As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; (21) yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (22) As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (23) As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Meditation by Tamora Whitney

My job is easy today – Jesus did it for me! I don’t have to explain the gospel, because the explanation is there. But we still have to listen and understand it.  It’s still a lesson we need to learn.  The word of God is here and readily accessible, but how many people think about it seriously?

Lots of people go to church. Lots of people say they are Christian, but how many are living the Christian life and acting on the word of God? Too often the word is like the seed in the first three circumstances.  People go to church, but as soon as they leave, the words are gone. They don’t think about it again until next week. They get too busy with their day to day lives, and religion is choked out. Their good intentions are eaten up by materialism, or choked out by their daily lives, or their intentions don’t have roots and don’t survive in the outside world.

It’s not enough to hear the word of God, we must live it. We can’t let the faith and fervor we feel at church wither up and die outside the church walls. We need to hear the word of God, really listen, think about it, understand it, and live it.  We need to be the rich soil in which God’s word can take root and thrive. It’s easy to let evil or apathy take over. It’s hard to have conviction and live God’s word, but the harvest will be amazing.

Supplementary Reading

Be Devoted

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves – (Romans 12:10, NIV)

W hat are you devoted to in your life? Being devoted to something is simply being loyal by giving of your time, affection and resources. Many people today are devoted to certain restaurants, television programs and even their cell phones! There's nothing wrong with any of that, but we have to examine our own hearts and see if we are being devoted to the people God has placed in our lives. Are we honoring others above ourselves? The world's system says to "look out for number one—yourself," but God's system says "look out for others, and I will look out for you."

Today, as you examine your own heart and life, ask the Lord to show you ways that you can honor others. One way is by simply being faithful to your word. Be a person of integrity and honor. As you live your life devoted to one another and honoring others, you are actually honoring God. He will repay you for your kindness and reward you in this life and in eternity!

Heavenly Father, teach me to be a person of honor. Teach me to be devoted to others the way You desire. Fill me with Your love which is all that matters in eternity. I bless You and thank You for Your goodness. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen) # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

God provides me with all that I need to choose Him and to make that choice concrete in my life rather than just a vague wish or orientation, and I must make that one central choice of my life in terms of the small daily choices that inch me closer to God or away from Him.

Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 7:1-11

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6a+8a, 11

M atthew 13:24-30 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; (25) but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. (26) So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' (28) He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' (29) But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Meditation

T he point of this parable, I believe, is the landowner's allowing the wheat and the weeds to grow together to maturity, which is just what God does for us.

In the four Gospels Jesus tells us in many ways that I have to choose between living joyfully with God forever and being forever separated from Him, in great pain over my loss.  That aspect of this message is not new.

The special spin that Jesus puts on this question of my choice here is that I have a whole lifetime to make it in.  God provides me with all that I need to choose Him and to make that choice concrete in my life rather than just a vague wish or orientation, and I must make that one central choice of my life in terms of the small daily choices that inch me closer to God or away from Him.

One other aspect here is that while the "harvesters" are able to tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat, I myself must ordinarily remain in some uncertainly about whether I truly have chosen God enough, whether I have loved Him enough. Any certainty about whether I am "saved" or not can be a form of self-delusion and lead to pride, laziness, and a fatal assumption that I am "good enough." That sort of thing can be deadly in my human relationships, and it is no different in my relationship with God. 

I simply do not know whether I am weed or wheat while I am alive, and the fact is that I am both – but which is the dominant side of who I am?  While I myself am responsible for the choice, it is up to God to decide what I have actually chosen.  And that is where the virtue of hope comes in.

Supplementary Reading

TILLING TIME

{xtypo_quote} But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. – Matthew 13:23 {/xtypo_quote}

T he Savannah series by Christian author Denise Hildreth are among my favorite books. It’s a story about a Southern girl, Savannah, named after her hometown in Georgia, who comes back to her hometown after thinking her mother was still trying to control her life from where she was, even if she was already 27-years old. The three books contain a series of crazy anecdotes about Savannah’s new life back in her hometown with her wacky family, her best friend, potential love interest and the ever challenging work as a writer.

In the three books, there was always a common thing that the author never failed to mention: Savannah’s “tilling time.” Savannah is a jogger and she uses her early morning runs to pray and till the soil of her heart: to make sure she’s ready to receive God’s Word so it will actually take root.

I know it’s fiction but it’s inspiring to read about someone who is this devoted. May we find the same devotion as Savannah in making our hearts ready. (Tina Matanguihan)

“Unless we [spend] time preparing the soil of our hearts through prayer and actually dusting off the coffee table Bible, no seed will ever take root.” (Denise Hildreth)

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Genesis 18:20-32

Psalm 138:1-2a, 2b-3, 6-7a, 7b-8

Colossians 2:12-14

L uke 11:1-13 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." (2) And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. (3) Give us each day our daily bread; (4) and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation." (5) And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; (6) for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; (7) and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? (8) I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. (9) And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (10) For every one who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (11) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; (12) or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? (13) If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you pray with joy and confidence? The Jews were noted for their devotion to prayer. Formal prayer was prescribed for three set times a day. And the rabbis had a prayer for every occasion. It was also a custom for rabbis to teach their disciples a simple prayer they might use on a regular basis. Jesus' disciples ask him for such a prayer.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he gave them the disciple's prayer, what we call the Our Father or Lord's Prayer. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally is Son only in relation to his Father (Matthew 11:27). All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). In Christ we are reborn and become the adopted children of God (John 1:12-13; 3:3).

Jesus teaches us to address God as "our Father" and to confidently ask him for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace and mercy. He is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same. We can pray with expectant faith because our heavenly Father loves us and treats us as his children. He delights to give us what is good. His love and grace transforms us and makes us like himself.

Through his grace and power we can love and serve one another as Jesus taught -- with grace, mercy, and loving-kindness. Do you treat others as they deserve, or do you treat them as the Lord would with grace and mercy? Jesus' prayer includes an injunction that we must ask God to forgive us in proportion as we forgive those who have wronged us. Are you ready to forgive as Jesus forgives?

What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of late-night guest to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors.

The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of inhospitality. If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and gracious to give us what we need.

In conclusion, Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?

"Heaven Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your love nor hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your disciple and child."

Supplementary Reading

The Most Blessed

{xtypo_quote} If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed - Proverbs 29:18 {/xtypo_quote}

G od wants His people to be the most blessed! He wants His people to constantly increase so they can be examples of His goodness. But, in order to partake of everything He has in store for us, we have to be open to what He wants to do in our lives. We have to have a vision for increase. We have to look for what He is doing and obey what He tells us.

If you're not expecting favor, or if you are just satisfied with where you are, then you are living below your privileges. But if you will get a vision for increase, a vision of who you are as a child of the Most High God and see what He wants to do in your life, then opportunities, favor and increase will open before you. Just like this scripture says, as a child of the Most High, you are entitled to be the most blessed!

I encourage you, today, to take time to focus your thoughts on God and His promises. Meditate on His Word and ask Him to increase your capacity to receive. Then, follow His commands and look for His goodness—and get ready to be the most blessed!

{xtypo_quote} Heavenly Father, I choose right now to set my mind and focus on You. I choose to look for what You want to do in and through me. I let go of any wrong thinking, attitudes or actions that would hold me back. I choose to obey You and thank You for Your blessing in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen) {/xtypo_quote}  

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com