More Thoughts on Holy Week

Personally, I think it is strange that some folks actually go the way of pain by flagellation and all sorts of gruesome self-inflicted penance during the Holy Week here in the Philippines as a way of atoning for past, present and future sins. Again, tourists are trekking to provinces like Pampanga and Laguna to actually gape at people suffering. The newspapers tomorrow will once more carry stories and photos of people nailed to crosses and other folks trudging the hot concrete swinging whips over their backs made of bamboo and imbedded with shards of glass. Then barely hours after the ordeal, some (not all OK, lets make that clear!) are back to their old lives of imbibing whiskey, picking other folks pockets, taking drugs, beating their wives and kids senseless, filching the clothes of their next door neighbor, attaching illegal connections to Meralco posts etc. etc. etc. As if they expect the hours of suffering physical pain will wash away the wrongs that they have committed, currently committing or plan to commit. Makes you wonder if these folks are really sincere about the stuff they promise to the Big Guy way up there ...

(Old woman in church, head bowed in prayer, clutching a dozen novenas in hand) "Hail Mary, full of grace ..."

PAK!

(Muttering loudly) "@!%$#&#@! lamok!" ("@!%$#^% them damn mosquitos!")

"... the Lord is with thee...." (She is approached by a beggar asking alms)

(Angrily) "Heh! Nakikita mo na nagdadasal ako!!! Layas ka nga dyan!" (Heh! Can't you see I'm busy praying!!! Leave me alone!)

Y ..... eah !

Thoughts to Ponder On This Holy Week

When life had no problems, I enjoyed myself, was generally cool, calm and collected. That was before the troubles started rolling in. And, boy when those troubles hit, they sure hit hard. That was the time when I freaked out, when I actually lost faith in myself and started to lose faith in God's love for me. That was the time when when I flirted with the razor edge of despair over losing everything. Then I realized the basic truth - I could not solve my problems alone.

I realized that when we run into problems, we have this tendency to blame that which lies outside the sphere of ourselves We blame our enemies, we sometimes blame our friends, we blame the rotten job, the brown-nosin' officemates, the traffic inching down the superhighway, the mean boss, the unfeeling spouse, the insensitive lover. But when we look deeper, we discover that what initially appeared to be a problem was actually an opportunity. The way for us to see the opportunity is to lift ourselves to a higher point of view. When we learn to accept – not deny – responsibility for the way we think and feel about problems, we open our minds to the guidance of our heart and soul. We open our minds to the guidance of God. We are never presented with a so-called problem unless we can solve it, either by ourselves, or with the help of others.

Remember:

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

No matter how confusing things start out, in the end everything works out OK.

So don't worry - be happy!