In The Hole

I just returned from another cell group meeting with the children and mothers in our parish's poorer section. Our gospel reading was about the Canaanite woman who asked for Jesus' help (See a commentary here. ). Once more, I had an occassion to marvel at the connection between these peoples' lives... Sign in to see full entry.

I went to a prayer meeting for children last Saturday. It was the first time I heard kids from the poorest sector of our parish pray for their parents, friends, and teachers. I almost cried listening to Junil pray for his little brother who is sick. With dengue fever rising here in our place,... Sign in to see full entry.

I and three other members from our parish attended the Institute of Pastoral Development's Scripture Ventures at Tagaytay. The courses were held from July 20-24. There were three courses to choose from so I and my companions distributed ourselves to each of those courses. I and Ben Tindoy attended... Sign in to see full entry.

I've nearly completed the driving refresher course I am taking these days while I am on vacation. Sign in to see full entry.

I was in Tarlac City, Tarlac yesterday to celebrate the funeral mass of an uncle who passed away recently. While there, I observed a burial custom that I've not seen before. When the casket was transferred from the house where the wake had been to the waiting hearse, I saw an old man holding two... Sign in to see full entry.

I am currently on a two-week vacation. This is just the second day. The whole day yesterday I spent cleaning up my room. I had to rearrange quite a few things. I'd probably be leaving for Tarlac on Saturday to visit some relatives. I'll be bringing my camera along to take some pictures. This... Sign in to see full entry.

Last Saturday I celebrated Mass in one of the more depressed areas in our parish. People call the place "Maligaya", i.e. "Happy." It is what others would call a squatters' area. The Mass was the second celebrated in the place in two years. We made use of a vacant lot (in the pictures above, it is... Sign in to see full entry.

Two of my classmates in Rome visited me this morning. One is a Mexican and now works at the Patristicum in Rome and another is a parish priest in East London. Sign in to see full entry.

So, I am going to work with the families living near the railroad. After a year, I finally made contact with someone who could bring me inside the community and help me get to know the people better. I went this afternoon to my usual meeting with the Dads in our parish, but nobody turned out. They... Sign in to see full entry.

I had been teaching my three-year old daughter the Lord's Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into... Sign in to see full entry.