Salutation #80

I saw a vision of two worlds -
two paths leading away from each other...
two choices - with nothing - in between;
one is a freedom that leads to a future bright,
the other a return to the darkness of the night -
a choice begun in every human heart
a choice to return us again from the start.

(Crystal Blue Sphere)

I SAW IN A VISION,

a crystal blue sphere,

shining with a multitude of living lights.

The vision came to me quite abruptly

while I was awake in the day,

riding a jeep home from work.

The vision stayed for a time before me as I wondered.

I wondered at how wondrous and beautiful beyond imagination it was

that I thought I was seeing through the eyes of angels.

Then a darkness came over the vision

and it seemed to me for an instant that it was no longer there.

- selah -

But it was, O my nation,

before me was a world so overrun by sin and war

that it was no longer distinct from the nothingness of the void -

an unknown earth bereft of light,

forsook by heaven,

and forgot by God.

---<--@

My New Year 2012 hope -

I pray for more leaders who are accountable to God first that the LORD may craft them into proper instruments of a government wholly dedicated and responsible to the people they serve.

Leaders who at every level of government embody the definition of a popular mandate being interested in neither fame nor notoriety but in establishing in our nation through their persons the divine authority that makes us all equal before the LORD both in dignity and in promise.

Loyal leadership like these may only arise from a nation faithful to its own truth, arrayed in time as an undertaking of Country at one with its own mission and at peace with its own vision.

Therefore, I pray - first and foremost - for our nation: May we now become what we've always dreamed of becoming... mabuhay!

This is my new year hope. God bless the Philippines!

---<--@

Salutation #79

The freedom of Man

and the freedom of Angels

are not unlike each other!

Therefore,

Let us always remember that the liberty

of all the nations of the children of Mankind

is established not for the taking but for the giving -

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in giving that all Men are set free.

- selah -

(Religion in the Public Domain)

Don't be a hypocrite.

Don't be afraid to say it - "Merry Christmas!"

How can we respect other religions if we can not respect our own?

Remember,

a genuine respect for the power of faith - in any person -

only comes from a genuine experience of religion.

So if you are afraid to practice your own - for any reason,

how can you hope to understand

what substance of truth there is to be had

in the exercise of your own faith?

If you do not understand

- with a knowledge of the truth -

the blessings bestowed upon you by your own religion,

how can you understand the hope

that other people must invest

in the free exercise of theirs

however different they may be to you?

There is a place for religion in the public domain -

for so long as (1) it does compete,

one against the other - to the confusion of many,

for a position of dominance in the civic sphere;

for so long as (2) the Spirit of God is given a free hand

to work the work of completion He intends in all human hearts ;

for so long as (3) the spirit of War is denied entry into the heart of our nations;

for it shall be natural for all truth to come together -

not so that all things may be the same - conformity without diversity,

but so that the purpose of God in all things may be fulfilled.

Merry Christmas!

---<--@

Can you see through the cartoon -

If you love humanity, say to thy own soul:

Drink deeply, O my heart, we have much to do...

---<--@

Think about it -

"People who have a religion should be glad, for not everyone has the gift of believing in heavenly things." (Anne Frank, July 6, 1944)

Take note of how my Anne described the activity of faith in religion - a gift.

---<--@

Shalom, Salaam, Peace - Maligayang Pasko!

Mabuhay po tayong lahat ngayong Pasko at kapayapaan sa darating na taon.

Queen Esther's Prayer

Of the two important Jewish Holy Days I tend to personally identify with, this prayer forms the spiritual basis for the first one, Purim.

The other feast is Hannukah of whose main protagonist is Judah Maccabee (of the Book of Maccabees).

Both these feasts celebrate (in eternal remembrance) for all of Israel (i.e. from everywhere and from everytime) the deliverance (wrought by the LORD through His instruments) of the Jewish people as a nation from a particular form of evil that threatened to permanently and irreversibly disrupt God's own relationship with the present generations of that time.

- selah -

Queen Ester's Prayer

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, likewise had recourse to the LORD.

Taking off her splendid garments, she put on garments of distress and mourning. In place of her precious ointments she covered her head with dirt and ashes. She afflicted her body severely; all her festive adornments were put aside, and her hair was wholly disheveled.

Then she prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, saying:

"My LORD, our King, you alone are God.

Help me, who am alone and have no help but You, for I am taking my life in my hand.

As a child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forefathers that You, O LORD, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, as a lasting heritage, and that you fulfilled all your promises to them.

But now we have sinned in Your sight, and You have delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we worshiped their gods. You are just, O LORD.

But now they are not satisfied with our bitter servitude, but have undertaken to do away with the decree You have pronounced, and to destroy Your heritage; to close the mouths of those who praise You, and to extinguish the glory of Your temple and Your altar; to open the mouths of the heathen to acclaim their false gods, and to extol an earthly king forever.

O LORD, do not relinquish Your scepter to those that are nought. Let them not gloat over our ruin, but turn their own counsel against them and make an example of our chief enemy.

Be mindful of us, O LORD. Manifest Yourself in the time of our distress and give me courage, King of gods and Ruler of every power.

Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.

Save us by Your power, and help me, who am alone and have no one but You, O LORD. You know all things."

(Esther C: 12-25)

I simply love Queen Esther. She is one of my all-time favorite heroines of the Old Testament!

We could indeed take a page from the memory of Israel through the Book of Esther to help guide us through these difficult times.

Glorified be God in all His Angels and in all His Saints - forever!

Salutation #78

Typhoon Sendong is portentous.

It was not only out of season -

it is an indication of a much larger change.

No words can convey my distress at the loss we have sustained

at the passing of this most recent typhoon...

These are ours, O my Philippines, these are ours...

Arise therefore, O my nation - serve -

and pray for the victims of Typhoon Sendong!

(Hidden in Plain Sight)

Each year,

my fellow Filipinos,

our Country is tested

and the endurance of our nation

stectched to a point...

We are -

by the natural cycles of the seasons

and the excesses that the forces of nature

- earth, wind, fire, and water -

a nation yearly inflicted

with much violence

upon our communities

by the evils that arise from

these natural calamities.

But never have we thought,

O my beloved people,

never have we even begun to consider,

the slightest hint of surrender

to the limiting and random nature

of these evils!

Rather,

these typhoons

only serve to strengthen

our resolve

- no matter the pain -

to stand together

as one people.

For in the midst of these trials

we always choose to be the victors

and we always have.

Do you understand this?

We are -

a people whose virtues

have always been - as such -

hidden in plain sight.

So let us bear

- into mind and heart -

the strength and reality of

our own native resilience

as well as bring into the fore

of our social consciousness

- these present days -

the excellence of the virtues

embodied by our national identity

which are all the things that make living

the Filipino Dream worthwhile

as well as possible.

For the greater cycle of the seasons

is shifting -

These shall be times

- unprecedented -

in the history of all the nations

of the children of Mankind.

Winter indeed in coming

(after the autumnal dusk of our faded Eden)

- here in this season of shadows -

and there is a testing ahead

that shall require all our virtue

(as individuals giving freely

and as nations dreaming together

as one family).

Therefore,

let us always have meaningful recourse

to the sacred remembrances

of God and of Country.

- selah -

Our unity as a people

shall be our greatest guarantee against calamity.

Our peace as a nation

shall be our safest shelter against the darkness.

Our vision as a Country

shall be our surest way ahead

out of this long night - this longest night -

and into that new morning of Promise

for our Land of Promise.

2011 have revealed to us our weaknesses.

2012 shall temper for us our strengths.

---<--@

Let us help our brothers and sisters in Northern Mindanao -

Contact -

Tel. (632) 931 - 8101 to 07

Click -

http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate

Salutation #77

Let our Banner be unto thyself a symbol of unity, my people,

and let it fly in thy heart out of love of God and Country.

Yea, let this Banner fly in thy heart of hearts or not at all!

For if this one kind of love is absent in the absent heart of Man,

there shall our Country be found nowhere in creation.

- Salutation #10 (Old Defiant)

(Old Defiant vs. Old Compliant)

Peace, I salute you.

I should like to emphasize in us again,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

the importance of unity over division -

especially in the midst of this brewing crisis

between our President and our Chief Justice.

Remember,

I am not writing here

about the impeachment trial

- or any external event that must also concern us -

I am writing primarily about you (about us) -

the citizen-servant.

For everything that proceeds in our Republic,

proceeds from the concentrated strength of its spirit

in your soul (our souls).

As regards the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona

and the divisions it is sparking in our nation,

if you are in any way interested

in what I have to think about the matter - personally,

please refer to the running commentary

I have opened here.

However,

if you are still sincerely confused about the matter,

you may inhibit yourselves from participating in the public debate

and remain in the safety of your own areas of service.

It is never fair to have to be made to choose

between two co-equal, independent branches

of our one Republic government

in the Responsible State.

Again,

our central focus here

is to make this an exercise in unity

so do not allow your own mind and heart

to become bitterly embroiled in the politics

and the divisions that must surround this event

- without having a clear mind -

as to where your freedom and your independence truly lies.

Completely refrain from adding your own flame

to the many conflagrations that threaten to consume our Country

but rather add it to the unifying light that gives her comfort and warmth,

bolstering her strength to see us all through this long night;

this longest night...

- selah -

(I am reposting this piece from 20110402.)

Something's missing from my Philippines. Something vital.

Who knows her?

These days, everybody seems to be living for themselves alone. It seems no one remembers her.

By this, she is grieved and therefore, draws further and further away into isolation.

For the spirit of Country, my honorable compatriots, is a spirit of self-belonging. It is a self-cognizant, collective sense of self.

And the Republic is a guardian to a people orphaned by war.

Thus, if the people are divided in their hearts against each other, they are scattered.

And the people are scattered because of those distant and faded hearts; hearts that seem to no longer recognize the spirit of this Republic; hearts that have come to accept the rule of War.

Hence, the spirit of Country is diluted.

And when there is no substance left in our remembrance, when there is no peace left to abide in our belonging, when there is no truth left to empower our will of Country, we shall cease to exist as a nation.

But while our history still fills the hunger in our souls, while there is yet a common longing for better days burning in our hearts, while there is yet those who remember and believe, while there is yet even a few who are brave and true, by the grace of Almighty God, war will never have us.

Truly, my nation, this is not a very good time for the spirit of war. For this is exactly why the colors of our own Country is called Old Defiant.

We have a choice. Let it mean something:

Let us defy division, let us defy corruption, let us defy poverty, let us defy evil and prosper, my fellow Filipino compatriots - together this time.

Let us defend where we must, O my nation Philippines, and leave all else to the invulnerable, omnipotent defense of the LORD, our God, the one Sovereign of all nations.

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

The Truth

New Archbishop of Manila

Mabuhay, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle - God bless the Philippines!

Saint Andrew's School Hymn

Beloved Saint Andrew's

the knowledge we obtain

from the Lord God Above

through thy guidance and love.

You inspire our will

to reach our golden goal:

Love God and Country

Proudly we proclaim!

Refrain:

Hail Saint Andrew's -

Endless fountain of wisdom!

We do pledge a life of serving love.

The bright and shining Morning

comes in our lives,

we the Andreans give respect

to Thy enlightening command -

We shall cherish You

from here and afar

with You the darkest road

we'll walk unafraid.

Composer: Mr. Francis Dandan

---<--@

Anne's Window

The love that endures is the love that remains...

My darlingest

Annelies Marie

looked out

with eyes longing for peace

from her little attic window

and saw the tyranny of war

and the suffocating

oppression

of War's ambition.

She looked out

at the looming evil

of the devouring darkness

that was marching relentlessly

across her troubled world

and like stars

looking out

of themselves

saw through

the enveloping darkness

that threatened her life

and her times

shedding her precious starlight

into our hearts.

My darlingest

believed so much

in our shared humanity

and in the

nobility

of the human being

not because

the Nazi's were consumed

by War's ambition

and her times were evil

but because her heart

was noble.

For my darlingest

Annelies Marie

loved life

and believed

in the intrinsic goodness

of all things

created by God,

seen and unseen,

and that despite

the great evil

of her times,

human hearts

were good.

War looked back at her

and saw nothing.

For God took her

and hid her

into His bosom

unto a place

upon the firmament

within Himself

long before evil saw

the secret starlight

of her undying hope

bursting from

windows within

her heart of hearts.

War looked back at her

and saw nothing

for there is no hope

in war

only death

and the darkness

of death.

War looked back at her

and saw nothing

for in the darkness

of war and sin

is also found

the crushing gravity

of it's own demise.

But goodness looked back at her

and saw

through her little attic window

her starlight smile.

And smiled back...

---<--@

"I want friends, not admirers. People who respect me for my character and my deeds, not my flattering smile. The circle around me would be much smaller, but what does that matter, as long as they're sincere?"

- Anne Frank, March 7, 1944

Pinoy Spirit

Disown the darkness.

Defend against it.

Do not fight it.

Defend.

In this place, everywhere;

in this time, forever -

we belong.

One nation united across all our generations

into one labor, one heart, one destiny.

Juan Nation

The Filipino is a kind of love and this love binds us together as Juan Nation.

All is Juan -

I am the Juan,

You are the Juan,

We are the Juan;

Juan Nation.

Salutation #76

You might say, my dear Filipino soul, that that embattled region of our Asia, the Middle East, is not our concern - not our concern at all.

Ah, but it is!

Believe me when I say it, the fate of many nations depend on it.

- selah -

Here is a map of the region: Where are the divisions here?

My beloved brothers and sisters of the Promise,

hear me when I say -

The lines on a map are artificial

- insofar as we understand -

that these are not meant to scatter the hearts of our nations

nor divide and dilute the concentrated spirit of our common humanity

but to facilitate the temporal labor of our nations (as Countries upon our world)

that we may better bring continually forth and preserve

a wholesome and healthy sense of meaningful purpose to our world

sustaining an order built upon a just and abiding peace

among all peoples of the earth

according to the needs of every present time.

Now,

these lines become permanent divisions

that lay its dark siege against the life of our nations

insofar as the peoples of Mankind forget that

- Unity is Eternal -

and the hearts of the children of Mankind

freely and willingly permit

the War in heaven a place on earth.

Salutation #76

(The one Cause of Palestine)

Palestine is divided,

the sky above the heart of Asia

lay shattered only because we accept it.

Say thee with me,

I for one do not accept it!

Neither do I accept the manifold evils

that embattle her peoples, making them suffer,

in spirit as well as in temporality.

For my vision of the region

and every undertaking of Country that must animate all these favored lands

is not one of division but of unity.

So peace be with you!

Unity is Eternal.

Let this be your vision as well.

- selah -

To the nations -

When art thou going to stop

feeding the insatiable division that is slowly

killing the needful cause of the peace of Modern Israel

and therefore, making permanent the darkness engulfing

all the suffering peoples of that choice and blessed region of Palestine?

To all you with hearts to listen,

all my brothers and sisters of the Promise -

The "Palestinians" stand for a cause

for which all nations are in spirit purposed on earth

by the God of all heaven and earth.

If they were not

- in the eyes of many -

one people united in heart before,

all of this present turmoil, tragedy and grief

has certainly bound them together

as one nation now.

This is a truth that by any other name remains the truth.

Therefore,

if you shall say the "Palestinians" are an invented people,

then you might be implying that the cause for which they are united

is a fabricated cause.

And if you shall say that the Palestinian Cause is a fabricated cause,

this might indicate that you are unable to grasp the long view of the region.

And if you allow yourself to freely believe this,

for whatever reason, conscious or unconscious, you may allow;

if you fail to consider the realities on the ground,

you support neither Israel or Palestine.

Say thee with me,

I will never stand for nor tolerate terrorism

nor shall I ever desire the destruction of any nation

above all Israel whom one should love dearly

and to whom one should speak the truth.

Truly,

if we are not careful, O my nations,

if we continue to allow for the deception of War

to sow its scattering in each our hearts;

if we permit the beast of War

even a toehold in our souls,

we all shall fail.

- selah -

I have always maintained - to each of you -

that the Middle East is where the siege of War shall be broken;

that it is here where the darkness of the last great age of war shall be lifted,

however, I have also always carefully reminded each of you that this is a choice

and that we must make this choice today while it is still today.

For our unity is an integral part of our liberty as nations

- human nations, O human Man,

nations dreaming together this time.

Therefore,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

let this be the prayer in our heart -

Let there be peace across all of Palestine;

a peace to calm the storm at the heart of our Asia!

Let there be peace across all of Palestine -

for the sake of all the nations of our needful world,

including our beloved Philippines.

Above all,

let there be peace across all of Palestine

- a constant reign of truth -

for the sake of those long-suffering peoples

descended from the lineages of

both Isaac and Ishmael

(both of which are beloved of God as we are beloved of God)

and the nations God had intended for their safety and progress

for the honor of the LORD,

the glory of the unity of God,

and the salvation of many.

---<--@

Salutation #75

A Nation at peace with its own truth is a Country at one with its own heart.

(The Pursuit of Happiness)

Happiness is not a freedom to do anything.

Happiness is the ability

to consistently do the right thing

in spite of everything.

Therefore,

a happy person is a person

in possession of his or her own freedom.

One who obtains happiness

by striving to live a life

that is truly free.

- selah (pause for thought) -

Now,

a lot of people look for peace

for all peoples have an idea of what happiness is

but only a few know where to begin.

No one can tell you what the truth for you is like

but you can listen to others

to find out where to begin looking

for thy own truth.

For your peace is your own.

But your peace is never meant

to only be yours.

For you are like a star - that -

once aflame must reach out to shine

for other stars across time and distance

- against the Night.

Truly,

the individual is important.

But this importance must exist

within a community that values it.

This is our liberty.

- selah -

Once you are in possession

of the truth in your own heart

- O Beloved of the LORD -

it may only be taken away

by your lack of vigilance.

For no one can dictate to you

what you must will to cherish forever

- in the city within thy own heart -

within those worlds within thyself.

Heaven and earth may only give thee

good counsel and due caution.

So be careful of the false images

that are specifically intended

for the ruin of your dreams

and the overthrow of thy own peace.

For once you are in possession

of thy peace in thy own heart,

it may only be uprooted

(and may God forbid it)

by your freely giving it away.

---<--@

Salutation #74

The one music in you is the one music in me.

(The Filipino Dream)

Know the (Filipino) Dream, see the (Republic) Vision.

- selah -

There is a dream in myself which is for myself.

There is a dream in yourself which is for yourself.

But the dream in all ourselves

- must exist -

within a greater dreaming.

This is our national dreaming,

which from the time our nation was conceived

- in the Mind of God -

till the moment our nation is once again received

- into the Heart of God -

constitutes one whole dream.

This dream is the Filipino Dream.

And everyday we wake up

with the love of our nation in our heart

is everyday we add to the splendor

of its eventual awakening.

For every day we improve our lives

and the lives of our Countrymen and women

is every day we realize its Promise

in each ourselves - for all of us -

together this time.

Because the Dream which is ours

is one continuous dreaming

and each of us contribute

toward its completion

in each ourselves.

It may only reach its fulfillment

when the national destiny is reached

by the last of our generations.

When our Country is perfected

by the God of all Countries.

No one can truly define

- the Filipino Dream -

but the Filipino.

And each of us contribute

toward its completion in ourselves.

Now,

our national dreaming,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

is NOT a material dream.

And of this truth

we should be especially vigilant:

For the happiness we desire

- as individuals and as a nation -

is not a thing of the earth

but a happiness in the spirit.

---<--@

Also, please refer to Salutation #20 (Freedom and the Filipino Dream)

No Comment

To exceed the defense is to become the enemy we claim to fight.

I really have no commentary on the present goings-on in our Country (at least as far as those issues hugging the headlines at the moment).

Sometimes, you have to draw back from these things to see them from perspectives far from the maddening crowd. It all seems so confusing right now.

One thing is for sure though: If it were that the Executive and the Judiciary is indeed carrying out the beginnings of a constitutional crisis - let us be wary.

Let us be wary for our own good sake's.

Let us not be bitter. Let us not be hasty. But let us be prudent.

Let us be solicitous for the people caught in between - both rich and poor alike - let us care about the way they are treated and let it be a reflection of our finer sense of Justice.

Let us be rightly concerned about the plights of both GMA and the farmers of HL - let us be solicitous for their deliverance - the former from an unjust retribution and the latter from further exploitation.

We are after all, one nation - not two, or three, or four - but one.

---<--@

Running Commentary -

20111209: Mind you, I too pine for Justice to come favor our Republic with the full measure of her virtue.

Now, the Justice I thirst for is not in spirit animated by either vengeance or hatred. [Please see the 3rd Cause.]

The Justice I seek for us, my people, is not the crude give and take rule of the wilderness but the virtue that restores the truth to end all injustices.

We should therefore be wary of a false sense of justice in our midst in much the same way we guard against false hope.

This is what I mean when I say we should be wary.

We should not allow ourselves [our hearts and our minds] to be drawn into a meaningless sense of division but stand steadfastly on the strength of first principles.

It is not fair having to have to choose between two co-equal branches of the one government we have entrusted to carry forward the singular vision of our one Republic peace.

While, it is true that the Supreme Court's most recent decisions seem to be leaning somewhere suspect it still remains that those decisions still are decisions of the Supreme Court.

Man can not live without order. Law is necessary, even laws that are broken and evil, because where there is no law, Man can not long endure.

It is to this order, this nascent Constitutional order, that I perceive the real damage of the current divisions engulfing the Executive and the Judiciary is being received - subtly, with consequences that are very difficult to foresee.

I still do not doubt the President's sincerity but his methods of late especially as regards this row with Chief Justice Corona seem to wax less than the nobility of his intentions.

Therefore, may both the Executive and the Judiciary work together to decisively put an end to their disagreements and present to us, the people, a united will and a common vision.

20111212: If it was that the 2004 elections were indeed hi-jacked, we have a lot more soul searching to do as a nation than I previously thought... I think about it and leads me to a place so dark and so deep i don't want to go there just yet.

Does this mean we might still be in denial as a people as regards to how sick and impoverished our one Republic truly is?

Does this mean it hasn't yet completely dawned upon us how far-reaching and broad our responsibilities to each other is to see our nation through this long night?

20111214: I've been reading some really polarizing articles on the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona - minds out there seem split, conflicted between their condemnation of one or the other (President Noy or the Chief Justice).

I think this is why due process should take its place. Because if we do not see this trial to the end, we - the people - will never know.

It is this ignorance that is dangerous.

Furthermore, I sense something is off about they way Chief Justice Corona delivered his most recent speech - it was as if he was digging in for a fight - but a fight with whom?

On the other hand, President Noy is taking great pains to frame his arguments even at great cost to his political capital, working and thinking hard to clarify his position amidst words like dictator, enemies of the court, and Hitler.

It might not be anger or hatred (or revenge) that we are presently seeing from our President but sheer determination and history might recognize it as such.

In any case, due process must take its place...

20111215: Define independence. Independence from what? I think what our Country needs is a new generation of citizen-servants!

---<--@

I want you to bear - into your heart and mind -

that old familiar Flag - our Old Defiant.

- selah -

We can not be the Country we weren't meant to be,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise.

Therefore,

we have to be better than that

if for no other reason than because

we deserve better than that.

Salutation #73

If you love something, make sure you can defend it.

(Peace is Prologue)

These were the days,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

when our nation was still a leading light in our region -

those days have now passed away into today

when all seem dark and the night is deep...

But you know now as well as I do

that the 'morrow for our land is not so far away

- each of us know it by heart how to get there -

what we must decide upon today is how to get there

- together this time.

For there is no getting into the morning

for our Land of the Morning - without unity -

and this unity is our peace

- a pledge to both heaven and earth -

that we belong.

---<--@

Sinag Tala

Sisikatan din tayo ng sinag araw - bayan ko -

kapag isa na uli ang ating puso at buo na uli ang ating bukas.

Pero bago ang lahat - habang madilim pa rin ang gabi -

ang sinag tala muna ang dapat nating malaman at masilayan sa isa't isa.

'Pagkat kapayapaan ang tunay ang himig ng Pasko

- ngayon at magpakailanman ang katotohana'y laging ngang ganito -

sana'y mapagnilay-nilayan natin ito.

---<--@

Maghari po sana ang kapayapan ng Diyos sa lupain ng Pangako.

God Encompassing God

PREAMBLE of the 1987 Constitution -

"We, the sovereign Filipino people,

imploring the aid of Almighty God,

in order to build a just and humane society,

and establish a Government

that shall embody our ideals and aspirations,

promote the common good,

conserve and develop our patrimony,

and secure to ourselves and our posterity,

the blessings of independence and democracy

- under the rule of law -

and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,

do ordain and promulgate this Constitution."

- selah -

O LORD,

God encompassing God,

God encompassing All in Thyself!

O LORD,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -

Blessed Unity,

Holy Trinity,

Perfect Company!

O LORD,

there is none but Thee,

there is none like Thee!

O LORD,

Thou art from everlasting to everlasting -

in Thee All draw their being,

in Thee All draw their living life,

in Thee there is no shadow of turning,

in Thee there is neither darkness nor Night,

in Thee there is joy, abundance and peace,

in Thee there is only love and the Light!

O LORD,

Thou desire salvation for all beings

to Whom shall all needful souls turn to,

my God, but to Thee?

O LORD,

Thou art the one Sovereign of all nations

unto Whom shall Thy exile peoples return to,

my God, but unto Thee?

Abide in us, O LORD, be with us!

Be the God of our lives, our families,

and our national communities!

O Goal of all my goals,

I love, I trust, and I adore Thee!

---<--@

For God is a God of relationships;

the singular Source of all true belonging -

seen and unseen, all of Sacred Life come together in Him.

He is the LORD, He Who is, and there is none but Him;

the one Sovereign of all the nations of the children of Mankind.

---<--@

ADDED: 20130526Sun

We enter into the mystery of the Divine Unity to be alone with the Alone.
We enter into the mystery of the Holy Trinity to be intimate with the Intimate.

And we who are called to be witnesses of the Redeeming Love of Christ 

are called to be alone with the Alone AND intimate with the Intimate.

Let us reflect on the number 1 as the number for perfection: with the Father, Son, and Spirit as the perfect unity of order, purpose and relation - the God Who is, the LORD Who Loves us all - one God, in Persons three. Happy Holy Trinity Sunday 2013.
---<--@

Salutation #72

If only we knew, O my people -

if only we knew how complete we are;

how illustrious and noble the spirit of our nationhood,

how dignified the purpose of our coming together,

how blessed the nature of our one Republic undertaking -

if only the truth about us were not veiled by the darkness

we would all be one heart and one mind.

- selah -

(Freedom is to Know)

God bless the Philippines!

The great challenge we face in our time

is not the waging of another world war.

The great challenge we face in our time

is the winning of a lasting peace for our world.

Peace is the challenge we face

- my brothers and sisters of the Promise -

and it shall demand from each of us

a deeper and more profound sense

of moral courage and determination

- at par with the timeless virtues -

of all those victorious generations

of times and places past.

This is our time.

Lest we forget. Lest we forget.

Therefore,

a nation at peace with its own truth

- arrayed across our generations -

into a single endeavor of Country at one with its own heart

shall be our greatest and surest guarantee

of safe passage into the new age

beckoning before us.

A nation's motion is the motion of Country

and the soul of Country is in the life of its nation -

- each can not be without the other -

and both must be decided upon

- by each of us -

today while it is still today.

Freedom is to know.

---<--@

Remember - 

War is not the test,
O nations of the children of Mankind...
War is the tutor.

Allowed only for a time.

Peace is the test.
And to pass this test
brings success.

Real Stars

Some stars are fake, some are real -

of the fake ones, the heart can feel,

because of the real ones,

when one can tell -

it's their nearness to our earth

that makes it sell.

Real stars shine with a warmth

that often reaches us

and are full of genuine concern

but fake ones really don't connect

as much as we would like,

their light is not as warm and comforting

as far as the heart can tell

they could be as far from our earth

as heaven is to hell.

---<--@

Endless Blue Sky Sunshine

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

- Norman Vincent Peale

Live your truth responsibly!

Speak it like you mean it.

Share it like you love it.

Keep it like you really care,

gripping it not with your hands,
but embracing it with your heart.

Nurture it as if it were yours
knowing always to be thankful
to the one God of Whose Reality
is the one Truelight you reflect;
the one LORD by Whose desire
you are called to become you.

So strive with courage and heart
despairing not, dear Starshine,
but being always of good cheer -
you are beautiful without effort!

So be like all hope is become;
walk like you're never forgot;
dance like you are truly alive;
sing like the world cares not;
smile like worries have an end;
laugh like each moment is free;
breathe like your prayer begun;
shine like you belonged forever!

By sweet surrender to the Light
be the gold of sunbeams sharp
against the darkness of the Night
flying upon the wings of eagles
into the blue of an endless sky.
---<--@

Salutation #71

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

"I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing - all this because you obeyed my command."

- Genesis 22: 15-18

(An Abrahamic Prayer)

LORD God,

We humbly implore Thee:

help all Thy Muslims,

help all Thy Jews,

help all Thy Christians,

help us in all Thy nations, dear God -

help us to find each other in the dark.

Incline each our hearts

unto Thee, O LORD,

our one True Light.

Refresh our spirits!

May we be as a people

after Thy own Heart, O LORD,

all Thy numberless stars,

guided by the light of Thy Peace

and blessed by Thy will of good

for all Mankind.

Forsake us not, O LORD,

lest we perish in the darkness.

Fulfill in us that promise

Thou swore to our Father Abraham,

that promise Thou hast made of old,

O LORD, that Thou shalt lead us ever onward,

that Thou shalt guide us

toward the building of a better world

for all Thy nations.

By the light of Thy own faithfulness,

O LORD, bind us together

in the unity of Thy own Truth.

Establish Thy Holy Presence in our hearts

as a revelation upon the nations,

that Thou art God, O LORD,

He Who is, the LORD!

And let this be as the dawning

of Thy glory upon the earth.

AMEN.

---<--@

Therefore,

may our understanding of Peace

- be blessed with abundance -

by the one LORD of our nation

and of all nations - the God of Peace.

May our will be directed by God

to the truth that we are one nation,

- brothers and sisters -

in the singular labor of peace

and peace which brings

true prosperity, happiness,

and the realization of our nationhood.

May our common salutation of Peace

be a reflection of the fullness of this knowledge

in our heart of hearts - that -

as children of the Promise,

we are all born to that one promise of old

that God made to our Father Abraham

that we shall be a blessing to our nations.

Let us be as a light unto each other,

ever as the numberless stars - that -

in the darkness of these times,

shines steadfastly the way forward

into a new age for our one Filipino nation

and for our one family of nations

- a new age of Peace.

Salaam. Shalom. Peace.

Under our one Republic sky,

my brothers and sisters of the Promise,

we are but one House - one lineage of victory -

for this House doth serve the LORD,

O my nation - forever!

---<--@

Love Gives

IV - Love Gives -

The giving is the gift.

Inasmuch as the heart understand thankfulness

so too shall the soul value the importance of gift.

Therefore,

let generosity rule thy heart

for the art of giving is difficult

and the way of receiving

even more so -

- selah -

Every joyful giver knows how it is to be thankful

for every true giver is always a true receiver first.

---<--@

Love Shines

III - Love Shines -

The Love of God is as bright as Day

and the heart of Man pines for its fullness.

The heart of Man awaits the coming of the LORD

like the Darkness awaits the dawning of the Light.

For we are the image of God

in each of ourselves,

the likeness of our Creator -

God fills us with His Love

and our hearts come to life in Him.

God comes to us

and He becomes God to us

by the Love we choose

to receive from Him.

For all of love is a giving;

a freedom that begins with God

and ends again with God.

It clothes us with the dignity to be

and empowers us with the grace to become -

the love of the LORD in each ourselves;

a limitless and omnipotent grace.

For the Lord Christ is the Light

and to Him belong the fullness of the Day.

- selah -

We are the love we give away;

what light we shine unto others -

For all of love is a giving.

It is a freedom.

We become all things by the love we freely give -

a reflection of the self that is shed as a light unto others.

The more we give

the more we become

the image of our true selves.

The less light that we shine

the less brightly we stand out

in the midst of the darkness.

A friend becomes a friend

by the reflection of the friendship

he or she offers to others souls

not unlike him or herself.

A father clothes himself

with the dignity of a father

by the light of the love

he gives away -

A husband clothes himself

with the dignity of a husband

by the light of the love

he gives away -

In the same way,

wife becomes a mother

and a mother, a sister,

and a sister, a friend.

---<--@

Love Happens

II - Love Happens -

If I myself can not accept you

- for who you really are -

then, who am I?

If I myself can not accept you

for what you have done or have failed to do

- whether good or bad -

then, what is good and what is bad?

Am I not only a reflection of the love I offer?

If I feign love, I am unsure.

But if I am true,

I will see you - for all that you are.

And I will say, "yes indeed!"

Beauty is when love is in the heart.

---<--@

Love Dares

I - Love Dares -

Can you hide it when you are in love?

Would you be a fool and feign affection when there is none?

For love is like a song that must be heard!

When love sings, there is harmony and it knits every word.

When there is no love, there are only words and no rhyme.

When a fool sings, it is without meaning.

For only a lover can sing to the heart.

Love is wise that makes itself vulnerable.

So when you are in love, make sure to let thy beloved know.

In the midst of the din and the haste

of thy everyday living, let thy beloved know -

with words but especially without, sing her a song.

Let thy beloved know of thy love -

let the whole world hear of thy sweet, sweet melody

and everything will soon fall quiet as your hearts begin to sing...

---<--@

20111111

(NOTE: I often use this double reminder below to remind each of us of the deeper underpinnings of our sacred remembrances - external as well as internal in their manifestation - being both temporal and eternal, corporal and spiritual.)

Lest We Forget. Lest We Forget.

Peace, I salute you.

Today is commemorated Veteran's Day in the USA and Armistice Day in Europe, including Australia, New Zealand and others.

It is a day of remembrance; a solemn day, a blessed day, a day of days. It is a day of common military remembrances and is therefore, a day of peace.

My fellow Filipino brothers and sisters of the Promise, I know for a fact we do not commemorate November 11 here in the Philippines but we should at least try to learn to understand what makes this day valuable to the sacred remembrances of many nations - for we are part of just one family.

In doing this, we are not only being generous - to ourselves and to our other kinder nations - we are being responsible - for ourselves and for our other kindred nations.

- selah -

Therefore, I write this here today to formally and officially remind us that, however dark the past may have been for all our nations - without exception, we belong to just one family.

Indeed, the past has been terrible and dark: For the spirit of War has deceived us all.

The truth is that all our nations, however great or small and however diverse our distinctions, belong to only one true belonging - so let us remember this today - that we are truly only one global community and let us try to meaningfully commemorate our peace with each other as nations - dreaming together this time.

Let us remember that our Philippines is - and shall forever remain - integral to this one family of nations - represented by our United Nations institution.

Let us say, "I remember you, my brother, I remember you, my sister - mabuhay!"

Let us say, "I remember, I remember."

---<--@

Shifting Paradigms -

When we talk about remembrance we essentially speak about the substance of our inspiration.

This is why we should be wary of evil inspiration because the source of all evil inspiration is false remembrance.

You only have to shift your focus to see that the night sky is so full of stars...

(Photo courtesy of Harmony Lovelife and Haragan Makamandag - Go 1ID 35IB!)

Our brave soldiers - who can bear not to love them...

Despite all the controversy (and these days it seems controversy is everywhere), in the darkness, above the fleeting clouds, they are there -

standing steadfastly,

preserving our best military traditions,

shimmering with virtue and valor,

ever ready, ever faithful,

ever hopeful for better, kinder days,

guarding our better tomorrows -

Therefore, I do not choose to believe in controversy.

However deep the night goes, I choose to believe in you

(for I believe in Justice and the good fight)

I choose to believe in our better selves -

and as sure as I live and breathe today,

the morning will surely come

for our beloved Land of the Morning.

Go team AFP - go PA - mabuhay!

---<--@

You only have to shift your focus to see that the night sky is so full of stars...

Often, when all that we care to remember

is how huge the darkness and how frail and tiny the light,

we weep bitterly unto despair

and completely forget

which one is pure substance

and which one is pure illusion.

Be inspired about the right things and they will produce in you, the right things.

Be inspired about the wrong things and they will produce in you, the wrong things.

So do good and abhor evil by doing good. Do not be by evil inspired.

For even if you fight evil through its own evil inspiration in yourself, it shall eventually consume you.

---<--@

It is not the severity of Justice but the certainty of Justice that deters good people from becoming less virtuous than they should and evil people from becoming more criminal than they deserve.

---<--@

Love your Country.

Your Country is the land where your parents sleep,

where is spoken that language

in which the chosen of your heart, blushing,

whispered the first word of love;

it is the home that God has given you

that by striving to perfect yourselves therein

you may prepare to ascend to Him.

- Giuseppe Mazzini

---<--@

Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Salaam. Shalom. Peace. God bless us all.

...the brightness of thy Banner undiminished in triumph waves, the glory of thy stars and sun are lights that shall ne'er fade...

P.S.

Today I also commemorate 2 years of recovery. I am so glad to say, this is a battle I now know I can win. I thank each of you for your prayers and your support! (You all know who you are.)