I became the wind

Life is
in all things living and being
and goes whithersoever it goes.

When the wind gave breath to the trees, the wind became a tree.
When the wind gave breath to the fishes, the wind became a fish.
When the wind gave breath to the birds, the wind became a bird.
When the wind gave breath to the wolf, the wind became a wolf.
When the wind gave breath to Man, the wind became a Man.
When the wind gave breath to Woman, the wind became a Woman.
When the wind gave breath to Children, the wind became a Child.
When the wind gave breath to Homosexuals, the wind became a Homosexual.
When the wind gave breath to that Nation, the wind became that Nation.
When the wind gave breath to Christians, the wind became a Christian.
When the wind gave breath to Muslims, the wind became a Muslim.
When the wind gave breath to Jews, the wind became a Jew.
When the wind gave breath to Buddhists, the wind became a Buddhist.
When the wind gave breath to Hindus, the wind became a Hindu.
When the wind gave breath to Sikhs, the wind became a Sikh.
When the wind gave breath to Atheists, the wind became an Atheist.
When the wind gave breath to Capitalists, the wind became a Capitalist.
When the wind gave breath to Communists, the wind became a Communist.
When the wind gave breath to the poor, the wind became poor.
When the wind gave breath to the rich, the wind became rich.
Whithersoever the formless gave breath to form, we became.

When the wind gave breath to me, I became the wind.

---<--@

Affirm freedom, affirm life.
Affirm life, affirm freedom.

Salutation #64

The color black is the color of hope. Green is the color of the perennial nature of hope.

For hope is upon the earth, in a constant state of subtle transformation, rising and falling as all things ascend to God, in steady cycles of loss and fulfillment.

When black is used to remember death, it is not used to signal the finality of death, but to remind us of the hope that is invested in death - for black is also the color of the expectation of life.

(Death)

All the death that we see

upon this world of earth and fire

- with our physical sight -

is a temporal death.

But there is a hidden death

- the second death -

the death of the soul of Man.

Of this hidden death,

the soul of Man implicitly knows and naturally fears

for it is the death of his life.

And though reason might oftentimes confuse the two,

we human beings should truly fear the death of the soul.

For this is the true death!

But temporal death is a transformation -

for those who value life to the point of giving it - everlasting life.

for those who hate life to the point of taking it - everlasting death.

So today,

we honor our brethren and sisters

who have passed away from life into everlasting life -

all the official Saints of our Holy Mother Church

but especially those Saints of God who are known to God alone

each those Saints who are especially chosen by the LORD

to become known to each of us alone - as our special friends -

who are all those who are victorious against death.

So let us express our love for them today

all our victorious dead - let us remember them

- solemnly and meaningfully and sincerely -

every beloved one of ours - all our family and friends -

who has passed away from the sight of our eyes

into the quickening Light of the Vision of the LORD;

all those who loved us with the love of God till the end.

Let us rest assured

in the knowledge of the faith

that they are well and that we shall one day

be one with them in God and in all truth - forever.

For life is life and death is death.

- selah -

Glorified be God - forever -

in all His Angels and in all His Saints, alleluia.

---<--@

Everybody have a safe and meaningful All Saints' Day 2011.

Glory to God the Father!

Adoration to Jesus Christ!

Alleluia, peace be unto our nation

and peace be unto all our nations;

good will to all men and women of Peace.

To lose Love is to die.

20110303

The Common Market

Time, Territory, Treasure: Of the three elements of Country, one characteristic sets this one apart - it is material and therefore, temporal in scope. Therefore, every consideration must be viewed with regards to the Common Market with this nature in mind.

It is limited in its material nature.

The problem with wealth and wealth generation, most especially here in our midnight world, my honorable compatriots, is that the definition of wealth and its honorable pursuit is often profaned by things that are the means created to attain to our prosperity.

The Common Market serves the national wealth. And this wealth is not wholly material. The building up of the (inhabited) earth is a labor that is an economy of both matter and grace.

The end that the Common Market serves is in fact, spiritual. For the happiness that it enables Man to pursue is ultimately one that must transcend it.

The true Filipino dream is freedom.

This freedom in the absolute sense is freedom from all forms of temporal bondage; an end to suffering, an end to war, an end to exile tears and a return to our original Promise.

In terms of the national destiny - this freedom is the natural birthright of all Filipinos.

Therefore, this national destiny must be perceived by all Filipinos to be available to all Filipinos.

---<--@

From Emerging to Developing...

Once again, my fellow Filipino compatriots, we are feeling the effects of our own vulnerability. God love the Philippines, O my nation, but there is still a quite significant lack of opportunity in this Country. The repatriation of our OFW's fleeing the turmoil in the Middle East have forced this issue upon us now.

We have much work to do: Opportunity is key. For a culture of opportunity is a culture of hope and a culture of hope is the cradle of leadership. It is where leaders beget leaders and where service is distinct from servility.

The refining place of nations is like the birthing place of stars; a place of great internal activity. Here the dust and the darkness of the void is transformed into energy and light. Therefore, given the troubles of this present time, we are not far from this culture of hope, O my nation. The labor that through our ages in time will take us through from emerging into developing only takes humility and heart.

First and foremost, we must work to achieve a lasting, durable and meaningful peace through to next year. We owe it to God and Country to devote ourselves to this essential task. Because we can not harness our fullest potential divided and dark from within our own self - without this peace, my people, we are only a shadow of our real nationhood.

Indeed, we must complete our remembrances through to next year.

In every Filipino individual (most especially in our youth) are the seeds of something great and these seeds of human potential are nourished first and foremost within the embrace of every Filipino family.

Do you yourself share this conviction?

Then let us work for a culture of hope and desire in our hearts to obtain from God the peace that ensures the order of our generations: A culture of hope nourished in an atmosphere of peace is a culture of life.

If we are to really become one of Mother Asia's new tiger economy, we must work to inculcate in our culture, a real appreciation of the raw power of our local potential as a nation. As I have written to you before, my honorable compatriots, there is merit in our people - we are a nation not because of weakness or evil but because of what good there is and what good there is is because God is and that is all: He is the LORD.

What of the movements seizing those undertakings of Country in Middle East Asia? Are these mass outpourings of popular sentiment secular or are they religious? They are neither. All of these movements are essentially human because of the fact that they are national. They are by nature civic in scope and are therefore fueled by issues that concern the citizenry.

Therefore, only in human terms can we attempt to perceive them. There are no precedents to these events. However, there still remains that familiar danger of distorting the essential nature of these movements.

It is important that we arrive at a right understanding of these things. Because the current of these days events lead us on toward solutions - if we are attentive.

Darkness is but darkness that does not lead us to the light: As we are a nation distinct but not apart from our other kindred nations, we must not be one to stand aloof from the suffering of other peoples. If we are to love others as ourselves, we must understand that they too are as ourselves - human with common human needs.

There is a risk that these movements might become radicalized.

Therefore, we ought to pray for and respond to these needs not just as human individuals but as a nation in ourselves - ever with an understanding heart and a willingness to be decisive.

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

Common Human Needs