Salutation #124

In this way
all are made to be strong
and when all are strong,
the nation is ever at peace.

For those who have
and those who doesn't have
give to each other
- according to the freedom of our freedoms -
something that each the other
may not gain
by themselves alone.

Industry thrives,
and all the people thrive
in industry.
---<--@

(Labor Day 2012)

Today is Labor Day 2012.

A Republic is

a particular work of Country

and today is that day of days

we remember the toils of the common man

upon which splendor and virtue - each of us -

must constantly build and rely upon.

The day we remember

the toils of the common man, 

is the moment we shall finally understand 

the endeavors of our own humanity 

to be happy and therefore, free!

For the success of our nation's daily pursuits 

to liberate our generations (as a whole)

from the bondages of this world -

   from illnesses, from pains, from wars,

   from suffering, from corruption, from vices,

   from grief, from decay (both corporal and spiritual)

   and from death, even the final death -

is an unfolding work of a promised reality

we must constantly strive to master and to gain

from the realizations we shall together

profit - from this understanding.

- selah -

Today we reflect

upon the value of our labors -

   (Consider now, if you please,
   my brothers and sisters of the Promise, 
   your present abode - how it became -
   even before you called it a home;
   or the food upon thy table, or the water in thy glass,
   or the road before thy way, or the clothing on thy back -
   trace each their memory forth from thee - and understand -
   how you are made able to reap its blessings
   seemingly without sowing?

   For these are only these
   due to the nationhood in each of us 
   as well as through the nations that are all of us.)

How we cherish it.

How we recognize it.

How we appreciate

its potential, its dignity,

and its lasting contributions

in ourselves, in others like ourselves,

as a nation, and as a Country.

And therefore,

how we, as a nation,

have chosen to reward our laborers
a share of the national wealth -
   (i.e. with and through riches not just monetary
   or merely momentary in their natures.)

from least to great,

especially the least of all.

Mabuhay!

---<--@

Nameless

We know we are Filipino because our nation knows us - equally, individually, each by our own true names written in heaven.

Nameless.

Known only to God.
And faithful to God alone.
Both men and angels together.
Friendships meant to last forever.



Nameless.
Unknown and invisible.
Ordinary in the eyes of men.
Extraordinary in the eyes of God alone.
Beautiful for being beheld by Beauty Itself.



Nameless.
Who live in the heart of Christ.
And walk this world together alone.
Who brave the hard and narrow Way:
The spiritual sons and daughters of the One.



Nameless.
Born of the one firmament of stars.
Numberless lights spread across the sky.
Shining with forbearance, twinkling with hope.
The common patrimony of our Father Abraham.

---<--@

"You shall love the LORD thy God as one LORD alone".

"Make peace with the all of creation. Divide it not. Say peace to the river, to the sky, to the earth, to the animals (and the trees) of the earth and the fishes of the seas, to thy nations good will and to all thy fellow human beings, life and abundance. Do this if you love me."

Go and be a good citizen!

20110709

There is an old Chinese saying - "when seeking prosperity, first build a road." I personally subscribe to the timelessness of this wisdom.

Essentially therefore, poverty alleviation in this Country of ours must begin with connection...

Salutation #33

(The Common People)

Why do you find it so difficult to believe?

Filipino ingenuity lives everywhere in our people.

There is passion in our hearts - we are a people with a lot of love to give.

Because of this fire, there is bravery too.

Sometimes, this bravery can be misplaced

and so we must open a way for courage to profess itself

- within the Republic -

in a manner that is not divisive.

Valor must find its way back to its immortal beloved

in the reality of the nation we all must cherish and protect.

There is a mighty patience in our people.

Perseverance is truly present in the soul of the nation -

if it were not so, my honorable compatriots,

we would have descended long ago

into the pits of anarchy and - consumed by endless battle -

we would have ceased to be in our heart of hearts.

Everywhere in our people

- there are willing hearts and humble hands -

productivity is rampant even in the poorest of the poor!

Is this not a reason to be glad?

For productivity when it is duly recognized

leads to more productivity.

Why be so bitter and unbelieving then?

You are not a citizen were it not for citizens like yourself.

Wise up.

We have what it takes to succeed as a nation.

We only have to return once again to an understanding

of ourselves as ourselves.

---<--@

Ignorance breeds fear for lack of understanding.

What's strange about it all is that people seem to fear the understanding more than the ignorance itself.

---<--@

"Bless our one Filipino nation,
O LORD and Giver of all good things,
each and every Filipino heart,
that yet believes with conviction
in this endeavor of Country
that we may by our own willingness
be transformed by Thy abundant mercy."

- From Prayer to God as First Defender of the Republic

(See Sidebar)

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.

The National Minimum