Practicing Self-Control (2 of 2)

Self-denial is a must: Stop kidding yourself that you can develop self-control without giving up some of the things you like to do. give up the move, refuse the sweet, turn off the TV, shorten the telephone call, refrain from telling the story . . . Where will you start to say no to yourself? Don’t consider it a decision against some form of fun, but a decision for some desired goal. You might even offer the sacrifice of an innocent pleasure as a prayer for another who needs God’s help in some manner.

I’ve noticed often that the more small pleasure a person gives up to concentrate on one important task, the stronger he becomes. Jesus Christ was the greatest example of One Who depended on self-denial for strength to perform His ministry. And He put it in these words to His disciples: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Remember that the ultimate in self-control is not for you to become master of your fate, but to be above to serve a higher Master. -N.V.P.

Heros (1)

Good morning friends. Tooday is the big celebration of our Independence day. It is the time for our freedom. Freedom of our country.

INDEPENDENCE Day celebration filled me with past images of heroes struggling for the independence of this nation so that our people could be free. Clear images of heroism crystallize when their lives become tactile in the memories of people and families who continue their struggles today. History lessons are not just obscure pages from unread books that gather dust in school libraries. They are actual lessons from the lives of flesh-and-blood persons who made the ultimate sacrifice to unfetter the shackles of our people’s ignorance, apathy, and cowardice.

I remember accompanying my mother, Consolacion Florentino Mallonga, in visiting her homeland. She passed by the monument of her great grand-aunt Leona Florentino in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. As she reflected before the statue of the aged, noble lady who wrote award-winning poems of liberation against the Spaniards at a time of turmoil and national enslavement by Spain, I stumbled across the Florentino mansion just beside my ancestor’s monumental statue with a plaque that read: “Leona Florentino . . . distant aunt of Jose Rizal.”

Looking back with much perplexity at that precise moment of my mother’s visit to our ancestral homeland, I realized then that my mother wanted to share the simple message to elevate me from my normally seditious character—that our heroes were actually real people, who struggled in the time of their own lives when they walked the surface of this planet and that rebellion had its own causes and reasons for being. That woman straddled atop the monumental pedestal, the name of the man in the plaque at her mansion, and the woman reflecting before her monument—those people are my real-life heroes after whom I have patterned my life in a desire to emulate the values they have ingrained in their descendants. – Eric Mallonga

.Larger than your life

Good morning friends. I was reading one article when I found a good article with reference to Luis A. Quibranza III. I want to share it with you all. It’s a good one.

THE sun may beat at our backs causing sweat to drip from our drenched brows, and rocks trampled upon may become a pressing nuisance to our tired feet. But with a great spirit of adoration will pilgrims overcome the temptation of “taking it easy” and in turn, taking this opportunity to prove their love for their Lord Jesus Christ.

Come the days of Holy Week, hundreds of devotees will gather here at the Celestial Garden in Banawa Hills. Although a large portion of this area is dedicated as a private cemetery, it is still better known among Cebuanos for its captivating “Stations of the Cross.” This 12-hectare property is owned and managed by the Tanchan Foundation.

This place has also become one of the favorite tourist destinations throughout the years. Its existence is an addition to the growing attempts to further establish, strengthen and display our religious roots.

The garden’s “Stations of the Cross” is special in a way because it features life-size representations depicting the agony of our Lord based on the Holy Bible’s account. From the “Agony in the Garden,” “The Crucifixion,” to the “Laying in the Tomb,” each scene is plucked out from history and sculpted into a reality.

To get from one station to the other may take your breath away if you are not in top physical condition.

Each individual station is placed and distanced one from the other so as to encourage the visitors to walk, step out of their comfort zones and offer a sacrifice — step after step on this mountain’s rugged terrain. It is certainly not impossible to accomplish visiting all the stations widely spread, but it may really require determination and perseverance. Isn’t the Christian life a lot like that already?

Needless to say, the peak season for visitors is during the Holy Week. But paying a personal visit alone or with a friend during unconventional times of the year may also prove to be rewarding. The silence is one-of-a-kind: The overlooking view of the city reminds you that the God you are praying to is really larger than life itself.