God Rewards

Good deeds and pastoral works are often rewarded. The reward comes, but in most instances at unexpected times.

In the lives of the couple Oscar and Miriam Batucan, it came in the form of the Benerementi medal given by Pope Benedict XVI late in 2009.  On the other hand, the couple Cyril and Rose Bas have conceived a baby that they had prayed for in the seven years of their marriage.

Coming from Cebu City, the Batucans migrated to New Zealand more than 20 years ago. They went through the usual route of struggling to find the job worthy of their profession and experiences; and at the same time raising children with the desire to inculcate in them Filipino values and faith in God. Devotees of the Sto Nino de Cebu, they organized a Sinulog Fiesta in 1994 with the intent of strengthening camaraderie and faith in God among Filipino migrants. They became lay ministers in St Patrick’s and St Benedict parishes in Auckland and joined the singing group, Voice of God.

They did not stop at helping the priests in church activities; but extended their hands in assistance to newly arrived migrants who seek jobs, giving them leads to employment, providing spiritual guidance, sharing words of encouragement.  On January 22, a thanksgiving party was held for the lovely couple and many of those who were given a chance to speak on the microphone told of how the couple helped them in their early years and inspired them to become devotees of the Holy Child Jesus. The attendees overflowing in St Benedict’s Social Hall was a testament of the worthiness of the Batucans in receiving Papal recognition.

A young couple Cyril and Rose Bas left high-paying jobs in the Philippines, to start a new life in New Zealand and a desire to have a child. When Cyril arrived he looked for a religious community to join – first TawagAwit (for he loved music) with Rose who came later.  They also became active with Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family & Life (to enrich their marriage life).

It is rather amazing how they cope up with their busy careers and still find time to serve God. And they do to the best of their capabilities. The couple are now household heads in CFC-FFL and the chapter coordinators of TawagAwit in St Mary’s Parish, Northcote. We at TawagAwit prayed that God would gift them with a child and I told them in 2008 that they’d have one by December. But we did not receive any good news by that time. A few days ago, the couple announced to us that Rose was 7-weeks pregnant. It was in December not 2008, but 2009 that the baby was conceived! We all rejoiced upon hearing the news.

Life’s basic rule is that rewards are results of wise behaviour. “Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behaviour.” (Ezekiel 18:20) It may come in the form of tangible like good earning or intangible like inner peace. “How joyful are those who fear the Lord...You will enjoy the fruit of your labour. How joyful and prosperous you will be!...Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him.” (Psalm 128-1-4)

If you feel you have not received God’s reward, be patient.  He will reward you in His own time, in His own mysterious way. “If we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” (Hebrews 3:14)

by Mel Libre

The Most Serious Tragedy

On January 17, 2010, Rev Eric Toussaint preached to a small crowd inside the ruins of the roofless Our Lady of the Ascension Cathedral in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The city smells of death and sounds of gunfire resonate through the mass, while a dead body lies rotting in the main entrance. Earlier in the week, an estimated 100,000 died as a result of a major earthquake, a calamity described by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as "one of the most serious crisis in decades." Among those killed were priests and seminarians including Archbishop Joseph Miot.

 

Fr Toussaint said, "Why give thanks to God? Because we are here. We say 'Thank you God.' What happened is the will of God. We are in the hands of God now."  The comments were personal to the priest and these, also reflected the sentiments of the faithful present. The clergy described his own near-miraculous survival: "I watched the destruction of the cathedral from this window," pointing to a window in what remains of the archdiocese office. "I am not dead because God has a plan for me." He added, "What happens is a sign from God, saying that we must recognize his power - we need to reinvent ourselves,"

 

It is strange for most to look at destruction, damage and death as an act of a loving God. Yet on many biblical accounts, God punished His Chosen people the Israelites when they took His Word for granted. He flooded the earth once and saved only Noah and his family.  God did so, because He so loved the world. The prosperous life of pious Job turned from bad to worse, but God knew of his faith and trust in His wisdom, that He rewarded him with abundance many times over.“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20-21)

 

We must pray for those who died, now freed of the evils of the world; as we praise Him for allowing many others to survive who put their hope in His Word.   “If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.”  (2 Chronicles 20:9) 

 

The damage wrought on our lives brought about by the most serious tragedies will leave painful scars; but the redemption from God will make our lives more glorious than the original. Fr Toussaint’s thankfulness is therefore appropriate.  “They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.” (2 Corinthians 8:2)

by Mel Libre

Climbing Out of the Mess

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Be always at war with vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let each new year find you a better man.”  It is a tall order for every human being to succeed on all fronts, for vices can be well entrenched, neighbours can be testy and a new year can be worse than the previous one.

If we allow the world to dictate, then climbing out of the mess that our lives may have fallen into can be difficult. There was this man who had a son born out of wedlock. His luck went from bad to worse when his son died in a vehicular accident. As an escape from all his woes, he indulged in alcohol drinking, wasting his life and dying as a result of the vice.

On the other hand, I had a close friend who indulged in smoking marijuana in his younger days. His father brought him to a rehabilitation centre allowing him to turn his life around. He became successful in many things including disc jockeying, advertising and wellness programmes.

Kicking a bad habit can be very difficult.  One has to declare a war against it; and win battles one step at a time. It all starts with identifying and accepting the bad habit; seeking help when it is beyond self therapy; pursuing an alternative use of time and energy; and working forward to becoming a better person. While the decision to put an end to vice is personal, the battles must be fought with loving support from family, friends and therapists. They are the infantrymen that get the enemies hiding in the trenches.

Most importantly, you must have faith in God who is the chief strategist against Satan who is the real enemy.  As Jesus replied to Peter’s concern on a withering fig tree, “Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”  (Mark 11:22-24)

Once you have conquered the vice that once controlled your life, then you will have a better understanding of yourself, leading you to realise how special you are in the universe. From then on, you can attain peace in yourself which leads to having peace with your neighbours as well. Not only will you become a better man in the eyes of people, but the better man God created you to be.

Love@25

Dreams and aspirations make people look forward to the future. The visions that we seek cannot come to fruition without a plan, without action. I am a planner; and I act on my plans. But there are things that we aim for that do not happen as planned despite all the careful details made at the outset. We must listen to the Lord who counsels us. "I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me." (Psalm 16:7)  Always, it is God’s plan that prevails.

For instance, I wrote in my Self-Realization Program when I was in my teens that I would get married at the age of 30. I fell in love with the woman of my dreams the first time I met her in 1978. I was 22 years old then, while she was 19. My plan, therefore, was to get married in 1987; but Debbie had her own timetable of becoming a wife by 25.  I advanced my plan by two years, thus in January 6, 1985 we got married. It was the happiest moment in my life.  Years later, Debbie told me that she prayed the Novena of the Sacred Heart for a year for guidance that led to our decision to marry in 1985. "Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying `This is the way; walk in it.'" (Isaiah 30:21).

Debbie and I will celebrate our silver wedding anniversary on January 6, 2010 and we will renew our wedding vows before God, family and friends at the St Mary’s Church in Northcote, North Shore City.  Truly, it is a milestone for us as a couple – through the struggles and the successes; having three wonderful children (plus a son-in-law and a grandson); and involvement in worthy causes and pastoral service.  So many memories to cherish, so many stories to tell; and I have to put these together in a few minutes of testimony during the short program that would follow after the ceremonies.

I thought I could express these all in a song that I wrote a few days ago, which I will sing for Debbie and share with our guests. This is entitled “Love@25” and it goes like this:

Love@25

Refrain
Love at twenty-five
What a wonderful feeling
It’s great to be alive
A quarter of a century of loving

I am thankful
To have met you
You put meaning to my life
You took me the way I am
Through good times and through bad
Truly, I am grateful
(Refrain)

I look forward
To many more years
Of spending life with you
Without you, I’d be lost
I pray to the Lord
For us to be together forever
(Refrain)

by Mel Libre