Miko's Questions

You've been asking very difficult questions lately! 😲

1. On your anniversary, are you and dad going to have sex?

Me: Why do you ask that?

Miko: Because you're married

Me: You know, sex is a very intimate act between mom and dad, and so we don't talk about it with other people, not even you.

Me afterwards: Frantically messaging the ninangs if I answered correctly. 

This is the first time you asked about sex in the context of mom and dad so it really caught me off-guard. We talked about it, but never really related it to us personally. I wasn't prepared to be hearing from this question this early!! 😆

2. (Weeks after) When did you and dad have sex?

Me: (in my mind: do I tell him with every child? Do I tell him more than each child? Do I answer him at all?) I repeat my line about sex being an intimate act, and added "but I can tell you one thing -- sex is also a means for reproduction" (I'll talk to him about that some day soon)

3. (Same night as #2) What happens if you and dad (makes gestures of separating)

Dad: (tries to "not understand" the gestures and asks other things to distract him)

Miko: (finally getting his message across despite not verbalizing it. He makes signs for breaking up, separate, etc)

Me: (preparing to answer along the lines of custody, both mom and dad loving you inspite not being together, etc)

Dad: til death do us part

Me: (really shocked that with a single phrase he managed to show how he really values this marriage that much. I proceed to talk about the marriage vows and how we made a promise in front of God and the government that we will stay together. Shared Matthew 19:6 "What God has joined together, let no man separate", and ended with Miko should not be worried about it because even if dad and I get into disagreements or fights, we will always honor our promise to each other.)

Lord, I thank You for the wisdom that You have given my son. May You cultivate this wisdom and use this for Your glory. May He grow up to use your gifts, and be compassionate, giving to others, and sharing Your Good News. Amen

“Is how you’re living today on track with how you want to see your life end?”

I want you to remember me as a loving mom. And I want to be able to provide for our family's needs.

I hope I make the right choices to arrive at the end that I envision for us. Remember it is not in the big decisions that you can alter your life, but in the everyday, small stuff.

Love you chipmunks.

Quick question

When was the last time you learned a new skill? Something you were not forced to learn, not a company or school requirement, but something you just learned to improve yourself. It could be a new language, baking, playing a new instrument, even juggling. Please always strive to improve yourself. I love you my chipmunks.

Last meal

Hey kids! I saw an ad asking this, so if given a choice, what would you choose for your last meal? I think I'm gonna have: ~ baked salmon from Conti's, or dad's inihaw na bangus stuffed with tomatoes and onions ~ an all-cheese pizza ~ dad's chopsuey ~ sago't gulaman for drinks I asked Lola Fely and she wants chopsuey and fried chicken. :) Mmmm... mouth-watering! What about you? Let me know your favorite dishes and I'll try to cook them okay? Love you all!

Diffused water ideas

Hi Kids! If you want a twist to your ordinary water, you can try diffusing these combinations in it. Not only will it add flavor to your water, enticing you to complete your mandatory 8 glasses a day, but it also has additional health benefits! Diffused water ideas: - cucumber + lemon - pineapple + apple - mint/basil + strawberries - apple + cinnamon - melon + grape - lemon + orange - mint + cucumber + lime - pineapple + mango - grape + orange + apple I personally like cucumber + lemon. I want to live healthy so I can live longer and, God willing, watch you succeed in life and be able to take care of your kids. Let me know which combination is your favorite. :) love you all!

Faith

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How comfortable, trusting and at home are you with God as the "Unseen Father"? What are your most cherished experiences of His goodness? Are you a doer in faith, or are you one who waits in faith?

Increase my faith, Lord, not only as I wait, but as I follow You in moments of darkness.

Confess

Reflection: Have you sinned? Failed? Made mistakes? Confess. Get back up. Move on. His love is greater. Lord, thank You for Your mercy and forgiveness. Thank You for Your love that never ends.

Reflection for Work

Reflection: Are you suffering from burnout? Learn to delegate.

Lord, help me to realize that I can't possibly do everything with my own power. Grant me the grace to share the work with others.

Reflection for today

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What circumstances in life make you prefer to have persons around you? Why? Who are the particular persons you wish to be with you when these circumstances arise?

 ****I hope I can be with you always. I treasure every moment that we play together, laugh together, or basically just sitting together. Love you both sweethearts~mom

Lord Jesus, help me to always remember that in unity, there's strength.

Do You Enjoy Financial Freedom?

How do you say you enjoy financial freedom? Here is a simple test that I heard from Bo Sanchez' Truly Rich Club ---

"Suppose you lost your work today. How many months can you stay unemployed without being bankrupt?"

Something to consider when you plan your finances right? Let me know your thoughts. Love you both!

Hypocrites Are Welcome

In today's First Reading, we continue to read from the Letter to the Hebrews' treatise on the priesthood. We are reminded that we have such a High Priest in Jesus who is "holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and higher than the heavens"(v.25).

A story is told of a priest who bumped into a parishioner who had not been attending Mass for quite some time. When asked why she had not been going to church, she snapped back, "Because our parish church is full of hypocrites!" The priest smiled and proposed, "Why don't you come next Sunday? We still have room for one more."

Why do we go to church and listen to God's Word? We go to Mass not because we are holy. On the contrary, we go to church because we need to be forgiven, to be reminded of His Word, to be strengthened by His Body and Blood. Let us not forget, the Church is not a museum of saints. The Church is a hospital for sinners.

May I propose a remedy for this tendency towards skepticism and discouragement? Let us not judge the effectivity of a medicine through those who do not take it. In the same vein, let us not judge the holiness of the Church through those who have fallen short of the standard. As the wise saying goes, "Do not leave Jesus because of Judas."

Surely this is not a justification and we should continue to be indignant when priests and Christians give Christianity a bad witness. The duty to live up to the dignity of our calling remains. But we maintain that the Church is holy not because of the priests and its members. The Church is and continues to be holy in spite of erring priests and members because our High Priest is Jesus, "holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and higher than the heavens."

This is surely good news and a guard from discouragement. Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you alienated yourself from the Church because of erring Church members? Know that, in the end, you are the one who stands to lose.

Courage

Reflection: God calls every single one of us to do His will. Have you freely opened your heart and soul to His voice?

Lord, grant me the courage to say yes to Your call and the faith to strongly believe that You are with me every step of the way. Amen.

YOUR INTERNAL IMAGE IS IMPORTANT

A wild angry dog wandered off to a cave full of mirrors. Seeing the many reflections surrounding him, he barked at each of them. Seeing that each reflection barked back at him, he ran out of the cave, saying, "This is such an angry world I live in!"

A domesticated pet dog wandered into the same cave of mirrors. Seeing the many reflections around, he smiled and wagged his tail to each of them. Each image did the same and the dog came out of the cave, saying, "It's a friendly world I live in."

Moral of the story: What happens without is to a great extent, affected by what is happening within. If you are an angry individual, you will most probably see the world through glasses with angry shades. Similarly, a joyful individual will most probably see the world in colorful shades.

Our thoughts and expectations do influence our external state of affairs. While we do not always get what we deserve in life, we usually get no more than we expect. As the principle says, we receive what we believe.

In today's Gospel, Jesus heals a man with leprosy. A leper is rejected, isolated, stripped of his rights to community, and barred from considering himself a member of humanity. Every leper should know his place and remind himself of these as he is required by law to shout, "Unclean, unclean!" (Leviticus 13:44), whenever he finds himself within hearing distance of people.

We see none of these in the leper of today's Gospel. He resisted to be treated as one of the living dead. He boldly approached the Lord, believing within what is rightful to every believing Jew. His external circumstance tells him he is as good as dead. His internal image tells him, "I am a child of the Lord." Jesus affirmed his faith.

The Holy Book says, "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). God's power is unlimited; it is limited only by our lack of faith. --Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: Psychologists and sociologists teach that 20 percent of our life is determined by what happens to us, and 80 percent by how we respond to the 20 percent that happens to us. Which percentage do you allow to dominate your life?

God our Father, help me go through life with the joy and confidence of knowing that I am Your child. Amen.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sweethearts, you are, indeed, God's children. Don't forget that your divine inheritance is already prepared for you. God promised nothing but greatness to his followers, so be confident and follow Jesus' steps to claim it!

GOD IS NOT OUR RIVAL

God is not our Rival Greek mythology narrates the story of Prometheus. Prometheus came to know that the gods enjoyed fire in their kingdom and they capriciously withheld it from humans and kept it for their own enjoyment. One day, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to men. The gods became angry and they punished Prometheus for eternity by having a large bird eat up his entrails, then they regenerate and the birds come back to eat them again. The Promethean myth continues up to this day in many ways. For some people, God is a distant, uninvolved and disinterested God. He created the world and turned His back from it forever. For some, God is a tyrant whose pleasure comes from imposing unreasonable rules on His subjects. Today's First Reading addresses the latter sentiment. John reminds us: "The love of God consists in this: that we keep his commandments — and his commandments are not burdensome." When we see God from the Promethean point of view, God is a tyrant and a rival. When God is seen this way, His commandments will always be viewed as capricious and burdensome. The glory of Christianity lies precisely in the fact that the unknown God has made Himself known; the unseen God has made Himself visible; the eternal God was born into the world and became man. In Jesus, the Incarnate One, we see a God who lived out His own commandments even before He gave them out. God did not simply write a moral manual, dropped it from the heavens and left us on our own to figure it out. Blessed John Paul II put it so eloquently when he said that, in Jesus, "God introduced man to man himself." In short, Jesus, in becoming man, showed humanity how to live as a man and child of God. Jesus did not say "Go!" He said, "Let's go!" Yes, God is not our rival. He is our companion. We can trust Him and His commandments are not burdensome. Fr. Joel Jason REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you appreciated the Christmas mystery of God becoming one with us? Prayerfully and with consciousness, pray the following words: "And the Word was made flesh and made His dwelling among us. Amen!"

Relationship with God

Do you have a tendency to be utilitarian in your relationship with God? Do you go to Him only when you are in need?

Lord Jesus, You taught us to pray for our daily bread. I pray not for that which spoils and rots. I pray for the bread that is You, the bread that brings us unto life eternal. Amen.

Mercy and worship

First of all, let's talk about mercy. Mercy is something that you don't deserve but you receive it. Let me expound.

For example, your teacher caught you cheating during an exam:

     a. Your teacher gives you a grade of 0 for your exam and gives you suspension. That's JUSTICE.

     b. Your teacher gives you a grade of 0. That's MERCY.

     c. Your teacher gives you a passing grade. Now that is GRACE. :)

Despite being the sinners that we are, God has shown mercy in our daily lives. Do you agree? Now, if we know and understand that mercy, then we will be able to respond, i.e. worship, in a way acceptable to God.

The apostle Paul said it best when he mentioned that the starting point of an acceptable worship is you understanding the mercy of God.

Acceptable worship does not require preaching to thousands, singing worship songs or raising your hands in supplication. It may be done through those things, yes, but most importantly, you can worship God in the way that you live – in the mundane things like giving thanks for wisdom when taking an exam, offering a very difficult task at work, or being grateful for the people who designed a nice game that you're playing.

Remember, we give acceptable worship not because God just needs to be worshipped, but rather we give acceptable worship in view of God's mercy.

How do you worship God in your daily lives?

Be discerning

Do you accept everything that you hear or see as absolute truth? Be discerning lest it lead you into a trap.

Slumbook questions - dad

About Me

Real Name: Darwin

Age: 30

Location: San Pedro, Laguna

Occupation: Employee

Languages Spoken: Filipino, English

Favorites

Movies: Action movies

Songs: Alternative

Actors/Actresses (movies and television): Many to mention

Television Shows: Many to mention

Books: None

Sports/Games: none

Players: none

Food/Drink: Many to mention

Vacation Spots: Beach

Getting personal

Right now I'm reading: e-mails

I'm fun loving or serious (and why): Many to mention

My dream guy/gal: someone who can take care of my children

My hobbies: collecting that may interest me

My biggest strengths and weaknesses: Family

My best friends: Kaye Deves

My favorite subject at school: Math

That one thing I want to change about myself: Many to mention

My ambition: to have my own house and car for my family

I go crazy about: cars, shoes, bikes, etc.

I draw inspiration from: my family

According to me, love is: Taking care of someone in many instances.

Given a chance to be invisible, I'd: I'd like to be in ladies room! 

If there was one person I could bring back from the dead, that would be? (and why) my mom, because i want her to take care of my kids and see how happy i am right now!

Let's talk: Trust and obedience

Are we living our lives in complete trust and total obedience to God? Why do you say so?

Let's talk: Injustice

What do you do when you see injustice?