Open Space...

“The mystical state is the highest level of religious experience and the goal of all religious life. It is also the goal of all human development, both on the individual level and in term of human evolution.” This is the opening statement of the first chapter of the book of Willingis Jäger entitled Contemplation, a Christian path. I find it also fitting to start my reflection with this statement because I find it true that indeed, religious have all something to look up why they dedicated themselves to a life less traveled. This is not only for us Catholics but also undeniably for other religious beliefs. They too, if not for the mystical experience, have also some goal for them to attain, may it be in another description fitted to their own context. What is then a mystic? I’ve learned from Fr. Martin, a carmelite priest, in one of our discussions in Prophets that a mystic is someone who had the experience of God. This experience of God is of the experience of Love because God is Lov...

Thanks for all individuals who showed concern and spent time in forwarding this mail/blog regarding the niece of our friar. For now she's safe...One of her friend took her from where she is working. She has been very sick and her employer didn't do anything about her condition. she is now taking cared of...May God Bless you and repay all the good deeds you have done... Fr. Toto is extending his thanks to all... we will keep you all in our paryers... -melskiens-

This is the letter sent to me by one of our Friars. He was asking help if i can post this letter in my blog hoping that someone might see this and could be of help, in whatever way, especially in locating her niece who is in Singapore right now.. please spare a little of your time in reading this letter and perhaps forward this letter or this blog to your friends who is in Singapore or to those who could be of help..thank you very much and may God help us all... Dear Melskiens, Our family has been alarmed by a call of our niece working in Singapore. Her name is CHERRY MAE “Mecai” CAINOY GLODOBE. She’s been working as an OFW since October 2008. The address of her location is c/o Kohmci Jacelyn, 3 Jalan Khamis, Singapore 577849. The other day, February 24, 2009 (Tuesday) my cousin Armondo Cainoy Tagocon, in Baungon, Bukidnon received a frantic call from her… she was crying very badly and seemed on the run. Between sobs, she requested that our family sends $600.00 to her. When she...

i just want to raise the awareness of the people out there to be vigilant in the plan to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. As we all have known, this project has been mounted with anomalies and corruption since it was built in the time of Marcos. From time immemorial, this facility has never been used but we already spent millions (billion)of pesos just to pay for the debt we owe in building this facility. the amount of money could have spent to a more productive endeavor such as giving priorities in education, health or in poverty alleviation. This facility has many defects and this was confirmed by the engineers of University of the Philippines. You could have just imagine the effect of the disaster this might cause in the near future if we allow this to operate. We know that this can generate power and can supply electricity to the whole populace but considering its anomalies and the danger it will cause, i guess no amount of energy can repay to the possible casualties it may b...

i received a message last night sa aking phone, around 12:00 midnight ng gabi sa isang brother din sa ibang congregation...simple lang naman ang text nya: First: Isn't it strange how a 100 peso bill seems like a large amount of money when you donated it to Church, but such a small amount when you go shopping? oo nga naman,minsan pinipili pa natin ang pinakamaliit na halaga na peso bill na nasa bulsa natin, 20 pesos, buti nga ngayon kasi 20 na, dati kasi meron pang 5 peso bill or 10 peso bill...minsan naman may nagbibigay nga ng malaki, with all the names in bold stroke and in capital letters na nakasulat sa envelop, minsan ipinapabasa pa talaga sa pulpito, kapag hindi man nabasa, maghanda na ang sekretarya ng parokya...(buti nalang hindi ako nagbibigay,hehe, kuripot!)... ang iba hindi rin nagbibigay...iniisip siguro ng iba na pangbibili lang ng alak o kaya ipang-mamajong ng mga pari (sad to say, may iilan)... pero matanong ko kayo, Sino ang mas malaki magbigay? ang mayaman na minsa...

i have nothing to write for now...i posted here instead an e-mail i received from my brother priest about a foreigner's view on Filipinos...and it's worth posting here... Filipino Catholics Here's something very positive written by a foreigner named Steve Ray, about Filipinos. Steve Ray authored many best-selling books, among which are, Crossing the Tiber (his conversion story), Upon This Rock on the papacy), and just recently John's Gospel (a comprehensive Bible study guide and commentary). STEVE RAY'S OPEN LETTER TO THE FILIPINO CATHOLICS: We stepped into the church and it was old and a bit dark. Mass had just begun and we sat toward the front. We didn't know what to expect here in Istanbul, Turkey . I guess we expected it to be a sombre Mass but quiet and sombre it was not - I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me. The voices were rich, melodic and beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen and hea...

I'm on top of a mountain. Wind hover my entire body, never had a chance of escape loomed over its coldness. But then here I am standing still, holding my bow and about to stroke the four-stringed instrument...music fills in... I’m now staying here in our Carmel Spirituality Center in Brgy. Milagros, Ormoc City. I would say this is the culmination of my intervention year as part of what I have asked in the formation – to be in the place where I can reflect. My previous assignments were from different communities also. You see, I’ve been traveling around the country. And whenever I go, I bring with me my violin. This is not about being a musician who performs to any part of the country. I’m no like Mozart who, as a young prodigy in music, had all the traveling experiences from Salzburg (his birth place) to Austria, Munich, Augsburg, Brussels, down to Italy, Venice and so on and so forth just to promote his talent, eagerly supervised by his father Leopold, parading his son like an ord...