First Friday Pilgrim Vigil - Angel on Path and Footprints

Tien's Prom Experience

A Mom's Advice

Raechelle on being the eldest

Beautiful Isah

Angel's Sharing - First Friday Pilgrim Vigil September 7-8 2012

Dianne's Sharing - First Friday Pilgrim Vigil September 7-8 2012

Isiah's Sharing - First Friday Pilgrim Vigil September 7-8 2012

Leah's Sharing - First Friday Pilgrim Vigil September 7-8 2012

Outreach Experience - Raymond

Last June12, 2012, we went to an orphanage of abandoned children at Wangal, La Trinidad to celebrate the birthday of our beloved head, Alex Manongdo.


Here's a video of Raymond Manongdo speaking about his experience and reflection during one of our Vespers.

Outreach Experience - Christian Anne

Last June12, 2012, we went to an orphanage of abandoned children at Wangal, La Trinidad to celebrate the birthday of our beloved head, Alex Manongdo.


Here's a video of Christian speaking about her experience and reflection during one of our Vespers.

Outreach Experience - Kirby

Last June12, 2012, we went to an orphanage of abandoned children at Wangal, La Trinidad to celebrate the birthday of our beloved head, Alex Manongdo.


Here's a video of Kirby speaking about his experience and reflection during one of our Vespers.

Outreach Experience - Brev Aimee

Last June12, 2012, we went to an orphanage of abandoned children at Wangal, La Trinidad to celebrate the birthday of our beloved head, Alex Manongdo.

Here's a video of Aimee speaking about her experience and reflection during one of our Vespers.

The Call

Entering the monastery was not their choice. It was a way of surviving for the first few years then leaving thereafter. The plan was to continue home schooling up to the secondary level then taking off for college and living outside. However, in a few years time, their minds’ focus and the hearts’ desires have changed. All has been directed to our Lord.

My Family

This is an experience of my siblings. I came from the usual traditional family, wherein the father is the breadwinner and the mother is a house maker. Coming from a large family of thirteen members is not that easy. I believe the sacrifice of my parents is double or even triple than the usual small families. Just like all families, we had our own problems that had consumed us for some time. One of which is the financial status. Our father lost his job. He kept the burden to himself and to my mom.  It was such a difficult time. Until then, the monastery at Pampanga was opened to us. The four of my youngest siblings, two brothers and two sisters, together with my mom entered. Some of us remained in our house in Baguio since we were still studying college. The rest of our house was rented, which became our major source of income. Although my four siblings were somewhat forced into the monastery, it was agreed that they will continue their homeschooling until high school and eventually take up college outside. At the same time, the monastery has been lenient to our family. This has been a total adjustment in their way of life but luckily they still stayed together as a family and not separated from the brothers group and the sisters group.

Monastic Experience

The monastery follow the Benedictine way of life at the same time honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a place of having nothing else but time for God. It is not a place of saints but a place of those striving to go to heaven.  It is a place of praying seven times a day, working a few hours, eating twice a day, learning about God and at the end of a day resting. The groups of brothers are separated from the group of sisters. However, there are married couples and families who live together.

Slowly, my siblings have been practicing the way of life of a monk. Visiting them was living with them. Our usual vacation such as an out of town adventure, like going to the beach or theme park, has been changed to staying at the monastery and living its way of life with the rest of my family. Just like any other vacations’ intention to relax, revitalize, and to have fun; my vacation for the past years was to see my family, regain my spiritual strength and peace of mind and heart.  No doubt, that every time I stay there for a few days or weeks, I always experience an inner joy and satisfaction different from my usual happy moments. I guess this is how God’s grace works. In about four years time, the decision of my two sisters made a major impact on me. One night, my two sisters, ages 11 and 14, walked towards my dad’s room. They asked permission if they could already enter together with the group of sisters in the monastery. Entering meant that my siblings would live permanently with the group of sisters and my father would not be seeing them anymore unless through spontaneous circumstances. Unfortunately, my father disagreed. I understood how he felt. It was as if giving up your two youngest children just like when Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. At that moment, my sister (age 14), cried in front of our father because she really desired to live the life of a monk. After a few months, my dad gave his full consent for my two sisters to be permanently a part of the group of sisters. Later on, my brothers, who were still with my mom, made their decisions too. My brother, age 19, decided to leave the monastery and go back to our home in Baguio, while my other brother, 18 years old, entered permanently with the group of brothers. The basis of older brother’s decision to leave was to see the reality outside the corners of the monastery. He wanted to see if everything that he has been able to watch, conferences and sermons heard on the events happening outside are true. Moreover, he wanted to discern on his own. It was now a choice that if he comes back, it is not by force but a decision made by his own free will. He also said that working for the salvation of one’s soul could be done even outside the monastery since the values have already been instilled and that my parents didn’t have to worry. Still, my parents protested. Eventually, the superiors and my parents permitted him to leave. Spending a few months outside and having time to bond with him, made me realize how strong my brother was. He told me that he did not like what he saw. Despite being offered to go to school and study again, he said that he was not interested and that he would be coming back. After seven months living outside, he entered the monastery again. Now, it was his personal choice done wholeheartedly. As it has been said, ‘Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.’

A Rumination

Being a sister of my four siblings, I am impressed by their courage and strength. At a young age, they have spoken for themselves and made a decision to deny themselves by leaving all material things and leaving us family; taking up their burdens, lifting it all to the Lord, and following Christ without hesitation and not turning back. Their conviction for Christ has been greater than I could possibly imagine. It is not easy, knowing that I will not be seeing them anymore, but I am not troubled because there is no other safer place to be than in God’s hands. By their examples, they have been instruments to bring our family closer to God and realize His presence within us. Their courage in responding to Gods’ will is something that I admire.

The Lord has a plan for all of us – a plan far deeper than our own understanding. Sometimes, we ask Him what these are. But we, as His children, tend to ignore these even if the Lord has already shown what He really wants of us.  Thus, failing to recognize and to respond to it.  We even have our doubts as we question Him, “Lord, ito po ba talaga ang gusto Niyo para sa akin?” (Lord, is this really what You want of me?”)  We try to make compromises, thus delaying His plans for us.  Why?  Because we are scared. But why be scared when we are going back to where we came from…to our Father in heaven?  We are destined to be with Him.  It is up to us to make it happen.  The Lord said, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you”. Therefore, there is nothing to fear because He will always be on our side when we follow His call.  

by Angelica Joven

TWO CROSSES

                I got this privilege of attending my first Lenten recollection this year with Bro. Arun Gogna, a Kerygma preacher, as speaker at Casiciaco Recolletos Seminary last March 18, 2011 with the theme:  Recollection, Healing, Forgiveness.  Bro. Arun Gogna spoke about the two kinds of crosses – Cross of Rejection (Hestas’ Cross) and the Cross of Reconciliation (Dimas’ Cross).  Here are some important points and personal reflections I got from it.

Cross of Rejection – Hestas’ Cross

We reject Christ when...

1.        We choose self-righteousness.  When we claim that we are all-knowing, we stop learning, thus failing to gain wisdom.  Pride resides in our hearts.  When we are very much self-righteous, we are in danger of giving judgement to others forgetting that we, too, committed mistakes in our lives.  And though we may think we have sinned less than the others, we should not be blinded by our own prejudice as we do not know the heart of the other.  Always remember that Jesus came for the sinners.  He loves sinner as much as the righteous.  It is so sad that many times, we look others with rejection as we are too focused on our own “perfection.”  Hestas was self-righteous.  While he was hanging on the cross, his pride made him insult the Savior when he doubted Jesus’ identity as the Messiah.  He challenged Jesus to save Himself.  He was not able to recognize his Savior.

2.       We choose to hate rather than wait.  Bad things may happen but the greatest miracle God is actually doing everyday is drawing good from evil.  A lot of times, our miseries make us hate life, ourselves, other people and even God. Hate takes over us and we eventually fail to see the good that is unfolding from unpleasant situations.  We forget that there is a God Who is simply there working amazingly for our own good.  When we are angry, God understands.  He patiently waits for us.  He wants to listen.  When we go near Him even with all these negative feelings that we have, He is pleased because we are honest.  He will make us understand and turn the negative to something positive...if only we go near Him. 

3.       We choose to procrastinate. Maybe it is culture.  Maybe it is just a bad habit.  But we are so full of it.  We love postponing things.  Is it laziness?  The enthusiasm we have easily wears out in us and then we delay the things we ought to do.  We need to keep in mind that time is really valuable.  It is not because we are young that we have all the time in the world.  We do not know when we will be called “home’ so whatever we need to do at the moment, we should do.  We do not want regrets in our lifetime.

4.       We always complain.  Let us not be a problem expert.  Problem experts are people who always see problems and focus too much on that.  They are negative thinkers and result to self-pity and depression.  The problem is too big that sometimes even solutions become problems.  Be a blessing expert instead.  It may be our habit to always see things on the darker side but we have to break such inclination.  We must always remind ourselves that our blessings outnumber our problems.  There are a lot of things to thank God for.  And when we focus on our blessings, more blessings are poured out for us.  There will be better days when we welcome blessings. 

Cross of Reconciliation – Dimas’ Cross

1.       When we respect God as God.  We have to understand the role of God in our lives.  Recognize that we are His children.  When we do, we should believe that sin does not suit us. 

2.       When we admit our guilt.  We have to take responsibility of our sins.  We know that there are consequences to our actions and we have to accept and face them with all humility.

3.       When we confess Christ.  Make it a habit to praise Christ.    

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PING! PONG!

The first time I saw Lauds and Vespers (nicknames: Ping and Pong) at the pet shop, I knew in my heart that I had to adopt them. After Kobe, bro. A’s turtle, was turtlenap, I have kept looking to get a new one for the Brevs to take care of. Now WE have two! But you may ask, “Why among all the cute animals in the pet shop did I choose Ping and Pong? Besides, they are a reminder of sluggishness.”
Well, that is primarily the reason why we have to see them all the time. They remind us that they are the ones who have the right to slow down –not us! But aside from that image they are known of, it is quite a wonder how they teach us about life. Remember our kindergarten stories about the Monkey and the Turtle? They may seem slow but they are wise.
After we got Ping and Pong their turtle bowl, we rushed to the church for our Vespers. As we were about to start our prayers, I saw them lifting their heads as high as they could. I thought, “Wow! Could it be that they knew they were inside the chapel and that they were also praying?” When I took them home, I got them out of the bowl and I saw them actually run. They are not as slow as we expected them to be. While I enjoyed playfully watching them, it amazed me on how they would suddenly stop, lift their heads, and then walk again.
Most of the time we are so preoccupied with a lot of things that we tend to rush everything just for the sake of completion. The complexity of our times calls us to do so much that it seems like everything is just too fast that we are running out of time. Other times, we feel we are too slow that we are unable to accomplish anything. Nevertheless, no matter what our pace may be, Ping and Pong teach us never to forget to raise our heads and simply praise God for whatever circumstance we are in. For only in acclaiming the Alpha and Omega are we able to reach our destination – maybe slowly...but surely.