8. April 2010 by admin.

Last February, I received a communication from the Apostolate requesting me to guide and lead the singing  during the mass.  Wow, what an effortless request! But little did I know that it was a form of spiritual leadership accompanied by a critical responsibility brought upon on my shoulder.   

What could I say?  How could I say no to the call for help for God’s glory? I simply responded in  affirmative,  and everything started there! I thought that was one way of touching me to be of help to others in the humblest way I can, which incidentally is one of my advocacies in life.

As a brief backgrounder,  my choir experience dates back during my childhood days.  My kids buddies and I used to sing as members of the choir and it can be attributed to our love for any kind of music, from pop to slow rock and …..the liturgical music!   I   learned my church songs, first from my parents, then from my older siblings, my music teachers who were nuns in our school and from the church where I used to go. But my love  for music didn’t stop there, it evolved  and it continued up to these days.

As I prayed for God’s guidance,  the present responsibility wasn’t a burden at all  - as I said I  can sing and has a little knowledge of playing the guitar.  Some  generous people from the other parish showed up to help in the singing for the first time, then the second time with only one, but with God’s blessings, the group blossomed with more or less 15 people volunteering to be part of the team.    In all honesty, I felt a sense of relief and the assurance from someone up above that everything will be all right!  I realized that the success of the choir does  not depend on the person leading it, her talents, her skills but on God’s keeping control of it.  And that makes it amazing! 

Our  kick-off meeting/rehearsal really went well, probably because the members are musically gifted in their own rights but I believe they were also commissioned to be part of the new choir.  We started our rehearsal with a prayer and some kid stuffs as part  of our agenda. And thereafter the rehearsal began.  I say, Amen. Welcome and congratulations to the new members! From one to 15 members – a combination of the young at hearts and the real young ones with the youngest member, Erynn who is only 6 years old! That makes it even more amazing! 

As a sense of duty, I felt the need to share series of  thoughts and knowledge gained since childhood days from previous choir masters who were experts and considered “maestros” in the field of music. Most probably some of the members may know this already but for purposes of reminding everyone, I would like to share the first batch of the said thoughts with my colleagues and other “newbies” out there who are contemplating to organize one and/or simply be a member of a choir.  

“Singing is Praying Twice”

I have heard this over and over again as far as church choir singing is concerned.  According to some, the said saying was first coined by St. Augustine.  However, based  on an article published in the Catholic online forum,  it was clarified that what St. Augustine wrote simply means that when you praise God thru songs, then something happens to the song of the praiser” because of love. Part of the excerpts of the original translation cited: …”he who sings praise, is not only singing, but also loving Him whom he is singing about/to/for….”.   

In any case,  the message being conveyed by  St. Augustine only implies that whether or not you are a choir member,  one should deliver the songs very well, with respect, with love and with  the purity of intentions. When the choir sings together with the congregation, it is like everybody is praying together.  In fact, Jesus said this that “…when two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.  

There are also times that when you sing during the mass and the song coincidentally fit well to how you feel at that particular time, like if you feel frustrated, bothered, broken hearted, abandoned or in any state of emotion, you tend to cry out to the Lord thru the songs and then you realize that your eyes start to have “clouds” and even to the extent that the   tears start to flow down on your  cheeks.  But after that , you feel some kind of an unexplainable relief, giving you a new hope and a form of healing from the Almighty.  Have you experienced this before? Believe me, it happened to me not only once but many times! 

Relevance of a Choir 

Having a choir in the church or any community plays such a vital role in its  overall devotional related activities. As they say, music is essential to liturgy.  The choir can be beneficial in leading the congregation in prayer-song.   The choir music especially if sung well soothes the feelings, inspires and motivates the listeners to join in the singing.  The job of the choir is to help the people sing with them because without the choir, the faithful may indeed be lost. Hence the need for a quality music at mass.

In view of the importance of the choir in the liturgy,   it may be imperative that the choir practice very well the songs to be sung so they would be confident during the actual singing presentation. Similarly, a well rehearsed choir would be able to impart the message of the song and eventually be able to shape and pave the way for the true faith of those who worship.  

Choir members absolutely doesn’t have to be professional singers….anyone who has the knack, committed  and is willing to volunteer their time and talent for the love of God, are the perfect members you could get.  What an awesome gift from God!  All the  best to  all of us! 

Note: The next topic that I would be blogging on would pertain to the benefits of being in a choir, the choir decorum and some vocalization tips (minus the piano)!

If you feel the article was useful ,  please feel free to comment and it would be greatly appreciated.  If you don’t have comments,   it is okay I do understand.  But just the same, it would still be good to hear your thoughts , pleasant or unpleasant!

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3. April 2010 by admin.

In non-tropical countries,  Easter season occurs during springtime and springtime comes immediately after winter.   It is during this season of the year, when cold days are fading and sun starts  shining  brightly, rivers coming back to life, animals are roaming again freely from hibernation, lifeless brown trunks starting to put on leaves and flowers blooming once again. What a sight to behold!  

One of the memorable events I recall about Easter time happened during my childhood days.   People were looking forward for Easter season to witness the re-enactment of the meeting of Jesus and Mary after His Resurrection.  I remember I have to go with my mother during the wee hours (4 a.m.) of the morning to watch a liturgical play wherein one of the highlights is the meeting (”salubong”) of Virgin Mary and the Resurrected Jesus.  Coming from opposite direction, the statue of Mary which is covered with a black cloth and Jesus, are  scheduled to meet at a designated place. Throngs of people would accompany Jesus’ group while others would accompany that of Mary’s. Thereafter an angel (a little girl chosen among the select few to portray the character) suspended up above  would be assigned to take off the black veil from Mary and then  people would  sing and rejoice.    Innocent child as I was, this particular event amazed me, brought goose bumps and joy into my heart, primarily due to the festive atmosphere and with the belief that Jesus has indeed truly risen from the dead during that particular hour and time of day! 

As I grew up, this event unfolded to include other rituals such as the blessing of the oil and water outside the church  and the candle lighting ceremony where candles held by the people in the church are lit by the holy flame or the so-called Paschal candle.   

While the said ceremonies are considered sacred, these are merely symbolic as far as I know.  The true meaning of Easter is that this is the time where all of us, as one priest said,  should start to be the rays of hope to the downtrodden and the hopeless, the lighted candles in the middle of darkness, and the helping hands to  show compassion to the poor and the abandoned.  That is the essence of Easter , the glory of  Jesus Resurrection, and for this we have the valid reason to be  glad and rejoice!  

As we marked this great feast,  let us  recall  the many wondrous deeds and favors God has granted in our lives.   How many miracles did we receive so far from Him, regardless of the magnitude?   What favors and prayer requests have been answered by Him?  When were the times that He healed us?  I have not been so vocal about God’s responses to the said hows, whats and the whens,  but I would like to tell you all that He has provided me many wonderful things in all aspects of my life.  I am sure God has acknowledged the gratefulness of my heart despite my weaknesses and I am so deeply touched by it. I know in my heart that God will have answers to my other petitions in the long run, in  His time.      

And so today is the appropriate time for us to start returning the favors to our Creator and Savior.  With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let us offer our praise, honor and  glory that He so deserves by giving and sharing to those in need the light, hope and love provided us by God  and at the same time renewing our own lives to the fullest for Christ’s sake.  

Having said this and with the resolve to do even better,  for sure God will be very glad!

Allow me to greet you all:  A Joyful and Blessed Easter season! 

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2. April 2010 by admin.

After attending the Holy Thursday night mass at our parish,  a man was standing at the back of the door and he seemed to be patiently waiting for the mass to end.  He had this small box full of DVDs about the movie “Passion of the Christ” for distribution to first few parishioners who would be coming out from the church.  I happened to be one of them!  I asked Him why he made copies about the movie, if he is into this business,  but he simply answered, “No, that is my way of sharing something during Lenten season.” 

While I have read past reviews about the movie,  I got the chance to  see it and was deeply touched about certain scenes not to mention the vivid, dreadful, and  brutal scourging of Jesus at the pillar.  Three notable scenes in the movie  which caught my attention and would typically symbolize minor and major adverse decisions in our day to day lives include that of Judas Escariot betrayal and the guilt and despair which he felt after he did it.   Another was that of St. Peter when he denied Jesus three times and his remorse after doing  it.  The third one was that of Pontius Pilate when he was having a hard time to make a decision and had to wash his hands of   the matter bowing to the pressure of the high priests and the crowd.  I could just imagine how awful these people must have felt after what had happened, although not so much for St. Peter whom we know was able to turn things around!

At times,  we may be similarly situated to these three characters more or less.   We have committed little and big mistakes in our daily lives which had jeopardized our relationship with God.  Most of the times we make decisions in our favor even if it will cause someone to suffer  or be put in  danger or simply to satisfy our wants even if it’s not pleasing to God.    It is because we only think of ourselves, of our happiness and this is due to our selfishness ….we are copycats of Pilate….who has the power to carry out a correct decision but had to do otherwise so as to ensure his safety.     

We cannot rationalize our wrongdoings by saying : we are just humans, we are bound to commit mistakes or it is really our nature, that all men are egocentrics as a whole.  On the other hand, we neither have the right to condemn nor to discriminate people who have gone astray.  Rather, it is our duty to remind everyone  that  there  is  always a chance  and the opportunity to renew our lives even how bad it may have been.  It is never too late, God is always there to welcome us, ready to lay down His merciful eyes upon us.   He  will always be available to grant us His unconditional mercy and love —the forgiveness that we so desire if only we open our hearts to Him. 

Sometimes we make promises not to turn away from God anymore, but most of the times these promises are made to be broken.    But as I said, it is never too late, let us not follow what Judas did….that instead of asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness,   he decided to put an end to his life.  

Our life here on earth is just a prelude to eternal life.   So, we must try to avoid things that will destroy our relationship with God even if we want it.  This should be our basic tenet in life.  How awesome would our feelings be if we will all be with God in Heaven forever!  

My Prayer For All of Us:

Loving God, you generously forgive us when we repent for our little and big sins. Convert and teach us to be mindful of our ways, to be sensitive to your will.  Deliver us from the clutches of darkness and help us to trust in your unconditional love for us.  As Easter time approaches, give us another chance to have new life. Amen.

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1. April 2010 by admin.

Today  is the  time  wherein the  feet  of  many  of our Christian brothers all over the world are washed during liturgical rite to commemorate Jesus’ washing of the feet   of the 12 Apostles.  It is also this time where Jesus had His last supper with them and when He likewise revealed that one of them will eventually betray Him.

In my classes, I tell the students that the washing of the feet merely symbolizes charity and humility,  reminding all of us that we have to be servants of one another.   This is precisely the reason why Jesus, after washing the feet of His disciples, said to them: “Do as I have done to you”.    

For young kids, this may be an easy thing to do, humility and charity are not an issue to them at all.  They ask no questions, they just obey whatever is being told to them by their parents, their teachers in school, their leaders in the church and in any school related  groups or teams and the like.   However, for grown ups and adults ,  it would be another story!  There would always be a tinge of doubt,  they would always ask questions, they would worry and fret on certain things.

One of the two greatest commandments is to love your neighbor as you love yourself! But how can he/she love another person if he/she’s not practicing the virtues of humility and charity or vice versa?  How can one carry out these virtues if he or she thinks of himself/herself  as superior in all aspects of life (career, wealth, intelligence) or is envious of what the other person has?   As I said, when we grow up things get complicated and it takes a lot of sacrifices and love to apply what Jesus wants us to do today.    

If only the word “pride” does not exist,  charity and humility will reign on earth.  Pride is the opposite of all the virtues not just charity and humility.  I recall one of the heads assigned in our circle at the Opus Dei told us that we must not be wise and prudent according to worldly desires.   Rather, we must be humble, simple and pure.  We should never desire to be above others and that it would be better to be submissive for the love of God.

If only everyone practices charity and humility in this world, there would be no hunger and less fortunate, there would be no greed and selfishness, there would be no divorce and failed marriages , there would be no wars and conflicts,  there would be no VIP’s and  proud people who think they are much better than  everyone else.   Oh well,  these matters can be so complex and debatable to many and these are facts and hard realities of life.

Ouch!  In certain cases and there are times, especially in my younger days that I have been  guilty and have sinned against these virtues.   But with God’s mercy and forgiveness, I always tried very hard to stand up hoping   to do good things just to please God.   Various lures and temptations however abound to prevent me from going all the way for God.  I must admit even up to this day I am still struggling to be a real good person, to be holy and hopefully to change completely for the better.

A classic example of a person who practiced humility and charity when she was on earth was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself.  She entrusted her entire life to God and completely forgets her  own interests.   However, hypocrites like most of us would argue this:  but she was Mary, Jesus’ mother ..…she was destined to be like that!   

Precisely, she was placed there to show us a vivid and concrete very good example.  What is being asked from us is merely to be like her.  Okay, it’s easier said than done….but with the resolve to love God and our neighbors, no doubt we can do it!  It only takes a little practice of humility and charity with a touch of love. God is Love and Love is power …when there’s love we become humble and forgiving, we can bear patiently the faults of others.  As such, we will be able to face the challenges of the world today and ultimately  to build and live in a world filled with beauty and joy.    

I would like to end this reflection with a short prayer:  

Loving God, please forgive us for our shortcomings and limitations.  Teach us to be childlike….whose humility and charity has love.  Grant us the grace of unselfish and generous service which Mary had …..so that we may follow you till the end. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord  - Amen

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1. April 2010 by admin.

There was a time in my friend’s life when she felt betrayed and humiliated by certain people whom she had crossed paths with.    At first , these people appeared to be gracious and gentle because they needed  her for their triumphant entry.  Unwittingly and probably due to her naivety of  the word “power play” in the business world, so to speak,   these people prior to joining the organization had already specific agenda  in mind to take steps on how my friend could be stripped of most of her crucial duties taking into account certain vested interests. 

This friend of mine is the type of person whose only passion was to serve her organization with so much dedication and enthusiasm so as to effectively run their organization despite the lack of resources.  To recapitulate what had happened,  these people succeeded with my friend being out of the picture.  

True, my friend got hurt and depressed due to the betrayal and humiliation of what had happened to her.  My friend can be a “fighter” at times, but in this case she didn’t fight  out her rights,  she was helpless and  had nothing to arm  them to the teeth!    She felt, it was not worth it! These people are rich and influential!  

To overcome the misery, she lifted everything to God, relied and trusted in His infinite goodness and mercy.  She recognized that what she had experienced was merely a minute compared to what Jesus had felt when He was being insulted, presecuted, scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified on the cross.  My friend found her strength in literally crying out to God about the unfortunate experience.  Because of her faith in God, it didn’t take a long time for her to overcome the sadness of the loss of what she was familiar with.  She realized probably it was a blessing in disguise…that God has something new in store for her. She didn’t give up but instead she moved on. She accepted what was given to her and said acceptance resulted in joy, excitement and freshness in her life.  

We may have encountered like what my friend had experienced regardless of how trivial it may have  been. But as the saying  goes, what is essential is invisible to the eye!  God could be our little prince who is always there to bring hope, give us courage and provide us with everything we need in our daily lives. We just have to open our hearts and believe in Him with all our mind and strength.

Just like what my friend did, you can do it too! Tawag lang daw tayo kay Bro!

I hope you’ve learned something from this true story. May you have a blessed Holy Week!

Wise words:  “The happiness of the man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions “. Alfred Tennyson

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1. April 2010 by admin.

In observance of the Holy Week,   myusefultips.com shall be giving you some personal reflections about this season.

For us Christians,  we have learned that Lent is the time of being quiet, reflective, sorry for our sins, and meditating of the passion and death of Christ.   We likewise undertake certain things such as  praying  and doing acts of mercy and love.

However, do we know that Lent is the season of the year where we prepare for Easter time as well?  Lent signifies the freshness of new life — that is, we will be transformed hopefully to become new creations ….more joyful, more generous and more encouraging! 

Have a blessed and meaningful holy week to you all!

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