Line to Heaven!

Hi guys:) You might all be wondering why am I writing again a blog about heaven. Well, if you have any qualms about it, I would like to think that you don’t want to be in heaven. hehehe:) Anyways, I am writing this as a sort of a “blog trilogy” which includes my very first blog See You in Heaven followed by Tears in Heaven. I would like to thank you guys for reading my stories and I hope that you have learned something from it.

Actually, my good friend Lolong gave me the idea writing the blog Tears in Heaven and this Line to Heaven. Honestly, I just feel good and inspired writing stories about heaven. Of course, I will never write anything about its opposite cause thinking of it just makes me feel scared and as I said, I wanted to see my parents in heaven.

Who is your line to heaven? Many say that our angels are our line to heaven. Some say that when someone dies whether a family member or a friend, they become our line to heaven. For the Marian devotees, they believe that our blessed Mother Mary is our personal line to heaven. I am sure that our lines to heaven are always available for us and they are open 24 hours daily without overseas charge wherever part of the world you are calling from.

I am not a book fan but I can say that I like to read especially psychology and motivational books. In my entire life, I have only finished reading two books in one sitting. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and Embraced by the Light written by Betty Eadie. I have partly mentioned in my previous blog Live and Let Die about Tuesdays with Morrie. This time, allow me to share with you one of the highlights of the story Embraced by the Light.

It was a story of the author who was pronounced clinically dead by the doctors and encountered a near-death experience. She described that when her soul was traveling around, she saw a ray of lights that move very fast going up to heaven. She was amazed and stunned by it because it was so beautiful and she has never seen before such an awe-inspiring sight in her entire life. To her amazement, she followed the ray of lights only to discover that God was catching all of it. But before she walked closer to God, she looked down to earth only to see that the ray of lights are the prayers of people mourning, begging, confessing, asking, praising, and thanking God for many things. Others are just praying to God for the intentions of their beloved family, friends, and for others whom they do not even know.

After reading the book, I realized that if many people will pray for my intention, many rays of lights will travel in speed to reach God in heaven. From then on, I always ask people to help me pray to God because I know that all prayers will be granted by Him. I have been addicted to the habit of asking others to help me pray to God for my intentions. Indeed, God's weakness is our prayer. He cannot say no and He will surely grant our prayers in His loving time. That’s why I make it a point that my lines to heaven are always ready to pray for me and with me. They are my family, friends, religious people, and the community where I engage myself with.

Let us always be a line to heaven for others. God will always be happy and ready to open His line in heaven. Start contacting Him now!

Tears in Heaven!

When I was young, I was an active member of the Legion of Mary. This is a church organization that propagates the virtues of the blessed Mother Mary. As a Catholic and as a legionary, we promised to protect the Catholic faith by being soldiers of Mary. Every Sunday, we had our regular meeting presided by our president. During his allocutio, meaning, his time to share his reflection to all the members of the praesidium based from the legion handbook, I remember him sharing a very beautiful story I will never forget.

One day, an emergency meeting of all angels in heaven was called upon because of the news that God was sad. Because of this, the leader of the angels summoned everyone to discuss their plan on how to make God happy. After hours of deliberation, they have all decided to go to planet earth and find anything that they can offer to God to make him feel good and happy. Because angels can fly, they all rushed down to earth and went to different places to search for anything that they can find and offer to God with the hope that it will help solve their concern.

After a long period of time, here comes Angelito, a big and brave angel who immediately offered a sweet and red watermelon. He gave it to God and said, “My God, here is a very delicious fruit which I found from the country the Philippines, people love it so much and I thought of getting one for you. I hope you will like it.” God replied, “Thank you Angelito you are very thoughtful to remember me.” Apparently, God was still sad. The angels in heaven were still worried and as they kept on hoping at the same time that one of their friends will be able to bring something for God that will make Him feel happy. After awhile, an angel named Angelita was flying very fast towards God. She was holding a beautiful and colorful batik from Indonesia. Angelita offered it to God and said, “God I found this very attractive item from Indonesia and I hope you will like it.” Again, God replied, “Thank you for being kind Angelita, I truly appreciate it.” But still, God looked sad and gloomy. It seemed to be hopeless for the angels to make God feel happy. Nonetheless, they still waited for the rest of the angels to return. This time, it was the turn of Kerubin to offer his gift to God. However, the angels were all surprised because Kerubin was empty handed. Still, he went to God and said, “My God, I am very sorry because I don’t have any item I can offer you.” God replied, “Kerubin, your effort means a lot to me and you need not worry.” Kerubin continued to talk and said: When I was roaming around your beautiful creation, I chanced upon to visit an old church in a small island surrounded by clean and blue waters. Inside the church, I heard a sound of an old woman crying. She was praying and begging that you help her son who was dying. When I saw the tears dropping from her eyes, I tried my best to fly fast and catch a tear that was falling. I have it here my God and this is what I can only offer you. God replied, “Thank you very much Kerubin, you made me happy.” All the angels were taken aghast because they never realized that a tear from an old woman will make God feel happy. They all thanked Kerubin and there was an unending euphoria in heaven because God was happy again.

I have heard a lot of good stories but this one made me realize that it is not only good things that we accomplish, offer, and give thanks to God that make Him happy. Even the saddest moment of our life when offered to God make him happy too because we are able to share our genuine being with Him. It doesn’t mean that He wants us to be sad but it only means that God feels more our love towards Him especially when we are down and low. Thus, He is always there to be with us and share in our moments of trials and sufferings.

Tears in heaven. A very precious tear that means happiness to our God. How about you? What do you do when tears fall from your eyes? Don’t you think it can also make God feel happy when you offer it to Him?

Only God Can Forgive?

I cannot forgive my partner who betrayed my trust and loyalty. I cannot forgive my friend who rejected me for no apparent reason. I cannot forgive our government leaders for their unending 'clandestine' activity. I cannot forgive myself for all the sins that I have committed.

I remember when I was deeply hurt by my cousin for putting my mother in a very humiliating situation. I hurt myself by punching the wall of my room so as just to displace my anger as  I wanted that time to retaliate by hurting my cousin. I was fuming with anger and I was cursing my cousin because she had hurt the one I love so much, my mother. My mother was crying and I was helpless then. I could only cry with her at that time. This, I consider as the most 'unforgivable' event in my life.

We all grew up in a Catholic faith that reminds us to forgive endlessly. What can be more painful for a Father to give up the life of His only Son for the sins He has never committed?  Because we condition ourselves to  believe that only God can forgive and that we are just but human who are born to sin with all our idiosyncratic thoughts and behaviors, we take this as an excuse not to forgive.  However, we are also taught by the same  Faith  that we are all created in God’s image and likeness. We are the Alter Christus – the Other Christ.  Hence, we continuously receive God’s loving grace and mercy through the sacraments. Thus, we are empowered to exercise and share the sacrament of reconciliation by making amends to our own being and to our fellowmen.  In that connection therefore, it is not true that only God can forgive and that we cannot forgive. I believe that this is the very essence why He was crucified and died on the cross. That this may serve as a true and living example for all of us to love others as He loves all of His creation. We become one with God as we continue to commemorate and experience His life of passion, death, and resurrection, which are all manifest actions of the greatest Love that the world has known.

Now, when I remember what my cousin has done to my mother,  I can only say THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO MY ONE AND TRUE GOD. Because of Him,  I was able to forgive in my heart and I don’t feel the pain anymore. It was a very liberating and soul inspiring experience of God’s unconditional love to me. I know that you can forgive too no matter how painful it may be because God is in you.

Like what St. Therese of the Child Jesus once said, “I will make my heaven by doing good on earth.” Let us continue to aspire for goodness and support each other as one Church of God in making this world a heaven of peace, love, and reconciliation for everyone.