*Pakigpulong ni Lourdes Nga Wala Mahatag Niadtong Reunion Kay Nagkaguliyang ta sa Kasadya.
"Perhaps a stable order can only be established on earth if man always remains accurately conscious that his condition is that of a traveler”, one author says in his essay.
Salamat sa Dios! We made it today! With grateful hearts, we have come to stop for a while after 30 years! We just heard the introduction of batchmates, the memoir and the account of our journey. Indeed, there is reason to be grateful and to celebrate what the Lord has done for all of us in these 30 years.
Looking at your faces, I can tell that everybody is happy to be here. But, I don’t know how you felt before coming here. I don’t know the situations of your homes, your marriage, your families, your job, your business, etc. Are you in crisis? I don’t know. Are you in good health? Some of us, maybe, sakit na ang tuhod ug payod. I don’t know. But, I know German (Infante), our classmate, has one year to live because of cancer. He would have wanted to come but he is unfit to travel. And we, who are present, who can tell how long will we live? Some of us here, maybe, are afraid about tomorrow, when the 30 years anniversary celebration is over, when we continue the journey. We are thinking that, perhaps, everything that we have now will not mean a whole lot in the future with too many uncertainties we are facing.
Despite this, I am still very excited about the future, not because, maybe, I will find a husband. I invite you to be excited also. I will tell you why, but why? It is because there is God. I believe that here on earth man does not have a lasting city, that his stability and security consist in being rooted in God. That here, we are just travelers.
Looking back, we went through the ups and downs in life. Without knowing it, the “down” moments were the best times of my life and yours because we became mature and better persons. We learned that there is Someone stronger than us. We came to know the Lord in a most profound way.
Classmates, we live in hope and we do not get discouraged in present situations, trials and difficulties. From the knowledge of the present gifts: the gift of life, that fact that we are still here, the gift of families, children and loved ones, the gift of friendship, for widows and singles, like me, though we are alone, yet we are not lonely, the gift of our work, professions, the many, many graces which cannot be counted, and most of all the gift of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our true treasure and source of joy, the certainty of the future can be deduced.
In the meantime, therefore, let us pray that we may be able to do the will of God. If you are a teacher, teach well; if you are an engineer, an entertainer, a doctor, a lawyer, a traffic officer, a housewife, a businessman, a public servant, etc. do your share for love of God. According to St. John of the Cross, “In the evening of our lives, we shall only be judged on love”. Let us be faithful servants then, even if it entails sacrifice. Let us not be impatient or focused on immediate rewards. One can be truly happy if he accepts and enters into the will of God.
There was a story of three friends who started a journey. The three heard the church bell rang. The two wanted to go to church for they know that the trip would be long. So they asked the other one to join them. But the other one replied: “What is the point of going to church when we should be traveling and what gain God has if we do go? You two may go if you like but I will not go. While you are there I will have gone a long way and I am in a hurry to get home.”
One of them said, “Look, don’t predict how God will arrange things!”
The two went to church and the other one headed for the road. After the Liturgy, the one who went ahead came back running, all out of breath. “What happened?” the two asked. He said that he went to a store to get some change and a drink. After he walked a few kilometers away, he decided to count his money to see whether he had all of it. He found it all there, but he discovered that his passport was gone. He almost lost his head. But then it occurred to him that he probably had dropped it while he was getting the change. So he ran back, he found it on the floor of the store, still folded. He was very happy. He came back to tell them what happened and to ask for some ointment for his foot. With so much running he rubbed his foot, he could hardly walk.
The friend said: “No doubt it happened because you refused to come to church with us to pray before beginning your journey. You wanted to be ahead of us but you came back, and disabled at that. I warned you about your prediction, and you see how things turned out”.
Of course, God does not need prayer from us sinners, but in His love for us He likes to see us pray. God, in His love, rewards man a thousand times more than his actions deserve. If you will only decide to go to the Father, He will come to meet you.
One of my favorite Psalm is Psalm 127. It says: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders toil. If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the watchmen keep vigil. In vain is your early rising, your going late to rest to earn your daily bread. God gives it to His friends while they sleep. xxx”
Classmates, our journey must continue. Be not afraid because we do not travel alone! The Lord is with us every step of the way! He loves you and me!
See you again soon! God bless us all!
"Perhaps a stable order can only be established on earth if man always remains accurately conscious that his condition is that of a traveler”, one author says in his essay.
Salamat sa Dios! We made it today! With grateful hearts, we have come to stop for a while after 30 years! We just heard the introduction of batchmates, the memoir and the account of our journey. Indeed, there is reason to be grateful and to celebrate what the Lord has done for all of us in these 30 years.
Looking at your faces, I can tell that everybody is happy to be here. But, I don’t know how you felt before coming here. I don’t know the situations of your homes, your marriage, your families, your job, your business, etc. Are you in crisis? I don’t know. Are you in good health? Some of us, maybe, sakit na ang tuhod ug payod. I don’t know. But, I know German (Infante), our classmate, has one year to live because of cancer. He would have wanted to come but he is unfit to travel. And we, who are present, who can tell how long will we live? Some of us here, maybe, are afraid about tomorrow, when the 30 years anniversary celebration is over, when we continue the journey. We are thinking that, perhaps, everything that we have now will not mean a whole lot in the future with too many uncertainties we are facing.
Despite this, I am still very excited about the future, not because, maybe, I will find a husband. I invite you to be excited also. I will tell you why, but why? It is because there is God. I believe that here on earth man does not have a lasting city, that his stability and security consist in being rooted in God. That here, we are just travelers.
Looking back, we went through the ups and downs in life. Without knowing it, the “down” moments were the best times of my life and yours because we became mature and better persons. We learned that there is Someone stronger than us. We came to know the Lord in a most profound way.
Classmates, we live in hope and we do not get discouraged in present situations, trials and difficulties. From the knowledge of the present gifts: the gift of life, that fact that we are still here, the gift of families, children and loved ones, the gift of friendship, for widows and singles, like me, though we are alone, yet we are not lonely, the gift of our work, professions, the many, many graces which cannot be counted, and most of all the gift of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our true treasure and source of joy, the certainty of the future can be deduced.
In the meantime, therefore, let us pray that we may be able to do the will of God. If you are a teacher, teach well; if you are an engineer, an entertainer, a doctor, a lawyer, a traffic officer, a housewife, a businessman, a public servant, etc. do your share for love of God. According to St. John of the Cross, “In the evening of our lives, we shall only be judged on love”. Let us be faithful servants then, even if it entails sacrifice. Let us not be impatient or focused on immediate rewards. One can be truly happy if he accepts and enters into the will of God.
There was a story of three friends who started a journey. The three heard the church bell rang. The two wanted to go to church for they know that the trip would be long. So they asked the other one to join them. But the other one replied: “What is the point of going to church when we should be traveling and what gain God has if we do go? You two may go if you like but I will not go. While you are there I will have gone a long way and I am in a hurry to get home.”
One of them said, “Look, don’t predict how God will arrange things!”
The two went to church and the other one headed for the road. After the Liturgy, the one who went ahead came back running, all out of breath. “What happened?” the two asked. He said that he went to a store to get some change and a drink. After he walked a few kilometers away, he decided to count his money to see whether he had all of it. He found it all there, but he discovered that his passport was gone. He almost lost his head. But then it occurred to him that he probably had dropped it while he was getting the change. So he ran back, he found it on the floor of the store, still folded. He was very happy. He came back to tell them what happened and to ask for some ointment for his foot. With so much running he rubbed his foot, he could hardly walk.
The friend said: “No doubt it happened because you refused to come to church with us to pray before beginning your journey. You wanted to be ahead of us but you came back, and disabled at that. I warned you about your prediction, and you see how things turned out”.
Of course, God does not need prayer from us sinners, but in His love for us He likes to see us pray. God, in His love, rewards man a thousand times more than his actions deserve. If you will only decide to go to the Father, He will come to meet you.
One of my favorite Psalm is Psalm 127. It says: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders toil. If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain do the watchmen keep vigil. In vain is your early rising, your going late to rest to earn your daily bread. God gives it to His friends while they sleep. xxx”
Classmates, our journey must continue. Be not afraid because we do not travel alone! The Lord is with us every step of the way! He loves you and me!
See you again soon! God bless us all!
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