CHECKLIST FOR 2007 by Glenn Jaboneta

LAST PART OF THE SERIES

On the virtue of MORTIFICATION. The Scripture reads, “Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life destroys it, and whoever despises his life in this world keeps it for everlasting life. Whoever wants to serve me, let him follow me and wherever I am, there shall my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is in distress. Shall I say Father, save me from this hour? But, I have come to this hour to face all this, Father glorify your name!” (Jn. 12: 24-28)

The practice of mortification is not only for the religious. In whatever state of life we find ourselves immersed into the practice of this particular virtue remains significant. Let me offer some ways. Let us start with the story of dying.

Mobile phones nowadays, are part of life. The most sophisticated, very expensive and up-to-date mobile phones are in the hands of religious men and women and to us to me former seminarians. I could still remember the words of Fr. Jesus Martinez, C.M. in one of his Spiritual Direction sessions with the seminarians. In his perspective, material possessions could be considered basura. He was talking about cars then, branded body pieces and some items considered luxurious by the standards of seminary life. There were no mobile phones yet at that time. I do not know if Fr. Martinez would call it basura. But I feel the point is in serving Christ there is a call for sacrifice.

Towards the end of 2006, I received a call from Jessric. The center of our conversation was on the aspect of sacrifice. He is a father now and he is planning to go out of the country not for himself but for his family.

Rey F. he belongs to the batch of Christian B. and Nonoy M. to name a few. When I met him here in school he told me that his son who is too young to suffer needs a heart operation. I am updated about the things being done to his son. He went to Manila for the operation and the son was admitted at the Philippine Heart Center. November 14, 2006, I received a text message from Loiue Placido. I quote, “Claude Wayne passed away. He is now with God. Pls. pray for Rey F. and family.” I am certain like any other father if he could be the one to endure the pain not the son. Sana ako na lang.

I feel this is mortification strictly speaking. Rustom Padilla was given the question when he revealed that he is gay if he is sexually active. We can also look at mortification in this way. But I feel we need also to celebrate and wonderfully accept who we are in the context of authentic friendships. At the same time condemning the act of sexual abuses committed against people especially because that is not the way to celebrate sexuality.

The guide questions:

Am I willing to die to myself?
Am I willing at times to forget about my needs and sacrifice for others?
Do I at times do things for others in a begrudging manner?

Finally, the APOSTOLIC ZEAL. Matthew’s image of this zeal has something to do with salt. Matthew is saying, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will trample on it.” (Mt.5: 13)

The following questions could help us.

Am I enthusiastic in my apostolic work?
Do I inspire hope in others and for others?
Am I showing signs of burn out and indifference in my dealings with others?
Do I truly see the poor as my “Lords” and “Masters”, treating them like objectives, as stepping stones to my “own greater honor and glory?


This zeal is true in whatever calling we are in. As religious it is essential, we preach with passion, we listen to people from the heart and live vows no matter how challenging it is.

In marriage, it is like saying “may asim pa” when it comes to sleeping and waking up with the same person the rest of our lives. We need to put zeal in the covenant of love we forge with the beloved.

What is so blessed about being single? Just like me. It is the zeal one puts to it. Now that I am literally staying in De Paul College last novena masses popularly known as the Simbang Gabi in one of the masses I attended the celebrant said I am 47 years old and was ordained priest last year. Fr. Danny after his break in Manila told me a certain Elioraga a classmate of Fr. Roland Tuason is now back. It is the zeal one puts to live life as a religious or being single but with a heart full of smiles.

I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to Bogs, to Alex and all those who remain steadfast in their generosity. Thank you so much. God bless you a hundredfold.

Happy New Year to all and Happy Feast Day!

CHECKLIST FOR 2007 by Glenn Jaboneta

PART II

Second, SIMPLICITY. St. Luke 18: 15-17 is saying “They brought children to Jesus to have him touch them; but then the disciples rebuked these people. So Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

If you are a father, your children can teach you the same lesson. They are your guides to the kingdom of God. It is a kingdom for children. We need also to analyze and evaluate how we treat them because maybe at the end we are the ones making their lives complex.

The simplicity of life as lived by a child.

Here are the guide questions.

Is my heart only for God?
Am I transparent, sincere in my dealings with others?
Do I seek the truth or do I sometimes hide the truth so that my real nature will not be known?

When I was in the seminary there was this song, “Hiding inside Myself” which I liked. From my point of view now I was hiding inside myself because I was hiding from pain, from rejection. I had fear of being tagged as homosexual. I was then maybe hiding and would love the term effeminate than homosexual. There were a lot of acceptance with effeminacy and a lot of rejection from homosexuality. I tried and did well in the practice of celibacy and chastity. (LIAR!) But it was true. Since I was out of formation the real essence of celibacy and chastity were challenged. I had my days. But above all I am very thankful that in my shell I was able to come out wonderfully but painful. But pain will always be part of the process. There is still that fear of rejection even at this moment, but the unconditional love of people around me particularly with whom I encountered true friendships are assurances enough that in life to be hurt means growth.

We now reflect on the virtue of MEEKNESS. Part of the gospel of St. Matthew is saying, “Come to me, all of you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me that I am GENTLE and HUMBLE of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is good and my burden light.” (Mt. 11: 25-30)

A short life of St. Vincent de Paul by Luigi Mezzadri, C.M. translated by Thomas Davitt, C.M. is revealing on meekness as lived by Vincent. It is saying, “He also learnt the lesson of gentleness, a virtue which does not come naturally to him. When he saw this virtue in Francis de Sales he could not help reflecting: “How good you must be, my God, if Francis de Sales, your creature, is so gentle and lovable.”

There is still a term which rings in my mind as I recalled back experiences in VHS. Are you familiar with the term “BUGA?” Binugahan ako…Binugahan ko siya…Translated it would mean that is being mean, arrogant. The person is simply mataray without basis at all. There are some people who are mataray, but with timing and logical. I feel the opposite of this reality was the struggle of Vincent and St. Francis de Sales showed him the way to meekness.

We too are invited to encounter God as a gentle God. I am certain we shall draw more people to God through our gentleness. I remember a line in the Liturgy of the Hours which says, “Turn our hearts of stone, into natural hearts.” Maybe, this is gentleness.

The guide questions for us to ponder.

Am I gentle in my dealings with others or am I aggressive and offensive?
Am I approachable or do I shut the door of my heart to others?
Am I truly compassionate, able to suffer with others?

ROXAS CITY, RECONQUERED

The day after docking at the “City of Dreams” (Iloilo), we, the new batch (some said the “anointed ones”), with ambivalent feelings of fear and excitement, set ourselves for Roxas City.

Thanks to Fr. Benney Enano, his pawis-steering BIDA and to the all-muscled Toto and Francis, we reached St. Anthony College whole and unscathed. Though our dorm was still not prepared because of our late advice of arrival, Sr. Glo, was able to fix the place in the span of 10 minutes.

It was when we were lying on bed for our siesta that we fully realized that we have indeed have arrived in Roxas City and that we have a new and different life. If for the last few weeks, coming here was just a dream, now it is a reality. Everybody hoped though that there would be no “nightmares.”

On June 26, as part of PIS Director’s job, Fr. Johnny paid us a visit to find out not only our pressing concerns but also to lay down some rules concerning our stay. Since we are very much far from the rest of our batch mates, he emphasized greater responsibility and personal discipline.

According to him, in his watch there are some negotiable and non-negotiable principles that most of us must observe in order for the program to work on us.


NOTE: This article is an excerpt from MONTANIETTOS, the journal of PIS seminarians assigned at St. Anthony College, Roxas City. I am posting it in honor of my batch mates and on the occasion of the closing of the PIS program this coming March 2007.

BUCKEYES, GATORS AND AMERICAN CULTURE

The predictions were simply wrong… and painful. All the time, Ohio State was expected to win the BCS Championship but they fell short and lose sloppily. Florida Gators, the underdog, proved to be more agile, and hungrier for the title.

I have never understood American Football. How could fans came in the stadium with painted faces, wearing their team’s color and enjoy such the game of running and power? I have never understood it until now. Until I saw Gators slowly slaughtering my Buckeyes. It was unbelievable and I could not take it. By the time the first half ended, it was a 34-14 in favor of Gators. It was then that I shut off the TV and never wanted to watch it again. But even on bed, I can’t help but think of their defeat.

I would normally get a Tuesday newspaper, but this time, I opted not to. But who can escape from it. Hence, I resolved to see what happened. Indeed, the Gators won and we lost, 41 – 14. Although the Ohio coach and Troy Smith put up a face, yet the fact is, Gators won, and there is no doubt about it. They are now the no. 1 in college football this year.

But like a good fan, I say, see you next year. And God willing, we could get the most coveted BCS Championship trophy.

Understanding American Football, is understanding the American psyche. Understanding football is understanding the culture of the community. If you can’t dig it, then you will never dig the American psyche. And for me, well, I am slowly digging it.

But in the end, I say, GO BUCKEYES GO!

CHECKLIST FOR 2007 By Reynold Glenn Jaboneta, acm'88

PART ONE

We welcome 2007 will hearts full of hope and may the year give all of us meaningful journey and significant encounters and deep friendships.

Kris Aquino and James Yap are making the headlines nowadays for the birth of their child this 2007. This will be the lucky year for them according to the experts on stars, yin and yang and all. In the Philippines it is the news.

On the other hand is the debate on the custody of the American soldier Daniel Smith, the May 2007 elections. We can be carried away by all these and miss out the essentials. After all, Exupery is saying what is essential is invisible to the eye.

This is the essential this 2007. This is about the VINCENTIAN VIRTUES PERSONAL CHECKLIST by Rev. Fr. Gregory Gay, C.M. He is currently the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission. This February he will come to visit De Paul College and all the other Vincentian houses.

The personal checklist will make sense in our journey patterned after St. Vincent de Paul, as we embark into another story about life.

We start with HUMILITY. The Scriptural text is taken from the gospel of St. Luke 18: 9-14. This is the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. “Two people went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and said: I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple.”

In the meantime the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Let us see the movements of these characters. Both of them WENT UP to the temple to PRAY. Maybe it is like the journey from the house of Mang Garas or Mang Tony up to VHS to celebrate the Eucharist on a Sunday. In life we all journey uphill or in whatever terrain and lived a way of life on how to approach God, encounter God.

The Pharisee STOOD BY HIMSELF and SAID…I THANK YOU…I AM NOT like other people…or even like this tax collector. I FAST…I GIVE…the tenth of all MY INCOME.

What about the tax collector? STANDING FAR OFF, NOT EVEN LIFT HIS EYES, BEAT his breast...BE MERCIFUL TO ME, A SINNER.

The Pharisee is full of himself. I thank you, I am not like. I fast. I give.. My income. It was a litany of “I”. On the other hand the tax collector standing far off beat his breast. Be merciful to me, a sinner. This is what humble people do.

We can ask these questions as suggested by Fr. Gay. All the guide questions are taken from the checklist.

1. Do I recognize my dignity as a son/daughter of God, having the humility to see the gifts God has given me and do I use those gifts for His glory or for my own vanity?

2. Am I able to recognize my own limits, my weaknesses, my shortcomings, my failings before others?

3. Am I able to forgive others and ask forgiveness for my offenses?