Shainie and Jay-R's Nuptial

 

One of the great saints, St. Thomas Aquinas defined love as an act of the will and not merely a feeling. For him, love is to will the good of the other.

Shainie and Jay-R, when we say will, we can easily connect it with the word power. In our ordinary life experience, we say there is power when we talk of gadgets or technologies which work referring to it as “gumagana”. If we check things out that do not work, we say “bakit ayaw gumana or bakit hindi gumagana.”

Will then as a power to love is what it takes to make a relationship works. However, you have to understand that no one can see your will because it is something that is inside you; it is in your “kalooban”. So no one is interested to see your “kalooban” except for those who love you. Yet, everyone is eager to know the secret why a relationship works –“paano gumagana ang isang relasyon”. The answer for this is simple: If there is a will, there is a way.

But love is not just about willpower. It has to set a direction. Why do we charge our cellular phone? Would it be enough to see it fully charged and could turn its power on? The purpose of loving is not about finding oneself feeling happy with the other. Rather, it seeks the good of the other. Ano bang mabuting gawin ko para sa kanya? Paano ko siya mapapabuti? Paano ba siya maging mabuting tao? Lacking this good intention, any relationship fails to build itself on true love. True love always makes a couple better.  

Now, in the definition of love, the direction is pointing toward the other, and not to oneself. This does not mean that one does not need to love himself/herself. Rather, how one loves himself/herself shall also be how he/she has to love the other. Shainie, love Jay-R as you love yourself. Jay-R, love Shainie as you love yourself. However, as you are going to get married today, you have to get an unlimited source of love which you cannot find in yourself. Human as you are, you have limits in loving. Thus, human love cannot be able to handle the demands and challenges of married life. There is a need to look for the source of love which can sustain the both of you. The answer can be found in the Gospel of John 13:34 which states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Shainie and Jay-R, if you want to remain in love as a married couple, you have to call on God. You have to pray together. You pray for your spouse. If you cannot pray together, then what is the use of getting married in this church. The church is a place for you to ask God for his blessings and not a mere venue for a ritual. You are here to pray. You start your married life with a prayer, you can only stay in marriage until death when you pray together.

Shainie and Jay-R, love is to will the good of the other. There is no greater good than to be blessed by God. Pray for each other. Pray together. Love each other till the end of your time. Amen.

Leenard Mabasa Cristobal's Funeral Homily

 

Death is certain. No one among us can stop it when it comes. Not even our love for Leenard can stop his death. Neither our words of sympathy nor apology can equal what the family and friends have lost. But Leenard’s name should not be treated lightly by anybody. Though anyone can take his place in this world, he is irreplaceable in the hearts of the people who love him.

Leenard for me is like BDO, he finds ways. In many occasions, Leenard would actively look for ways to help others in need. I remember when someone got an accident, he got out of his way to owe some amount needed for the surgery. He swallowed his pride just to raise fund to save someone’s life.

Leenard for me is like a Nike, if he knows he can do the things assigned to him –“just do it” is his attitude. Many people and even some priests thought before that I was the ghost writer of my mother and my brothers in preparing their speeches. Today, I can say that it was actually Leenard. Even my mother who was good in writing, would ask Leenard to encode her speeches and proofread them. There was a time I criticized him for one of the speeches delivered by my brother, he checked his notes and showed me to point out that part of speech I was talking about. Then I said why I could not find it there. He then justified that the speech he prepared for was just a guide. The speaker could choose either to read it or not to read it.  

Leenard for me is like Shell that bears a slogan, “together anything is possible”. Though this is something private and sensitive but it is good that you become aware of it. In a political exercise, I would say Leenard made the impossible possible. There were voters who would never vote for my brothers, for whatever reasons, yet through Leenard’s effort, it turned out that he was able to convince some of them to vote for my siblings. I learned about this from those people themselves whom Leenard approached.

Leenard for me is also like Petron which bears a slogan, “we fuel success”. At his age and wisdom, he reached the height of his career whether in business or in public service. His success did not come by chance. He worked patiently for it. He earned it. Unknowingly, while success can provide happiness, success can be vulnerable to negative influences, such as envy, competition or evil eyes.

One of my friends from Ibajay said, “Sayang yong kaibigan mo pads, bata pa siya para pumanaw at yong iniwan niyang posisyon sa Human Resource, sayang.” Yes, for many, Leenard was successful at his very young age; but at his age, people forgot he was vulnerable. Between the ages of 40 and 60, there is a transition, there is an emotional change, there can also be the feeling of inadequacy that takes place in one’s heart -especially when others can see all the failures, errors and mistakes but none of the efforts to achieve a goal. In short, the longer you hold success, the heavier it becomes. And when others pushed you beyond your limits while holding a heavier load, and in addition, you are at your fragile, delicate and vulnerable age -you will be broken. Once broken, every expectation will bring you frustration. This is the moment when a person becomes vulnerable in the sense that we can say, he is not himself. This is the reason why we have to be kind to everyone because we never know what someone has been through.

Now, I ask, “Why Lord? Why he was taken too soon?” For me, I wish to say to the Lord that Leenard had so much to give, so much to achieve. But this is only “for me” -my own point of view as an imperfect human being. But how about God? How about His point of view?

My dear friends, God does not measure life by years but by love. The Book of Wisdom (4:7,11) explains how God’s love works as it states:

“But the righteous one, though he die early, shall be at rest. The one who pleased God was loved, living among sinners, was transported -Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul.”

To the family, be thankful to God in sending Leenard back to his Creator. You have shaped his heart well enough to receive his reward in heaven. To his relatives and friends, let us not consider the death of Leenard as the end of his life. Rather, let us see his death as a promotion from the hard works of this world to a final rest in heaven. To all of us, let us know that even death itself cannot make us blind to see the love of God. No title, no salary, no success is more precious than the soul of Leenard. The soul of Leenard is now in the hand of God and no torment will ever touch him. He now finally rests in peace. Amen.

14th Sunday in OT

 

A wealthy merchant decides to sell his goods in a bustling town by the sea. He travels through different routes—some long and treacherous, others short and safe—carrying exquisite items that he believes will attract many buyers. Each day, he takes a different path, hoping to catch the attention of potential customers. On the other hand, a humble fisherman casts his nets into the sea, bringing in fish that he sells at the marketplace. The fisherman’s journey is simple; he goes straight to the shore, catches fish, and returns to sell them without any elaborate routes or strategies. Despite the merchant’s efforts to impress the townsfolk with his varied routes and the quality of his goods, the people are more interested in the fresh fish that the fisherman consistently provides. They are indifferent to how the merchant arrived or the lengths he went to; they only care about what is immediately available and practical for their needs.

Product strategy comes first in marketing. Buyers are not interested in the route-to-market plan of the seller as long as they get the product they want. Buyers do not go to the marketplace to know about the seller’s conditions. Albeit, traveling salesman does not go from one house to another to tell their personal stories. Both the buyers and the sellers talk about the product.

In our Gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 16-20), Jesus was commissioning his seventy -two disciples not to sell a product but to preach that the kingdom of God it at hand. But who will be interested to listen about the kingdom of God? People who do not care about their souls have no time to entertain such disciples visiting their homes. But with the disciples who stood as witnesses to Jesus, the mission was never impossible. They returned to Jesus rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 

On this 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we, Christians are reminded of our mission to preach that the kingdom of God is at hand. But before we can fulfill this mission, we need to ask ourselves if the kingdom of God has been part of our lives (if not the center of our lives). Because the moment we start preaching of the kingdom of God, we have to deal with the reality of rejection. Not all people are willing to listen to us and about God’s kingdom. On this occasion, we somehow consider ourselves failure and may tend to abandon the mission. This only happens when we are not clear of how important the kingdom of God is in our lives. In other words, we cannot give what we do not have. If we cannot treasure the kingdom of God personally, then how can we be able to convince others to treasure it.

SUPERHEROES OF FAITH

 

Superman, Spiderman, Batman, .... They are known as superheroes, men who possess extraordinary strength and character. Even if they are regarded as such, still they are like us. They are also human beings because they behave, think, and live like the way we do. Superman, for instance, works as an office clerk: Spiderman, on the other hand, wants to be great in photography. Each of them was called to carry that special power to be used to defend the oppressed and fight the evil forces aiming to destroy mankind. Some of them were unaware of it and hardly understood why it happened to them. Others showed resistance and felt uncertainties. Though they could have refused and ran away but it seemed inevitable. In the long run, they could do nothing but accept it. Ordinary as they regarded themselves, yet, they embraced with all their might, their calling, their fate, whether it is a curse or a gift. In effect, they opted to live an ordinary life, as ordinary persons but did their work extraordinarily. They encountered more difficulties in revealing their real self than their super self. Indeed, this takes an extraordinary effort to comply and traverse two diverged roads.

Next, they chose to be celibates although they do fall in love. Celibacy is not an escape from married life but a self-dedication in serving others. Anyway, loving someone does not always mean marrying the person. They were never alone. A lot of people love them even without their knowledge. Many admire them for their great deeds. People are longing for their presence. Both the young and the old, man or woman, are excited and amazed to see them. Even if they do not have their beloved with them, still they have these people who love them.

In their context, to have diversity of power is not a reason of having conflict with others who have superpowers too. Neither superiority complex nor inferiority complex is experienced within the group. Did Superman do something to outmaneuver either Spiderman or Batman so that he will be regarded as the greatest? No, he didn't and the others also never did it. They've respected each other's gift and mission. What preoccupied them is their desire to serve and to do their work well. Moreover, they were given different gifts, wherein each has corresponding responsibility. In addition to that, they sprang from different eras and they used their power to support one another and not to compete with each other.

Superheroes last forever. Their immortality relies on the works they have done. I have first known them when I was still a child. They were there in the past, evident in the present, and definitely will be remembered in the future. People from all walks of life and from many generations still have them in their hearts. Their legacy is still cherished and admired, and such makes them immortals. For sure superheroes are not real. In the Philippine setting, we also have the like of Captain Barbel and Darna just to mention a few. They are comic characters. They only exist in the imagination or fictional for that matter. Nevertheless, one thing is certain. They can inspire us to do exemplary things, to do an ordinary work in an extraordinary way.

In the real world, somehow we find superheroes existing in the persona of PRIESTS by these indicators similar to that of Superman and the like. First, priests are ordinary persons but they do their work extraordinarily with the grace of God who calls them to be His ministers despite of being sinners like the rest of mankind.

Priests live a celibate life. Some may have fallen in love but they have sacrificed themselves for the sake of service to others. They are never alone because the whole clergy and Christian community are there. If not so, definitely Christ is with them.

Priesthood is not in conflict with other offices that hold power too. Priests cooperate with other sectors to promote the common good.

Priests last forever. “You will be a priest forever.” To use the words of Karl Rahner in his writing entitled, “A Priest  Forever”, “The priest is a man taken from among men. He is not made from another kind of clay that the rest of us. He continues to share the lot of men after the hand of God has rested on him in the form of the bishop’s hand. As human messengers of the everlasting God, they say, ‘Do not be scandalized at us. We know we carry God’s treasure in vessels of clay; we know that our own shadow keeps darkening God’s light, which we ought to bring to you. Be merciful toward us; don’t judge us; feel sympathy with us weaklings, on whose shoulders God has loaded more grace than what we carry. From it learn that God has no horror of human beings. Blessed will you be then, those of you who have not been scandalized at the priest.” May God bless us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catechesis for Solemnity of All Saints

 

 TODOS LOS SANTOS 2024

l Ro mga nahaunang sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nagpangatubang sa mga paghingabot kanda eabi ku mga makagagahum nga Judeo kamana it Sanhedrin (Acts 8:1). Ro hauna nga nagpangatubang sa mga paghingabot ag ginpili nga mamatay nga may pagtuo hay si St. Stephen (Acts 7: 54-60).

 l Ro mga sumueonod ni KristoHesus nga nag-atubang sa paghingabot ag ginpili nga mamatay nga may pagtuo kaysa sa talikdan ro andang pagtuo hay ginatawag nga “martires” nga ro buot hambaeon “testigo”. Sanda hay ginakabig nga testigo bangud anda nga ginpamatud-an ro andang pagtuo paagi sa pag-uea it andang dugo.  

 l Ro andang kaisog sa pagbaton it kamatayon nga may pagtuo hay nagasandig sa ginturo ni Kristo Hesus (Matthew 5: 11-12)

 “Bulahan kamo kon tungod sa inyo pagsunod sa akon ginayaguta kamo, ginahingabot, kag ginabutang-butangan sang tanan nga kalainan. Amo man ini ang ila ginhimo sang una sa mga propeta. Gani magkalipay gid kamo tungod nga mabaton ninyo ang dako nga balos sa langit.”

 l Dugang sa mga ginapangatubang nga paghingabot ku mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus hay ro paghingabot kanda it Roman Empire bangud indi sanda magsimba sa emperador it Roma bilang Dios o bisan dyos-dyosan. Si St. Paul hay nag-atubang sa kamatayon sa alima it mga Romano nga may pagtuo (2 Timoteo 4: 7-8)

 “Gintipigan ko ang akon pagtuo. Kag karon, may ginatigana ang Dios sa akon nga padya sang pagkamatarong nga iya igahatag sa akon sa adlaw nga siya maghukom sa tanan, kag ang iya paghukom matarong. Indi lang ako ang gintigan-an sina nga padya kundi ang tanan man nga nagapaabot sa iya pagbalik.”

 l  Kombinsido nga ro mga martires namatay nga may pagtuo ag nakabaton eon it balos o padya it Dios sa eangit, ro mga nagakabuhi sa kalibutan nga tumueo-o nagapangamuyo kanda nga buligan ag ig-ampo sanda sa Dios nga kaibahan nanda sa eangit.

 l Sa pagtaliwan it paniempo, natapos eon gid man ro mga paghingabot sa mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus, pero padayon gihapon ro pagkabuhi it mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nga may pagtuo. Bisan pa nga owa pinatay bangud sa pagtuo hay may mga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus nga nagkabuhi it matarong sa rayang kalibutan ag namatay nga ginpakita kon mauno magkabuhi ro isaeang sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus suno sa Ana nga mga bilin o sugo. Raya nga mga tawo ginakabig it Simbahan nga mga santos ag santas it Dios.

 l Ngani ro mga martires ag santos ag santas it Dios nga nauna sa eangit hay mabahoe gid nga bulig sa mga tumueo-o nga nagakabuhi pa sa kalibutan nga igaampo sanda sa Dios.

 l Sa Roma may templo nga kato anay ginatawag nga “Pantheon” (pan = tanan + theo = Dios o buot hambaeon hay baeay it tanan nga dios o dyos-dyosan), hay haadto sa pagtina-eapan ku Simbahan ag ginpamaeos idto ro mga dyos-dyosan ag ginpa-eabi nga mangin simbahan nga ginpangaean kay Santa Maria ag sa tanan nga mga santos ag santas. Ginpakamayad gid it Simbahan nga magtukod it adlaw nga pyesta it tanan nga mga santos ag santas it Dios bangud indi tanan nga nabuhi ag namatay para sa Dios hay mapangaeanan it Simbahan ag makata-eana it adlaw nga pyesta kanda.

 l Ro paghiwat it Todos los Santos hay indi eamang pagpadungog sa mga kilaea nga mga santos o santas kamana kanday San Isidro o Santa Maria de la Cabeza nga may anda nga kinaugalingon nga pyesta, kundi sa mga nabuhi ag namatay nga nagapakasantos o santas man ugaling wa eang haabot sa igta-eupangod ku Simbahan.

 l   Ro paghiwat it Todos los Santos hay pagpadumdom sa mga buhi nga sumueonod ni Kristo Hesus sa kalibutan ku anda nga pagaadtunan (John 3:16)

 “Kay ginahigugma gid sang Dios ang mga tawo sa kalibutan, amo gani nga ginhatag niya ang iya bugtong nga Anak, agod nga ang bisan sin-o nga magtuo sa iya indi mawala kundi hatagan sang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan.”

Homily on my Mom's Funeral

Ours is not a story of a fatherless family. Our story is about a wife and a mother whose life reflects these words of Proverbs 31: 28-29: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband, too, praises her: “Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all.”

We, the six children of Mary Jane Yu Acevedo Rebaldo, call her blessed; this does not mean that she should be declared a saint. Rather, she is called blessed because she received God’s favor. The first favor she always prayed for is that her children remain one and united. What a curse for a mother to see her children fighting against each other? But a mother is called blessed when her children love one another. Why blessed? Well, in our oneness and unity, we are likened to a jigsaw puzzle that when we put ourselves together, people can see the image of our mother. But when we cannot connect to each other, when we are divided, there will be no reminder for people who our mother is.

Mommy believed that the greatest blessing a family can receive from God is the gift of priesthood. She believed that a priest can save all his family members both living and dead by praying and saying mass for them. This is the second favor mommy prayed for –to have a priest in the family.

She started hoping to receive this God’s favor through Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet. Ro daywa nanging sakristan anay ni Msgr. Jose Iturralde ag nagasunod-sunod man si Nong Regnier kay Fr. Jeoffry Jimenez sa anang milisahan. Tag magasueod eon kunta si Nong Regnier sa seminaryo, ginhawiran imaw ni Mama ro nanay ni mommy. Hambae nana hay abu ro eaki sa mga unga ni mommy para magpari pero ipaiway guid ro kamagueangan hay imaw ro katimbang it ginikanan sa pagbantay it pamilya. Si mommy nagpasugot but she continued to ask for God’s gift of the priesthood para sa pamilya. Ro pangamuyo ni mommy istan lang ginpamatian it Dios. Si Nong Ruben nakaasawa it unga it Diakono (deacon) it Iglesia ni Kristo. Samtang si Nong Randy nakaasawa it gumankon it pari nga si Msgr. Mesina.

Mommy’s fantastic four hay ginbunyagan ag ginpangaeanan nga Anthony Regnier, Anthony Raymar, Ruben Anthony ag Randy Anthony. Ro andang ngaean hay gintuead ni mommy sa pinalangga na nga magueang nga si Atty. Anthony Acevedo ag sa anda nga santos nga sangay nga si San Antonio de Padua. Para sa kasayuran it tanan, si San Antonio de Padua hay patron it kada Martes. Si mommy nagtaliwan ku July 30, 2019 adlaw guid nga martes, ro adlaw nga gintaeana para kay San Antonio de Padua.

These fantastic four hay kon magtawag sa among ginikanan hay Nanay ag Tatay pero kami ni Neneng Myra, Mommy ag Papa mat-a. Si Neneng Myra hay sambilog eamang nga baye sa magmanghud. Pinakapalangga imaw ni papa. Palangga man imaw ni Mommy bangud imaw eamang ro ginhawiran ni mommy nga magpabilin kana sa baeay. Ro bilin ni Nanay, si Neneng Myra sa baeay. Dugang nga handum ni mommy hay ro unga ni Neneng Myra nga si Baby Jesus hay manging pari man.

Si mommy hay atat na atat, sabik na sabik, gigil na gigil, nga may magpari sa pamilya. Pero hambae na kang wa ako sa plano na nga magaabot sa anang kabuhi. Bangud una eon kuno ako sa anang tiyan, nangamuyo imaw nga mangin pari guid ako sa pag-ampo ni St. Jude Thaddeus. Ginbunyagan ako nga Jude Isidro, ro ngaean nga wa gaumpisa sa letrang R ag wa man eon it Anthony. Ginbunyagan man ako nga pari ro akon nga ninong, si Fr. Pabs Rentino. Kon ro mga inunga kato hay nagakabisar it “A-B-C”, ako mat-a hay ginapauman-uman nga maghambae “gapari ako”. Tag ginsampok ako sa dahi sang igkampod it dust pan nga himo sa lata nga Baguio Oil, imbes magbaeos ako, si mommy gahambae nga magpasensya bangud kon gapari ako hay ro pari kinahangean mapinasensyahon ag mapinatawaron. Tag gintuli ako, owa it inugpotos ro manugtuli ngani maong ro gingamit na kang. Abaw tag adlaw nga ginapaeos eon ro maong hay indi ana bangud nagadukot sa panit. Kasakit ag ngani gatinangis ako. Si mommy samtang amat amat na ginabadbad ro maong nagahambae kang, nano eot-a ra, di ka eon pwede mag-asawa kon mawra. Kato eon nagtanum sa akong isip nga gapari lang guid ako.

Bangud ako magapari, gintur-an ako ni mommy magpangamuyo. Palapangamuyo abi imaw eabi eon kon makabati imaw nga may mga namatyan, maduaw guid maw para mangamuyo. Nadumduman ko tag si papa hay masakiton sa ospital, adlaw-gabii kami gapangamuyo ag ako ro gapamatbat. Si Papa namatay hay grade 3 ako. Ro tatay ni Mommy namatay hay grade 3 si mommy. Si Papa namatay sa edad nga 47 ag si mommy kato hay 43. Si mommy namatay sa edad nga 77 ag ang edad kara hay 43. Like mother, like son guid kaming daywa.

Tag magasueod eon ako sa seminaryo, gindaea ako nanday Mommy, Mama ag Lola Mary kay Uncle Tony ag Aunty Taty para magpabulig sa galastusan sa sueod it 13 anyos sa seminaryo. Tag gahayskol ako sa seminaryo, masakiton ako. Ginhana ako nga paguwaon bangud abo eon ako nga absences. Ro ginhimo ni Mommy hay gindaea na si Ninang Liezel sa seminaryo para himoong ninong ko sa kumpirma si Fr. Vic Martelino. Si Fr. Vic hay rector kato sa seminaryo ag si Ninang Liezel ana nga sister. Ngani owa guid ako hasipa paguwa sa seminaryo hay ninong ko eon abi ro rector. Tag sa college eon ako hay si Fr. Alex Acevedo Meñez man ro amon nanging rector. Kaistrikto guid kana ag ngani gaguwa eon lang ako sa seminaryo bangud indi ako katakod. Pagkasayud ni Fr. Alex nga maguwa ako hay ana ako minueay. Kahuya huya kuno ako nga manging unga ni Nang Jane na. Bilang kaeapit baeay ag igkampod, kilaea na si mommy nga maisog it boot ag wa gapaeagyo sa mga kabudlayan. Ano kuno ako agi nga sangkere nga problema hay maeagyo. Nachallenge ako. Gintapos ko ro college para pamatud-an kay Fr. Alex nga eaki guid ako. Nagpadayon ako sa Iloilo magtoon pero pag-abot it 1998, nag-eaong eon ako kay mommy nga indi eon ako magpari bangud nabudlayan ako. Ginpasueang eon gani ako kato ni Mama ag ni La Mary kanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet sa Barotac Viejo. Pero owa ako kanda nagsunod pauli hay hambae ko kanda gusto ko lang taposon anay ro school year. Wa ako kasayod nga sa andang pagsueang kang nag-umpisa ro sigedas nga pagpinangamuyo ag sakripisyo ni mommy. Nakaabot imaw kon siin-siin sa pagpangamuyo ag maghaead it kandila ag itlog para eang ako magpari. Nakibot eang ro tanan nga ako paga-ordinahan sa pagkapari. Ako man gani nakibot. Si Fr. Kenn Estocado ro akon classmate halin sa kinder asta nagpari sayod na nga milagro kun bukon it himala nga ako magapari. Para kakon nadaea ni Mommy sa pangamuyo ro pagpari ko. Bago ako ordinahan hambae ko kana, “Mommy, nahadlok ako basi di ko kaya.” Ana eang ako ginsabat nga mangamuyo lang. Hambae na indi na ako pag-aywanan bisan ano matabo. Gintindugan guid ni mommy ro ana nga promisa kang hasta nga umabot ro adlaw nga gauli imaw pagkatapos na magklase hay tinama imaw it bola nga volleyball sa ueo ag tumumba imaw ag nalipong guid. Umpisa kato hay wa pahuway nga ginabalik balik imaw sa ospital sa pagpabueong. 

Ku July 28, ginbadlisan imaw ni Fr. Jesse Pandongon sa bulig ni Fr. Ike Temporaza nga taga Tangalan. Nadumduman ko nga si papa ginbadlisan kato ni Fr. Frederick Malacas sa bulig ni nang Nelfa Tungala nga taga Tangalan man. Ro Tangalan hay hometown ku amon nga tatay ag kon siin sanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet nagserbisyo bilang Kabataang Barangay Chairman ag Kagawad. Sanday Nong Regnier ag Nong Boyet ro gintugyanan ni papa nga proteksyunan si mommy ag kami nga andang mga manghud.

Para sa kasayuran man it tanan, sanday Fr. Pandongon ag Msgr. Malacas hay nanging kibahan ko sa St. Jude Parish anay ag si St. Jude Thaddeus ro natuonan nga pinakapaborito nga santo ni mommy. Dugang pa kara, ro gamisa makaron hay si Msgr. Nestor Nalangan, igkampod ni mommy ag imaw guid ra ro nagturo kang maghiwat it primero ko nga misa cantada pagka-ordin. Sa primero ko nga misa cantada, soksok ko ro stola nga ginbasbasan ni Bishop Gabriel Reyes. Ro stola ngato hay makaron sa alima eon ni mommy. Indi Philippine Flag o Santo Rosario ro ginpadaea ko kana kundi ang stola. Mommy will not face God empty-handed but will bring my blessed stole with her to present it to God humbly saying: “Lord God, salamat may pari ako nga unga. I am blessed and now I have come to take my rest.” God will surely tell her this, “Mary Jane, many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all. Come and rest with me. Amen.”

Roland and Mary's Wedding

Roland and Mary, you both experienced how to love and be loved. You also experienced getting hurt in the name of love. You were hurt because even if you desire to love forever, situations such as the loss of one’s passion or the death of a beloved, have left you all alone, broken and empty.

It is good to love. But once you have lost the one you love, you become afraid to love anymore. You are afraid to get hurt in the name of love. But Roland and Mary, you cannot escape from the fact that God who created you is love; and because He is love, time will come and has come for you to realize that you are meant to be with someone to live in love.

Roland and Mary, you have found your special someone when you started to love each other for being who you are. No matter what you have been through over the past years or what kind of person you are in the mind of others, as long as you love each other, it is enough to open your hearts again before God. Do not be afraid to love again. Do not fear. 1 John 4: 18 states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.”

Roland and Mary, embrace the fact that this time everything will be different. Somehow, you will find it difficult not to compare your present relationship with your previous relationships. This is ok. But it is still better to thank God for all the past hurts in the past relationships. You see, despite your sad experiences, you still have the chance to love again and be happy to celebrate love again. 

Roland, thank God for giving you Mary –she is a very loving woman and she loves you the way other women cannot do. Mary, thank God for giving you Roland –not only because he is handsome but also he is very supportive in all your endeavors. Roland and Mary, thank God for giving both of you your second chance to live with someone in love. Amen.