the feast - august 19, 2012 issue

AT THE PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTERA Catholic Prayer Meeting of the LIGHT OF JESUS FAMILY

August 19, 2012

HABAGATAFTERMATH

See pages 4-7

Today, I receive all of God’s love for me.Today, I open myself to the unbounded, limitless, overflowing abundance of God’s universe.Today, I open myself to God’s blessings, healing, and miracles.Today, I open myself to God’s WordSo I would becomeMore like Jesus every day.Today, I proclaim that I am God’s beloved, I am God’s servant, I am God’s powerful champion.And because I am blessed,I am blessing the world.In Jesus’ name. Amen.

YOUR PASSION: If God Calls You To Do Something, You’ll Love Doing It PEOPLE ask me all the time, “Bo, how can I know God’s mission for my life?”

As we shared in the past few weeks, God’s mission for your life is discovered through the raw materials of your personality, your family, and childhood experiences --bad or good. But there’s one more factor to consider—and I feel it’s one of the most important ingredients: Your Passion.

One of the most powerful elements of business success is passion. If the entrepreneur works like he’s not working, but playing, enjoying everything he does, gets lost in what he does, will do what he does even if he doesn’t get paid—even if he makes all sorts of mistakes at the start—by the end of his journey, the likelihood of success is gigantic.

These recent years, I’ve been coaching people in their small businesses. I’m no expert, but when I get stumped, I link up with mentors better than me.

Yes, I do know of a few businesses where the owner is “miserably successful” with it. But sooner or later, the owner will have to scratch his itch and do what he loves to do, even if it isn’t profitable—while using the profits of his “miserably successful” business.

In the same way, when God calls us to do something, He would give us the passion to do it with all our heart. We will find ourselves happy doing it in the long-term, even if we’ll have to go through unhappy times in the short-term.

Have a remarkable Feast today!

May your dreams come true,

BO SANCHEZ

OVERFLOW! From an estimated 6,500 every week, the number of Feast attendees last Sunday swelled close to 7,000 to the nearby Forum tent. Mounting an instant Feast at the tent, clockwise from top left: a new set of choir; Bro. Bo swaying with the dancers; Bro. Jill Ramiscal, president of Shepherd’s Voice Publications, giving away Companion copies; Bro. Bo raising the Novena to God’s Love and then signing books for attendees. Feast passion to the max! Photos by CES ARCILLA and ELS

LAST WEEK

In the Womb of GodIN the Gospel last Sunday, according to John 6:41-58, Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” Fr. Alex Balatbat said Jesus meant that He is the Main Source of our sustenance. A baby in his mother womb is nurtured with her flesh and blood --the mother’s placenta. In the same manner, during the Holy Eucharist, when we receive the Communion host, we partake of the Flesh and Blood of Jesus, thus we do live in the very womb of God. If not, we die.

Since we are in God’s womb, we should trust Him -- that everything that happens to us will turn for good-- even bad situations like the recent Habagat onslaught, when heavy southwest monsoon rains flooded Metro Manila and other regions of Luzon.

Fr. Alex said that since Jesus said He is the Bread of Life, we can trust Him to nurture us. He said especially in times of crises, we must allow God to be God—allow Him to move and take over, especially when there’s nothing more we can do about our crisis situation.

Fr. Alex lamented that alas, people believe in God, but they disregard Him—as we are experiencing in the controversy over the Reproductive Health Bill, where people propose that we can solve poverty by limiting the number of our population. The problem, Fr. Alex pointed out, is secularism – that is, when we act like we don’t need God.

But Jesus said He is the Bread of Life, the very source of our substance, He who promised that if we are in Him, we will not be impoverished. We will live only when we’re connected with God.

Fr. Alex concluded: If you’re close to God, even in the midst of a storm, you’ll still feel strength. Everything is from the power of God. You can say, “”I am a powerful person because I am in the very womb of God.”

-- Bella Estrella

You Birth Order: Your Past Was Not Perfect, But It Is Perfect for Your PurposeWHAT makes you “YOUnique”? First is your personality, as Bro. Bo Sanchez pointed out in our first talk in the series. Another one is your Birth Order. Job 10:8 says, “Your hands shaped me and made me.” You are unique because God handcrafted you. You are unique because you were planned-- when and where will you be born, which family will you belong to, which school will you go to, what work will you do, among many other things!

Bro. Bo pointed out this divine logic: Your past was not perfect. But it is perfect for your purpose. God uses your past to bring about your future and be perfect for your purpose.

Bro. Bo likened our life to a jigsaw puzzle. A piece of a jigsaw puzzle does not make

sense by itself. But if you put all pieces together, it creates a perfect picture. Your past is a gigantic puzzle with billions of pieces! God is putting the pieces together to create your perfect destiny. God is working behind the scenes in your past.

Bro. Bo shared his childhood experiences on how he disliked having five “bossy” sisters. Being the youngest among the siblings, he had to run errands for his sisters, like when they commanded that he buy soft drinks for their

suitors. Today, he thanks God he has five sisters who now help him in his ministries and businesses. Not one, not two, not three, but five!

He said right now, you might not understand why you experience unfortunate events. But in hindsight, you will see that all those were just perfect for your purpose.

He presented three elements in your past that may explain your present situation:

1. Position. A big influence to your personality is

PAST PERFECT. Bro. Bo’s sisters, from left: Tina, now managing international Kerygma Family and the Catholic Family Academy; Angie, taking care of Kerygma Family in the United States; Beckie, now managing Beaconlight corporate and public seminars; Chelle, Bo’s executive assistant; Pinky, managing Truly Rich Club. Guess who is that cute little guy in the middle.

your position, or rank, or birth order in the family.

a. Eldest Child. Responsible. Conscientious. Bossy. Nurturer “good child” who has a keen sense of right and wrong (sometimes with black and white

PERFECT PURPOSE. Happy kid turning pensive-- maybe because he doesn’t like wearing bellbottom pants... or wondering how to face another day with his sisters? At right, making the pieces fit.

2 THE FEAST August 19, 2012

TODAYTalk 3: Your PassionDo What You Love—And the Blessings Will FollowJames 1:7-8If you are unable to make up your mind and are undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.

Psalms 139:14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Job 10:8Your hands shaped me and made me.

Personal Reflection and Group Discussion:What do you love to do? How does your passion bless others?_____________________________________________________

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thinking), organized, and meticulous list-maker.

b. Second Child. Will try to de-identify from the first child and carve his own way of getting attention. Perhaps he’ll go into sports. Or music. Or art. Or he actually rebels and drops out. This sometimes happens when the eldest child is a superstar—and the second child can’t seem to cope.

The third child may then “de-de-identify” and move away from the path of the second child’s path and may act like the first-born.

c. Middle Child. May be the second, third, or fourth— as long as you’re not the youngest. According to bestselling author Kevin Leman, the middle child is the hardest to define because he can go to different directions. General characteristics: amiable, a good team player, reliable, steady, loyal, and faithful, wants everyone to get along, doesn’t stand out in the crowd; more secretive than first-borns and last-borns.

d. Youngest Child. Outgoing and high on social skills, funny, natural actors, emotional, affectionate, least likely to get punished, sometimes thinks he can get away of wrongdoing, takes risks more easily than his siblings, may be rebellious at times, has short attention span, gravitates towards careers in sales, arts, and music.

2. Parenting. Bro.

Bo pointed out that the kind of parenting you received is the biggest factor that made you who you are today. He presented three kinds of parenting:

a. Punitive Parenting. Parents rule! Bro Bo said: “As a child, you woke up every morning feeling like you’ve done something wrong already. Punitive parenting produces two kinds of children: 1) totally compliant, but lacks spontaneity, creativity, and independent thinking; and 2) a rebel who can’t handle a job because he can’t work with any kind of authority figure.

b. Permissive Parenting. No Laws in the house. Or if there were, you wiggled your

way out of them with impunity. Sadly, permissive parenting can produce criminals.

c. Poisonous Parenting. Every day, you were criticized, belittled, ridiculed, and embarrassed. Poisonous parenting produces small people who have low self-esteem.

d. Positive Parenting. Parents believe in the innate goodness in their children and think, speak, and act out from this belief. But the parents also discipline by allowing their kids to experience the bad consequences of their decisions.

Bro. Bo emphasized: “Your past wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for your purpose. Even if the parenting you received was bad parenting, God will use that bad parenting for your good purpose.”

3. Patterns. Bro. Bo said most likely, one has the characteristics and beliefs of the people he hangs out with most of the time. We have been surrounded with patterns. Exodus 34:7 says,“I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations.”

A son of an unfaithful husband is most likely to commit the same sin his father committed. But the son can always make the decision to cut the generation of sin. It’s all about the response. Your past can influence your future, but doesn’t define it. What defines it is your response.

Bro. Bo gave as an example the story of Blessed Margaret of Castello. Blessed Margaret was born lame, dwarf, and blind. She didn’t have a loving family, and was even locked up in a cell for 14 years. But a priest introduced her to God. She served God with her all in her prison and hospital ministries. Blessed Margaret didn’t have a bright past. But it was how she responded which gave her a bright destiny.

--Kristine Anne Mutuc--Feast photos by ELS

--Photos of the young Bo and his sisters from the Sanchez family album

THE FEAST August 19, 2012 3

REFLECTIONS


The Habagat and Sanguine MeBy MARTHINA G. SALOME Photos by JAMES MORRISON

LAST August 5, Bro. Bo Sanchez started the Younique series which focuses on God’s marvelous way of making each one of us, yes, unique-- fashioned by God, our Master Craftsman. Thus each one of us is one-of-a-kind, custom-designed Masterpiece, created for a special purpose.

To demonstrate how unique we are, Bro. Bo challenged us to take a personality test. Game! I excitedly took the test. Then Bro. Bo presented the various types of personality -- Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic, and revealed the characteristics of each type.

I found out I am Sanguine. Symbolized by the dolphin, the Sanguine is cheerful, sociable, talkative, optimistic, fun loving. Bro. Bo said God fashioned us to have our kind of personality for a purpose.

Just two days after I listened to Bro. Bo’s talk, I found out the purpose for my being Sanguine.

On Tuesday, August 7, heavy monsoon rains from the Habagat or southwest part of the country flooded many parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

“Not in our bedroom,” I commanded the flood—to no avail.

Powerless against the unceasing rain, and steadily rising flood, we huddled together in the bedroom, with Sanguine talkative me kept saying, “The flood will go away tomorrow. That’s what the weatherman said. We’ll be all right. No need to panic.”

“You think we’ll wake up floating on the flood?” Paolina expressed the crazy question that also nagged me.

“No,” Sanguine optimistic me firmly said.

And we didn’t.On Thursday, Habagat finally lost

interest in us and blew away to another hapless country.

At Habagat’s wake, people saw harrowing images of the devastation. But Sanguine me saw the heroism of those who attended to the victims, the resilience of our people, our steadfast faith that God has a reason for Habagat. Right now, we might not see it yet, but someday, Sanguine me will find something good about it.

My mom Mariela, younger sister Paolina, and I live in a bungalow in Pandacan, just a couple of blocks from the Pasig River. So we have our hefty portion of floodwater every time there’s a downpour. Ondoy was a nightmare we had yet to overcome. We didn’t have much valuables left after that disaster. And now here was Habagat. Not a typhoon, the weather forecasters said, but whoa, it was Ondoy all over again!

We’re all women in the house, so you’d think we’d cower from fear. I must admit I was afraid. But thank God He made me Sanguine. Like dolphin to water, I kept afloat amid the tide of trials Habagat threw us.

As the flood started to flow into our house, I was Sanguine confident, promptly rolling up my sleeves and putting our valuables up on tables and chairs so they won’t get wet. My sis and mom followed suit. I was afraid, yes, but Sanguine cheerful me didn’t miss how funny we three women looked as we tried to contain the floodwater in basins so the water won’t flow into our bedroom.

Harrowing images of Habagat’s wrath are also images of heroism and resilience of our people, from opposite page: friends sharing an umbrella and managing to take pictures of the disaster; rescuers on the go; stranded residents keeping still, even as their car is already submerged in floodwater. Below left, even dogs find a way to survive.


BLESSINGLOGS

Don’t Be AfraidBy SHOJI S. MERIS

TUESDAY, August 7, 2012. Rain drumming on our roof woke me up. Got to go to work. So I got up, dressed up, had a quick breakfast, and dashed out of the house. Walking toward an FX station outside our village, I noticed floodwater at the far end of the street. I managed to reach the FX station, but there were no cabs there.

“Ortigas is flooded,” the dispatcher told me. “No one wants to go out there.”

Ortigas is the main avenue that leads to my office. I left the FX station and went to look for a bus. No bus either. I walked toward the Ortigas junction, hoping I’d find a ride there. But I saw the place was already

submerged in thigh-high floodwater. I texted my boss about my predicament.

“Don’t swim, or you might get a gold medal,” she texted in jest. “Go home,” she added.

So I began to walk back to our village. Alas, knee-high floodwater greeted me at the gate. I hesitated to go through the flood, but I just had to get home. I knew my family needed me. My mom has a weak heart. She suffered heart attack ten years ago and had to undergo by-pass operation. My eldest sister is just recovering from a stroke, and my other sister is battling breast cancer. Only my

As the flood rose, I began to really get worried. To calm down, I decided to read the Gospel for the day. Would you believe, the Gospel was from Matthew

14:22-33 when Jesus walks on water. The Lord tells his disciple to get into their boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side of the lake, and He goes up the mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, the boat, already a

considerable distance from land, is hit by a strong wind. Seeing His disciples are in danger, Jesus walks on water to save them.

The disciples see Him and they are terrified, thinking He is a ghost. But Jesus immediately says to them: “Take courage! It is I...

older brother and a nephew were with them at the time.

So I waded through the flood, moaning, “God, not again!”

As flood splashed around me, Ondoy came racing in my mind. That killer typhoon in 2009 devastated our village. Our one-storey house was submerged in floodwater. We survived only because a neighbour kindly accommodated us on the second floor of their house. My brother and nephew need my help if ever we have to bring our mom and sisters to safety again.

To my relief, I saw the flood had not reached our street yet. I hurried home and


Editor’s Note: Have you a similar story how you have received blessings from God? Share! and let the world know miracles still do happen today to give hope especially to the lost. For details, email [email protected], or call 09399044065.

switched on the television to find out what storm was attacking us this time. News channels reported there was no storm – only strong southwest monsoon rains.

“Oh, okay,” I sighed. 4:30 p.m. There was no storm, but

thunder roared, the rain poured now and then, and floodwater had begun to rise on our street. Fearing there would be a brownout, my nephew and I went out to buy candles and batteries for our radio, wading through knee-high flood.

8:45 p.m. The rain stopped for a while. But news report said we would still experience heavy rains the following day. I looked outside, and saw the flood was still there.

So my brother and I decided to bring the women to safety. Again, like during Ondoy’s onslaught, we escorted them to our neighbors’ house.

I stayed with my brother and nephew in our house, monitoring the news, watching the flood outside, which to our horror, began to flow into our garage. So we put our things on top of our tables, sala sets, and beds.

In the Gospel that day, according to Matthew, Peter dares walk on the water to meet Jesus, but feeling the wind, he becomes afraid and begins to sink.

And Jesus tells Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I felt the Lord spoke to me through the Gospel. He told me not to be afraid, not to doubt Him.

August 8, 2012. Exactly at 2:45 a.m., the flood entered our house. Fear so gripped

me, my body shook. But trusting in the Lord, I prayed and prayed, surrendering our ordeal to Him. “Be the God of our situation,” I whispered to Him.

7:15 a.m. At this time, the flood started to leave our house.

Just then, the janitor in our office called me, reporting that flood also crept into our office and some files and computers got wet.

Anxiety engulfing me, I reported the situation to my boss.

“Don’t worry about the office yet,” she said calmly. “Just be safe.”

Again, I sensed the Lord talking to me through my Boss. So I relaxed and concentrated on cleaning the house.

4:00 p.m. With the house already in order, I sat down to have some coffee. Just then, the rain came back, and the TV news warned a dam would be opened, releasing water that would flood our place again. My heart thumped, but I tried to keep still, and trust the Lord.

7:05 p.m. The flood crept back into our house. I prayed the Rosary and the Novena to Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Grace and again surrendered our situation to God.

I felt sleepy already but I could not lay down on any of our beds because they were filled with the stuff we were trying to save from the flood. So I put together our dining chairs and slept there.

August 9, 2012, 4:00 a.m. The moment

I woke up, I went out to check on the flood. To my relief, I saw the water on our street

had subsided. Then, at about 6 a.m., the sun mercifully shone.

By lunch time, our mom and sisters had come back home. Throughout the day, we cleared our house of the mess brought by the Habagat, and at 7 p.m., we were all sitting around our dining table, having dinner, like it was just a normal day.

I thought our ordeal was already over. But after dinner, our mom complained of chest pains. We brought her to a doctor residing near our place, and later to a cardiologist. The next day, test showed my mom’s okay.

I do not like floods and diseases attacking my loved ones. But through it all, I’ve been given an opportunity to exercise my faith. Like Peter, I was surrounded with dangerous water, I shuddered in fear, I doubted for a moment, I must admit. But by God’s grace, I’d been able to hold on to my faith and God in time ended my ordeal.

As I write this, news channels are screaming storm Helen is approaching our country.

Don’t be afraid, I tell myself.

TEST OF FAITH, from opposite page: flood rising on Shoji’s office route; his street and his sala before and during the Habagat onslaught.


LOST and FOUND If you lost or found an item, please approach any of the ushers who will guide you to our Lost and Found section.

The FEAST, published by the Light of Jesus Family, is distributed during The Feast by the Manila Bay, a weekly prayer gathering of the Light of Jesus held at the Philippine International Convention Center, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila, every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.,10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

The FEAST holds office at The Lighthouse, 60 Chicago St., Quezon City, with telephone numbers 725-9999, and email address [email protected].

BO SANCHEZFounder

CYNTHIA U. SANTIAGOEditor-in-Chief BELLA ESTRELLA Managing Editor

KRISTINE MUTUCAPPLE CHICO Associate Editors

EDMUNDO SANTIAGOChief Photographer

CRIS LEGASPIAssistant Chief Photographer

ROSALYN ALBERTOMON CARDELGERALD GONZALESSHOJI MERISCHINO MODESTORAMEL ROBLESALEX UY YCOPhotographers

CHERIE ALCAZARJAMES BARDOSLOURDES DELOS ANGELESCES GONZALESReporters

JOEL ESTRELLAChief Artist

JANELLA IBAYDON FRONDOSOAssistant Artists

MEMBERSHIP:KIM PAMPLONAHead

ARLENE BATISLAONGAssistant Head

FINANCE:JANE IBAYHead

CHICHI BARBAAssistant Head

PUBLIC RELATIONS:RHODA OSALVO

Head

JOY NACURAYAssistant Head

ONE MORE MIRACLESolo, Not Single

By MILLI REYES

MY mother passed away in 2002. I was devastated, to say the least. A solo parent, I felt so alone in my grief. But by God’s grace, I would be healed at the Kerygma Conference 2011.

A former officemate, Rhoda Osalvo, emailed to me a newsletter—a letter from Bro. Bo Sanchez which started me on my journey to self-awareness and renewed faith in God. Searching for healing, I bought a ticket to the Kerygma Conference, Solo Parent stream. But on Saturday, November 19, 2011, the start of the Kerygma Conference talks at the PICC, I was not sure if I should attend.

But my son, a precocious 12-year-old, who apparently sensed I needed this walk of faith, arranged a date with his father so I could have a free day.

I had not been used to attending big events on my own, so I was jittery as I entered the PICC building. As I walked to Meeting Room 11 where the Solo Parent stream would be held, I so needed a sign, a confirmation that I should attend this stream.

And God must have sensed my angst. Because as I entered Meeting Room 11, the first person I saw was Rhoda! She hugged me and happily ushered me in. I saw this as a sign that God gave to reassure me I was in the right place.

I continued to hear God clearly through the speakers. As I listened to the talks,

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gradually, it dawned on me that I was still grieving over the death of my mother. With such realization, I felt my healing had begun.

But I’d like to think that the most amazing experience I had that day was not only listening to and learning from the talks but meeting some people who made me feel I was not alone and I should not be lonely.

Aside from Rhoda, a lady sitting next to me--20 years old and 8 months pregnant-- reminded me of the courage I mustered when I decided to become a solo parent.

Another seatmate, a single mom to a 15-year-old son, taught me to live life one day at a time and give myself a chance to be happy, that it was okay to go on dates and even have a relationship as long as you are upfront about it to your child.

And then there’s a widow who sat with me during lunch, who is mother to three lovely daughters. She showed me the true meaning of service-- that even if dozens of people ask you to serve, it is ultimately yourself who can decide to commit to do so.

The Kerygma Conference opened my eyes to the abundance of blessings that God can and will shower me with as long as I open my arms and my heart to Him.

I’ll definitely be back this year and I hope to bring more people to this marvelous experience!

More power to Bro. Bo Sanchez and to the Light of Jesus Family!



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the feast - august 19, 2012 issue

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