Heart pounding. Throat drying-up. Knees trembling... Staggering, she steps in front of the crowd, head-up. She speaks but more like stuttering... She then closes her eyes, whispering behind her mind, "Father, give me confidence to lead these people. Let them see Your glory." She opens her eyes full of hope and care...She steps back and bows down very low in front of the awe-filled random crowd, promising, "I, Mariel Felizardo, as your leader, promise to serve thee. May you see the goodness of glory of God."
Four years have passed yet the memoirs about her live behind my mind. Everything is vivid...At the brink of her life, she sang praises to God, consuming all her last energy to praise her Maker because she knew that it was the last minute she could praise the Lord here on Earth and with her mundane body. My grandma walked on Earth as a living testimony. I could never ever describe her with words but I can only tell you how she lived. Lola Lydia was a woman filled with strength and long-suffering masked with captivating BEAUTY. I have known her to be someone who would and could NEVER complain and would keep still in spite the pain she had been agonizing over...she continued to serve the people and the Lord in church without telling anyone that the cancer cells inside her body were expending her whole body. She died of stage 3 going to stage 4 liver cancer. Without our knowledge, she cooked for, taught and serve us yet she smiled a lot. Gifted with golden voice, my mami Lydia sang hymnals all the time(I miss this so much:|).
I would hear,
"Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart fell lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is he
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me
I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me," every morning in the kitchen and I would always tell myself, "Umagang umaga palang kumakanta na." I guess that's why she never told us about her pains, because she depended solely on God and knew that she would never be forsaken because she was being watched over. Anyway, that is how my mami Lydia lived. She IS my role model in life and with her being my role model, I would want to become a woman leader in the future of course, with the aid of my present school.
If I were asked how I see myself as a woman leader after college, I would give two words: A servant. That is how I want to be. It may sound ironic but I guess that is the best way for me to be a true leader and this is my heart's desire. I would want to be someone who listens to the cries and needs of the people. I would want to serve them like how Jesus did ages ago. He WAS and IS a King but He humbled Himself and dressed as a servant to serve US. Like how my lola was, I want to become still and patient in spite of raging storms. Through this, people may see and follow me. Full of compassion and love, I wish to serve the Filipinos and others most especially those who are struggling with psychological problems (lol). Not only do I wish to serve and help the people, but also Mother nature. I owe her my life; so, I plan to join organizations involve in taking care of Mother Nature. I can do all these with the help of our Redeemer. With truth, justice, peace and integrity of creation, I wish to be a SERVANT-LEADER.
I may not become a president or a leader, technically, but I wish to at least ACT like one through serving and may inspire people with my walk on Earth. I am sure that I would not build roads and do projects and stuff for the people but I know with all my wishes and desires to become a servant-leader, I would live a little legacy for the people.
Sabado, Hulyo 9, 2011
Linggo, Hulyo 3, 2011
Quintessence of a Maryknoller
A place for future woman leaders in service... For followers of God... For rebels for the good... It is none other but The Miriam College, a premier Catholic school for women who are to become future leaders yet humble servants of the Lord.
Formerly known as Maryknoll College, Miriam had its plenary sessions starting from 28th of June to the 1st of July. Well, my friends and I were supposed to attend the third session however, due to unexpected and undesired circumstances, we had to just attend the following day's and cut M101(I know how much irresponsible I can be but I did regret what I had done.). Anyway, going back, I had my closer look at my present school, The Miriam College, during the session. So, I HAVE duties and responsibilities as a child of Miriam's foremothers and as a "green" soldier of the world. I have learned that my foremost duties are to carry the "veritas" or truth for the rest of my life and to live fully as a follower of Christ as embedded in the Chi-rho, our school logo.
As the talk went deeper, my knowledge about my school widened especially about the fore core values. Since the time when Miriam was still called "Malabon Normal School," the institution, as well as its people, is deeply rooted in its four core values: Truth, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. Truth, obviously should be carried around anywhere, not only when Maryknollers carry their logos but in everywhere we go and whoever we meet, truth should reign over our hearts; it is one of the signs of a true Maryknoller (who deserves and wants to be fooled anyway? A TRUE Miriam student is sensitive to the feelings of others right?). Moving on, I am not pretty sure how I should interpret justice as a green soldier, but I guess it is the RIGHT thing to do; Maryknollers know the right thing apart from the wrong ones. Probably, I will learn later in my stay in the institution about justice. The campus, obviously, practices "peace" even during the session, literally. Even if I was merely part of the crowd, a half-blind spectator and I could not see everybody, I could 100% assure you that Miriam KNOWS peace(this is no joke). Well, aside form the deafening silence inside the campus, our foremothers knew and practiced peace.They left a legacy to us, Miriam students, that we could only acquire if we abide by the authorities: keep still amidst raging storms. To love the treasures and riches that Our Creator is NEVER the LEAST important thing that each should do, integrity of creation. We are defined as the "green" soldiers because it is inscribed in each Maryknoller to take care of what the Lord has entrusted us(that is why our skirts are green, to suit the trees surrounding us :D ).
For the next few minutes, the ice-cold air stung my skin but I did not mind; I was too engrossed by what Dr. Apuan had been telling us about...Our foremothers. The women who put the spirit of the institution. In the old testament, Moses had a sister named MIRIAM. During those times, Miriam meant "rebel with a cause;" thus, if you want to become s true Miriam woman, you have to be courageous and stand up for what is right. So, do you have what it takes to be called a MIRIAM student?(That is why Dr. Vicky emphasized that our lives in Miriam will never be complete if we do not rally.). Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was borne by a young virgin named Miriam of Nazareth, who is one of the four foremothers of Maryknollers. Miriam of Nazareth was a woman of courage and willingness to God's will; a REAL woman. A happy roly poly, Mother Mary Joseph comes third in the list. She lived in the time of the titanic. This bossy-looking type of woman was very compassionate about the others, unexpectedly. She had HUGE dreams for the us, young ladies, which later solidify into the "Miriam College." (MMJ building was taken from her name's abbreviation). Opposing the roly poly woman was Sister Miriam Thorton, a silent-type, thin yet firm woman so don't ever estimate her. She was a woman who could stay calm and focused in spite of the difficult situations. In spite of their differences, these four women had one thing in common, each of them CARES. So to be like our foremothers, we to be C-caring and competent, A-astute and alert, R-responsible to the needs of others, E-energetic and S-socially-involved.
The plenary ended. The crowd moved to the exit. The murmurs became audible. The excitement to leave the little theater was obvious, almost tangible(lol). And I, started pacing through the exit with something crossing my mind: I am technically a Miriam student, if have to be officially one, I must keep in mind that I must be like my foremothers and must carry for the rest of my life the truth, justice, peace and integrity of creation.
Formerly known as Maryknoll College, Miriam had its plenary sessions starting from 28th of June to the 1st of July. Well, my friends and I were supposed to attend the third session however, due to unexpected and undesired circumstances, we had to just attend the following day's and cut M101(I know how much irresponsible I can be but I did regret what I had done.). Anyway, going back, I had my closer look at my present school, The Miriam College, during the session. So, I HAVE duties and responsibilities as a child of Miriam's foremothers and as a "green" soldier of the world. I have learned that my foremost duties are to carry the "veritas" or truth for the rest of my life and to live fully as a follower of Christ as embedded in the Chi-rho, our school logo.
As the talk went deeper, my knowledge about my school widened especially about the fore core values. Since the time when Miriam was still called "Malabon Normal School," the institution, as well as its people, is deeply rooted in its four core values: Truth, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. Truth, obviously should be carried around anywhere, not only when Maryknollers carry their logos but in everywhere we go and whoever we meet, truth should reign over our hearts; it is one of the signs of a true Maryknoller (who deserves and wants to be fooled anyway? A TRUE Miriam student is sensitive to the feelings of others right?). Moving on, I am not pretty sure how I should interpret justice as a green soldier, but I guess it is the RIGHT thing to do; Maryknollers know the right thing apart from the wrong ones. Probably, I will learn later in my stay in the institution about justice. The campus, obviously, practices "peace" even during the session, literally. Even if I was merely part of the crowd, a half-blind spectator and I could not see everybody, I could 100% assure you that Miriam KNOWS peace(this is no joke). Well, aside form the deafening silence inside the campus, our foremothers knew and practiced peace.They left a legacy to us, Miriam students, that we could only acquire if we abide by the authorities: keep still amidst raging storms. To love the treasures and riches that Our Creator is NEVER the LEAST important thing that each should do, integrity of creation. We are defined as the "green" soldiers because it is inscribed in each Maryknoller to take care of what the Lord has entrusted us(that is why our skirts are green, to suit the trees surrounding us :D ).
For the next few minutes, the ice-cold air stung my skin but I did not mind; I was too engrossed by what Dr. Apuan had been telling us about...Our foremothers. The women who put the spirit of the institution. In the old testament, Moses had a sister named MIRIAM. During those times, Miriam meant "rebel with a cause;" thus, if you want to become s true Miriam woman, you have to be courageous and stand up for what is right. So, do you have what it takes to be called a MIRIAM student?(That is why Dr. Vicky emphasized that our lives in Miriam will never be complete if we do not rally.). Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was borne by a young virgin named Miriam of Nazareth, who is one of the four foremothers of Maryknollers. Miriam of Nazareth was a woman of courage and willingness to God's will; a REAL woman. A happy roly poly, Mother Mary Joseph comes third in the list. She lived in the time of the titanic. This bossy-looking type of woman was very compassionate about the others, unexpectedly. She had HUGE dreams for the us, young ladies, which later solidify into the "Miriam College." (MMJ building was taken from her name's abbreviation). Opposing the roly poly woman was Sister Miriam Thorton, a silent-type, thin yet firm woman so don't ever estimate her. She was a woman who could stay calm and focused in spite of the difficult situations. In spite of their differences, these four women had one thing in common, each of them CARES. So to be like our foremothers, we to be C-caring and competent, A-astute and alert, R-responsible to the needs of others, E-energetic and S-socially-involved.
The plenary ended. The crowd moved to the exit. The murmurs became audible. The excitement to leave the little theater was obvious, almost tangible(lol). And I, started pacing through the exit with something crossing my mind: I am technically a Miriam student, if have to be officially one, I must keep in mind that I must be like my foremothers and must carry for the rest of my life the truth, justice, peace and integrity of creation.
Martes, Marso 15, 2011
Real Beauty, spelled
"Loving me kills people, destroys families, causes such grief you cannot imagine! " Yes. This quote came from none other but a woman whose face is worth a million souls... The seductress who led the many men to many grievous moments... The walking goddess of Sparta...The mistress of Troy... The woman named Helen.
Running along the paths of a mountain, Paris, an adopted son of shepherd but royal by blood, entered a cave where the three great goddesses appeared before him, competing for the title, "Kallista" or the fairest of all. Aphrodite, who was one step ahead of Hera and Athena, had won the alias merely by promising Paris the most beautiful woman walking on Earth. With such tempting condition, Paris could not resist and accepted the offer.
As each chapter unfolded, Paris returned to Troy (His supposedly original country) and was immediately announced prince of Troy right after his battle against great men of the said land, including his brother Hector. With the return of this unwanted man, Troy's misery began. Paris, as son of King Priam, became involved in many royal engagements and affairs including the attending of Menelaus and Helen's engagement, a sign of alliance with Sparta.
During the engagement of Menelaus and Helen, Paris caught a glance of the naked Helen; Helen, on the other hand, looked at the Adonis-like Paris with such burning passion that no man's heart could NEVER melt. After their ever first meeting, they kissed and eloped to Troy. So, obviously, Menelaus, as well as his wrathful brother Agamemnon, reacted and immediately went to Troy to claim back Helen and of course to gain more glories. To assure their victory over Troy, the two kings allied with Odysseus, king of Ithaca and the mighty and blood-thirsty Achilles.
For ten years, Troy suffered just because of a woman. Many men risked their lives and souls of the innocent were taken away, blood of the precious children were spilled and the sweet sounds of Trojan women were replaced by dirges...and the golden walls of Troy fell down...just because of Helen and her selfish lover, Paris.
The ten-year battle was now over and the victors were Menelaus and his men, brought with them their golden Aphrodite, Helen. The warriors finally said there good byes to each other and walked and separate ways. Each man wiped off bloods from his face, removed the breast plate, unequipped his sword, turned off the warrior mode and turned on the father-husband mode and readied his lips and arms to finally kiss intimately his wife and hug his children tightly. All men from the great Trojan battle did the same thing...All except Odysseus and his men who still had to face another ten years of fighting; this time, it is a different story.
As Odysseus was overwhelmed by his full of unexplained and mixed feelings, he finally let out all the stress and joy inside by shouting and claiming that he was responsible for their victory without thanking the gods which angered Poseidon, who had aided Odysseus and his men, and put a curse upon the wise Odysseus and his men. Within ten years, his anticipation and joy for finally seeing, for the first time, his son, Telemachus and wife, Penelope, were all hanged because he still had to fight a three-headed monster, blind a cyclops, face the tormented souls in Hades' cradle, make love with two beautiful goddesses and finally kill the abusive suitors of Penelope. Meanwhile, in Ithaca, the treasures of Odysseus were splurged for Penelope'suitors' growling stomachs. In spite of all the suitors and hearsays of Odysseus' death, Penelope remained loyal to her husband. As the men became more abusive as each chapter unfolded, Telemachus grew impatient for his father's homecoming; so he sailed off to Sparta to find aid from Menelaus who turned him down in finding his father. As Telemachus returned, Odysseus too had finally came home. With this, Odysseus finally for the first time hugged his son and avenged his home and his wife against the abusive suitors. Odysseus now finally cuddled on his bed and claimed his throne...All these were accomplished by the wise King of Ithaca with the aid of Athena.
The battlefield finally in both stories closed. The grounds were stained by blood, scattered with broken bones and the air was filled with the stench of rotting flesh... How could men keep fighting despite knowing the outcome if they had been defeated? What made them strong and determined to finish the battle? The answer? It is the women. You see, battles would not be held if it were not for us women; these brutal warriors seemed so cruel and violent but deep inside they were only driven by love. For instance, Trojan men would not risk their lives if it were not for Paris' orders to defend his love for Helen, Menelaus would not be raged if his wife was not stolen away by Paris and Odysseus would not endure another ten years of challenges and could have started a new life elsewhere if it was not for his strong desires to be with his Penelope again. Menelaus, Paris and Odysseus may appeared brutal and blood-thirsty but all these men inside had just been conquered by their love... their love for the mistress of Troy and the queen of Ithaca, Helen and Penelope.
Both women played the most important roles in the story: the subject of the plots and the poisons of men. However similar in their roles, Helen and Penelope differ in many ways. Well, okay, Helen was faaaaaaar more beautiful than Penelope, but Penelope still exceeded Helen in SO MANY WAYS. If I were asked to choose from one of them and be the one chosen for one day, I would say that I'd rather be beautiful inside meaning I'd rather be Penelope. Well, yes I would want to have a face that captures the eyes of everyone, I would laugh out loud at women who would pop their eyes out as they stare at me with envy...Yes, it is every girl's dream, to be drop-dead gorgeous and to be stolen away from an ugly loser boyfriend by an Adonis-like one and to be the center of attraction. But up to the point where men have to risk their lives just to have me? Where the souls of the people would be slaughtered? Where I would bring devastation to a place so serene? Where my Adonis have to leave my side and risk his life? Absolutely, NO. I would rather spend my days weaving, ignoring all my suitors, patiently waiting for my love one to come home, ignore the hearsays of people about my love one's death, stand firm with my judgments and be a loyal and virtuous wife... I would rather be a rightful and willful woman than some seductress who can't even control her feelings for someone else despite the fact that she's married. Yes, both women may have been loyal to their feelings and have become good lovers but their is still a big distinction between the two woman... PENELOPE'S BRAIN WAS FUNCTIONING WELL WHILE HELEN'S WAS NOT. Helen may had the looks, was a mortal Aphrodite, was charming but she was not cut out to be a rightful and matured woman; Penelope, on the other hand, had simple and dull face but inside is a shining beauty, a woman who has dignity, brains, and all aspects that can be pointed to a matured woman. Penelope knew also how to ignore men and test them for a veeeeeery long period of time, but Helen could not; just after a few seconds of staring at Paris' eyes, she immediately gave herself up without testing if Paris truly loved him or not, and it took Penelope to make a decision of supposedly marrying one of her suitors (but thankfully, Odysseus had arrived before this hapened, I'm just stating facts so everyone could see how a girl is supposed to act when she meets suitors of great standing and looks). Moreover, if we place these two women in reality, Helen would be accused of adultery and be labeled "malandi" and Penelope would be called loyal.
Girls remember, outside beauty fades but the inside dos not. God does not judge women like how it is in a beauty pageant; He does not judge by your looks but by how faithful you have been to His commandments and by how you present yourself in front of Him. Would you appear like Helen who had all the looks but had acts that displease His eyes or would you be like Penelope who had simple looks but had worth-rewarding loyalty, patience, virtue and judgments? I hope no girl would choose outside beauty over inside ones.
Running along the paths of a mountain, Paris, an adopted son of shepherd but royal by blood, entered a cave where the three great goddesses appeared before him, competing for the title, "Kallista" or the fairest of all. Aphrodite, who was one step ahead of Hera and Athena, had won the alias merely by promising Paris the most beautiful woman walking on Earth. With such tempting condition, Paris could not resist and accepted the offer.
As each chapter unfolded, Paris returned to Troy (His supposedly original country) and was immediately announced prince of Troy right after his battle against great men of the said land, including his brother Hector. With the return of this unwanted man, Troy's misery began. Paris, as son of King Priam, became involved in many royal engagements and affairs including the attending of Menelaus and Helen's engagement, a sign of alliance with Sparta.
During the engagement of Menelaus and Helen, Paris caught a glance of the naked Helen; Helen, on the other hand, looked at the Adonis-like Paris with such burning passion that no man's heart could NEVER melt. After their ever first meeting, they kissed and eloped to Troy. So, obviously, Menelaus, as well as his wrathful brother Agamemnon, reacted and immediately went to Troy to claim back Helen and of course to gain more glories. To assure their victory over Troy, the two kings allied with Odysseus, king of Ithaca and the mighty and blood-thirsty Achilles.
For ten years, Troy suffered just because of a woman. Many men risked their lives and souls of the innocent were taken away, blood of the precious children were spilled and the sweet sounds of Trojan women were replaced by dirges...and the golden walls of Troy fell down...just because of Helen and her selfish lover, Paris.
The ten-year battle was now over and the victors were Menelaus and his men, brought with them their golden Aphrodite, Helen. The warriors finally said there good byes to each other and walked and separate ways. Each man wiped off bloods from his face, removed the breast plate, unequipped his sword, turned off the warrior mode and turned on the father-husband mode and readied his lips and arms to finally kiss intimately his wife and hug his children tightly. All men from the great Trojan battle did the same thing...All except Odysseus and his men who still had to face another ten years of fighting; this time, it is a different story.
As Odysseus was overwhelmed by his full of unexplained and mixed feelings, he finally let out all the stress and joy inside by shouting and claiming that he was responsible for their victory without thanking the gods which angered Poseidon, who had aided Odysseus and his men, and put a curse upon the wise Odysseus and his men. Within ten years, his anticipation and joy for finally seeing, for the first time, his son, Telemachus and wife, Penelope, were all hanged because he still had to fight a three-headed monster, blind a cyclops, face the tormented souls in Hades' cradle, make love with two beautiful goddesses and finally kill the abusive suitors of Penelope. Meanwhile, in Ithaca, the treasures of Odysseus were splurged for Penelope'suitors' growling stomachs. In spite of all the suitors and hearsays of Odysseus' death, Penelope remained loyal to her husband. As the men became more abusive as each chapter unfolded, Telemachus grew impatient for his father's homecoming; so he sailed off to Sparta to find aid from Menelaus who turned him down in finding his father. As Telemachus returned, Odysseus too had finally came home. With this, Odysseus finally for the first time hugged his son and avenged his home and his wife against the abusive suitors. Odysseus now finally cuddled on his bed and claimed his throne...All these were accomplished by the wise King of Ithaca with the aid of Athena.
The battlefield finally in both stories closed. The grounds were stained by blood, scattered with broken bones and the air was filled with the stench of rotting flesh... How could men keep fighting despite knowing the outcome if they had been defeated? What made them strong and determined to finish the battle? The answer? It is the women. You see, battles would not be held if it were not for us women; these brutal warriors seemed so cruel and violent but deep inside they were only driven by love. For instance, Trojan men would not risk their lives if it were not for Paris' orders to defend his love for Helen, Menelaus would not be raged if his wife was not stolen away by Paris and Odysseus would not endure another ten years of challenges and could have started a new life elsewhere if it was not for his strong desires to be with his Penelope again. Menelaus, Paris and Odysseus may appeared brutal and blood-thirsty but all these men inside had just been conquered by their love... their love for the mistress of Troy and the queen of Ithaca, Helen and Penelope.
Both women played the most important roles in the story: the subject of the plots and the poisons of men. However similar in their roles, Helen and Penelope differ in many ways. Well, okay, Helen was faaaaaaar more beautiful than Penelope, but Penelope still exceeded Helen in SO MANY WAYS. If I were asked to choose from one of them and be the one chosen for one day, I would say that I'd rather be beautiful inside meaning I'd rather be Penelope. Well, yes I would want to have a face that captures the eyes of everyone, I would laugh out loud at women who would pop their eyes out as they stare at me with envy...Yes, it is every girl's dream, to be drop-dead gorgeous and to be stolen away from an ugly loser boyfriend by an Adonis-like one and to be the center of attraction. But up to the point where men have to risk their lives just to have me? Where the souls of the people would be slaughtered? Where I would bring devastation to a place so serene? Where my Adonis have to leave my side and risk his life? Absolutely, NO. I would rather spend my days weaving, ignoring all my suitors, patiently waiting for my love one to come home, ignore the hearsays of people about my love one's death, stand firm with my judgments and be a loyal and virtuous wife... I would rather be a rightful and willful woman than some seductress who can't even control her feelings for someone else despite the fact that she's married. Yes, both women may have been loyal to their feelings and have become good lovers but their is still a big distinction between the two woman... PENELOPE'S BRAIN WAS FUNCTIONING WELL WHILE HELEN'S WAS NOT. Helen may had the looks, was a mortal Aphrodite, was charming but she was not cut out to be a rightful and matured woman; Penelope, on the other hand, had simple and dull face but inside is a shining beauty, a woman who has dignity, brains, and all aspects that can be pointed to a matured woman. Penelope knew also how to ignore men and test them for a veeeeeery long period of time, but Helen could not; just after a few seconds of staring at Paris' eyes, she immediately gave herself up without testing if Paris truly loved him or not, and it took Penelope to make a decision of supposedly marrying one of her suitors (but thankfully, Odysseus had arrived before this hapened, I'm just stating facts so everyone could see how a girl is supposed to act when she meets suitors of great standing and looks). Moreover, if we place these two women in reality, Helen would be accused of adultery and be labeled "malandi" and Penelope would be called loyal.
Girls remember, outside beauty fades but the inside dos not. God does not judge women like how it is in a beauty pageant; He does not judge by your looks but by how faithful you have been to His commandments and by how you present yourself in front of Him. Would you appear like Helen who had all the looks but had acts that displease His eyes or would you be like Penelope who had simple looks but had worth-rewarding loyalty, patience, virtue and judgments? I hope no girl would choose outside beauty over inside ones.
Sabado, Marso 5, 2011
being linked to mundane things...
The face that launched a thousand ships... the golden Aphrodite... a walking goddess... a beauty that no man could ever resist... a beauty that ripped the souls of thousand lives...such terrible beauty... Helen, a mortal Aphrodite, was a seductive woman whose beauty captured the hearts of a millions of men and led these to hellish situations. The events behind this mysterious woman were traumatic and lusty which had started when she and Paris lived together in sinful lives.
Aphrodite, Hera and Athena appeared before Paris, a prince of Troy. These three goddesses had asked the man who deserved the title "Kallsita." Aphrodite had promised Paris to give Paris the most beautiful woman in exchange for giving Aphrodite the title. With such tempting condition, Paris accepted; this began Paris' misfortunes.
In the engagement of Helen and Menelaus, royal bloods were invited, and Paris was one of them. After setting his lusty eyes upon the naked Helen, Paris fell in love(love at first sight), so as Helen. So the two eloped to Troy, and here began the great Trojan War. The beginning of Troy's end.
If I were to put my feet in Helen's shoes, would I still choose to come with Paris and spoil in my selfish love (is it even love?) despite knowing the millions of souls affected? Would I want to be engaged in a sexual relationship with another man besides my husband? Would I let a lot of eyes to continue to see me as a cursed woman? Well, I guess I won't... I mean, I REALLY WON'T. The fact that I have found out that I am destined to devastate the lives of people would let me come to realization that I will only destroy my love's loved ones, even the life of my love. Besides, I am MARRIED, I would rather choose to be rightful than indulge in my desires to be with my supposed-to-be soul mate. I would not let myself and my beauty to bring misery to the land of Troy. Also, do I even know Paris deeply? Is it enough for love to be defined when I just caught a little glance of his Adonis look? Love only develops between two persons when they have known each other deeply. I am not even sure if he is trustworthy enough for me to entrust my "pagkababae" and my life.(well, who knows what he really is. I might find out that he's a rapist or a killer or a psychotic or an infamous person. someone should have taught Helen not to talk to strangers)
If I love Paris enough, I would not want his and his family's life end just because of me. I would not want him to be accused of stealing other's wife. I would rather cry my eyes out for nights instead of losing it in hell. I would rather choose to endure the heart breaking pain of not being in the arms of my love instead of burning my flesh in hell. I would not want to be linked to lust, adultery and murder.
Our demand for getting want we want can branch out to numerous sins and later lead us to the gates of hell. These two young couple in love show us pictures of "consequences of not knowing sacrifice" "being lusty" "committing adultery" and "what happens if you do not meditate first before acting". See? they had been linked to a lot of mundane things.
"Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed" --Bhagavad Gita
Aphrodite, Hera and Athena appeared before Paris, a prince of Troy. These three goddesses had asked the man who deserved the title "Kallsita." Aphrodite had promised Paris to give Paris the most beautiful woman in exchange for giving Aphrodite the title. With such tempting condition, Paris accepted; this began Paris' misfortunes.
In the engagement of Helen and Menelaus, royal bloods were invited, and Paris was one of them. After setting his lusty eyes upon the naked Helen, Paris fell in love(love at first sight), so as Helen. So the two eloped to Troy, and here began the great Trojan War. The beginning of Troy's end.
If I were to put my feet in Helen's shoes, would I still choose to come with Paris and spoil in my selfish love (is it even love?) despite knowing the millions of souls affected? Would I want to be engaged in a sexual relationship with another man besides my husband? Would I let a lot of eyes to continue to see me as a cursed woman? Well, I guess I won't... I mean, I REALLY WON'T. The fact that I have found out that I am destined to devastate the lives of people would let me come to realization that I will only destroy my love's loved ones, even the life of my love. Besides, I am MARRIED, I would rather choose to be rightful than indulge in my desires to be with my supposed-to-be soul mate. I would not let myself and my beauty to bring misery to the land of Troy. Also, do I even know Paris deeply? Is it enough for love to be defined when I just caught a little glance of his Adonis look? Love only develops between two persons when they have known each other deeply. I am not even sure if he is trustworthy enough for me to entrust my "pagkababae" and my life.(well, who knows what he really is. I might find out that he's a rapist or a killer or a psychotic or an infamous person. someone should have taught Helen not to talk to strangers)
If I love Paris enough, I would not want his and his family's life end just because of me. I would not want him to be accused of stealing other's wife. I would rather cry my eyes out for nights instead of losing it in hell. I would rather choose to endure the heart breaking pain of not being in the arms of my love instead of burning my flesh in hell. I would not want to be linked to lust, adultery and murder.
Our demand for getting want we want can branch out to numerous sins and later lead us to the gates of hell. These two young couple in love show us pictures of "consequences of not knowing sacrifice" "being lusty" "committing adultery" and "what happens if you do not meditate first before acting". See? they had been linked to a lot of mundane things.
"Hell has three gates: lust, anger, and greed" --Bhagavad Gita
In reality, was it really true love? Or it was just some youthful desires? Well, I am just curious. If there was really love in their relationship, then one must had known how to let go for the sake of his/her beloved right? And to think that they fell in love in just a few seconds? Wow, that's just so...weird. I guess if we put this in today, it was just their youthful desires that led to them to destroy themselves. (to be honest, Helen was really stupid and Paris was selfish)
"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." --2 Timothy 2:22
"But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." --Romans 2:8
This is a reminder for everyone to be careful in every decision we have to make. Girls, let us not be like Helen who immediately changed her right decision and just dived to the water to be with Paris, in exchange for their souls in hell. Even we are women, we have the power to control ourselves, say "NO" and STAND FIRM with our judgments. Let us be rightful enough to turn our backs to Paris and walk away and save millions of people.
Linggo, Pebrero 27, 2011
My friend, we may be losers..but we know fairness
My eyes swam through the colors of blue, green and yellow and at last I found my group, the model platoon. As I paced faster, one of them handed me a rifle. Staring at it for a few seconds, my right hand grabbed it and sighed for I had known that it was the start of my last and worst foundation week...
Sweat tickled my body as we waited for antagonism to begin under the scorching heat. Well, everyone was still busy preparing for the field demonstration. Swishing skirts, very short shorts, white masks, eccentric clothes were displayed everywhere. As for me, I wore the same ol' fatigue.
A few moments later, everyone was asked to go downstairs and take a seat. It was time to brag their styles and cool moves in dancing, a time to piss off other year levels with obnoxious cheers.
So I remained seated calmly, until after watching the juniors performance in cheering. Okay, so my body stiffened, my lips went dry... obviously, the Seniors will be losers at this point. When it was time for us to show the audience some rifle exhibition mixed with a cheer dance, we got up and positioned ourselves. The model platoon had only a serious practice the night before the field demonstration, so our bodies could not coordinate well with our hands; consequently, we made a mess. It was minutes of embarrassment knowing that WE'RE SENIORS and PART OF THE MODEL PLATOON... Then the others performed modern dance and ballroom. Results were revealed later that afternoon; evidently, the juniors were conquerors of ballroom and cheering and seniors, on the other hand, modern dance. Okay, almost everyone thinks it was "luto" or bias but actually, it was not. We just think it is because we can't humble ourselves and say "Oo nga magaling talaga sila, kami, ginawa naman namen ang best pero wala talaga eh...Mas mahusay sila." Sadly, we know we are studying in a Christian school but we cannot face the fact that they really deserved to be called "champions". We just can't find anyone to blame so we say things like, "daya naman!" "luto!"
May be we're just too arrogant and self-loving to even notice the people disguised in losers' suit. Probably we just can't see that anyone is capable of winning, or our judgmental eyes blur our vision and cannot see honesty in our opponents...just may be.
The next three days consisted of battles of the brains and bodies, chess, badminton, basketball and volleyball. Sophomores competed against the freshmen and seniors vs. juniors. Of course, there is always a victor and a loser. Unfortunately, our team was in the list of the losers... as part of all the games excluding chess... I could say that the battles were all fair and square. Our opponents were all experts in a specific sport and noticeably, each had trained and worked hard to master offensive and defensive moves. On the other hand, the members of our teamed played well but was not able to keep pace with the level of the opposing teams
Wearing my cool jersey and rubber shoes, I paced calmly towards my beloved school. It was the last day of the foundation week, the championship. On the next few ours, I was seated and my body was at a no-battle condition, cheering my teammates; in short I was just part of the audience in that moments. Suddenly... " Mai! maglaro ka! Palitan mo si Teasha." my body immediatly reacted and the adrenaline started gushing. I ran towards the basketball court. As I got nearer the court, I saw a small crowd and I could hear blames and complaints from it, so my my feet shifted direction from north to east. As the complaints got so audible, my eyes wandered and saw a teacher being cornered by my teammates. Automatically, I started asking some from my team what had happened. "Bias eh, pano sa second year kampi. Ayaw paglaruin si Diore kasi daw may injury kahit sabe ni nurse okay na daw. Madaya talaga." (Diorela was one of our greatest players.) Hearing this made me furious. My body shook with anger. I was violent, full of rage. I threw a "Mga mandurugas kayo" look against one of the opponents, specifically the "pinaka maangas." in their team. (But I got over with it, I guess it was a normal reaction). In the next few minutes, we positioned ourselves and started moving when the referee whistled. When the time was up, the sophomores went crazed; the wild cheers started to vanish in the air...The seniors, well, drooped their shoulders and faced down, we lost. No one had the guts to greet the opponents, "Nice game," because it had not been nice, seriously. Most form the opposing team played roughly (ehem, you know who you are).
I guess it was not just the first time this happened. I heard rumors that the battles in the second to the last day were reaaaaallly dirty; I have no rights to claim that our team was cheated because I was not around. In the end, after voicing out all our complaints, the seniors lost.
I guess God has a purpose for that. May be He has something better in store for us because our batch, unlike the others, executed what the most important thing in battles... More important than cool offensive moves, quite effective defensive turns, creative strategies...It is our camaraderie and fairness that make us exceptional, especially in His eyes. This is our best for God's glory, this is how we're supposed to present ourselves in the eyes of our Maker. Good job seniors! :)
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