Nakita Mo Na Ba?

Titik: Ron Evangelista
Himig: Aries Arevalo at Ron Evangelista
2008-02-27

Nakita mo na ba ang pagsikat ng araw sa umaga,
Ang liwanag na nagpipinta sa langit?
May mga tanawing kay ganda sa buhay,
Na sa pagmulat lamang nakakamit.

Nakita mo na ba ang pagsayaw ng mga puno,
Ang mga dahong naglalaro sa saliw ng hagin?
May mga tanawing kapayapaan ang tungo,
Na sa pagtingin lamang napapansin.

Koro
Hindi man mumulat at di magmasid dahil sa dilim at kaguluhang naririnig,
Naroon parin ako sa hindi na makita at di na madama.

Nakita mo na ba ang dilim ng kalawakan sa gabi,
Ang mga talang nagniningning sa kadiliman?
May mga tanawing nakakamangha,
Na naaaninaw lamang sa pagtingala.

Tulay
Gayunmang hindi mo makita ang buhay na inialay ko,
Sana’y madama mo na pag-ibig ko’y laging naririto.

Koro
Hindi man mumulat at di magmasid dahil sa dilim at kaguluhang naririnig,
Naroon parin ako sa hindi na makita at di na madama.

Koda
Naroon parin ako sa hindi na makita at di na madama.

Isang handog para sa mga humango sa akin sa pagkabulag at tinuruan akong imulat and aking mga mata sa saya at pighati ng buhay. Gagamitin ang awit na ito sa dulang itatampok sa Semana Santa.

Hiwaga

Ni: Ma. Assunta Caoile - Cuyegkeng

Ibigin man nating pigilin ang paglubog ng araw,
Ang marahanang pagkain sa pisngi ng buwan,
May mga bagay na di matanto at hindi mapigilan.

Ibigin man nating yakapin ang lawak ng dagat,
At sadyang hulihin ang pagkurap ng tala,
May mga bagay na di mahuli at hindi masansalan.

Ngunit kahit ako’y lumayo, huwag ka sanang malungkot.
Taglay mo parin ang aking pag-ibig sa iyong puso

Ibigin man nating abutin ang dulo ng langit,
At ating habulin ang talim ng kidlat,
May mga bagay na di mahabol, laging

Laging isang hiwaga.

Habang ninanamnam ang bawat titik ng mga taludtod, isang tao lang ang naaalala ko - si Miguel Angelo, isang kaibigan. Para sa kanya sana ito. Sayang, hindi ako ang naunang gumawa ng mga titik nito. Malapit sa puso ko ang awit; malapit sa mga naramdaman ko; malapit sa mga pangarap ko; malapit sa kwento ko. Mahiwaga ang pakikipagkaibigan namin. Hindi ko na matandaan ang kwento. Natunaw na yata sa puso at nanuot sa pagkatao ko ang lahat. Laging isang hiwaga parin kung aking babalikan.

Seek and You Shall Find

Seek and you shall find. Mt 7:7 The process of seeking for what has been here for so long is something difficult. This may sound skeptical but the search for the call to happiness becomes tiring sometimes. Am at ease for now, and am not satisfied with that. And so, I continue the search.

Fathers Know

Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him. (Mt 6:8) I have no biological father anymore. For thirteen years, I’ve endured the emptiness of not having one. I don’t know how fathers do things. I don’t know how fathers think, how they react, feel, and show their affection. I can’t recognize a life with a father anymore, so how could he know what I need.
A friend-seminarian tells me his perspective about how he views fatherhood. Fathers are quiet providers, silent doers, responsible, etc. and most of all the exact opposite of mothers (laughs.) In particular, fathers won’t tell you the reason why they do something; they just do it, while mothers do the explanations and lectures when asked.
I don’t know how to have a father, but I guess my experience having a Father Rector helps me get to know fathers more, and gives me confidence that he knows what's best for me.

For a While

It's easy to come and go, but it pays to remain.

Four Days Seems Forty

Four days seems forty. The past days of my stay in Manila were like days of retreat, of silencing my system for a while and listen to the loud silence in the place that saw me grew: my home.
I am sick. I was diagnosed to have Upper Respiratory Bacterial Infection. I don’t know how to translate that in English; though manageable it still doesn’t make my situation comfortable.
Rest is the home-court advantage. There’s no place like home. Nothing beats staying on bed for hours doing nothing but rest.
While at home doing nothing, I thought about home. I missed the house. If only it could tell stories, it would narrate how I grew, it would recount the times I fell and was helped to stand, times that I sinned and was redeemed, it would tell my vocation story.
Conversations interested me once in the four days, one’s about God’s forgiveness. Why would God let people sin in the first place and then forgive them? Why would he not just make the world a better place for everyone? Answers came everywhere. God respects our freewill, a gift that cannot be taken away because God doesn’t retract whatever He creates. He never contradicts his Being. He is Perfection at its perfection.
Just some two days ago, I realized that I have been stuck for a long time to the state of waiting, the most boring part of everything. I wait to see beauty again as I shed myself to the gloomy and sad moment at present. I wait to see hope, the same hope I held on some months ago. I wait for love to cover everything.
I persevere.

Lent Na

This is the theme of my Lent for 2008.

Gabok sa Noo

Minsang palaspas,
Ngayo’y gabok.
Tina sa noo,
Kulay budhi mo.
Natutunaw sa lagkit,
Sa bungo at isip.
Luhaang mata.
Sumasabay sa agos,
Patak ay puso na.
Makasalanan.

Desisyon

Yung magsasaka,
Mga punla’y di man lingunin,
Tuwid parin.

I Beg to Fall In Love With Thee

I beg to fall in love with thee, my Lord
With every breath of life I take
I beg to fall in love with thee, my Lord
Its every beat, I to thee forsake

For even if my thoughts fall short of knowing you
And even if my will runs terrified
Your passion thins the darkness of my soul
Sheds it light, breathes it life, stills the murmur of the night

For even if my heart falls short of loving you
And even if my spirit hides away
Your love for me surpasses all my fear
All I do, all I am, all that I can ever be

Lord, I want to love you. If only I could then, I surely would. My heart is filled with emptiness right now. I see many things not running smoothly. Where is love in those scenes? Learning to love you is a struggle, and if I need to struggle more than what I feel right now, go keep on coming. I don’t want to miss life altogether all because I’ve not loved you. I beg to love you.

In Your Presence

Yesterday, Feast of St. John Bosco, I offered my application to the third year aspirantate before everyone in the EPC (Educative Pastoral Community.) "In Your Presence" was the theme of the grand mass, seemed timely since the whole discernment for the application was like a retreat - to feel the burning enthusiasm of the gift of vocation and look back to that gracious moment when it felt like forever.

Also, I asked Don Bosco for a gift on the occasion of his feast day. And I think, he surprised me during the grand mass when I read the theme. "In Your Presence" that seemed like "In Your Gift." I knew it was the gift of encouragement he gave in order that I may persevere towards becoming his Salesian.

God Simply Loves You

A conversation went like this during the afternoon:

Ron: Pare sa tingin mo, kahit na makasalanan ako, mahal ako ng Diyos?
JM: Oo naman. Mahal ka Nun.
Ron: Ang tao maraming batas, pag nagkasala ka parang wala nang pag-asa, pero andyan mahal parin s'ya ng Diyos. Bakit ganun?
JM: Pare, kung ikaw, yun bang ginawa at minahal mo, sisirain mo?

I didn't reply anymore. I got the simplest reflection regarding God's love. And perhaps, whenever I would see that common message, "God Loves You," I would always be reminded that He love's me cause He made me, that He doesn't contradict Himself letting life that came from Him comes to waste, and so He sustains them; sustains them through Love Himself.