The leaf

A soft, delicate and pale-green bud pops up from a bough and grows into a thick, wide and darkened leaf.

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Its tender stalk makes a sturdy branch in age. And from there sprouts seven other outgrowths - one after the other.
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The leaf outlives storms and droughts, but not its hues. It turns yellow, gold and orange. Its grip fails; it falls to the ground. The sun smiles at it. The moist is lost; its weight, light. It browns and it burns.
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The white smoke rises and kisses the leaves still green and clinging. It goes up to the blue and turns into a cloud. It rains down drizzles; the leaves wash off dust from its faces. Drops drip; roots sip all.
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It roams in the veins of the trunk and branches; and it exits through the pores of the foliage as pure air.
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It ascends the heavens; and the Big Nose finally breathes it in.

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A bird, a boy, a swan lady, and a skillful skater!

In my prayer walks this morning, I was amused by the behavior of a bird walking on the street wire.

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It was four or five times bigger than a finch; it flew from the ground and rested on the street wire above me.

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It walked sideways to get near to its companion bird, balancing itself so carefully, lest it falls!

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As if it never knew how to fly!
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*******

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I am amused by a young boy who passed by me, walking by the edge of the seawall as I have been standing close to the edge.

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I greeted him and followed him with my eyes as he was walking away from me.
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After each few steps, the boy would look back and smile to see me still looking and smiling at him until he was far away.

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*******

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A young woman sat on the seawall's edge so poised and dignified as a swan that when a big splash of the waves caught her back and her white, soft pajama, I laughed!
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I laughed more when she turned to leave.
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Her lower back black undergarment was seen through!
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God, forgive me.
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*******

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I am now here at the wharf sitting under the imperfect full moon and almost surrounded by a moving, moon-lit sea.
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It tickled me to see a rollerskating young man displaying his skills here.
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First, forward; second, backward; third, falling flat!
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Let there be light in your house!

Let me share another testimony.

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It was a "little" miracle that happened to us in 1994.

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To be exact, July 24, 1994!

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This is similar to the miracle I told you about in my previous testimony.

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I had this spiritual attack that I experienced one Sunday.

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This was "dryness of the spirit."

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I sensed that it assailed me to keep me from attending the Holy Mass and healing rally.

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I was, then, a neophyte member of a Catholic charismatic community in my hometown.

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At the time, my family had a problem: electricity supply was disconnected from our household for non-payment of our three-month electric bill!!!

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We were broke.

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I saw the attack of "spiritual dryness" as an opportunity for me to experience a miracle.

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I bargained with the Lord Jesus to grant me the following day a special prayer-request should I make it to the Holy Mass that Sunday.

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My prayer-request? The return of electricity to our house!!!

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To make the story short, I was able to attend.

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The following day, after the Mass and healing rally, it seemed nothing happened. Still, I kept on claiming God's faithfulness to His promises.

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"God's Word is true!" "With God, nothing is impossible!" -- these, I kept telling myself.

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I even told myself, "God is now releasing His miracle-working power somewhere."

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While waiting for the miracle to come, I kept on jumping as if the miracle has already arrived.

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Jumping, I did everyday for seven days!

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After a week, I received a letter from my sister who worked in the "land of the rising sun," telling me to pay our electric bills with the money that she enclosed in the mail!

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No one even told her of our problem with electricity!!!

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And what's most amazing, my dear friends, is the fact that my sister mailed the letter exactly on the date that I asked from the Lord.

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July 25, 1994!!!

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Monday after the Sunday fellowship!!!

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To God be the glory, Amen!!!

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Mother and stepmother: The forgiven and the forgiver

Let me begin this story by telling you a personal testimony.

I had a miracle in mid-nineties and this miracle happened to my own mother.

I am unsure if I experienced dryness of the spirit or sickness of the body one Saturday so that it was a drag on my part to attend a Holy Mass-fellowship that day.

I was a regular weekly attender of the charismatic fellowship community of which I was a member for 11 years.

But that particular Saturday, I decided to forgo attendance.

As the saying goes, "the spirit is willing but the body is weak."

But I did something that enabled me to attend!

I discovered a "secret" to strengthen my body to give in to the wishes of my spirit.

I bargained with the Lord Jesus this way: "Should I make it to the Holy Mass-fellowship today, God, You will grant me my very special prayer-request."

My special prayer-request was for my mother to go to confession the following day: To confess her adulterous relationship with my father!!!

Yes, I bargained with the Lord Jesus, and it gave me strength to attend.

That's my "secret."

But I never put weight on the fact if God would grant my prayer or not. It was enough for me to have been given the strength to attend the Mass and the fellowship that particular Saturday.

The following day was a Sunday. And I was surprised to know my mother woke up early dawn for Holy Mass!

I was surprised because she was not a regular Mass-goer. And very early dawn, at that!

When she returned home, I noticed something in her eyes. It was fresh from having tears!

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She said, "I just went to confession."

My heart was beating fast!

"And what did you confess?" I asked her, and I did my best to withhold my emotion.

"My relationship with your father!"

I jumped for joy! It was a leap of faith!

And I told her everything.

But the miracle did not stop there.

A few months after her confession, a surprise overseas telephone call came. It came from America, from somebody whom Mama had hurt so much in life, my father's legal wife, my stepmother Tita!!!

It was first time for Tita to call up Mama.

Mama was overwhelmed with the gesture. It was a gesture of forgiveness even before it is being asked. Tremblingly, Mama asked for forgiveness after forgiveness.

Tita's reply was: "We are already old for those things."

After the call, Mama asked me to look for greeting cards that she could send to America.

Everything was perfect.

I found cards that say what Mama's heart was telling and feeling. She wrote sorry, signed it, and sent it to Tita and my half-brothers and half-sisters in the States.

Seven years after, Mama passed away.

Six years after her death, Papa followed her to heaven.

A year has passed since father died, I know my stepmother already missed Papa so much, but I am here to continue to pray for her.

Mama and Tita are two of my significant Catholics in my life.

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Mama was not perfect, but she was true to herself: humble as to admit and confess her sinfulness.

Tita is not perfect, either; but she has forgiven somebody who hurt her most even before it was being asked of her.

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Those traits of theirs, I know, are graces from God.

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A manifestation of the Divine Mercy that God really is.
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(Blogger's Note: In the above photo is Bella Flores, a famed Filipino actress, my mother's favorite and look-alike. She was always mistaken to be the actress wherever she went in the country.)