Patient but not a patient

The Catechism of the Catholic Church listed down 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1832) while the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians has 9 (Gal 5:22-23).  Patience is one among these Fruits.

We must be aware that there are conditions how and when God answers what we petition in prayer.  God’s outright positive response certainly increases our faith in Him.  Not giving what we are asking means that we are not worth it.  We need to discern what is best for us according to His will and plan.  A delayed response is testing us our patience to wait.

Perseverance, endurance, steadfastness, persistence, consistency and sustainability are terms synonymous to patience.  The poet Henry Wadswoth Longfellow must be inspired by the Acts of the Apostles to “pray in faith…it is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22) and the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, “persevere in prayer that God may open the door” (Col 4:2).  He  claimed, “perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody”.

Last August 27, 2015 on the occasion of my persevering wife Judy’s 58^th birthday and the first founding anniversary of Rhodora Inn, we celebrated a Holy Mass in thanksgiving and house blessing officiated by Rev. Fr. Clyde Salitrero, OCarm.  We are reminded of “St. Monica’s patience with her husband, her long years of prayer coupled with a strong, well-disciplined character finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband and her once wayward son, now St. Augustine. She is a model wife and mother.  St. Monica is our model of patience” (Sabbath 2015. p. 246).

In the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) Consolacion Chapter, we experience and are witnesses to manifestations of God’s grace through patience and persevering intercessory prayer as a Community.  The birth of Sis Girlie & Bro. Wilbert Ang’s daughter after 17 years is one among the many answered prayers.

Kuya Joe Caminade is patient but not a patient.  The noun patient means a person is undergoing treatment while the adjective patient means a person tolerates affliction with calmness.  Pati is the Latin word which means to endure.

When asked by a BCBP sister now residing in Canada through the facebook, how we are?, I readily responded, “We are what you see!”.

Our September 2015 picture after the BCBP Consolacion joint breakfast fellowship @ Siknoy, Insular Square, Mandaue City  

Kuya Joe and I with our respective wives are pioneering members of BCBP Mactan Chapter since 1994.  Together, we were moved to Mandaue Chapter and now, we are with the Consolacion Chapter.  That span of time is a measure of our endurance and perseverance tempered with patience, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Kuya Joe is a self-made man who is diligent.  After his retirement from money-making activities associated with financial setbacks due to bankruptcy in his business, he  occupied himself with his skill and passion for carpentry that brought him to an uncalled for accident at home. The electric drill he used dropped and injured his foot. The serious bacterial infection prompted the attending physician to recommend for immediate amputation.  However, through the prayers of brothers and sisters in the BCBP Community, he was “saved by the bell”. After more than a week hospitalization, he was bed-ridden for 2 months and 6 months more for physical therapy.  During this period, brothers and sisters took turns in praying-over him in their home during our visits to console him.

 

It was during his periodical laboratory examinations that he was found out to be inflicted with the third stage of lung cancer.  It was “shocking” to him. Like anyone who is diseased, he underwent the 5 stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance (Life Lessons by Kubler-Ross & Kessler. pp. 78-79).  Feeling that his earthly life is over, the Caminade couple anticipated a celebration and renewal of  marriage vows on their 45^th wedding anniversary at home well-attended by brothers and sisters in the BCBP. 

After a financially draining chemo-therapy and radiation excluding the free professional fee of an oncologist BCBP brother, he gave-up and turned to proper nutrition and self-medication with the aid of the internet being an active “netizen”.  He has “an able body” although his mobility is limited.  He has “an open-mind” keeping himself occupied with gathering knowledge and information on proper nutrition through the internet.  He has still a mission to comply.  Through their nightly couple prayer, he is “sanctifying his spirit”. The cheerful and sociable Ate Norms is his persevering care-giver loving him “forever more”. Indeed, Kuya Joe is in “perfect health” brought about by an able body, an open-mind and a sanctified spirit. Instead of self-pity, he makes himself available in almost all BCBP activities specially the regular Saturday breakfast fellowships. He is passionately engaged in home-baking and preparation of “finger foods”. In fact, during some of our intercessory prayer times when their action group is assigned, he used to share with us food for snacks. The BCBP Consolacion brethren regularly intercede for his healing.  With expectant faith, he looks forward to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary in 2016.

Kuya Joe is blessed to be an epitome, our model, idol and inspiration of calmness and patience amidst adversity. “Obedience and submission to God’s will being better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22) is his guiding post that “everything is going to be fine developing our faith that God has a plan” for all of us. 

  

In 2010 before his papacy, Pope Francis pondered on the theme of patience.  “There are times when our lives do not call so much for doing as far as our ‘enduring’, for bearing up with our own limitations as well as those of others”.   nmg  

"Desire sets the compass..."

Have you experienced uniting fantasy with reality?. . . or a reconciliation between  miracle/mystery with natural phenomenon?

In our private and individual lives, every year-end or when the new year commenced, we are confronted with “new year’s resolution”.  This is simply subjecting ourselves to self-evaluation, how far we are going in our pilgrimage or earthly journey.

The “mystical fiction”, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book by Mitch Albom (as shown below) partially and positively answers the above-question re: “uniting fantasy with reality” and “reconciliation  between miracle/mystery with natural phenomenon”.

I acknowledge with much appreciation to the Christmas 2014 gift-giver, Archt Easter Colette P. Gloria-Nakila, UAP.  Thanks a lot, Yette!!

Interspersed with the historical background of the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell claiming “Ahoy!!” over Thomas Edison’s “Hello!!!” as the most appropriate and standard greeting, Mitch Albom connects Heaven with the phone.

The introduction of Philip Yancey’s Soul Survivor is intriguing and timely that pictured two (2) separate scenarios.  He compared the mountainous pile of garbage at Smokey Mountain in Manila, Philippines with the debris of Ground Zero in New York City after the 9-11-2001 bombing.  A sense of closeness was built in me with Philip Yancey.

 

I was excited to open the Christmas 2014 gift from our architect daughter. I was moved with the heart-warming letter of Mitch Albom to his treasured Readers in the Philippines with his visit to Tacloban City after Typhoon Yolanda. I felt I am one of those avid readers who met him.  It provided a much greater intimacy that ignited me to go on reading.  I’m sorry I did not make it to his visit and book signing in SM City, Cebu.

Albom’s mystical novel, the first phone call from heaven may or may not increase our faith and belief in the afterlife, that there is Heaven.  I can sense skeptical Jehovah Witnesses (JW) friends who are laughing while reading with the highly imaginative, creative and “criminal” mind of the author. But, I think they should be entertained with the twist of events.

 

A group of them (JW) handed me the December 2014 issue of Awake, Watchtower and the handbook, What the Bible Really Teaches?.  In appreciation, I commented in a question form, “Is this your Christmas gift to me?”.  They were taken aback because they don’t celebrate Christmas and other Holidays of the Catholic Church.  Much more, they don’t believe in Heaven.  Doubtful and unsure, they said, “please look down on us when you are up in Heaven”.

Sometime in August 2014 when Judy was confined in the hospital followed by our only son, Francis John, I read and finished reading not a spiritual fiction, nor a Fifth Gospel but a religious novel.  It is a compilation of the Story of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Seen by Mystics.  Many discoveries/rediscoveries and or religious lessons are learned not written in the Bible which other Christian religions do not believe, being Bible-believing Christians (sola scriptura).

In our earthly journey, we may have several forms of wishes and desires especially during the New Year.  They may include material or financial blessings; physical & emotional health and spiritual well-being.  Mitch Albom claims, “Desire sets our compass but the real daily life events steer the course”.  Our ultimate “desire” must be with our Almighty Father in His Kingdom in Heaven so that this desire sets our “life compass” to that final destination.  In our journey, many good and bad events happen that may weaken or strengthen our steering ability. 

Literally, we have a BCBP brother, Kuya Ed Lanticse who is engaged in “compass adjustment” in his capacity as ship captain and COO of the Universal Shipping Management & Services (USMS), Cebu City.  Kuya Ed, I claim my “commission” for the advertisement and endorsement.

Are you aware that big or small “miracles” take place daily?  I recognize a “little miracle” when Dr. & Mrs. Sulpicio Bantugan were stranded for 3 days/nights at home because of Typhoon Seniang (Dec 28-30, 2014).

We had ample time to exchange notes regarding our respective “servant-leadership” with CFC on his part while mine with BCBP.  We travelled back in time as co-alumni of the Visayas Agricultural College (VAC) during our college days, our employment with the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA), our professional advancement at UPLB and many more including our respective love stories until my voluntary resignation in 1992 as horticulturist and his retirement last year (2014) as animal scientist.  We recognize the major role of God in our lives and our recent individual tests/trials or predicaments experienced in our respective families that may strengthen or weaken our faith.

Our family’s desire for the year-end 2014 was a closer bond with our first daughter who has a family of her own making a living in Brunei.  We were apprehensive and anxious over her emotional instability giving up her career over motherhood to take care of their 5 yr old son, the witty & persuasive Nykko and the 1 yr old twin daughters: the sweet & sensitive Zarah and the jolly & active Zitah.  I praise and thank God for His Divine Providence giving us the opportunity to be strongly bonded during the Christmas Season.

Those are our year-end “little miracles”.  “As what happens with all miracles, once life goes on, those who believe retell them with wonder. . . those who do not, do not” (Mitch Albom p. 322).

I admire Albom’s final acknowledgement in his mystical book, “anything created by my heart and hand is from God, by God, through God and with God”.  This is parallel to what I claim in the articles, “Why do I write?” and “How do I write?” @ www.nestofglory.blogspot.com posted January 31, 2011.  In my write-ups, I abide with Jesus Christ being the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. nmg