Always There (God)

Hello God, I called tonight

To talk a little while

I need a friend who'll listen

To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it

Through a day just on my own...

I need your love to guide me,

So I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep,

My family safe and sound.

Come and fill their lives with confidence

For whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face

Each hour throughout the day,

And not to worry over things

I can't change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home

And listening to my call,

For giving me such good advice

When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one

That answers every time.

I never get a busy signal,

Never had to pay a dime.

So thank you, God, for listening

To my troubles and my sorrow.

Good night, God, I love You, too,

And I'll call again tomorrow! 

The Two Towers

A long time ago, in an Italian city, they built a beautiful tower which was admired by everyone passing through. A little further down the road, in a neighbouring city, they had built a tower of similar beauty. The two towers were equally well known.

The people of the second city, envious and filled with pride, planned to destroy the neighbouring tower so it wouldn't take attention away from their own. One dark night, they came to the tower, with picks and shovels, and began to quietly undermine its foundations.

The next morning, the tower was leaning slightly, but nobody seemed to notice. The same happened for the following few days, until a little girl who was passing by pointed up at the tower and said: "I think that the tower is going to fall down." And everyone around looked closely, and could see that she was right.

Nervousness spread through the city. They tried no end of solutions to try to straighten the tower, but the days passed, and nothing seemed to work. That was, until one day when the same little girl was walking by again, and she leant her arm on the side of the tower, to rest. She felt the tower trembling slightly, amid the sound of creaking and groaning. When she took her hand off it, the movement and the noises stopped. And when she put it back on again, the same happened.

The girl spent a while doing this, until she was completely certain of what she had discovered: "The tower is ticklish!!"

She ran to get some flowers and plants, and she planted them right next to the tower. Now if the tower leant over any further it would be tickled by the petals and leaves of those plants. Being a ticklish tower, it would then have to return back to where it had been. In this way, the girl managed to make sure that the tower didn't collapse, but still kept it leaning a little.

The fact that it was leaning made it even more famous, and this taught a fine lesson to the envious people of the neighbouring city. Being jealous types, they tried to copy the lean of the first tower, but they couldn't do it, and the tower ended up collapsing, leaving the city not only without a tower, but also without a city hall.

source

I Love You, Honey

They have been married for a long time. As usual they have their ups and downs. One day they had a big fight over his long working hours and things are falling apart. He was disappointed and she was angry.

After one week of silence treatment from her wife, he approached her with papers and pencils. He suggested that both of them sit down on the dining table and write down on paper what they are not happy about each other. They will then exchange the papers and discuss.

So the wife started to write without looking up because she has a lot to write about her frustration. The husband took a long look at the wife and he too started to write. After fifteen minutes of writing, they look at each other and exchange the papers.

The husband looked at the paper full of complaints. She was angry. When the wife looked at his paper, she was embarrassed and quickly tears away her own paper. On his paper, he wrote for two full pages:

"I love you, honey"

source

Faith in Action: My MUKHA AD Journey

article written by: Joyce Gonzales

Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe. 

For the longest time, I have thought that the mere act of going to church on Sundays and praying occasionally would suffice, for me to be called a true-blue Catholic. But as I continue to traverse this journey called life, I have come to realize that it is not enough to simply say I believe in God, and still inflict pain in others; to pray the rosary and still cling to my biases and prejudices; to say that I am a Christian and still find it so hard to forgive and show love without waiting for anything in return.

2010 had been a great turning point for me and my faith. It was then that I had started to devote so much time in praying and knowing myself and God at a deeper level. I joined a Catholic renewal community and even became a member of a “caring group” with people I spent Saturdays with, praying to and singing for God, as well as sharing my life’s highs and lows. Then came an invitation to spend my Sundays with MUKHA-AD, another church organization for the youth. It was an invitation I couldn’t resist and saw it as a chance to gain new friends and to learn something new (and later on, realize the need to remember what I’ve learned long ago). But there were times when my enthusiasm would fade and I’d ask myself “What happened to Sunday as a time of rest?” I would wonder at what I’d gain from Mukha-Ad, because at times, I would think that what I know is enough. These questions and false notion were obstacles and justifications for me not to attend. Nevertheless, I find myself thankful at the end of every session, every talk, every activity - silently uttering a prayer of gratitude, “Thank God I am here today”.

I am not the kind of person who easily blends in with the crowd, nor the type who initiates conversations unless I really have to. I stick with people I’m comfortable with. I had so much fun when I attended the opening program because I was surrounded with friends – one I invited to join and thought she’d stick around and two others I just asked to visit. But after the opening, my friend showed signs of not attending again so I was left alone – completing level one with just a couple of missed sessions and finally moving on to level two.

I am grateful to Mukha-Ad for taking me to the very core of my faith and devotion. For making me understand my value and worth as an individual. For making me realize the huge and significant role I play in my family, community, the church and in the world, for all of which would be lacking and incomplete without me or without you.

The Graduation and retreat was particularly remarkable for me because it was in those couple of days that I was able to prove that my efforts did not go in vain.  And that all the Sundays I spent in Sto. Domingo, refusing all other invitations to hang out somewhere else, were Sundays well spent. It was a time when I bravely shared my stories of pain and struggles, something I only share with people truly close to me.  It was also a time when I freely allowed my tears to flow and my fears and guilt to manifest, not minding whether others would see me weak. It was a moment when I have heard my fellow Mukha-Ad members talk about their own hardships, realizing that what we see from the outside can be totally different from what they keep hidden inside. That sometimes, a genuine concern to ask about how they are, is all it takes for us to get to know the real person behind the usual smile, the loud laughter and the casual “Ok lang” response. I have realized that there are people who are going through the same difficult situation I encountered years ago. And now, at this point in my life, I can honestly tell them that they can overcome their giants, because I did and I continue to fight them with courage. I can truly say words of encouragement because I believe that there is always hope and we have a big God behind us. It was a time I sincerely sent out prayers to God not only for myself but for the people I have come to love as my own brothers and sisters. 

Graduating from Mukha-Ad is a success after all the many temptations and “reasons” to quit. It is winning half of the battle. The greater challenge comes after it. Being a part of Mukha-Ad is an opportunity to bless and love others. It’s being in the position to reach out and bring more people closer to God. It is a responsibility as much as it is a privilege.

Being a part of the Mukha-Ad family has made me more grateful of the things I have and the people I love and who love me. I have seen abandoned children in Cottolengo who struggle to have normal lives despite their hurts, both physical and emotional. They may be physically imperfect but they are loved by God as much. With such an experience, I have become more grateful of my own life’s circumstance, though flawed in itself. I felt luckier. And I became more eager to try to see the face of Christ even in people who are unlovable or those who can’t love me back.

There are so much more to say. But I think it is better to let our actions speak. To let our deeds speak our faith. In Mukha-Ad we let go of apathy and indifference. We act justly. We love tenderly. We walk humbly with the Lord. 

Flying

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was raised in a orphanage.

The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly. There were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than he, and they could fly.

"Why can't I?" he thought. "Is there something wrong with me?" he wondered.

There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished that he could walk and run like other little boys and girls.

"Why can't I be like them?" he thought.

One day the little orphan boy who had wanted to fly like a bird ran away from the orphanage. He came upon a park where he saw the little boy who could not walk or run playing in the sandbox.

He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.

"No," said the little boy who could not walk or run. "But I have wondered what it would be like to walk and run like other boys and girls."

"That is very sad." said the little boy who wanted to fly. "Do you think we could be friends?" he said to the little boy in the sandbox.

"Sure." said the little boy.

The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles and made really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds which made them laugh real hard. Then the little boy's father came with a wheelchair to pick up his son. The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over to the boy's father and whispered something into his ear.

"That would be OK," said the man.

The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to his new friend and said, "You are my only friend and I wish that there was something that I could do to make you walk and run like other little boys and girls. But I can't. But there is something that I can do for you."

The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide up onto his back. He then began to run across the grass. Faster and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy on his back. Faster and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs travel. Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys' faces.

The little boy's father began to cry as he watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping his arms up and down in the wind, all the while yelling at the top of his voice,

"I'M FLYING, DADDY. I'M FLYING!"

source

Coming Full Circle

article written by APA Feliciano 

            The sky was overcast and the rain pattered relentlessly against the coaster windshield as we traversed the road to Tagaytay for the Mukha Ad graduation rites and retreat. And as we did, I am reminded of the first day we met each other, that all twenty-plus of us have seen each other for the first time. It was raining too, dampening our spirits and whatever left of our energies, enough that a lot of us hesitated to attend the General Assembly.

They called it that, the first day, and I remember only going to the Sto. Domingo Church at the invitation of some high school friends. In all honesty, I was never the type of person to join church organizations because I myself wasn’t actually very sure of my faith. But even if my faith wavers at times, my trust in my friends never do so with another high school friend in tow, we decided to go and see what was in store for us.

Yesterday

            It turned out that there was more for me than there was for my other high school friend who backed out in the middle of the year because her books and parents called her. At first I was hesitant to take part in the activities because it felt like there was still some barrier between my fellow batchmates and I, as well as between me and the Mukha Ad staff. We might have shared some laughter and jokes together but these were never really forms of assurance of friendship because quite a few of them disappears and later resurfaces when the bond that has been formed have already dissolved.

            I never really tracked the development of our relationships with each other but after endless jokes over food and charade games, we were looping our arms around each other in an obvious show of friendship and camaraderie. I didn’t really know when it was, but as time passed, acquaintances evolved into friendships and pregnant silences became boisterous laughter and endless conversations.

            Now as I looked at the fog kissing the coaster glasses, I am overwhelmed by the memories of the things we’ve experienced all together as a group and of how far we’ve come. I never really thought I’d stick with Mukha Ad since I always fail when it comes to the matter of commitments, but it was nonetheless a pleasant discovery both on the aspects of external commitments and willingness.

The Bare Necessities

            Mukha Ad has the same experience as any other youth-oriented organizations there ever is, all these will always be the same. There will always be the feeling of vibrancy, of pulsating feelings and sentiments that threatened to overflow.

In my case it was a feeling of novelty, of testing my willingness to commit on greater heights and every time I dragged my body to the train tracks to hitch a ride up north I was always bugged by the question, “Why?” Why am I furiously exercising my legs going up and down the MRT stations just to get to the sessions on time? Why am I, a person who has vowed to not let the sun rays touch my burnt epidermis, leave in the middle of the day just to attend sessions? Why am I, a person who hates traveling around Metro Manila, go on road for an hour and more to get to the picturesque Santo Domingo Church?

It was not so much because I wanted to get my hands on my graduation certificate nor was it because I wanted to get away from home. Granted, I never really took Mukha Ad as something I could invest in both emotionally and spiritually but over time it changed, and it somehow felt like I was bound by the red thread to this organization and to these people. No longer was it about fulfilling some civic responsibility but being able to spend time with a set of newfound friends who saw through me. In their eyes, and in the eyes of God, I was unclothed, stripped off of my vanities as well as of my other identity as a working individual. To them, I was never the girl who rushed to meet deadlines in heels and corporate suits but rather I was a person to laugh and joke with.

Graduating and moving on

            Friendships came late and I am not sure as to whether I could really move on at this state. In the month of hearts alone, I fell sick twice—largely owing to bodily stress and overwork and while I have been warned to stay at home after the Mukha Ad graduation, I still don’t think I can sit still and let them have all the fun. The desire to spend more time with the people I’ve grown close with over time grew and it is growing still and the graduation rites and the retreat solidified this feeling even more. I wasn’t sure whether I could commit myself until I grow past the “Youth” stage but right now, it feels like I would like to stay for a few years more.

            It has been a long time since I went to a retreat, as customary of the students in Catholic schools. Like everyone else, I cried, prayed for my friends, forgave my enemies and went on and did the same things again. Mukha Ad did it lightly—there was no pressure to cry (as there was with every retreat I attended), but there was a gentle tug at my heartstrings. Be kind to your family, I was told, because you never know what will happen next. I was reminded of the basic things I needed to get through this life, such as my faith and the basics of my faith. I wasn’t sure whether it was a necessity for every retreat to have some scary stories spread around, but we still found courage to walk in the darkness and laugh till our stomachs burst. Of course we snapped endless pictures together, and still some more until the unbearable heat of the sun made us retreat in silence.

            Being with Mukha Ad was like finding a long-lost family—it wasn’t just about finding a family in the first place, but finally belonging in a group that seemed to have lost their black sheep, that no matter how black my wool turns out to be, I could still trust them to bleach me whiter than I used to be. They became my friends and it was but natural for us to become a family, and I take comfort in the fact that the prodigal son in me could still find a shelter within their midst.