Top 10 Facts on Love
Posted by maradjao magbalantay on 14th February 2008
Love does not hurt. Physical and/or emotional abuse are not a part of love.
Love is not manipulative, it should not be used to get others to do what you want. You should never give in to demands based on the, “You would do it if you loved me!” tactic.
Love is an intense feeling of caring for another person. It can take many different forms (romantic, friendly, familial) but it is always about caring.
Although it is true that a big part of love is putting another person’s happiness ahead of your own this never includes compromising your values or being untrue to yourself.
If somebody asks you to do something that you don’t want to do in order to “prove” your love they do not love you the way you might think they do. When you love another person you don’t ask them to sacrifice a part of themselves in the name of that love.
It is very easy to confuse lust for love. The true measure of romantic love is commitment and trust not physical attraction.
It is possible to feel romantic love for more than one person at a given time. Just think, if it is possible for you to love both of your parents at the same time why would it be impossible to feel romantic love for two people at once? Don’t beat yourself up emotionally if you find yourself in this unhappy situation. But be sure to remain single and be open and honest with all parties about your feelings and confusion.
Sex is NOT love. Love is NOT sex. Sex can be a part of romantic love but it is never mandatory.
Romantic love can (and often does) fade. When it goes there is not always a reason. When somebody falls out of love with you it does not reflect upon your value as a person or your desirability.
Love should make you feel happy, secure and appreciated.
Ten Ways to Recognize True Love Slide Show
Posted in Glenn Donoso, • Life Lessons | 12 Comments »
FAMILY: FIRST SEMINARY
Posted by maradjao magbalantay on 28th July 2007
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Seminary is simply designated to a formation house. Person in various areas and different family background are put together in one place for transformation. They are formed for one goal and vision that after they pass the formation they are expectedly become well formed individual. However, because differences in family background and personality conflicts and chaos enevitable. Sometimes troubles and misunderstanding oftenly observed.
Seminary is peculiarly for seminarians, those who desire for priestly ministry. Seminary life evolves in four aspects-academics, spiritual, pastoral and community. Seminarians are form through structured life in the seminary that sometimes becomes burdened and boredoms because of monotony of schedule. Despite of this seminarians are expectedly to follow the structure of life and observed the rules and regulation in the seminary. Without any reason that he will break the house rules. This is intended to practice the value of obedience.
However, there are some seminarians who will disobey the house rules. Some are stubborn enough to follow the policies. You may ask why? Actually this was also my question before until I found out the reason. One instance our rector give a conference to the community of seminarians. He passed by to tackle the topic about the behavior of the seminarians in the seminary. And he mentioned that maybe what a seminarian act in the seminary is reflected to his family orientation.. Additionally, our teacher in moral philosophy stressed that “what we are now is just a framework of the orientation we have in the past”.
This make me realized and answer the questions in my mind. Seminarians behavior are rooted in the family orientation. That is why many problematic seminarians find hard to cope up with the formation in the seminary because they are used to act differently. Some of them leds to failure to continue and surpassed the formation. I remember one instance our rector said that many mother want to sound their problematic son in the seminary to be transformed they think that seminary is rehabilitation center. Family orientation is very necessary for the formation of the seminarian. Hence, family is the first seminary that a seminarian or even every person first formed their well-being. Lastly, seminary formations include the family background as one basis for accepting new seminarians.
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Building a Family: Building the Nation
Posted by maradjao magbalantay on 15th July 2007
Author: Glenn Donoso
Family is the basic unit of the society where individual first molded to become righteous citizens in the community. It provides the first way of living survival and practice virtues that can help in interpersonal relationship. How a person live in the society can be rooted to his family way of living and even his disposition in life. Thus, the kind of formation does the family bring can affect the growth of the person. How we build our family today?
Modern society brought instant way of living to the people in the advent of sophisticated machines that make work easier and faster. However, this give rise to consumerism for people seems to be busy of acquiring material things as the demand of present day living-materialism. In such a way, parents forget their primary responsibility to their children that is to mold them to become upright person in the future. It is because they are busy at work and no time anymore for there family. As the result, children becomes emotionally and psychologically disturbed and unstable for they lack of parental love and concern which more important than the passing splendor that money can offer. More worst is that they become rebellious for they felt being rejected and abandoned by their family. What kind of family we build?
Furthermore, the children who experienced less concern from their family are the problem of the society. They do unpleasant things just to grab the attention of their parents. Ironically, parents think that the more money they earn to provide the wants of their family is enough in building a family. They believe that what they do will bear good fruit. This is the common misconception of building a family. Money can only satisfy material desire but cannot form the emotional and psychological well-being of the person.
Lastly, the kind of family in a society reflect of situation in the country. It is evident the conflicts and troubles in our country today. This problems is the effect of the misery living family not just financially also humanly. Government leaders produce so many laws and resolutions to solve the dilemmas in our country but never happened. The reason is that they fire in the wrong enemy. If only they would focus on family reconstruction all the problems will gradually be eradicated. If we want to build a good nation we must build first our family.
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Students at the Luneta
Posted by maradjao magbalantay on 8th July 2007
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Students are supposed to be in school listening to their teacher and studying their lesons. But when you visit Luneta,you observed the huge number of students were staying there, not joining their classes. Students are staying at the luneta rather than in school. What they do there? (if you might ask) Well they were doing worthless things such as talking unimportant issues, sitting with a cigar in their hand, texting and other doings unbecoming of a student. Are these students taking their studies seriously? Will they learn from school after graduation?
Youth are the future of our society as Jose Rizal said. Education is the stepping stone to reach this hope. However, if they will be only student per se with nothing in their minds because of their negligence in their studies - what future are we hoping of? This is the reason why many graduates do not land a job certainly because they usually failed in the exam and interview. Moreover, their TOR has plenty of low mark grades.. (Although unemployment is evident but that is another story) Lastly., Our future is the framework of our disposition in life that molded by our past. What good future we are hoping for, if negative dispositions are evident today. We must start building our good future now. Start by being a good and reponsible student.
Posted in Glenn Donoso, • Life Lessons | 7 Comments »
My Friend Mak-Mak
Posted by maradjao magbalantay on 19th May 2007
Author: Sem. Glenn Donoso
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Seminary formation life is composed of several stages that one stage is the stepping stone that leads to another. To step in every stage is like stepping into the cliff surface that being careful and watchful are necessary. Falling into the cliff is to like sending out of the formation after the evaluation at the end of the semester. Keeping from falling is to balance the four aspects in the seminary life which are spiritual, academic, community and pastoral. Thus, is it not so easy to live inside the seminary because you are bound with struggles and sacrifices. On the contrary, there are stages which are awesome and delightful. One of this is the sotanandi celebration wherein seminarians who reach the third year in the formation will be rewarded by vesting with sotanna and receives the blessings and prayers of the bishop as well as the priest and the clergy. It is the most memorable event in the life of every seminarian who long to wear the sotanna.
This school year 2006-2007, the class commonly known as St. Peter Class is the highlight of the sotandi celebration. It is because all four seminarians are vested with sotanna that markk the beginning of moving to the next stage of the seminary formation. One of the four is Junzon Mark Diadula Gonzaga, a simple, silent and nice guy in the batch. Mak-Mak as he is fondly called by the seminarians physically values seriousness and shows ideal behavior. At the age of 19, he is our present Sacristan Mayor (in charge in the chapel and other Spiritual Activities) that obviously being prayerful is one of his characteristics. More so, I decided to feature him and his feelings befor, during and after the Sotanandi. May I invite you to continue reading and experience holiness with Mak-Mak.
At the moment I asked him to share his experiences and feelings during sotandi celebration. We sat in the corridor and he begun to talk. As I opened the topic to him he told me that there were moments in that event that were momorable and unforgettable to him. First, when we called by Fr. Boy, our Rector for an interview about the approaching celebration. He said that enormous feeling and a little bit of fear filled his heart. Mak-Mak feared that he might not be included in the vesting of sotana if the rector would not be satisfied of his answers in the interview. And the time has come for him face his fear when fr. Boy asked him of what was his idea about sotanandi. With a mellow voice he answered, “In wearing the sotanna the person also wears the values of Christ.” Then the Fr. rector was silent for a few seconds. After the interview, Fr. Boy shared his ideas and inspiring words for the incoming celebration. The conversation ended when he asked us to submit our application letter and Mak-Mak was disturbed again having the pessimist expectation.
Second, as preparation for that big event we had our short retreat for that big event we had our short retreat at Mt. Carmel Spring Farm and Resort where we stayed there for one day and one night. The place was covered with total silence that only the soft breeze of the wind and in the leaves of the trees as well whistle of the birds and other unique sounds of animals were heard. It made Mak-Mak reflect and meditate to think forward of the Sotanandi. He was filled with mixed feeling of happiness, fears, excitement and spark of worries as he thought of it. With our retreat master Fr. Roger Tondo and his inspiring words in our sessions and sharing, made him feel in deep silence and that he noticed holiness and experience with God.
Third, it was on August 20, 2006 the most awaited celebration “the sotanandi“came. The rite was integrated in the charismatic mass on Sunday that made the cathedral filled with huge crowd. Before the mass started, mark said that he could not understand what he felt that the beating of his heart was so fast. He sighed deeply and waited for the mass to start.
When the mass started we were asked to join in the processional march and according to Mak-Mak that he had an amazing feeling when he walked passionately and slowly in going to the altar. He can’t believe that he was there offering himself to the Lord. After the homily of the Bishop, the sotanandi rite started. We, the four candidates were called by name and were asked to stay in front of the altar. The rite continued while we were in front. At that moment I was in deep silence hearing every word in the rite and I was filled with vivid feeling, I even couldn’t move from where I was according to Mak-Mak. The Sotanandi rite included, first the blessing of the sotanna and candle. Second, the sotanna was presented to us and wetook it then wore it with the help of our parents. Third, the candle was handed to us then we faced the crowd wearing the sotanna and holding candles. The glorious and victorious clapping of hands sounded that lasted for almost 2 minutes. mark told me that at that time he was so ardent to serve God. When the rite was over, the mass continued. After the final blessings in the mass we had our picture taking with the Bishop, Seminary Priests, and parents, Brothers and Sisters, Seminarians and other kinsmen.
It was two months ago that the remarkable event of our life happened but still it wa fresh in our minds. After that event, Mark looked more serious, sometimes mysterious and even different. As our conversation went on I asked him of what he felt after the sotanandi. He answered with conviction saying, ” I am greatly happy and regret nothing but I fear that the promises I made might not be fulfilled. Moreover, no matter what it takes I must move on.” Then I asked him about his wishes and hopes after the celebration and he answered that he wants to fulfill the promises he swore in front of the Lord during that day. He added that he also want to remain of what he is now as being changed by the white cloak and to follow the values of Christ that the sotanna reminds him when he is wearing it. Lastly, I asked him to utter inspiring advice to those who long to be vested with the sotanna. His holistic advice goes this way, ” Be true to your vocation and keep on praying; strive hard to reach this awesome and marvelous stage and I can assure you that you will be greatly changed.
Posted in Glenn Donoso, • Journeys | 7 Comments »
