A couple of years ago the picture below appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the story of an extraordinary little boy who in spite of having only one leg has became a great surfer. We covered his picture in our June-July 1999 issue.
By Maria Nariva, a Fijian lay missionary in the Philippines
I arrived in the Philippines in October 1996. Coming from a small country like Fiji, everything is kind of a shock for me to see. Apart from that I was surprised to see the number of people at the airport and along the streets as we made our way to the Lay Mission House in Cubao. I asked myself, “I wonder what the population of this country is?” I was not only shocked at the number of people, but also at the pollution and the heat.
By Donnie Lama
Before I received the 70 lashes, I prayed to the Lord to bear the pain physically. I must also remember His word from I Peter: 12-14 “Do not be surprised, my dear friends, at the fiery test that is coming upon you. As if you are experiencing something unheard of. Be glad that you are sharing to some degree the suffering of Christ, in order that in the revealing of His Glory you may be full of joy. Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ’s followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you”
By Fr. Rufus Halley mssc
It was Sunday morning in late September. I don’t remember the date, but I’ll never forget the day. Joel was to be buried and the whole parish was in shock and in mourning. Here was a grand young fellow, of deep faith, who was gunned down on his way home for is lunch. Nobody would be picked up for the crime as perpetrator came from an influential Muslim family.
By Donnie Lama
Donnie Lama continues the story of his Saudi ordeal where he was imprisoned and tortured because in private he led a liturgical service for his fellow Christians. Part three in this issue tells of his final, almost miraculous, release. Read on...
By Baby Hofileña
When Baby Hofileña shared some of her ‘journey’ a few issues back, she never mentioned that she is a member of the Focolare Movement. The Focolare Movement does not preach very loudly in words but it does affects the lives of the members so I asked Baby to tell us something about this hidden but powerful movement which is having such an effect throughout the world. (Ed.)
I am Baby, 71 years old, and my husband, Cris, is 76. In the January-February 2000 issue of Misyon, Fr. Niall O’ Brien published an article of mine entitled, The Best Time is Now. It showed how one’s wrong attitudes and behavior, with God’s grace, can gradually be turned around into seeking His will and discovering His love. I owe this to many graces but in a special way to the Focolare Movement which I came to in midlife.
By Bo Sanchez
There are some things in life which I deeply enjoy. Like standing on top of a serene mountain breathing in God’s beauty. Or simply reading a good fat book that I can’t put down. Or just being hugged by a little child or eating ice cream with friends. But here is this one specific thing that I do which I find exquisitely sweet. Awesome even. It probably one of the most profoundly inspiring things that I do.
By Ma. Ceres Doyo
Through her pen the world learned about the story of her soul and her wondrous journey into deep intimacy with God. She did not have a huge following when she was alive for she lived in obscurity in a Carmelite monastery. She did not leave behind large missionary foundations. But through her writing that were made public after she died at the age of 24 in 1897, people got to know her and were amazed at the depth of her spirituality.
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, popularly known as Saint Therese of Lisieux or the Little Flower, has arrived in the country. Most Filipinos know her as Santa Teresita. Her relics arrived for a three-month journey across the Philippines and some parts of Asia. The veneration of relics of saints is not idolatry. According to a primer on St. Therese relics, “The veneration must be seen in the way men and women of all ages and cultures venerate the dead and pray in front of her mortal remains. The relics of the saints, meditations of their presence and memorials of their historical existence evoke their humanity – the way they lived, worked, suffered and prayed. Through their relics, God manifest His presence and shows forth His might and glory.” Bishop Ramon Arguelles, Military Vicar and Chair of the millennium Saint Foundation, says that in welcoming Therese’s relics, and her little way of confidence and love, the Church welcomes God’s merciful love. He quotes the Bible, saying: “And a little Child shall lead us.”
By Fr. Rolly Aniscal ssc
I was selling fruits in a bus terminal before I knew the Columbans. Being the eldest of five, I had to help my parents in this kind of livelihood. Since seven, it had been my life. My parents were peddlers at a bus terminal and through them I learned to face one of the hard facts of life: how to live in a situation where what you earned on that day is consumed on that same day. I had no intention whatsoever of finishing college because I didn’t see any reason of doing so. What the use? Money flows in the terminal if you are industrious enough to run when the bus arrives and know how to entertain people in order to buy your fruits. Frugality then became my acquired value- save the last penny because it is not easy to get it.
By Sean Farrell, Columban lay missionary
Chiquita Redosendo, a 27-year –old mother of two, comes from the small village of San Vicente, Bukidnon. I met her when she, alongside her companions, took the drastic step of going on a hunger strike to protest what has been happening to them. This was in October 1997 but their story begins long before this.
