When I enter in this seminary often times I heard or even used the word sacraments. With that I started to ask myself about the origin of this word. Finally my subject Sacramentology under Fr. Alex Clemente helps me to answer my questions regarding sacraments. Before, the word sacrament did not exist. It was only on the second millennium that the church started to give attention to this sacrament. The word sacrament comes from the Latin word sacramentum. It was the Roman soldiers who are using the word sacramentum before. They use it as a sign of an oath of allegiance or an act of conversion to their emperor and gods of Rome. Upon seeing Tertullian noticed that there are similarities between the sacramentum of the Roman armies and the rite of our baptism. Thus Tertullian called it sacrament. He was the first one who started to use the word sacrament.
The Importance of Suffering in Man’s Life
February 25, 2010 at 7:37 am (Other papers)
“Suffering is the origin of Consciousenness”
-Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground
The people of today are afraid of suffering. We try all means to avoid suffering. People consider suffering as the result of wrong deeds. Most people suffer because of the wrong usage of their freewill, improper use of things, wrong use of power and making wrong decisions. These are some of the reasons why human beings experience suffering. We cannot avoid experiencing it, because as human beings we are prone to commit mistakes and as a result we suffer. People experiencing suffering in different ways: suffering from illnesses, suffering from poverty, suffering from studies, suffering in the seminary and many more. We normally complain when we experience suffering. With that we normally define suffering as something that brings us burden. As a human being we don’t want to suffer.
Only in the Seminary
February 25, 2010 at 7:33 am (Spirituality)
In my almost four years of my stay in the seminary, I learned many things, especially about the importance of spiritual life. I learn to discipline myself, to deal with other people, to speak in front of many people, to value time, and most of all I learn to deepen my spiritual life. I am really fortunate to have time to deepen my relationship with God. It is in the seminary that I learned to pray well. It is in the seminary that I learned to become dependent to God and to put my trust in him. It is in the seminary that I developed my devotion to our Blessed Mother. It is in the seminary that I came to know myself by recognizing my strength and weaknesses. The seminary gives me opportunity to talk to God and provides enough time to reflect on my situation in life. The seminary taught me to share my experience, to share my thoughts and my experience of God to other people. It is in the seminary that I learn to do my reflections. The seminary also taught me about the importance of the Eucharist. I realized that the Eucharist must be the center of my life. This is my advantage of being in the seminary. My spiritual life was being developed little by little in the seminary. Seminary is the one who formed the spiritual aspect of my life.
My Inspiration
February 25, 2010 at 7:32 am (Spirituality)
It is natural for us to be inspired by someone. Every one of us has their own inspirations. Inspiration is something which motivates us to pursue our goal in life. It can be our families, friends, special someone, classmates, other people or certain circumstances that inspires us in a way or the another to go on. Besides my family, my inspirations before were the rich, popular and the most influential individuals. I want to be like them, I want also to be rich, popular, and influential person. That was my dream before to be one of them. They were my inspiration. It used to be my dream and they were my inspirations.
However, when I arrived herein Manila everything had changed. I saw the reality which I’ve never seen before in our province. At the back of big buildings and establishments were the squatters everywhere; under the bridge, on the over pass, even in the streets. Behind the rich and influential people were the poor, suffering from injustices and doing all the means just to survive. I was really shock by this reality/experience. When you go to the streets you will notice a lot of street children begging for food. There are many street children who need help and attention. They need someone who will love them. But sometimes we are just ignoring them. Before I am thinking how unfortunate I am to belong to the poor family. However looking at these children and their situation I realized how lucky I am. I am still fortunate compared to them. I can still afford to eat three times a day. I have home to rest and spend the whole night. I have clothes to wear and the opportunity to study. I have friends with me and people who can show love and concern to me. These poor people serve as my inspirations. They are the source of courage to in facing difficulties and hardships in life. They are the reasons for my perseverance in this kind of life because in the future I want to extend help to them in one way or the other. I want to help them even in a simple way which I can. I want to teach them and I want them to feel that there is someone who is paying attention to them. I want them to feel that there is someone who is ready to take care of them. I want them to grow up as a good persons and responsible citizens. Indeed they really need someone who will help them.
However, I learn many things from them and they inspired me in many ways. They teach me to become simple. We can see in them that they are only longing for what is necessary for them like food and shelter. I learn to treasure the things that I have and to use it in a proper way. They teach me to become courageous in facing problems in life. We can see in them that they can still afford to smile despite their situations in life. They made me realized that I am still fortunate with the life that I have. God’s still loves me. They are the one who inspired me to persevere during the times I already want to give up. The smile in their faces gives me hope and reminds me about the purpose in my stay in the seminary. They really need someone who can help them. They are waiting for persons who will help them. I really want to help them because they are my inspirations.
“Be Still and Know that I’m Here”
February 25, 2010 at 7:31 am (Spirituality)
Seminary life is filled with a lot of activities; activities in school and in the community. Every day we are provided with a schedule to follow. Every day we are preoccupied by so many things. Every hour, every minute, every second, we are doing something. We never let the time pass by without doing something which is fruitful to us. We don’t even notice that another day is already fast approaching. We are taught to value time and to use it wisely. And often times, it is the seminary activities and my studies that consume my time. I treasured time most especially when the semester is about to end. As of now I am preoccupied by my thesis. I still have a lot of readings and many things to do with it. Sometimes I even sacrifice my siesta and recreation if there is a need. During the night, I am already tired and sometimes I arrive to the point that I will just pass by the Blessed Sacrament and do the sign of the cross as my night prayer. It even destroyed my prayer life. Every time I seat on my study hall, I cannot study well. It is because I am surrounded by many books which I still need to read and to give attention. I don’t know how to start. I don’t know which to prioritize and I just end up staring on my things without doing something. I started to lose hope because it seems that I cannot overcome these difficulties.
The Paradox of the Cross
February 25, 2010 at 7:30 am (Spirituality)
Jesus though humiliated became victorious in the end. Jesus experienced the most humiliating experience that was never experienced by any human being. Jesus was rejected by the people of his time. Jesus suffered for the sins which he, himself did not commit. He was insulted because of our sins. Jesus suffered and died because of us. Jesus conquered sin by his death. Jesus is the one who suffered because of our own weaknesses and stubbornness. Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin through his death. It is unthinkable that the son of God suffered and put to death because of our sins. But Jesus suffered and died because he followed the will of the heavenly father for him. Jesus died because of his obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus became victorious at the end despite his suffering because he followed the will of the father for him. The cross became the sign of Gods suffering and loves for us who are sinners.
A Good Preacher is Doing What He Preached
February 25, 2010 at 7:27 am (Spirituality)
For almost four years of being a seminarian, I already experienced being a preacher in one way or the other. Usually during vacation time, my family and my friends ask me to give them advices. I also experienced teaching catechism to the young people and I found it very challenging. Often times, I am preaching the word of God. I always tell them to do good things to other people, to love one another and to forgive others. But sometimes I found it difficult because I fail to do what I’m teaching to them. I am the first one who does not do what I preach. It is awkward to share the message of the word of God to others if I, myself am not doing the invitation of the word of God. I found it difficult to convince other people to do good things to others if I, myself am not doing good things. I must be the first follower of my teachings so that I have something to share to others. Jesus Christ is a good example of a good preacher. When Jesus preached, it was always accompanied by his actions. He preached with self-confidence and as one having authority. It is because he was convinced of what he is saying. He is not afraid to speak about the truth and to proclaim the good news because he had personal conviction. The people must see from me the fruits of my teachings. I must become a model for them in order for them to believe on what I am saying. I must show them that I can handle my own problems and difficulties so that they can listen to my advices. I need to convince myself on what I am saying so that I can convince other people, too. Other people must see from me that I’m putting into practice what I am teaching to them.
Surrendering Oneself
February 25, 2010 at 7:24 am (Spirituality)
One of our batch recollections which was done in Alabang, I remembered one our activities that showed total surrendering of oneself, which is the focus of my reflection. We were asked by our recollection master to choose our partner, one must be blind folded and the other is his guide. I was the one who was blind folded, and I saw nothing but darkness. We were asked to go around the subdivision with the blind fold and my partner is the one guiding me. My partner is the one indicating me what to do. I trusted him and I followed all his commands to avoid accidents. I surrendered myself to him because I cannot do anything without him. I cannot move because I cannot see. I cannot walk by may own because I am afraid that I might injured. I learned the important of trust, to surrender myself to others and to become a follower.
Faith Comes Through Hearing
February 25, 2010 at 7:22 am (Spirituality)
When I had my vacation last summer, I used to play with my younger brother who was only two years old. I really enjoyed playing with him and one thing I usually did when I was taking care of him was to place him on top of our table and ask him to jump. At first he was afraid to jump, but when I told him that I would go to catch him, he jumped because he trusted me. When we did it again he is no longer afraid, he just jumped and jumped because he knew that someone would be there to catch him. In that situation, I learned from my brother how to put my trust in God. My attitude toward God must be like that.
The Word of the Lord
February 25, 2010 at 7:20 am (Spirituality)
Entering in the seminary requires a lot of adjustments such as the schedule, in studies and in dealing with my co-seminarians. One thing I hate most in the schedule is to wake up early in the morning just to have meditation and to attend mass afterwards, maybe because I’m not used to it. What distinguishes seminary from other universities is its spiritual life. The seminarians are given enough time to pray. Prayer starts from the moment I opened my eyes, followed by the meditation which open times I fall asleep or sometimes day dreaming and usually it is followed by holy mass. After the class there is a midday prayer, rosary and if it is Thursday and Sunday there is adoration for vocation and there are still prayers before meals followed by night prayers and before I sleep there is also a reflection time. One thing I found out in common with those prayers is the presence of the word of God. Usually there is a word of God in all our community prayers and I often heard the phrase “the word of the Lord”. The word of God appears in mediation, in holy mass and it will end in the night prayer. If I’m not tired during the night I’m still reflecting in the word of God on that day. I realized that my day is incomplete without hearing or reading the word of God. If I did not encounter the word of God I’m at ease because I knew that something is lacking. It is because I used to start my day with the word of God and end it with the word of God.
