Semanta Santa (Holy Week) activities in the Philippines

There are several Semana Santa or Holy Week practices in the Philippines.  Luckily, I've been able to witness all of them at different points in my life (but there are some which I try to attend annually).  If you haven't witnessed some of them yet, it's good to experience them at least once in your life and use the opportunity for some reflection and meditation.

Here are some activities you can participate in during Holy Week in the Philippines: 

Palm Sunday

Filipinos bring palm fronds (palaspas) to mass which are blessed by the priest.  The bringing and waving of palm leaves commemorates Jesus' entry to Jerusalem on a donkey and people welcomed him by laying down cloaks and small branches of trees. Blessed palm fronds (palaspas) are brought home and placed in windows and doors to ward off evil spirits and avert lightning.

Holy Wednesday

Semana Santa Procession.  The procession commemorates the passion of Christ.  Floats or carosa of statues (connected to Christ's passion) are paraded around the town.  Here are some of the photos I took during last Holy Wednesday's procession in our hometown, Sta. Rita, Pampanga.  For four generations, two floats  have been under the care of my mom's family - that of the Mater Dolorosa and San Juan.

This is the beautiful church of Sta. Rita Cascia in the Philippines.  St. Rita is the patroness of the Impossible.

People usually light candles and accompany their favorite saints (whom they usually ask favors from) during the procession.

This is the carosa of San Juan (St. John).  

San Mateo (St. Matthew)

Jesus and Pontius Pilate

The crucified Jesus

Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother) - this is always the last float in the procession both on Holy Wednesday and Good Friday.

Here's my candle at the end of the procession.  The distance of the procession isn't really far - maybe about 1.5 km but it can last up to 1 to 2 hours, depending on the number of participants.  The crowd is thicker on Good Friday (usually double than Holy Wednesday's crowd). 

Maundy Thursday

Mass of the Chrism. Held in Cathedrals every morning of Holy Thursday, the main celebrant of the Mass is the Archbishop concelebrated by the priests of his diocese. Apparently, Maundy Thursday was the day on which both the Mass and the priesthood were instituted so priests renew their vows, followed by the blessing of oils - Olive Oil - (oils used in baptism and for the anointing of the sick) and the consecration of the Chrism (oil used in the ordination of priests).

Washing of the Feet. This mass is held in the afternoon and it commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus washed the feet of the 12 disciples. So in the mass, there's a portion where the priest would wash, dry and kiss the feet of 12 individuals representing the 12 apostles.

Apparently, the washing of the feet is a hospitality custom since the ancient civilizations, a practice even mentioned in the Old Testament. A host usually provide water for guests for them to wash their feet and sometimes, offer their servants to do the washing for them. But in Jesus' case, he was the one who washed and not just for one but all twelve!

Visita Iglesia. This is the practice to visit seven Churches to pray the Stations of the Cross or pray before the Altar of Repose (the adorned altars).  But contrary to popular belief, you can opt to visit just one church to pray or visit as many churches as you want, and you can do it any time of the year (not just during Holy Week).

Good Friday

Good Friday is a day of fasting (eating 1 full meal and 2 small meals) and abstinence (no meat).

Stations of the Cross. This is when the priest leads the faithful through the meditations on the stations of the Cross.

Good Friday liturgical service. Since there's no celebration of the holy mass between Maundy Thursday and the Easter Vigil (held on the evening of Black Saturday), only a liturgical service is held in the Church on Good Friday, usually at around 3 p.m.. The liturgical service consists of the liturgy of the word (readings), prayer petitions, Adoration of the Cross (where you can kiss and venerate the Cross) and Communion. There's no final blessing given by the priest like in a regular mass, so after the service, you could just depart in silence. You will also notice that bells aren't rung during this day and all the statues in the Church are usually covered with cloth; only the Cross is left uncovered.  BTW, if you attend the service, please don't forget to bring your mass offering - this is the only time of the year when all collections are given for the care of the Holyland so you may want to give more this day.

Semana Santa Procession. This is usually held after the mass. It's similar to the Holy Wednesday procession except this time, more floats depicting the passion of Christ and also the float of the Santo Inchero or Santo Entierro (dead Body of Christ) are added.  Here are some of the photos I took during last night's procession in Sta. Rita, Pampanga.

Jesus is stripped off his garments.

The scourging at the pillar.

The Crucified Jesus with Mama Mary and St. John, the beloved apostle, at the foot of the Cross.

The crucified Jesus with the 2 thieves. Such a moving image especially if we reflect on how Jesus forgave one of the thieves, the repentant sinner. 

This is the float of the Santo Entierro (Santo Inchero).

Here's a closer shot of the Santo Entierro, the dead body of Jesus Christ.  A lot of religious (mostly men) walk barefoot and help pull the float of the Santo Entierro throughout the procession as their way of penance. 

As a kid, I remember, there was only a dozen of floats being paraded in my parents' hometown but in the last few years, I notice new floats are added every now and then. I estimate the total this year is close to 30 floats.  Some say that in some places, there are as many as 80 floats or carosas.  It's good to see that there's a growing interest and involvement among Filipinos in the procession including the youth.  It's a tradition which hopefully we'll be able to preserve for a long time. :)  

Black Saturday

Easter Vigil. It's the first celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. There are 2 things that are special about this mass:

(1) an Easter fire is kindled in total darkness and the Paschal Candle is blessed. Then the light from the Paschal candle is passed on from one candle to another until the place is all lit up.  You can bring a candle but if you forget to bring, the Church sometimes distributes to attendees.

Here are some photos I took during an Easter Vigil at the Sta. Clara Monastery in Betis, Pampanga.

The Easter Fire

The Paschal Candle is being lit from the Easter Fire.

The light from the Paschal candle is shared with everyone.

The Paschal candle (the big candle you see in the altar) is used throughout the year during baptisms and funerals as a reminder that Jesus is "light and life". 

(2) Renewal of baptismal vows and blessing of water. Most of us were baptized when we were infants when we didn't have minds of our own nor speak up on what we believe in. Now that we can, we can heartily and more meaningfully proclaim our faith and renew our vows.

Easter Sunday

Salubong. Held during pre-dawn as early as 4am (or sometimes on Black Saturday late night), this commemorates the celebration of Jesus meeting Mama Mary after His Resurrection. Usually there's a short procession of the float of the Sorrowful Mother (Mater Dolorosa) covered with a veil, and the float of the Resurrected Christ, each of them in separate routes. At the end of the procession, they are brought together usually the the plaza fronting the Church. A little girl dressed in angel costume lifts the veil of the Sorrowful Mother to welcome the Resurrected Christ.  Then happy music is played, often with a marching band, and fireworks are lit.

Burning of Judas.  This usually happens on Sunday morning when an effigy (dummy) of Judas Escariot on a stake is burned or exploded using fireworks.   If you're curious to know how the Judas figure looks like, the one that I saw looked like a scarecrow - it was made of straw and had some clothes on.  And to share with you how I felt when I witnessed this was I actually felt bad seeing the dummy being burned.  I know Judas betrayed Jesus but before he made that mistake, he must have done good things as a disciple. And who knows, maybe he even repented before he took his life.  

The schedule for each of the activities vary from one church to another so to be sure, please do prior research before planning anything or ask the parish office where you intend to go to.

Each of us may have different intentions for attending or participating in Holy Week activities and services but whatever they are, for sure, you will find something that will move your spirit.  :)

P.S.  For Catholics, we're also invited to go to Confession.  If you feel unworthy or ashamed to go to confession (like I do!), it's ok.  They say that when we go to confession, it's not to emphasize how bad we are but how good and forgiving God is.

How to make a decision when you can't decide

Photo source: italish.blogspot.com

Whenever I make a decision, I just simply draw the pros and cons of my options, choose the option I think it's best, pray, think about it some more, give my final decision, hope it's the right decision and never look back.  Haha... 

But my perspective about the decision-making process changed when I read about what you call the discernment, deliberation or simply the decision-making process taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. There is a better (and more organized, logical and even spiritually-aligned) way to make decisions.  

Sharing with you the steps to help you make a good decision especially when you're presented with options and you don't know which one to pick.  I got useful excerpts and insights from various sections of the book "A Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything:  A Spirituality for Real Life" by Fr. James Martin, SJ and organized them under each step. 

1.  Pray and present your options to God. 

Remember the following though when coming up with your options:

- Your options shouldn't be manifestly evil.  This disqualifies choosing between lesser evil as we sometimes put it when we're presented with options bordering a gray area. Because after all, there's always the choice to do the right thing which is refraining from doing the wrong thing. 

- Make sure you're indifferent when you come up with your options.  By indifferent, it means you've to approach each decision fresh.  Many times we enter into a decision with our minds already made up, or too concerned about how others will judge our decision.  And while advice from friends and families can help us arrive at a good decision, begin the decision-making process as impartially as possible.  Starting off by assuming that you should decide one way or the other, is cheating yourself out of a good choice.  

2.  Identify your ultimate objective. 

3.  Ask God to move your heart toward the better decision. 

4.  Make a list of the possible positive and negative outcomes of all the options.

Remember, no decision leads to a perfect outcome.  There's no perfect solution - each option has both pros and cons. 

5. Meditate on which option gives you the greater consolation. 

Consolation is a sense of peace and rightness of the choice.  Consolation leads you to feel encouraged, confident, and calm in your decision.  

What I found very useful from the book are these suggested techniques to help us seriously think through our various options by visualizing them.  Here are some visualization techniques in decision-makingnpresented in the book:  

- Imagine living with each choice for a set period of time and seeing which choice gives you a greater sense of peace.   

- Or imagine a person whom you have never seen or known and imagine what advice you would give to this person regarding the same decision you are facing. This can help free you from excessive focus on yourself.  

- Or imagine yourself at the point of death and imagine asking yourself this on your deathbed - "What should I have done?"

- Or imagine yourself at the Last Judgment - which choice would you want to present before God?   

- Or imagine what your best self would do.  Making decisions as if you were you were your best self will help you become your best self.  

That's not to say that a good decision won't stir you up.  In an example cited in the book between staying in a small condo versus moving to a bigger apartment where you have decided to move to a bigger apartment, it doesn't mean that you'll feel calm all the way.  If you decide to move to a bigger apartment, there will be lots to do.  And everyone feels some buyer's remorse.  You may feel anxiety as you think all the responsibilities a new house entails.  But if deep down, you feel consolation, you feel peace, you feel you're headed to the right direction, it's probably a good choice.

6.  Ask for some sort of confirmation from God that it is the right decision.

*******

As a final learning on decision-making, we are entitled to change our decision in the face of new data unless it's commitments like a vow, marriage, etc.  But if you've made a changeable decision for good reasons and you're comfortable with it and there's no reason to change things, don't bother making a new decision.

Lastly, if you've made a good decision and suddenly feel downcast, it's not a sign to reconsider.  An example cited in the book is say you have decided to be a more generous person and will forgive someone against whom you've had a grudge for many months.  So you speak with your friend.  If your forgiveness doesn't seem to heal the relationship immediately, it does not mean you should stop being a forgiving person.  "When you have made a good decision to serve God better and after a while go into desolation, you should not change the decision because it's hardly a good spirit moving you." 

Simple prayer technique for busy people

While reading "A Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality in Real Life" by Fr. James Martin, SJ, there was something about what he said on praying which jolted me.  He shared that when he was a young boy, he used to think God as the Great Problem Solver who would fix all his problems if he just prayed hard enough.  His prayers went like "Let me get an A on my social studies test...  Let me do well in math... Let tomorrow be a snowy day." 

That reminded me about my prayers as a child too - praying to get a good grade but not really studying hard enough... Praying for a sunny weather on weekends when it's time play .... and secretly praying that there will be a typhoon so there won't be classes (but during those times, signal # 2 typhoons didn't cause much flooding as they do now!).  

Fr. Martin shared that as he grew older, the model of God as the Great Problem Solver collapsed because he realized God didn't seem interested in solving all his problems as he prayed and prayed and prayed but all his problems weren't still solved.  And eventually, he saw and experienced God in many different lights.

This really struck me because I still view God as the Great Problem Solver.  I've never progressed!  Waaaa...... I still say petitionary prayers and hope they get answered - the only difference between now and when I was a kid is I'm more patient now (and don't pray for a signal #3 typhoon so work will be called off!). And if my prayers don't get answered immediately, I know and hope they will eventually!

Fr. Martin cautions people who say petitionary prayers (asking God for something) of its pitfalls. He says it can remove from our spiritual lives an awareness of God's freedom and may move into the realm of superstition and even magic.  You might feel that if you pray a certain prayer, or in a certain way, or use a fixed number of repetitions, you might just be able to cajole God into doing something, to force God to respond.  He underlines that prayers are not spells or incantations designed to make something happen.  Ouch! Because sometimes I think God will answer my prayers out of kakulitan (persistence)! Haha... 

I seriously have to work on re-learning how to pray.  But the great news is "No form of prayer is better than another" as the book mentions.  So maybe I'm not doing that bad either. (Ok, I'm just trying to justify and feel good. Haha...)

Moreover, being busy is not an excuse for not praying. Here's another excerpt from the book which really struck me:

Be careful when saying my work is my prayer.  This may mean our work leads to God. Or it is an excuse for not praying.  Or it may mean we're doing neither wholeheartedly.  
Uh-oh....

Anyway, St Ignatius popularized a prayer structure called "examen" in Spanish which is a daily examination of conscience.  It is a 5-step process which goes like this:

1. Give thanks for all the good things that happened during the day
2. Ask for grace to know your sins
3. Review your day and examine your learnings. Think of it like a movie playing in your head as the book suggests.  What's important about reviewing your day is to notice what made you happy, or stressed, or confused, or more loving.  And to also recall the sights, sounds, tastes, textures and conversations because each moment offers a window where God has been in our day. 
4. Ask for forgiveness.
5. Ask for God's grace to help you the next day.
Then Close with a prayer like Our Father.

What's great about praying the examen regularly is it will also help us answer the question "Why doesn't God answer our prayer?" because as Fr Martin puts it - most of the time, we fail to recognize when God answers our prayers when they are not in the way we expect them to be.  :) 

The inspiring life story of St. Ignatius of Loyola

After reading "A Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything" by Fr. James Martin, SJ, I got inspired to reflect on St. Ignatius' life and also revisit photos of our trip to St. Ignatius' home in Spain.  Obviously, I didn't pay much attention to our tour guide then because when I was reading his life story from Fr. Martin's book, there were only 3 things I recalled about his life - St Ignatius got injured during a war, he got his spiritual enlightenment in his bedroom, and then he became a saint!   Ultra edited version of his biography. Haha...

Anyway, let me tell you about the inspiring story of how a rich, vain and worldly man came to be a saint.  Here's the life story of St. Ignatius based on exceprts from Fr. Martin's book:

Inigo de Loyola was born in 1491 in Spain and spent much of his young adult life preparing to be a soldier and courtier (I think this refers to Inigo being a person who seeks favors through flattery and charm, rather than an attendant to a court as you can see in the rest of the story). He was something of a ladies' man and according to some sources, a hothead. He was vain and interested in worldly interests.

During a battle in Pamplona in 1521, his leg was struck and shattered by a cannonball, which led to several months of recuperation. 

The initial operation on the leg was botched - there was a bone protruding. But vanity took over - Inigo wanted his leg to look good in fashionable tights and couldn't accept the idea of being thought unattractive so he asked the surgeons to cut away the bone. The surgery left him with a lifelong limp.

While recovering at their family castle, he wanted to find books he most enjoyed reading - adventure stories, tales of chivalry, of knights doing gallant deeds to impress noble women, but there were none of those books. His sister-in-law gave him a book on the life of Jesus and another one on the lives of saints.

As he idly leafed through the seemingly dull lives of saints, something surprising happened. Inigo wondered if he can emulate them. Within him stirred a strange desire to become like saints and serve God. He wrote in his autobiography, "What if I should do this which Saint Francis did and this which Saint Dominic did?". And this was coming from someone who didn't even have prior interest in religious observance!

When he wasn't reading about the life of Jesus and the saints, he still thought about doing great deeds for a certain lady. He went back and forth thinking about doing heroic things for the noble lady and doing heroic things for God. He slowly realized the difference in the aftereffects of his thoughts. After he thought about impressing a certain lady with exploits in the battlefield, he was delighted at first, then he was dry and discontented. But when he thought about doing great things for God like going to Jerusalem on barefoot or undergoing the things the saints endured, not only was he consoled but he remained content and happy - even after putting them aside. He began to marvel at the difference, realizing from experience that some thoughts left him sad and others happy.

After fully recovering and against his family's protests, he gave up his being a soldier and started to devote himself to God. In 1522, at the age of 31, he made a pilgrimage to the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, Spain. As a gesture, he stripped off his garments and gave them to a beggar and laid his sword and armor before the statue of the Virgin Mary.

After that, he spent a year living in a nearby town called Manresa where he did austere practices - fasted, prayed long hours, grew his hair and nails long as a way to show that he has surrendered his vanity.

Gradually, he moderated his extreme practices. He realized his austerity was doing little to help him achieve his goal of helping souls. Even though he has adopted this penance for a good reason, he abandoned it. (Years later, he counseled Jesuits against undertaking similarly austere practices if they prevented working efficiently. He advised Jesuits to be moderate in all things and maintain their health; eat healthy food, get good exercise and have the proper rest in order to carry out their work.)

He went to study in the University of Paris where he begged for alms to support himself. While in Paris, he met friends like Francisco Javier (known today as St. Francis Xavier) and 5 others who became the first Jesuits in 1534 when they took their vow of poverty and chastity. And the rest was history for the Jesuit community which has grown globally. 

Here are the photos I took when we visited St. Ignatius' house in Spain a few years back.  The tower that you see is the Basilica of St. Ignatius but in the foreground is their house - or more like a family castle and yes, it's huge. 

Here's a door leading to the family castle.

Once you enter, you'll see a sculpture depicting the scene when St Ignatius' leg got injured during the war.  (I think this is the reason why I remembered he got injured! Haha...) 

Here's inside the quarters of the family castle.

It's big but only selected sections are open to the public.  

Here are some beautiful stained glass windows inside the family residence.  

And this is the room of St. Ignatius located at the top floor of the family residence.  This is where he recovered, read about the lives of Jesus and saints, and got his spiritual enlightenment.  It all happened in this room.  (And most likely, seeing this is the reason why I remembered it as the second phase of St. Ignatius' life in my shortcut biography about him. Haha...)

Here's the beautiful Basilica of St. Ignatius built just adjacent to the family castle.

Check out its intricately-designed entrance.

And beautiful dome.

As an additional realization after reading the book, it dawned on me that I've also been to the place where St. Ignatius stripped off his garments and armor, and laid down his sword before the statue of the Virgin Mary in Montserrat, Spain.  It's one of the most breathtaking places I've been to.  Check out the photos of the Monastery in Monserrat -

And here's the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat or also known as the miraculous Black Madonna.

Anyway, after knowing about the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, isn't it inspiring to know that someone who's hot-tempered, worldly, "bolero" (courtier as they put it) and vain (probably even more vain than most of us because I don't think I would consider cutting a bone for aesthetic purposes) ended up becoming a saint?!      

And what I like most about him are his wisdom and practical teachings which we could apply to modern times like his teachings on simple living and moderation.  The invitation to live a simple life is an invitation to freedom, not guilt.  And it doesn't mean that we have to give up everything like the saints did - we can still keep our favorite things and do recreational activities as long as they are kept in moderation, they don't rule our lives and we share with the less fortunate and learn from them.  

A lesson on Gratitude and Generosity

I'm currently reading a book which tells a story that deeply moved me.  

Father Arrupe, a Jesuit priest, was once visiting some other Jesuits working in the slums of Latin America.  During the visit, he celebrated mass for the local people.  Here were his words from an interview:

When the mass was over, a big man whose hang-dog look (guilty look) made me almost afraid said, "Come to my place. I have something to give you."  

I was undecided.  I didn't know whether to accept or not, but the priest who was with me said, "Accept, Father, they are good people." 

I went to his place; his house was a hovel (an open, low shed) nearly on the point of collapsing.  He had me sit down on an old, rickety old chair.  From there, I could see the sunset.

The big man said to me, "Look, Sir, how beautiful it is!"  We sat in silence for several minutes.  The sun disappeared.  

The man then said, "I don't know how to thank you for all you have done for us.  I have nothing to give you, but I thought you would like to see this sunset.  You liked it, didn't you?  Good evening." And then he shook my hand.  

What a beautiful story! May it inspire us to be more grateful and generous. :)

How to enjoy life one day at a time

If you know someone who's always distracted because while doing something, he's thinking of something else (could be worries in life, a pending project, or anticipation of a future event), the book The Present is a good gift to give.  Being preoccupied and not giving our full attention on what we're doing (as we do them) robs us and our loved ones from fully enjoying life.  I am so guilty of this especially when I am alone - did I turn off the lights and unplug all the cords when I stepped out?  Did I lock my car door?  Simple things which I did only 5 minutes earlier and yet, I've no recollection if I did them! And so I always end up going back to check for my peace of mind. 

Anyway, The Present by Spencer Johnson is deeper than my examples of absent-mindedness.  It tells a story about an an old man and young boy who developed a special friendship.  They would catch up at different points in their lives to talk about the world's greatest gift which the old man calls The Present.  The old man said what makes The Present the greatest gift is it allows you to enjoy things more and enable you to do better each day. This started the boy's quest for The Present which he needed to discover on his own.

The boy grew into a young man and never forgot about his quest for The Present.  He read, asked people, researched but couldn't find anyone who could tell him what the Present was so he just gave up his search.  

When he was at work, he thought about where else he might enjoy working more.  Or he thought about what he would do when he got home.  His mind wandered during meetings and conversations with friends.  When he eats, he's distracted and is even unaware of the taste of his food.  

After some time, he realized he was unhappy. He was hoping to get promoted since he considered himself a hardworker as he was punctual at work and always puts a full day's work.  Unfortunately, he had been passed over for promotion which he thought he was entitled to.  He became angry and couldn't understand why he didn't get the promotion.  He acted like he didn't care about the promotion but deep inside, he harbored resentment.  Anger consumed him and the quality of his work got affected.  

Everyday, he went home more tired and disappointed.  He never seemed satisfied with what he's doing.  He knew that he wasn't fulfilling the promise he'd showed when he was younger.  He was not happy nor successful as he wants to be. On certain days, he thought about the past when life seemed simpler.  

The next time the old man and young man met, the old man suggested for the young man to take time off from his regular routine.  He said that when you stop trying so hard to find The Present, you'll find it's easier to discover.

So he spent some time in a cabin in the mountains.  He walked for miles thinking about The Present but didn't get an answer.  He also thought about his past failures like not getting a promotion and his anger came back.   

When it grew dark outside, he went to the cabin and lit a fire to keep himself warm. Then he noticed the cabin's magnificent fireplace -  it was made of well-chiseled, carefully-arranged big and small stones like it was some piece of art.  He thought about the mason who designed and built it.  He thought it must have taken him full concentration and that he must have loved his work so much to have been able to build such a masterpiece.

Then he realized - The Present is the present moment!

Being in the present means focusing on what's happening right now, tuning out from distractions, paying attention to what is important now.  It means appreciating the gifts you are offered each day.  You don't think about the past nor feel anxious on what will happen in the future.  

On his next conversation with the old man, the young man asked what if the present happens to be a bad situation?  The old man replied to focus on what is right as it will give you the energy and confidence to deal with what's wrong.  When you start focusing on what's wrong, you'll get discouraged. But when you focus on what's right, you become more relaxed and are able to enjoy the present.  

So when the young man went back to work, he realized that though he may not have been promoted, he still had his job, that he was in a good working environment and that there are still other opportunities to earn recognition from.  

However, after some time, he became unhappy again so he sought out the old man again.  The old man shared with him that when you become upset or unhappy in the present, it's time to learn from The Past because your feelings can teach you.  There are 3 questions to ask yourself he said:

What happened in the past?

What did i learn from it?

What can i do differently now?  

The old man also said to remember not to be too hard on yourself because at that time you made a mistake, you probably did the best you knew at the time.  

The young man also asked the old man about how not to get worried about The Future. The old man said:

If you want to help create the future, first appreciate what is positive about the present moment.  Then imagine what a better future would look like, make a realistic plan and do things to help it happen.  Planning and doing something today to make it happen reduces fear and uncertainty.  

The old man likens The Past, The Present and The Future to a camera tripod.  Without one of the legs, it'll topple over.  If you are not aware of the present, you won't be aware of what's going on.  If you've not learned from the past, you won't be ready to create the future.  If you have no plan for the future, you are adrift.  

There are 2 more important teachings which the old man shared with the young man and I think they are the most important ones: 

1.  Have a why (purpose) in life. This means rising each day and seeing what meaning it will hold for you and others as a result of your actions.  

2.  Being successful means getting more of what you need - whatever you think is important. 

It varies per individual and it may change at different times in our lives.  When you're young, it may be getting good grades in school or doing better in sports... later it may mean being more productive or feeling more peaceful.  When the young man asked the old man what success for him was, he answered:

At this phase of my life, it means laughing more often, loving more deeply and being of greater service.  

I like laughing more often!  I think I should add that to my list of metrics.  Haha...

The Present is just a quick read - just a little over over 100 pages.  The author, Spencer Johnson, is also the author of the bestseller,  Who Moved my Cheese.  

Lessons on Simplicity from Blessed Pope John Paul II

Little has been written about Blessed Pope John Paul II's practice of his vow of Poverty.  While reading the book  "Why he is a Saint:The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization" by Slawomir Oder with Saverio Gaeta, one aspect of JP2's holiness that deeply moved me was how he lived a simple life even when he became a pope - so simple that it would make the rest of us think twice when we complain that we don't have enough. Sharing with you some anecdotes:  

During the war, when Karol Wojtyla worked for a plant called Solvay Plant) in Cracow, his fellow workers noticed that he often arrived at work in the morning without a sweater or overcoat he had been wearing the previous day and when asked why, he always had the same explanation -  "I gave it to someone I met on the street who needed it more than I did."  His fellow workers would give him something to keep him warm but every time,Wojtyla will keep it only for a short time since he always gives it to someone else.

Even when he became a priest, he would often arrive in Church without a coat or scantily clad as he gives his clothing to people who needs them more than he does.   One time, he even gave away his shoes and his sacristan had to lend him his shoes during the celebration of the mass! 

And when he was a bishop, there was a time when the soles of the shoes he was wearing had fallen off.  He refused to be bought new shoes and insisted on asking the cobbler's opinion to fix them until the cobbler told him  - "There is absolutely no way to repair these anymore!" - did he agree to a new pair of shoes.  

Then there was this story about his short-lived car. After a visit to a community of Polish emigrants in the US, he received as a gift from them a brand  new automobile, a deluxe Ford, which was delivered to him in Cracow. (Then) Cardinal Wojtyla used the car for a while, but shortly decided to replace it with a less ostenatious and cheaper Volga.  His colleagues asked him why and here was what he answered - "When they showed me the various models in the car catalogue, I picked the one that seemed the smallest to me.  But when I saw it in real life, I realized it was too nice a car for me.  And then, when I was on a pastoral visit, I heard one child say to another:  'What car that is!' I want the faithful to remember my visits because of my ministry, not because of the car I arrived in."  He traded the car for a Volga and donated the excess money to the poor.

When people give him cash gifts, he automatically gives them to the curia treasurer or a poor person (whoever he meets first) - and this is even without opening the envelope! He also distributes to priests who come to see him at his audiences explaining that they are offerings for the celebration of masses.

One time, when (then) Archbishop Wojtyla celebrated mass at the University of Cracow, the university chaplain gave him a cash offering.  Archbishop Wojtyla didn't want to accept the gift but with much prodding by the chaplain, he gave in saying that it will be used to help someone in need.  Surprise, surprise - the chaplain later learned that Archbishop Wojtyla sent the money back to the university pastoral office with instructions that it be used to help poor students!  

When it comes to clothing, JP2 was very modest - refusing  replacement for tattered clothes and always opting to have holes patched.  When he was a pope already, there was a time when the nuns taking care of the building where he spent a holiday in, noticed his undergarments were so patched that they were irritating to the skin already so they took the initiative to replace them with new ones.  They got gently scolded by the pope and he asked that the new ones be given away!

He owned a single overcoat  - it just had a lining that he inserted in the winter and that he removed during spring and autumn.  Even when he goes skiing, he wore worn, old overalls.  His wardrobe contained only a few cassocks, a single change of trousers and a few shirts!  

One year, during summer, since it was hot, he cut the sleeves off.  When winter came, the housekeeper, realized this so he went to the bursar and the bursar said they will just buy new long-sleeved shirts.  But the housekeeper knew (then) Archibishop Wojtyla well for refusing new clothing so what they did was buy new shirts, soiled them and washed them a few times to make them look used!  Haha...

Wojtyla would also tell the housekeeper regularly to give away what he doesn't need. He would tell her - "Go into my bedroom and clean out my personal belongings.  I own too many things.  Leave the more worn out articles for me and give the better ones to the poor."  In reality, there wasn't much to give away because he had very few possessions to begin with (but by his standards, he thinks he does!).

When he became pope, he refused to replace the furniture in his Vatican apartment which had been used by Pope Paul VI and were already tattered. He only said yes to the kitchen and only because for safety reasons.  

And here's a story that moved me the most - he once went to a pastoral visit to Brazil.  When he met with the faithfuls in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, JP2 was deeply moved by the extreme poverty of one family.  He removed the ring from his finger and gave it to the mother of the children.  It was the gold ring he had been given by Pope Paul VI when he became a cardinal but he didn't hesitate to give it away because at that moment, it was the most valuable thing he possessed.  And for the rest of the visit, he had to borrow the episocopal ring of the cardinal secretary of the state!  This reminded me about the Parable of the Widow who gave away her 2 coins - which was all she had. 

What a holy man!  And the most amazing about him was it wasn't as if he was giving up something or sacrificing anything.  Though bare and simple his possessions were, he always thought that he had more than enough to share and give away.  :) 

"Why he is a Saint:The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization" should be available in all leading bookstores but I got my copy from NBS Best Sellers (National Bookstore) at The Podium, Ortigas, Pasig City.  It sells for Php995.  

How a Pope is chosen

Everyone's looking forward to welcoming the new Pope.  The latest news is black smoke was emitted twice today, the first day of the Conclave, which means no Pope has been successfully elected yet.

According to what I researched online, the tradition of cardinals voting a Pope dates back to the Middle Ages. No one knows what really goes on a conclave - a conclave is the lockdown mode when cardinals have to live at the Vatican until a Pope is elected.  The mystery has been preserved because cardinals are sworn to secrecy for life and if any one is found violating, he would be excommunicated.  Cardinals are deprived of phones and internet access during a Conclave so they couldn't communicate with the outside world.

It's in the Sistine Chapel where cardinals hold the voting.  The Chapel is said to be swept for bugs everyday before the start of a Conclave.  Luckily, I've had the chance to go inside the Sistine Chapel twice already - once in 2008 and the last one in 2011.  The Sistine Chapel is one of the sections at the Vatican where silence is observed and picture-taking is strictly prohibited.  But here's a photo inside the Sistine Chapel which I got online.

For the voting, all cardinals below 80 yrs old have to participate.  115 cardinals are voting this Conclave - 60 of which are from Europe, 19 from South America, 14 from North America, 11 from Africa, 10 from Asia (including our very own Cardinal Tagle) and 1 from Oceania.

Each day of the Conclave, cardinals have 2 rounds of voting.  A candidate needs to get 2/3 majority vote to be elected as Pope or in this Conclave, at least 77 votes.  After each voting, they burn the ballots.  If there is no candidate who achieves the majority vote, they put chemicals on the stove so that the chimney stack emits black smoke.

If no Pope is elected for 3 days, the cardinals would take a break and hold a day of prayer.  If no one still qualifies in terms of voting, the cardinals must choose between the 2 most voted candidates but still with a 2/3 majority vote requirement.

At any voting session where a candidate achieves the 2/3 majority vote, he will be asked by the Dean of Cardinals if he accepts it or not.  If he accepts it, white smoke is emitted from the Vatican's chimney stack. And the newly-elected Pope is lead to a room to put on the papal garb and is presented to the expectant crowd at St. Peter's Square.

I got saddened when Pope Benedict XVI resigned but I admire his honesty and humility for doing what he did.  Luckily, in my past 2 trips to Italy, I've had the chance to see Pope Benedict and even attend his Papal Easter Mass right at St. Peter's Square.  With Pope John Paul II,  I was just able to  see him from the balcony of the Archbishop's Palace in one of his trips to Manila.  And I do hope that I'll have the chance to see the new Pope - maybe even get the chance to kiss his hand - I know I wrote this on my wish list. :)