Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year to all!

Phenomenological Attitude

I would like to throw out some questions to inquire about ourselves that would lead to the topic. How do you see other people – as an object available to be used anytime or as another self like you and me? How do you treat him or her – as an enemy that ready to devour your comfort zone so that respect on you may be out of the way or as a person that lets you to take the risk of invading your being a person?

This topic is relevant in enhancing one’s relational skill. Everybody needs to be connected in a positive way to yield a good relationship – in the family, friendship and other identified groups of people.

Our times is being bombarded with negative thoughts, prevailed to put up barriers so as others may not have the chance to interact with each others as fellow human beings as another image of God. Or maybe a pre-conceived ideas and experiences that hinders us from having an authentic relationship with others, and that is tantamount to commit a wrong attitude of being biased and prejudiced. What would be the alternative to the problem of relationship so as to create a healthy, humane and value-oriented environment?

It’s the perspective of phenomenology. By this it allows other person to be as he is and to grow without being ‘boxed in’ in the first place. Through it there is no place for bias, prejudice or pre-conditioned generalization to protect our comfort zones or personality but a place for fraternal correction for one’s growth without sarcastic remark, professionalism, respect and appreciation for the giftedness of that person. This is especially true for all followers of the Master and Teacher, and even He himself welcomed, entertained and mingled with prostitutes, tax collectors, zealots and criminals to realize the plan of his Father

We our not in total control of all the events in our daily lives, for there is many worlds that exists aside from our own world. As Maurice Mearleau-Ponty, a French existentialist philosopher said that the world is not what I think, but what I live through. Another injunction would suffice his thinking the 'sane' man is not the one who has eliminated all contradictions from himself so much as the one who uses these contradictions and involves them in his work.

My final remark to this is coming from a text message sent by one of my friends. It goes this way: our feelings come from our thoughts. Then what is the conclusion? We can control our feelings by learning to change one thing: the way we think.

Many Thanks Ate Norma Sakin

When we enter into a relationship like friendship, we experience a very wonderful existence in this tiny and temporal world. And when such relationship ends, we feel at lost, grieve and die a part of our self. This is exactly what I feel up to this very date when my friend ATE NORMA SAKIN passed away more than a month ago. I least expected such a fate to happen to her who was so generous, understanding, God-fearing, a devoted legionary of Mary, a wise counsellor, a sister, and a buddy. Though we did not anymore spent time together in every weekend with our usual circle of friends, since I started working in Davao City, we still keep on communicating through texting and e-mailing.

There is one thing that I would like to be grateful to you, ATE NORMA SAKIN, is whenever you come to DAVAO CITY for a recollection in your aspiration to be part of the SERVITIUM or attend an important meeting to preside over as the highest officer of LEGION OF MARY in Mindanao, you always see to it that in your itinerary you would not miss to make an appointment with me. With that gesture, I could not refute the reality but admire your sincerity and firmness of what you say that WE ALWAYS REMAIN FRIENDS WHETHER YOU ARE TO BECOME A PRIEST OR A SIMPLE LAY PERSON. Ate, you are really a wonderful person because your commitment of concern and care is not conditional. You possess the character of a true CHRIST patiently, hopeful and positive in bringing out the best in me. Though we did not have the chance to share our deepest secrets and successes in life, but our absent presence to each other is surpassed the expectation.

Although it has been almost 2 months ago [September 2009] since you left us, my heart is still grieving for your lost. You have taught me to be strong enough to go on with life ahead to discover the future what God wants me to be, and hold on to our blessed mother as our faithful intercessor. I know there is always one thing that you would like to make a request as part of your missionary journey – to pray for the spiritual growth of the legion of Mary and to pray for the beatification of the Servant of God, Frank Duff. As an auxiliary legionary, I will include your intention in my prayer. In my heart I do not want to let you go, but I am sure you are at peace and enjoying the presence of our creator and our blessed mother. Always remember me and Fr. PI to ask our brother and friend Jesus to keep us from evil and temptation as we trudge the path of this earthly life. I will always keep our memories as I remember you. I’ll be missing you my friend ATE NORMA SAKIN. Adios!

The limitation of partiality

Conviction about anything is a by-product of one’s perspective, decision and biased in life. And one of the contentions of conviction is characterized as partiality. Partiality could be applied in our day-today situation either as something positive or negative. Take a look at these instances.

• As of 9AM today, FPJ got 6,000 votes and GMA 5,000 votes. (Partial pronouncement by NAMFREL.)
• A college student received failing grades in some of the subjects, and he thinks he can’t do it to achieve his dream of acquiring the degree starting to make a future plan to stop schooling. (Partial doubt.)
• A catholic believer is not convinced about the whole truth or statements stated in the Apostles’ Creed. (Partial suitability maybe.)
• A man was accused of stealing, and he must be that way forever as claimed by conservatism-mentality. (Partial judgment.)

The implications for fruitful and healthy outlook in life going beyond partiality are:

• Partiality challenges us for totality;
• Partiality makes us extend our virtue of patience;
• Partiality gives us enough space to improve our understanding;
• Partiality suspends inhumane rogue judgment;
• Partiality teaches us to be broadminded;
• and partiality helps us to focus on the good side of everyone

...until we achieve the better picture of wholeness of the state of affairs. The pitfall of partiality-attitude is promoting half-truth and half-lie, thus offending other people and winning no trust and confidence in any future dealings. W. Norris Clarke, a retriever on the thoughts of Aquinas, explained that man by nature is searching for an integrated vision of reality as a whole. Thus partiality is good, only, if and when, in relation to wholeness. In short, partiality has no place of its own but finds its home in the wholeness.