My Faith Experiences Stories

A Tondo Experience

Life is indeed hard...

I had the chance to visit the apostolate area of one of my seminary classmates in college somewhere in Tondo, Manila. We were about to do a film-making in their day care center for poor children as part of our project in Psychology at that time. After the film-making, my classmate gave me a tour of their area. Unexpectedly, chaos started as one group of teenagers approaching towards us and another group were chasing them. A riot is starting to develop. They were armored with balisong (switch knife), sumpak (home made gun) and other dangerous weapons that could kill somebody and even us. I was terrified and quickly walk away as fast as I could without thinking that I am with my classmate. Surprisingly, he didn't feel any fear but instead he told me that it is an ordinary sight in Tondo to see teenagers joining riots. He has used to it already.

Life is indeed hard in Tondo. I understood then what really cause these things to happen all because of poverty that continues to flagellates them. When you come to Tondo, think not of fear but internalize the very situation they are into and what must be done to help them.

When the Wind Blows

It was sweltering hot and humid afternoon after we have finished cleaning our classroom, we stayed for awhile in the campus while watching my high school classmates playing volleyball. I was able to join their game and when the ball comes before me and strikes it with my both fists, it went on the other side of the fence where the river is. I felt responsible for striking the ball. My classmate began to worry that her volleyball might float away. I had no choice but to retrieve the ball. It was 10 meters away from the school fence! I couldn't find any sticks to get it but again, I have no choice but to swim though the river is deep and dirty. The ball continues to drift away.

Drifted by faith...

I, too began to feel worried but nevertheless I quipped with a prayer that the wind would change its direction towards where I am. All of the sudden, the wind blows and drifted the ball towards me! When it finally reached about 3 meters, I grabbed it and my body plunges! When I came back to the campus, my classmates noticed that I am soaking and smells awful. They teased me but I did not mind, what is important for me is that I retrieved the ball and gave it back to my worried classmate. For me, it was an act of bravery and the experience that God works miraculously and His presence was felt that very day in one sweltering hot but windy afternoon.

Ghosts at the Bridge

fear not!

While we were riding back to the seminary from our Christmas caroling in Manila, we passed by a bridge somewhere in Cavite that every night of December. Our L300 stopped suddenly and the headlights went off. Everyone inside the van started panicking that there might be ghosts. We were at the middle of the bridge with no street lights, no cars sighted passing by and it's very quiet. It was believed to be that there are ghosts roaming around. Instead of being frightened, we pray for their repose and calm ourselves until our van starts running again so fast that we reached the seminary in less than 10 minutes!

The Three Engineers

Three engineers were offered to build a bridge that would link a remote island to a highly urbanized city. The people in that island eagerly want to have a bridge that would cross them to the city although it is miles apart and the ocean is really too deep and that they will be given whatever the company has to give. So the three engineers spoke to each other:


Engineer 1: Let's face it...the island is too far from the city and the ocean is too deep for us to work, besides, we don't know the quality of materials that the company will give us! It will all cost to nothing! It is only a waste of time! We cannot do it...

Connecting people...connecting lives...

Engineer 2: Let's think first...the island is too far from the city. It must be beautiful and wonderful place to live and the ocean must be great to swim at. Depending upon the company, they must give us high quality of materials! We must take profit in that island! But time is precious, we may able to do it or not...


Engineer 3: Let's work on it! The island may be too far from the city and the ocean maybe too deep for us to work, but we must have faith to the company to give us the best materials to work for! It is for the people's benefit! We cannot stand here for a long time! We can do it!


Ponder this: Who among these three engineers would you choose to build the bridge? The one who is realistic? idealistic? or the optimistic? Are you also one of those engineers? Who then are you from these three?

Kuya's Vocation

Just this morning when I checked my Facebook, I chance upon seeing the profile of a former co-seminarian whom I have known for awhile. He just got married last June 2011. I was happy knowing that he got married and immediately I sent message to him of congratulatory even though it's very late. He responded some several minutes ago and he told me that even though he wanted to become a priest but he has already difficulty of adjusting the seminary life. I replied that he can serve the Lord in his own capacity and his way. Though he's already in his mid-life stage, he actually has this strong desire to serve the Lord by becoming a priest but circumstances happen unexpectedly that he went out from seminary and back to his work as a dean in a university somewhere in Manila. Right now he's happily married and had move on but the vocation implanted to him still flourishing although in a different path of service.

I admire Kuya. In a short span of time of being with him in the seminary, he inspired me. I know it's difficult at that stage to pursue priesthood but what actually admirable is his conviction to hold on to that dream and never let it fade. Kuya would sometimes encouraged me to continue my aspiration to be a priest. Whenever I meet him in our seminary corridors he would greet me with a smile and saying 'sige lang kuya, sana maging pari ka'. Those words are enough to inspire me.

a vocation of service...

We have different callings. A vocation is gift from God that has given to us and this unique calling is not something that we pursue as a career but a call of service to others. Kuya may not have become a priest that he dreamed to become but he has given a call by Godto inspire and encourage young men to pursue their dreams, I myself is an inclusion to those men he inspired.  Kuya has renewed his vocation and he keeps doing that service for others as well, fulfilling our seminary's vision to be of service to others, be Christ-like for men and doing magis for God's greater glory.