We just celebrated our foundation day. We had the thanksgiving Eucharist this afternoon. It was another year of fruitfulness in the Church and faithfulness to God. We thank the founding people and his contemporary brothers.
Today, in 1817, in La Valla, France, Marcellin Champagnat founded the Institute of Teaching Brothers. He started with two young men, Brothers Jean Marie and Louis.
Marcellin’s inspiration in founding the congregation was rooted in the need of his contemporary time. He became aware of the extreme difficulty of the people especially the young in learning how to read and write, and the urgent need of creating a society to cope with those hardships. Moreover, His experience with the Montagne boy reinforced his desire to teach them in a Christian way of education. His dream, to send the Brothers to all dioceses in the world is now becoming a reality in our contemporary times.
With our theme in today’s commemoration, “Built Wisely, Living Today!” is the realization of our foundation as congregation of teaching Brothers. But indeed, “If the Lord does not build a house, in vain do the builders labour,” A wise man builds his house on the rock, so Champagnat too, our wise Father priest, inspired us to be here today to celebrate with him in thanking God for the graciousness in finding our own giftedness in the institute.
We pray for all the Brothers in the whole Institute, all those who have gone before us, and those who, in many ways, shared their lives as Marists in spirit.
With the spirit of Champagnat and with Mary our Good Mother, our first Superior, let us begin the celebration with joyful hearts and minds.
by Br. Vince, FMS
My brother have just entered the classroom and related what he encountered downstairs. He was moved with pity to the beggar standing outside the building, waiting for anybody to give him anything to eat. I asked him of what did he do but replied, “Nothing happened, everybody was busy downstairs.” I started to think why, then I recalled my conversation with a boy living on the street last week.
Let me call him Teby. He is now 12 years old and living in a shelter for the street kids somewhere in Manila. We were just starting our tutorial in mathematics when he asked me if I know how to draw. I started to draw and gave the pencil to him and asked, “Please draw for me your family; your father, mother, brothers and sisters.” He started to draw his father but didn’t continue. “I don’t know how to draw,” he said. So I asked him to tell me a story. “Kuya, I ran away from home, but I still know where are they. I have older brothers and I think I have younger siblings. I have two fathers. They are living in a shanty.
To make the story short, he came from a broken family and was not able to resist staying with them. He left his family when he was 8 years old and walked away from home. He wandered around Manila, begging money from people and even got trouble with other street kids sniffing rugby to alleviate stomach pain due to hunger. He didn’t tell me if he was one of them. He was thankful to some people he met on the streets. One he called “nanay,” a candy and cigarette vendor who protected him one time from other kids. Another one was a security guard of a bank he called, “Kuya guard.” He gives Teby a food to eat every time he passes by the guard’s post. He can still vividly remember a man who bought him a hamburger, spaghetti and French fries. He even gave him money. When he finished his food, he collapsed. When he woke up, he found himself in a shelter for street kids. It is sad to know that his family never visited him once. But he is thankful that his life is starting to be given back to him. He is now studying as a Grade 3 pupil at the age of 12.
He is just one of more than 150,000 street kids (BIS). There are are still a lot of them who are unfortunate to have a Christmas on the street. It’s 10 days more to go before Christmas, and I have in mind to adopt one street kid even just for this Christmas as a solidarity with the people helping the street kids of Metro Manila, and most especially because of love to the children.
Note: Grammar not corrected. Tnx!
Pasakalye lang….
Nahihilo pa akong umalis from our place going to Ateneo this early afternoon. I felt the need to take a nap pero I needed to reply to some emails I received and signed 10 christmas cards na ipapadala overseas.
While sitting on this concrete bench, natatawa ako dito sa mag-syota just seven meters away from me. Umiiyak si lalaki while halata ring nangingiyak si babae; magkadikit pa ang mga balakang. Sa isip ko lang, wala kayang maliligaw dito sa aking kinauupuan para tumabi? Lol! It’s been five years na wala akong special someone and the thing is, I can’t have one or to have one anymore. I vowed for it, hopefully for life. Nasulyapan kong tinuka ni lalaki si babae. Naks! Nahalata ko ang aking sarili na binabantayan ko na pala sila na kaninang-kanina lang, nag-aaway pa sila, sa palagay ko lang. Di ko napigilang ngumiti sa aking nasaksihan at doon ko na-recall ang mga kwentong teenager ni
Potpot. Nasabi ko sa sarili ko, “Di bale, di nyo rin alam na masaya ako sa buhay mayroon ako” Ngumiti na lang ako at nagpasalamat.
Today is my 8th session with the counselor. Medyo matagal-tagal na rin and I’m happy naman sa mga nagdaang appointments ko. Pero kung tutuusin concern din ako sa gastos dito. For 8 times lang, umabot na ng PhP 30,000.oo Kaya pansamantala, humingi muna ako ng “pause” kumbaga at pinayagan naman dahil di naman yan ang malaking dahilan kundi ang redundancy ng process. May spiritual director na ako, may accompanitor and ito pa na professional help from outside. Mapalad nga naman ang taong maraming nagmamahal sa kanya, I feel that too. Di halaga ng pera ang pinag-uusapan kundi ako mismo, ang naging buhay ko at ang magiging buhay ko sa hinaharap. Magkikita kami uli sa December 19, doon pa rin, kaya it’s another date again… then before and after summer…
Image taken last night only….
This is my family. We are all 12 including our animator (fraternity Superior). We came from 8 different countries; Samoa, Papua New Guinea, India, Korea, Kiribati, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, and Philippines…
We just celebrated our foundation day. We had the thanksgiving Eucharist this afternoon. It was another year of fruitfulness in the Church and faithfulness to God. We thank the founding people and his contemporary brothers.
