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My Christmas is ruined by a simple badmouthing. I was about to leave to hear mass at the church for the last night when after I took bath I was reprimanded for taking bath at night when I easily got a runny nose and catch cold if I take a bath at night. My simple reason is that this is only one time because I need to before I attend mass but my reason is unaccepted and ignored instead he got so mad at me that he bewailed me with curse words. I was bedeviled last night that I lose my interest to hear mass. I went to sleep bitter hearted and so frustrated and so lonely. I missed Christmas back at home for two years since I am away at work in 2007 and 2008 and thought this is my last chance to enjoy back Christmas at home because maybe next year 2010 I'll be travelling and going to another place again but I never did. Maybe its just I need to be away and find the happiness that I want. Someone who could help me and afford trips for me and be my travel companion. I just want to be away from home because I was so bedeviled in this ugly place. I don't want to plant anger and hatred to anybody and I can forgive because even God forgives so do I but I just need to live and work in a far place and not here. I need to find a job outside the country and hopefully settle there for good the rest of my life.
It’s festive season once again. It’s time to rekindle strong family bond and ignite the fire of loving and sharing. It’s the time when good friends and enemies reconcile and reunite jealousy/envy and hatred were put aside and peace and accord reigns. These significant values during the most joyful time of the year is nurtured and nourished brought by the food we prepare, gifts we give, graces we share and party that gather and unite as all. These things and activities, though it’s a natural occurrence during special occasions such as these have a big impact and influence over our lives. It may bring positive outcome that rejuvenate ourselves and have a feeling of goodness for others. I have my own list of symbols which relives me experiences, enrich me with wisdom and virtues in life and provide me with a good feeling that resonates a positive consequence throughout a lifetime.
Doves – We have doves in our backyard we take care of for years. Doves are symbol of peace, purity in spirit and hopes for the future. I have meditated to find peace and to find it, it must begin with myself – peace of mind and living which if nurtured will influence the world over and peace itself will be presented in front of me. Purity of thoughts, acts or in speaking is synonymous with peace. Purity by all means will spur peace and peace will bring forth purity. Hope is positive virtue which I practice most of the time and is proven effective coupled with faith in God. Hoping for the better in steadfast faith yields us into fulfilling what we are aspiring for. However hope without action is foreseeing future in uncertainty and without direction. Reinforce hope with action to produce results. The doves are tame and waiting to be fed without any sound and faction. Just like doves, I live and wait in peace and silence without complaining much.
Nativity Scene – The holy family is the main reason of the celebrations. This joyful season of the year commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ on a humble place somewhere in Bethlehem with his mother and father by his side. Thus, the main reason for celebration for this occasion is our family – rekindling ties and forging strong our relationship with our loved ones. I’ve spent the last two Christmas away from home – away from my family. In 2007 I spent my Christmas with my relatives and in 2008 I spent Christmas at work so I feel lonely because it’s my first two experience of Christmas away from home and away from my family but I just realized something. Family does not necessarily means you and your immediate family like your father and mother, brothers and sisters, grandparents, relatives and other extended families but a family consists of any individual, it maybe your in-laws, friends, lovers, co-workers or even complete strangers, for whom you have shared the passion of love and sharing, whom you feel comfortable and at peace with, and whom you have entrusted yourself. It reminds us that wherever you are, whether you are orphaned or away from your loved ones, you can find a family in persons where you presently along with – share them your love and kindness, in any form and by any means and you will no longer long for someone or lacking something because you made a family that you can call your own.
White Christmas – Living in a hot tropical country where it never seen, felt or experience snow, I am always dreaming of having a white Christmas. How it feels and lives in a place where there is a time of chill and shiver. I sometimes imagine myself doing snow balls, playing with it and throwing at other people, riding the cable car or snowmobile, creating a snowman, alpine or cross-country skiing, tobogganing, and bobsledding. Winter season also ensure the intimacy and privacy of a couple and reunion forging ties for the family. It draws to a point for me that I’d rather spent a life in a cold place warmed by the kindness of human hearts than live in a warm place chilled by the cold stone and unforgiving human hearts.
Sheep– Sheep has been a witness to the birth over savior Jesus Christ. Like the sheep, he humbles himself and led us to greener pasture. We are his sheep taken care of and protected by him. I watch the Greatest American Dog season finale last night and I can’t help but fell for them and my eyes are swelled with tears. In every episode, the dog always amuses me with their feats and indomitable spirits to overcome every challenge setting high expectations in their showings. Like the sheep, meek and humble, so are the dogs to their owners who obeyed them for respect, loyalty and affection just like their owners do to them. The show provides a stronger relationship between the dog and the owner, enhance their capability, release their maximum potentials and unraveling their identity. But the real score here is to show us that even dogs or any animals can act and think like humans if treated in humane ways. It only proves to us that animals can be human enough to exemplify such kindness and humility where human turns into animals or savage beast. I love animals that I treat them like humans and would love to spend a lifetime living with these cute creatures.
The Vendee Globe is a solo, nonstop yacht race that circumnavigates the world.
Like, Duh! Upon finding her birth certificate, 106 year oldLena Thouless of Bowthorpe, Norwich, England discovered that she had been celebrating her birthday on the wrong day for more than a century.
Lewis Manilow, 81, and Jack Shore, 82, of Chicago, Illinois, US, met for the first time in 2008 and discovered they were brothers – living only 6 blocks apart.
71 year old Pero Ajtman of Karanac, Croatia, has drunk nothing but Coca Cola for the past 40 years.
A Baby was born with 16 toes, 8 on each foot in Leizhou, Guangdong, China, in November 2008.
In the 1950s and early 1960s US automakers sold dashboard record players for cars.
Born without lower arms, 15 year old Cornel Hrisca – Munn of Whittington, England, took second place in a National Drumming Competition.
25, 27, 3, 12, 6, 15, 9, 30, 21, 19 – Which of these numbers can be added together to have exactly 50? Answer: You can add 25, 19 and 6.
In 2006, The Police Department in Hagfors, Sweden, bought toilet paper for the first time in 20 years – in 1986 they accidentally ordered hundreds of “Pallets” instead of “boxes” and ended up with enough paper to fill 12 garages.
Believe It Or Not! a new word is added to the English language every 98 minutes.
More than 12 million people in the world live in some type of slavery or forced labor.
The Hartsfield – Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, serves 85 million passengers a year – more than the entire population of Germany.
“People forget how fast you did a job but they remember how well you did it.”
Howard Newton
“Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.”
Anonymous
“Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with old age. Nothing does – except wrinkles. Some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place.”
Abigail Van Buren
“Just as a picture is drawn by an artist, surroundings are created by the activities of the mind.”
Buddha
“On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.”
Will Rogers
“Whoever does not love his work cannot hope that it will please others, unknown work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need.”
Lovin’ the Bus!Casper, a 12 year old cat in Plymouth, Devon, England, makes his way around town by riding city buses.
On April 21, 2009, Tyler Bradtkayaked over the Palouse Falls in Washington State, USA – a drop of 186 feet.
Naked Plow-Girls!Female villagers in Banke Bazaar, Bihar, India, plowed their fields while nude in July, chanting hymns in an attempt to make it rain.
A group of French travel agencies offers Sunshine Insurance, which means refunds are given if it rains excessively during a trip.
The Starswithin the ancient and tiny galaxy 1255-0 move at speeds in excess of 1 million miles per hour.
Socks, a cat owned by Michelle Maher of Arbroath, Scotland, survived 34 days trapped in a metal shipping container.
Most Meteors that hit the earth’s atmosphere are pea-sized or smaller.
On the moon, it’s easier to run that it is to walk.
On four separate occasions during his 1905 – 1928 major league baseball career, Ty Cobb stole 2nd base, 3rd base and home plate in a single inning.
In October 2008, thieves stole a 199- year- oldchurch in Komarovo, Russia, brick by brick, leaving only parts of the walls and foundation.
Help Window! Researchers at Yeshiva University in New York City, NY, USA, surgically implanted glass windows into the skin of lab mice to directly watch thedevelopment of cancer tumors.
Peruvian seamstresses created a pair of blue jeans 141 feet tall and 98 feet wide. The jeans weighed 8.25 tons and three cranes working together couldn’t lift it.
Cold Desert! The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica receive less than 4 inches of snow per year and are the most free locations on the continent!
ZAP.. Otto, an octopus at the sea-star aquarium in Coburg, Germany, caused electrical shorts by crawling to the rim of his tank and squirting a jet of water at a light fixture.
Ri Fahnestock carried Sarah Silverberg to victory in the 2008 Wife Carrying Championship Race in Newry, Maine, USA. They received Sarah’s weight (122 lbs.) in beer as top prize.
Bornwith half of a brain, a 10-year-old German girl’s optic nervesuniquely rewired themselves – giving her an eye with perfect vision.
One large group of Argentine Ants has colonized Europe, Japan and California. The ants, all related, groom each other and behave like allies when brought into contact.
The Netherlands’ Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren has rooms made from 14,000 liter wine casks.
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“The dirty secret of art is you don’t have to show people your bad writing. That’s what we have the delete key for.”
Robert McKee
“You cannot ask the question which is more important, plot or character, because they are the same thing.”
Robert McKee
“Like ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it.”
Robbie Gass
“Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired.”
Titus Maccius Plautus
“Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.”
Socrates
“When will people understand that words can cut as sharply as any blade, and that those cuts leave scars upon our souls?”
Author Unknown
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Must because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”
Author Unknown
“I got in trouble with the police, and that was a rude awakening. That was it. I’d seen the bottom of the pit, and it was time to scrape myself out of it.”
Bryan Adams
“The surprises of the thought are like those of love: they wear out. But here too you can carry on for a long time doing your conjugal duty.”
Jean Baudrillard
“Some fear the dark; I embrace it. It is the only place where my eyes are blind, and my soul wanders freely from the truth of reality.”
Saint Maria Goretti Saint Dominic Savio Father Maximilian Kolbe
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Find out how much you know about the men and women canonized in the last 100 years
The Church has canonized some 400 holy men and women – and even a few teenagers – during the 20th century. How much do you know about our newest saints? Begin with no. 1 and then follow the directions.
1.Let’s start at the beginning of the list. 1. John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719) was declared a saint in 1900. For what is he best known?
a.Devotion to the Sacred Heart. (Go to 28)
b.Founding the Brothers of the Christian Schools. (Head for 38)
2.2.Sorry. Return to 39.
3.Yes.3. Pope Pius X is known as “The Pope of the Eucharist” for recommending frequent reception of Holy Communion and early reception of the sacrament by children. His papacy began in 1903, running until his death in 1914. He was canonized in 1954. Now head for 18.
4.4.Canonized in 1982, only 41 years after his death, this saint was a Franciscan priest with a strong devotion to Mary. What is his name?
a.Maximilian Kolbe. (Go to 12)
b.John Neumann. (Move to 42)
5.5.No. John Fisher (1469 – 1535, canonized in 1935) was an English bishop ordered killed by Henry VIII for refusing to recognize the validity of the king’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and for upholding the supremacy of the pope. Return to 13.
6.6. Another French priest named John was known for hearing Confessions 16 to 18 hours a day. What is his last name?
a.de Porres. (Move to 36)
b.Vianney. (Go to 41)
7.7.One of the most popular saints in the 20th century died in the latter half of the 19th. Who is this person?
a.Therese of Lisieux. (Go to 17)
b.Bernadette Soubirous. (Move to 27)
8.8. No. Return to 35.
9.9. St. John Fisher, mentioned in question 13, was canonized with another English person who opposed Henry VIII. Who is the other saint?
a.Thomas More. (Go to 16)
b.Joan of Arc. (Head for 34)
10.10. Since 1930, groups of martyrs from five continents have been canonized. Antarctica and what other continent are not represented?
a.Australia. (Go to 15)
b.Asia. (Head for 33)
11.11. That’s right! For the first 17 years after his ordination, Pius X was in parish work. After he became pope, he was asked what his sisters should be called. At that time, it was common to confer titles of nobility on the pope’s family. His reply? “Call them the sisters of the pope.” Head now for 32.
12.12. Yes. The Saint of Auschwitz was born in 1894 and canonized by fellow Pole, Pope John Paul II, in 1982. Now head for 43.
13.13. Teenagers were among the martyrs killed in Uganda. Another teen was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954. What is his name?
a.John Fisher. (Move to 5)
b.Dominic Savio. (Go to 22)
14.14. Yes. St. Therese was only 24 when she died. And only 28 years later Pope Pius XI canonized her. Now head for 25.
15.15. Correct!They are the Jesuit North American martyrs (canonized in 1930); Charles Lwanga and 21 companions, the martyrs of Uganda (1964); 40 English and Welsh martyrs (1970); 103 Korean martyrs (1984); Lorenzo Ruiz and 15 companions, martyrs of Japan (1987); 117 martyrs of Vietnam (1988); and Roque Gonzalez, Alfonso Rodriguez, and Juan de Castillo, Jesuit martyrs of Paraguay (1988). Now move to 13.
16.16. Of course! St. Thomas More (1478 -1535) was killed two weeks after St. John Fisher. They share a feast day: June 22. Now head for your last question, 4.
17.17. Both answers are correct. Now move to 39.
18.18. Let’s try one more on St. Pius X. As the last wrong answer mentioned, St. Gregory the Great referred to himself as ”the servant of the servants of God.”What did Pius X call himself?
a.“A country priest.” (Go to 11)
b.“Proof God has a sense of humor.” (Move to 40)
19.19. No. Return to 25.
20.20. Pope Gregory I (reigned 590-604) was declared a saint long before our century. He chose the papal title “servant of the servants of God” – one used by pontiffs ever since. Return to 31.
21.21. No. Return to 32.
22.22. Yes. Dominic Savio, a student of St. John Bosco, died before his 15th birthday. Dominic (1842 – 1857) is the patron of choir boys. Now go to 37.
23.23. You’re right!St. Catherine Laboure (1806 – 1876, canonized in 1947) told her confessor what she had seen but wouldn’t allow him to tell anyone her name. He was responsible for having the Miraculous Medal first struck and distributed. For 45 years, St. Catherine took care of household chores at a hospice for the aged on the outskirts of Paris. Eight months before her death, she told her superiors she was the one who had seen Our Lady. She did that so a statue the Blessed Mother had requested could be made. Now head for 31.
24.24. Martin was a Dominican Brother who lived in Lima, Peru. His mother, Anna Velasquez, was a free black woman; his father, Juan de Porres, a Spanish grandee. Now head for 7.
25.25. It was St. Bernadette who died at age 35 (1844-1879, canonized in 1933). How old was she when the Blessed Mother appeared to her at Lourdes in France?
a.16. (Go to 19)
b.14. (Head for 30)
26.26. No.Blessed Kateri (1656 – 1680) has yet to be canonized. Return to 37.
27.27. Both answers are correct. Now move to 39.
28.28. No.St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690, canonized in 1920) is known for spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart. Return to 1.
29.29. Maria was born in 1890 and hadn’t yet turned 12 when, in 1902, she died after being assaulted. Her death came just five weeks after she had received her First Holy Communion. Now head for 9.
30.30. Yes. After she became an adult and joined the Sisters of Notre Dame of Nevers, Bernadette wanted to remain hidden and forgotten. She compared herself to a broom. “Our Lady used me,” she said. “They put me back in my corner. I am happy there and remain there.” Now move to 10.
31. 31. Only one pope has been canonized during this century. Which one?
a.Pius X. (Move to 3)
b.Gregory the Great. (Go to 20)
32.32. Did the name “de Porres” strike a chord with you since you read question 6? St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639) was canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. To what order did St. Martin belong?
a.Franciscan. (Go to 21)
b.Dominican. (Move to 24)
33.Oh, no.33. There have been three groups from Asia. Return to 10.
34.34. No.Joan of Arc, a French woman, lived from 1412-1431 and was canonized in 1920. Return to 9.
35. 35.The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the now-familiar Miraculous Medal to this French saint a few months after the woman entered the convent at the age of 24. What is her name?
a.Bernadette Soubirous. (Move to 8)
b.Catherine Laboure. (Go to 23)
36.36. That name sounds familiar, doesn’t it? But no. Return to 6.
37.37. There is another 20th century saint who was even younger than St. Dominic Savio when she died. Who is she?
a.Kateri Tekakwitha. (Head for 26)
b.Maria Goretti. (Move to 29)
38.Right!38. He founded the Christian Brothers and revolutionized teaching by introducing the simultaneous classroom method to replace one-on-one instruction. (Thanks to St. John, it’s been possible since then for countless students who haven’t done their homework to take a back seat and hope the teacher won’t call on them.)
39.39. The 100th anniversary of the death of St. Therese just celebrated 12 years ago. She died in 1897 at what age?
a.35. (Move to 2)
b.24. (Go to 14)
40.40. No. Return to 18.
41.41. Yes.St. John Vianney (1786-1859, canonized in 1925) was known as the Cure – parish priest – of Ars, France. St. John had little schooling as a child; when he was 18, the pastor from a neighboring parish helped him prepare for the seminary in Lyons, but he was booted from the major seminary because he just couldn’t learn Latin. The pastor was sure young John was a holy man and taught him theology from a French manual. Ordained at 29, he went on to become the patron saint of parish priests. Now head for 35.
42.42. No.John Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811 and ordained in New York in 1836. Later named bishop of Philadelphia, he died in 1860 and was canonized in 1977. Return to 4.
43.43. Let’s end with a few words from that recent saint, Maximilian Kolbe: “Sanctity is not a luxury but a simple duty. It is one of Christ’s first principles, too.”
