We Need Problems

Riddle me this:  What is there in life that we will always have as long as we're alive? Answer? Yup, the answer is:  problems (hmmm, don't tell me you peeked at the title! =D)

Problems. No one really wants to hear them and no one would really enjoy having them, right? Well, that's only natural. We get them whether we want to or not. We can't choose to not have them but can simply accept that a problem does exist and do our best to solve it.

But what if I told you we need problems.

Yes, you heard it right. We need problems like we need sleep, food or water. Problems are truly essential to our lives.

Your next question would be "Why do I need problems anyway?" Good question (but the answer is even better!).

Sure it's only natural to ask. I mean problems can be stressful or very stressful even. They can increase blood pressure (hypertension) leading to medical problems, and can even cause depression on people who cannot handle them. Problems cause anxiety, nervous breakdowns even (on more severe cases) and a lot of other, well, problems. =)

But problems also make us stronger - like gold purified by fire. Problems create challenges and challenges give us achievements in life. And what is a life without challenges and achievements? A life without challenges and achievements is a useless life. Therefore, we can conclude that a life without problems is really a useless life.

Problems are like spice in life, they make life more meaningful. Our problems give us experience to handle even greater problems in the future - something that simply would not be possible without the wisdom of experience.

Among all our problems, we can say that spiritual problems or problems related to our spiritual life are the hardest of all to handle. Yet they would be undoubtedly the most important to overcome. Most of us can relate to ths. Remember those times when God seems so far away? When sadness turns to despair and we feel so isolated and helpess in a sea of negative emotions?
     
Yet we can also remember how those hard spiritual tests turned out to be blessings after all. We realize how God used those hardships to make us more humble, enough to be more prayerful and thus closer to Him.

So from now on, now that you know how important they are, always thank God for your problems. Without your problems, you'll have no achievements!

Is It All Just Envy?

Recently, I saw a familiar scenario at a popular news channel. A poor family was being interviewed about their state of poverty in life. The father of the family said it all. He said "We are so poor, we live from day to day. We have seven children. We don't have jobs. I say the government is to blame for all this. It's those corrupt public officials stealing from the people!"

Hmmm. Come to think of it. He sure is right on the reality of corrupt public officials perverting the government coffers. However, he didn't get it all right.

You can't always put the blame on other people for your miseries. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, you can't always point a finger at the snake. You have to realize your own mistakes eventually.

Like in the interview above, the poor man can't blame others for him having seven children inspite of his self-professed state of poverty. Really. I mean it's no secret that it seems the poorer a family is, the more children they usually have. The more affluent a family though, the less children they'll usually have. There's obviously something not right with this reality. It should be the other way around, yes?

Is it all just envy? I mean think of it:  was the poor man in the interview just miserable because he sees other people more well-off, having more material goods than him and his family?

Or put it this way:  what if we were all as poor as the man himself? Would he still consider himself and his family poor and miserable? Most probably not. Hmmm, quite something to think about huh.

Let's turn it around. What if we were all equally rich? There'll be no millionaires or billionaires to compare ourselves to, no "keeping up with the Joneses", no person or family to be envious of.

What if people all over the world were blind? What do you think would occur? Would the blind man still pity himself? Would we still see blindness as a disability when it's the norm? Of course not . There is simply no comparison that can be made. Blindness will be considered normal. We will be like bats - a society of the blind. As the saying goes:  "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

It's all relative. See, situations or events are viewed as negative or positive depending on who or what we compare it to. It's based on relative comparison.

It's like that proverbial story about a man who stated "I complained about my lack of money to buy new shoes.... until I saw a man with no feet."

Don't Take Christmas For Granted

Recent events have seen us witnessing another violent confrontation between the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas and the Israeli military. David versus Goliath it would seem, only this time the roles are reversed. Israel is Goliath, with its vastly superior military power and tiny Hamas would be David in this case.

Not many realize but even in these places a small but still significant Christian minority does exist. Think about how they felt then while the short war was raging. Think about how this coming Christmas will be for them. Truth is, they don't even know if the present truce will last or not. The fact remains that Christmas might be a day of airstrikes and missile threats again.

Fairly recently, a storm in the Philippines caused great floods and massive loss of life. Hundreds of people died in an area in the region of Davao in Mindanao called the Compostela Valley. We don't have to go overseas to see fellow Filipinos and Christians whose Christmas this year wll be very painful indeed.

Let's face it. How many times have we took our blessings for granted during Christmas? Truth is it's far too often, right? Have we looked at our family and got thankful that we're all still together, happy and alive? So many families are not complete! Have we seen Christmas through an orphan's eyes? Or that child whose father is working abroad and cannot be home for Christmas?  

Just "another Christmas"? No one has the right to think that way. It is ironic, but only by seeing the reality of how Christmas happiness cannot always be of the same degree for each and everyone can we appreciate and be thankful for our blessings this Christmas. Christmas - don't take it for granted and it won't take you for granted either!

Is Christmas Still Worth It?

You read the news and it's all over the headlines. You turn on the tv and it's the same thing, same on the internet. Government debt and financial crisis in the US and recently, Europe. Iran, reportedly building a nuclear bomb, Syria in a civil war, Egypt possibly being under the rule of terroristic, militant and radical Islamic political parties (threatening the very survival of the significantly numerous Christian minority!). 
 

As we go into 2012, it doesn't look that good. Not only on an international scale do these crises unfold itself but also on the local scene. You look around and see the real effects on your loved ones, relatives, neighbors, friends, etc. You go to your local grocer and see the worry on people's faces - there's that subtle fear and you can feel it.

In a time like this, people save more and take lesser risks so you'd see people buy less. There'll be more people gloomy and frowning, even when Christmas is so near. There'll be more people saying "patawad" on the children carollers. And where are the usual Christmas songs ringing in the air? This year, I hardly hear them!

Does it always have to be like this? Is it still right behavior to treat Christmas based on how our financial well-being is doing? Do we only have a happy Christmas only if we're currently being blessed, but only frowns and lukewarmness when things don't go our way? Even the pagans do these things. What will make us so different from them?

Is Christmas still worth it? The answer is clear. Yes, Christmas will always be worth it! Through good times and bad, it pushes through up to forever even. We celebrate Christmas not because the economy is good or we are being blessed. We celebrate Christmas because it is the birth of Jesus Christ Our Lord - the birth of our salvation. That, my friend, is why we celebrate!

A Day In The Life Of Debating An Atheist

Theist:  The atheist belief based on "To see is to believe" is a fundamentally flawed belief. It has always been defeated black and blue by experienced theist debaters in major debates.

Atheist:  Really now. Here's a fundamental question:  I can see the sun and know it physically exists. Science and logic can prove the sun's existence. Science, however cannot detect God. How can you prove His existence?

Theist: This is probably the most basic attack of atheism. It really is but a variation based on the "To see is to believe" ideaology. This is where it fails.

It is based on the flawed belief that only the scientific method is to be believed, that it is the only source of truth. It further goes into the error that anything not detected by the scientific method is not to be believed or that it does not exist.

Quite simply, the "To see is to believe" belief can only be true if the scientific method was perfect, or had perfect knowledge. The limits of both our senses and scientific technology itself make this a flawed belief.

Take this example: My brother Alvin went to the ref to eat a burger. Ok. I was eating at my dinner table and could not see him.

My brother twitched his nose while eating the burger. He finished the burger.

I finish my food and go to the ref. By using logic and the scientific method, I can reason out that somebody ate the burger. I cannot say exactly who, but I can reason out that my brother was the one who most probably ate it because only the two of us were in the house at that time.

Now, if I detected a footprint near the ref, I can even use the scientific method by measuring that against his foot. So far, so good.

However, how do I detect the reality that he twitched his nose while eating the burger? That occurred in a point in time, a reality we call historical reality. It will be beyond the scientific method to detect it.

This is where we can argue that physical evidence alone is not the only logical way, but only one way, to arrive at truth. In certain cases where physical evidence is lacking, where science and logic has reached its defined limits (like in our case above regarding my brother's twitched nose), "testimonial evidence" can arrive at the truth.

In our previous scenario, I would have no way of knowing my brother actually twitched his nose. It will be beyond my senses, beyond my logic, beyond the scientific method to know that. However, what if I had two people stationed near my brother who actually saw him twitching his nose?

Thus, in this case, the truth or reality that my brother twitched his nose is only revealed by the use of witnesses or "testimonial evidence." Two or more witnesses who are credible, have no incentive to lie and do not contradict their statements are a legitimate source of truth.

Atheist:  Well, how do you distinguish reality from fiction then? By your logic, you can say "The flying spaghetti monster exists." I would say "Prove it by science". But you would counter me by arguing "Well, the flying spaghetti monster exists unless you can prove it doesn't!" Duh.

Theist: Ah, the popular "flying spaghetti monster" argument by the atheists. Not at all. In my example on my brother's nose twitching above, your "flying spaghetti monster" argument does nothing. What does this do? Does it suddenly make the reality of my brother's nose twitching disappear?

Of course not. It does nothing to the argument. Fact is, it happened in a historical reality, at a certain point in time in the past. Your flying spaghetti monster argument is irrelevant.


Atheist: Hmmmm, quite a point. I'm stubborn though. I still cling to my belief that anything not proven by science does not exist. Note that I didn't say "may not exist". There's a difference. It's just safer, in a way to just stick to the belief that only physical evidence is reality.

Theist:  Another argument is that the atheists' definition of reality itself is wrong. They will only believe in physical reality, it always has to have physical evidence. This is wrong because there are actually three types of reality:  physical reality, mental reality, and spiritual reality.

Physical reality is the most obvious. We can measure air pressure through a scientific instrument, for example, thus verifying air exists.

Mental reality is just as real, but has no physical evidence. For example, I thought of an ice cream cone in my mind two minutes ago. There is no physical evidence for it. But that reality occurred in the past, at a certain point in time and is still a historical reality. Atheists cannot simply dismiss something that occurred in the past as not part of reality, can they?

Spiritual reality can be defined as a supernatural event that does have physical evidence or credible witnesses, but cannot be explained by science or reasoning. There are an overwhelming number of supernatural events even before science was formalized as a discipline! Even scientists themselves admit there is no scientific explanation possible for supernatural events.

Supernatural events of course support theism's truths not atheism. The supernatural is major proof that there are things beyond just the natural, events beyond scientific reasoning. It humbles the atheist since he/she will only believe what science says.

One of the most famous, of course, is the miracle at Fatima. Our Holy Mother Mary gave an exact date and time for various supernatural events to take place before a large crowd. The greatest public miracle of all time took place. It is popular also because of the high number of atheists and agnostics who came to witness for themselves (and were converted).

Great miracles and wonders occurred. Hundreds of witnesses saw for themselves how the sun danced in the sky. Suddenly, cries of fear filled the air as people scrambled for their lives when the sun itself became larger and larger as if falling to the ground! Then just when they thought the sun would crash down on all of them, the sun returned to its normal, original position.

Afterwards, people reported rain fell on all of them there drenching them entirely wet as it happened so fast. Then, miraculously, they were surprised to see themselves completely dry in an instant! Many other miracles occurred.

Others include:  scientists/doctors having no explanation for the children visionaries' ability to open their eyes when in a trance (looking up to heaven and talking to Mother Mary), yet not be affected by bright light being driven by scientists/doctors into their eyes! This "trance" phenomenon happens instantly, all of a sudden, so it cannot be the same as hypnosis (which takes time, has a process, and is never instantaneous). Scientists and doctors are baffled and consider this another "unexplained phenomenon." I saw an authentic video of this phenomenon at youtube.com so this would be considered as having physical evidence.

Other well-known supernatural events have been occurring all over the world. One of the most popular is the mystery of the Shroud of Turin. It is a burial cloth that is claimed to be the burial cloth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It bears the face of a bearded man, and a body subjected to extreme pain, nail marks, whips and torture. It's controversial, as the carbon dating that scientists made was faulty (only the seams of the cloth were tested, instead of the middle of the cloth which made the test faulty as the cloth was passed on by human hands from one generation to another).

What astounded the scientists was the absolute fact that the image on the burial cloth could only be imprinted by a process where an overwhelming amount of light printed the image on the cloth; it's similar to xerox machines, where you see a light emit from the machine, before an image or letters are copied to the bond paper. Of course, they didn't have xerox machines during Jesus' time!      

Atheist:  On the mental reality argument, atheists do not believe in the existence of mental reality. What we believe is that only the brain exists, and we do not consider mental thoughts as part of reality. Thoughts are just electrical impulses from a physically existing brain, right?

Theist:  Assume I thought of an ice cream one minute ago. That is historical reality, a true event as the sun exists. Note that the ice cream existing physically is not correct; what is correct is that my thoughts of an ice cream happened at a point in time and is considered reality. It simply cannot be denied - this event, reality happened. Period.

Now if we can measure the physical characteristics of the brain, detect its brain cells, etc. why can't we even detect the existence of the ice cream I just thought of one minute ago? Why can't scientific instruments detect my mind as well?

We do not see the mind, nor detect it with scientific instruments. Yet we do know that the mind or intellect exists, right? So much for your "To see is to believe" atheist ideaology.

It's just another proof of mental reality as we defined earlier above. There are realities that cannot be detected by scientific instruments but nevertheless exist.

Now, why can't we deny the existence of the mind? The answer should be obvious - it's because all of us have a mind!

Can even an atheist deny the existence or the reality of his own mind? That would be absurd.
         

Atheist:  Atheists cling to the scientific method to play it safe. We want to believe only in physical evidence of someone or something existing because. as explained earlier, we don't want to take the risk of believing things that may not exist like the "flying spaghetti monster".

You theists will just state "Well, the flying spaghetti monster may exist unless you prove to us that it doesn't!"

Theist:  The scientific method is an effective way to search for truth, yes, we theists do believe in that.

What we disagree with is the atheist belief that the scientific method is the "only" way to verify existence of something or someone. It is not. It is only one way to get the truth.

Atheists make it an absolute rule that only science can give the truth. Of course not. This is only true if science had perfect knowledge of the universe, of all things hidden beneath the earth, the seas, etc. Sadly, the scientific method and technology has its obvious limits. Even the very limits of science make it prone to error as well.  An established scientific law now may not even be true in the future.

That's why, as stated above, the scientific method failed to detect my brother Alvin twitching his nose.

Another discipline that relies on logic, equally as science does, is legal law. It acknowledges the use of physical evidence as a source of truth, thereby using the scientific method itself. It, however, also considers the use of credible witnesses in a court of law as a valid way to get the truth or as a source of truth. This is known as testimonial evidence.

Who allowed this? Surely, it didn't just exist without human judgement. The top judges and lawyers (along with the legal community as a whole) did by experience over time. This is simply their opinion of how best to arrive at truth/facts.

The discipline of science, of course, also relies on logic but in a significantly different way. It does not consider credible witnesses as a valid way to get truth/facts. It only considers physical evidence - testable evidence that can be measured in a laboratory in real-time and reproduced by experiment.

Again, this is simply the opinion of top scientists (along with the scientific community as a whole) of how best to arrive at truths/facts. This is how they deemed it best through experience over time.

Now, which logical discipline is superior:  science or legal law? the scientific method or the legal method? It can be debatable. They both have their unique advantages and disadvantages. Both have only one goal though - to arrive at truth and get the facts.

But it can be argued that the logic of legal law is superior to that of the logic of the scientific method. Why? Simply because legal law logic already uses the "scientific method" in the form of admissible physical evidence, yet still uses other methods like testimonial evidence, circumstantial evidence, etc. Therefore legal law's logic is more complete overall.

Remember that the scientific method does not consider testimonial evidence, only physical evidence that is measurable. This limits the logic of the scientific method.

If the atheists want to believe the scientific method as their one and only source of truth, then that is just their opinion, not truth. It is their subjective opinion. Totally subjective.

By legal law's logic, many credible witnesses saying the same thing on describing what happened at Fatima's miracles is proof and evidence of truth. There are no contradictions in their testimony or testimonial evidence.

If physical evidence alone was to be believed, if we only had to believe things or events by seeing it for ourselves, then we might as well just throw out the whole recorded science of history. Since much of history does not have physical evidence and are based on testimony by credible writers/historians, then by atheists' logic, we should not believe in history! That's how illogical it gets.

The atheists believe only in evidence that can be repeated and seen in real-time. There is a logical flaw with this. If we follow it thoroughly, then we might as well just give up searching for the origin of the universe - since the origin of the universe and how it started could never be duplicated in any laboratory!

Let's have an example. say the Roman Census. The Roman Census keeps records of its Roman soldiers. Suppose there are two Legions of soldiers we focus on, Legion A and Legion B.

Okay. Legion A's soldiers all got killed and were buried one by one at the graveyard with their own names marked above their grave. Legion B's soldiers also all got killed, but by sea where their bodies went down into the deep along with their ship.

By the atheists' logic, only physical evidence is to be believed. So in the case above, are we supposed to believe only Legion A existed in the Roman Census?

That would be absurd. The credibility of a source is crucial to determining truth. The Roman Census is extremely credible and objective. Even if there are no physical evidence (soldiers' corpses), we know and must believe Legion B existed.

I mean, why would the Roman Census lie? Why would it differentiate between the two legions? It simply has no reason to do that and is just there to state the facts objectively, to gather data. That's another important point. The motivation to lie is absent.


Atheist:  Any more ways to convince me of your theism arguments?

Theist:  Well, yes. Have you heard of theism's popular "coin in a box" argument?

Assume I got a coin marked "Alex C" and hid it in a box. Furthermore, I hid the box in the deepest parts of a cave where nobody else knows about it, where science nor scientists do not even know it exists there.

Now I ask the top scientists and other scientific experts:  "Do you believe a coin with the markings "Alex C" exists underneath a cave or not?" (without specifying the location of course)

They would answer that due to lack of any physical evidence they do not believe a coin exists and some would argue that most probably a coin does not exist because there is no proof of its existence as of this time unless further proof is shown.

Of course, both these answers are wrong. I'm holding that very coin physically! It shows again clearly, why the scientific method cannot be an absolute determinant of truth and reality. It has its limits. That is why it is not hard at all to refute the atheists' ideaology of "to see is to believe".


Theist:  Oh yeah. I'd like to tell you your atheist statement of "Atheism is a lack of belief in a god or gods and of the supernatural" is unscientific and truly faith-base

Atheist:  Oh really? Prove it. This I gotta hear......

Theist:  You asked for it. You see in order for a statement or something to be considered scientific, it must be "testable".

Well the statement "Atheism is a lack of belief in a god or gods, and of the supernatural" is unscientific because:

a) It cannot be tested by the scientific method because you do not even know how much you don't know. There are too much gaps, large gaps in your data. Look, the universe is constantly expanding beyond the reach of our science. Human knowledge of the known universe is only possibly 10%, maybe 30% at most (and that's pushing it).

b) If it is not testable, then it is unscientific. Simple as that.


Atheist:  You've heard of the atheist author Richard Dawkins' popular book right? In it, he gave an example of a watchmaker creating watches. He reasoned that if the watchmaker has skills in his craft, then it's reasonable to assume that somebody, a mentor, taught him watchmaking.

But if that mentor taught him, who taught his mentor? Further, who taught the mentor of his mentor, onwards to infinity. How do you resolve this problem of infinite regression?

Theist: I want to give credit to my brother (Alvin) for this answer. He mentioned that the problem of infinite regression (never-ending source) is solved if the watchmaker himself invented the whole "watchmaking industry".


Atheist:  On concepts of order, we believe that the whole universe came out of random chance. Yes, we believe chance alone can achieve the level of complex order.

Theist:  We've always believed that it is impossible for the universe to come into existence by accident. Why? This is because it is logically impossible for random chance alone to achieve the level of complex order.

Sure, it can be argued that random chance can achieve, at most, the level of simple order.


Atheist:  Really? I can provide evidence that chance can and does  achieve order. Look at the geometric design and beauty that "nature" can do by looking at a snowflake with a microscope. Look at the rainbow. Look at the design of gemstones like the diamond.

All these are made without the need for intelligent man, or any intelligence. They just exist by random......chance.

Theist:  Not so fast. All the examples you cited, ex. rainbow, snowflake structure, gem stone structure, etc. are only examples of simple order. They can never be considered as complex order. So no, you still lose this one.

Examples? A piece of metal that "may" have a semblance of simple art can be considered as simple order. In contrast, a Porsche car is an example of complex order. See? Their difference is so great! It's as great as heaven and earth!

Imagine, you went into a forest. You find a house built out of logs, has a car outside. You only need common sense to immediately make the conclusion that only the intelligence of a human being could make the house and car.

It is logically impossible for even the animals in the forest or the forest/nature itself to create such complex order.

So atheists spouting the fallacy - that complex order found in the universe and the complex order required to support life are possible by random chance or accident - are deluding themselves. It is logically impossible. Period.


Atheist:  It's so hard to believe that an invisible all-powerful being that controls the whole universe exists. Why can't we see or detect him?

Theist:  Not at all hard to believe or comprehend. Do you believe in the existence of atoms?

Atheist:  Of course.

Theist:  Well, if you can believe in the existence of invisible atoms, then you would logically have to believe an invisible being, God, exists. Invisibility is not really an issue, as both are invisible but exist.

We don't see atoms but we verify their existence in other ways, in how they affect their surroundings. It's the same with God. We don't need to see Him physically but His works - the intelligent design of the universe, its laws, etc. are overwhelming evidence of His existence.

A Tribute To An Amazing Woman

By now, even you must've heard about the miraculous wonders being shown by our Holy Mother Mary to one of our own, a Filipina, Mrs. Emma de Guzman. Mrs. Emma is a modern-day mystic, visionary and evangelist. She is now also the founder of La Pieta International Prayer Group, which has spread the love of God and prayer through prayer groups all around the world.

But not everybody knows how she started, how all this started. Mrs. Emma first worked as a lowly domestic helper abroad. This was before the fame started. She had children, but her job couldn't make ends meet. Standing outside a Catholic church, a gust of wind suddenly started and a small piece of paper landed on her palm. It was an agency for workers to Canada.

She called it up, and her employer turned out to be a Filipino too! In Canada, her spiritual mission was being revealed slowly but surely. She could read people's minds and know their illnesses. At a group of people she suddenly felt the urge to tell a woman “You have a painful back, correct?” The woman answered that it was true, wondering how she knew. Our Lord Jesus Christ and Mama Mary would appear to her to convey messages.

A prayer session was once held near a hill. She was smiling as she was talking to Our Holy Mother. She reported seeing a lot of angels all around. Suddenly, witnesses saw golden glitters of dust appearing on her face! While people were going home, some reported a shower of gold dust suddenly exploding in the night sky out of nowhere.

But why am I doing this tribute to Mrs. Emma? Because most of all, she taught us very important lessons in humility and respect. Society often looks down on domestic helpers. We are all guilty of this. Mrs. Emma's example has changed our biased perception of the “lowly maid” to one of honor. Now, when you look at a domestic helper, who knows if she'll be the “next Mrs. Emma”? Thank you Mrs. Emma!

How Far You Have to Go (Not How Far You've Come)

I was browsing a forum on the internet and read a wise post from somebody. He stated this:

"The sin of pride can be especially emphasized on people who are destined to be holy or want to be holy. This is a sin known as "spirtual pride."

The Pharisees were holy men of Israel. But their greatest mistake was focusing on how far they've come, instead of how far they had to go."

It's a very good point. Oftentimes, it is so easy to be lenient on our spiritual life. We get tempted to be casual. We may sometimes feel we are doing enough already. We do acts of goodness/charity, we honor the sacraments, never skip Mass, pray the rosary, etc.

When this happens, beware. It's a temptation. If you give in to it, what makes you so different from a Pharisee?

Fact is, most of us are very far from reaching the highest level of our spiritual life. It is obvious that God intended it this way so we'll constantly strive higher as long as we're on this Earth. Didn't Jesus Himself order us that "You must be perfect just as your Heavenly Father is perfect?"

That verse is the ultiumate proof of what we can and what we must achieve.

I'd advise you to read St. Teresa of Avila's famous book "Interior Castle". Guided by Jesus mystically, she was given knowledge on the various levels of spirituality that a soul has. When you read this, it will definitely humble you on how far you have to go.

When I read it, I was astonished at how far most of us have to go to achieve our highest spiritual growth level in this life.

The secret of the saints most of all has always been the virtue of humility - the source of all the virtues and the highest among them as well. Since no person knows his or her exact spiritual level, the saints are wise by playing it safe. They always assume that their spiritual level is not enough, and so the tendency is to strive to improve it.

We should do so as well....

The Power of the Smile

Riddle me this: What is free and is often taken for granted and underestimated?

You got that right. A smile.

The smile is an extremely powerful gift given us by God. Most overlook this or simply don't know how powerful it truly is.

Case in point. Look at the saints (or pictures of them). Most, if not all have big smiles on their faces.There is a good reason why they smile a lot and they have always known the secret power of "the smile".

First off, the smile is a major weapon against depression. It is a fact that people who smile more are usually the ones less prone to depression.

There are times when we just feel "lazy" to do something, anything for that matter. This is of course effect of the sin of "lukewarmness or sloth" - one of the seven deadly sins.

Feeling that laziness thing? Yup, you got that right. Once again, the smile to the rescue! Smile your way to defeat that stupor.

It;s simple really. Just force a smile on your lips. Believe me this definitely works. You can try it now to believe it. You simply won't regret it (just don't forget you got it here first hehe!)!

The "smile power" can of course be used similarly on the sin of "anger or wrath" - again, one of the seven deadly sins.

When you're angry or at the boling point, you got that right. Again, the simplest solutions are the best. Force a smile on your lips. You will be surpised how powerfully effective it is! Sure beats having to take meds for high blood, right? I'd advise you to try it right now if you can. I'm too excited to see you witness this for yourself.

Scientifically, this spiritual weapon we call "the smile" does have some logical explanation in helping us fight laziness or anger (among other things). I read in an article before that a smile releases something in us, a hormone or something similar.

This may explain the reason why a smile induces a "feel good" effect, a feeling of well-being if you will.

Now, are you starting to see the secret power of the smile?

Oh yeah. This one. Many do know about this fact. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. So it's better to smile than frown a lot. It is a well-known secret among those who look younger than their age that smiling a lot delays aging and does make you a lot younger than your age.

This, I can verify from my own experience. A lot of people have told me I look a lot younger than my true age. A lot. As big as ten years less than my current age. I do attribute this to my tendency to smile a lot. =)

Why Do Problems Exist For Each And Every Soul?

Problems. Who doesn't have them? Love it or hate it, it will come. Guaranteed to come for any person who breathes with life.

Do you know of any living person who does not have a problem? Logically, as long as a person is alive, he or she will encounter problems. We have heard the saying "Only the dead have no problems"!

But why does God give us problems? Believe it or not, the answer will surprise you.

God gives us problems in life because it is a spiritual need for our souls. Yup, you heard it right. We have problems because we need problems.

It's not just some spiritual desire or want, it's a real spiritual need.

The truth is, without problems, we cannot grow spiritually. Actually, spiritual growth is not only hard but impossible without it.

If it is impossible to grow spiritually without problems then it is becoming clearer now why we need it and it is given to us.


Reminds me of s story:

A speaker asked his audience this simple question "Who among you here want to be really successful in life?" Most of the audience raised their hands.

Then, the speaker went into detail, outlining each and every step to be successful. It was through a lot of hard work, no shortcuts.

He asked again "Now, knowing what is needed to succeed, who among you want to really be successful in life?" This time, most of the audience didn't raise their hands!

-----end of story -----


So many times, we want the reward but not the hard work. Problems are hard work; they are but challenges to be defeated.

Problems strengthen us. They're not there to weaken us. A person who experiences trials is like gold purified through fire. He or she comes out stronger and more experienced.

Imagine a person who doesn't have problems. There is no strength in such a life only weaknesses. No problems also mean no achievements (or a lack of it), no experience, no challenges in life. What is the purpose of such a life? It is meaningless.

Even in university, the top schools also have the toughest entrance exams. If you want the easier exams, go to the less prestigious schools. There's always a price to pay.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. The harder the problems you face in life, the stronger you do become. The easier your problems, the less experience and strength you gain. It's a universal law.

So let's thank God for our problems. Even these are blessings after all!

The Abortion Fallacies

The abortion issue is considered by the Catholic Church (and most, if not all Christian churches)as the most serious issue among all the major issues.

And for right reasons. Many millions of babies are aborted in the US alone. One shudders at the thought of the many millions more aborted all over the world.

If the US is already a Christian country and abortion is this bad, how much more other countries whose religion or culture may not be that strict against murder of the unborn?

Sure there were abortions in past generations before, granted. But not at these numbers. Compared to before, the current and quite recent generations are having abortions at an unprecedented rate.

The primary reason? A variety of reasons have been stated, but in my opinon, the cause is due to major fallacies/errors that have somehow been embraced as truth by recent generations and the current generation.

Actually, any sin is always due to fallacies or errors. A fallacy or error is a lie or half-truth which, though morally wrong, disguises itself as truth.

So in the case of abortion:

Fallacy Number One) One of the fallacies is that the rights of the mother is higher than the rights of the unborn child.

And why? Is it because the mother has contributed more to society as an adult than the baby about to be born?

Are rights given more to some, but limited to other people? What's the basis for this and who decides it? More importantly, who has the right to decide it and why?

But most of all, this fallacy is doomed from the start with the awesome truth that the right to life of the unborn child is higher than the rights of the mother to decide for herself.

The right to life of any person is paramount and fundamental, and must be above any other rights.

Without this right to life, there would be no mother to decide for herself in the firstt place! Who among us would exist?


Fallacy Number Two) Abortion pro-choicers will argue that the fetus is still not a human being especially in the earliest stages of the pregnancy. They would even say that the fetus is incomplete at a certain stage (lacking limbs, etc.), and therefore to them this justifies their belief that aborting a fetus at these early stages is okay because well, the fetus isn't really a human being yet.

Be careful of this fallacy. It has confused many. To counter it, who's to say that a fetus isn't a human being because it lacks body parts?

Is an adult person who lost his leg in an accident considered a lesser human being? Is he not a human being because he lacks body parts? Did he suddenly lose his rights because "he looks different from normal" now?

Obviously not.

The Christian Church has always stood by the truth that life begins at conception. At that earliest of stages, not only life but a soul is infused into the fetus.

Who can refute this? It cannot be denied.


Fallacy Number Three) Abortion supporters will tell a mother this common fallacy: "You have a right to abort your baby. Just do what you think is right."

Do what "you think" is right?

You're using semantics to defend abortion. Playing around with words and meanings doesn't somehow make abortion morally right in any way.

Murder of an innocent unborn is just the same as the murder of a born person.

But the so-called "pro-choicers" would use relativism to try to defend abortion.

Relativism is defined as a belief/ideaology that there are no absolute truths. Everything is subjective, no clear black and white.

So a fetus is defined as a "piece of flesh", or a non-human. Furthermore, when you try to refute this, they'll simply say "That's your opinion, this is ours."

It's "I believe it's right" somehow becomes the truth. A lot of people just comment this nowadays - "Just do what you think is right."

Believing that a fetus is not a human being does not remove the truth that it is a human being. Truth was never based on opinions or the "majority rules". Truth is not subjective.

Yet relativism contradicts itself when it declares "there is no absolute truth"! (Whatever happened to its subjectivity?)

Don't Miss The Point

With Christmas so near we see a lot of preparations, decorations and a lot of parties all around. In the Christmas spirit, it's only natural to get absorbed in all the fun and happiness around. Hey, it's Christmas! No Ebenezer Scrooges please.

In all the busy atmosphere, we can easily lose sight of what it is all about. You can miss what Christmas is for, why we even celebrate it. You see all the commercialization of Christmas around, and mutter "Am I missing the point?"

A wise priest, during a homily once said that one of the greatest temptations of their priestly vocation was taking for granted the holy and supernatural duties given them. When this happens, the Mass becomes "just another Mass", forgiving of sins at confession becomes some routine job, etc. There has to be wonder, awe at doing holy duties.

This principle not only applies to the priestly vocation but to each and every one of us. Oftentimes, we become lukewarm, we simply do not even count our blessings the way we should. So we become less grateful.

The wise saying goes "Only the humble are happy." It is impossibe for a person to be happy without being grateful. And it's impossible to be grateful without humility!

Each Christmas then shouldn't be "just another Christmas". We should first of all be grateful for all the blessing we received from the brthday celebrant Jesus, along with Mother Mary's blessings.

Second, we should be thankful at spending another Christmas with those we love, never forgetting our lives and theirs are only temporary. The wise saying "Live each day as if it was the last, for someday it will be."

Spiritual Willpower

We all are at least familiar with the word "willpower". The power of the will is quite a valued prize among us. Modern society gives higher respect, confers higher honor on people who are deemed or judged to be people with strong willpower.

And for good reason.

It is observable that those with strong willpower are usually the ones who excel in what they do. They are considered the achievers in our society.

Leadership skills alone demand a leader whose willpower is at least above the average. Nobody follows a weak-willed leader.

But when we speak of willpower in general, we have to mention the most important aspect of it - spiritual willpower.

What is spiritual willpower?

Spiritual willpower can be said to be that part of our overall willpower that protects us from sin and temptation. It is that ability inside of us that somehow acts to resist being tempted into sin.

We all can observe this and cannot deny it. It's like that inner strength that refuses to simply allow us to fall into errors and sin. Without it, sin would be this irresistible candy we cannot refuse!

Theology teaches us that the original sin we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve, has weakened us spiritually. Our intellects were darkened, our willpower weakened.

Sure, the sacrament of baptism is there particularly to remove original sin. However, it doesn't mean we suddenly transform into perfect creatures. The "scars" of original sin are still there.

To better understand this, we can compare this to a pet dog who runs over a newly-cemented floor. You would instinctively tend to your pet dog, washing its feet with water before the cement hardens.

However when you go back to the cement floor, your dog's footprints are all over the now-hardened cement floor.

In baptism, original sin is removed from us. But its footprints are all over us.

Our sinful nature affected our willpower. Man and women were created in the image and likeness of God, yes, but original sin did affect us in a negative way and weakened our willpower (especially spiritual willpower).

But God will only give us tests and allow temptations only within our spiritual limits and never beyond it. So whenever we are tempted and fall into sin, we cannot point a finger and say "The snake made me do it" or "Blame it on my original sin nature".

Rather, any sin is always out of free will. That's the importance of free will. Point the finger at yourself.

Remember that when God caught Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, Adam pointed to Eve as tempting him. Eve in turn pointed a finger at the snake (the Evil One in disguise of course).

Well if snakes had fingers, who do you think he'd point it at? (Not that there was anybody left to point it at except God!)

It's always easier to blame others, right? It's more convenient to point the finger at the "snake" than blame ourselves.

So don't take it for granted that God gave us this special grace called "spiritual willpower". It is also related to what we call "conscience". Spiritual willpower is that frontline defense we have against fallacies, temptations, and sin.

Our Favorite Sin

Why do we sin?

This is such a common question, of which the answer is so important to our spiritual life and to life itself.

We can observe the effects of sin in our lives and the lives of others. Its destructive effects to the individual, to families and societies are self-evident and cannot be denied.

It is observable too that people sin for many reasons. We can observe at least three general types of sin:


1) Some people sin out of ignorance or lack of knowledge. This is the first type of sin.

Say, for example a man who was raised up living a life of crime. His very parents brought him up to steal from others, teaching him it was justified if the victim was well-off or rich.

Nobody ever taught him what is morally right and wrong. He sins against society thinking what he's doing is morally right.

There is always a punishment for any sin whether the sinner is aware the act is sinful or not.


2) Some people sin even when they know the act is sinful. They use logic to justify an action or rationalize to suppress guilt feelings. This is the second type of sin.

It is important to note that the person does not admit the sin.

Say, a woman who has an illicit relationship with a married man. She and the man are church-going Christians and know fully well that this is a grave sin.

The woman rationalizes to justify this. She assures herself "I think it's ok for me to have a relationship even though he is married. He doesn't love his wife anymore. As long as we love each other, I don't think this is a sin."

This type of sin is more severe than the first. To sin with knowledge of the sin carries higher punishment than sinning without knowledge of it.


3) Yet there's still a third reason why people sin. Some people still commit sin even with full knowledge that it is morally wrong. However, instead of using logic, they do something else. They appeal to God's mercy. This is the third type of sin.

If you compare it with the second type of sin (previous topic just above this), this third type of sin is different in one aspect - the admission of sin. The person admits the act is sinful.

This is unlike the second type of sin where there is no admission of sin, rather there is denial of sin.

Case in point: There's a terrorist who was promised payment to his family if he did a terrorist act. He knows it is wrong but says to himself "I will explode this bomb so my family will have a better life. I know God will understand. God have mercy on me for this."

Of course, this heinous crime will destroy the lives of other families. As long as one family benefits, right?

Or this case: A man's son is in the hospital needing an emergency operation. The father knows stealing is a sin and crime but decides to do it anyway.

He becomes a criminal to save up enough money. He takes money from people at the point of a gun. He intimidates them to give him cash in exchange for their lives.

To appeal to God's mercy to lessen the punishment of a sin, while still doing the sinful act anyway (even with full knowledge of the sin and its consequences) is an insult to God.

Yes, God is a merciful God. But He balances this mercy with His divine justice. In His infinite wisdom, He knows without this balance, His mercy will be constantly abused.

So what then is the origin of sin?

The Holy Bible tells us. Ironically, human beings are not the source of sin. The first sin was committed by an angel.

And no ordinary angel he was. He was one of the highest ranked angels (some accounts even state he was the highest ranked). His original name was Lucifer. Now he is known as Satan, The Evil One, etc.

Yup, hard to believe this angel was once envied by even the other angels. It is said that he was the most handsome among them all. Wherever he walked, music accompanied him. He was popular among the other angels.

Until he became vain. His pride was his downfall. He used his God-given gifts to corrupt other angels and turn them against God. He wanted to possess ultimate, infinite power. He wanted to become God, to equal God's power.

Bible accounts state he turned about 25-30% or 1/3 of the angels to rebel against God Himself. A war occurred in heaven.

The battle between the good angels and rebel angels was fierce. At the most critical part of the battle, God Himself gave power to a lower-ranked, yet extremely humble angel. His name was St. Michael the Archangel.

He defeated Lucifer and almost single-handedly won the battle. Because of him, the rebel angels were defeated. They were transformed into devils/demons and God cast them forever from Heaven. Hell was a place made for them.

So how did man sin? I know most of us are familiar with what happened next.

God created Adam and Eve, the first two humans on Earth. They were forbidden to eat of only one fruit - the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Evil One disguised himself as a serpent and tempted Eve to eat of the fruit.

Eve in turn tempted Adam to eat of it. So both were guilty. We can surmise too that Adam sinned by choosing Eve over God. He chose to listen to what Eve wanted, rather than that of God. This alone is a sin of idolatry (prioritizing someone or somebody before God).

In modern times, there is new yet growing scientific evidence that all human beings of all races can be traced back in origin to only one male and one female. This was discovered through modern DNA testing and other methods. More evidence is needed, and is being gathered as we speak.

It sure is good news. And it sure beats the interesting but highly controversial Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

So there you have it, the origin of sin.

Justifying The Death Penalty?

Such an age-old debate: Is it right for the state to kill a criminal in cold blood? Or is life imprisonment a better solution?

Well, we could "rationalize" killing a convicted criminal sentenced to lethal injection. We could justify his death as good for society.

But it still would not be right. The fact remains that this criminal is helpless to defend himself or do further harm. So what justifies killing him?

If you killed an assailant in self-defense protecting yourself, the act is justified. Really, self-defense is the only moral sitiuation, nothing else.

Another reason against the death penalty is the possibility of the person living a new life away from crime.

If St. Paul, one of the greatest saints and a founder of the Christian Church was once a murderer before he got converted, who else can't?

The prisons are different nowadays. I'm sure you've heard of Christian renewal meetings or religious charismatic groups in many prisons now. This is a major change. It is a great thing.

This only proves that there is a chance for a criminal, for any person to change. There is no soul too dark for God's power to enlighten.

The death penalty takes away this gift of hope. By denying the criminal the right to live, society denies him/her the right to a better life.

Life imprisonment or the death penalty? Life imprisonment would be the more humane, wiser, holier choice.

Some would counter-argue that influential criminals can "twist" the system and may eventually be able to be get out of life imprisonment. They have power, money, can use their connections to beat the system presumably.

It is a reasonable argument. But this type of problem lies within the system itself. It is the flawed implementation of the system that is the cause of the problem here.

There is no perfect system of course. But to use the argument that death penalty is justified because certain influential people can twist the system is a fallacy. It is not enough justification by itself.

The issues against death penalty are from a moral problem by nature. On the other hand,the issue of influential people beating the system are more of a legal problem. The two issues are different from each other, related as they are.

They are apples and oranges and are not the same (so shouldn't be considered as such).

Another argument is that even if it's true that certain people of power can exploit the system, they comprise only a tiny fraction of the whole prisoner population. They are only a minority not the majority and therefore do not represent the plight of the great majority of prisoners.

The Harder The Better

Sometimes life can be so filled with many hardships. We suffer inside, the problems just keep piling up with seemingly no end in sight. Ever had one of those days?

Sure. All of us pass through trials like this from time to time. It's not equal for everyone though. Some suffer longer, others shorter.

Some go through trials that push them to the limit. Others go through seemingly less hardship in comparison. Still others don't seem to undergo any form of hardship at all (at least our defiintion of hardship).

It is said that a great general's worst enemy is the lack of adversity.

Ironic isn't it? A great general knows he has been gifted with great military skill, yet how does he prove it when there's no great enemy to go against or an against-the-odds situation?

One thing is sure though. Sufferings are a part of life. It's there for an important reason. Secondly, God's perfect justice can assure you that God only gives hardships based on your maximum limit.

One other thing is also sure: there is not one life that hasn't or will not experience suffering one way or another. This major truth is self-evident and observable. It is irrefutable.

It is as self-evident as the truth that God exists.

God will not give you something beyond your capability. This is a universal law after all.

Usually, human nature tends to follow the "path of least resistance". In general, most people tend to choose activities or tackle problems that are not hard. They avoid harder ones like the plague.

The possible causes of these are at least two: from a form of lukewarmness in our spiritual life and a from a form of hedonism.

Lukewarmness is classified as one of the seven deadly sins. It is one of the more common sins. Ever had one of those days or times when you just don't seem to have energy and you're feeling all lazy?

Yup, that's lukewarmness (also known as sloth). It is like a parasite eating our souls. Especially when you're called to do a spiritual act, this sin is even worse.

Say, you need to help somebody in need and you're feeling lazy at that time. You may or may not even do it.

And when you do help that person, your face is with a frown. There's this sadness, a lack of happiness. You feel like you're just dragging your feet.

You know you should be happy, doing something for God with cheerfulness. Not because it benefits you but out of pure love for God and others.

Now let's talk about the other reason (the first reason being lukewarmness) for people avoiding what is hard in life: hedonism.

Hedonism can be defined as a belief that pleasure is the primary purpose of life. A hedonist's actions will ultimately lead to goals promotiing pleasure or self-gratification, whether he/she is aware of it or not.

Sure, most people will not be classified as being in hedonism in a total way. However, the fact remains many of us do fall into a variant or form of hedonism from time to time.

A little hedonism arises in us sometimes. You can blame the materialistic culture we have nowadays as one of the main causes.

So many businesses promoting the good life, consumerism has been on the rise. The advertisements all overwhelm us with messages of pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.

From food to luxury vacations, expensive living, etc. we are literally bombarded with ads that do get deep into corners of our mind, our subconscious mind. So we may not be even aware of it at times.

People then take the "path of least resistance" even on a subconscious level, without being aware of their behavior.

Anything viewed as causing pain (which is viewed as the complete opposite of pleasure) is avoided. Anything that does not connote some form of pleasure is either
ignored or not given the importance due it.

Remember a time when you wake up and it's Sunday morning. Oh, it's Sunday Mass time. You literally have to drag yourself to get dfressed.

There's this sadness, this lack of energy. Deep inside, you know this is not right. One should have a lot of anticipation for the Mass, considered the highest form of prayer!

Consider what you felt instead when friends invited you to the shopping mall for a movie, a date perhaps. Amazing energy you had right? Shame on us really.

This is because the Mass is at times viewed as a form of sacrifice, and sacrifice is usually associated with suffering or pain.

Yet there is a wise saying "Anything worthwhile will always be hard."

Sacrifice is essential to achieving goals. The higher the goal, the harder the sacrifice. This is universal law.

If you love God enough, the sacrifice of the Holy Mass becomes a work of love, and therefore a work of happiness. You attend Mass with a lot of joy inside.

If you love God enough, it is impossible not to become happy in offering your sacrifice of love through the Mass.

The world will often tell you and teach you "the easier the better". Follow the easy road, the road most travelled. Don't be a radical, follow the sheep.

Yet this contradicts with what Jesus Himself reminded us: "If you wish to follow me, you must carry your own cross."

To be a Christian means to be a radical to the world's materialistic ideaologies so many times. Only by having this type of courage can we succeed. It is the type of courage that is prepared to go against the social norm if necessary, and this is not easy.

It means that for a Christian, "the harder the better", follow the road that is different - the road less travelled.

We Are All Equal After All

We see them everyday out there in the streets. The beggars, the street children, people clothed in filthy, dirty rags - society's unwanted.

They are quite a common sight are they? So much so that most of us have sometimes gotten used to them.

Ever remember the first time you saw a young kid begging just out your car window? The feeling of sheer pity that most probably made you give alms. Maybe it was food or money you gave.

Is it still there now? Do you still get that all-important feeling of charity?

Charity is a virtue; an offshoot or branch that comes from love itself. That's how important it is.

That pity towards someone in need is what makes us human. Without it, there is no peace in us. And when there's no peace, no happiness.

To be insensitive to others makes us robots. Unfeeling, suppressing emotions of pity to remove any sense of guilt deadens the soul. It robs it of life, of vitality. It turns us into living dead.

You can often measure the degree of spirituality we have by a simple test: if you can fight the "superiority complex" that tempts you when you see a beggar, then you're on the right track spiritually.

We all know this is not easy at all.

More often than not we are tempted to feel somewhat superior to the beggar. Worse, some of us may even feel we are "greater children of God".

Some may try to fight their guilty conscience by rationalizing that the beggar may be lazy, or that he/she probably deserved it because of some wrongdoing or sin. That's hypocrisy.

Fact is, no one's special because we are all equally special to God.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Once you feel more special than others, that's the sin of vanity/pride. Your spiritual life would be going down if that keeps up.

Yup, that's a sign you're going down.

One can argue though that many of the beggars, street children out there are members of crime syndicates. They beg from people, then the money is given to the syndicates. The beggars are left with only a small amount as compensation.

This is a common argument. It is the one most often used so we can literally remove any feelings of guilt when we decide to turn the blind eye.

It is hard, isn't it? To give money as aid is to take the risk that your money will just go to crime syndicates controlling their vast network of beggars and street children. It is of course, a legitimate concern.

However, there are other better ways than just giving money. It cannot always be used as an excuse not to help. It's better really to give food rather than cash to the beggars/street children out there.

Leftover food is good enough. Some restaurants have even done this. After office hours, they give out leftover food to the needy.

Of course, some people are already into that habit. After eating at restaurants, they pack their leftover food and give this to some needy soul out in the streets. It's a noble habit.

Idolatries

All of us have a tendency to become obsessive with someone (or something) when we start to prioritize someone or something else before God. This is very observable.

The first commandment of God is clear: "Thou shall not have any other gods before me."

But often than not, we fall to this temptation. We not only fall, we fall over and over again.

I know you're asking "What? I'm not idolatrous. I only worship God, the only one and true God. No one else. What are you accusing me of? Certainly not me!"

Wrong. Believe it or not, this is one of the most common temptations in existence.

The word "idolatry" usually connotes in us the notion of worshipping various idols of pagan origins. You know, those statues of gods, goddesses or deities that primitive people dance to or give homage to that we sometimes see in movies.

Hmmmm... nope.

Far from that really. Idolatry is all around you, all around us - we actually do it everyday.

You see, each and every time we prioritize someone or something before God even for just a moment, we commit the sin of idolatry.

Think about it. Be honest here. When you find going to a movie more exciting or when you anticipate it more than going to Holy Mass, that's idolatry.

Common examples abound. A person who feels the calling for priesthood, for example, backs out when he realizes his family needs him to run the family business. He still prioritized his family over God.

There's a meeting in your religious organization, and it connflicts with a scheduled night-out with close friends. You make all types of excuses for not going to the religious meeting.

Rationalizations like "It's ok to be absent right now. I've always been going to the meetings in the past anyway." Or "I'll be absent tonight, but I'll just make up for it by going to the meetings in the future."

Why rationalizations? In psychology, rationalization is defined as one form (among many others) of "defense mechanism".

A defense mechanism is defined as an automatic, unconscious reaction to protect or shield our mind/ego from intolerable actions, feelings or experiences.

It is the mind's way to protect itself (you!) from pain. This is of course, emotional or mental stress or pain.

Ever felt those "pangs of conscience" undeniably creeping in, and you shielding yourself from guilt? Yup, those excuses are usually defense mechanisms.

You try to rationalize, coming up with so-called reasonable or logical attempts to justify a certain action. You do this because it makes you feel bad inside or you feel guilty doing it.

Hmmm, as if rationalizing a given act makes it moral. It's as if removing the guilt in an action justifies it.

Ever asked God for something that you really want but somehow you didn't receive it?

It could be because of idolatry. God knows the limits of our spiritual levels, our strengths and weaknesses. Only He knows us perfectly.

Maybe God knows you won't grow spiritually or you'll be spiritually corrupted by giving you what you prayed for. Since He knows the future, (and you don't!), I'm sure you'll agree that truly God knows best.

Doesn't it remind you of people saying "Lord, let me win the lotto and I'll surely give donatons to the poor. I'll give generously to charities!"

There are so many horror stories about people who won the lottery. In so many instances, they couldn't handle the increased power they got almost overnight.

They are individuals usually not used to handling such enormous responsibilities that come with great power. As the popular adage goes "With great power, comes great responsibility."

The first thing we can observe that may happen is this: The person becomes less humble, powerful temptations of pride and vanity attack. The higher the power somebody gets, the more powerful the temptations of pride.

That's why one must be vigilant all the more when one is given power. Only the virtue of humility will protect you and conquer the sins of pride/vanity. There really is no other way.

After pride, may come the other sins/vices. Greed from not wanting to share what one has so abundantly. Possibly gluttony from having able to afford expensive but addictive vices like drinking too much, drugs, gambling, etc.

Worse, even their family and loved ones got corrupted. In-fighting over wealth and distribution arises. Bragging off to neighbors, "Keeping up with the Joneses", etc.

Ironic isn't it? It's almost natural to assume a person (and his/her family) who wins the lotto will be happier. But history has shown it can be otherwise, that misery not happiness can result.

We as human beings seem to be so easily vulnerable to falling to sins of idolatry. Everyday, we often fall to prioritizing "things of the world" over the "spiritual missions we're given.

Possibly the most common idolatry is the prioritization of family or loved ones over God. First person we should think about when we wake up is God, before anybody else. How many of us really remember this consistently?

Fact is, without God, there's no family to love. God, being the source of all love, He is the reason why we have people to love and who love us back. Without Him, no love can exist at all and any family will fall apart without love.

Another common idolatry is the prioritization of a partner over God. We're talking about being so attached to a person of the opposite gender in a romantic way that the person replaces God.

Falling in love is part of God's plan as this must eventually pave the way for marriage or holy matrimony. But sometimes a person in love tends to become obsessed with the person he or she fell in love with.

Take the case of Romeo and Juliet. Only the two of them mattered, nobody else (sadly, not even God). And well, what happened? They eventually decided to kill themselves, one after the other. This is what happens when someone becomes more important to a person than God Himself.

It has been glamorized in writing and literature of course. There really is nothing good about mass suicide!

I'm sure we can all agree that one of the most common types of idolatry is our livelihood. Yup, our work, careers or possibly our own business which sustains us and our loved ones can often be our idol.

Of course we all need to work. We all have to "earn our own keep" as the saying goes. Nothing wrong with working hard, hey we do need to save up for old age by working hard while young.

The point where work becomes idolatrous is when we overdo it. When work becomes addictive (workaholism), or we become obsessed with amassing money or being too focused on reaching ever higher positions of power.

Of course, possible combinations of the factors above are likely to occur. Maybe even an "all of the above?"

Money and power are often this world's idols. We must constantly be on guard and be vigilant against idolatry, truly one of the worst sins to ever exist.

Still, there are other idols common in this world.

Some people have idolized sex and lust rules their lives. The profileration of pornography in mass media has increased the occurrence of sex addiction. Sex addicts are obsessed with the lure of the flesh. People like this usually have problems with personal relationships.

Others idolize drugs, falling into drug addiction. Narcotics drugs become the centerpoint of their lives. They live each day for that "next fix". Not doing so results in withdrawal stage, a reaction where the addict suffers for not taking the drug.

Can you imagine such a life? Enslaved by a piece of stick?

Then there are the gambling addicts. What started as playing card games for fun ends up being a point of addiction. Like any addiction, gambling becomes an "escape mechanism", a world where they can get away from the harsh realities of the real world.... even for just a short while.

A fix of drugs or a fix of cards? Really, it's all the same.......

The Permissive Society

We live in a day and age where society can be said to be a "permissive society."

Modern society has slowly but surely turned sin and wrongdoing into something acceptable, like
it's some annoyance - something not to be taken seriously.

I mean, look around you and observe.

Look at the popular talk shows on TV. Homosexuals appearing a lot more often now compared to the past.

This promotes homosexuality on a daily basis in a way not seen before.

On an episode of this popular TV noontime show, an obviously effeminate kid, around 9 years old is made to dance before the public, live on TV.

He struts like a woman, and the host and people there applaud him like crazy!

The host even has these "words of wisdom" for him: "It's okay for you to be gay. Really. It's a modern world now, nobody has the right to judge you and tell you homosexuality is wrong. You have the right to choice."

Well, that same argument can be used to defend abortion. The so-called right to choice and freedom of rights are often used by pro-abortion groups or their new name "Pro-choice".

Basically, it tells you that you have the right to sin, the right to do evil. Nobody has the right to tell you if it's wrong or right, good or evil.

The teachings of God through the Church and the Holy Bible are deemed unfit for so-called "modern times." Nothing's further from the truth.

Our permissive society says "It's ok. We all must have equal rights and respect each other's beliefs even if they are, uhh, non-conformist."

Substitute the word "non-conformist" above with the word "sinful". Now, you're seeing things as they really are.

Relativism (we all can decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, so there are really no absolute truths!) and semantics (smart twisting of words), etc.

If you notice, there seems to be a significant increase in homosexual children nowadays. It is horrible. It is a sad state to see our youth, our future giving in to the evil of homosexuality.

Some of meda is to blame. The glorification of homosexuals leads to the glorification of homosexuality itself.

It sends the wrong signals, especially to the youth who are most vulnerable. A child may undergo a pyschological confusion often termed as "identity crisis".

In this critical point of a child's life, he or she develops a sense of morality, of what is right and wrong. A child may become confused on whether "it's okay to be gay" after all or that it is a great sin against God and nature itself.

What if that next child was your child? Think about it. Why take the risk?

Then, another "signs of the times". I've seen a few parents of these homosexual children defend the homosexuality of their children right on TV!

You know the world is really turning upside down when parents, who are supposed to protect their children from sin and evil turn a blind eye to it or promote it to their children as "natural".

A homosexual boy starts dancing like a girl, to the cheers of the crowd. The TV host asks the mother her feelings.

Guess what she said: "Oh I guess it's ok to me. There are a lot of gay boys nowadays anyway. It's a modern world. Not a big deal anymore. I love my child."

Wow. The only right thing she said there was "I love my child." Sure, you must love your child whether gay or straight. This is not the issue here though.

The issue is morality. Is it right to be so lenient when a child sins? Or should you wisely reprimand?

The mother's justification for her gay boy is based on "majority wins" ("There are a lot of gay boys nowadays anyway), and a distorted view of modernity ("It's a modern world") where there's more freedom (a wrong concept of it).

Something about this thing called "modernity". It's as if old values and morals are overturned in the name of modernity. Being modern does not make sin a virtue (or virtue a sin).

Okay, to be clear I'm not in a position to condemn homosexuals here. We're all sinners and that's the truth.

It's the principle "Hate the sin not the sinner." We cannot deny the truth that homosexuality is a great sin.

One only has to read the Holy Bible to confirm it. No ifs and buts.

Another issue is "single parenthood".

It can be observed quite easily that the incidence of women becoming pregnant but not having a husband has definitely increased in these times. Compared to the generations of our parents, "single moms" and "single dads" have become a lot more common.

A major reason is the breakdown of morality among the youth.

Say, a woman becomes pregnant (by premarital sex). The guy, once giving her his full attention, learns his girlfriend is pregnant.

The guy gets overtaken by fear. Fear, because he is not morally, emotionally, and financially prepared (he sure was physically prepared!).

He becomes cold, distances himself or cuts off any communication with the woman. Or he may be making more excuses not to see her.

He may tell her he's abroad or out-of-town. Worse, he may even accuse the girl that the child is not his.

Of course, this is only one of the reasons. It cannot be denied that the woman also has a part in this social problem. After all, it takes two to make one (baby).

But on this topic, families have become too lenient on their sons when it comes to responsibility like this.

I'm not biased here, just telling it as it is. I'm part of the new generation, the so-called "Generation X".

In the older generations (around thirty years ago or so), I observed that a guy who impregnated a girl was made to realize the seriousness of it. The family members of the guy would really commit their son to marry or take responsibility for the girl and their child.

Nowadays in the new generation, the family members themselves may even hide their son from the responsibility.

It's a major change of culture when you observe it.

The girl and her family usually get the short end of the stick. They foot the hospital bills, their family name is damaged, the parents are blamed for being lax, the girl gets condemnation and pity or social stigma, etc.

The problem is this so-called unwanted pregnancy phenomenon has been increasing so much these days it has in a way, transformed our culture, our way of life.

From this we can deduce this observation: when a negative event or sin occurs and only a few people do it, society criticizes it. But when that same negative event/sin is imitated by a lot more people, society tends to tolerate it.

Why is this? It's as if people become desensitized if a sinful activity becomes rampant. It becomes a part of life, a culture; it becomes something to accept, not something to condemn!

Then, there's abortion. The controversial Roe vs. Wade court case, which ultimately led to the legalization of abortion in some states in the US is much to blame (but not entirely).

Fact is, no amount of legalization will make somebody who is in God, who knows good from evil choose the wrong over the right.

Yup. It's easy enough to put the blame on the judges who erred on legalizing abortion. Roe vs. Wade can easily be such a scapegoat.

But it's also a fact that even before Roe vs. Wade, there were already too many abortions in the US! Roe vs. Wade only increased it exponentially.

It's also a well-known fact that an increase in premarital sex leads to an increase in unwanted pregnancies (particularly teenage pregnancy), and an increase in unwanted pregnancies lead to a corresponding increase in abortions.

People have become lax with their morals, like morality is some inconvenience to their daily lives.

Statistics For The Soul?

In today's world, statistics plays such a vital role in our lives.

Yup, statistics. People, even businesses and economies rely a lot on statistics. Data from it influences decisions from the ordinary family to the governments themselves.

Say, for example, statistics says 60% of family budgets are allocated by the average family to food alone. You can be sure this data will affect a lot of things

A country's government may put ceiling caps on food being sold in that country so as to help the citizens from food prices being too high.

Private businesses may decide to invest more on food. There will be a noticeable increase in restaurants, eateries and food establishments sprouting everywhere, etc.

But we also have a tendency to rely too much on statistics. If we're not careful, this over-reliance can become an idol to us.

Take for example this statistic: Less than 2% of men and women will have stomach cancer.

Sure, you breath a sigh of relief. Great. You tell yourself "It's such a low percentage chance it'll most probably not affect me. I'm quite safe."

Well, I'm sure the 2% or less of men who actually got the cancer thought the same way.

Statistics has an important purpose, God Himself gave it to man to help him improve nature through modernization and technology. This, of course, aside from other gifts.

Man, as caretaker of creation, has the privilege granted by God to improve upon nature. The use of modern science and technology is meant to enhance nature, to improve upon it and in a sense extend nature.

At the least, man also has the great responsibility of taking care of nature and protecting it.

But back to our previous topic. Relying on statistics is okay, even necessary.

Over-relying on statistics though is a big no-no. It may keep us from relying on prayer and instead rely on science more.

The truth is, what will the statistic "Less than 2% of men and women will have stomach cancer" mean anything to you when you already have the cancer?

None. It will not matter to you at all. You could care less if the statistical probability of having stomach cancer was less than 0.0001%!

Remember that prayer and faith are still more powerful than science. Always rely on prayer first.

It's Not a Perfect World

We all want a perfect world. Or rather we all want to have a more perfect world, a more perfect life.

This need is so natural in us we don't even have to think about it, it just occurs. It's as if it was hidden in our subconscious mind.

But it all comes down to the reality that it's not a perfect world after all. Something we have to live with.

Remember that God is a perfect being. Since we were made in His likeness, it is innate in us to yearn or to aspire for a more perfect situation.

It's "natural law", a spiritual instinct in us that makes us feel what should be (perfection) and what should not be (imperfection).

Perfection is an ideal state which is really more of a freedom from evil, or sin (freedom from crimes included).

Imperfection is the opposite. It is what we instinctively feel should not happen or should not be. These would include events like the prevalence of sin, widespread evil, rampant crimes, unpunished crimes, etc.

Below are some case scenarios wherein we'll try to analyze possible causes or reasons on why God has allowed certain events to occur. Many of these are very hard to justfy or explain.

Remember that nothing happens without God's permission and He needs to sometimes allow evil to occur in this world for His own reasons (possibly as a form of punishment for many cases).

And God's wisdom and reasons cannot always be understood at all, beyond our human understanding (we'll try our best though):


Case 1) A very wealthy but also very corrupt politician seems to have it all - lots of money, properties here and there, family, wife and lots of kids, seems to get away with graft and corruption everytime, etc.

At first glance, one may wonder "Why all the injustice? This man cheats and steals from tapayers' money (your money!) yet here he is, all safe and free....and happy to boot.

Happy? Hmmm, I don't think so.

He doesn't sleep well at night, always worrying if he'll eventually get caught. He plans his next moves of escape and deceit, amidst sleepless nights. His conscience hounds him on the money that is not really his and on the people he had to step on to get to his current lofty position.

And miles away, a poor but humble and honest man sleeps peacefully......

The politician's family? They look so completely happy to other people. But do you really know what the truth is behind the public eye?

All for show when outside. The truth is, the parents are so busy they hardly have time for their children. One of the children has a drug addiction problem, one has problems with failing grades in school, the other is a juvenile delinquent involved in a gang, fights, etc.

Stereotype? No, hard to believe but this is as true as it can get. It is more common than you think.

In this world there is always a price to pay and the price for sin is always high indeed, always.


Case 2) A good man - honest, close to God, always helping others, always with something good to say to somebody, serves the Church well, etc.

Then he gets accused of a crime he didn't commit and goes to jail. His name and reputation is shattered, his family falls apart, people accuse him unjustly, etc.

So what happened? How can God let such a good, holy man go to this end? Why?

We can surmise that God allowed this to happen for His reasons, His higher reasons.

This man is being used by God as a model for others to follow. If he remains in God through all the hardships and trials, he would be accomplishing his God-given mission.

We all need somebody to look up to, a role model for us to learn from. Especially in times of trials, this becomes all the more important.

So when some crisis happens to you or our loved ones, this good man's example of faith, courage and eventual triumph over great odds shall see you through.

Remember the saying "After the storm....the calm sea."


Case 3) A mafia boss - he seems to live an ideal life (similar to the politician example above), has so much money, lots of properties, wife and kids, he's got the fame of a celebrity, lots of henchmen and bodyguards, various businesses (both legal and illegal!), etc. Name it, he's got it.

People may ask "Why the injustice? Why does God allow an evil man like this to prosper? There are so many other men, honest good men who deserve the good life more."

First off, a life of crime when chosen has only one road - the road to destruction. It is always a life of sadness, a life where there is no peace. Without peace of heart and mind, a person cannot find happiness.

This mafia boss lives that life. There is no peace for him. His smile is only for the camera.

Behind the limelights though, his dirty conscience eats him up alive. It is a wonder, no small miracle if he can sleep soundly at night at all. He most probably has to use sleeping pills or tranquilizers.

And that's only for starters. When he goes out of his house, he always has to fear for his life. He needs to surround himself with a lot of bodyguards just to assure his safety.

Rich or poor matters little to the bullet. Anybody is vulnerable. Even President Kennedy was not immune to it!

You see, a mafia boss will inevitably have enemies because of struggles for power and territorial disputes.

It's also observable that people like him and his group seem to attract trouble, violence, bloodshed, etc. or a mix of these like a magnet. There's like this aura of "negative energy", if you will, around them or when you're near them that you can actually feel. Strange indeed.....

After this revelation, I don't think anyone can still argue God's justice on this person. He definitely does not live "the good life!"


Case 4) World wars - Why do wars occur? World wars have been occurring since time immemorial. These have claimed countless lives, wrecked economies, harbored hatred and fear, etc. Why would a loving, all-merciful God allow war to happen?

It's hard, but war is allowed by God to happen as a form of chastisement or punishment usually for "collective sin."

A single person's sin is an individual's sin. Collective sin is a combination of many people's sins.

Say, a whole nation's people approve of abortion. Or the majority of the nation's people support an unrighteous war. There are many examples from history.

In World War 2, a whole nation literally supported the invasion of other countries.

Yes, the people of Germany gave no opposition to Adolph Hitler's dreams of empire, of conquest. They were beguiled, charmed by the fiery speeches of a sweet-talking madman, Hitler.

They fell under his spell, mainly convincing them that Germans were the "master race" and that it was their inherent right to conquer. He also manipulated them into believing the lie that they had to attack other nations in order to protect themselves from being attacked first.

Sure, it was self-defense. Oh really now....

Let's take a more recent occurrence.

At this point in time (year 2008), the United States is besieged with so many problems. The housing bubble and credit crunch, among other factors, have hurt the economy in a way not seen since the Great Depression.

The US economy may be headed towards a recession (if not already in it!).

One can rightfully ask: "Why is this happening?"

Well, if in terms of "collectve sins", it doesn't take a genius to see the morality in the States going downward drastically through the years. Yup, time to be honest here.

I'll say the truth here though. Among all the countries in the world, the United States is the country that's capable and most worthy of being the world leader.

Let me explain.

Look, you really have to see the alternatives.

China? They're a world power now, sure, but are other nations willing to look up to communist Chinese for leadership?

The massacre at Tiananmen Square is enough reason. Also, their lack of good English-speaking skills makes it all the more unlikely. English, being the currently accepted universal language is key.

Japan? It's another world power. But the Japanese lack a sense of oneness, they seem to be "too distant" from other races.

They do not possess a clear role of leadership especially compared to Americans. Again, their lack of English-speaking skills is also a factor.

The Europeans? Germany, France or Russia maybe? However, again Europeans are not fluent with the English language compared to the Americans. But more importantly, (not to be offensive or racist here, ok?) Europeans seem to have this "distance".

Just a theory here, possibly the pride of being the original "Old World" powers make the Europeans seem a little too, well, unfriendly?

This leaves us with the Americans. One can say that compared to the Europeans, Japanese, or the Chinese, Americans are a friendlier race. They usually are compassionate people even to their enemies.

A good proof of this is the word "Joe". This word is widely recognized by different races of different people around the world as referring to an American person.

In the news, you see videos and pictures of Americans giving candy bars, chewing gum, etc. to the masses even in times of war.

It seems that Americans are informal by nature, in relative comparison to the Europeans, Chinese and Japanese (observably very formal people!). This informality and friendly, compassionate nature usually makes the American race in a lot more friendly terms with different races, people of many different culures.

Of course, it's not all roses. We're not saying the Americans are perfect, not by a long shot. Like all races they do have their weaknesses as we all do.

It could be the price of being the largest, richest economy in the world. There is so much materialism and consumerism in the US now, that morality has suffered a lot in return.

Take for example the now popular case "Roe vs. Wade", which led courts to ultimately legalize abortion. Now, over ten million babies a year are being aborted in the US alone, a staggering figure by any point of view!

San Francisco has become a haven for homosexuals. A new perversion has emerged, the legalization of so-called "same sex marriage".

The US has also seen a recent wave of mass killings, particularly schools and shopping malls. Hostage-taking usually takes place, the hostages are killed and the hostage-taker kills himself.

In a lot of incidents, there's just people being shot at random by the gunman or gunmen. The lenient laws on gun ownership is much to blame for these.

So are the numerous problems affecting the US now just a result of coincidence? Some accident perhaps?

Of course not. We can clearly observe the truth that the major social and economic problems happening in the US can be said to be directly related to the increasing moral degradation in the US.

This simply means the more morality goes down in the US, the more problems will occur. Yup, a clear case of cause and effect, this is truly universal law. These problems are the effect, and people's "collective sins" are the cause of this effect.

It's a "multiplier effect" of each individual person's sins, slowly but surely adding to each other and increasing the overall sins of all. Again, this overall sin is what is called "collective sin".

One could argue though "Why only the US? Other countries are a lot worse in terms of morality. Say, legalization of prostitution in Holland, honor killings in the Middle East, high suicide rate in Japan, forced abortion in China, etc."

Good point. However, we can also argue that the God is stricter with the US because the US plays a more special role as the leader of nations, something most nations are not capable of.

More power, more responsibility. This is a universal law. Assuming all things equal, the collective sins of people in the US will have more punishments than the collective sins of another country's people.

It cannot be the same because God needs to discipline the US more, so as to be a good example and model country to others.