27 July 2008 11:22 PM
went to mass earlier with my dad (9 PM), my eldest kuya and his girlfriend. it's my dad's birthday! : ) i realized that it has been a long while since we last went to mass together, i always go in the morning with my colleagues in the Church. my dad hears mass in the evening. then my brother goes to church with his girlfriend at Antipolo.
it felt nice holding familiar hands during the Our Father. during the readings and homily, i get to lean my head on someone's shoulder (my dad's), unlike when i go with my co-PY ministers. and the best part was i was able to really pray, i was really able to experience that i'm in God's holy presence. it might sound exaggerated, but cross my heart, its true. maybe because i had no one to chat with, unlike when im with my friends. but that's it, i got the chance to chat with Him, to give Him a little bit of my time. to spend some quality time with Him.
the lyrics of the songs and the replies were flashed through a projector. during the "peace be with you," it flashed the words "peace be with you," an image of an open bible with a dove on top of it, and a quote below which says "you're always in my thoughts and prayers." it caught me.
i don't know why, but it just did.
then i thought to myself, maybe its really how we should greet each other "peace be with you." think about it, when you greet people with "peace be with you," its like you're somewhat being sarcastic. with the current situation / issues in our dear country, how can we expeience true "peace." everyone's got problem/s. i think that its more appropriate to tell people that they are always in your thoughts and prayers. its more than telling / wishing them that "may peace be with them." when you tell someone that s/he is always in your thoughts and prayers, its more than anything, its as good as telling them you love them. it means you care for them, you think about them, and most importantly, that you pray for them, and i think that that is the best way you can care for a person.
to you,
you're always in my thoughts and prayers.
it felt nice holding familiar hands during the Our Father. during the readings and homily, i get to lean my head on someone's shoulder (my dad's), unlike when i go with my co-PY ministers. and the best part was i was able to really pray, i was really able to experience that i'm in God's holy presence. it might sound exaggerated, but cross my heart, its true. maybe because i had no one to chat with, unlike when im with my friends. but that's it, i got the chance to chat with Him, to give Him a little bit of my time. to spend some quality time with Him.
the lyrics of the songs and the replies were flashed through a projector. during the "peace be with you," it flashed the words "peace be with you," an image of an open bible with a dove on top of it, and a quote below which says "you're always in my thoughts and prayers." it caught me.
i don't know why, but it just did.
then i thought to myself, maybe its really how we should greet each other "peace be with you." think about it, when you greet people with "peace be with you," its like you're somewhat being sarcastic. with the current situation / issues in our dear country, how can we expeience true "peace." everyone's got problem/s. i think that its more appropriate to tell people that they are always in your thoughts and prayers. its more than telling / wishing them that "may peace be with them." when you tell someone that s/he is always in your thoughts and prayers, its more than anything, its as good as telling them you love them. it means you care for them, you think about them, and most importantly, that you pray for them, and i think that that is the best way you can care for a person.
to you,
you're always in my thoughts and prayers.