Totus Bookstore

         I will never forget the Latin word "Totus," for I have a Pope John Paul II t-shirt wayback when I was still  a teen. I remember it well, it is a pink t-shirt with John Paul II's coat of arms. The shirt's design meaning in English was "All yours, Mary!" The shirt was a gift to me by my late aunt which she bought from our parish church in Manila. 

My husband told me that he will just give me a cash gift this Christmas, and I will just buy what I want for myself. As you all know, I love books, and here was I browsing online for a good Catholic bookstore. I really envy the people abroad like in Canada and U.S., because they can buy good books easily. We have Catholic bookstores here but their titles are not that extensive, and most carry the books written by local authors, and very few imported books. So I was really happy when I found out that this bookstore that I have never heard of carries all of the titles that I'm looking for like the book by Joan Carol Cruz, about the incorrupt bodies of the saints. I am also very much interested in Marian apparitions so I also got another of her book which is entitled, "She How She Loves Us." 

I also bought a Catholic for a Reason series book by Scott Hahn, and another author. The store also specialized in Apologetics books. I mean, this is their main goal to be able to provide good Apologetics books for the church people. We should be able to defend our faith like St. Francis de Sales, especially when Non-Catholics target us in dialogues, or have a debate with us. I'm sure not all of us are knowledgeable on how to answer, and have a counter-reply.

The bookstore is located in Greenhills, San Juan. You can also order and pay online to them, and have the books delivered in your doorstep, just like what I did today. It is very helpful especially during this quarantine season. Looking for good Catholic books? Then checkout Totus Bookstore. 

Their website is Totus Bookstore

Our Lady of Guadulupe (Patroness of Life)

           As I am writing this blog, I am watching Fr. Chris Alar's, talk on YouTube about Our Lady of Guadalupe. My birth month is December, and this month is really special for me because I am a devotee of Our Blessed Virgin Mary. When I was a little girl, I asked her to be me my mother, and I to be her adoptive daughter. Because I see her as the role model of mothers, and I long for a perfect mother. I really learned a lot about Our Lady of Guadalupe. I watched a video about the story of Juan Diego, whose feast falls on the 9th of December. 

I had a book before about the eight great apparitions of our Blessed Mother, the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe was included there. My mom gave me a rosary bracelet before with the image of Our Lady of the Rosary, but I disposed it and almost all my Catholic books when I joined a Protestant church. I am remorseful, and I regret my actions, and for setting-aside, not giving the due honor and respect to the mother of our Lord Jesus. When I was stricken with dengue, a decade ago, praying the rosary and using the bracelet rosary with the Guadalupe image, was a part of my healing journey.

To those of you who has not heard of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here is the story below by Raul Reyes from NBC news. 

According to lore, it was a winter’s day in 1531 when the Virgin Mary first appeared to Juan Diego, a peasant, as he was crossing a hillside near present-day Mexico City. She appeared as a dark-skinned woman who spoke Nahuatl, Juan Diego’s native language. This woman asked Juan Diego to build her a little house, a casita, on the hill. Twice Juan Diego reported this to his local bishop, who didn’t believe him. The second time, the bishop asked for proof of the apparitions.

Early on the morning of December 12th, the lady appeared again to Juan Diego and told him to gather some flowers at the top of the hill – a strange request because flowers were not in season in December. Juan Diego did as he was instructed, and found an array of Castilian roses. The lady helped him arrange them in his tilma (cloak), and he returned to the bishop with them as evidence. As Juan Diego presented the tilma to the bishop, the flowers tumbled out and the two men discovered a life-size image of the Virgin Mary on the inside of the cloak. This image is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, has united us. Not only the whole population of the Americas, namely the Indians, the American Indians, and the Mexicans. She who chose Juan Diego, and all the visionaries to whom she appeared. She is the mother of the humble and poor. She is truly a loving mother to all of us. I am home now to our church, and being close again to our Blessed Mother, and of course to our Lord Jesus. Like a priest said, Mama Mary lead us to Jesus. To Jesus, through Mary. Our Lady of Guadalupe is called the patroness of life, her image shows she is pregnant, and remember how she healed the uncle of Juan Diego, she really values life... human life, so I believe that was the reason she was given that title. If you want to know more about Our Lady of Guadalupe, please do watch the talk of Fr. Chris Alar, MIC on YouTube. 

God is Good! I Got Married!

     Every long lost dream led by me to where you are. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true. That God  blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you. Yes, He did.

  October 11, 2020 was an unforgettable day for me. After waiting impatiently for this month to come, on this day, I married the love of my life. I admit that I didn't like him at first, things have changed. I have waited all my life for this moment. 

I was heartbroken because of a person before, it is not because of love that I was heartbroken, because love is a good thing, and it comes from God. It is man that is cruel. Every pain that I felt, and tears that I have shed before was washed away now. Anyway, I thank God that I met someone like my husband. When we conversed a bit longer at work, I already felt a connection between us. He may not be my ideal man physically, (I am more attracted to chinito guys).

This year has been a blessed year for me even if it is not so good for everyone of us because of the pandemic. When he proposed to me this year, on the 28th of May, the day of his elder sister's birthday also, like what he told me, it indeed changed my life. 

Standing in front of the altar, reciting our marriage vows, feels surreal. I thank God for making all of these possible. Even if the first day of our married life as a husband, and wife was not that smooth. 

I would like to take this time to thank the ever supportive family of my husband. Thank you to his parents for supporting, loving, and raising a good, responsible, and a loving son. Someone who is very respectful, and who honors his parents, and very loving to his mom. One character that I look for in a guy is that he should be loving to his mom. Because it will reflect on how he will treat his wife later on. I also would like to thank his siblings for being a good elder, and a younger sister to him. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for your generosity. May God bless all of you more! I am also proud that he is wise in terms of financial matters, and very orderly in the house. I also love that he loves music. Almost all the positive qualities that he has, I have prayed for in a future husband. I really never thought that I would meet my future partner at work, but like my late aunt said. I did! 

I also would like to thank my immediate family member. To my parents, and especially to my Dad, I know it has been a long time prayer and wish of yours to see your daughter get married someday. Thanks also to my nephew who is the representative of my older brother, and his family. Thank you also to my relatives who greeted me/us.

Thank you also to our wedding suppliers namely,

Ivory and White Bridal Store (for my gown, the groom's suit, and other bridal accessories, veil, arrhae and cord.)

Erin Shop PH and Micka Fabulosa online shop (for our wedding souvenirs)

April's Cup-Cakes and Muffins (for our lovely powdered blue, 3 tiered-layer wedding cake, and for our post-nuptial single-layer naked cake.)

The New Albergus, Inc. (for our family, and wedding sponsors food)

Studio Namu (for our pre-nup, and wedding photos and video)

To our dear aunt, Mrs. Jane San Diego, for the engagement and our wedding rings. 

Thank you also to The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, also known as The Manila Cathedral, Mother of all Churches, Cathedrals and Basilicas of the Philippines. To Fr. Kali Llamado for interviewing us in our canonical interview, and to Fr. Junbim Torres, OSA, for officiating the mass of our wedding. Also, to the head of the office section services Ms. Donna. 

Last but not the least, to our Almighty God the Father, for making this day possible. For this match was written by you. We ask that you continually guide, us, bless and protect our marriage, this we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

I almost gave up in finding the one meant for me. As they say, good things happen when you least expect it. Also, be nice to everyone. For you may never know he or she could be the angel in your life. This is just the start of my journey, and I know God will be always on our side, with the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary. I came back home, and He has given me more than what I deserve. A loving God, who loves his prodigal son, and daughter unconditionally. 

Diary of St. Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul

         I first read the diary of St. Faustina when I was still in my teen years. I got her diary from the store of a local Divine Mercy  promoter here in my country. When I was young, the Divine Mercy prayer, called "the 3'o clock habit," was often aired in a few local channels. Now, only one local tv channel remains in airing the Divine Mercy prayer, but the airing was halted in that lone local network because they were not granted the permission to renew their franchise. Anyway, I'm still saying the prayer, and even playing the video prayer at work. As they say old habits die hard, and this is one habit that I don't want to stop. 

Maybe, most of you dear readers of this blog of mine knew that I got sidetracked for once in my life. I left our church for quite a while, and joined a Baptist (Protestant) gathering before. But do not worry I already returned to our church, and had a reconciliation with the help of a priest through confession. The devotion to the Divine Mercy helped me the most. Most of my collections of Catholic books were gone but there were a few I have kept. Among those that were gone was the diary of St. Faustina. She was still not a saint when I got that diary of hers. I just bought another one, a new edition of her diary, and in this diary we can see that she's already a saint! Time really flies fast! The cover of her diary was also changed. Before, the cover was her photo (painting version), now, we can see the image of the Divine Mercy, aside from St. Faustina's whole image. 

I bought this diary of hers from the Marian Fathers here in the Philippines. That is where I got the beautiful original Divine Mercy painting poster that I posted in our door post, and the Divine Mercy laminated prayer cards. I gave away the laminated card to my office mates, boss, and to the family of my fiance.

I have read a bit of St. Gemma Galgani, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus, diary. Those diaries that I mentioned above (diary of St. Gemma and St. Margaret Mary), were a bit hard for me to digest because of the writing style, it's in old English. If you're like me, maybe you will prefer to read St. Faustina's diary. I admit that the written numbers on the side of every diary entry of hers is not that appealing. Anyway, the important thing is the message of her diary, and that is the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus for us. I was reminded by the late Msgr. Severino G. Casas, H.P. message to me before. He said that in reading diaries or autobiographies of Saints, the church grants an indulgence. So it is a good practice to read wholesome, and good books that is not only enriching to our mind, and heart, but also to our soul. Let us pray, that through this we may learn to draw near to God, and love Him more, and more each day. 

+ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

Movie Review: Divine Mercy No Escape

           After watching the docudrama movie about St. Faustina, and the Divine Mercy. I suddenly remembered this film that I have seen on tv during my teen years. It was an earlier film by the Marian Fathers, entitled Divine Mercy, No Escape. I was glad to have discovered that someone uploaded that movie on YouTube this week. I immediately watched it. I just finished watching it today. 

The movie was sort of a docudrama also. The narrator was the late American actress Ms. Helen Hayes. In the beginning of the film, we were shown a large copy of the Diary of Faustina Kowalska. I remember I also have the same copy of diary, it was the time when Faustina was not yet a saint. I bought the new edition of her diary from the Marian Fathers, and it has a new cover design. The movie was 50 minutes long. If you are just new to the Divine Mercy, or it's your first time hearing about it, then this short movie is for you.

The movie tells about the life of St. Faustina, the secretary of the Divine Mercy. My favorite scenes in the movie is about Pope John Paul II, being awarded by Marian priests. From the beginning of his ministry in Rome, Pope John Paul II has considered the message of the Divine Mercy his special task. He published it on his second encyclical (a kind of letter concerning Catholic doctrine), Dives in Misericordia, God who is rich in mercy. This movie is very timely. We can see God's great love and mercy for us. If you have not seen this movie, I suggest you must. 

Movie Review: Therese (2004)

           I have wanted to see this movie eversince I saw a preview of it on YouTube, more than a decade ago. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and of the Holy Face, also known as St. Therese of Lisieux, was very influential to me. When I first read her story, in a book (Lives of Saints) given to me by my late aunt, she made an impression on me. At a young age, she already knew her vocation, and that was to become a Carmelite, a religious cloistered nun. So, I too had a desire to be a nun someday. Yes, I tried contacting religious orders, and I became a Carmelite not a religious but a lay Carmelite. More than a decade ago I was a former aspirant, was able to profess promises (not vows) in a Carmelite convent within the city where I live. 

Why do people feel drawn, and many love St. Therese. There are no miraculous events that took place when she was still alive, yet many people pray to her and ask for her intercession. Why? Because of her simplicity, and humility. After her death, there were many numerous reports of miracles and healings, and up to now still many miracles are attributed to her. Like her promise, she said, "When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens,I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth."

Her autobiography is a classic, and still a bestseller. If you have not read her diary, entitled in English, "The Story of a Soul," you should!

I really love this movie. The film director Leonardo Defilippis has done a great job with this film. St. Luke productions, their company, continues to make good, relevant and inspiring movies of Saints. He starred in this movie along with his wife, as the parents of St. Therese. The music used in the movie was also good. I was able to watch the whole movie yesterday. I'm thankful to the one who uploaded it on Facebook. This is another addition to my favorite religious movies. Let us not forget to love, for God is love. Like what St. Therese said, her vocation is love. 

Explaining The Faith Series: Fr. Chris Alar, MIC

          Do you believe in the saying love is lovelier the second time around? Well, I can say that I am a believer in that saying now. I returned to our church, after being sidetracked for quite awhile. I have this new passion, and enthusiasm to study more about our Catholic faith. I have learned a lot of good Roman Catholic teachers and speakers, like Dr. Scott Hahn, our very own local Dominican preachers, and Fr. Chris Alar, who hosts a series on YouTube called, "Explaining the Faith." It is aired in the U.S at around 11 a.m., every Saturday. I get to listen to the replay on Sunday, here in the Philippines. Fr. Chris is the Director, of the Association of Marian Helpers The Divine Mercy National Shrine, in Stockbridge, MA. 

I have finished his talks regarding the Shroud of Turin, and the Image of the Divine Mercy. In this talk, I have learned the amazing connection of the Divine Mercy image, and the Shroud of Turin. If you have seen the docudrama of St. Faustina entitled Love and Mercy, you already have an idea of what I am talking about. You will also learn about the veil of  Oviedo, this is not the veil of Veronica. 

The next series that I watched was about the Angels: The Forgotten Army. I was still a teenager when I became curious, and fascinated by the angels. I am familiar with the nine choirs of angels, guardian angel, and the archangels. 

I really enjoyed watching, and also taking down notes on Fr. Alar's lectures. I really learned a lot and I am looking forwars to his next talk. I am very much grateful to their congregation, because I am a devotee of our Lord Jesus, Divine Mercy. I am an official member of the Friends of Mercy. If you want to learn more about our faith, I suggest, you watch Fr. Chris Alar's talks in YouTube, Divine Mercy channel. You can also like their fb page.

Road to Forever: Pre-Cana

        Praise God! Last week we successfully finished our Pre-Cana seminar, but before that we had our Canonical interview. Our interviewer was Fr. Kali Llamado of Manila Cathedral. We learned a lot from our speakers, Bro. Egay and Sis. Vivian Cabuello, and Bro. Rene and Sis. Lily Perez, from the Commission on Life and Family.

We talked about lots of topics. Love languages of couples, financial matters, family planning, plans after the wedding, etc. Due to pandemic we had to do video conferencing. There were seven couples, including us who attended. We also practiced the marriage ceremony, we had a role-play. We also learned about the things that is used in weddings like the cord, veil and arrhae. It is good to have a talk like this before the wedding because, this is really helpful to every couple. 

I also love it that the speakers encouraged us to compose and make our own couple prayer. My fiance and I are saying our prayers every night. He edited the couple prayer that I composed before. I think it's good that couples are spiritually inclined, and it's a must that they put God in the center of their relationship. I'm counting the days to our wedding. May God watch over us always! To God be the glory!

Aquinas 101 - Thomistic Institute

      I have always been interested in studying things pertaining to God. I almost took up a Master's degree before at Maryhill School of Theology, but I did not pursue it. When I was still a student, I always look forward to our Religion class, not all students are very fond of it, I am an exception he!he!he!

Studying Distance Learning is expensive. I took two courses in English before, at Thompson Education Direct formerly known as International Correspondence School. Right now, I want to study Theology, apologetics, anything about the Roman Catholic faith. I asked a group online, Catholic Apologetics Geek, if they can recommend a free Distance learning course. They suggested a few, and one that caught my interest is the free course by the Dominicans from the Thomistic Institute. I enrolled within the same day, and I started my first course this week. I studied about the life of St. Thomas Aquinas. I also like the course offered by St. Paul website, the one by Dr. Scott Hahn, but it is not entirely free. 

I chose this Distance learning course because, I admire the Dominicans. As a teenager, and up to now I always listen to their 7 Last Words sermon, and my family is devotee of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. We also hear mass at Sto. Domingo church on feast days. 

I have two days off since the pandemic, and I like to partly spend it in studying. During these difficult times our mind can be polluted with negative thoughts, as St. Paul has mentioned in his letter to the Philippians chapter 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think of all these things."

The Lamb's Supper - Dr. Scott Hahn(Audio Review)

          I first heard about Scott Hahn through my priest friend, Fr. Steve Tynan. He served for a long time in our parish chapel, and was transferred in our parish, St. Benedict. He recommended the book to me after having a discussion with me with regard to the Protestant claim of the things that they found to be not right in the Roman Catholic church. 

I just finished last Wednesday, around past 12 in the morning, the audio recording of The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn. During this pandemic times I was not able to go to bookstores because for safety reasons. Anyway, if you want to purchase his books, a lot of his titles are available in Google Play Books.

Just a short information about the author. Scott Hahn, was a Presbyterian pastor who realized that the true church founded by Christ, and faithful to the early Church worship, and teaching is the Catholic church. He went to a Presbyterian college, he mastered Greek with an Oxford tutor. Translated the book of Revelation from Greek to English. According to his study, the word rapture does not appear a single time from the book of Revelation. The Battle of Armageddon occurs once in the end, and the anti-Christ doesn't occur but in the opening chapter. 

I have attended for a long time Protestant services. I noticed that there was indeed a connection of the Old Testament, with the New Testament. A lot of parallelism. Just like what Scott Hahn noticed in the book of Revelation. 

One thing that was favorable, when I attended a Protestant church is their eagerness to read the Bible. As a Catholic, I didn't really read the Bible much. But still, there is a caution. The Bible interpretation of the Protestant is of course different from the Catholic Bible, aside from the number of books included. According to one of our church fathers, St. Augustine, the New Testament is concealed in the old, and the old was revealed in the new. The pastor in the Protestant church that I went to before, studied in a Catholic university, I'm not sure if that was for his Masters or Doctorate, but that was the reason why he knows St. Augustine, and often quotes him too. 

Some examples of parallelism in the Bible that was discussed in the book was Moises and Jesus. Moises had the 12 tribes of Israel, and Jesus had 12 disciples. There were 72 elders from both of them. Moises was the giver of the law, and Jesus gave the sermon on the Mount, law of the New covenant. This is called typology. You can find a chart online describing the parallelism between the two of them. Jesus is the new Moises.

There are 2 parts of the mass (Liturgy of the Word, and the Eucharist) just like, there are two parts in the book of Revelation. 

Dr. Hahn mentioned that the greatest most significant event for Jews is the Passover, just like Thanksgiving and Christmas were for Christians. Jesus was the new Lamb of the Passover. You have to look back to the Old Testament in order to understand this. Moises gave the law, the law was to slaughter an unblemished lamb, sprinkle the blood of lamb, and you have to eat the lamb, this is non-negotiable. Just like when we eat the Body of Christ, at mass! I never really appreciated what we have before, and now I am very glad because of the realization of the precious gift that we have in mass. 

Dr. Hahn's wife told him that he needs to write down a book someday so that Catholics would appreciate what they have, because in the Protestant services, it isn't this deep, it isn't biblical, it isn't what they have, like what he has shown in the book of Revelation. 

As Dr. Hahn have said, "We all want to go to heaven, we just don't wanna die first. Well, the good news for Catholics, you don't need to die in order to go to heaven. All you have to do is go to mass, and heaven is where you are!... And the saints, and angels are who you were with, and when you read the book of Revelation, that their songs and prayers are identical to ours, and those songs, and those prayers, and that sacrifice of the Lamb is what releases God's power to vindicate His people, to rescue us, to give us the help that we need whenever we have hard times, and persecution. "

Jesus gave these visions to John when he was an old man. It is hard to take everything in, so Jesus told John to write down everything. John's vision of marriage Supper and the lamb, is the mass. The early church Father's were unanimous in the meaning of the great marriage, that Jesus is the bridegroom, as the groom gives himself to the bride. Jesus gave Himself to us, His church! In the book of Revelation, John called Jesus as the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), 28 times! 

If you have not listened to the recorded audio online, you must! May God bless us all always! 

---

I dedicated this post of mine, to my Lord Jesus. My Lord, and my God! Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam! 

Waiting on God's Promises

          It has been almost 5 months now, since our country has been on quarantine. We are on Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine now or MECQ, due to the plight of our dear health workers who are also the most affected in this pandemic that has hit the entire global community. I can relate to them because I am also a frontliner in my work assignment in the public sector.

Right now, we are on skeletal work force. I'm off duty so, I have the time to write again. If you have read my previous blog, you know that I'll be getting married soon. The challenge nowadays for most couples, sweethearts, and lovers is that we need to do social distancing. It is so difficult because we, as human beings were made for physical interaction, and connection. The only consolation that we have is that, we are on a very modern-age, and communication is not that difficult, compared in the olden days, wherein, we wait impatiently for the snail-mails to arrive, and as well as long distance-phone calls. Now, everything is within reach, thanks to these smart phones, wherein we can send messages instantly, and use video call. Still, for me this arrangement is very hard. I'm even worried because there are a lot of scenarios running on my mind now, and one, is that our wedding might be cancelled. I also worry that I might get sick, and that is one of my main concern that I told to the priest whom I spoke to during our canonical interview yesterday. Because, we may never know since the Covid cases here in the Philippines are still climbing-up. He said we are all experiencing difficulties during this pandemic, and we should unceasingly pray.

There are a lot of Bible characters that has taught us to wait on the Lord, especially in difficult, and trying times. One was Job who was afflicted with a skin disease, and whose family, tragically died, Joseph who was sold and was taken as a slave to Egypt, Sarah who longed to have a child, and many more. I was searching for the right Bible verse to incorporate into this writing of mine, and I have discovered among the few, from the Song of Songs. It says that "Deep waters cannot quench love, nor rivers sweep it away." It means that true love can overcome any trials.

Love also conquers fear. It says on 1 John 4:17-19, "There is no fear in LOVE, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because He first loved us." In these trying times, the more we need to have more faith in God. The more we should call upon Him. As we recall, last Sunday's gospel. We know that if we get carried away by the heavy wind, and the crushing waves, we can rely on our Lord Jesus, that He will lift us up, and help us to rise again. We will be able to pass through any storms in our lives, through His guidance, help and protection.

... And I will wait with hope for our Lord's promises. I trust that HE will never fail me. I pray for my beloved, and I, that we will be safely together soon, in each other's arms, for He has brought the two of us together. What God has joined let no one separate. 

My Boaz, My Other Half.

     “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24

 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" Ecclesiastes 4:9

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her." Ephesians 5:25

   Yes! I have found Mi Media Naranja, that is a sweet Spanish term for my husband, my wife. In English, it means my other half. I have been long contemplating when is the right time to write about the most important person in my life, and I've decided now is the right time! Since, I'm off from work now due to MECQ, more strict quarantine measures are implemented now. I'm pretty sure that now is a good time to write about this. Most of the closest people I know, knew that it has been a decade since my last relationship. In between those years, I met a few guys but its either I like them, and obviously they are not interested in me, like the way I am interested in them. They just see me as a friend, or just a girl who likes them and nothing more. I even confessed my feelings before, and I've been friendzoned a lot of times. When I got brokenhearted from my first relationship, I even had bitterness towards God. That's why I met a lot of Protestant people, and pastors. Most of them are good people, and even if their beliefs aren't the same as ours. I thought I would find the right man for me in that place, but the answer is still "no!".

Then in 2018, I decided to withdraw from the Protestant church that I attend to, and return to the Roman Catholic church. I spoke to a priest (Fr. Matt, a foreigner priest probably from India), and made a confession, I told him of my long absence in the Roman Catholic church, and my desire to return again. I was forgiven, and welcomed again. Like I said, I felt like I was the prodigal daughter.

Those who are close to me know how long I have been praying for the right man to come to my life.  There was even a time when I asked myself if I will find the right guy for me, and there were so many nights that I've cried myself to sleep out of frustration. I really didn't expect that the love of my life now, would be the one for me. Yes, when we first met, we somehow started on the wrong foot. Firstly, I wasn't that attracted to him physically, and I hate it when people would make a joke, and pair me everytime with a single guy in our office. I was different back then. I was even sort of rude to him. As they say, I was like a regular cranky office employee. But I was changed by love. I was changed by him. I thought that it only happens in movies. I woke up one day, and I just realized that I like him!

I thank God for my love. For sending him, and giving him to me. Even before the time when he and I, are not in a serious relationship, before we became a couple, I promised our Lord, that I will love, and care for him deeply. He is the gift that I have been waiting, and praying for my whole life! I am now engaged, and we will get married hopefully this year.

My love, Mahal, if you are reading this I promise (I know some people make their promises but break it soon after, that's why I will write this entry as a reminder, lest I forget) to be faithful, to you and love you as long as I exist here on earth. Thank you for coming into my life, for giving me the chance to love you, for accepting me, for wanting me to be a part of your life. I promise, to be a loving and dutiful wife to you, as well as to be always your best friend, and confidant, to whom you can always tell and disclose all your cares, and concerns, and I promise to be here for you no matter what. We will be a good team, and I know we will be good partners who support each other, together for life, through ups and downs, in joy and in sorrow, through sickness and health, that's for sure! Like how faithful is Ruth to Boaz, I will be the same with you. Let me quote a Bible verse from the book of Ruth. "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and you lodge, I will lodge." Ruth 1:15

     Yes, it took a long time for me to find the one, but I know it has been worth the wait. It is not really about finding the right one, but it is learning to love the one you've found. Like what our parish priest said in one of his homilies, Love is a decision! Yes, I agree that love is not just a feeling, but a decision, and a commitment. Never give up on love, pray always, and keep the faith!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." 1 Corinthians 13:4

New American Bible Revised

  I previously posted on this blog, my only copy of a Roman Catholic Bible which is the Christian Community Bible. I posted it in our Catholic Apologetics group online, and I did not get a positive comment. Someone said that the commentaries are too liberal. Also, that the translation is not that good. A lot commented about the New American Bible. So I planned to get one. My bf's Bible is NAB, it was a gift from his dad. It was a good choice because the NAB, is the version used in the lectionary. I remember, it was also recommended to me before by the staff of St. Paul Bookstore.

I recently purchased mine just this week from my ever reliable Roman Catholic bookstore which is the St. Paul Bookstore. Even if it's a quarantine period they accept deliveries. I ordered this together with my mother's day gift for the mom of my bf.

The one that I got was the Millenials edition. The colors of the Bible's jacket is not the usual we always see so maybe that's the reason why it was named like that. The available colors are Turquoise green, Burnt Sienna, Blue and Purple. I chose the Purple one. It is a personal size. A bit thick, it has Bible tabs included. I am glad that this Bible has 2 ribbon markers, so you can go back to where you stopped reading, and mark that important page or section.

The Roman Catholic Bible has 73 books. Compared to the Protestant Bible. Because the Protestants removed the Deuterocanonical they call it Apocryphal which means forbidden or secret because the author of these writings are unknown or the origin is doubtful.

Let me share this story that I read online. In 393 A.D. St. Jerome was given a task by the Pope to translate all the Bible books in Latin. St. Jerome then asked the helped of rabbis, to help him translate Hebrew to Latin. The rabbis think that the Deuterocanical books were uninspired because they said they don't have them in Hebrew only in Greek. The Pope still ordered St. Jerome to translate because the church has traditions wayback, and these books were read in churches, therefore they are inspired writings. So, St. Jerome translated them anyway. Fast forward to later times, in 1947 a young boy looking for a lost goat in a cave near the Dead Sea found an amazing archeological find, and that is the 7 Deuterocanonical books all written in Hebrew!

So that's the story why us Roman Catholics have more books in the Bible than the Protestants. As you can see from the photo posted here. I also put the original Divine Mercy image in front of my new NAB revised Bible. Isn't the story amazing?! No wonder even until now, Jesus is always telling us to trust in Him! Because He will always be a wonderworker.

Love and Mercy Discussion - Marians of the Immaculate Conception

    Today was a very meaningful day for me, even if I'm just staying at home, I was able to hear mass, and the message of God's word is to love one another as the way God loves His only son Jesus, and just as how Jesus loves us. I also rented the LOVE AND MERCY, movie about the Divine Mercy, and St. Faustina. It has been a week when I saw the movie but it has left a lasting impression on me. I also shared it again to others.

 I also joined one of the Association of Marian Helpers, FRIENDS OF MERCY. Even if I am not from the U.S or Canada, I was able to join. One mission of a "friend of mercy," is sharing the message of our Lord Jesus, His love and mercy for us. Also, to pray the Chaplet of Mercy, and of course helping the Marian Fathers, and the Divine Mercy organization in the U.S through donations. You get a monthly FRIENDS OF MERCY newsletter. Mine is electronic newsletter. If you are interested just visit their website.

Just click here ->   Divine Mercy Website

I really learned a lot from this discussion by Rev.Fr. Kaz and Fr.Chris Alar. I really don't mind spending a little because I'm thinking of the great blessing of the Divine Mercy that is shared to others. One interesting information that I learned is that the Diary of St. Faustina was banned for a time, due to the error in translations. It was Pope Paul VI who lifted the ban and not Pope John Paul II.

Many are suffering now because of the virus, Covid19. We can look up at St. Faustina, because she also suffered a lot.

The message of the Divine Mercy, through St. Faustina, also known as the Secretary of the Divine Mercy was given 5 channels of grace in which we could have hope and trust. Here is a good acronym mentioned by Fr. Chris Alar. Like a little bird.

F east of the Divine Mercy
I mage of the Divine Mercy
N ovena of the Divine Mercy
C haplet of the Divine Mercy
H our of Mercy (3 o'clock)

According to Fr. Kaz, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy prayer. It is asking the Father through the atoning death of His Son to have mercy upon us, and upon the whole world. We are begging God the Father through the death of His Son to have mercy on us because we know we are in great need. The chaplet, we know from the life of St. Faustina, is a prayer from every occasion, in preparation for death, to overcome natural disasters, the effectiveness and efficaciousness of this prayer, and also praying for those who have passed away. This is the extension of the Eucharist because we offer, we surrender Jesus to the Father. A powerful prayer, and the movie talks about the image.

In addition Fr. Chris Alar said that the promises that Jesus gives to those who venerate this image. The facial feature of our Lord matches the actual shroud. So this image is a living icon. When the Lord appeared to Faustina, it is the actual feast of the holy icon. We know the Easter tradition is a window to eternity, in it we see the face of the Father's mercy. With it came many promises. Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko had written down the word of St. Faustina, that when chastisment for sins come upon your nation and the whole world   and it seems there is utter degragation there is hope and protection in this image. Those who hold this image of mercy, in reverence. Jesus said He will shield and He will protect, and He will give graces to the homes and the family that have this image. As I was saying its not a magic wand, its not a rabbit's foot but we have hope in what it represents, and that is Jesus the Divine Mercy. I recently bought the Chaplet of Mercy which includes the Chaplet Rosary. Even before I was a devotee of the Divine Mercy. I use to say the Chaplet of Mercy and the novena. I even have a double cassette tape of the Holy Rosary and the Divine Mercy set to music by Jim Cowan which was given to me by my late aunt.

Fr. Kaz tells us this account from St. Faustina's diary. There is a nun who asked Faustina did God forgive me my sins? (She was afraid that she was not forgiven.) Faustina then asked the Lord, and he answered. "Her lack of trust, wounds me more deeply than her sins." We also have to be merciful to ourselves, not only to others.

Dr. Scott Hahn said, mercy is actually greater than forgiveness. Mercy is divine because mercy is beyond letting go. Mercy is reconciling.

The message that we have from St. Faustina, death is not the end, the cross is not the final word. The resurrection of Christ is the final word.

There are a lot of wisdom and wonderful messages you can pick up in the discussion video. So if you have not seen it you can still rent at fanforcetv.com

Remembering my Late Aunt Rosario

  I want to dedicate this post of mine to my late aunt Rosario, we fondly call her Auntie Charito, or Chato for short. She would use that nickname when we would play scrabble. I love playing scrabble with her because we would bet on real money, even if I rarely win. She passed away a decade ago. Our life in Manila when aunt was living used to appear in my dreams back then. I still miss her, and grandma (her mom).

I just remember her again when I posted something on my social networking page. It is about the works of Msgr. Josemaria Escriva, now a saint, and founder of Opus Dei. Yes, Opus Dei is not some kind of mysterious evil organization, or a secret society as depicted in the movie "Da Vinci Code." My aunt has a lot of religious books. Among them is my favorite novel, entitled "Bernadette and Lourdes," by Michael de Saint Pierre, "Prayer of the Warrior," a book about St. Michael the Archangel by Michael Brown, and "The Way," quotes and sayings by Msgr. Josemaria Escriva.

My aunt spurred my interest in Catholic books, and our first picture bible was, "My Bible Friends," by Etta B. Degering. She bought us books regularly and even subscribed  to Reader's Digest. My first book of Saints came from her, "Lives of Saints." I also like to read the movie like magazine from St. Paul's bookstore because of her. I used to own, The Life of St. Rita of Cascia. I also grew up attending mass with her, most often if my mom didn't join us or my other aunt. The two of us would always hear the anticipated mass at Our Lady of Lourdes chapel officiated by SVD priests, that's where I met my late nun friend Sr. Cyrilda Ferriols. Before that hospital was partly run by religious, but now that hospital was privatized already. If we are very early she would treat me to the hospital canteen. I would always order noodles soup, paired with fried lumpiang tongue (bean sprouts). Other times we would hear children's anticipated mass at Our Lady of Fatima, and after that I will rent a movie at VHS shop near the church, or she would buy me ice cream, or macaroni, spaghetti sauce, and sausage. That would be my food for Sunday. She also enrolled in an Bible correspondence school which she finished. I think I got my love of reading from her.

I learned many things from her, like my OC behavior attitude when it comes to cleanliness. She was also good cook. I loved her adobong pata, beefsteak, chicken with mushroom afritada, sinigang sa miso, and many more. She even taught me a no bake dessert. Even if she's also strict, and a bit conservative to us, especially to me. She has shown me, and let me feel that she loves me as if I were her own daughter. She didn't marry, by the way. Those whom I knew say, too bad my aunt didn't marry, it was a waste because she's pretty!

I hope and pray she's in a better place right now. I'm thankful to God that she, "Auntie Charito," became my aunt. For I learned a lot about life from her.

Happy Mother's Day!

  Today we are celebrating Mother's day.
I just posted a greeting for my mom on my Facebook wall. We didn't celebrate, and we didn't order food today because my aunt doesn't want any food delivery, she thinks it is still not safe. The whole day we ate nothing but fish, sardines and milkfish. Still thankful because we have enough to eat during this quarantine/lockdown due to the virus, Covid19. I pray that God would continue to protect us all His children, for us to get through this crisis. That this will be over soon.

Every Mother's day, and especially during this month of May, we Roman Catholics honor, and remember our Blessed Mother Mary. After every Mass during the month of May we offer flowers to her. It has been a tradition.

 I admit that before, I was afraid that I might have displeased our Lord Jesus for honoring her mother. But as St. Maximilian Kolbe said, no one can greatly love Mary, than her Son, our Lord Jesus. So I, we should not be afraid of showing how much we love her. We can't simply put the Blessed Virgin Mary aside, because she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus. I remember before, I told our dear Blessed Mother, that she would be my mother, and I would be her adoptive daughter. I long for a loving mother like her, wise, humble, kind, and pious. I told our Lord Jesus, about that memory of mine in the past. I remember praying the Rosary with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe medal before, that has kept me comfort during the time I was sick because of Dengue, I was confined in the hospital. That was more than a decade ago. Praying the Rosary for others meant

I want to share this post of mine to be a testament, of how dear the mother of Our Lord Jesus was to me, and I also believe for all of us. One popular priest here in my country always say to his listeners, "Jesus, loves you. Mama Mary, loves you!" I'd like to end this post of mine by sharing a beautiful song, by Himig Heswita sung by Fr. RB Hizon. This song best describes our love for our mother, and for our Blessed Mother Mary. Shalom!

Love and Mercy: Faustina Movie

  I rented a movie for the first time online. I really wanted to watch St. Faustina's movie. I first saw the trailer in YouTube. It was good, so I really wanted to watch it. I cannot find a website that has uploaded it. I just chanced upon an ad on Facebook, a website named fanforcetv was streaming the movie. I rented it for around $4.99. The movie is available only up to 48 hours. I shared it to the love of my life, so that he can also share and watch it with his family.

The movie was not entirely a "movie". It was part movie, and part documentary. The actress who portrayed St. Faustina was good. Anyway, all who helped out in making this movie, I give my salute to all of them. It was a fantastic movie. The movie is about how St. Faustina her life and mission as an apostle too the Divine Mercy. It also tells of how she entered a religious congregation, her visions of our Lord Jesus, how she met Fr. Sopocko her spiritual director. He is now known as Blessed Michael Sopocko. He helped a great deal in making the devotion to the Divine Mercy spread after St. Faustina was gone.

There are many revelations in the movie that I didn't know of. I have read St. Faustina's diary before, and I think I have missed out on some parts. The resemblance of the image in the Holy Shroud, and the painting of the Divine Mercy image!

All the hard work of Blessed Fr. Sopocko finally has paid off. All the visions that St. Faustina saw came true. I won't spoil the movie for you dear readers, that is why I am telling you can rent the movie at fanforcetv.com. I am telling you, this was a very good movie!

May you enlightened, and blessed as you realized the great love and mercy of God for all of us that He gave His only Son to save us. Remember, our Lord Jesus wants us to always trust in Him.

Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux

  St. Therese of Lisieux's (a French Saint) diary was the first ever autobiography of a saint that I have owned. When I first saw the book at Holy Redeemer Catholic church, I knew I got to have it. On the front cover is the real photo of St. Therese.

As I have said before. St. Therese of Lisieux, she's also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus, was influential to me. Partly, the reason why I wanted to become a nun was due to her. I really admire her for her courageous heart, and great love for our Lord Jesus. She entered the Carmelite convent at such a young age. She was an exception. If you read her story, she was able to talk with the Holy Father then, and request for her admission in the convent. Speaking with the Holy Father is also forbidden, but she bravely did because of her strong will to enter the religious life. Later on she succeeded, she joined her sisters Pauline, and Celine who were also Carmelite Nuns. They were strictly cloistered, and live a contemplative life.

There were no extraordinary events, or heavenly visions that St. Therese encountered in her life. But what sets her differently is her great love for our Lord Jesus. I remember one particular event in her life, while walking with her father one night, when she looked up at the sky she saw the stars form the first letter of her name, and she exclaimed her name was written in heaven. There were no miracles when she was alive, but true to what she has said. She will do good in heaven. True enough, many religious vocations happened because they were inspired by her story. She died at such a young age, due to tuberculosis which at that time still has no cure. What lessons can we learn for St. Therese, do all things with love for our Lord.

The church grants indulgence just by reading her book, as told to me by our late parish priest in Manila, Msgr. Severino G. Casas, H.P.

May you be inspired and be blessed as you read her writing... And also may you find your true calling in life.

The Bible From Scratch

  This is one of my treasured books even if it's not an original copy. I just photocopied the book from my university library. This book is already more than a decade with me.

When I was still in studying, my favorite part in the library was the Religion section. I love to read about the Religious orders, Lives of Saints, and anything about religion and spirituality. I have also read the Bible when I was young, I have a picture Bible before but it's not in my possession anymore. I also like to look at the stick figures drawn by Annie Vallotton, from The Good News Bible when I was a little girl. The Bible at first seems intimidating for me. I have Protestant Study Bible but they're not that helpful at all since their interpretation is different from us Catholics.

Anyway, back to this book. This is a really helpful book. I just posted something about it on Facebook, and my fiancé, helped me out in editing the sentence. It goes something like this.

"The Bible From Scratch" (that I have kept for more than a decade now) is strongly recommended  for those who want to expand their Bible literacy and understanding in a deeper way—those who find Bible reading such a complex and incomprehensible activity! That is why I especially liked and commend this comics-style approach, for it gives me a totally new Bible-reading experience that keeps me riveted and motivated (with the Bible) like never before! Hope you find it useful too and make it count."

So if you haven't got a copy I suggest you get one, after this quarantine/lockdown is over. This is really a great gift also for your loved ones.

Quoting from St. Jerome,"Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ!" 

Books from my Past

  While I was rummaging through my collection of books. I have seen a few of my Roman Catholic books and magazines. I am emphasizing the Roman word here because to those who do not know. Catholicism has other kinds or branches. We have the Oriental Orthodox, and the Greek Orthodox.

Anyway, back to these books of mine. Actually the red book, which is a hardbound book was the book of my late aunt Marina, it is the Student's Catholic Doctrine by Rev. Charles Hart, one of the textbook used before in the oldest Roman Catholic University in Asia, which is University of Santo Tomas. What I like about this book is that the doctrines are easily explained, it can be easily understood by everyone who have studied the English language. This book has a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. This book is 1959 edition. This book is broken down into 4 parts. Faith (Divinity of our Lord Jesus explained, The Creed etc.), Hope (meaning of Grace, The Lord's Prayer, Veneration of the Saints, Devotion to Our Blessed Lady), and Charity/Love. It also includes the commandments of God, the church, sacraments, virtues and vices. So this is a must-read for new converts, those who wants to know more about our faith. The code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic church is freely available online.

The next oldies but goodies that I have see was the Catholic Digest, this is the counterpart of the Readers Digest. This copy of mine more than a decade. This was published by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. They are also the publisher of a local youth magazine called BARKADA. Because of that magazine, I became a member of the Companion of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart wayback.

Last but not the least, I included here the coloring book of Saints. I bought this when I was a teenager. I still enjoy coloring even if I'm all grown-up! Such fond memories over these old books. What about you? What are your favorite books to read when you were growing up. Feel free to comment.

Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

  Aside from the Bible, and Catechism of the Catholic church, this is another book that is indispensable. The first copy that I have got, was colored blue, and fits just right into your pocket. The book that I was referring to was translated by Msgr. Ronald Knox. Sadly, it is not in my possession anymore.

The next Imitation of Christ that I have got was from a Catholic publisher. This one has a leather bound jacket, and it has illustrations inside. It is also a bit expensive. Around $24. Anyway, if it's a good book, and another nourishment for our soul, there's nothing wrong in purchasing one. It is very much worth it!

I'll never forget reading this. My favorite chapter is Chapter 20 which talks about "On the Love of Solitude and Silence." It says there, quoting from the book of Isaiah, "Commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still." This part is very timely, especially now, where we are all in quarantine, and just staying indoors. Learn to love the solitude. I remember the homily of a priest from Bulacan, quoting from his sermon before, that it is in silence that God speaks in our hearts.

Let us pray that in all the things that we do, be it a menial task or not, may we glorify our Lord God, and our Lord Jesus always.

Lives of Saints Book

  One unforgettable book from my childhood was the LIVES OF SAINTS book. I'm not an outdoor kid. I remember I love to read even before. We started with local kiddie comics, and then my aunt would give us books. My very first introduction to the  Bible was this children's Bible given again to us by our aunt, MY BIBLE FRIENDS by Etta B. Deering. I love the illustrations, and I remember I never get tired of reading it over and over again. Selected stories from the Bible in each volume. This set consists of 10 volumes. (I checked this title, and Googled it. I saw it on an Adventist online store, I don't endorse any book that is not by Roman Catholic. I just cited this book because it was the first Bible story that I read.)

We have lots of books when we were growing up. As a homebody person. My sibling and I likes to play the PC, board games, and just read books or comics. My aunt gave me a LIVES OF SAINT book, sadly that book was not in my possession now. It is just a pocket sized book with beautiful drawings of Saints on the front and back cover. She bought it from a religious sister who was selling books at their office.

I love reading the story of St. Therese of Lisieux also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus, I remember the story when she was walking one night with her father, she saw the stars form a letter, her name, she said her name was written in heaven! I also love the story of St. Rita, the wife, the nun, and the Saint! I also read the sad story of St. Maria Goretti.  I recommend this book for you to give to your children, and loved ones. We can learn a lot from them. Do not forget saints are humans too! They have feelings too. They have experienced joy, happiness, grief and sadness. The lives of these religious people, who loved God dearly is a good example of how we should live our lives. In everything that they do it is for the greater glory of God!

Journey to Carmel

  No, I have not been to Carmel, and I have not traveled to the place where Elijah has trod upon. I am referring to my journey to Carmel as a Carmelite aspirant, more than a decade ago. When I was a young girl, I dreamed of becoming a nun. As a teenager and a young adult I have visited a long of Contemplative orders in my country, namely, The Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (more popularly known as the Pink Sisters), Poor Clares, Dominicans, and of course I have seen cloistered Carmelite Nuns when I professed our promises in a local Carmelite Convent. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, was influential in my religious desire. I have her autobiography, and for those of you who didn't know she entered the Carmelite convent at such a young age, she's 15 years old. It is not usual for religious order to accept younger women, but she was an exception. Her zealous desire to be a religious at such a young age, even telling the Pope, of her desire to enter the convent.

Third Order Secular are lay people who belong to a religious order. They profess "promises", similar to vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Why I chose the Carmel way of life. First, I am attracted to a contemplative life. A prayerful life, and religious studies. Also because, I look up to Carmelites saints! St. Teresa and St. John of Avila. I have read the book written by St. Teresa before, The Interior Castle. Below are a lists of what Carmel life is about.

• *listening to the Word of God and responding in silent prayer for at least half an hour each day,
• *participating in the Church’s liturgy – daily Mass where possible, Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church, and, if possible, also Night Prayer,
• *taking Mary our Mother as our model of prayer and service as she pondered the Word of God in her heart and lived in obedience to that Word,
• *studying and meditating on the inspired teachings of the Carmelite saints, especially Saints Teresa and John of the Cross,
• *studying and meditating on the beliefs of our Christian faith and our Catholic tradition,
• *supporting one another through regular Community meetings, contact and service.

I am glad that I'm back now. I was baptized and confirmed as a Roman Catholic and I am so relieved to know that whatever I do it cannot be taken away from me. Of course, I know my mistake of joining a Protestant church. Being baptized as a Roman Catholic it cannot be taken back. It is already imprinted in me, marked on my soul, as stated in Canon 845.1. 

What I want to say is my life is a testimony of God's love, grace and mercy. I am absolutely a sinner, not perfect, but I still want to follow our Lord Jesus. In our lifetime, there will come a time when we feel as if we are like traveling in a dry desert. But it is one way of God communicating with us. Like what Thomas Merton said. 

"Wilderness had been created supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men. The wasteland was the land that could never be wasted by men because it offered them nothing. There was nothing to attract them. There was nothing to exploit. The desert was the region in which the Chosen People had wandered for forty years, cared for by God alone. They could have reached the Promised Land in a few months if they had traveled directly to it. God's plan was that they should learn to love Him in the wilderness and that they should always look back on the time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone. The desert was created simply to be itself, not to be transformed by men into something else."

Let our prayers be, that we may see and feel God no matter what state of life we are in. That He is always near us, and know that He will never ever leave us. 

Christian Community Bible (Catholic Pastoral Edition)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105

  I have a lot of Protestant Study Bible. This is the only Roman Catholic Bible that I have. This is sort of the Philippine or Asian edition Bible for Catholics. This was conceptualized by Fr. Bernardo Hurault, a Claretian priest and a Bible scholar, who spent most of his years in the Philippines by helping out on Bible translations on the different Filipino dialects, specifically, Ilongo and Cebuano. This Bible is really for English speaking Filipinos, and Asians. My copy is the twelfth edition in the year 1994. This is the copy that my late aunt bought. I just kept it because my other aunt just set it aside, and to not let it be dusty I took care of it. This was produced by St. Paul Bookstore, and Claretian publication was also a co-publisher. The Nihil Obstat is Fr. Efren Rivera, OP, and the Imprimatur is from the CBCP, Bishop Cirilo R. Almario, Jr. The English used here is not Old English, and the words are not archaic. Because this Bible is meant to be understood by Filipinos whose second language is English. This Bible is hard cover.

This Bible is complete with Deuterocanonicals. I like this Bible because it has a guide, if it's your first time to read the Bible. It also includes summaries and dates of Sacred History of the Old Testament, and important dates in the New Testament. It has Gospel index, and an explanation of the Order of the Books, as well as why the Apocryphals (hidden or secret books) are included, as how the Protestant likes to refer to the Deuterocanonicals. Inside this Bible is also a photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a painting of a typical Filipino family. Other additions are maps, and the 4 week Psalter.

Another feature of this Bible is the commentaries, that makes it also a good Study Bible. If you are confused with the text you are reading, you can refer to the commentaries below.

(Note: This Bible is not recommended by some because the commentaries is sort of like from a Liberal Catholic point of view. The recommended Bible to me when I went to a Roman Catholic Bookstore, St. Paul Bookstore was the New American Bible)

Questions and Answers

  Many issues are thrown to the Roman Catholic church. I also have questions that were not really fully answered before. Now, I'm thankful that I have discovered this new group online that I can freely ask questions. I also came to know a Jesuit priest Fr. Jacob Boddicker, who answered all my questions in brief and concise manner. Sharing it with you all:

My first question has something to do with the Bible books. Protestants removed the deuterocanonicals, they like to call it apocryphal, meaning secret or hidden. But it's not actually.

When Christianity began, the early Christians only had the Jewish Scriptures; what we call the Old Testament. The Jewish world was divided into two kinds of Jews: those that lived in the Holy Land, and those that lived outside, known as the "diaspora." Most of the Jews outside the Holy Land spoke Greek, not Hebrew, and so they used a Greek translation of their Scriptures called the Septuagint. In the Holy Land their Scriptures were in Hebrew. The Septuagint had 7 more books than the Hebrew scriptures, mainly books telling stories of their people's history so that they would not forget. Jews outside the Holy Land also observed feasts and holidays for an extra day longer than Jews in the Holy Land; being a Jew in a foreign land required you to do extra to maintain your cultural identity. 

 When Christianity began spreading outside of the Holy Land, Greek became the common language; this is why the writings of the New Testament were almost all written in Greek. The early Christians therefore used the longer Greek Septuagint for their Scriptures because Jew and Gentile alike could read it, and this became the primary translation of the Old Testament the Church used from the earliest days. If you look up the oldest Bibles still in existence, from just a couple hundred years after Christ, you will see that they contain the deuterocanonical books just like Catholic Bibles do today. All Bibles had these books until Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, and decided to use the Hebrew version of the Old Testament to translate into German, and so he removed those seven books; this is why they are not in Protestant Bibles. It is useful, too, because 2 Maccabees gives good Scriptural support for purgatory and praying for the dead.  He wanted to remove the Gospel of John, the Letter of James, and the Book of Revelation but his fellow Reformers argued against it. Why? He claimed they weren't Scripture, but if you think about it John gives the strongest Scripture evidence for Catholic belief in the Eucharist, and James says "faith without works is dead." 

My next questions is that if God forbids statues, why do Roman Catholic church have statues.

 Why do we have statues? Leah, do you have photographs of loved ones in your room? Churches have had statues for centuries to remind us of the saints and of Jesus, to help us remember that they were real people. In ancient times there were no photographs, so you had a painting or a statue made of an important person. Many cultures still make statues of famous or important people; why wouldn't we do that for the most important people of all: Jesus, Mary, and the saints? The commandment against graven images is only against images that are made to be worshipped; Catholics do not worship statues. If making statues of holy things at all was against God's commandment, why did the Temple have statues of trees, animals, and even angels and cherubim? Even the Ark of the Covenant had two statues of cherubim on it. 

The Protestant study Bible is different from the Roman Catholic. Because of the interpretation. My Protestant churchmates said Jesus has siblings. So what is really the truth?

Regarding Jesus' brothers and sisters: There are two main ways to explain what this means. In the Hebrew language there is no word for cousin, step-sibling, or half-sibling. Remember how Jacob had 12 sons? They all referred to one another as "brother" and never as "half-brother," even though Joseph, for example, was born of a different mother. Even Abraham refers to his nephew Lot as his brother! This is because in that culture your close relatives were seen as your siblings; you likely even grew up with them, possibly in the same house or at least the same neighborhood. It is most likely that the "brothers and sisters" of Jesus were either half or step-siblings from a previous marriage Joseph was in before becoming Mary's husband (hence why Joseph is sometimes depicted in art as being much older looking than Mary) or they were His cousins, whom He would have seen as being His brothers and sisters though they had different parents.

So that's it. I hope that you also have found the answers to your questions. If you have questions never be afraid to ask.