A Church Guarded by Angels
As a Catholic grows older, he starts outgrowing his belief in what he used to call each morning or evening or especially when he is distressed. As natural as he used to call his mom whenever he cried every time he was hurt, he would call upon his guardian angel as it was one of the first things he learned from Cathechism. But just as the belief in Santa Claus erode at an early age because of the materialism attached to it, the catholic individual would feel less comfortable in calling an unseen friend which he once regularly called by means of a short prayer.
The Sanctity of Elizabeth Masuda-Almazan
It seems that Elizabeth Masue Masuda-Almazan is a possible saint.
Marian Apparitions in the Philippines?
Another set of Marian apparitions or appearances by the Virgin Mary had been claimed. No, I’m not referring to the Lipa Apparitions which church authorities suppressed nor the Cabra incidents which died out snuffed by involvement of local politics. I am referring to the alleged San Narciso apparitions of Our Lady to a Japanese national who chose to live in the homeland of her husband.
Foreigner Heroes in the Philippines
Today, we would like to educate ourselves over an issue. Is it possible for a foreigner to love another country other than his or her very own homeland? We will be gathering some pertinent evidences as we are motivated by our group’s trip to San Narciso, Zambales where we witnessed ourselves the heroism of two foreign nationals in the persons of Nellie Elizabeth Stocks-Fontillas and Elizabeth Masue Masuda-Almazan. But since some of us have already stated that they are already writing about the two Elizabeths, I would rather focus on other examples. Since I might come up with a very lengthy piece because many foreign nationals lived heroic lives in the Philippines, I would like to zero in on Americans and Japanese who are considered heroes in their own right when they somehow manifested their love of the Philippines and her people.
Is Elizabeth Masue Masuda-Almazan a saint?
Masue Masuda was a Nihongo teacher for the young Japanese nationals growing in Mintal, Davao, Philippines before WWII. Having fallen in love with a Filipino co-teacher, she opted to leave her Buddhist Japanese family which eventually returned to Japan, Masue instead went with Vicente Almazan, her husband to his native town of San Narciso, Zambales. Here, they had quite an amicable life with the Filipino community with both the teachers settling instead as farmers. Being all foreigners in San Narciso who were married to Filipinos, she developed a strong friendship with compatriot Mary Nakashima and especially Nellie Elizabeth Stocks, an American.
Intertwined Lives
The town of San Narciso in Zambales is witness to intertwined lives. This became very evident during the war-torn years when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines. Of course, during times of intense hardships, the character of each person really comes out, like when an ore is thrown into a crucible to find out which element it would manifest.
The Childhood of Cyrus, the Great
Cyrus, the Great prophesied as the bird of prey coming from the east summoned by God had been the subject of ironies. At least two cult leaders from the far east, Felix Manalo of the Philippines and Sun Myung Moon of Korea used the same bible passage in claiming they are the raptors anointed and summoned by God for a great purpose. This would only prove that even in death, Cyrus still causes a stir even as when he was still alive.
Religious Identity Theft
One of the most modern prevalent crimes would be identity theft. For instance, one would not know that his identity is being used for a crime that would need such identity in an authorized registry such as one being done by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) intended to legitimize something bogus. Hence, investigators noted that common people such as vendors are made corporate stockholders by criminals operating the POGO for money laundering even without their knowledge. But of course, there are some who do these things deliberately by portraying themselves as real Filipinos and legitimate businessmen in spite of the fact that they are assuming another identity by using falsified documents. But one can be so wrong in assuming that this is a modern crime.
Gilgamesh Epic Retold
Sumerian and Akkadian account of the hero Gilgamesh, is an epic poem of antiquity concerning the King of Uruk (not to be confused with Abraham’s Ur) culled from clay tablets from the library of Ashurbanipal (669-631 BC), the last king of the Assyrian empire. He is the son of an anunnaki (nephelim) and a human who is characterized as a mighty giant. As king, he had this lusty vice of taking the bride for himself on the day of the wedding and none of his subjects could stop him.
A House Built on Sand
The recent arrest of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy made a lot of allegations moot and academic as many of the claims of violations of human rights rested on the premise that he was no longer in the KOJC Compound. It was alleged that the police tasked to arrest him were to many and have used excessive force which against the members of the church.
Military Education
As early as the Greek civilization in the west and the Chinese civilization in the east, the value of military training and education had been emphasized. In the earliest Peloponnesian war, Athens recognized the dominance of Sparta in military conflict because of its military readiness and caught up with the warlike city-state. Even in the Sino classic The Art of War, there is an account of court ladies being beheaded because they did not take military training seriously despite the protests of the emperor to which they belong.
The Origins of Chivalry
When men have mutual respect for one another, they practice an honorable and virtuous behavior wherein they treat each other as equals. And for the fairer sex, the female, they show utmost respect wherein the ladies feel protected and valued. This manifest behavior is what is expected of cavaliers, the gentry, or in the native parlance, the maginoo.