The Catholic Chic is a personal and faith-based blog on the life of a Catholic woman in the modern world.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

My First Guest Blogging experience!

Every time I need a break from the hullabaloo of the outside world, I withdraw myself and visit various Catholic bloggers groups I am a member of. I find it very relaxing and refreshing to read their entries in the peace of my own room. 

Last month, one of the authors from the Catholic Women's blogs I follow proposed we try Guest Blogging on each other's blog.

I definitely said a huge 'YES!' 

Our topic of exchange would be about our personal experiences living out our faith in our respective countries. Rachel is from the US while I am from the Philippines. I personally want to see where living our faith differed and where it is the same. Also, it interests me to know how supportive the society is to us practicing our faith as Catholics. I have posted earlier her experience being Catholic in the US. If you haven't seen it yet, you can click here

Now, I am posting a link of what I shared with her. Here is my personal experience living out the Catholic faith in the Philippines as featured in 'Living a Catholic Life'. Enjoy!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Love at 30,000 Feet by Madonna Escolano

This article was created by my dear friend and sister, Madonna Escolano. I came across this while reading the CBCP monitor Vol. 18 No. 19, September 15-28, 2014 edition and thought of posting it on my blog to remind me of the presence of God in chance encounters. Happy reading!

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LOVE AT 30,000 FEET 

“Dreaming of love while cruising at high altitude… Closer to heaven we’re thirty thousand feet up in the sky…” 

So goes some lines from the song composed by Mr. Jose Mari Chan, which has been close to my heart being an early-retired airline employee and previous choral member of the Philippine flag-carrier’s company. 

On a recent 18-hour flight, I found myself answering to the call to be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” (1Peter 3:15) It was also an opportunity to share God’s love. 

An Englishman, who said he’s an atheist, was seated next to me. Like most Caucasian men I’ve met, he was quite good in the art of small talk. It was a long-haul flight, and sleep wasn’t being good to me. What started as a polite conversation about trivial, uncontroversial matters turned into a profound discussion about travel, life and faith. He told me that his work as an engineer for a submarine communications cable company allows him to travel and marvel at the world. He was proud to tell me that being part of a team that makes it possible for fiber optic technology solutions to carry digital data across oceans gives him satisfaction. It’s indeed a blessing to be doing what you’re passionate about and being paid for it! 

He said he served the army during World War II and was totally changed by it. No more nightmares, fortunately for him. The war, he narrated, taught him many things and made him thankful and appreciative of his very existence and of everyone around him. 

He talked about Faith; about how he was brought up as a Catholic, went to Catholic schools, served as an altar boy, and used to attend Sunday Mass religiously. He said he lost his faith not because of anger towards God, nor disagreeing about dogma he could not totally comprehend, but because he simply did not have time for it. He explained that being a Christian involves hard work: It is not enough to accept Jesus as one’s personal savior. He added that everyone around him should see through his actions that he is a follower of Christ and worthy of the name Christian. 

And then came the all-too-familiar questions: Why does God allow pain and evil in the world? Why do evil men prosper, while the just suffer and remain poor? What do Christians do about this? 

I am not an expert in Sacred Theology, so I shared with him a little bit of my Faith journey, and how God has been faithful to His promises to me in spite of my own wretchedness and sinfulness. (Unbeknownst to him, I whispered a prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance!) I wanted to reassure him that God loves him dearly, that there is always a reason to hold on to hope, and that faith makes wonders. 

I retold the Creation story; that man was created in God’s image and likeness, and was given the gifts of knowledge, integrity and free will. We were created in Love, and God saw it fit to allow us to love freely as He does. But then came the fall of Adam and Eve; God allowed them to be tempted, trusting that they knew what to do. That was the essence of our free will after all: to choose what is good. We know how that story ended, and how evil and death came into the world. “God did not make death. God takes no delight in the ruin of anything that lives. God created humans to live forever. Death entered the universe only through the devil’s envy.” (Wisdom 1:13; 2:23-24) Pain then is a consequence of our sins. We suffer when we choose evil over good. And every little sin we make not only hurts us, but also everyone around us. 

I told him about those unsung heroes who have chosen to live lives serving the least, the last and the lost. I shared with him how blessed I am to know people who have gone through what seemed insurmountable trials, yet courageously overcame and are the same ones who help alleviate the affliction of others and remain selfless in making the world a better place to live. I briefly shared with him the lives of missionaries I am honored to call my friends who have left their comfort zones and have answered the call to share the joy of the Gospel and be fishers of men. I told him of the faith of saints whose sufferings sanctified them. And I reminded him that God loves him and all of us so much that He had to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross that we may all live. 

At that point in our conversation, he told me that his Filipina wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer several years ago. He said that the faith of his wife and the prayers of her family and friends helped her go through pain and treatment. Ten years after, her wife is still very much alive and full of life. He said her wife attributes the miracle of her healing to the power of God. 

Before our final descent towards Manila, he said he would love for his wife to meet me one day, and looks forward to inviting me to their house warming and “blessing” once the renovation of their home is completed. The best part about our entire conversation was when he expressed his interest in revisiting his faith, and hopes one day to join her wife to attend Mass again. 

I was thankful, certain that it was the Living Flame of Love~ the Holy Spirit, at work. I told him that God shall patiently wait for his return; and the angels and saints will celebrate in heaven when that day comes. He smiled and, to my surprise, said Amen! 

Pope Francis said that “Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.” 

I said goodbye to him, assured that God’s infinite and unfathomable love rekindled in his heart will bring him back into the Lord’s merciful arms, all in His perfect time.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Going Technical: My first CSMS experience!!!

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen."
-Hebrews 11:1

Last weekend, I participated in the 3rd Catholic Social Media Summit held at Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines.

Conference selfie with Kuya Shok and Ate Ilsa.

Thankfully, many people from Ablaze communications and Singles for Christ volunteered to join the Program Team and invited me to be a part of them. 

Volunteers from CFC, SFC, PYM of Antipolo, and CBCP.

In all honesty, I have never joined the Program Team of any event, so my confidence level for this was near zero. The nearest I came to showing presentations was clicking powerpoint slides way back in college.

He doesn't call the equipped but equips the called.

I have heard this quote being said over and over in Catholic conferences, specifically in Singles for Christ and Youth for Christ conferences. I believe this as true and I felt it 100% during my service in Lingayen.

My husband the VO.

Like I said, I don't know the workings in the technical booth but I said 'Yes' to serve God and He placed me there. 

The great thing about my emptiness and inexperience is God was the one who filled and equipped me to serve.

Faith! He will take care of you.

When I arrived earlier in Day 1, I was already having problems because I did not have a laptop that was compatible to the projector. Then come Alvin and Dea who had the perfect laptop and the perfect adaptors!

The Tech booth.

When speaker 1, Michael Lobrin, came in. I was also having difficulties starting up his presentation. Thankfully his personal assistant came in to help me. I wasn't able to get her name but I praise God she came in to aid us.

At lunch time, I remember Tricia and Jeff teaching me shortcuts for easier managing of the videos and presentations. We didn't have a "switcher" so we were organizing all presentations in one laptop and the transitions weren't presented as clean as we wanted. Nevertheless, they taught me techniques to make the presentations transition as smoothly as possible.

Top L-R: Shane, Shok, Dana, Jacq, Eric, Dea, Alvin, Jeff
Bottom L-R: Chrixy, Sky, Tricia
In timing presentations, calming me when I'm panicking, and being my sub during breaks, Dana and Dea, our Director and Assistant Director respectively, aided me through all that. They were also my support system during the technically tedious presentation of Bernard Canaberal.

Praise God for these people!

All in all I praise God for the opportunity of serving Him in the CSMS and for allowing me to encounter His angels, the program team, as my guide. This experience was a baptism of fire for me but He nevertheless equipped me to fulfill my duties. I just had to jump in and say 'Yes' even if I was anxious.


Sneak: Program team "After Day 1" Party Dance. We praise and thank You for the joy of service! 





And for that, may God be praised!

Love,
The Catholic Chic

Being Christian in America (A Guest Blogger's Story)

God's morning readers!

This day calls for a celebration as I have my first guest blogger, Rachel, write about her personal experience on how it is to be a Christian, specifically a Catholic, in the United States. I hope this post gives you a sneak peak on the life of a Catholic in the US and I hope you could also share your personal insights or experiences on how it is to be a Catholic in your country.

God bless you!

The Catholic Chic

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Being Christian in America
by Rachel 

I was born and raised in the Midwest, in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest to be more exact.  I was also born and raised Christian, Catholic to be more specific.  I went to Catholic school from preschool through high school.  Then I went to a public community college for two years and then a Nazarene University for one year.  I am now going to a Catholic University in less than a month to study film.  So that's a little bit of my background.  Now, let’s go into being Christian in America.

We all know that modern society is godless, especially America.  From Hollywood to politics, no one wants to mention religion or Christianity in public.  There have been several people suing because a restaurant gave people a discount for praying before their meal.  People wanted the cross at the 9/11 memorial taken down.  Thank God that it wasn’t.  Then there is Obamacare forcing Christian companies to go against their religion and pay for abortions.

What does this mean to me?  Not a lot right now.  I am currently in college and have been in a Christian school, besides my community college for two years, for most of my life.  I have been surrounded by an environment which encouraged talking about religion. 

I have, however, been met with anti-Catholicism.  Both in my blog and in the Nazarene University.  Not saying anything against Nazarenes, the school itself is great. 

We aren’t persecuted like people overseas are.  We aren’t killed for being Christian.  But people have lost their jobs for believing in the Christian viewpoints on gay marriage and abortion.  Namely, the two brothers on HGTV and the CEO of Firefox.  This, paired with the Obamacare has isolated Christians in America.  Making them feel like they are being persecuted for believing in Christianity.

This is what it is like to be Christian in America.  It’s a taboo subject that you don’t usually talk about.  People expect you to go to Church on Sundays but forget about what you have learned there.  And God forbid you act on your Christian principles.

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About the Author:  

Rachel was born and raised in the Midwest. Currently, she is a college junior pursuing film studies. She hopes to one day produce, write, and maybe act in sitcoms and movies. Follow her twitter account at twitter.com/fashionfaith2.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Journey that Lies Ahead

"Choose me and I'll bring you to places you've never been before."

I am currently on a bus heading to the northern area of the Philippines. In a few days, we will be starting the Catholic Social Media Summit and I am very very excited!

It is my first time to become a part of the program team of a huge Catholic event in my country so this is something new, nerve-wracking, and exhilarating for me! 

I'm currently seated with my program teammates Dana (head), Shane, Eric, Jovy, and Chrixy. And surprisingly, our emcee for the event, Ate Ilsa Reyes, also hopped in the bus same as ours! A memorable serendipitous moment indeed.

This is going to be an exciting event, I just know it. Please pray for us as 1,500 Catholic Filipino youth will spend the entire weekend knowing more about how to have meaningful and God-centered encounters both in online and offline environments. 

God bless you!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

You are Light


I was browsing on the internet for tips to eating healthy when I came across this post. I was immediately reminded of the passage Salt and Light from Matthew 5: 13-15 which says,

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."

Have you gone through some serious soul searching when you asked the heavens, what is my purpose in life? Well, I did. And I believe this Bible passage is telling me much about that. 

You are salt and you are light. Without salt, eating would probably be dreadful. Without the sun, earth would be left an icy wasteland.

Personally, I think the passage is telling me to become a blessing to others. Like salt, I should help make the ordinary things become extraordinary. I should make this journey through life become less burdensome for the people traveling with me. In being light, we are made to guide each other in seeing the truth and seeing God in our journey.

Have an awesome week!

Monday, September 8, 2014

A Gentle and Quiet Spirit




Earlier this week, I was looking for a Bible memory verse that could pretty much some up my life journey for the past week. 

I came across this and realized that despite the urgings of the world for me to focus solely on physical beauty, shopping, make-up, and clothes, God is asking me, just like He is asking all women, to have a gentle and quiet spirit above all things.

Through this verse, God reminded me that all things are passing and nothing is imperishable. What is hidden from plain sight, such as what is in our hearts and the condition of our souls, are what He finds most precious.

Have a great week ahead! 

The Catholic Chic


Sunday, September 7, 2014

Your Heart Today

Every Sunday, my family joins the choir for the 6 am Mass at our parish. Today, our choir head chose the song "Your Heart Today." 

I was deeply touched by the message of the song that I wanted to post it so I can share with you guys. Here are the lyrics of the song and the video. Happy viewing!


Your Heart Today 
by Fr. Manuel 'Manoling' Francisco, SJ
sung by Bukas Palad

Where there is fear I can allay
Where there is pain I can heal
Where there are wounds I can bind
And hunger I can fill

REFRAIN:
Lord, grant me courage
Lord, grant me strength
Grant me compassion
That I may be Your heart today

Where there is hate I can confront
Where there are yokes I can release
Where there are captives I can free
And anger I can appease (REFRAIN)

BRIDGE:
When comes the day I dread
To see our broken world
Compel me from my cell grown cold
That Your people I may behold

Where there is fear I can allay
Where there is pain I can heal
Where there are wounds I can bind
And hunger I can fill (REFRAIN)

CODA:
And when I've done all that I could
Yet there are hearts I cannot move
Lord, give me hope
That I may be Your heart today

 (lyrics from elyrics.net)

Love,

The Catholic Chic

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Seeing God


Being a Christian blogger, specifically a Catholic one, this is my personal mantra which I believe came from God. When at times I am feeling uninspired or burdened, this statement comes to my mind unintentionally and I feel like it is God telling me to "Stand up, Brush it off, Move forward."

There are many instances when I feel like the world is pulling me out of this blog. But God is telling me to fight for it and use the many secular opportunities coming my way to glorify Him - to use various circumstances, opportunities, and even crosses to proclaim His name.

I hope I always see the world through Jesus' lenses. It may be a challenge, but it is also a talent I'm very willing to master. I have to learn to see God in the most mundane things - like my nail polish or my shoes. For how can I proclaim God in the world if I cannot see Him in the things around me?

How about you? Have you mastered the art of seeing God in everything? And when I say everything, I mean every THING.

Love always,

The Catholic Chic

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

A Trip Down Memory Lane: St. Ignatius Cathedral, Camp Aguinaldo

My husband and I visited Camp Aguinaldo last week and while we were there, we grabbed the opportunity to attend the Eucharistic celebration at 12 o'clock in the St. Ignatius Cathedral - a cathedral very dear to my heart. 

I am a military brat by the way so this cathedral was where I grew up in as a little Catholic. This was also where my parents got married, back when it was still a chapel.

The St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo
Walking down the aisle.
The dome of the Cathedral.

The patron saint of this Cathedral is St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is the patron saint of soldiers. St. Ignatius, I believe, was also a soldier or a knight who was brought into conversion while recuperating from battle. After his conversion, he left his military life and became part of the clergy. Later, he founded the Society of Jesus also known as the Jesuits.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Patron Saint of Soldiers.

Upon entering the Cathedral, many flashbacks came to mind like our children's choir days, doing parish involvement for school, and celebrating mass with my family. We did our best to attend Sunday mass together as a complete bunch. It was very rare that one was absent. If there was anyone absent, it would probably be my dad when he was assigned in far-flung areas as a soldier. One of my vivid memories of going to Mass with my dad, a memory that I share with one of my siblings, is that dad always wanted the aisle seat. 

This is where our family used to sit during mass.
The cathedral has evolved in many ways from starting off as a little chapel. Now it is bigger, the designs are more beautiful, and there is air-conditioning. But what I love most about it are the beautiful stained glass windows which surround the cathedral. My favorite is that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus since it reminds me of His unending mercy and desire to forgive us if we just approach Him.

Stained glass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus image.
Another new inspiration I found in the cathedral is the image of St. Therese of Lisieux. She is one my patron saints because of two things, her value for the little and humble things/ actions and her full offering of herself to God.



I love these two quotes from her:

"Do Small Things with Great Love."

and

"You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all."

 
I wish you could come visit this cathedral. The entrance of the camp is at Gate 6 in Boni Serrano street, Quezon city. You may ask the soldiers at the entrance how to get to the cathedral. Also, here is the schedule poster of the Holy Eucharist, Sacraments, and Devotions held at the cathedral:


God bless you! :)

The Catholic Chic

Monday, September 1, 2014

On Full Dependence and Trust

From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis

God has blessed me with so much more than I asked for. There was a time when I had more money and material things than I needed. I felt then like I had no need of God and relied solely on myself and my personal success. But when God saw that these were corrupting me, He took them away. 

Now, I believe He is teaching me so much more about financial stewardship. He is also teaching me to value the little I have and to share it with others. I used to be really selfish and I didn't want to give to others. But now, the less material things I have, the more I am able to share.

More than that, He is molding my heart to have full dependence on Him. He gave me supportive parents who understand what I'm going through. He gives us basic necessities, Godly friends and a parish community, and productive hobbies which allow us to meet people to inspire us and vice versa.

And true to the bible, He really does take care of me 100% - even my most miniscule whims, He solves. Would you believe that because of blogging, a skin care brand made me one of their brand ambassadors? God knows that I have insecurities about my acne scars. He knows that because of my small salary, I can't afford skin treatments right now, so He blessed me with sponsorship. I know this is a very small concern compared to the bigger problems of the world; but nevertheless, He still blesses me, no matter how big or small.

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. 
They do not labor or spin. 
Yet I tell you, 
not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, 
which is here today, 
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, 
how much more will he clothe you—
you of little faith!"
- Luke 12: 27-28 

Truly there is nothing that I could ask for that He does not know and cannot give. May I always be thankful for my material blessings but may my heart never forget its source. May I love the ultimate source of goodness that is Christ above all things.

Yours in Christ,

The Catholic Chic