THE (spiritual) JOURNAL OF A TEENAGE MARTIAN FROM OUTERSPACE

jonah lui pascual ;D I Encounter Jesus in the Liturgy

To make the long story short, Advent is most likely to be my familys preparation when my mother was about to gave birth to me. As people prepare for the coming of Christ during advent; my family, as any other family, prepared for my coming beforehand. They bought some clothes, toys and some other baby stuffs. But most of all, they prepared emotionally for another childs birth. Another problem, another joy, another hope (Dont blame me. The community says that Children are the hope of mankind.) Alas! My day of birth came. My mom suffered, everybody was nervous, worried and excited; all at the same time. It must be very funny to watch them. They told me that when I was ultra sounded, I was a boy but when I was born, whala! Here I am, a girl. As people celebrate Christmas, my family mustve celebrated too. It was probably through my baptism. Aware of Christmas being celebrated in a worldly way, people still continue to celebrate it that way. I hope everybody would really live with the true meaning of Christmas. As life goes by, Ive faced and will be facing tons and tons of trials and problems. During those times do I reflect on my life and cling closer to God. All of us do, right? I mean, dont be a hypocrite, my dear reader; problems do keep us CLOSER to God. I just hope that we thank Him after everything. And as I surpassed these trials and problems, I am molded into another being. Same physical appearance but more or less, Ive become a new person with new perspectives and point of views. My daily, simple life is the most important part of my life. Ive been born, so what? I have to keep living so that it would make sense. Ive gone through trials, so what? I have to go on and face new problems and live with the lessons I learned. Life isnt just about the happiest and most extravagant days of life. It isnt just about problems too. Life is wonderful even in the simplest of ways, even in the shortest of times. A little laughter makes a big difference. Sadly, as big as it is, people dont get to see that it means that much. Live life to the fullest! Enjoy! Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Above all, LOVE GOD!

My Encounter with Jesus in the Scriptures

April 1, 2011

Sts. Peter and John Parish Mark 12: 28-34 I Could Not Ask for More Just like the song with the same title of my reflection, after all what Jesus sacrificed for mankind, which, as we all know, is very painful to be crucified in the cross, I could not ask for more in my life. In exchange, I shall love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with my entire mind, and with all my strength; and love my neighbor as I love myself. These are the first and second commandments of the Lord. If theres one thing that the gospel taught me, it would be the value of love and faith rolled into one. The lessons behind the gospel involved in the faith, love and time we can give to God and to the people around us. It has imbibed the value of having a strong foundation and relationship with God. There are times when we try to doubt our trust and faith in God for all the heavy burdens we encounter in our lives. We just need the unconditional trust and faith to the Divine Creator in order to hurdle lifes challenges. High School life is a crucial stage of the development of the students own core values, personal priorities, physical, mental, and spiritual growth. To put the teachings to our day to day practices, spending some time with God is a simple gift that we can offer to Him. Having a relationship with God is best when at youth because it is in youth that the spiritual laws of God are easily attached and marked on ones youthful soul. April 2, 2011 Sts. Peter and John Parish Luke 18: 9-14 O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity Sometimes we are like the Pharisees who compare and criticize others, especially mistakes and failures. As they say if you want to be happy stop comparing yourself to others, and count your blessing instead, you must be content with what you have and everything will be well. We must be thankful for what we have and not to complicate ourselves of what we dont have. We are blessed with different gifts from God, and it is up to us to discover what that is. Being content will give us a peace of mind. Let us thank God for what we are and what we have. April 4, 2011 Sts. Peter and John Parish John 4: 43-54

Lord I Am Not Worthy to Receive You, But Only Say the Word and I Shall Be Healed In this Gospel, two words are recurring. These are the words SEE and BELIEVE. For those who are still in doubt in their faith in God, they may still say to see is to believe where they simply believe in the Mighty deeds of God when they see concrete signs or miracles. This is what Jesus commented and said Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."(John 4.33-54). However, let us be reminded that there are experiences in our lives where we do not need concrete signs for us to see and to believe that they truly exist. These experiences are truly living in us, in the very core of our being, even right this very moment. Take for instance, our love to our parents, or our children and to other significant persons. This love in us for them is untouchable, cannot seen nor detected by our naked eyes yet we know it is there in us, we feel it and we do believe that this love for the other person goes beyond any concrete and valuable things on earth. Is the air that we breathe not enough to thank the Lord that at this very moment we are miraculously being saved by Him? Saving in a sense that we are still enjoying the luxury of living because WE ARE STILL ALIVE right NOW! In fact this air that we breathe is not just ordinary oxygen given to us by nature or God for free. It is indeed the very breath of Gods Spirit given and shared to us with great unconditional loveHis very breath, His very Spirit. This is the reason, I believe, why the royal official believed what Jesus told him you may go, your son will live. He believed in Jesus words not only because Christ can truly heal his son but also he was able to see beyond the physical reality about the love of Christ for his dying son. Any father or mother loving his child so much wishes him simply to live instead of having expensive material things in life. As we enter this season of Lent, let us be sensitive enough to see the wondrous things or signs around us about Gods gift to us. They could be in the form of a simple smile or greetings of hi and hello by a friend or maybe just a slight pat on our shoulder by somebody who in silence encourages us to move on from the pains and struggles that we are encountering now. Perhaps the next time we celebrate the mass (not just merely attending for obligation sake), the moment the blessed Host is raised and to be consecrated by the priest let us truly believe in the Father through the Son with the Holy Spirit, just like what the royal official did, and silently say LORD I AM NOT WORTHY TO RECEIVE YOU BUT ONLY SAY THE WORD AND I SHALL BE HEALED. Yes Lord I believe. Help my un-believe! April 7, 2011 Sts. Peter and John Parish John 5: 31-47

Do we listen to God's word with faith and trust? Jesus said to the Jews: If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. (John 5:31-34) Many of us are unable to recognize and understand the word of God. Our pride makes us deaf to God's voice. How can we be fruitful to our Baptismal mission? Its by sharing what we know about Jesus to others, its by living our faith and by witnessing the many good things that God has done in our lives. We must testify about the good news that is Jesus, we must be persistent and tireless in our desire to share Jesus. In our desire to share Jesus to others, there will be some who will mock us and throw insults on us. Just ignore it aside and move ahead. What if no one will listen to us? Then, we move-on and look for someone who would care to listen. For as long as we are persistent, God will help us find those who will lend their ears to us. God reveals himself to humble people, to those who have faith and trust not in themselves, but in God. The Lord opens the ears of those who are eager to hear his voice and He fills their hearts and minds with His love and wisdom. As John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

April 8, 2011 Sts. Peter and John Parish John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me. With these words, Jesus humbly and indirectly informs the crowd that He is Christ, the Messiah. Examining the gospel, we can undoubtedly extract an idea of how influential Jesus is, and how influential He can be by taking into account how the other characters in the gospel treat Him. If I were Jesus, knowing that I am the son of God, and considering the kind of danger I am into, I would grasp the fact that I am the son of the most powerful being and whip lighting to everyone who goes against me and my mission. Anyone of my age and anyone of my thinking will choose violence to succeed smoothly and easily. Anyone would want to be the son of the omnipotent one. But, Jesus is He, who we know as simple, humble and loyal to His words, actions, and teachings. He carries an image of an ideal human being, who without reward would serve His Father humbly. He carries the identity of His Father, who is loving, forgiving, and just. Nowadays, bribery and assault are widely being practiced, especially those who holds power in our society. A high-ranking police officer can violate traffic rules while an ordinary jeepney driver cannot. A city mayor can order from Jollibee without falling in line while a senior citizen has to wait for his/her turn. A senator can import illegal luxury cars from other countries with ease while an ordinary businessman is being investigated by the local authorities for purchasing a luxury car out of his hard work. Some of the people who control power in the society use it for their own advantages, disregarding and forgetting the main purpose of being a public servant. As we prepare ourselves for the coming of the season of Lent, let us try to recollect all that Jesus has taught us. Let us try to pick up again the values that we have unconsciously thrown away out of greed, selfishness and jealousy. Let us redeem ourselves from temptation and may we put God in the center of our lives, Amen.

I Encounter Jesus in the Eucharist

As a member of the Ministry of the Altar Servers Marian Servers, I really feel blessed. I am able to serve God and see Him closely. As our

coordinators and spiritual leaders always say, we are really grateful to be able to see God closer than the mass-goers. We witness His transformation; of bread to His body, of wine to His blood. Ive been a lector/commentator and a choir member too. It really is a pleasure to serve God especially those masses when Im able to entirely focus myself spiritually. Though there were times when I cant focus too much, I apologize shortly afterwards and asks for His guidance in whatever my problem is or whatever is bothering me. Truly, I am very glad to be a part of the church. I love you, God!

My Journey of Faith
This happened two to three years ago. I was too far from socialization, too far from the world. Others think of it as a form of rebellion (well maybe it really is). I have strict parents, no friends, no freedom, nothing. My perception towards the world grew ill. Ive become anti-

social, apathetic and a combined sadist and masochist. I barely talked to anyone, even to my own family. Not long after, my perception towards the church and God was badly affected too. I dont go to mass, I dont pray, and I even contradicted them with the laws of science and of the world. I was just a Doubting Jonah before I cam to the point that I hated God as well. Though maybe, if I am able to do the Fairy Law (some sort of magic power that can wipe out all your enemies or those people you hate with a single blow. Yes, anime related.) I wouldnt be able to wipe out anything because maybe, just maybe, I didnt hate anyone or anything at all even if I said so. I must have been really depressed that time and converted that depression to anger and hatred. Then came a time when I really didnt go to church. My family cried, yes. Then also came the time when they think and acted as if Im possessed or something like that. I locked myself in the room that night. I can hardly breathe and I thought I was going to die from the previous suffocation. The quarrel that night was really caused by my older sister and I didnt know why and how I was involved. Oh, and I was also involved in witchcraft and occultism. I even have a book about witchcraft and tarot cards which is nowhere to be found now. Mama or ninang must have taken it. Last year, I dont know how it happened but I returned to the church. Everyone was surprised; negatively and positively. Everything went smoothly afterwards. I felt and know that now; my faith increased (and continues to). God has forgiven me. Nonetheless, I still ask for forgiveness. Today, I am trying my best to be a good daughter to Him as much as possible. PS: I am still in love with witchcraft until now. And I forgot to mention Cassie, my imaginary friend up until this day. PPS: While reading this, you might have though ill of me or have laughed to my naivety. But this is one of the events in my life I do not wish to change nor forget. For me, this is embarrassing in the eyes of God but not to humankind. That is why I dont hesitate to share this experience to them and hopefully, even without them experiencing it, they would realize or learn something from my experience.

I hear Jesus Words

I am always with you -For all my life, I feel alone. I cant seem to be completely happy and comfortable with other people.

Dont be afraid -He knows my thoughts, my feelings, everything. I am a big coward. Im afraid to believe, to trust, to be betrayed and many other things. Open your door -As Ive said, I find it hard to trust people. I am always trying to distance myself to them as much as possible. You are forgiven -I am still ashamed of what I have done two to three years ago. I love you -I suppose almost everybody wrote this? BELIEVE -He wouldnt do anything that could harm me permanently. I should just put my trust in Him. Lend a hand -God would really be delighted even in the least help we can give to our neighbors.

I Pray with Mary

Ever since Im a little kid, my family prays the rosary every night. Yes, its boring but when I age a little, I realized how important the rosary is. Sometimes, I still find it boring and yawn a million of times (sorry, Lord!). Since it is night time, most of us are probably tired from school, work or anything else. Some of us fall asleep and some of us cant focus just to keep ourselves awake. Praying the rosary isnt as easy as ABC. Though if deep within our hearts, it is as easy as 123. It is a way

on intercession through Mother Mary. And as they say, The family that prays together stays together. I hope that like our family, despite these bad habits while praying the rosary, many other families pray the rosary often too.

I Pray the Psalms

Psalm 6 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. 3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?
1

Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?
6

I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
8

10

This Psalm is a heart-wrenching cry for deliverance from bodily affliction. What exactly the nature of this affliction is unknown, as well as its cause. The psalmist is shaken to the very core of his being in this psalm from this illness. He seems to feel that the Lord is angry, and yet makes no apology for wrongdoing, so from this, it does not appear that the psalmist has sinned. The thrust is this plea for help and healing.

Psalm 42

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, Where is your God? 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermonfrom Mount Mizar.
7

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8

By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life.

oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, Where is your God?
10

I say to God my Rock, Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, Psalm 43
1

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

11

Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. 2 You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? 3 Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
4

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

These psalms can perhaps best be summarized by saying, Life is messed up right now, but I know that God can and will deliver me, so I still have reason to hope. This is the general thrust of these psalms. Even thought the psalmist has reason to be upset, prays to God for help, he continually reminds himself to hope in God, for he knows that the time will come when he will be able to praise God again for the things that God has done for him.

Psalm 143
1

LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have

done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.
7

Answer me quickly, LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your names sake, LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. 12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
11

touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

6

Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them. 7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners 8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, 10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David. From the deadly sword 11 deliver me; rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
9

Psalm 144
1

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? 4 They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, LORD, and come down; 3

Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. 15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the LORD.

12

The thrust of these Psalms is prayer for deliverance, but while the first one seems to focus entirely on deliverance of the individual, the second goes on to include the nation as well. The first is focused on asking God to act more than the second one, for there are far fewer imperatives in the second psalm than in the first one. Also, psalm 143 contains requests to God, imperatives directed toward God, which are then followed by reasons. There are no explanatory words in psalm 144 that say why God should act. Psalm 143 contains no praise, psalm

144 both praise as well as a statement that proclaims: Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.