In the Patient's Eyes (02/25/07)

In the Patient's Eyes

When in the patient's eyes tears flowed
I saw a star of hope and more
In the sky, while the waves bellowed
Below dashing to the waiting shore.

Self surrendered to the Power
Of the unseen Motivator
With its bracing April shower
As witnessed by this narrator.

As he welcomed the Word made Flesh
And led it into his sin-stained
Body of his being  made fresh;                                
When mire and mud of sin were drained.                                                                                                  

As the soft breath of dawn proclaimed
The life of day came to be seen;
The song with its lyric acclaimed
And permeated over the glen. 

The psalm of love. Tale of a journey                      
The song of life. An elegy.
A gospel of reality.

The gentle tears from the patient's eye
Galvanized my ministry. And I                  
Was bathed in my humanity.
"Tempus fugit. Memento mori."

(Note)  The Ministry of Care

Two men and a woman. They were Ministers of Care of St. Timothy Church, (which was recently merged with Holy  Child Jesus parish) who were scheduled on a Sunday for the  Catholic patients of the Swedish Covenant Hospital at the corner of California and Foster Avenues in Chicago, Illinois to give Holy Communion. I was one of the men. This poem was inspired by my encounter with a patient who shed tears of joy upon receiving the Holy Communion. This particular patient spoke a few English words but has the genius of Catholicism stamped in his system. This memorable experience flashbacked my seminary days - that a tear literally speaks the profound stirrings of a human soul in the quest for happiness and salvation. (Greg In Trabanca)

02/23/07 First Friday Station of the Cross

This is the day when practicing and devout Catholics observe the Stations of the Cross with prayer, song, and meditation on the 14 stages of Christ's sorrowful passion that culminated in his death on the cross.

The soup was served after the observance.

02/21/07 Ash Wednesday

Memento Morti - Remember death.

From dust thou art to dust thou shalt return! With this reminder, let us remember our point of destination which is vital in our earthly journey. And today, we ask our Creator to grant eternal rest to a dear friend who left this world to return to where he came from.

Use of Ashes

The use of ashes is believed to have its start in the 16th century by Pope Gregory, the Great.It was a sign of humility and mortality as well as for sorrow and repentance as told in the old Testament. A practice of the church by the 10th century was the receiving of ashes on the head as a reminder of mortality and sign of sorrow for sin. Ashes are from the burnt palm. In the Catholic church, the ashes are put on the forehead in the sign of the cross as a reminder of the anointing with oil in baptism. In other places, ashes are scattered on the top of the head.

All Catholics must observe abstinence and fasting.

The 2nd & 3rd degrees

Sunday, Feb. 20/07

The Emergence of a Company

Sat. Feb.20/07
Mass & Blessing of RC LEGACY OF ILLINOIS, INC. 1-847-961-3100 Phone
999 E. Touhy Ave., Suite 170-C Des Plaines, IL 60018 1-847-961-3101 Fax No.

RC LEGACY OF ILLINOIS is a realty and mortgage company with a unique business technique. It has the combination of networking and multi-level marketing plans coupled with financial education, treating those who join not as agents but as businessmen/women making them parts of the company.

There was Mass , Blessing, ribbon cutting, dinner and company business presentation . More than hundred people attended. The owner/founder and big bosses of the parent company RC LEGACY OF CALIFORNIA, INC came. It was a great success and many signed to join.

Feb.13, 2007. Tuesday. More snow.

Feb.12, 2007.Monday. Lincoln's Birthday.

Once again, Chicago was blanketed with snow.

Symptoms of Inner Peace

(Taken from the church's sunday bulletin)

" Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. this could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world."

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

* A loss of interest in judging other people.

* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

* A loss of interest in conflict.

* A loss of the ability to worry. (This is very serious symptom.)

* Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

* Frequent attacks of smiling.

* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Value of the Holy Mass

Friday:02/09/07

Tremendous Value of the Holy Mass

At the hour of death, the Holy Mass you have heard devoutly will be your greatest consolation.
God forgives you all the venial sins which you are determined to avoid. He forgives you all the unknown sins which you never confessed. the power of Satan over you is diminished.
Every Mass will go with you to Judgment and will plead for pardon for you.
By every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins, more or less, according to your favor.
By devoutly assisting at the Holy Mass you render the greatest homage possible to the Sacred Humanity of our Lord.
Through the Holy Sacrifice, Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of your negligences and omissions.
By piously hearing the Holy Mass you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief.
One Holy Mass heard during your life will be more beneficial to you than many heard for you after your death.
Through the Holy Mass, you are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass.
During the Holy Mass, you kneel amid a multitude of holy Angels, who are present at the Adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe.
Through Holy Mass, you are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.
When you hear Holy Mass devoutly, offering it to Almighty God in honor of any particular Saint or Angel, thanking God for the favors bestowed on him, etc.,etc., you afford the Saint or Angel a new degree of honor, joy, and happiness and draw his special love and protection on yourself.
Every time you assist at Holy Mass, besides other intentions, you should offer it in honor of the Saint of the day.
(These quotes are taken from the book THE HIDDEN TREASURE-HOLY MASS by St. Leonard. Imprimatur *Michael Augustine Archbishop of New York Jan. 2, 1890.)

Birth is the beginning...

My wife works at the Hospital in LDR (Labor & Delivey room). She loves her job. She is the first to witness the commencement of life. No better career in the world can offer you comfort than to discover that the alpha of life is within your vision . And within reach is also the omega of existence . In the hospital, that is.

Time flies.

A score and ten years ago, I was in the Land of the Morning, of sunshine and rain , of laughing shores and singing rivers, of coconut palms and green hills. I used to go home late with friends enjoying the blessings and curses of youth. We don't have designated drivers as we walked with our young feet . We were guided by the brilliance of the stars, by the lessons from nature.The night is our friend.

We loved our world with its hopes, its dreams, its promises. We made our life enjoyable, fruitful and lovable. Without our knowledge we envisioned Life as a journey.

Mediterranean Voyage

The Journey of a Lifetime

It was a memorable Mediterranean voyage seeing the world with its awesome beauty in the historical perspective. It was a trip of tourists on a budget scenario.

We flew. We cruised. We indulged in temporary luxury: the unforgettable 7-port, 12-day European vacation on the bluish, placid Mediterranean Sea.

After working all your life, you need a respite; days of wallowing in fun and thinking of only good days, excellent food, and wonderful company in a meditative scenario under the smiling skies, lovely ocean caresses by the amiable breeze, and beautiful people of the Holy, Mighty, Immortal One.

My wife - Evangeline "Eve/Vangie" Rueles Caermare Trabanca, a cousin (Belen) Babylane Rueles) the Buens , Dr. Wilfredo "Willy" and Zenaida, "Zeny" Buen, and I were tourists-passengers who belonged to the FEU-Nursing Alumni Association Group under the auspices of  Tess Manuel's Mundo Travel agency.

This was the maiden voyage of the Carnival Liberty and our first ocean travel across one of the Seven Seas. The cruise ship took us to the ports of  (1.) Naples, Italy (2) Dubrovnik, Croatia (3) Venice, Italy (4) Messina, Sicily (5) Barcelona, Spain (6) Cannes, France and (7) Livorno, Italy.

Before we boarded the queenly look and European-inspired interior Carnival Liberty, we stayed in Rome for 2 nights. We visited the Sistine Chapel; marveled at Michelangelo's work of arts displayed on the ceiling. We walked the Spanish Steps; petrified at St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) where the greatest church in Christendom, St Peter Basilica stands. We viewed the Vatican - "the smallest state in the world at the center of the largest spiritual kingdom."  However, we missed the Pope's audience but we threw 3 coins in Trevi Fountain and witnessed the glory of Rome in the Pantheon, which is the city's only architecturally intact monument from classical times

While at the Vatican, we experienced that peace in our soul; that there was a Force more powerful than this man-made world. " In the midst of the urban tumult, the Vatican is an island of peace and tranquility- a regal miniature," wrote G.K. Chesterton, an English Catholic writer.

1st Port: Naples, Italy.  A writer once said, " if you see Naples, you are ready to die." Naples, the third most populated city in Italy with a population of over one million sets on the northern edge of one of the most beautiful bays. It is a bustling city alive with colorful street life, numerous narrow and winding alleyways, quaint shops, and restaurants. Neapolitan cuisine is known worldwide for its savory pasta and pizza, its tasty fish and seafood dishes, its superb cheeses including the famous mozzarella cheese. Looming on a distance shaped like a lady basking in the August sun is the Isle of Capri, the playground of the rich and famous.

2nd Port: Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is naturally framed by a mountainous backdrop prides on its wealth of cultural and historical monuments. It is the homeland of the cravats or neckties.

3rd Port: Venice, Italy. Floating in the Adriatic Sea, Venice consists of panoramic islands connected by many canals. Truman Capote (1924-1984) said, "Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one go." Like venom, Venice poisoned us breathless with its charming sting. Its waterways dotted by gondolas brought homeland reminiscence of outrigger boats and sailboats. Coming from Mindanao, the southern island of the Philippines, we are reminded of Tawi-Tawi ( of the Sulu Archipelago) where the stilt villages of Sitangkai are known as Venice of the Far East.

4th Port: Messina, Sicily. It is a city of great interest for its arts is surrounded by a region of immense beauty. It is known as the "Gateway to Sicily". It lies under the foothills of the Peloritani Mountains, facing the straight of Messina, which takes its name from the city and is the umbilical cord joining Sicily to the continent.
Messina, as we see today, is a fine modern city, restored to its former splendor by a grid of wide, well-lit avenues, lined by buildings which are strictly earthquake-resistance, in the context of an extremely symmetrical and linear city layout.

5th Port: Barcelona, Spain is a dynamic and innovative Spanish city that unites the traditions of 2,000 years of history and its characteristic propensity for expansion, commerce, and creativity. It prides on its architectural richness, culture, transfor-  mations, organization, and modernity. Cathedral de la Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), its most distinctive landmark vividly depicted the modernist Antonio Gaudi's style. His designs combined stone, iron, and ceramics in a rather commanding and certainly irreverent fashion.

We saw: the Baptistry Chapel with its marble fonts, the chapel of St. Oleguer with its wrought-iron gate darkened by praying hands, and the smoke of devotional candles placed by the people in honor of the Christ of Lepanto which accompanied John of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto. We were guided: to the Ramblas, the soul of the city, "the most beautiful street in the world" according to the famous writer Somerset Maugham.

6th Port: Cannes, France is the venue of the Annual Film Festival and was our 6th port. Then we went to the principality of Monaco of which Monte Carlo is one of its districts and is made famous by the marriage of the pretty Hollywood actress Grace Kelley to Prince Ranier III of the Grimaldi Family that ruled the island. It was in a Monaco Club, that the hotel heiress Paris Hilton met her Greek billionaire shipping heir boyfriend, Paris Latsis ten years ago as a teenager.

In Monaco, we gambled. We lost. But we won that status symbol of being there in the pleasant place of the rich and famous. The guide said that "there is always a time and place for everything, for the principality of Monaco is a land where flowers of peace grow. It is a tiny land, described by French film director - playwright Marcel Pagnol, " where the arts can still live in the shade of the olive tree, close to the Latin Sea, where the authority of one only safeguards the liberty of all."

7th port: Livorno, a major Italian port city is an entry point to the beautiful city of Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and Pisa - home of the renowned leaning Tower, one of the wonders of the ancient world.

After the last glimpse and pose for posterity, the fun ship Carnival Liberty docked at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy. Then off we went to Leonardo da Vinci's Airport. Arrivederci, Roma!

The journey of a lifetime is replete with wonderful memories......

Sunday. Feb. 4, 2007.

What is the greatest source of hope in your life?

Let us pray...

Merciful Lord, you are our hope, our strength. In the cold winter of our life, we ask thy loving heart to be with us through our discouragement, our unbelief. Because in you alone we find complete assurance. Amen.

Despite the manifestation of success, I felt the sensation of a failure. There is that gnawing feeling of insecurity because I was not born like one of them. Then discouragement enveloped my whole being. I felt trapped with no way out. In short, doubt has taken control of me.

I turned to devotional prayer, to Holy Mass , to motivational books, the Bible, to meditation & being alone thinking of nothing but God and his amazing goodness, to being alone in a harbor or shore watching the waves, or by the the window gazing at the beauty of God's painting on the park.

It's a long, winding, rough , dirt road to discovery. And to say the least, I found it in the sanctum of my being. In the beauty of my attitude.

Lost but not forgotten

Friday. Feb. 2, 2007

Lost but not forgotten...

Somebody has got to do something. It could be small thing. Big thing. Few thing. Many things. Or anything.

A particular person left something. And one of her great many things is a legacy to the world in turmoil. She left this quote:

"No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind of action leads to another. A good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." - Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to courageously fly solo across the Atlantic on July 1, 1937.
However, on July 2nd her plane mysteriously disappeared. And she just fade out of the skies and never heard from her again.

She disappeared. Lost. But has found a place in the heart of humanity.

I have learned in the Catechism class that there are 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are 1. charity 2. joy 3. peace 4. patience 5. Kindness  6. goodness 7. generosity 8. gentleness 9. faithfulness 10. modesty 11. self-control 12. chastity.

How about sharing these fruits, especially the act of kindness? Tell friends you met to plant trees that bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we can eat the fruit of kindness every day. Remember Johnny, the Appleseed?

Spread the good news! The 7 continents would be filled up with 12 kinds of beautiful trees; trees whose leaves absorb the carbon dioxide of selfishness, anger, war, violence, terrorism, blind obedience, hatred, pride, envy, lust, and sloth.

And by eating the fruits of these trees we will have wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

Monday, Jan 29/07

Just Dream...

Somebody said: " There is no scarcity of opportunity to live your dreams; there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happens."

We dream only to be washed out by the waves of uncertainty. Others dream of riding the waves rolling to the shore of achievement.Reason- These wave riders are happy goal setters. They are fearless and unstoppable.

If you can't ride the waves or walk on water try to dream big dreams. Let this dream motivate you to reach the unreachable, scale the unscalable and if you fall short at least you have achieve something.

And this is a start to the road of achievement. Stay focus. Empower yourself. Win good friends along the way. Believe in your inner capacity of turning that bad-looking emotion to a gorgeous solution.

Just dream. And chase that dare to try as life is the only one you got. Before you'll wake up you are full of life to go on living another day...

Sunday, Jan. 28/2007

Why I write...

I write. When tomorrow arrives
I then read what I have written
And all the memory survives
And never to be forgotten.

I gathered these memories
In the library of my being
That someday in joy and worries
They will be the songs that I'll sing.




What was narrated became a memory to live by. I did that in my younger days before the birth of word processor and the computer.

Now I found out that those forgotten memories provided richness to my insignificant life.
Footprints erased by time lives in memories.

I gathered the sources of these memories through keen observation and great interest on anything desiring human attention. I always have to have a ballpen and a diary-like material that fits the pocket. I have to read widely , constant visits to the internet's domain of dots (.com, .org, .gov, .edu, .net) and listened intently to any person's talk.

Then I write. Of memories. Remember we got nothing in this planet but moments embossed in our memories. Make sure to enjoy every iota of them - your MOMENTS in TIME.

Saturday 1/27/07
ST. TIMOTHY PARISH INTERNATIONAL DINNER

A buffet dinner of different entrees prepared by parishioners who came from different countries namely: Germany, Italy, Ireland, India-Pakistan, Philippines, Mexico,and Central America. The basement of the church was full. The parishioners mostly of golden years together with their children and friends and guests enjoyed the evening. Camaraderie and fellowship glued once again making the parish vibrant and spiritually awake.

This is an annual affair that provides additional revenue besides strengthening the the parish activity.

Friday 1/26/07

Best things Happen When Less Expected!

Unexpectedly, I attended the RC LEGACY OF ILLINOIS,INC kick-off presentation located at 999 E. Touhy Ave, Suite 170 in Desplaines, Illinois. This will be followed by another one on Saturday at 4:00 pm. Many guests are expected to come.

This is a new twist in the Real Estate and Mortgage business where an individual is given his/her God-given personality molding him/her to become an educated businessman/woman and not as a mere agent. As such he/she is a part and owner of the company which will be handed down to the heirs; the reason why it is called RC LEGACY. The parent company is RC LEGACY OF CALIFORNIA, INC. The brain behind this is the owner and realtor Florante Cimafranca of southern California. (R C is the initial of his son named Rante Cimafranca.)Rante's name is honorable and a success in the Real Estate world.His success in southern California tells the story.

RC LEGACY OF ILLINOIS, INC came into reality after 13 months of preparations by the Magnificent Four: Sam Rabor, Gerry Galano, Rocky Mella and Bing Prades. The venue selected was strategically accessible to transportation. The Office is spacious with a conference room and a training room as the company's mission is geared towards financial education. That the individual is paramount therefore he/she must be properly trained and educated in an atmosphere of teamwork: helping each other, giving unselfish devotion, unquestionable integrity and care because when the indvidual succeeds the company grows. It is a 2-way business endeavor and a legacy to reckon with.

If you want to be a part of the company and is ready to learn come and visit RC LEGACY OF ILLINOIS, INC and you'll be treated not as stranger but as a person with : vision, courage, leadership, creativity, ability to stand criticsm and the ability to delay gratification.

"Live for today and plan for tomorrow for we do not grow by knowing all the answers but rather by living with the questions."

The question is: Would you like to train and conduct seminars?

Jan. 21/07
3rd Sunday in Ordinary time.

I was the lector on this Sunday. The first reading was taken from the Book of Nehemiah. I proclaimed it slowly with eye contacts among the congregation so they will mentally picture the fairly complicated and liturgical scene in the narrative being read.

It was about "Ezra the priest who brought the law before the assembly. ( Torah is a Hebrew word meaning "law" or "instruction". In Judaism, the word refers to the 5 books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Sometimes called the "books of the Law", or just"the Law".Also commonly called "the 5 books of Moses" due to Jewish and Christian tradition that Moses was their inspired author... If "the book of the Law of Moses" Ezra reads before the people is a version of the Torah, and if our text contains th accurate historical recollection that Ezra had one, then it is quite likely that the Babylonian exile, despite its many hardships, was a fertile period in the composition and editing of scripture. " ( Workbook for lectors and gospel readers, Year C. 2007 James L. Weaver.)

Today we must rejoice and not be saddened for the Lord is our strength. Today is holy to our Lord.

The 2nd reading was from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
It was about the body though one has many parts and all the parts of the body though many are one body, so also is Christ. That is one spirit we were all baptized into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons- we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

The one body of people called Filipinos is from the Philippines. Although this one group of people (85% Catholics) came from many islands (7,100 islands ) with many dialects (87 local dialects) yet this one Group are united by the devotion, sharing and love of God. Whether they be in the far Far East, Middle East, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Americas, Canada or in the cold, cold region of the earth, Filipinos manifest their great love, profound praise, undying devotion and sans fear evangelization of the religion they are proud of- the Catholic Religion. They show their devotion to the Santo Nino, The Blessed Virgin Mary, and The Saints.

They love their God having a solid foundation that the "existence of God is naturally known, and things naturally are known are self-evident: for the knowledge of them is not attained by inquiry and study". And "since, the desire of man tend naturally to God as to his last end. ..." for as the light of the sun is the principle of all visual perception, so the divine light is the principle of all intellectual cognition." (Of God and His Creatures, Jacques Maritain Center:GC 1.10)