June 19,2011
Reading 1 Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9. Reading II 2 Cor 13:11-13.
Gospel John 3:16-18

June 19, 2011 is the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippines' national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. He is the spark that blazed the road for our (the Filipinos') independence due to his brilliant ideas and martyrdom. He is the father of the Philippines and his birthday anniversary coincides with the Father's Day celebration in the United States.

The gospel today is also my favorite bible verse- the love of the Father that sent His only Son to die in His thirties to save the world from sin. Rizal came back to his native land unafraid to give his life. He died too in his thirties so his country will eventually be free and independent.

In the backyard, Father's Day was celebrated with grilled meat and fish and steamed rice over bottles of beer and cans of coke by two fathers and their wives. The gathering was unplanned and in a flash of the moment.

That moment made marriage alien to divorce as the conversation floated from birth to wanderlust,to new found country, the pains and the laughter, the agony and the glory. Nerves were restored to normalcy and a perfect respite from the day's doldrums.

Indeed, that was a Father's day to remember.